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The Hindu
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Tamil Nadu will continue to spread the glory of Rajendra Chola, says Minister
Terming King Rajendra Chola as a pride of Tamil civilization, Minister for Finance, Environment and Climate Change Thangam Thennarasu on Wednesday said that the State government would continue to spread the king's unparalleled glory and history world over. Inaugurating the 'Aadi Thiruvathirai' festival to mark the birth anniversary of Rajendra Chola at the Brihadeeswara Temple at Gangaikondachozhapuram, Mr. Thennarasu said that during his reign, the Chola empire reached its peak. He extended the empire's reach via trade and conquest across the Indian Ocean. No other emperor in the country had tasted success like Rajendra Chola in extending territory of the dynasty beyond South Asia. His contribution to Dravidian architecture, culture, and Tamil civilization was immense. The State government had been celebrating his birthday every year to recollect his achievements. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who was in the forefront in spreading the glorious past of Rajendra Chola, had allocated ₹22 crore for displaying the items found in the excavation work. He had allocated ₹12 crore for the development of Cholagangam Lake. The State government would continue to take steps to spread the king's victories not only in India but also world over. The glory of him should be a lesson for all. Minister for Transport and Electricity S.S. Sivasankar, Minister for Information and Publicity M.P. Saminathan, Minister for Tourism R. Rajendran and Member of Parliament Thol. Thirumavalavan spoke. Additional Chief Secretary K. Manivasan and senior officials in the programme, which was jointly organised by Departments of Tourism, Hindu Religious Endowments Department and the Ariyalur district administration.
The Print
28-06-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Uneconomical, impractical: Experts on Railway decision to cap passenger waiting list at 25 pc
'The decision was made after meticulously studying the waiting list confirmation pattern,' said Dilip Kumar the Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board. The ministry, however, has justified the decision, saying less than one-fourth of the total number of waiting passengers get confirmed berths on an average and the 25 per cent cap has been placed in view of that. New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI) The Railway's decision to limit the passenger waiting list to 25 per cent of the capacity of each class has been flagged by reservation supervisors, ticket booking clerks and some senior commercial officers as uneconomical for the railways and inconvenient for travellers. He highlighted that earlier, there was an allegation that the Railways allowed a lot of passengers to book berths in the waiting category which led to crowding in trains. 'It was also alleged that the Railways earned money on ticket cancellation.' Refuting the charge, Kumar stressed the Railways was more concerned about passenger comfort than monetary benefits. The Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) implemented the 25 per cent cap decision on June 16 for trains with reservation facilities. This come around two months after the ministry, through a circular, conveyed its decision on the matter to all principal chief commercial managers and the CRIS managing director. The April 17 circular stated, 'The matter has been reviewed and it has been decided that the maximum current waiting list limit will be revised to 25 per cent of the redefined capacity of each class available at originating as well as roadside stations.' It added, 'This logic will also be applicable for issuing of waitlisted tickets from remote locations as well as tickets booked under Tatkal scheme. This waiting list limit shall, however, not be applicable to the tickets issued on concessional fares, warrants etc.' The circular directed CRIS to 'make necessary modifications in the software and inform the date of effect to all zonal Railways'. Railway officials said such a cap was in place earlier as well but more and more people were allowed to reserve seats/berths in the waiting category. According to a 2013 circular, the waiting list cap on AC/EC and 2 AC classes was 30 and 100 respectively. Similarly, the first class, 3AC/Chair Car and sleeper class had 30, 300 and 400 waiting limits, respectively. Over a week after the implementation of new waiting norms, a section of experts as well as reservation officials termed the decision 'impractical'. 'Waiting lists give a demand trend based on which we make decisions to run special trains. How will we do it now when the waiting lists of all trains will be capped at 25 per cent?' said a retired senior railway commercial officer who termed waiting lists valuable data to make future decisions. Reservation supervisors said there have been cases in which due to bulk cancellations, trains departed with some available seats and despite giving confirmed berths to all waiting list passengers, some remained vacant causing a loss to the Railways. 'On one hand seats/berths remain vacant and on the other needy people are unable to travel,' a supervisor said. 'Agents often do bulk booking on routes high on demand. They go for cancellations before 48 hours of a train's departure so that they have to pay just the nominal cancellation charges. In such cases, there is a high possibility that availability of seats/berths will be created before the train's departure,' another reservation supervisor said. He added, 'This will create opportunities for brokers and touts operating at the current booking window at stations to mint money for passengers as they have prior information of berth positions due to their nexus with lower-level ticket booking staff.' Some experts wondered how the Railways arrived at the 25 per cent cap for roadside stations where the berth quota is two or three seats and supposed that it was decided randomly. 'It is an ill-conceived decision to minimise the perception of crowding in trains by capping the waiting limits. Even if the aim of it is to minimise crowd in AC classes, it will not help as a prospective passenger can buy a general counter ticket and travel in AC classes. Normally, E-ticket waiting list passengers do the same,' a senior commercial officer said. He added, 'The Railways should introduce more trains on busy routes rather than bringing all these measures to hide actual demand of travellers.' PTI JP JP NSD NSD This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hindustan Times
20-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
PM Modi to flag off first 'made in India' locomotive for export today: What are its high-tech features?
In a significant stride for India's export ambitions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to flag off the first-ever export locomotive built in Bihar for export to the Republic of Guinea on Friday, according to a release. The locomotives, manufactured at the Marhowra Diesel Locomotive Plant in Bihar's Saran district, mark a milestone in India's "Make in India—Make for the World" vision. Speaking to ANI, Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity (EDIP) at the Railway Board, said the plant earlier produced locomotives exclusively for Indian Railways, but with increased capacity, India is now entering the global locomotive export market. "We have received a big order from the Republic of Guinea, which requires standard-gauge locomotives. 150 locomotives will be sent to the Republic of Guinea over the next three years for their iron ore mine," he said. PM Narendra Modi will visit Bihar and Odisha starting Friday for two days. There, he will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects. Modi will begin his visit from Bihar's Siwan, where he will inaugurate the new Vaishali-Deoria railway line project worth over ₹400 crore and flag off a new train service on this route. The Prime Minister will also flag off the Vande Bharat Express between Patliputra and Gorakhpur via Muzaffarpur and Bettiah.
The Hindu
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
PM to flag off first indigenous locomotive for export to Guinea on June 20 in Bihar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first locomotive manufactured at the Marhowrah factory in Bihar for export to the Republic of Guinea on June 20, the Railway Ministry said on Wednesday (June 18, 2025). "On June 20, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first locomotive being exported to the Republic of Guinea," said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board. The Marhowrah facility will supply 150 locomotives worth more than ₹3,000 crore for SimFer's Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, Africa, in three years. According to Mr. Kumar, 37 locomotives will be delivered in the current financial year, 82 in the next, and the remaining 31 in the third year. All locomotives will feature air-conditioned cabins and will be capable of hauling 100 wagons in pairs at maximum permissible speed, he said. The Ministry noted that three types of tracks— broad gauge, standard gauge and cape gauge— have been laid at the Marhowrah factory for manufacturing these locomotives. The export project was secured through global competitive bidding, highlighting India's capabilities in world-class manufacturing. Mr. Kumar said the locomotives will come equipped with best-in-class emission standards, fire detection systems and ergonomic crew cabins with modern amenities such as a refrigerator, microwave and waterless toilet. "They are fitted with DPWCS (Distributed Power Wireless Control System) for synchronised operations and superior freight handling. This positions the Marhowrah factory as a global hub for locomotive exports, boosting local employment and technology," he said. The Ministry said the export will help build infrastructure for Guinea's largest iron ore project and strengthen India-Africa economic ties. "This is a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat powering global infrastructure through innovation and quality manufacturing. We hope that Indian firms receive more such orders from other countries in future," Mr. Kumar added.
The Print
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Print
PM to flag off first indigenous locomotive for export to Guinea on June 20 in Bihar
The Marhowrah facility will supply 150 locomotives worth more than Rs 3,000 crore for SimFer's Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, Africa, in three years. 'On June 20, 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first locomotive being exported to the Republic of Guinea,' said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director of Information and Publicity, Railway Board. New Delhi, June 18 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first locomotive manufactured at the Marhowrah factory in Bihar for export to the Republic of Guinea on June 20, the Railway Ministry said on Wednesday. According to Kumar, 37 locomotives will be delivered in the current financial year, 82 in the next, and the remaining 31 in the third year. All locomotives will feature air-conditioned cabins and will be capable of hauling 100 wagons in pairs at maximum permissible speed, he said. The ministry noted that three types of tracks — broad gauge, standard gauge and cape gauge — have been laid at the Marhowrah factory for manufacturing these locomotives. The export project was secured through global competitive bidding, highlighting India's capabilities in world-class manufacturing. Kumar said the locomotives will come equipped with best-in-class emission standards, fire detection systems and ergonomic crew cabins with modern amenities such as a refrigerator, microwave and waterless toilet. 'They are fitted with DPWCS (Distributed Power Wireless Control System) for synchronised operations and superior freight handling. This positions the Marhowrah factory as a global hub for locomotive exports, boosting local employment and technology,' he said. The ministry said the export will help build infrastructure for Guinea's largest iron ore project and strengthen India-Africa economic ties. 'This is a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat powering global infrastructure through innovation and quality manufacturing. We hope that Indian firms receive more such orders from other countries in future,' Kumar added. PTI JP OZ OZ This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
