Brushing aside allegations that he has discriminated against states in the budget for 2008-09, Railway Minister, Lalu Prasad said the Budget carried a lot for Bihar and other states, besides common people, women and poor.

"It is an exemplary budget India has ever seen. It carried a lot for Bihar as well as other states without any discrimination," Prasad told a press conference in Patna.

He was replying to a query on annoyance shown by some political leaders, especially Left parties, who described the Budget as "discriminatory."

The Budget slashed passenger fares for all classes of travel, upped existing discounts for students and women senior citizens and introduced discounts for new categories of travelers like AIDS patients and national honour winners, he said.

"We have introduced wide-range of passenger amenities and facilities to make travel convenient and comfortable, especially for common people and ten new Garib Raths for poor, besides several other trains for passengers," he said.

Prasad said he had proposed manning all the unmanned level crossing across the country to help check accidents and the gangmen would be promoted and would be posted there.

"In the light of the vacancies of the gangmen, we have proposed to employ the porters holding licences, the number of vacancies is being ascertained and proper scanning will be done while giving them jobs," he added.

Railway Budget: 2008-09