New Delhi: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday announced a reduction in the freight charges for the transportation of bulk cement in tank containers, as part of the new reforms to bring down the cost of the building material for affordable housing.

Unveiling the policy at Rail Bhawan here, the minister described it as “a game changer to bring down the cost of cement for the middle and poor families as they build their dream home.”

The new rate structure has been simplified and rationalised by introducing charges based on the actual tonnage, calculated as the Gross Tonne Kilometre (GTKM) of the train.

To enhance ease of doing business, the previous distance and weight slabs have been removed. Under the revised system, freight is charged at a flat rate of Rs 0.90 per tonne per

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