Railways and Army: India’s crown jewels in the service of the country
- The Journal of Governance
- 27, Jul, 2023: p.59-77
There are two institutions or organisations in our country that can stand out as national icons and that really engender instant pride and deference – the Army and the Railways. They are indeed two iconic institutions of India and share obvious similarities in terms of size, salience, and structure – the military as nation’s sentinel, keeping it secure and safe; railways, as its life-line, arteries and sinews of its economy. With pan-India presence, Indian Railways (IR) is India’s largest landlord, the military a close second. Army’s cantonments much like IR’s colonies are in themselves mini townships, complete with education and healthcare, sports and recreation facilities.- Reproduced