New Delhi: Announcing the railway budget yesterday, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee aims to boost the research activities of railways by proposing to establish a Centre for Railway Research at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IIT-K).

While presenting the Railway Budget, the minister said that, "In order to give a thrust to indigenization, a Centre for Railway Research is proposed to be set up in IIT-K, for research in key areas of railway technology."

The agreement with the premier institution was signed on February 13, 2010.

Mamata elaborated her ambitious plans towards establishing strong research partnership with premier institutes like IITs, National Institutes of Technology (NITs), Council for Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO).

She emphasized on modernizing the techniques for which she stressed upon using indigenous research and development capabilities.

"I am not satisfied with the working of Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) which is why I have decided an overhaul to bring its activities in tandem with the modern research organisations," she added.

RDSO is a Lucknow based nodal research body under the Railway Ministry.