Railway ministry's Twitter following surges a day after joining

New Delhi, July 8: In less than 24 hours of joining the micro-blogging site

, the official handle of the ministry of railways on Tuesday had close to 40,000 followers.

The ministry of railways made its debut on Twitter a day before D.V. Sadananda Gowda was to present the his maiden railway budget.

The ministry's twitter handle is @RailMinIndia (see more)

"The ministry of railways is now on social media. We look forward to interacting with netizens, using this vibrant medium," read the first tweet on Monday.

The followers were increasing with each passing second.

Ahead of the Rs.164,374-crore budget presentation, the ministry also announced its Facebook, Twitter and YouTube platforms were now live, and users can also call 022 4501 5555 for live budget updates.

As Sadananda Gowda was presenting the budget in the Lok Sabha, the ministry's Twitter account was updating key points from the minister's speech, keeping the Internet-savvy population abreast of the news.

IANS