Indian Railways Launched and Dedicated Various Services to the Nation

Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Minister of Railways during a function held at Rail Bhawan today i.e. 29.09.2016, as a part of fulfilment of Budget Announcements 2016-17, launched and dedicated following services to the nation : -

1. Liberalised station to station special freight rates policy
2. Policy providing sub quota of 33 % to women within reserved categories for the allotment in catering units.
3. Policy giving preference to local domicile holders for commercial licenses at stations.
4. New system of allocating vacant berths after final charting to wayside stations.
5. Launch of the new “Train at a Glance” and new Time Table effective from 1st October 2016.

Shri Rajen Gohain, Minister of State for Railways was especially present on the occasion. Chairman, Railway Board, Shri A.K. Mittal, Member Traffic Mohd. Jamshed and other Railways Board Members and dignitaries were also present on the occasion.

 Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Railways Shri Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu said that the Indian Railways is striving hard to achieve full passengers’ satisfaction in all respects and today’s initiatives are part of our such endeavours.  He said that the introduction of new policy providing sub-quota of 33% to women in catering units is a step towards women empowerment and their increased participation in Railways.  He said that Railways will continue to introduce such new reformative steps.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Railways Shri Rajen Gohain said that Indian Railways being the biggest organization of the country has lots of complex projects to implement throughout the country. But overcoming the difficulties and complexities, Railways is implementing its budget announcements in a very promised manner which is a landmark in itself. 

Salient Features of the initiatives : -

POLICY PROVIDING SUB QUOTA OF 33 % TO WOMEN WITHIN RESERVED CATEGORIES FOR THE ALLOTMENT IN CATERING UNITS

·         In compliance of Budget Announcement 2016-17, a Sub Quota of 33% for women in allotment of each of the reserved catering units is being introduced on Indian Railways in order to extend economic empowerment for women.

·         Current Status of Reservation at Minor Catering Units (Stalls / Trolleys / Khomchas)

·         A1, A, B, and C Category stations – 25% of the Units are reserved for various categories like SC (6%), ST (4%), BPL (3%), OBC (3%), Minorities (3%), Freedom Fighters (4%) and Physically Challenged persons (2%).

·         D, E and F Category stations – 49.5% of the Units are reserved for various categories like SC (12%), ST (8%), OBC (20%) and Minorities (9.5%).

·         33% sub quota reservation for women shall ensure allotment of minimum 8% stalls to women at A1, A, B & C category station and minimum 17% at D, E and F category station.

·         There are approximately 8000 Minor Catering Units over Indian Railways.

·         Under this provision, Railways shall ensure that women participation does not fall below a specific level.

POLICY GIVING PREFERENCE TO LOCAL DOMICILE HOLDERS FOR COMMERCIAL LICENSES AT STATIONS

In compliance of Budget Announcement 2016-17, a process of giving weightage to district Domicile Holders for commercial licenses at stations is being proliferated at all stations over Indian Railways.

·         The proliferation would help to build local ownership and rural empowerment along with socio – economic development.

·         The weightage to district domicile holders is being proliferated for allotment of Catering Units at all categories of stations.

·         The proliferation of weightage to district Domicile Holders at all category of stations will ensure protection of livelihood of the small vendors.

·         The allotment of Minor Units over Indian Railways will ensure local ownership and will also promote regional / local cuisine, which is always a preferred choice.

·         The weightage parameter would range from 20% to the local District Domicile holders to 12% to the State Domicile holders in techno-commercial scores.

TRANSFER OF VACANT BERTHS FOR OPTIMAL UTILISATION OF BERTHS

·         IR is introducing the facility of transfer of berths remaining vacant after second charting at the train originating station to the next and subsequent stations for clearing the waitlisted passengers at such stations.

·         The PRS system will automatically allot vacant berths available at the originating stations after preparation of second chart to the subsequent stations where waitlisted passengers are available. The passenger will get SMS on his registered mobile indicating the coach and berth number allotted. This will help passengers boarding at road side stations to get confirmed berths. Presently they get their berths confirmed only if confirmed berths from the pooled quota (PQ) allotted to the station are cancelled.

·         The TTEs will be able to allot vacant berths on board after departure of the train only upto the next station where quota is available for the train. In case no person boards the train at the next station he can further allot/extend the same to the next quota station.

·         At present about 3 lakh berths per year go unutilised while there may be demand at intermediate stations. This system will help in better utilization of available berths at the time of departure of trains from the originating station and also reduce the discretion available with TTEs in allotting the berths.

LIBERALISED STATION TO STATION SPECIAL FREIGHT RATES POLICY

·         Section 32 of the Railways Act, 1989 empowers railway administration to quote Station to Station Rate (STS) in respect of carriage of various commodities. 

·         Railway Board used to issue guidelines to Zonal Railways for implementation of STS rates. Last guidelines on this subject were issued by Board in 2002, which were in operation till 2006. In November 2015, Zonal Railways were advised to exercise power vested with them to quote STS rates as per the Railways Act, 1989.

·         On request from Zonal Railways and to enable them to garner more traffic from road and other modes,   broad guidelines are being issued to Zonal Railways for finalising STS rates.

·         Salient features of the proposed policy are as under:

·         Existing as well as new traffic shall be eligible.

·         Concession shall be granted up to a maximum of 30% on the incremental traffic over and above the benchmark NTKM. Benchmark NTKM is defined as average NTKMs of corresponding periods of previous 24 months.

·         Concession shall be in the form of percentage discount over the Normal Tariff Rate (NTR). It should be ensured that the concessional freight should not be less than the NTR of Class 100.

·         Concession shall be admissible to Block rake, two/multi point rake, Mini Rake etc.

·         Concession may be granted for retention of traffic also up to maximum of 15%. In case of container traffic, STS discount upto maximum of 15% shall be given to commodities charged at Container Class Rate (CCR).  

·         STS scheme will be applicable for all terminals namely goods sheds, sidings, ports, CRTs, PFTOs etc. 

·         To avail STS, Rail users shall be required to apply to the DRM with details, who shall forward the same for approval of GM through CCM, COM and FA&CAO.  If Railway administration approves grant of concession under STS, an agreement shall be executed between Railway and customer.

·         The agreement shall be done for a maximum period of three years at a time and for not less than one year.  Any change in freight rate (excluding imposition of any surcharge) shall not be applicable on the customer during the currency of the agreement or for one year, whichever is less. 

·         Commodities excluded from STS are - 

o   All commodities with classification below Class-100.

o   All commodities under Main Commodity Head “Coal & Coke”

o   Iron ore (all types)

o   Military traffic, POL and RMC

·         Targeted customer:  Food grain, Cement, Clinker, Dolomite, Limestone, Steel companies, Fly ash, etc.

·         Expected additional loading: 10 million tonne per annum.

Trains at a Glance 2016

The launch of  Trains at a Glance 2016- the new Time Table effective from the 1^st October has also been launched.

With over 66 thousand kilometres of route ( 1/3 rd of which is electrified), more than 7000 stations, above 10,000 locomotives and more than 60 thousand coaches, Indian Railways runs above 13000 passenger carrying trains  - to take about 23 million passengers to their destinations -  everyday.

The journey in Passenger Operations in the last two years has been one of sustained efforts to provide additional capacities, improve the quality of travel experienceand to reach out to all types of passengers including those in far flung areas. As can be seen, funds to the tune of 8.56 Lakh crore are already tied up for these purposes for 2-15-19 and have started bringing results.

Additional  services provided in last 2 years include 

308 new trains, 99 extensions, 118 trains whose frequency was increased and permanent addition of 1610 additional coaches.

We have also met additional demand by running more than 70 thousand special trains  including those to meet extra rush, election movements, military and para-military movements, and tourist trains. Besides, more than 2.5 lakh extra coach trips have also been provided - as per need.

We have been migrating to better coaches - with more comfort and speed.  38 trains have been provided the modern LHB coaches and 40 trains converted to the faster and superior MEMU coaches.

We have also added trains to new areas including  Sri Mata VaishnodeviKatra, Arunachal Pradesh , Barak Valley and many more.

In the current Year, the efforts to improve service levels in passenger operations have gained further momentum. What has already been done in the current year includes premium trains like Mahamana and Gatimaan express,aneven more accelerated transition to superior coaches including the new DeenDayalu coaches started from August,  More Permanent augmentations, and further efforts to meet additional demands.

The current year has seen several large religious and other congregations of people which have been managed effectively,  to the comfort of our passengers , with record running of special trains and extra coaches and effective overall bandobast,. This includes the SimhasthaMela in Ujjain, the krishnapushkaram on the Krishna Basin and so on. The arrangements for the ensuing Durga Puja rush are also completely in place.

The highlights of the improvements planned in the new Time table that will come into effect from the 1^st October, 2016, include most importantly, the specifics of the 4 new brands of train products.

Further, in this timetable, we have also reduced the journey times in 350  existing trains, 75 of which have made it to the superfast category.

We have converted 240 operational halts into commercial stoppages and have for the first time, provided in the time table, train connectivities to the North Eastern states of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram.

Also incorporated in this  Time Table - are  36 pairs of new services, some of which have been introduced in this financial year and some that will be coming soon- like the  10 pairs of Humsafar trains, 7 Antyodaya, 3 Tejas and 3 UDAY trains besides a number of other mail express trains, extensions, increase in frequency, diversions etc.

Infact, the  4 diversions mentioned at the end of the last slide shall become effective from the 1 st October. These will cater to a long pending demand of the people of Cuttack who will now get a direct connectivity instead of the detour these trains were earlier taking.

The contours of the new train products incorporated in the New Time Table are brought out here. The Humsafar as you are aware would be the fully AC service with optional catering,Antyodayathe long distance unreserved superfast train for common man, Tejas will have all modern on board features like entertainment , wifi and local cuisines, etc and UDAY will be an AC  doublecker train on the busiest routes.

Coming to the specific routes and schedules of the new train products,

The 10 Humsafar Express trains will run between……

1.     Sealdah- Jammu Tawi via Lucknow, Varanasi

2.     Bhubaneshwar – rishnarajapuram via Vijaywada

3.     Gorakhpur – Anandvihar via Lucknow

4.     Howra – Yeshwantpur via vijaywada

5.     Durg- Nizamuddin via Jhansi

6.     Ahmedabad- Chennai via Pune

7.     Tirupati- Jammutawi via Jhansi

8.     Bandra- Patna via Jabalpur

9.     Sriganganagar-Trichurapalli via Ahmedabad

10.  Kamakhya-Bangalore via Cuttack

  The  7 Antyodaya express trains will run between…

1.     Darbhanga – Jallandhar via Gorakhpur

2.     Tatanagar- LomanyaTilak  Terminus via Bilaspur

3.     Santragachi – Chennai via Vijaywada

4.     Bilaspur – Ferozepur via Jhansi

5.     Bandra – Gorakhpur via Vadodra

6.     Howrah – Ernakulam via Vajaywada

7.     Jaynagar _ Udhna via Patna

The 3 Tejas trains will run between….

1.     New Delhi – Chandigarh

2.     Lucknow – AnandVihar

3.     Mumbai CST - Madgaon

And The three UDAY Trains will run between…..

1.     Coimbatore – Bangaluru  via Salem

2.     Bandra – Jamnagar via Surat

3.     Vishakhapatnam - Vijaywada

Vayoshreshtha Samman-2016

The President of India ,Pranab Mukharjee will present the National Awards for Senior Citizens “Vayoshreshtha Samman-2016” to eminent senior citizens and institutions in recognition of their service towards the cause of elderly persons especially indigent senior citizens at a function organized by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment on 1st October, 2016 (Saturday) in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment Shri Thawarchand Gehlot will preside over the function. These awards are presented as part of the celebration of the International Day of Older Persons (IDOP) on 1st October.
Vayoshreshtha Samman is a Scheme of National Awards instituted by the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment (D/o Social Justice & Empowerment) initially in 2005 and was upgraded to the status of National Awards in 2013, for institutions involved in rendering distinguished service for the cause of elderly persons especially indigent senior citizens and to eminent citizens in recognition of their service/achievements.
International Day of Older Persons is observed on 1st of October every year pursuant to the adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly to observe the year 1999 as the International Year of Older Persons with the theme, “a society for all ages”. The Ministry has been conferring “Vayoshrestha Samman” every year on this day since 2005, to eminent citizens and institutions in recognition of their outstanding services to the elderly people, especially indigent senior citizens. The “Vayoshrestha Samman” was elevated to the level of national awards in 2013 under 13 categories and this is the second year in which these national awards are being conferred.
National Awards are intended to show case the Government's concern for senior citizens and its commitment towards them with the aim of strengthening their legitimate place in the society. It is also intended to provide an opportunity to the younger generation to understand the contribution of the elderly in building of the society and the nation. The awards are intended to be conferred on eminent senior citizens and institutions involved in rendering distinguished services for the cause of elderly persons especially indigent senior citizens. The recipients are drawn from diverse fields. The Awards are given to institutions/organisations/individuals from any part of the country. Nominations are invited from Governmental and Non-Governmental Agencies.

Cabinet approves Productivity Linked Bonus to railway employees

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has given its approval to pay Productivity Linked Bonus (PLB) equivalent to 78 days wages to eligible non-gazetted railway employees (excluding RPF/RPSF personnel) for the financial year 2015-16. The approval entails a financial implication of approximately Rs.2090.96 crore.

Payment of PLB would result in motivating a large number of railway employees to improve the performance of the Railways and enhance the productivity levels further besides maintaining industrial peace.

The payment of this Bonus to eligible Railway Employees will be made before Dussehra/Puja holidays. 

Announcement of Cash Awards for Rio Paralympics Medal Winners

Mr.Thawaarchand Gehlot, Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment today announced Cash awards of a total of Rs 90 lakhs for the Rio Paralympics 2016 Medal Winners under Awareness Generation and Publicity (AGP) scheme.
“Indian para-athletes bagged impressive four medals at the Rio Paralympics 2016 and made history. The success of para athletes has made India proud. The department has decided to award cash prize of total Rs 90 lakh to medal winners,” said Shri Thawaarchand Gehlot.
Gold medal winner Shri Mariyappan Thangavelu and Shri Devendra Jhajharia will be awarded Rs 30 lakh cash prize, Silver medallist Ms. Deepa Malik will be facilitated with Rs 20 lakh and Shri Varun Singh Bhati will be honoured with Rs 10 lakh for winning bronze medal at the Rio Paralympics 2016.
A special felicitation programme will be organised in gracious presence of Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri Thawaarchand Gehlot as the Chief Gauest.
It is worth mentioning that It was India’s best ever performance in Parlympics history. Mariyappan Thangavelu made a leap of 1.89 metres to bag the gold medal while Bhati jumped his personal best of 1.86m to finish third and won Bronze. Devendra Jhajharia clinched Gold in Javelin throw while Deepa Malik bagged Silver in historic short put (first ever Indian women to win a medal at the Paralympics Games).
More than 4400 athletes from 160 countries participated at the Rio Paralympics 2016 held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from Sep 7-18, 2016.
On the best ever performance of Indian Paralympians, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has already hailed the efforts of para-athletes in his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on 25th September, 2016.
India sent its biggest-ever contingent of 19 athletes to the Rio Paralympics 2016.

Cabinet approves Closure of Hindustan Cables Limited, Kolkata

The Union Cabinet has given its approval for closure of Hindustan Cables Limited (HCL), Kolkata as per the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956/2013, Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 and other relevant Acts. The employees will be offered attractive VRS/ VSS Package at notional 2007 pay scales and other employees’ related liabilities including payment of salary and wages from April 2015 till they are separated from the Company on VRS/VSS will be settled as well. The disposal of assets of company will be in terms of the guidelines of Department of Public Enterprises on time bound closure of sick/loss making Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) and disposal of movable and immovable assets. 

HCL was established in the year 1952. It had four manufacturing units at Rupnarainpur (West Bengal), Hyderabad (Telengana), Naini (U.P.) and Narendrapur (West Bengal)Registered office of HCL is located at Kolkata. The company was set up to cater to the needs of Government-owned telecom companies BSNL and MTNL for manufacture of telecom cables. Due to rapid change in telecommunication technology (wire-line to wireless), the demand for telecom cables has been drastically reduced. Several attempts were made by Department of Heavy Industries for revival of the company but failed. Attempts to transfer HCL units to Ministry of Defence/Department of Defence Production also did not yield results. The proposal for closure of the company has been made as per the recommendations of BIFR, BRPSE and the Roadmap approved by CCEA on 29.12.2014 for phasing out non-plan budgetary support to sick CPSEs.

Total cash infusion for closure of company will be Rs. 1309.90 crore and non-cash infusion of Rs. 3467.15 crore in the form of conversion into equity of Government of India's loan (including interest) outstanding as on 30.09.2016.

Secured creditors of HCL, Kolkata, led by SBI as consortium lenders to the company, have been generous in their support. The One Time Settlement (OTS) terms include complete waiver of interest and settle on principal amount of Rs. 305.63 crore in settlement of all pari-passu collateral held by them.

There is no production activity in the company since January 2003. The employees of the company are in 1997 pay scales. Due to non-payment of salary & wages, it is very difficult for the employees to survive and meet their immediate financial obligations. With the VRS/VSS package and clearance of other outstanding liabilities, the employees will come out of their present financial crisis. It will also help the employees in their post retirement rehabilitation. With the present time bound closure of the company, the valuable assets of the company will be available for other optimum utilization.

The company is a BIFR referred company since 2002. Government of India's decision for closure of the company will be conveyed to BIFR for seeking their approval. The employees of the Company will be offered attractive VRS/VSS. Retrenchment process will also be followed as per Industrial Disputes Act 1947. OTS with secured creditors will be made to free the land assets of the Company. The other liabilities of the company including statutory liabilities arising during the process of closure of company will be taken care of as per the provisions of law and the aforesaid guidelines of Department of Public Enterprises. 

Indian Railways- Committed to Preserve its Rich Industrial Heritage

Indian Railways with more than 160 years of rich history; presents a wide spectrum of both tangible and intangible heritage. Indian Railways is proud owner of four UNESCO accorded World Heritage Sites namely Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (1999), Nilgiri Mountain Railway (2005), Kalka Shimla Railway (2008) and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai (2004). There are two more in waiting or in the tentative list namely Matheran Light Railway and Kangra Valley Railway.
However, the repository of heritage of Indian Railway is not limited to its four world heritage inscriptions. Like any other industry, Railway technology evolves at a fast pace. For example, Steam Locomotives, Meter Gauge rolling stocks, Wooden body coaches are no longer in operation now. With their phasing out, lots of maintenance practices have also been gradually forgotten. At times, it becomes really impossible to locate an artesian who can do valve setting of a steam locomotive or a carpenter who can precisely fix the door of wooden body saloon. Beside rolling stocks, even equipment like block instruments, their tokens, token pickup devices, quadrant signalling devices, stationary vacuum exhausters, which were very common three decades ago, are now completely phased out.
Indian Railways, in addition to being a special industrial relic, occupy a special place within the national heritage spectrum of India. The remains of rolling mill, cupola, brake block foundry, forging anvils of any old Railway Workshop are not only historical evidences or industrial relics but sense of belonging to the workshop.
Similarly iconic station and office buildings at Mumbai (Victoria Terminus, Bandra Suburban, Churchgate), Howrah, Garden Reach (BNR Office), Chennai Egmore, Royapuram, Lucknow, Madurai etc. bear identities of their respective cities.
The Station and Office buildings, locomotives, coaches, wagons, equipment, artifacts etc. when appropriately preserved and open for public display create memories of the past in the heart of the future generation and thus help maintaining a continuity of human experience.
Indian Railways, over the years, have been endeavoring sustained and focused approach for safeguarding its industrial as well as living heritage and to transmit it intact to future generations.
Today, Indian Railway maintains 34 Museums, Heritage Parks and Heritage galleries, spread all over India, for creating unique and rich experience to visitors about Railway heritage in India. The National Rail Museum in New Delhi, Regional Rail Museums at Chennai, Mysore and Howrah, are iconic tourist destinations in their region.
Indian Railways have also preserved about 230 Steam Locomotives, 110 vintage coaches and wagons at prominent places including museums, heritage park etc., for public display. Many of these rolling stocks are more than 100 years old and they bring back memories of old glory to the mind of the viewers.
Indian Railways are also preserving about 16 Steam locomotives as working heritage. Although, not in regular service, these preserved steam locomotives are still capable of hauling tourist trains and ceremonial running. The Rewari Steam Shed has been rechristened as Rewari Heritage Steam Centre in 2002 for recreating the memories of working Steam Shed, a feat un-parallel in the World.Rewari Steam Centre now maintains six Broad Gauge and four Meter Gauge working steam locomotives, that include the iconic “Fairy Queen” (1855), placed in the Guinness Book of Record as being the oldest working locomotive in the World and “Akbar”, that featured in many Bollywood movies like Sultan, Gadar etc.
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) and Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR), both UNESCO accorded World Heritage Sites, operate Steam services on regular basis. DHR and NMR, with working steam locomotive holding of fourteen and six respectively, attract steam lovers from India and abroad. The sight and sound of Steam Locomotives recreated smells and romance of a by-gone era.
Indian Railways have a large repository of built heritage like buildings, bridges, via ducts etc. As of now, about 25 bridges and 70 buildings are designated as Heritage Assets by Indian Railways. Notable among them are Jubilee Bridge near Kolkata, Yamuna bridge near Naini, Sonenagar Bridge, Pamban via duct, Bandra suburban station, Pratap Vilas Palace, Vadodara, GlenogleBunglow, Mumbai, SER (erstwhile BNR) Headquarter, Kolkata etc. Indian Railways have been making special efforts to conserve these built heritages.
Indian Railways have recently launched its heritage web-page ( placing all relevant information including heritage inventories for easier access by citizen and all stakeholders.
With advent of technology and wider reach of internet, heritage displays need not be limited to collections in Museums and Galleries or in form of outdoor exhibits near prominent places like Stations, Administrative Offices etc. Indian Railways is collaborating with Technology partners for creating a Pan-India virtual museum in a digital web enabled platform. This virtual museum shall contain all railway heritage components e.g. Locomotives, Coaches, Building, Bridges, Documents, Artifacts etc. for world wide access through internet even on a mobile device.
Virtual museum shall also feature ‘contributory or crowd sourcing mode’ for soliciting contributions from large group of people, and especially from online communities. Such digital platform, already operational in some large museums in India, can also serve as ‘on-line’ repository of knowledge on Railway heritage, useful to students, tourists, research scholars and citizens.
Minister of Railway, in his budget speech 2016, has emphasized promotion of tourism through World Heritage Railways and Museums. Preservation of Railway Heritage and unlocking its potential for making significant and meaningful contributions to India’s knowledge society and Incredible India Campaign shall remain one of the prime social responsibilities of Indian Railways and its associated Public Sector Undertakings.

GSL Hand Over First Fast Patrol Vessel for Mauritius Government

Indo-Mauritian Defence Co-operation got another fillip with the delivery of first Fast Patrol Vessel, MCGS VICTORY, designed and built in-house by Goa Shipyard Limited for Mauritius Coast Guard, on 26^th September 2016 at GSL. The vessel is primarily designed for Coastal Patrolling, Anti-piracy, Anti-smuggling, Anti-drug Surveillance, Anti-poaching Operations, and Search and Rescue Operations. The vessel is 50 meter long, fitted with 30 mm CRN-91 Gun, 12.7 mm HMGs & 7.62 mm MMGs besides state-of-the-art Navigation and Communication equipment and is capable of achieving a high speed of 35 knots. Significantly, trials were undertaken in peak monsoon months and the vessel achieved all design parameters.

 The ship was ceremonially handed over by RAdm. Shekhar Mital, NM (Retd), CMD, Goa Shipyard Ltd to Mr. K. Jhugroo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force, Government of Mauritius in the distinguished presence of senior officials from Mauritius and India.  In his address on this occasion CMD, GSL said, “Contract of the vessel was signed on 17^th May, 2014 and the keel of this vessel was laid on 18^th Dec, 2014. Despite all the challenges, including delay of over six months in supply of steel and being the first ship of the series, we have successfully delivered this ship as per contractual schedule of Sept, 2016, i.e. within 20 months of keel laying which is a record in itself, and is in line with the track record of GSL in recent years of timely deliveries and shows the dedication and commitment of all the stakeholders involved. ” CMD thanked Government of Mauritius,  Ministry of Defence, State Government and local authorities for providing all the necessary assistance, which has enabled GSL to achieve new milestones in the performance.           

Mr. K. Jhugroo, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mauritius Police Force, while addressing the gathering lauded the excellent work being done in the shipyard and complemented GSL for delivery of the state-of- the-art new ship for Mauritius.  He further complimented the GSL work force on their working skills and positive attitude, which is an example for others to emulate.

GSL is the largest exporter of ships from the Indian subcontinent and is presently executing export orders worth Rs. 1200 Crore. GSL prides itself in timely delivery of ships at ‘fixed cost’ and enjoys very strong execution skills.

Golden Jubilee of ITDC Logo unveil

India Tourism Development Corporation, a PSU under Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, on completion of its 50 Year of inception on 1^st October 2016 launched a Logo marking the Golden Jubilee of ITDC. The Logo was unveiled by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism and Culture in presence of Shri Vinod Zutshi, Secretary, M/oTourism and other senior officers of Ministry of Tourism and ITDC.

In order to commemorate the Golden Jubilee celebrations, various activities have been introduced during the fortnight starting 24^th September 2016 till 8^th October 2016. Special offers on Room Tariff and Food & Beverage outlets in all ITDC hotels, issue of Elite Card to every 50^th guest during this period, plantation of 50 Saplings each in some hotels of ITDC, painting and slogan competition, lighting of all Delhi based hotels, presenting souvenirs to guests visiting ITDC hotels on 1^stOctober 2016 are certain activities planned during the celebrations.

Polavaram project boost Andhra economy: CM

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Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that Polavaram project would pave way for economic development of Andhra Pradesh. He said officials should prepare an action plan to complete the mega project within two years.

After virtual monitoring of progress of project works from command control room in Vijayawada on Monday, the Chief Minister directed the officials to speed up the works. He said there should not be any compromise on quality of works.

Stating that Nabard is likely to release Rs 800 cr for the project, the Chief Minister asked the officials to mobilise the earth works to complete the works by May next year. He asked the agencies involved in project works to prepare action plan by next meeting. He said officials should work with commitment for early completion of the project. He directed the officials to complete 2 lakh cubmic metres of earth work per day for construction of spill way.

The Chief Minister directed the tourism officials to tap tourism potential at Polavaram project site and develop it into an attractive tourist destination.

Meanwhile, Central Water Commission's official Mr. Gupta said the central government has been considering the Polavaram project as a model project.

Polavaram project superintending engineer said the ongoing works will be continued despite the Godavari receiving 10 lakh cusecs of inflows. He said if the inflows reach 14 lakh, cusecs they will have to stop the works.

Minister for Water Resources Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and other officials were present.

AIIMS Delhi , celebrates its Diamond Jubilee

AIIMS Completed 60 years in service to humankind and has contributed significantly in quality healthcare. It is a  clinical provider, Research Institute and Teaching Institute  for  over the past 6 decades. On 26th September 2016 celebrated  the Diamond Jubilee  Mr. J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare  said that  during 2015-16, AIIMS Delhi, attended to 30 lakh outpatients, 2.5 lakh inpatients and performed about 1.5 lakh surgeries.
Speaking at the celebration function, Shri Nadda further stated that the Institute has always maintained the highest standards of meritocracy and learning. “It has attracted the best talents across the country that enter this institute as young students and pass out with the intensity of commitment to serve the poorest of the poor,” Shri Nadda said
Shri Nadda said that AIIMS is also the mentor institution for the new AIIMS like Institutions being established across the country. In this regard, the work done by AIIMS in formulating and reviewing subordinate legislation including the AIIMS Rules and Regulations has been commendable.
Highlighting its contribution, the Health Minister said that AIIMS not only has established high reputation but has also contributed significantly in academic quality, student care, infrastructure, and placement opportunities. “With its 9 centres and 52 teaching departments, and a manpower of over 10,000 including more than 800 faculty positions; AIIMS Delhi produces a large number of specialists (MD/MS), super-specialists (DM/MCh), PhD scholars and allied health and basic sciences experts, including nurses and paramedical professionals,” Shri Nadda elaborated.
Shri Nadda said that nearly 600 research projects have been conducted in the year and the institute attracted extramural research grants of more than Rs. 70 crores in frontier and cutting edge biomedical areas. “Moreover, the faculty and the scientists of the institute have published over 1800 research papers and AIIMS has been rated 3rd among the world’s top medical institutions in publishing research,” Shri Nadd stated
Enumerating the future plans, Shri Nadda stated that AIIMS is in the process of expanding its Trauma Centre, Surgical block, Mother and child block and OPD Block. The expansion will happen in phases and when completed, will almost double the hospital’s capacity. The surgical block will also have a National Endoscopy Centre, a High Dependency Unit and Kidney Transplant facilities. “In addition, the Convergence block, Critical care units, and a new Dharamshala were inaugurated during the year. These expansion plans would fulfil long felt needs of the apex medical institution in the country,” Shri Nadda added.
The Health Minister informed that the Union Cabinet has recently approved a proposal for setting up of National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Jhajjar under AIIMS at a cost of Rs. 2035 crores. NCI is the largest tertiary healthcare facility (both public and/or private) proposed in the country since independence. The proposed institute will have 710 beds for various facilities.
The Health Minister also inaugurated a free generic pharmacy store at the Institute for outpatients to cater to the needs of weaker sections of society and gave away research awards to the meritorious faculty members and students.
Also present at the function were Professor M.C. Misra, Director, AIIMS Delhi , Dr. Balram Airan, Dean (Academics), AIIMS Delhi, Dr. S.K. Acharya, Dean (Research), AIIMS Delhi, Students and Faculty members of the AIIMS and senior officers from the Ministry.

India to host 1st BRICS Young Scientists Conclave

The Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, under the BRICS framework, is hosting a five day event where a group of about 50 young scientists/ researchers from BRICS countries are meeting in Bengaluru from 26-30^th September, 2016. It would be organized and coordinated by the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru. 

The meet would provide a platform for engaging, connecting and networking among young scientists to hold discussions and find solutions to some of the common challenges and problems being faced in BRICS countries. The participants are drawn from science, engineering and allied disciplines. The focus of the Conclave would be on three thematic topics – Computational Intelligence, Energy Solutions and Affordable Healthcare.

This BRICS Young Scientists Conclave assumes importance as it is taking place during India’s chairmanship of BRICS in 2016 under a focal theme of ‘Building, Responsive, Inclusive and Collective Solutions’. The event shall be inaugurated by Prof K. Kasturirangan, former Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and former Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 

The BRICS Young Scientist Forum (BRICS-YSF), under which the BRICS Young Scientists Conclave is being organised, was initiated at the 2^nd BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation Ministerial Meeting at Brasilia in March, 2015. The respective Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministries of BRICS countries are the lead coordinating organisations for this Forum on co-investment and co-ownership principles.

The Conclave aims at building a BRICS Innovation Corps – who individually or collectively have specialized capability to work on their novel scientific ideas and technological solutions which transform and accelerate change through better quality of life and higher incomes for citizen of this region. It will pave way for creation of strong generation of S&T leadership that can accelerate change collectively.

Some of the lead speakers in the Conclave, among others from India and abroad, include Dr. K. Kasturirangan, Dr. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, DST, Dr. K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member, NITI Ayog, and Dr. Baldev Raj, Director, NIAS.  Besides, the above the Conclave is hosting more than 20 distinguished persons from BRICS nations with extraordinary achievements through scientific research, innovation and techno-entrepreneurship.

Some of the topics to be covered by the Conclave include Interdisciplinary Science for Society and Humanity, A Scientific Identity for BRICS, Traditional Science and Indigenous Knowledge and Science, Technology and Social Equity. A session on ‘Talent Hunt’ is also being organised under which about 15 ideas shall be presented on 3 identified themes of the Conclave.    

Two reports will be released during the Conclave.  The first report titled “BRICS Science and Technology Enterprise Partnership” is prepared by a group of eminent scholars.  It envisions sustained critical efforts for achieving Science & Technology Research leadership and product driven enterprise mode partnership. It offers new ways for BRICS cohesion and connecting to the world.

The second report titled “Hampi: Splendours of a World Heritage Site” projects the historical significance of the heritage site as well as depicts the Intellectual movements to technological Innovations to the Conclave participants. The Conclave also offers a unique opportunity of witnessing India’s scientific, engineering, architectural, philosophical and cultural tradition, as provided through a field visit to Hampi, an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

More information about this event is available at http://www.brics-ysf.org

National SC/ST Hub to be launched on 8th October 2016 in Ludhiana

            National SC/ST Hub under the Ministry of MSME will be launched soon. This will promote the SC/ST entrepreneurs. In this regard, a National High Power Committee meeting headed by Shri Kalraj Mishra, Union Minister for MSME was held here today, to review the progress of the National SC/ST Hub. Speaking on the occassion Shri Mishra said that the National SC/ST Hub will be launched soon within a record time of 7 months from the announcement in the budget speech of 2016-17.

            On the occasion he stated that the Narendra Modi Government was keen to inculcate the spirit of self-employment among the SC / ST population and he urged upon all the participants, especially industries associations to take it in the mission mode.

            He further said that his Ministry has made an initial allotment of allocation of Rs. 490 crore for the period 2016-2020 for the National SC/ST Hub. The Hub would primarily aid in strengthening market access/linkage, monitoring, capacity building, leveraging financial support schemes and sharing industry best practices etc. The hub would operate from National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) Headquarters in Delhi, supported by a special cell created for this purpose.

            Hon’ble Minister of State, MSME, Shri Giriraj Singh emphasised the need to work at the grassroot level and start work on a pilot basis with identified CPSEs in the districts having large presence of SC/ST entrepreneurs. Hon’ble Minister of State, MSME, Sh Haribhai P. Choudhary mentioned about working for the demand side from CPSEs and large corporate houses.

Review Meetings of Central Institutions

The Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Shri Prakash Javadekar today briefed the media that, he will chair the review meeting with Directors of six Indian Institute of Science Education Research tomorrow at IISER, Mohali (Punjab). The Union Minister will also be meeting with Vice Chancellors of Central Universities at Banaras Hindu University on 6th October 2016. The Union Minister also briefed that scheduled meeting with Vice Chancellors of Central Universities will focus on actions taken and proposed for improvement of quality in education, research, internal resource generation, infrastructure, student centric initiatives, e-governance initiatives. 

The Union Minister has already held review meeting of with the apex bodies of IIITs, IITs and IIMs until now. He expressed satisfaction over such review exercise undertaken on priority basis, as this will help improving working of these institutions and understand challenges faced by institutions. The Union Minister said that such review process has been successful, as fruitful interactions had taken place. During this process the Minister interacted with students and faculty, received feedback for betterment for these institutions. Improving the quality and promoting research in these institutions has been underlying principal theme of reviewing all the central institutions.