Dense winter fog and smog have gripped several Indian cities, from Agra's Taj Mahal to the streets of New Delhi, Srinagar, Lucknow, and beyond. These chilling visuals capture how residents, commuters, and tourists are coping with poor visibility and biting cold. From washermen on the Gomti riverbank to Shikara rides in Dal Lake, the photographs highlight the impact of extreme weather on daily life across northern India.
'The Old Delhi railway station should be renamed Indraprastha Railway Station. Indira Gandhi International Airport should be renamed Indraprastha Airport. A prominent statue of the Pandavas should be established at key locations in Delhi'
There was no money, sponsors didn't make a beeline and foreign tours were an ordeal, but there were women of steel who believed in the old adage that "the show must go on." And Nutan Gavaskar was the first among equals, one of the torchbearers of the women's cricket movement in India back then in 1973.
Indian Railways (IR) seems to be caught in a time warp, kept there by successive ministers who have played to the gallery by announcing more and more new passenger trains without caring what this will do to the congestion in the network and the efficient carriage of revenue-earning freight traffic.
Revenue from freight operations also increased by 14 per cent to Rs 9,903 crore in September.
The Indian Railways needs the return of the influential and well-heeled customer for its revival, if not survival.
Indian trains remain the greatest connecters linking hearts to the last mile.
'Only four or five original companies remain; the rest have been replaced every decade as sectors evolve or leadership shifts.' 'Companies that fail to adapt -- like many textile mills from the 1970s and shipping firms from the 1980s -- disappear.' 'Benchmark indices reward those who reinvent themselves in line with economic demands.'
No fare hike was announced in the Railway Budget for 2019.
As the national transporter is planning to come out with semi-high speed routes where trains can clock an average speed of 160-200 kmph, dedicated testing becomes essential.
Lawyer Ujjwal Nikam says that while justice has been delivered to some victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, their conspirators are still hiding in Pakistan. He criticizes Pakistan's handling of the trials of those arrested and calls for action against masterminds like Hafiz Saeed and Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi.
Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj party faces skepticism and challenges as it enters the Bihar Assembly elections, with critics questioning its experience and impact.
With surplus funds projected to fall at an all-time low of Rs 1,300 crore (Rs 13 billion) in the current financial year and the operating ratio, a key efficiency indicator, at an all-time high of 92 per cent, the railways requires a massive makeover in asset utilisation and to open itself to the private sector, said R Sivadasan, former financial commissioner, Indian Railways.
In an interview with Business Standard, days before the announcement of the Railway Budget for 2011-12, Financial Commissioner Samar Jha hopes that the railways would tide over the crisis soon, as the impact of the Sixth Pay Commission recomendations dissipates and earnings improve. Edited excerpts:
Sri Lanka is facing a severe crisis after Cyclone Ditwah caused widespread flooding and landslides, resulting in numerous deaths and displacement. India has launched 'Operation Sagar Bandhu' to provide relief. The situation is expected to remain critical with rising river levels and continued rainfall.
RailYatri offers a host of travel-related services to a 4.5 million user base. Shine Jacob finds out what's next for the app.
Not just the Indian Railways, even the state transport companies too should be subjected to the same norm of paying a market-linked price for the diesel they use. If the state transport units take an annual hit of Rs 5,000 crore (Rs 50 billion) because of the higher diesel price, let the additional financial burden be borne by the different state governments which run those services. Why let the state-controlled oil marketing companies bear the burden all on their own?
The Railway Ministry will deliver the advanced locomotives to the African nation over the next three years. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the first locomotive for export on Friday.
Authorities of Indian Railways, which has witnessed a worrying spate of fire-related mishaps in the last few years, are yet to take any concrete steps to address the issue.
Revamping Indian Railways will need bold thinking, and lots of money and time. And all three may be scarce, points out T N Ninan.
Indian Railways is one of the biggest and busiest rail networks in the world, operating 9,000 passenger trains and transporting up to 20 million passengers every day.
Mumbai off to flourishing start in SMAT, beat Railways by 7 wickets
'I felt I didn't understand the film industry at all.'
The government is developing ports across the country as centres for green hydrogen production and export, Sarbananda Sonowal, minister of ports, shipping and waterways (MoPSW) said on Tuesday. "Across the country, over 12 million tonnes of green hydrogen-based e-fuel capacity has been announced.
'You can never bring about a change if you only bring in outsiders. Consultants will never feel what changes are necessary and where,' says Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.
Railways has earned Rs 1,14,656.13 crore during April-December 2014, registering an increase of 12.57 per cent. It had earned Rs 1,01,856.45 crore during the same period in the previous year.
'At least one specially designed fully accessible railway car should be added to every train'.
A round-up of Sunday's action in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group stage matches.
The training involving 100 Indian officers will lay emphasis on onsite training covering operational and maintenance facilities, monitoring systems and traffic controls.
Indian Railway's sustenance, freight traffic, - which accounts for about 70 per cent of its revenue - has been plateauing of late.
The Commissioner of Railway Safety has determined that the Mysuru-Darbhanga Bagmati Express accident was caused by sabotage, prompting increased security measures and investigations.
On the podcast, Shastri named Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, and Virat Kohli in his top five.
"The new upgraded Passenger Reservation System (PRS) will allow over 1.5 lakh ticket bookings per minute. This will be an increase of roughly five times from 32,000 tickets per minute in the current PRS," it added.
A building under construction at the Kannauj railway station in Uttar Pradesh collapsed on Saturday, trapping around two dozen workers under the rubble. Six workers have been rescued and rushed to hospital. Rescue efforts are ongoing with teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) deployed at the site. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to ensure the safe recovery of those trapped and their proper medical treatment.
Delhi blast: Heightened security in Kolkata ahead of India-South Africa Test
'Where rostering systems are automated and duty time software interfaces directly with DGCA, the assertion that they suddenly discovered crew shortages is simply implausible.' 'If adequate crew planning hasn't materialised within 12 to 24 months from inception, how will 45 days -- from December 5 to February 12 -- suddenly resolve matters?'
SMAT: Haryana beat Bengal to enter Super 8s, Punjab also qualify
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, West Bengal, and Bihar to launch infrastructure projects, participate in Bhupen Hazarika's birth centenary, and attend the Combined Commanders' Conference.
The training was expected to begin soon.
Indian Railways plans Rs 39,000 crores non-fare revenue. Via: Branding of trains. Vinyl-wrapping of Rajdhanis, Shatabdis and Garib Raths. Moving billboards.