Responding to the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/rail-roko-protests-in-mumbai-called-off-train-services-between-matunga-and-csmt-resume-36463" target="_blank">agitation of students for railway recruitment</a>, Union Railway minister Piyush Goyal has said that 20 per cent seat is already reserved for apprentices and the students were demanding more.&nbsp;

He said, &quot;Was in continuous touch with officials. No rules have changed, 20 per cent seats are reserved for apprentices but they are demanding more. Lathi-charge was done after agitators started pelting stones, no one was injured&quot;.

While Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that recruitment in Railways was being done at a large scale.

He added that on the directives of Supreme Court, Indian Railways has made an unbiased and transparent recruitment policy.

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Recruitment in Railways is underway at a large scale. On directives of Supreme Court, Indian Railways has made a recruitment policy that is unbiased &amp; transparent: Piyush Goyal on Railway job aspirants&#39; agitation in Mumbai <a href="https://t.co/mjWBIlwGcL">pic.twitter.com/mjWBIlwGcL</a>
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Scores of students agitated Tuesday morning demanding jobs in railways.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/over-60-trains-cancelled-as-job-aspirants-block-railway-tracks-in-mumbai-36451" target="_blank">students blocked rail traffic, including suburban services</a> between Matunga and Dadar stations, causing difficulties to lakhs of commuters, a Central Railway official said.&nbsp;

The protests have been called off for now and train services have resumed.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

While Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that recruitment in Railways was being done on a large scale. He added that on the directives of Supreme Court, Indian Railways has made an unbiased and transparent recruitment policy

Responding to the agitation of students for railway recruitment, Union Railway minister Piyush Goyal has said that 20 per cent seat is already reserved for apprentices and the students were demanding more. He said, "Was in continuous touch with officials. No rules have changed, 20 per cent seats are reserved for apprentices but they are demanding more. Lathi-charge was done after agitators started pelting stones, no one was injured". While Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that recruitment in Railways was being done at a large scale. He added that on the directives of Supreme Court, Indian Railways has made an unbiased and transparent recruitment policy. Recruitment in Railways is underway at a large scale. On directives of Supreme Court, Indian Railways has made a recruitment policy that is unbiased & transparent: Piyush Goyal on Railway job aspirants' agitation in Mumbai pic.twitter.com/mjWBIlwGcL — ANI (@ANI) March 20, 2018 × Scores of students agitated Tuesday morning demanding jobs in railways. The students blocked rail traffic, including suburban services between Matunga and Dadar stations, causing difficulties to lakhs of commuters, a Central Railway official said. The protests have been called off for now and train services have resumed.

20% seats already reserved for apprentices, students demanding more: Piyush Goyal on rail roko protest

Cancellation of trains with low occupancy and curtailment of halt timings are among the recommendations made by an internal committee of railways to ensure punctuality.

The report on the punctuality of trains, which has been submitted to the Railway Board, has made a slew of suggestions to improve the performance of the railway zones.

&quot;In case of low patronization of trains, they should be canceled and passengers adjusted in available trains,&quot; said the report while listing out ways to enhance punctuality.

The report, also suggested the curtailment of halt timings to improve punctuality.

Railway sources said that the cost of a train stoppage ranges from Rs 12,716 to Rs 24,506. As per the standard rules, any new stoppage should be able to recover the cost.

The Railway Board, officials said, has already issued directions for zones to list uneconomical halts and eventually either eliminate them or curtail their timings.

The report has made both long term and short term recommendations to the board for the railway zones to follow.

As short-term goals, it has proposed fencing of tracks to keep human, cattle, and vehicles away, standard composition and formation of trains, adequate spares for each type of coach, elimination of surface crossings and unmanned level crossings and automated feed of train timings as measures to improve punctuality.

Among the long-term measures, the report has said that to achieve punctuality, railways should separate suburban and main line corridors as well as goods and coaching corridors wherever possible.

Railways should also expedite right powering of coaching and goods trains to avoid loss of punctuality, it said.

&quot;Loco should not be made based in home shed. Loco should be capable of being maintained by any shed of IR,&quot; the report stated, adding that zones should put in place an automated signaling system.

The report on the punctuality of trains, which has been submitted to the Railway Board, has made a slew of suggestions to improve the performance of the railway zones

Cancellation of trains with low occupancy and curtailment of halt timings are among the recommendations made by an internal committee of railways to ensure punctuality. The report on the punctuality of trains, which has been submitted to the Railway Board, has made a slew of suggestions to improve the performance of the railway zones. "In case of low patronization of trains, they should be canceled and passengers adjusted in available trains," said the report while listing out ways to enhance punctuality. The report, also suggested the curtailment of halt timings to improve punctuality. Railway sources said that the cost of a train stoppage ranges from Rs 12,716 to Rs 24,506. As per the standard rules, any new stoppage should be able to recover the cost. The Railway Board, officials said, has already issued directions for zones to list uneconomical halts and eventually either eliminate them or curtail their timings. The report has made both long term and short term recommendations to the board for the railway zones to follow. As short-term goals, it has proposed fencing of tracks to keep human, cattle, and vehicles away, standard composition and formation of trains, adequate spares for each type of coach, elimination of surface crossings and unmanned level crossings and automated feed of train timings as measures to improve punctuality. Among the long-term measures, the report has said that to achieve punctuality, railways should separate suburban and main line corridors as well as goods and coaching corridors wherever possible. Railways should also expedite right powering of coaching and goods trains to avoid loss of punctuality, it said. "Loco should not be made based in home shed. Loco should be capable of being maintained by any shed of IR," the report stated, adding that zones should put in place an automated signaling system.

Cancel trains with low occupancy, curtail halt timings to improve punctuality: Railway report

Indian Railways has initiated disciplinary action against over 13,000 employees who were absent from work for a long time or were on leave without authorisation.

According to reports, the Officer and supervisors are instructed terminate the services of such employees following the necessary process.

The action against the erring employees has been initiated under a drive ordered by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to improve the performance of the railways.

Earlier railways said in a statement that a massive drive has been launched to identify absentees in various establishments of railways in which it was found that 13,500 employees out of the workforce of 13 lakhs were on absent without any authorisation.

The drive also intends to boost the morale of sincere and diligent employees. 
&nbsp;

The action against is employees is taken under a drive ordered by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to improve the performance of the railways

Indian Railways has initiated disciplinary action against over 13,000 employees who were absent from work for a long time or were on leave without authorisation. According to reports, the Officer and supervisors are instructed terminate the services of such employees following the necessary process. The action against the erring employees has been initiated under a drive ordered by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to improve the performance of the railways. Earlier railways said in a statement that a massive drive has been launched to identify absentees in various establishments of railways in which it was found that 13,500 employees out of the workforce of 13 lakhs were on absent without any authorisation. The drive also intends to boost the morale of sincere and diligent employees.

Indian railways to terminate services of over 13,000 employees over unauthorised absence

The government will soon launch a Rs 100 crore project to ensure accurate dissemination and synchronisation of Indian Standard Time (IST), a move aimed at putting in place accurate timing system nationwide.

Accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation would have &quot;significant impact&quot; on diverse areas including banking, telecom, weather forecast, disaster management and automatic signalling in railways, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said.

As part of the ambitious project, the ministry would strengthen the infrastructural facilities of 5 existing regional reference standards laboratories. Besides, two more such labs would be soon set up. 
&quot;We are launching a Rs 100 crore project for time dissemination initiative. In budget for 2018-19, Rs 20 crore has already been provided,&quot; Consumer Affairs Secretary Avinash Kumar Srivastava told reporters here.

To have accurate time dissemination, the facilities at the five labs located in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad and Guwahati would be strengthened with the help of National Physical Laboratory (NPL).

&quot;Synchronisation of all networks and computers within the country with a national clock is a must, especially for the real time application in strategic sector and national security,&quot; a senior ministry official explained.

For instance, non-uniformity of time across different systems could create problems in investigation of cyber crime, the official added.

The ministry is implementing the Legal Metrology Act, which covers the provisions for units of weights and measures.

According to the ministry, accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation has significant impact on industrial, strategic, societal and other spheres.

Such a framework would be key to monitoring of power grids, international trade, banking system, weather forecast and disaster management, among others.

The synchronisation of time could even reduce mobile phone bills, the secretary said, without elaborating.

A group of secretaries on Science and Technology had flagged that all telecom and internet service providers were not mandatorily adopting the Indian Standard Time.

A Standard Time and Frequency Signal (STFS) Dissemination Service using INSAT system is provided by National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The particular time has a precision of better than one microsecond and accuracy of better than 20 microseconds, as per ISRO website.

Accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation would have "significant impact" on diverse areas including banking, telecom, weather forecast, disaster management and automatic signalling in railways, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said

The government will soon launch a Rs 100 crore project to ensure accurate dissemination and synchronisation of Indian Standard Time (IST), a move aimed at putting in place accurate timing system nationwide. Accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation would have "significant impact" on diverse areas including banking, telecom, weather forecast, disaster management and automatic signalling in railways, a senior consumer affairs ministry official said. As part of the ambitious project, the ministry would strengthen the infrastructural facilities of 5 existing regional reference standards laboratories. Besides, two more such labs would be soon set up. "We are launching a Rs 100 crore project for time dissemination initiative. In budget for 2018-19, Rs 20 crore has already been provided," Consumer Affairs Secretary Avinash Kumar Srivastava told reporters here. To have accurate time dissemination, the facilities at the five labs located in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Faridabad and Guwahati would be strengthened with the help of National Physical Laboratory (NPL). "Synchronisation of all networks and computers within the country with a national clock is a must, especially for the real time application in strategic sector and national security," a senior ministry official explained. For instance, non-uniformity of time across different systems could create problems in investigation of cyber crime, the official added. The ministry is implementing the Legal Metrology Act, which covers the provisions for units of weights and measures. According to the ministry, accurate time dissemination and precise time synchronisation has significant impact on industrial, strategic, societal and other spheres. Such a framework would be key to monitoring of power grids, international trade, banking system, weather forecast and disaster management, among others. The synchronisation of time could even reduce mobile phone bills, the secretary said, without elaborating. A group of secretaries on Science and Technology had flagged that all telecom and internet service providers were not mandatorily adopting the Indian Standard Time. A Standard Time and Frequency Signal (STFS) Dissemination Service using INSAT system is provided by National Physical Laboratory (NPL). The particular time has a precision of better than one microsecond and accuracy of better than 20 microseconds, as per ISRO website.

Government looks to synchronise Indian Standard Time

The cold wave sweeping northern India tightened its grip in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and parts of Himachal Pradesh, as dense fog forced the Indian Railways to cancel 22 trains and reschedule another eight.

Delhi recorded the season&#39;s lowest minimum temperature at 4.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below the average, the Met office in the national capital said.

Dense fog delayed 45 north-bound trains, while eight were rescheduled and 22 were cancelled by the Railways.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kejriwal-blames-lg-for-deaths-in-delhi-says-he-appointed-useless-officer-28898" target="_blank">Kejriwal blames LG for deaths due to cold, says he appointed &#39;useless officer&#39;</a>

The night temperature in Srinagar slipped to the season&#39;s lowest at -6.2C, a MeT department official said in Srinagar.

This was the third straight night when the minimum temperature in Srinagar settled at -6.0C or below.

Many water bodies in the the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir have partially frozen due to the intense cold wave. The Dal Lake partially froze early today, but a bright sunshine through the day defroze the popular lake&#39;s surface.

Elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley, the minimum temperature stayed several degrees below the freezing point.

Biting cold conditions persisted in parts of Himachal Pradesh. The high-altitude tribal areas groaned as the minimum temperature in the hills ranged between -13C and -20C.

Keylong and Kalpa, in tribal Lahaul and Spiti, and Kinnaur recorded a low of -7.2C and -3.4C respectively.

The temperature during daytime, however, rose by 2-3 degrees in Himachal, including in Una, which recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 25.8C.

Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh remained under the grip of intense cold conditions. Narnaul recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the states at 0.2C.

The minimum temperature remained up to five degrees below the normal in parts of Punjab and Haryana, the MeT office in Chandigarh said.

The minimum temperature in Chandigarh was 3.4C.

In the desert-state Rajasthan, Bhilwara, Alwar, Churu, Sikar, Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Pilani districts reeled under the cold wave.

Alwar was recorded the coldest place in the state at 0.3C, followed by 1.5C in Sikar, 2C each in hill station Mount Abu and Churu, and 2.2C in Sriganganagar.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Met office in Lucknow said the day temperature fell markedly in Bareilly division. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was in Meerut at 2.9C. 
 
The Met office has forecast dry weather in Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours, with shallow to moderate fog at a few places over eastern and western UP.&nbsp;

Delhi recorded the season's lowest minimum temperature at 4.2 degrees Celsius

The cold wave sweeping northern India tightened its grip in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and parts of Himachal Pradesh, as dense fog forced the Indian Railways to cancel 22 trains and reschedule another eight. Delhi recorded the season's lowest minimum temperature at 4.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below the average, the Met office in the national capital said. Dense fog delayed 45 north-bound trains, while eight were rescheduled and 22 were cancelled by the Railways. Also read: Kejriwal blames LG for deaths due to cold, says he appointed 'useless officer' The night temperature in Srinagar slipped to the season's lowest at -6.2C, a MeT department official said in Srinagar. This was the third straight night when the minimum temperature in Srinagar settled at -6.0C or below. Many water bodies in the the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir have partially frozen due to the intense cold wave. The Dal Lake partially froze early today, but a bright sunshine through the day defroze the popular lake's surface. Elsewhere in the Kashmir Valley, the minimum temperature stayed several degrees below the freezing point. Biting cold conditions persisted in parts of Himachal Pradesh. The high-altitude tribal areas groaned as the minimum temperature in the hills ranged between -13C and -20C. Keylong and Kalpa, in tribal Lahaul and Spiti, and Kinnaur recorded a low of -7.2C and -3.4C respectively. The temperature during daytime, however, rose by 2-3 degrees in Himachal, including in Una, which recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 25.8C. Punjab, Haryana and their common capital Chandigarh remained under the grip of intense cold conditions. Narnaul recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the states at 0.2C. The minimum temperature remained up to five degrees below the normal in parts of Punjab and Haryana, the MeT office in Chandigarh said. The minimum temperature in Chandigarh was 3.4C. In the desert-state Rajasthan, Bhilwara, Alwar, Churu, Sikar, Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh and Pilani districts reeled under the cold wave. Alwar was recorded the coldest place in the state at 0.3C, followed by 1.5C in Sikar, 2C each in hill station Mount Abu and Churu, and 2.2C in Sriganganagar. In Uttar Pradesh, the Met office in Lucknow said the day temperature fell markedly in Bareilly division. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was in Meerut at 2.9C. The Met office has forecast dry weather in Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours, with shallow to moderate fog at a few places over eastern and western UP.

Cold wave tightens grip over north India

Drones will now monitor railway projects, aid in crowd management and oversee maintenance work across its zones, railway officials said today.

Cameras (UAV/NETRA) will be used for various railway activities especially project monitoring and maintenance of tracks and other railway infrastructure, the national transporter said in a statement.

&quot;Directions have been given to Zonal Railways to procure such cameras. This is in-line with Railways desire to use technology to enhance safety and efficiency in train operations&quot;, it said.

Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones shall be deployed to undertake monitoring activities of relief and rescue operation, project monitoring, the progress of important works, conditions of the&nbsp;tracks and inspection related activities, the statement said.

It shall also be used to assess the preparedness of non- interlocking (NI) works, crowd management during fairs, to identify scrap and also for the aerial survey of station yards. It is going to be instrumental in providing real-time inputs related to safety and maintenance of tracks and other railway infrastructure.

A drone is essentially a flying robot which can be remotely handled through software-controlled flight plans embedded in its systems working in conjunction with GPS

Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones shall be deployed to undertake monitoring activities of relief and rescue operation

Drones will now monitor railway projects, aid in crowd management and oversee maintenance work across its zones, railway officials said today. Cameras (UAV/NETRA) will be used for various railway activities especially project monitoring and maintenance of tracks and other railway infrastructure, the national transporter said in a statement. "Directions have been given to Zonal Railways to procure such cameras. This is in-line with Railways desire to use technology to enhance safety and efficiency in train operations", it said. Unmanned aerial vehicles or drones shall be deployed to undertake monitoring activities of relief and rescue operation, project monitoring, the progress of important works, conditions of the tracks and inspection related activities, the statement said. It shall also be used to assess the preparedness of non- interlocking (NI) works, crowd management during fairs, to identify scrap and also for the aerial survey of station yards. It is going to be instrumental in providing real-time inputs related to safety and maintenance of tracks and other railway infrastructure. A drone is essentially a flying robot which can be remotely handled through software-controlled flight plans embedded in its systems working in conjunction with GPS

Railways to deploy drones to monitor projects

The government said on Friday it has redrawn the criteria for the redevelopment of railway stations.

Railway minister Piyush Goyal said that stations would be re-categorised on the basis of revenue, footfall and strategic importance.

Many new stations are being identified for redevelopment, Goyal said during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.

He said that 23 stations were being redeveloped in the first stage of the station redevelopment program by zonal railways.

Members also raised the issue of the tragedy in Mumbai&#39;s Elphinstone railway station due to stampede and collapse of a foot overbridge.

Goyal said the foot overbridge had not fallen because of Railways but was a combination of some unfortunate events including panic over some words uttered by a flower vendor.

Since the footfall criterion was being introduced, he believed that the Elphinstone station could figure among the new stations.

The minister said the Army&#39;s help had been sought with regard to the station and added that a private contract was also given.

A member complained of the unhygienic condition in train toilets and asked whether private contractors were accountable. Goyal said action can be taken and urged the members to bring such instances to his notice.

The minister said the Army's help had been sought with regard to the station and added that a private contract was also given.

The government said on Friday it has redrawn the criteria for the redevelopment of railway stations. Railway minister Piyush Goyal said that stations would be re-categorised on the basis of revenue, footfall and strategic importance. Many new stations are being identified for redevelopment, Goyal said during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha. He said that 23 stations were being redeveloped in the first stage of the station redevelopment program by zonal railways. Members also raised the issue of the tragedy in Mumbai's Elphinstone railway station due to stampede and collapse of a foot overbridge. Goyal said the foot overbridge had not fallen because of Railways but was a combination of some unfortunate events including panic over some words uttered by a flower vendor. Since the footfall criterion was being introduced, he believed that the Elphinstone station could figure among the new stations. The minister said the Army's help had been sought with regard to the station and added that a private contract was also given. A member complained of the unhygienic condition in train toilets and asked whether private contractors were accountable. Goyal said action can be taken and urged the members to bring such instances to his notice.

Criteria for redeveloping railway stations redrawn

The Railways remains committed <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/criteria-for-redeveloping-railway-stations-redrawn-28647">to the &quot;zero-accident mission&quot;&nbsp;launched </a>in 2015 with the renewal of tracks, more railway bridges, better signalling and rolling out of accident-proof coaches and engines, Union minister Railways Rajen Gohain said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

The Railways has been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/explain-reason-for-low-occupancy-in-luxury-trains-standing-committee-to-railways-28571">facing criticism over series of accidents</a> since the mission was announced. Critics have blamed the railways&#39; ministry for failing to develop an effective system to avoid collisions and derailments.

Highlighting the safety measures taken by the Railways, the minister said that steps are being taken for improving train tracks. Old tracks are being continuously replaced to ensure the safety of trains, he said.

The minister added that train accidents have gone down from 135 in 2014-15, to 107 in 2015-16 and further to 104 in 2016-17.

The ministry also plans to eliminate unmanned level crossings and install Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) on the rail network to enhance safety, the minister said.

The Railways is also working on improving signalling and interlocking system to eliminate human failure - one of the key factor in train crashes.

Gohain also said that superior and safer Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches with anti-climbing features have been progressively introduced in trains to reduce the fatalities in case of accidents.

With this objective in mind, the ministry has planned an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore in the next five years with the name of &#39;Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh&#39; in upcoming Rail Budget of 2017-18.

The Railways has been facing criticism over series of accidents since the mission was announced in 2015

The Railways remains committed to the "zero-accident mission" launched in 2015 with the renewal of tracks, more railway bridges, better signalling and rolling out of accident-proof coaches and engines, Union minister Railways Rajen Gohain said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha. The Railways has been facing criticism over series of accidents since the mission was announced. Critics have blamed the railways' ministry for failing to develop an effective system to avoid collisions and derailments. Highlighting the safety measures taken by the Railways, the minister said that steps are being taken for improving train tracks. Old tracks are being continuously replaced to ensure the safety of trains, he said. The minister added that train accidents have gone down from 135 in 2014-15, to 107 in 2015-16 and further to 104 in 2016-17. The ministry also plans to eliminate unmanned level crossings and install Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) on the rail network to enhance safety, the minister said. The Railways is also working on improving signalling and interlocking system to eliminate human failure - one of the key factor in train crashes. Gohain also said that superior and safer Linke Hofmann Busch (LHB) coaches with anti-climbing features have been progressively introduced in trains to reduce the fatalities in case of accidents. With this objective in mind, the ministry has planned an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore in the next five years with the name of 'Rashtriya Rail Sanraksha Kosh' in upcoming Rail Budget of 2017-18.

Zero accident mission: What Railways is doing to ensure passenger safety

The much-awaited Rajdhani Express service from Agartala is likely to be launched by the end of this week, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) sources said.

&quot;The date of launch of the Rajdhani Express from here is yet to be fixed. But we hope to start the service by the end of this week,&quot; chief administrator of NFR A K Jadav told reporters in Agartala last night.

The infrastructure required to run the new service was ready, chief public relations officer of NFR Pranab Jyoti Sharma said.

&quot;A new train with 19 coaches, two power vans and two pantry cars arrived at Agartala railway station on October 14, but there was no confirmation on the date of launch,&quot; Sharma said, adding that the date will be fixed only after a meeting between the top railway officials.&nbsp;

The rail service will give passengers another option to reach the state in northeast India, other than expensive flights

The much-awaited Rajdhani Express service from Agartala is likely to be launched by the end of this week, Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) sources said. "The date of launch of the Rajdhani Express from here is yet to be fixed. But we hope to start the service by the end of this week," chief administrator of NFR A K Jadav told reporters in Agartala last night. The infrastructure required to run the new service was ready, chief public relations officer of NFR Pranab Jyoti Sharma said. "A new train with 19 coaches, two power vans and two pantry cars arrived at Agartala railway station on October 14, but there was no confirmation on the date of launch," Sharma said, adding that the date will be fixed only after a meeting between the top railway officials.

Agartala-Delhi Rajdhani rail service likely to start this week

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal wants the Mathura Junction railway station to be equipped with all the necessary facilities, an official said.

According to the official, who did not wish to be named, Goyal wants a plan to be submitted to his ministry for the facelift of the Mathura station.

The minister had also emphasised on increasing the revenues of the railways through advertisement, he said.

Travelling to Kota by Jan Shatabdi Express, Goyal made a whistle-stop at Mathura on Sunday.&nbsp;

Though he did not interact with the media, he gave instructions to the railway officials.

The railway minister also took feedback from the passengers on board the Jan Shatabdi Express.&nbsp;

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal wants the Mathura Junction railway station to be equipped with all the necessary facilities

Railway Minister Piyush Goyal wants the Mathura Junction railway station to be equipped with all the necessary facilities, an official said. According to the official, who did not wish to be named, Goyal wants a plan to be submitted to his ministry for the facelift of the Mathura station. The minister had also emphasised on increasing the revenues of the railways through advertisement, he said. Travelling to Kota by Jan Shatabdi Express, Goyal made a whistle-stop at Mathura on Sunday. Though he did not interact with the media, he gave instructions to the railway officials. The railway minister also took feedback from the passengers on board the Jan Shatabdi Express.

Goyal in favour of Mathura railway station's facelift

The Indian railway is planning to change its menu.&nbsp;Taking inspiration from the &quot;dry food&quot;&nbsp;served in airlines, the railways is planning to copy its menu card.&nbsp;

About five months back the railways had introduced a committee to work on the menu.

The committee has submitted a report to railway board. The decision of the board may come out soon.&nbsp;

The report submitted to the committee states that railway passengers will have to modify their food habits&nbsp;according to the new system.&nbsp;

The report has suggested that just like the airlines, the railways should also focus on serving dry food.&nbsp;

Railways may also give prominence to ready-to-eat meals, just like the airways.&nbsp;

The new menu will offer food items without gravy. It will also include vegetarian biryani, rajma&nbsp;chawal, hakka noodles, pulav, and laddo.&nbsp;

The report has also indicated that with the change in menu rationalisation is also necessary. The passengers may have to pay more after the new menu is released.&nbsp;

The railways have now made catering optional in all the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains.

According to recent figures about 20 per cent people have rejected the catering option.&nbsp;

This move will benefit railways to change the onboard menu option in the trains.&nbsp;

As part of its trial, the railways have already started the new catering system in some of its trains like Delhi-Firozpur Shatabdi and Bihar Sampark Kranti.

Within the next 5-6 months, the railways will be ready to implement its new modified system and will introduce the revamped&nbsp;menu in many of its trains, sources state.&nbsp;

A railway committee report suggests that just like the airlines, the railways should also focus on serving dry food

The Indian railway is planning to change its menu. Taking inspiration from the "dry food" served in airlines, the railways is planning to copy its menu card. About five months back the railways had introduced a committee to work on the menu. The committee has submitted a report to railway board. The decision of the board may come out soon. The report submitted to the committee states that railway passengers will have to modify their food habits according to the new system. The report has suggested that just like the airlines, the railways should also focus on serving dry food. Railways may also give prominence to ready-to-eat meals, just like the airways. The new menu will offer food items without gravy. It will also include vegetarian biryani, rajma chawal, hakka noodles, pulav, and laddo. The report has also indicated that with the change in menu rationalisation is also necessary. The passengers may have to pay more after the new menu is released. The railways have now made catering optional in all the Rajdhani and Shatabdi trains. According to recent figures about 20 per cent people have rejected the catering option. This move will benefit railways to change the onboard menu option in the trains. As part of its trial, the railways have already started the new catering system in some of its trains like Delhi-Firozpur Shatabdi and Bihar Sampark Kranti. Within the next 5-6 months, the railways will be ready to implement its new modified system and will introduce the revamped menu in many of its trains, sources state.

Coming soon: Railways set to introduce airline-like food

US&nbsp;firm General Electric&#39;s plan to build a diesel&nbsp;locomotive&nbsp;factory&nbsp;in eastern&nbsp;India&nbsp;is on&nbsp;track, the railway&nbsp;minister said on Thursday, seeking to allay concerns that the state-controlled network&nbsp;was making changes to the contract.

Piyush Goyal&#39;s comments came after GE said this week that the&nbsp;Indian government&#39;s &quot;Make in India&quot;&nbsp;initiative would be undermined if the railway ministry went ahead with changes to a joint venture with the conglomerate.

GE had won a $2.6 billion contract in 2015 to supply&nbsp;Indian Railways with 1,000 diesel locomotives.

But the railway&nbsp;ministry said last week it wouldn&#39;t need diesel after all - hoping to save on fuel and maintenance costs - and suggested GE might want to make electric engines instead.

Piyush Goyal's comments came after GE said this week that the?Indian government's 'Make in India' initiative would be undermined if the railway ministry went ahead with changes to a joint venture with the conglomerate.

US firm General Electric's plan to build a diesel locomotive factory in eastern India is on track, the railway minister said on Thursday, seeking to allay concerns that the state-controlled network was making changes to the contract. Piyush Goyal's comments came after GE said this week that the Indian government's "Make in India" initiative would be undermined if the railway ministry went ahead with changes to a joint venture with the conglomerate. GE had won a $2.6 billion contract in 2015 to supply Indian Railways with 1,000 diesel locomotives. But the railway ministry said last week it wouldn't need diesel after all - hoping to save on fuel and maintenance costs - and suggested GE might want to make electric engines instead.

India allays concerns, says work on GE's locomotive factory on track

Prime Minister&nbsp;Narendra Modi&nbsp;today reviewed the progress towards handling and resolution of grievances related to Railways. The PM noted&nbsp;that a&nbsp;large number of complaints were related to corrupt practices of officials, he called for strict&nbsp;action against Railway officials found guilty of corruption.

PM Modi directed the Indian Railways to work towards a unified single telephone number for all grievances and queries, including helpline in the case of an accident.

The PM was charing&nbsp;his eighteenth interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for pro-active governance and timely implementation.

In the meeting, Prime Minister reviewed the progress of vital infrastructure projects in the railway, road and power sectors&nbsp;spread over several states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland.

Among the projects reviewed today were&nbsp;the Mumbai Metro, the Tirupati-Chennai Highway, long-pending road projects in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand&nbsp;and Manipur&nbsp;and important power transmission lines in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East.

Reviewing the implementation of Swachhta action plan, the Prime Minister said that events such as Swachhta fortnights should be converted into movements towards permanent solutions. On the AMRUT mission, the Prime Minister asked officials to quantify and document the gains achieved with the latest technology, such as LED bulbs&nbsp;so that the benefits could be quantified.

The Prime Minister urged all secretaries in the government&nbsp;and all chief secretaries of states&nbsp;to come up with concrete plans and objectives for transformative change&nbsp;to be achieved by the 75th anniversary of Independence in 2022.&nbsp;

(WION)

Prime Minister urged all secretaries in the government and chief secretaries of states?to come up with concrete plans for transformative change

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reviewed the progress towards handling and resolution of grievances related to Railways. The PM noted that a large number of complaints were related to corrupt practices of officials, he called for strict action against Railway officials found guilty of corruption. PM Modi directed the Indian Railways to work towards a unified single telephone number for all grievances and queries, including helpline in the case of an accident. The PM was charing his eighteenth interaction through PRAGATI - the ICT-based, multi-modal platform for pro-active governance and timely implementation. In the meeting, Prime Minister reviewed the progress of vital infrastructure projects in the railway, road and power sectors spread over several states including Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland. Among the projects reviewed today were the Mumbai Metro, the Tirupati-Chennai Highway, long-pending road projects in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur and important power transmission lines in Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East. Reviewing the implementation of Swachhta action plan, the Prime Minister said that events such as Swachhta fortnights should be converted into movements towards permanent solutions. On the AMRUT mission, the Prime Minister asked officials to quantify and document the gains achieved with the latest technology, such as LED bulbs so that the benefits could be quantified. The Prime Minister urged all secretaries in the government and all chief secretaries of states to come up with concrete plans and objectives for transformative change to be achieved by the 75th anniversary of Independence in 2022. (WION)

Create single telephone line to address grievances: PM to Railways

It is not your average marketplace, there is an active railway track located right in the midst of a farmers market

The Maeklong Railway Market in Thailand might look like your average farmers market, but amidst the hustle-bustle lies something unique - an active railway track. A train slowly makes its way through the market eight times a day, with food piled up to the track's edge. A warning bell goes off just a few minutes before the train arrives. Within a minute of the warning, vendors pull back their produce and with equal agility put it back on display right after the train departs. Market visits were never so adventurous!

360? Video: Thailand's railway market

A sustained government spending on infrastructure like roads, railways, power and housing will propel India into the league of top global steel consuming nations in the next 10 years, said&nbsp;a top official of domestic steel giant SAIL&nbsp;. 
 
&quot;If you look at the massive infrastructure push by the government, even going by conservative estimates, steel demand will grow a lot. India will equal the global per capita consumption&nbsp;in 10 years,&quot; SAIL Chairman P K Singh told PTI. 
 
Per capita steel consumption in India, the world&#39;s third largest producer of the metal, stood at 59.4 kg per person in 2014, against a global average of 216.6 kg, data from industry body World Steel Association showed. 
 
The chief of India&#39;s largest steel producer added the country is at a &quot;take-off stage&quot; and all the &quot;requisite ingredients&quot; are in place, only a little push from the government was needed, which is now on its way. 
 
&quot;Look at the road sector, more highways are being built, which means more steel will be used. Similarly, in Railways more tracks are to be laid and we expect a huge jump in spending there. Power sector is also expanding, which again will boost demand for the metal,&quot; Singh said. 
 
According to him, the government&#39;s &#39;Housing for all&#39; is a novel initiative that will give impetus to steel demand. In automobiles, too, demand is rising for commercial vehicles as well as passenger cars which will further aid steel sector. 
 
According to a report by the Working Group on Steel for the 12th Five Year Plan period, the potential of raising per capita steel consumption in India is being supported by several factors. 
 
An estimated infrastructure investment of USD 1 trillion, projected growth in manufacturing at 11-12 per cent, rise in urban population, emergence of rural market for steel buoyed by projects such as Bharat Nirman, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana are prominent ones among them, it had said. 
 
Singh, however, cautioned against the rising overcapacity in steel across the globe, especially in China. 
 
&quot;We have to be cautious about the excess capacity in the world and in China. Some countries are dumping their products in India at cheaper rates and adversely impacting the health of domestic producers. Steel industry is of strategic importance and is the barometer of growth,&quot; he said. 
 
India is the &quot;only growth area&quot; globally and everyone is trying to get a &quot;share of this pie&quot;, Singh said adding that government needs to watch out for dumping of steel products so that domestic firms can participate with full vigour in the &#39;Make in India&#39; programme. 
 
He welcomed the imposition of a provisional minimum import price (MIP) on 173 steel products and hoped that government will continue with it beyond August, when it expires. 
 
As per government data, steel imports declined by 41 per cent to 0.546 million tonnes (MT) in May this year compared to the year-ago period. This was triggered by MIP and other measures like safeguard and anti-dumping duty. 
 
In April too, steel imports were down 15.5 per cent year- on-year at 0.654 MT 
 
(PTI)

Per capita steel consumption in India, the world's third largest producer of the metal, stood at 59.4 kg per person in 2014

A sustained government spending on infrastructure like roads, railways, power and housing will propel India into the league of top global steel consuming nations in the next 10 years, said a top official of domestic steel giant SAIL . "If you look at the massive infrastructure push by the government, even going by conservative estimates, steel demand will grow a lot. India will equal the global per capita consumption in 10 years," SAIL Chairman P K Singh told PTI. Per capita steel consumption in India, the world's third largest producer of the metal, stood at 59.4 kg per person in 2014, against a global average of 216.6 kg, data from industry body World Steel Association showed. The chief of India's largest steel producer added the country is at a "take-off stage" and all the "requisite ingredients" are in place, only a little push from the government was needed, which is now on its way. "Look at the road sector, more highways are being built, which means more steel will be used. Similarly, in Railways more tracks are to be laid and we expect a huge jump in spending there. Power sector is also expanding, which again will boost demand for the metal," Singh said. According to him, the government's 'Housing for all' is a novel initiative that will give impetus to steel demand. In automobiles, too, demand is rising for commercial vehicles as well as passenger cars which will further aid steel sector. According to a report by the Working Group on Steel for the 12th Five Year Plan period, the potential of raising per capita steel consumption in India is being supported by several factors. An estimated infrastructure investment of USD 1 trillion, projected growth in manufacturing at 11-12 per cent, rise in urban population, emergence of rural market for steel buoyed by projects such as Bharat Nirman, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana are prominent ones among them, it had said. Singh, however, cautioned against the rising overcapacity in steel across the globe, especially in China. "We have to be cautious about the excess capacity in the world and in China. Some countries are dumping their products in India at cheaper rates and adversely impacting the health of domestic producers. Steel industry is of strategic importance and is the barometer of growth," he said. India is the "only growth area" globally and everyone is trying to get a "share of this pie", Singh said adding that government needs to watch out for dumping of steel products so that domestic firms can participate with full vigour in the 'Make in India' programme. He welcomed the imposition of a provisional minimum import price (MIP) on 173 steel products and hoped that government will continue with it beyond August, when it expires. As per government data, steel imports declined by 41 per cent to 0.546 million tonnes (MT) in May this year compared to the year-ago period. This was triggered by MIP and other measures like safeguard and anti-dumping duty. In April too, steel imports were down 15.5 per cent year- on-year at 0.654 MT (PTI)

India to equal world per capita steel consumption in 10 years

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