186.-(1) The Authority shall establish, maintain and control a fund (which shall be known as the ” Railway Fund”) and all moneys received by the Authority, whether on revenue account or on capital account, in the discharge of their functions and all moneys provided, whether on revenue account or on capital account, out of the revenues of the Federation to enable them to discharge those functions shall be paid into that Fund, and all expenditure, whether on revenue account or on capital account, required for the discharge of their functions shall be defrayed out of that Fund:Provided that nothing in this subsection shall prevent the Authority from establishing and maintaining separate provident funds for the benefit of persons who are or have been employed in connection with railways.
(2) The receipts of the Authority on revenue account in any financial year shall be applied in-
(a) defraying working expenses;
(b) meeting payments due under contracts or agreements to railway undertakings;
(c) paying pensions, and contributions to provident funds;
(d) repaying to the revenues of the Federation so much of any pensions and contributions to provident funds charged by this Act on those revenues as is attributable to service on railways in India;
(e) making due provision for maintenance, renewals, improvements and depreciation;
(f) making to the revenues of the Federation any payments by way of interest which they are required by this Part of this Act to make; and
(g) defraying other expenses properly chargeable against revenue in that year.
(3) Any surpluses on revenue account shown in the accounts of the Authority shall be apportioned between the Federation and the Authority in accordance with a scheme to be prepared, and from time to time reviewed, by the Federal Government, or, until such a scheme has-been prepared, in accordance with the principles which immediately before the establishment of the Authority regulated the application of surpluses in railway accounts, and any sum apportioned to the Federation under this subsection shall be transferred accordingly and shall form part of the revenues of the Federation.
(4) The Federation may provide any moneys, whether on revenue account or capital account, for the purposes of the Railway Authority, but, where any moneys are so provided, the provision thereof shall be deemed to be expenditure and shall accordingly be shown as such in the estimates of expenditure laid before the Chambers of the Legislature.