QUIET DOER

Since taking charge of the railways ministry two years ago, Vaishnaw has been busy removing bottlenecks to speed up reforms

- Anilesh S. Mahajan

Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways

IN JULY 2021, WHEN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI hand-picked Ashwini Vaishnaw, a former IAS officer, to head the railways ministry, the brief given to him was very clear not only did he have to eliminate the bottlenecks that were hindering reforms, but also ensure that change was visible on the ground. Vaishnaw wasted no time in putting the new and faster Vande Bharat trains on track and kickstarting the makeover of India's railway stations. The plan to let private players run trains-championed by his predecessors Suresh Prabhu and Piyush Goyal-was given a quiet burial, with Vaishnaw pushing for private money to be put into creating capital goods for the national transporter.