This will promote the backward areas and simultaneously provide employment to the poor and the needy. I would like to remark that the conversion of narrow gauge in the most backward area, that is, Kolar District of Karnataka, has not been included. I do not know why the minister is giving it a step-motherly kind of treatment. Kolar is a backward and drought prone area. The minister has taken measures to see that there is only one gauge throughout the country, that is, the broad gauge, and yet he has neglected this particular narrow-gauge line. I hope the minister will kindly consider this aspect and see that this will be converted into broad-gauge line. The rise in fare and freight charges is not high when compared to the previous budget. This budget has in fact taken care of the poor and the ordinary class passengers. There is criticism that the increase in fare and freight charges is steep and is not in the interest of the rail user. The second-class compartments and sometimes even the first class compartments are very crowded. I also received later an invitation from the defence minister of U.S.S.R. I took this opportunity to discuss with the soviet government various matters connected with the implementation of our defence plan. The task of re-equipping and modernizing our armed forces is a very stupendous one in order to ensure systematic development of our defence potential in the light of the threat facing the country earlier this year, we prepared a five year defence plan. The programmes of modernization of the defence forces and improvement of facilities for logistic support of the armed forces would call for additional outlays on defence. The increase, in terms of internal resources, will be of the order of about 10 to 12 per cent over the current level of defence expenditure.
