Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Government of India

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah replies to the discussion on Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill, 2025 in the Lok Sabha, the Lower House passes the Bill after discussion

After 75 years of independence, the country is getting its first cooperative university

Tribhuvan Sahkari University will strengthen the rural economy as well as promote innovation and research in the cooperative sector

The Cooperative University will have the capacity to train 8 lakh people every year

The cooperative university will provide the entire country with young cooperative leadership equipped with the spirit of cooperation and modern education

In the previous governments, there was injustice with cooperative institutions in terms of taxes, Modi government gave respect to PACS and reduced the taxes imposed on them

Soon, cooperative institutions will provide taxi and insurance services

The cooperative university will play an important role in the foundation of a prosperous India that Modi ji is laying through cooperation

The principle of “Cooperation among Cooperatives” is being implemented in the Modi government

The opposition is protesting because there is no university in the name of a particular family, they do not know that Tribhuvan Das Patel was also their leader

When PACS will reach every Panchayat, then the cooperative movement of the country will be established in a balanced manner

100% organic products are being made available across the country in the name of ‘Bharat Brand’

Co-operative sector is the only one that connects crores of people with the country’s development through self-employment and also protects their dignity

The 10-year period of the Modi government will be written in golden letters for the welfare of the poor of the country

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 9:37PM by PIB Delhi

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah today replied to the discussion on the Tribhuvan Sahkari University Bill 2025 in Lok Sabha in the Parliament. Subsequently the bill was passed by the lower house.

Replying to the discussion, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that cooperation sector touches lives of all families in the country in some way or the other. He said that every village has some or the other cooperative unit engaged in agricultural development, rural development or generating employment thereby contributing to the development of the country. Shri Shah said that after 75 years of independence, today the country is getting its first cooperative university. He said that this bill will strengthen the rural economy, develop the ecosystem of self-employment and small entrepreneurship, increase social inclusion and will increase opportunities to set new standards in innovation and research. He said that in a way, the whole country will get a new cooperative leadership inspired by the spirit of cooperation and equipped with modern education.

Shri Amit Shah said that it was decided to name this cooperative university as Tribhuvan Sahkari University. He said that Tribhuvan Das Patel was among many others who laid the foundation of co-operatives in India under the guidance of Sardar Patel. He said that it is the cooperative institution Gujarat State Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) which is popularly known as Amul. He said that the journey of Amul which began in 1946 with 250 litres of milk in a town of Gujarat, has today become India’s largest dairy brand and stands before the world. Shri Shah said that in 2003, the turnover of Amul was Rs 2882 crore which has crossed Rs 60 thousand crore today. He said that the opposition is protesting because there is no university in the name of a particular family; they do not know that Tribhuvan Das Patel was also their leader.

Union Minister of Cooperation said that in 2014, a new government under the leadership of Shri Narendra Modi came to power and the 10-year period of the Modi government will be written in golden letters for the welfare of the poor of the country. He said that in these 10 years, houses were built for the poor, toilets were built, drinking water was provided to the poor, free ration of 5 kg free food grains for the poor, gas connections for the poor, free medical treatment up to Rs 5 lakh, and electricity for all in the country has been accomplished. He said that in the past 10 years, 25 crore people of the country have been brought above poverty line. Shri Shah said that what was essential for living for the poor people of the country, who used to spend their lifetime for it, were provided to them by Prime Minister Modi in the past 10 years. He said that now the question before these crores of people is how can they grow further, how to start a business and contribute to the development of the country with no capital. Shri Shah said that the only way to connect a person without capital with entrepreneurship is Cooperation. He said through Cooperation crores of people with small capital are coming together to start their businesses and are living with dignity by generating self-employment.

Shri Amit Shah said that in a country like India with a population of over 130 crore, employment is also a big indicator of the health of the country’s economy, along with GDP. He said that cooperatives are the only sector that connects 130 crore people with the country’s development through self-employment and also protects their dignity. Shri Shah said that Prime Minister Modi formed the Ministry of Cooperatives three and a half years ago, fulfilling the decades-long demand of farmers, villagers, and cooperative leaders. He said that after the formation of the Ministry of Cooperatives, a new chapter of development of cooperatives has started.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that today there are 8 lakh cooperative societies in India and 30 crore people are their members. In a way, every fifth person in the country is associated with cooperatives, but no effort was made for its development in the past 75 years. Shri Shah said that cooperatives were running unevenly across the country and anomalies had started to appear in the cooperative movement. He said that it was the reason for Modi ji to established the Cooperative Ministry. Since its establishment, the Ministry of Cooperatives has done a lot of work in the last three and a half years. He said that to develop cooperatives, a national cooperative database was prepared together with all the states and today information about cooperatives of every state, district and village is available in this database.

Shri Amit Shah said that 2 lakh new Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) will be formed in the country and there will not be a single Panchayat in the country where there will not be a PACS. He said that the Modi government decided to change the by-laws of PACS and the entire country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Northeast to Dwarka accepted the model by-laws issued by the Centre. This enabled linking of more than 25 economic activities with PACS, improvements in the election process and development of a common accounting software, available in all languages ​so that it can cater to all. He said that 43 thousand PACS Common Service Centres (CSCs) have been established in the country where benefits and facilities of more than 300 schemes of the Central and State Government are available. Shri Shah said that today 36 thousand PACS are working as PM Samridhi Kendras in the country, 4 thousand PACS have been established as Jan Aushadhi Kendras and 400 PACS are also running petrol pumps.

Union Minister of Cooperation said that the Modi government started the world’s largest grain storage scheme and so far 576 PACS have started the work of building godowns. Work on 11 of these has been completed and now the paddy and wheat purchased by PACS is being stored there. He said that more than 67 thousand PACS of the country have been connected with computers, software and data storage. Today, out of these 67,930 PACS, 43,658 PACS are working through computers. Now their accounts are reconciled in the evening, along with online audit, all business is also done online. He said that computerization has brought a revolution in the cooperative sector.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that with the creation of 2 lakh PACS, one in every Panchayat, the cooperative movement of our country will once again stand in a balanced manner. He said that more than 550 cooperative societies have been onboarded for procurement on Government e Marketing (GeM). Shri Shah said that during the previous governments, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) faced a lot of injustice in Income Tax. The Modi Government has reduced the surcharge on income tax of cooperative societies from 12 to 7 percent, reduced MAT (Minimum Alternate Tax) from 18.5 to 15 percent, exempted from income tax penalty on transactions of less than two lakh rupees and reduced the rate for manufacturing cooperative societies from 30 to 15 percent. He said that the limit of cash deposit for PACS and others has been increased from 20 thousand to 2 lakh rupees. Along with this, the limit of exemption from TDS has been increased from one crore rupees to three crore rupees.

Shri Amit Shah said that the Modi government has formed three new national-level cooperative societies which will work to improve backward and forward linkages. He said that about 8 thousand PACs have been associated with the National Cooperative Export Limited (NCEL) and through these, our farmers’ products are being exported abroad. So far, 12 lakh tonnes of materials have been sold in the global markets through NCEL and the profit is being deposited directly into the farmers’ accounts. Shri Shah said that along with this, our traditional seeds are being preserved by preserving and collecting them through the Bharatiya Seed Cooperative Society Limited (BBSSL). Organic products are being certified as Bharat Brand through the National Cooperative Organic Limited (NCOL). He said that 100% organic products are being made available across the country under the name of ‘Bharat Brand’.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that when a small farmer or a rural person takes a loan, he also repays it, with interest. He said that this is why the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) has done a business of Rs 90 thousand crore with zero NPA. Shri Shah said that NCDC has given 44 sea trawlers to the fishermen of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Rs 10 thousand crore has been given to 48 cooperative sugar mills. About 3 thousand Farmer Producer Organizations (FPO) and one thousand 70 Fisherman Farmer Producer Organizations (FFPO) have been formed. He said that NCDC has earned a profit of Rs 800 crore this time. NCDC has succeeded in increasing the loan and keeping zero NPA and has also increased the profit from Rs 100 crore to Rs 800 crore.

Shri Shah said that to ensure flow of funds in the cooperative sector, an initiative of ‘Cooperation Among Cooperatives’ was undertaken in Panchmahal and Banaskantha districts of Gujarat. Under this, it was ensured that the members of every cooperative institution and cooperative society necessarily have their bank accounts in cooperative banks. Shri Shah said that he too has opened his account in a cooperative bank. He said that due to the initiative of ‘Cooperation Among Cooperatives’, deposits in banks in Gujarat have increased by about Rs 8000 crore. Due to all these steps, people’s confidence in cooperative banks has increased.

Shri Amit Shah said that earlier, Urban Cooperative Banks (UCBs) were not allowed to open new branches, but now they have permission from Reserve Bank of India to open up to 10 percent new branches on their own. Earlier, they were not allowed to provide ‘doorstep banking’ i.e. banking facilities to people at their homes, but now Urban Cooperative Banks can provide the facility of ‘doorstep banking’. Shri Shah said that earlier, Urban Cooperative Banks were not allowed ‘one time settlement’, but now they have been enabled like nationalized and scheduled banks to do ‘one time settlement’. Earlier, issues of cooperative banks were not entertained by RBI, but now a nodal officer has been appointed with the duty to hear the problems of cooperative banks and provide solutions. The loan limit of home loans given by Urban Cooperative Banks has been doubled. Permission has also been given to give loans to commercial real estate. He said that a lot of work has also been done to strengthen non-scheduled banks.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that an umbrella organization of National Federation of Urban Cooperative Banks and Credit Societies Limited (NAFCUB) has been formed. He said that whenever a cooperative bank becomes weak, NAFCUB will finance it and save it from closure. Modi ji has also increased the insurance of depositors from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, this has increased the confidence in cooperative banks.

Shri Amit Shah said that for the last several years, big cooperative leaders have been Agriculture Ministers, but the income tax problem faced by cooperative sugar mills was not resolved.  He said that Shri Narendra Modi Ji ended the problem of income tax assessment forever in 2022, soon after he formed a new Ministry of Cooperation. The pending demand of Rs 4600 crore of sugar mills was met and the move put a break to the cycle of annual demand generation by the sugar mills of Rs 8 thousand crores. Cooperative sugar mills have hardly got such a huge benefit after independence. He said that a loan of Rs 10 thousand crore was sanctioned to 84 mills. Cooperative sugar mills were given priority in the Ethanol Blending program. A finance scheme was also started for Molasses based ethanol plant and multi feed plant. Our government reduced the GST rate on Molasses from 28 percent to 5 percent. Shri Shah said that the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS) office was computerized, Registrar offices in the states were computerized, branches of Rural Development Banks were computerized and the entire expense of these works was borne by the Government of India.

Union Minister of Cooperation said that under White Revolution 2.0, a target has been set to increase the procurement of milk from the current 660 lakh liters per day to 1000 lakh liters per day in 2028-29. He said that in the last three years, India has become the largest milk producing country in the world. One-fourth of the total milk production of the world is produced in India. In the year 2023-24, it has increased to about 24 crore tonnes. In the year 2014-15, this figure was 14.6 crore tonnes. He said that in the last 10 years, milk production has increased from 14.6 crore tonnes to 24 crore tonnes. Today there are 23 national level and 240 district level unions, 28 marketing dairies have been formed and primary milk production committees have also been formed in 2.30 lakh villages.

Shri Amit Shah said that now cooperative dairies are working on the principles of circularity. They will also provide animal feed to farmers who sell milk privately. Cooperative dairies will also vaccinate animals. Cooperative dairies will collect their dung and make gas. When the animal dies, its skin and bones will also be sent to the market through cooperative dairies with the earning coming back to the farmers directly. Work has already started on all these projects at a cost of Rs 10 thousand crore. Shri Shah said that more than 70 percent of the members associated with the dairy sector are women who will be empowered due to economic benefits in sector.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that the previous governments did nothing on the demand for procurement of pulses at the Minimum Support Price (MSP). But Modi Government decided to purchase three pulses from farmers at 100 percent MSP. Shri Shah said that those farmers who get themselves registered through NAFED and NCCF websites are entitled to get this facility. He said similar facility is also extended to maize farmers, who on registering themselves on NAFED and NCCF websites, can offload their 100 per cent produce to the Government at MSP.

Shri Amit Shah said that for the first time we have created a cooperative ranking framework which will provide a dedicated system of performance evaluation in the cooperative sector, which has seven major parameters. He said PACS, dairy, fisheries, urban cooperative, housing credit and Khadi and Village Industries Committees will be covered under the scheme. Now awards for excellence will be given at the district, state and national level for promoting cooperatives. The cooperative entities will be able to get loans from cooperative banks according to their ranking.

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ is not just a slogan, the Ministry of Cooperation has worked day and night in three and a half years to realise it. He said that in a few months, a very big cooperative taxi service will be started, in which registration of two wheelers, taxis, rickshaws and four wheelers will be possible and the profit will go directly to the driver. He said that soon a cooperative insurance company is also going to be formed which will do the work of insurance in the cooperative system of the country. Shri Shah said that in a short time it will become the largest insurance company in the private sector.

Shri Amit Shah said that the work of registering an institute of Cooperative studies in any part of the country will be done after checking its status. He said that in view of the development and expansion of the cooperative sector, trained human resources are needed and Tribhuvan Sahkari University will work to fulfill this need. After the formation of a cooperative university, its diploma and degree holders will get jobs. Through this university, we will make a big contribution to the domestic as well as global value chain. New age cooperative culture will also start from this university. He said that there are thousands of cooperative education training institutes spread across the country, but none of them has a common course. We have done the work of designing the course keeping in mind the needs of the cooperative sector even before the university was formed. There will also be degree, diploma courses in the university and PhD degrees will also be given. There will also be a one-week certificate course for the existing employees.

Union Minister of Cooperation said that through this bill, cooperative principles and cooperative activities will be expanded. The cooperative sector will benefit from new technology. Research and innovation will also increase and the cooperative sector will be strengthened on the ground. This will also strengthen the rural economy. Shri Amit Shah said that being associated with the name of a great man like Tribhuvan Das, this cooperative university will prove to be a high-quality university. It will work to produce excellent cooperative workers in the country.

Union Minister of Cooperation said that the University will be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. The country’s first university dedicated to the cooperative sector will be built 75 years after independence and it will have the capacity to provide education to about 8 lakh candidates every year. Colleges affiliated with the university will be opened in almost every district within a year. When 8 lakh people will graduate with diploma, degree or certificate every year, there will be an infusion of new blood in the cooperative movement. Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Shri Amit Shah said that he has been associated with cooperatives since the age of 18 and has experienced its strengths and weaknesses. He said that Modi Ji is laying the foundation of a prosperous India and this bill will provide a strong structure in it. Shri Shah said that Tribhuvan Das Patel Ji’s vision was that profits in the cooperative sector should reach every poor woman, hence this bill is named after him.

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RK/VV/RR/PR/PS

(Release ID: 2115556) Visitor Counter : 320

Source: Government of India

Raksha Rajya Mantri flags-off Mt Everest & Mt Kangchenjunga expeditions from New Delhi

“Mountaineering institutes embody PM Modi’s vision to foster self-reliance, resilience & fearless spirit among youth”: Shri Sanjay Seth

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 8:24PM by PIB Delhi

Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Sanjay Seth flagged-off joint expeditions to Mount Kangchenjunga and Mount Everest from South Block, New Delhi on March 26, 2025. The expedition to Mount Everest is being organised in collaboration with Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI), Darjeeling, West Bengal, and Jawahar Institute of Mountaineering & Winter Sports (JIM&WS), Jammu & Kashmir to commemorate 60 glorious years of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM), Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. The Mount Kangchenjunga Expedition is organised by National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS), Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh, under its ‘Har Shikhar Tiranga’ initiative.

Speaking on the occasion, Raksha Rajya Mantri described the mission as not just about reaching the top of the world but showcasing India’s mountaineering excellence and leadership in adventure sports. “India is fast emerging as a powerhouse in the global adventure sports arena, and mountaineering institutions functioning under the Ministry of Defence are playing a pivotal role in shaping India’s adventure ecosystem,” he said.

Shri Sanjay Seth expressed confidence in the team’s abilities and highlighted the expedition’s significance. “By successfully summiting both mountains, the teams will set a new benchmark and inspire young mountaineers across the country and the world at large,” he said.

Raksha Rajya Mantri further emphasised that mountaineering institutes have been at the forefront of training and inspiring the youth, truly embodying the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to foster self-reliance, resilience, and a fearless spirit among the young minds. He stressed that the expeditions would not only test the team’s endurance, skill, and teamwork but also serve as an inspiration for young adventurers.

Expedition to Mt Everest

The team comprises of  seven highly skilled climbers from NIM, HMI and JIM&WS, all of whom have extensive experience in high-altitude mountaineering and extreme conditions. The expedition will be led by Col Anshuman Bhadauria, Principal, NIM. The team will embark on its journey on April 02, 2025, following the traditional South Col Route in Nepal, a path taken by legendary climbers before them. Their journey will include climbing through the treacherous Khumbu Valley, acclimatisation at extreme high-altitude camps and extensive preparation for the summit push in May 2025. This expedition is aimed at providing invaluable first-hand Everest experience to instructors, enabling them to train and inspire future generations of Indian mountaineers.

Expedition to Mt Kungchenjunga

The expedition is a landmark journey, starting on April 07, 2025, as Kangchenjunga is India’s highest and only 8,000-meter peak, making it one of the most challenging summits in the world. The expedition is being led by Col Ranveer Singh Jamwal, Director, NIMAS, Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh. The team comprises of five highly skilled climbers and three support staff. NIMAS has already successfully climbed the highest peaks of 27 states of India. Now, with the summit of Mount Kangchenjunga, all 28 states will be covered.

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VK/SR/SS

(Release ID: 2115521) Visitor Counter : 379

Source: Government of India

Multiple Reforms to Enhance Safety and Efficiency in Railway Operations

Initiatives like Gati Shakti, Enhanced Sanction Powers to GMs and DRMs, Kavach, and Rolling Blocks Expedite Approval and Execution of Railway Projects

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 8:16PM by PIB Delhi

Reforms is a continuous and ongoing process in Indian Railways. These reforms are carried out to enhance safety and efficiency in train operations, improve passenger experience, expediting network expansion etc. Following reforms have been carried out on Indian Railways in recent past: –

(i) Gati Shakti Directorate/Units: The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP) was launched in October 21 to bring a transformative change in the approach towards planning and execution of infrastructural projects pertaining to the transportation sector.

Indian Railways has immediately imbibed the principles of Gati Shakti in its project planning process. Drawing upon existing resources, a multi-disciplinary Gati Shakti Directorate has been created in Indian Railways. Similarly Gati Shakti Units have been created in Zonal railways. The Project DPRs are made after consultation with all stakeholders and other infrastructure ministries/departments.

This above initiatives have expedited the appraisal /sanction process and execution of Projects.

(ii) Enhanced power of sanction of Projects to GMs and DRMs: The power of sanction for various projects have been enhanced for GMs and DRMs for faster execution of projects.

(iii) Contracts finalisation and management: Full powers have been delegated to General Managers for finalisation of the tenders. Further, Works Contract Management System (IRWCMS) and Contractor’s e-MB have been implemented for transparent & quick/fast contract management and contractor’s billing.

(iv) Development and implementation of Kavach: To improve safety in train operations, Kavach has been developed as National Automatic Train Protection (ATP) system on Indian Railways. The work of implementation of Kavach has been taken up in mission mode on Indian Railways.

(v) Elimination of level crossings: To improve safety of train operations and road users, all unmanned level crossings on Broad gauge has been eliminated. Further, it has also been decided to replace all manned level crossings in a phased manner by construction of RoBs/RUBs.

(vi) Station Redevelopment: The Indian Railway has launched the Amrit Bharat Station scheme aimed at providing world class amenities to passengers and improving efficiency in train operations at Railway stations. So far, 1,337 stations have been taken up for redevelopment in the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.

(vii) Introduction of Modern trains: To enhance passenger experience and provide comfortable journey, State of the Art Vande Bharat trains, Amrit Bharat Trains and Namo Bharat Rapid Rail with modern features have been introduced on Indian Railways.

(viii) Bharat Gaurav Trains: Indian Railways have launched theme- based Tourist Circuit trains named as Bharat Gaurav Trains (BGT) with an objective to showcase India’s rich cultural heritage and magnificent historical places to the people of India and the world through professionals of the tourism sector and other potential service providers.

(ix) Promoting Digital Transactions at Stations & Trains: Digital payment facility at various customer interface points such as Ticketing facility, Catering units etc.

(x) Freight transportation: With the view of increasing freight, Indian Railways has carried out major reforms in the form of many liberalized incentives in form of freight rebates, discounts on assured businesses, concessions on short leads, mini rake loadings, goods shed development, General Purpose Wagon Investment Scheme (GPWIS), Business Development Portal etc.

(xi) Gati Shakti Cargo Terminals: Gati Shakti Cargo Terminal initiative has been launched to fast track the approvals and ease of establishing Cargo Terminals to increase the freight loading share of IR. So far, 95 GCTs have been commissioned.

(xii) Railway- India Post Integration to develop “Joint Parcel Product”: As a joint collaborative initiative between two Government Departments to carry out business, a complete solution of parcel delivery has been started in which First-mile-last-mile connectivity by Department of Posts and Intermediate connectivity from station to station has been provided through Railways.

(xiii) Coal Chain Coordination Group: Large number of stakeholders involved in coal chain, viz. coal companies, captive and commercial mines, ports, power houses, industries and Indian Railways. To co-ordinate with all the stakeholders it has been planned to setup Coal Chain Coordination Group in Ministry of Railways.

(xiv) Annual Recruitment Calendar: Indian Railways has issued an annual calendar for recruitments which will not only reduce the uncertainty and waiting period for candidates but also enables the railways to fill vacancies in a timely manner.

(xv) Railway land policy: To streamline and simplify Railway’s land lease policy to enable faster integrated planning and development of infrastructure across the country under the PM Gati Shakti framework, the long-term land leasing policy has been issued.

(xvi) Introduction of Rolling blocks: Concept of Rolling Blocks have been introduced on Indian Railways in 2023 by Gazette notification wherein work of integrated/ maintenance/repair/replacement of assets is planned upto 52 weeks in advance on rolling basis and executed as per plan by the Divisions.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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Dharmendra Tewari/Shatrunjay Kumar

(Release ID: 2115515) Visitor Counter : 232

Source: Government of India

DRDO & Indian Navy successfully flight-test indigenously-developed Vertically-Launched Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile

This missile system will be an excellent force multiplier for Indian Navy: Raksha Mantri

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 8:13PM by PIB Delhi

Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy conducted the successful flight-test of indigenously-developed Vertically-Launched Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missile (VLSRSAM) from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur off the coast of Odisha at about 1200 hrs on March 26, 2025. The flight-test was carried out from a land-based vertical launcher against a high-speed aerial target at very close range and low altitude. It has established the Near-Boundary-Low Altitude capability of the missile system.

During the test, the target was completely destroyed by the missile executing the high turn rate required for engaging targets at very close range, and establishing the missile’s agility, reliability & pin-point accuracy. The test was conducted with all weapon system elements deployed in combat configuration. These elements, including missile with indigenous Radio Frequency seeker, Multi-Function Radar and Weapon Control System, have performed as per expectations. The performance of the system was validated by the flight data captured by various Range Instruments developed by ITR Chandipur.

Congratulating DRDO, Indian Navy and the industry, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh termed the missile system as proof of India’s strong design and development capabilities in defence R&D. It will be an excellent force multiplier for the Indian Navy, he said.

Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat also congratulated DRDO, Indian Navy & associated teams on this successful flight test, and stated that the missile, equipped with modern technologies, will give further technological boost to the Armed Forces.

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SR/Savvy

(Release ID: 2115509) Visitor Counter : 4553

Source: Government of India

Railway Electrification Gains Momentum: 100% Network Electrified in 22 out of 29 States/UT, Work Progressing Rapidly in the Remaining 7 States

 136 Crore Liters Reduction in Traction Fuel Consumption from 2018-19 to 2023-24

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 8:13PM by PIB Delhi

Currently, about 98% of the Indian Railways’ (IR) Broad Gauge (BG) network has been electrified and balance sections have been taken up. Significant progress has been made in railway electrification in recent years, a comparison of electrification before and after 2014 is as follows:

 

 

State wise percentage of tracks already electrified till date are as under:

 

About 96% electrification work of the railway lines situated in Tamil Nadu has been completed. The electrification work in the balance sections situated in Tamil Nadu has been taken up at a cost of  Rs. 444 crore.

CO₂ emissions in transportation by railways as compared to transportation by road is as under:

Further, electrification of railway tracks reduces dependency on fossil fuels, decreased diesel consumption resulting in lower carbon emission. Electrification enables better haulage capacity and higher train speeds, leading to reduced travel time and enhanced efficiency. IR has witnessed reduction in fuel consumption for traction purpose by 136 crore liters during 2023-24 as compared to 2018-19.

Mission 100% Electrification is a highly challenging project, as it involves electrifying railway lines that are already in operation and encountering unforeseen various challenges during execution. To expedite railway electrification work, various steps have been taken by Indian Railways which include among others; formation of Project Monitoring Group (PMG) portal to resolve the constraints being faced during commissioning, ensuring effective project monitoring mechanism, assured funding and enhanced financial powers to field units.

The completion of Electrification project(s) depends on various factors like forest clearances by officials of forest department, shifting of infringing utilities, statutory clearances from various authorities, geological and topographical conditions of area, law & order situation in the area of project(s) site, number of working months in a year for particular project site due to climatic conditions etc. All these factors affect the completion time of the project(s).

This information was given by the Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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Dharmendra Tewari/Shatrunjay Kumar

(Release ID: 2115511) Visitor Counter : 224

Source: Government of India

Indian Railways to Implement Access Control System with Permanent Holding Areas at 60 Stations

Indian Railways enhances crowd management with wider foot-over-bridges, CCTV surveillance and war rooms

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 8:11PM by PIB Delhi

With a view to handle heavy rush of passengers at stations during festival/Mela periods, limited Access Control System has been experimented by the Railways where during such periods, holding areas were created outside stations and passengers were allowed only when the train came to the platform.

Further, to handle heavy rush of passengers at stations, following decisions have been taken by railways –

1. Permanent holding areas at 60 stations:

1. During the festival season of 2024, holding areas were created outside stations. These waiting areas were able to hold large crowds at Surat, Udhna, Patna and New Delhi. Passengers were allowed only when the train came to the platform.
2. Similar arrangements were made during Mahakumbh at nine stations of Prayag area.
3. Based on the experience of these stations, it has been decided to create permanent waiting areas outside stations at 60 stations across the country, which periodically face heavy crowds.
4. Pilot projects have started at New Delhi, Anand Vihar, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Ghaziabad stations.
5. With this concept, the sudden crowd will be contained within the waiting area. Passengers will be allowed to go to platforms only when the trains arrive at the platform. This will decongest the stations.

2.         Access control:

1. Complete access control will be initiated at the 60 stations.
2. Passengers with confirmed reserve tickets will be given direct access to the platforms.
3. Passengers without a ticket or with a waiting list ticket will wait in the outside waiting area.
4. All unauthorised entry points will be sealed.

3.         Wider foot-over-bridges (FOB):

1. Two new designs of 12 metre wide (40 feet) and 6 metre wide (20 feet) standard FOB have been developed. These wide FOBs with ramps were very effective in crowd management during Mahakumbh. These new standard wide FOBs will be installed in all the stations.

4.         Cameras:

1. Cameras helped crowd management in a big way during Mahakumbh. A large number of cameras will be installed in all stations and adjoining areas for close monitoring.

5.         War rooms:

1. War rooms at large stations will be developed. Officers of all departments will work in the war room during crowd situations.

6.         New generation communication equipment:

1. Latest design digital communication equipment like walkie-talkies, announcement systems, calling systems will be installed on all heavy crowd stations.

 

7.         New design ID card:

1. All staff and service persons will be given a new design ID card so that only authorised persons can enter the station.

8.         New design uniform for staff:

1. All staff members will be given new design uniforms so that they can be easily identified during a crisis situation.

9.         Upgradation of station director post:

1. All major stations will have a senior officer as station director. All other departments will report to the station director.
2. Station director will get financial empowerment so that he can take on- the-spot decisions for improving the station.

10.       Sale of tickets as per capacity:

1. Station Director will be empowered to control the sale of tickets as per capacity of the station and the available trains.

In addition, for the security arrangements and to streamline passenger flow, station specific plans are made involving all the stakeholders that include Government Railway Police (GRP), Local Police and Local Civil Administration and accordingly action is taken to manage the influx of passengers. Queue System is maintained for hassle free boarding of important trains at originating stations.

GRP & RPF staffs are deployed at foot-over bridges to regulate crowd smoothly in order to avoid stampede like situation during the heavy rush period and render real time assistance to passengers. Intelligence units (CIB/SIB) and plain cloth staff are deployed for collection of information about rush and accordingly arrangements were made associating GRP/Police.

During peak rush periods, when heavy movement of passengers is anticipated, zonal Railways are authorized to restrict entry to stations by stopping issuing of platform tickets except for persons coming to the station just to assist the aged, illiterate and female passengers who are not  in a position to fend themselves at Railway stations.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Railways, Information & Broadcasting and Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.

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Dharmendra Tewari/Shatrunjay Kumar

(Release ID: 2115507) Visitor Counter : 230

Source: Government of India

Ministry of Rural Development and United Nations Children’s Fund YuWaah Collaborate to Empower Rural Women and Youth

Ministry of Rural Development and UNICEF YuWaah signs a Statement of Intent to empower rural women and youth across India

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 6:50PM by PIB Delhi

The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) YuWaah have signed a Statement of Intent (SOI) to empower rural women and youth across India. This three-year partnership focuses on creating livelihood opportunities by connecting women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to jobs, self-employment, entrepreneurship, and skill-building initiatives, thereby boosting female labour force participation in rural areas.

        As part of the collaboration, efforts will be made to strengthen digital infrastructure through the establishment of Computer Didi Centers and Didi ki Dukan in five blocks across five states, namely- Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan. This pilot project has the potential to scale up and reach 35 lakh women across more than 7000 blocks after being successful.

      The SOI was signed by Shri T.K. Anil Kumar, Additional Secretary, MoRD, and Ms. Sharada Thapalia, Deputy Representative (Operations), UNICEF India. Speaking at the signing ceremony,

  Shri T.K. Anil Kumar said, “This partnership has come at a very opportune time as it aligns with the Rural Prosperity and Resilience Programme announced in the Budget 2025-26. It is particularly significant because nearly one-third of the 10 crore SHG members are youth, who will play a central role in this initiative.”

Ms. Sharada Thapalia said, “MoRD’s extensive network of over 10 crore SHG women serves as a powerful social infrastructure that can be leveraged to reach those who need this opportunity the most.”

 The partnership will also feature innovative initiatives, such as Youth Hub, a cutting-edge aggregator platform for jobs, skilling, and volunteering. Additionally, scalable models will be tested to create thousands of Lakhpati Didis, furthering the Government’s vision of empowering women entrepreneurs.

  Ms. Smriti Sharan, Joint Secretary, MoRD, Dr. Monika, Deputy Secretary, MoRD along with team members of MoRD and UNICEF YuWaah were also present on this occasion.

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MG/RN/KSR

(Release ID: 2115453) Visitor Counter : 356

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 6:39PM by PIB Delhi

Induction ceremony for fourth 25T Bollard Pull (BP) Tug Yuvan was held on 26 Mar 25 at Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam) in presence of Cmde Rajeev John, General Manager (Refit) as the Chief Guest.

These Tugs are a part of the contract for construction of six (06) 25T BP Tugs concluded with M/s Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL), Kolkata on 12 Nov 21. These Tugs have been indigenously designed and built in accordance with the relevant Naval Rules and Regulation of Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). The Shipyard had successfully delivered three of these Tugs which are being utilised by Indian Navy to provide assistance to Naval ships and submarines during berthing, un-berthing and manoeuvring in confined waters. The Tugs will also provide afloat fire-fighting support to ships alongside or at anchorage and will also have the capability to conduct limited Search and Rescue (SAR) Operations.

These Tugs are proud flag bearers of Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of Government of India.

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VM/SPS                                                                                                        66/25

(Release ID: 2115444) Visitor Counter : 460

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 6:30PM by PIB Delhi

Chief of Army Staff Gen Upendra Dwivedi has highlighted the evolving nature of warfare, the strategic challenges facing India and the need for jointness and synergy among the armed forces. He was addressing the student officers from the Indian Armed Forces undergoing the 80^th Staff Course and the permanent staff at Defence Services Staff College, Wellington.

COAS commended DSSC for its pivotal role in grooming future military leaders and emphasised the importance of professional military education in enhancing operational preparedness and decision making capabilities.

The COAS underscored the significance of leadership, adaptability and technological integration in modern warfare. He urged officers to remain proactive in their approach to emerging security threats and to embrace innovation in military planning and operations.

During his visit, COAS also interacted with faculty members, discussing key aspects of military strategy, operational art and leadership development. He acknowledged the institution’s contributions in fostering inter service cooperation and strengthening India’s defence preparedness.

Gen Dwivedi was briefed by Commandant DSSC Lt Gen Virendra Vats, on the adaptation of the Staff Course curriculum to align to the challenges of Future Wars, with special reference to the activities of the first Deep Purple Division, wherein 40 tri-services officers have undergone their training.

The COAS also interacted with the Veterans of Wellington Military station and recognised their contributions with the ‘veteran Achievers Award’.

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SR/Anand

(Release ID: 2115429) Visitor Counter : 1272

Source: Government of India

3rd Session of India-Uganda Joint Trade Committee held in New Delhi

India and Uganda to explore MoUs in key sectors including Public Works, Agriculture, Traditional Medicine, and Tele-medicine

Both sides identify key areas to boost bilateral trade, including minerals, coffee, pulses, spices, and dairy products

Posted On: 26 MAR 2025 6:22PM by PIB Delhi

The Third Session of the India-Uganda Joint Trade Committee (JTC) was held in New Delhi on 25th-26th March 2025. The session marked a significant step in strengthening India-Uganda trade relations after a gap of 23 years. Both sides reviewed the bilateral trade and agreed that the current trade volume does not reflect the full potential of economic collaboration. They resolved to take concerted efforts to enhance, deepen, and diversify bilateral trade. Discussions were also held on the formation of an India-Uganda Joint Business Forum to facilitate increased engagement between industry leaders from both nations.

Key areas identified for enhancing cooperation included minerals, coffee, cocoa products, pulses, residual chemical and allied products, spices, dairy products, essential oils, plastic raw materials, fruits, and vegetables, as well as mining, banking, digital infrastructure, agriculture, MSME growth, health, pharmaceuticals, electric vehicles, and critical minerals, including Rare Earth Elements (REE) and petrochemicals. Both sides also agreed to strengthen collaboration between their respective investment promotion agencies. Additionally, both sides agreed to explore Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for the recognition of Indian Pharmacopoeia and cooperation in Public Works and Infrastructure Development, Agriculture and Allied sectors, Traditional Medicine, Tele-medicine, and strengthening collaboration in Standardization.

Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, Shri Ajay Bhadoo addressed the inaugural session and emphasized the strong bilateral ties between India and Uganda. He highlighted the growing trade and investment partnership and underscored the importance of collaboration in key sectors such as e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, MSME cluster development, solar energy, and rural electrification.

The JTC was co-chaired by Economic Adviser, Department of Commerce of Ms. Priya P. Nair, from the Indian side, Head of International Political Cooperation Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Uganda, Amb. Elly Kamahungye Kafeero, He was accompanied by Amb. Prof. Joyce Kikafunda Kakuramatsi, Head of Mission, Uganda High Commission, New Delhi, along with a 28-member Ugandan delegation comprising officials from various ministries and Uganda’s Mission in India. The discussions were held in a cordial and cooperative atmosphere, with both sides expressing enthusiasm for expanding trade and investment.

On the sidelines of the JTC, the Ugandan delegation visited the Noida SEZ to gain insights into India’s industrial and export ecosystem. The deliberations at the 3rd Session of the India-Uganda JTC were forward-looking and indicative of the strong and amicable relations between the two nations.

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Abhishek Dayal/ Abhijith Narayanan/ Ishita Biswas

(Release ID: 2115418) Visitor Counter : 328