News Analysis India

Tag: IRCTC

  • Char Dham Yatra : Government to hand over heli booking services to IRCTC

    By Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: Registration for the Chardham Yatra, which has made a major contribution to the state’s economy, will begin on February 21. This year, the government has decided to book tickets for heli services during the Char Dham Yatra through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

    The Char Dham Yatra will begin with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri on April 22,followed by Kedarnath on April 25 and Badrinath Dham on April 27.

    The Uttarakhand government has decided to book heli service tickets through IRCTC with an aim to streamline and simplify the ‘Char Dham Yatra’.  A fresh tender process is underway for the Kedarnath heli service. A three-year contract will be signed with nine companies for heli service operations from Guptkashi, Sirsi and Phata. Till now, tickets were booked online through Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN).

    “IRCTC has a robust system of booking railway tickets”, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation department authority (UCADA) Additional Executive Officer Anil Singh told this newspaper, “The tender process for Kedarnath heli service is going on. Online ticket booking is being considered for handling over to IRCTC”. 70 per cent of the tickets for the Kedarnath heli service are booked online while 30 per cent of ticketsare booked through companies operating heli service. Till now, online ticket booking was done through GMVN.

    “The tourism department has advised pilgrims to register before the yatra as well as undergo health check-ups” and “also to travel slowly in the camps with a short halt on the yatra route, so that passengers coming from hot regions can adapt themselves to the climate here”, state tourism secretary Sachin Kurve toldthis newspaper.

    “In the year 2022, there was a 35 per cent increase in the number of Char Dham pilgrims as compared to the pre-Covid season in 2019,” Badri Kedar Temple Committee Chairman Ajayendra Ajay told TNIE, adding that “over 1.32 lakh people availed helicopter services to visit Kedarnath temple”.  There was a huge rush for the heli service in May-June as the rush of pilgrims peaked during the yatra. The operation of heli service is also frequently affected due to bad weather in Kedarnath. Due to this the backlog of advance booking of tickets increases, and passengers have to wait a long time.

    In the year 2022, a total of 4681131 pilgrims visited Chardham and Hemkund Sahib. The government hopes to cross this figure this time. For the Yatra, which begins on April 22, the government has also directed this time that pilgrims coming to Uttarakhand will have to mandatorily install a “vehicle location tracking system” with their vehicle registration.

    DEHRADUN: Registration for the Chardham Yatra, which has made a major contribution to the state’s economy, will begin on February 21. This year, the government has decided to book tickets for heli services during the Char Dham Yatra through the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).

    The Char Dham Yatra will begin with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri on April 22,
    followed by Kedarnath on April 25 and Badrinath Dham on April 27.

    The Uttarakhand government has decided to book heli service tickets through IRCTC with an aim to streamline and simplify the ‘Char Dham Yatra’.  A fresh tender process is underway for the Kedarnath heli service. A three-year contract will be signed with nine companies for heli service operations from Guptkashi, Sirsi and Phata. Till now, tickets were booked online through Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN).

    “IRCTC has a robust system of booking railway tickets”, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation department authority (UCADA) Additional Executive Officer Anil Singh told this newspaper, “The tender process for Kedarnath heli service is going on. Online ticket booking is being considered for handling over to IRCTC”. 70 per cent of the tickets for the Kedarnath heli service are booked online while 30 per cent of tickets
    are booked through companies operating heli service. Till now, online ticket booking was done through GMVN.

    “The tourism department has advised pilgrims to register before the yatra as well as undergo health check-ups” and “also to travel slowly in the camps with a short halt on the yatra route, so that passengers coming from hot regions can adapt themselves to the climate here”, state tourism secretary Sachin Kurve told
    this newspaper.

    “In the year 2022, there was a 35 per cent increase in the number of Char Dham pilgrims as compared to the pre-Covid season in 2019,” Badri Kedar Temple Committee Chairman Ajayendra Ajay told TNIE, adding that “over 1.32 lakh people availed helicopter services to visit Kedarnath temple”.  There was a huge rush for the heli service in May-June as the rush of pilgrims peaked during the yatra. The operation of heli service is also frequently affected due to bad weather in Kedarnath. Due to this the backlog of advance booking of tickets increases, and passengers have to wait a long time.

    In the year 2022, a total of 4681131 pilgrims visited Chardham and Hemkund Sahib. The government hopes to cross this figure this time. For the Yatra, which begins on April 22, the government has also directed this time that pilgrims coming to Uttarakhand will have to mandatorily install a “vehicle location tracking system” with their vehicle registration.

  • IRCTC scam: CBI moves court seeking cancellation of bail granted to Tejashwi Yadav

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI:  The CBI on Saturday moved a court here seeking the cancellation of bail granted to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam.

    Special Judge Geetanjali Goel issued a notice to Yadav on the application moved by the probe agency and sought his reply by September 28.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Yadav, in a recent press conference, attempted to subvert the process of law and thwart the entire investigation as well as the consequent trial, and “blatantly abused the liberty granted to him”.

    “The tone and tenor is condemnable, intimidating and unfortunate, to say the least” . The said statements are not concerned to one case alone, but form a part of the larger design of the accused.

    “The said statements are not only scandalous but are also a clear attempt to prevent the trial from reaching its logical conclusion,” the agency said in its application.

    It added that through his statements at the conference, while Yadav issued a “direct threat to CBI officers and their families”, he also issued an “indirect threat to witnesses”

    “The accused has openly warned the CBI officers against carrying out the investigations, also resorting to innuendoes and threats in the process. Through such statements, the accused had indirectly and automatically threatened and attempted to influence the witnesses of the case,” it said.

    The agency also said the Bihar minister attempted to “portray the CBI in bad light and under the influence of political parties” by using innuendoes such as ‘jamai’ of a political party against it.

    The application further added that Yadav also undermined “the authority of the court” through his statements used in the conference.

    “Through such statements, the accused undermines the process of law, the investigation and the consequential trial and is as such an attempt to interfere with the administration of justice,” it added.

    The CBI said Yadav, being the son of former chief ministers of Bihar and himself the deputy CM, “is highly influential and powerful” and that his “scandalous statements” demonstrate his attempt to yield undue influence and power to prevent the case from reaching its logical conclusion.

    “The accused is no common man and exercises control and influence over a large number of people, all of whom are directly and indirectly affected and impacted by the implications of such scandalous statements,” it said.

    The court had in October 2018 granted bail to Yadav after he appeared before it in pursuance to summons issued against him in the matter related to alleged irregularities in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm.

    NEW DELHI:  The CBI on Saturday moved a court here seeking the cancellation of bail granted to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) scam.

    Special Judge Geetanjali Goel issued a notice to Yadav on the application moved by the probe agency and sought his reply by September 28.

    The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said Yadav, in a recent press conference, attempted to subvert the process of law and thwart the entire investigation as well as the consequent trial, and “blatantly abused the liberty granted to him”.

    “The tone and tenor is condemnable, intimidating and unfortunate, to say the least” . The said statements are not concerned to one case alone, but form a part of the larger design of the accused.

    “The said statements are not only scandalous but are also a clear attempt to prevent the trial from reaching its logical conclusion,” the agency said in its application.

    It added that through his statements at the conference, while Yadav issued a “direct threat to CBI officers and their families”, he also issued an “indirect threat to witnesses”

    “The accused has openly warned the CBI officers against carrying out the investigations, also resorting to innuendoes and threats in the process. Through such statements, the accused had indirectly and automatically threatened and attempted to influence the witnesses of the case,” it said.

    The agency also said the Bihar minister attempted to “portray the CBI in bad light and under the influence of political parties” by using innuendoes such as ‘jamai’ of a political party against it.

    The application further added that Yadav also undermined “the authority of the court” through his statements used in the conference.

    “Through such statements, the accused undermines the process of law, the investigation and the consequential trial and is as such an attempt to interfere with the administration of justice,” it added.

    The CBI said Yadav, being the son of former chief ministers of Bihar and himself the deputy CM, “is highly influential and powerful” and that his “scandalous statements” demonstrate his attempt to yield undue influence and power to prevent the case from reaching its logical conclusion.

    “The accused is no common man and exercises control and influence over a large number of people, all of whom are directly and indirectly affected and impacted by the implications of such scandalous statements,” it said.

    The court had in October 2018 granted bail to Yadav after he appeared before it in pursuance to summons issued against him in the matter related to alleged irregularities in granting the operational contract of two IRCTC hotels to a private firm.

  • Railways floats tender for consultant to monetise customer data, may withdraw it over privacy concerns

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Railways has floated a tender to hire a consultant to monetise its passenger and freight customer data with the aim to generate revenue up to Rs 1,000 crore, but sources said it may be withdrawn amid concerns over privacy issues.

    While many on social media, including advocacy groups have raised concerns over violation of data privacy issues, government sources have clarified that the consultant would advise the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on steps to improve its existing business and plan strategies to monetise future opportunities.

    While the Railways has not officially commented on the tender, highly placed sources said it will be withdrawn “considering the fact that the Data Protection Bill has not been finalised”.

    According to the tender document, the data to be studied will include information captured by the transporter’s various public-facing applications such as “name, age, mobile number, gender, address, e-mail ID, class of journey, payment mode, login or password” and other details.

    The IRCTC has more than 10 crore users, of which 7.5 crore are active users.

    The document also stated that the consultant, once finalised, will be provided the details of applications and the data collected thereon for conducting the study for ‘Monetization of Digital Data of Indian Railways.

    The consultant shall study the data of passenger, freight and parcel businesses of the Indian Railways such as PRS, NGeT, NTES, UTS, Rail Madad, FOIS, TMS, e-CRM, and PMS, as well as vendor-related data from applications like IREPS, VMS and IPAS.

    The document titled ‘The Scope of Work for Project A: For study of Monetization of Digital Data of Indian Railways(IR)’ said the consultant would also be provided access to the digital data systems which generate behavioural data such as flow of passengers, class of journey, frequency of journey, travel time, booking time, age group and gender, payment mode, number of destinations and booking modes.

    The objective of the exercise, it said, is for the IRCTC to leverage its data assets and market position to drive strong growth in revenues.

    This can be achieved by improving customer experience, expanding the portfolio of products being offered to the customers and/or developing new business lines and partnerships, the document stated.

    “IRCTC envisages a revenue generation potential of Rs 1,000 Cr through Monetization of its Digital Assets. IRCTC wishes to engage a consulting firm to help in identification, design, and development and roll-out of data monetization opportunities,” it said.

    While the Railways is yet to officially respond, sources close to the development said the IRCTC does not “sell its data and neither has any intention to do so”.

    They said the consultant is being hired to advise the IRCTC on steps to improve its existing business and plan out strategies to monetise future businesses.

    It will also focus on how the IRCTC could adopt new business opportunities.

    “IRCTC will also develop new businesses on its own platform and will need assistance from market leaders. IRCTC does not store any financial data of its customers at its end, as at the time of online payment for its various services, control is passed on to the respective payment gateway or bank for the payment,” the sources said.

    The document also said that the consultant will study various Acts or laws, including the IT Act, 2000 and its amendments, user data privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation and the current ‘Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018’, and accordingly, propose the business models for monetisation of digital assets.

    The consultant would also prepare a roadmap for data monetisation of the digital data collected at various customer-facing and vendor-related applications which include zonal railways, divisions, and other units like CRIS, and PSUs like IRCTC, Railtel, etc.

    Tasks listed for the appointed consultant include segregation of monetisable data sets, identification of market potential internationally, and preparation of a roadmap for data monetisation of the digital data.

    Internet Freedom Foundation, a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation advocating digital rights and liberties, has raised concerns over the tender and outlined its pitfalls in a series of tweets.

    “Hey train travellers, your data will soon be monetised by the govt. & that too, in the absence of a data protection legislation! A profit maximisation goal will result in greater incentives for data collection, violating principles of data minimisation & purpose limitation.

    Past experiences from the misuse of Vahan database amplify fears of mass surveillance & security risks,” it said.

    “IRCTC, a government-controlled monopoly, must not prioritise perverse commercial interests over the rights and interests of citizens. And given the recent withdrawal of the Data Protection Bill, 2021, such monetisation becomes even more concerning,” the NGO added.

    NEW DELHI: The Railways has floated a tender to hire a consultant to monetise its passenger and freight customer data with the aim to generate revenue up to Rs 1,000 crore, but sources said it may be withdrawn amid concerns over privacy issues.

    While many on social media, including advocacy groups have raised concerns over violation of data privacy issues, government sources have clarified that the consultant would advise the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) on steps to improve its existing business and plan strategies to monetise future opportunities.

    While the Railways has not officially commented on the tender, highly placed sources said it will be withdrawn “considering the fact that the Data Protection Bill has not been finalised”.

    According to the tender document, the data to be studied will include information captured by the transporter’s various public-facing applications such as “name, age, mobile number, gender, address, e-mail ID, class of journey, payment mode, login or password” and other details.

    The IRCTC has more than 10 crore users, of which 7.5 crore are active users.

    The document also stated that the consultant, once finalised, will be provided the details of applications and the data collected thereon for conducting the study for ‘Monetization of Digital Data of Indian Railways.

    The consultant shall study the data of passenger, freight and parcel businesses of the Indian Railways such as PRS, NGeT, NTES, UTS, Rail Madad, FOIS, TMS, e-CRM, and PMS, as well as vendor-related data from applications like IREPS, VMS and IPAS.

    The document titled ‘The Scope of Work for Project A: For study of Monetization of Digital Data of Indian Railways(IR)’ said the consultant would also be provided access to the digital data systems which generate behavioural data such as flow of passengers, class of journey, frequency of journey, travel time, booking time, age group and gender, payment mode, number of destinations and booking modes.

    The objective of the exercise, it said, is for the IRCTC to leverage its data assets and market position to drive strong growth in revenues.

    This can be achieved by improving customer experience, expanding the portfolio of products being offered to the customers and/or developing new business lines and partnerships, the document stated.

    “IRCTC envisages a revenue generation potential of Rs 1,000 Cr through Monetization of its Digital Assets. IRCTC wishes to engage a consulting firm to help in identification, design, and development and roll-out of data monetization opportunities,” it said.

    While the Railways is yet to officially respond, sources close to the development said the IRCTC does not “sell its data and neither has any intention to do so”.

    They said the consultant is being hired to advise the IRCTC on steps to improve its existing business and plan out strategies to monetise future businesses.

    It will also focus on how the IRCTC could adopt new business opportunities.

    “IRCTC will also develop new businesses on its own platform and will need assistance from market leaders. IRCTC does not store any financial data of its customers at its end, as at the time of online payment for its various services, control is passed on to the respective payment gateway or bank for the payment,” the sources said.

    The document also said that the consultant will study various Acts or laws, including the IT Act, 2000 and its amendments, user data privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation and the current ‘Personal Data Protection Bill, 2018’, and accordingly, propose the business models for monetisation of digital assets.

    The consultant would also prepare a roadmap for data monetisation of the digital data collected at various customer-facing and vendor-related applications which include zonal railways, divisions, and other units like CRIS, and PSUs like IRCTC, Railtel, etc.

    Tasks listed for the appointed consultant include segregation of monetisable data sets, identification of market potential internationally, and preparation of a roadmap for data monetisation of the digital data.

    Internet Freedom Foundation, a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation advocating digital rights and liberties, has raised concerns over the tender and outlined its pitfalls in a series of tweets.

    “Hey train travellers, your data will soon be monetised by the govt. & that too, in the absence of a data protection legislation! A profit maximisation goal will result in greater incentives for data collection, violating principles of data minimisation & purpose limitation.

    Past experiences from the misuse of Vahan database amplify fears of mass surveillance & security risks,” it said.

    “IRCTC, a government-controlled monopoly, must not prioritise perverse commercial interests over the rights and interests of citizens. And given the recent withdrawal of the Data Protection Bill, 2021, such monetisation becomes even more concerning,” the NGO added.

  • Train passengers with offline tickets can now change boarding points

    By Express News Service

    CHENNAI:  Nearly three years after introducing the provision to change the boarding station for e-tickets online, the IRCTC extended the facility to paper tickets, as well, since Sunday. At present, only e-ticket holders are allowed to change their boarding station through the IRCTC portal or by dialling 139 before the preparation of the first chart, which means four hours before the scheduled departure of the train.

    The facility is available for general and tatkal tickets, not for current bookings. Tickets that are booked after the preparation of the first chart and 30 minutes before the departure of the trains are called current booking tickets. Until now, passengers who hold paper tickets had to submit a written request at the train originating station 24 hours before the departure of the train for changing the boarding point.

    Now, to change the boarding point for paper tickets, the user can visit www.irctc.co.in and on the home page, under the main menu, click on ‘more’, under which select ‘Counter Ticket Boarding Point Change’. The mobile number submitted at the time of booking will be validated through an OTP, after which the option for changing boarding stations will be displayed.

    The provision for changing the boarding stations for e-tickets came into effect on May 1, 2019. “Like e-tickets, passengers are allowed to change the boarding station only once and only before the first chart is prepared,” a railway official said.

    As per official data, more than 65 per cent of tickets are booked online.

    However, the move will provide some relief to a section of passengers who book tickets at counters, say rail users. S Radhakrishnan of Avadi, a commuter, said, “During festival seasons or VVIP visits, city roads are congested. This new provision will benefit passengers residing in the outskirts of the cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and other places.”

    Another passenger, S Aravind Kumar of Thiruvalam, said, “When four or five people book tickets together but have to board from different stations, there is no provision for that. The system should be upgraded to allow one or two persons to change boarding station.”

  • IRCTC to start ‘Shri Ramayana Yatra’ train on June 21: Officials

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) is set to launch a 18-day ‘Shri Ramayana Yatra’ through a special tourist train on June 21 to take pilgrims to sacred places associated with the life of Lord Ram, officials said on Wednesday.

    Booking is on for the tour on the Ramayana circuit by ‘Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train’ which will start from Delhi’s Safdarjung railway station on June 21, Ajit Kumar Sinha, chief regional manager of IRCTC, Lucknow, told reporters here.

    The 18-day journey by the train, which has 11 third AC class coaches with an accommodation capacity of around 600 passengers, will cost a passenger Rs 62,370, the officials said.

    The tour package aims at realising devotees’ dreams to visit places, where Lord Ram, his wife Goddess Sita and Lord Laxman had set foot, while undertaking an exile in the forest for 14 years, Sinha said.

    The train will run on the Ramayan circuit identified under Swadesh Darshan scheme covering prominent places that include Ayodhya, Janakpur (Nepal), Sitamarhi, Buxar, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Shringverpur, Chitrakoot, Nashik, Hampi, Rameshwaram, Kanchipuram and Bhadrachalam (also known as Ayodhya of South India).

    Sinha said that it is for the first time that a tourist train will go from India to Nepal, and connect two religious cities of Ayodhya and Janakpur.

    The boarding points, apart from Delhi, are Aligarh, Tundla, Kanpur and Lucknow, he said, adding that the cost of a ticket is uniform irrespective of the station a passenger boards from.

    Sinha said the tour plan includes food, stay in hotel and guide services at the points of visit.

    The interiors of the Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train, which will return to Delhi on the 18th day of its journey covering roughly a distance of around 8,000 kilometres, will be based on the Ramayana epic, the officials said.

    As many as 285 bookings have already been done from various parts of the country, Sinha said, adding the maximum 61 bookings are from Maharashtra followed by 55 from Uttar Pradesh.

    The IRCTC has also tied up with Paytm and Razorpay payment gateways for providing EMI options to the passengers.

    Besides, an early bird discount of 5 per cent in fare will be given to the first 50 per cent passengers.

    The EMI payment option given by the IRCTC is also for the first time, Sinha said.

  • IRCTC to run its first Bharat Gaurav Tourist train on June 21; Nepal’s Janakpur in itinerary

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: IRCTC will run its first Bharat Gaurav Tourist train on June 21, which would include a stop at Nepal’s Janakpur, the Railways’ catering and ticketing arm said on Wednesday.

    This train will run on the Ramayana Circuit identified under Swadesh Darshan scheme covering prominent places associated with life of Lord Shri Rama, including the Ram Janaki temple in Janakpur located in Nepal.

    The proposed 18-day Bharat Gaurav Tourist train tour has its first stop at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama, where tourists will visit Shri Ram Janmabhumi temple and Hanuman temple and additionally Bharat Mandir at Nandigram, dedicated to Lord Ram’s younger brother Bharat.

    After Ayodhya, the next destination is Buxar in Bihar where the tourists will be shown the hermitage of Maharishi Vishwamitra and the Ramrekha Ghat where the guests can take a holy dip in the Ganga.

    From here the train moves to Sitamarhi for the visit of Sita’s birth place and proceed by road to Janakpur (Nepal).

    Tourists will stay overnight at hotels in Janakpur and visit famous Ram-Janaki Temple there.

    After Sitamarhi, train proceeds to the oldest living city of the world, Varanasi.

    While at Kashi, tourists will walk around the temples at Varanasi, ‘Sita Samahit Sthal’, Prayag., Shringverpur and Chitrakoot will be covered by road.

    Night stay at hotels will be provided at Varanasi, Prayag and Chitrakoot.

    The train is fitted with a well equipped pantry car for rustling up freshly made vegetarian meal for the tourists.

    Infotainment system, CCTV camera, security guard services shall also be available on board.

    The train journey on the next leg moves to Nasik for overnight stay at hotels.

    Visit of Trayambakeshwar temple and Panchvati will be covered.

    After Nasik, the next destination is the ancient city of Krishkindha, Hampi, with overnight stay at hotels.

    Here the guests will visit the temple believed to be the birth place of Shri Hanuman atop the Anjaneyadri Hills and other heritage and religious sites.

    Rameshwaram is the next destination of this train tour wherein Ramanathaswamy temple and Dhanushkodi will be covered along with overnight stay at hotels.

    The train’s next destination is Kanchipuram where Shiv Kanchi, Vishnu Kanchi and Kamakhshi temples are on the day’s excursion.

    From here,the last destination that the train touches in this tour is Bhadrachalam in Telengana state which is also widely referred to as the Ayodhya of the south.

    After this, the train will return to Delhi on the 18th day of its journey covering roughly a distance of around 8000 Kms in this entire Ramayana tour.

    “From clean toilets to enhanced security features of CCTV Cameras and security Guards for each coach have also been provided for the tourists. Bharat Gaurav Tourist Train launch is in line with the Government of India initiative “Dekho Apna Desh” to promote domestic tourism,” IRCTC said.

    At a price range starting from Rs 62,370/- per person, the IRCTC tourist train will be a 18 days all inclusive tour package.

    IRCTC also offers 10% discount for early 100 bookings as special promotions.

  • CoWIN digital platform now enabled with “Know Your Vaccination Status,” feature

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The CoWIN digital platform—the key to India’s Covid vaccination campaign—has now been enabled with a new feature “Know Your Vaccination Status” that will allow users to verify or retrieve their vaccination status or details.

    The government said that the service could be utilized by a service provider such as private entities like travel agencies, offices, employers, entertainment agencies, or government agencies like IRCTC and offices for facilitating a service requested by the citizen.

    A statement by the Union health ministry said that the service is being built to help citizens who may not have the vaccine certificate available in digital or paper form for availing a requested service and can support the service provider to verify the vaccination status or the digital record of inoculation.   

    The service can be utilised by travel agencies and help make travel safe for individuals by allowing travel only for vaccinated individuals and employers can use this service to verify the vaccination status of employees and resume the functions in offices and workplaces.

    The ministry claimed that this service will help in resuming and catalyzing the economic activities in the country by verifying a person’s Covid vaccination status without revealing the beneficiary’s protected health data.

    The service may be enabled via open APIs or no-code webpage integration that CoWIN has created for private or government service providers to retrieve a person’s vaccination status.

  • Railways Ministry mulls to resume cooked food services for long route passengers

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: With the sharp decline in COVID-19 cases in the country and the trains services coming back on tracks in normal courses after a long gap, the Ministry of Railways has decided to resume the cooked food services under the catering services for the passengers in the long routes trains without hampering service of providing the Ready-to-Eat (RE) food.

     A few days after removing the tags of special from more than 1700 trains, the railway ministry on Friday issued a direction to the CMD of IRCTC at New Delhi to resume serving cooked food under the catering services in trains in addition to continuation of ready-to-eat food services.

    After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Indian Railways (IR) had temporarily suspended the cooked foods service in the trains. In recent few months back, the demands for resuming the catering services were made from across the country by passengers.

    Considering the passengers demands, the railway ministry directed the IRCTC, which handles the services related to foods also in railways, to resume this service.

    “In view of the normalcy of trains services, the requirement of travelling passengers and relaxations being provided in the COVID-19 lockdown in the restaurants, hotels and  such other  places across the country. It has been decided by the Ministry of Railways to resume the services of cooked foods in trains,” the Ministry of Railways through letter has stated clearly.

    According to a conservative estimate, the cooked foods services will be started in more than 350 trains of long routes. Sources also said that the railway may soon also resume the bed roll services in selected premier trains including the Rajdhani and others like earlier. 

  • Railways Ministry to resume cooked food services for long route passengers

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: With the sharp decline in COVID-19 cases in the country and the trains services coming back on tracks in normal courses after a long gap, the Ministry of Railways has decided to resume the cooked food services under the catering services for the passengers in the long routes trains without hampering service of providing the Ready-to-Eat (RE) food.

     A few days after removing the tags of special from more than 1700 trains, the railway ministry on Friday issued a direction to the CMD of IRCTC at New Delhi to resume serving cooked food under the catering services in trains in addition to continuation of ready-to-eat food services.

    After the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Indian Railways (IR) had temporarily suspended the cooked foods service in the trains. In recent few months back, the demands for resuming the catering services were made from across the country by passengers.

    Considering the passengers demands, the railway ministry directed the IRCTC, which handles the services related to foods also in railways, to resume this service.

    “In view of the normalcy of trains services, the requirement of travelling passengers and relaxations being provided in the COVID-19 lockdown in the restaurants, hotels and  such other  places across the country. It has been decided by the Ministry of Railways to resume the services of cooked foods in trains,” the Ministry of Railways through letter has stated clearly.

    According to a conservative estimate, the cooked foods services will be started in more than 350 trains of long routes. Sources also said that the railway may soon also resume the bed roll services in selected premier trains including the Rajdhani and others like earlier. 

  • IRCTC to get ‘sattvik certificate’ for some trains to religious sites, says Sattvik Council of India

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The IRCTC will promote “vegetarian-friendly travel” by getting some trains “sattvik certified”, especially those running on routes connecting religious sites, according to a statement by Sattvik Council of India which is involved with the certification.

    No one from the IRCTC, the catering and tourism arm of the Indian Railways, was available for comment.

    According to a press release issued by the Sattvik Council of India, it has tied up with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to introduce services that fits the requirements of vegetarians and promotes vegan travelling to holy destinations.

    The IRCTC runs the Vande Bharat Express which travels from Delhi to Katra.

    It will be certified as ‘sattvik’, it said.

    The Sattvik Council of India said it will launch the ‘sattvik’ certification scheme along with IRCTC on Monday.

    It will also develop a handbook of vegetarian kitchen jointly with the IRCTC.

    In the release, it said the IRCTC has an “understanding” with it and has has decided to seek “certification” for some of the trains that go to pilgrimage destinations like the Vande Bharat express which goes to in Katra, the end stop for Vaishno Devi temple.

    This formula is likely to be replicated in around 18 trains, it said.

    “IRCTC base kitchens, executive lounges, budget hotels, food plazas, travel and tour packages, Rail Neer plants will be ‘sattvik’ certified to ensure “vegetarian friendly travel,” the statement said.