Kelkar Committee had recommended that “Ordnance Factories should be corporatized…

Ordnance Factories

Kelkar Committee had recommended that “Ordnance Factories should be corporatized into a single corporation under leadership of a competitive management. This corporation should be accorded the status of Navratna”.

The following steps have been taken by the Government on research and development initiative for innovation and import substitution in last one year:

• To avoid the delay in processing of R&D projects at Ordnance Factory Board Headquarters (OFBHQ), financial powers have been delegated to all levels.

• Factories have been given target to increase the expenditure on R&D activities to 3% of their turnover by the year 2018-19 in a phased manner.

• Factories are being encouraged to associate themselves with reputed Academic Institutes for Research Assistance.

• Core technologies have been identified for 12 Ordnance Factories to put in more focused efforts to cope up with Technology denial regime.

• Joint working on some of the large projects with Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) from the inception stage and to render manufacturing assistance, wherever required by DRDO is being encouraged.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply to Shri Gaurav Gogoi and others in Lok Sabha today.

Source: PIB News

Biometric Attendance System : Present status.

As per the available information, the present status of implementation of the biometric attendance system is as under:

Sr. No	Type of Organizations	No of organizations where employees are marking their attendance	No of organizations where employees are registered but not started marking their attendance	No of organizations on boarded but yet to complete formalities for employees registration	Total
1	Central Government Organizations in Delhi	293	67	129	489
2	Central Government Organizations outside Delhi	76	211	661	948
Total		369	278	790	1437

 Source : Press Information Bureau

Prime Minister says Budget session of Parliament important as people look at it with lot of hopes

Prime Minister says Budget session of Parliament important as people look at it with lot of hopes

Prime Minister says Budget session of Parliament important as people look at it with lot of hopes

Says it is collective responsibility of all parties to ensure effective functioning of Parliament

PM assures leaders of several parties all their concerns will be discussed

Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu says broad consensus on Ordinances; Land concerns can be discussed

Several parties call for smooth functioning of Parliament at All Party Meet on Budget session

Leaders welcome Prime Minister’s statement on religious freedom

Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has stressed on the importance of the Budget sesson of Parliament beginning February 23, 2015 saying that the people of the country look at the session with lot of hopes and expectations. He addressed the leaders of various parties in both the Houses of Parliament at a meeting convened by the Government for mutual consultations on the Budget session today.

Prime Minister said that it is the collective responsibility of all parties and leaders to enable the people fulfill their hopes and aspirations through proper functioning of both the Houses of Parliament. Shri Modi assured the leaders that all the issues and concerned raised by them will be discussed in an appropriate manner keeping in view their importance and priority. He expressed the hope that there would be a collective effort during the Budget session in the interest of the common man.

Prime Minister has attended the leaders’ meeting for over an hour and later had lunch along with all the leades.

In his opening remarks, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs gave detailes of the 44-item agenda of the Government for the Budget session including financial, legislative and non-legislative business. He said that of the six Ordinances to be converted into Acts of Parliament by April 5, 2015, there has been a broad consensus on five of them relating to Citizenship for Overseas Indians, Introduction of e-rikshaws, allocation of coal blocks and non-coal mines through open bidding. On the Insurance Ordinance, he said that further to the suggestion of opposition parties, a Select Committee of Rajya Sabha has been set up and the same had submitted its report which amounts to a broad view of the House and there is no reason for two views in the matter.

Shri Venkaiah Naidu said that the Government is willing to address concerns if any, on the Land Acquistion Ordinance. He noted : “Several state governments cutting across partyline have expressed difficulties in land acquisiton for development projects under the Act of 2013 and sought modifications. Subsequently, the central government sought to facilitate land acquistion for notified puposes like infrastructure and affordable housing projects etc., in an easy manner without compromising on the remuneration to be paid to farmers and rehabilitation measures to be taken up for displaced persons. The Government is ready to address apprehensions, if any in this regard’.

Shri Naidu further said at the all party meet : “I would like to assure you all that the government is always willing to sit with opposition to resolve any differences on any issue. I don’t think there is any issue that can’t be resolved if approached with open mind. What is required is the spirit of mutual cooperation in the true spirit of Parliamentary democracy. Let us collectively strive to build a conducive environment for effective functioning of Parliament during the Budget session’.

Over thirty leaders from both the Houses of Parliament expressed their views with most of them highlighting the need for smooth functioning of Parliament to enable discussion on all issues of concern both for the Government and the Opposition.

Several leaders have welcomed Prime Minister’s recent statement on religious freedom and justify to promote one’s religion and his call for respecting all religions.

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Shri Mallikarjuna Kharge said, “Parliamentary democracy is all about deciding on issues through discusssion. Different parties will convey their views on Ordinances and other issues whenever taken up’.

Leader of Nationalist Congress Party Shri Sharad Pawar said, “Budget session is important and we need to ensure smooth functioning of Parliament.”

BJD leader Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab noted :”There has been undue focus on the Ordinaces in the media in general while it should have been on the Budget and economic issues. We need to focus on budget issues. We want both the Houses to function smoothly and decide on major issues. Efforts shall be made to move forward on important issues throgh rapproachment’.

Leaders of different parties from Tamil Nadu suggested that during the forthcoming visit of the Prime Minister to Sri Lanka, a conducive atmosphere may be created for protecting the justifys of Tamil fishermen and Tamils in Sri Lanka.

People’s representatives from Andhra Pradesh sought necessary action for fulfilling the assurances given to the state in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act including the Special Status and Special Package for the state. TRS leaders also spoke of the need for doing the needful for the state of Telangana.

Leaders from North-East suggested that they be given sufficient time in both the Houses putting aside the principle of time allocation based on numerical strength.

Issues suggested for discussion during the ensuing Budget session by leaders of different parties include: agrarian crisis, safety and security of women, espionage issue, communal harmony, free academic environment, passing on the benefit of declining international oil prices to public, Swine flu outbreak, Election reforms, price rise, natual calamities, development of North-East, reservation for women in legislatures etc.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu later said that the all pary meet concluded on a very positive note and thanked the leaders for their views and suggestions.

Source: PIB News

Launching of National Voter Service Portal (NVSP) – Reg.

The National Voter Service Portal (NVSP) has been launched on 25^th January 2015 on the occasion of National Voters’ Day Hon’ble Former President of India Dr. Abdul Kalam. With the aim to provide single window services to electors, NVSP has been made available from ECI website www.eci.nic.in. Users can visit the website and click on to NVSP link to avail the services.

 Various services being offered through NVSP are

1.      Search the name in Electoral List.

2.      Apply on line in English/ Hindi Language for new registration. 

3.      Apply online for corrections, if any.

4.      User can view details of his Polling booth, Assembly Constituency and Parliamentary constituency.

5.      User can get the contact details of Booth Level officer, Electoral Registration Officer and other Election officer.

6.      Users can feed Aadhaar Number for attaching it with Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) data

7.      Users can get link to CEO offices websites

8.      Users can view audio visual short films to get educated about election processes.

9.      Audio Visual scripts are also available for getting to know about the polling processes.

10.       Users can watch a short educational film on Electronic Voting Machine(EVM)

            Year 2015 has been marked for “ easy registration and easy correction ” During this year, ECI will endeavour to  put in efforts in providing all possible support services to electors with the help of IT tools. NVSP is one of them. 

  Election Commission of India

New Delhi : 10 February,2015

Source : PIB

More Autonomy to be Given in Decision Making to DPSUs and OFBs for Better Performance: Parrikar

The Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar today said MoD would be bringing about major changes in the Defence Procurement Procedure and the Defence Production Policy to provide greater autonomy to the Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) units for their expansion and diversification.

Addressing the Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry, here, he said, we need to delegate powers to DPSUs to enable them to take decisions so that they improve the serviceability of the platforms available to the Armed Forces. “Every machine in operation is like adding an additional equipment. DPSUs will be provided support but they must think like a commercial organisation”, he said.

Referring to the Make in India Procedure in Defence, Shri Parrikar said it needs further improvement. Defence industry in India is a unique industry where the only customer is the Services.

The Meeting discussed in detail the performance of the 41 Ordnance factories and 9 DPSUs.

Taking part in the discussions, Members of Parliament wanted to know whether the Government has drawn up a clear roadmap to reduce Defence imports. Some members felt that there was a concerted campaign to denigrate the public sector and to promote the private sector. They felt that unlike consumer products, the design and development of defence product has a long gestation and the contribution of DPSUs has to be appreciated in that light.

They expressed the view that the private sector must be promoted in a big way, but not at the cost of the public sector.

Members of Parliament who attended the meeting included Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Shri Raj Kumar Singh, Shri Anil Shirole, Prof. Saugata Roy, Shri P Nagarajan, Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Shri VP Singh Badnore, Dr. Mahendra Prasad, Shri Veer Singh, Shri TK Rangarajan, Shri Bhupender Yadav, Shri HK Dua and Ms Ambika Soni.

The Defence Secretary Shri RK Mathur, Secretary Defence Production Shri G Mohan Kumar, Secretary, ESW, Shri PD Meena also attended the meeting.

Source:http://www.pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=0

PM sends email to all bankers, congratulating them for the success of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has sent an email to all bankers, congratulating them on the success of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

"It gives me great pleasure to have seen the exceptional work done by you all in ensuring the success of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana. The target set for opening bank accounts for all households has been surpassed well ahead of the target date of 26 January, 2015. By opening 11.5 crore new accounts in a very short span, we have achieved a coverage of 99.74% of all households in the country. I congratulate you for your extraordinary efforts," the Prime Minister wrote.

"You will recall that when we started this Mission, many had doubts about our ability to achieve this task in a limited time span of five months. However, you have proved skeptics wrong and achieved what appeared impossible. This feat alone should motivate you, as well as others to work to make our dreams a reality," the Prime Minister added.

Laying out a roadmap for the future, the Prime Minister said: "Well begun is half done. The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana provides a platform for changing the economic condition of our people. We need to build on this success and leverage these accounts to provide our citizens a wide range of credit, insurance and pension services. We also need to maintain high standards of customer service. This is the next phase of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

We need to redouble efforts on financial literacy. Aadhaar seeding needs to improve further. Bank Mitras need to be enabled to carry out RuPay card and Aadhaar enabled transactions in villages itself. I want you to work to ensure that each account holder enrols for Aadhaar and seeds it in the bank account. This needs to be done for all accounts. I am sure you will do this seeding with the same zeal you showed in driving bank account opening.

I believe that most development activities were hindered by the single disability of not having bank accounts. We have now overcome this disability. Benefits have already started flowing to people through some of the Direct Benefit Transfer schemes. This not only ensures that benefits reach people directly, but also utilizes your accounts well.

This is your great contribution to nation-building. We will ensure that many more schemes utilize the DBT platform.

I once again thank you for being part of this huge national mission through which we shall be able to help every citizen of India achieve a better quality of life."
Source:-PIB

Awareness Programme Under Pensioners’ Portal

The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is implementing a web based mission mode project on pensions namely Pensioner’s Portal under the National e-Governance Plan. The Department has also started initiative called SANKALP for channelizing the experience and skill of Pensioners towards meaningful social activities.

The Department is proposing to conduct the next such Awareness Programme for Pensioners in Aizwal, Mizoram at Assam Rifles Cinema Hall on February 05,2015. The meeting will be chaired by Secretary (P,AR&PG).

The basic objective of the project is to facilitate redressal of Pensioners’ Grievances as also to provide information and guidance to pensioners on various pension and retirement related matters. User Ministries/Departments, Pensioners, Banks, Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO), Post Offices etc. are the stakeholders in this venture aimed at welfare of the Pensioners.

With a view to providing know how about the operational aspects of this Portal and the Grievances Redressal Mechanism in particular, the Department of Pensions is conducting Awareness Programmes at different locations in the country.

Source:-PIB 

Department of Disabilities Affairs renamed as Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

The Department of Disability Affairs (Nishaktata Karya Vibhag) under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment has renamed as Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Viklangjan Sashaktikaran Vibhag). 

The Gazette notification in this regard has been issued by the Government of India. 

******

Source : PIB  (Release ID :114169)

Pragati – Scholarship for Girls

To provide encouragement and support to Girl Child to pursue technical education “Pragati Scholarship” has been launched by the Government from the year 2014-15. The salient features of the “Pragati Scholarship” are as under: 

(i) Number of scholarship per annum: 4000 

(ii) One Girl per family whose family income is less than Rs.6 Lakhs per annum 

(iii) The candidates will be selected on merit at the qualifying examination 

(iv) The candidates should have been admitted to 1st year of the Degree or diploma programme in any of the AICTE approved institute during the academic year 2014-15 through centralized admission process of the State /Central Government. 

(v) Amount of scholarship: Tuition Fee of Rs. 30000/- or at actual, whichever is less and Rs. 2000/- per month for 10 months as incidentals each year. 

At present, the Government does not propose to revise the eligibility criteria and other conditions of the “ Pragati Scholarship”. 

This information was given by the Union Human Resource Development Minister, Smt. Smriti Irani in a written reply to the Lok Sabha question. 

Source : PIB

Awareness Programme on Pensioners’ Portal under National e-governance Plan

The Department of Pension and Pensioners Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions is implementing a web based mission mode project on pensions namely Pensioner’s Portal under the National e-Governance Plan. The Department has also started initiative called SANKALP for channelizing the experience and skill of Pensioners towards meaningful social activities.

The Department is proposing to conduct the next such Awareness Programme for Pensioners at Agartala, Pragna Bhaban, Pt. Nehru Complex, Gurkhabasti on December 13, 2014. The meeting will be chaired by Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances.

The basic objective of the project is to facilitate redressal of Pensioners’ Grievances as also to provide information and guidance to pensioners on various pension and retirement related matters. User Ministries/Departments, Pensioners, Banks, Controller General of Accounts (CGA), Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO), Post Offices etc. are the stakeholders in this venture aimed at welfare of the Pensioners.

With a view to providing know how about the operational aspects of this Portal and the Grievances Redressal Mechanism in particular, the Department of Pensions is conducting Awareness Programme at stations other than Delhi.

Source:pib

Scientists Are Given Speedy And Timely Promotions To Continue In Service

In order to encourage scientists to continue in Government service, the scientists etc., are given speedy and timely promotions without linking it to availability of vacancies. Doctors, in teaching faculty, are allowed to serve upto the age of 65 years. Government servants who are given special training or are allowed to take study leave have to execute a bond for serving the government for minimum of 3 years after such training/leave. Also all Group ‘A’ Government servants need to obtain the permission of the Government if they wish to take up any commercial employment within a year of their retirement.

This was stated by Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply to Shrimati Meenakshi Lekhi in the Lok Sabha today.

Recruitment for Armed Forces

Officers in the Armed Forces are selected primarily through All India open competition. Recruitment of Other Ranks (ORs) in Army is carried out through Open Recruitment Rally System being conducted regularly throughout the country. Efforts are made to cover entire country including remote and tribal areas. In Navy, regular recruitment drives are undertaken, covering all States / regions for recruitment of sailors. Recruitment of Airmen in Air Force is on all India basis through scheduled selection tests. In addition, recruitment rallies are also conducted in different parts of the country including tribal areas to provide opportunity to youth from these areas to join the Armed Forces.

Recruitment of youth, including from tribal areas across the country is an ongoing process. The recruitment data for a particular region, religion, tribe, caste or creed is not maintained.

Government has approved setting up of additional seven Service Selection Boards (SSBs) (2 for Army, 3 for Navy and 2 for Air Force) for selection of officers. However, presently there is no proposal for opening new recruitment centre for other ranks.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri B Sriramulu and Shri Ramsinh Rathwa in Lok Sabha today.

Source:pib

Compensation to Families of Defence Personnel

Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare under the Ministry of Defence is the nodal Department to look after the welfare of all categories of Ex-servicemen including war veterans. Its three attached offices namely Directorate General of Resettlement (DGR), Kendriya Sainik Board and Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) are working in this direction. Besides, this, Record Offices, local formations / units have systems in place to periodically interact formally and informally with the families of defence personnel who have lost their lives in military operations.

In case of death attributable to service, next-of-kins (NoKs) of the defence personnel are entitled for various additional benefits which include Special family pension, Liberalized Family Pension and Ex-gratia lump sum compensation. There is no fresh proposal under consideration for additional pension and gratuity over and above these benefits.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Shri Bharat Singh and Shri CS Putta Raju in Lok Sabha today.

Source:pib

Reservation to SC/ST in Private Sector

The Coordination Committee is serviced by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. The Industry Associations viz. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have developed their respective Voluntary Code of Conduct (VCC) for member companies wherein stress has been laid on equal opportunities in employment for all section of society, removing bias in employment to disadvantaged sections of society, increasing employability of socially disadvantaged sections through skill upgradation, continuous training and providing scholarships.

Press Information Bureau 
Government of India
Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment

02-December-2014 17:49 IST

Reservation to SC/ST in Private Sector

A high level Coordination Committee under the Chairmanship of Principal Secretary to Prime Minister was constituted in October 2006, to carry forward the dialogue with the Industry on Affirmative Action, including reservation in Private Sector. The Coordination Committee is serviced by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion. The Coordination Committee has been holding meetings with the apex Chambers from time to time. The Industry Associations viz. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have developed their respective Voluntary Code of Conduct (VCC) for member companies wherein stress has been laid on equal opportunities in employment for all section of society, removing bias in employment to disadvantaged sections of society, increasing employability of socially disadvantaged sections through skill upgradation, continuous training and providing scholarships. The details of the actions taken on Affirmative Action in the Private Sector in respect of three Industry Associations as provided by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) is as follow:

i) Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

a) Affirmative Action Council (AAC) has been formed under the aegis of Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Hero Honda Motors Ltd. The AAC has identified 4 areas of Affirmative work- Employability, Entrepreneurship, Education and Employment.

b) Affirmative Fund has been set up.

c) 198610 candidates from SC/ ST community have been trained in various vocational skills.

d) 97697 Scholarships have been provided to SC/ ST students.

e) 101 Entrepreneurship development training programmes have been held

f) Mid day meal programmes have been started in backward districts in all four zones of the country.

g) 395 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have been adopted for upgradation.

h) 892 companies have adopted Voluntary Code of Conduct.

i) 85080 SC/ST personal have been employed.

j) 5 districts have been adopted for interventions under affirmative action.

ii) Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

a) 131416 candidates from SC/ ST community have been trained in various vocational skills.

b) 1469 Scholarships have been provided to SC/ ST students.

c) 3776 Entrepreneurship development training programmes have been held.

d) 13825 SC/ST students have been provided free education

e) 463 companies have adopted Voluntary Code of Conduct.

f) 3754 SC/ST candidates have been employed.

iii) Associated Chamber of Commerce and industry (ASSOCHAM)

a) 1021 companies have adopted voluntary Code of Conduct

b) 161 ITIs adopted for upgradation

c) 2299 scholarships provided to SC/ ST students for studying in premier institutions like IITs/ IIMs

d) 3 districts have been adopted

e) 221 Entrepreneurship Development Programmes have been held.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Shri Vijay Sampla in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha here today.

Source: PIB News

Irregularities in Selection of Sports Persons

Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports

02-December-2014 15:47 IST

Irregularities in Selection of Sports Persons

The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Sarbananda Sonowal has said that promotion and development of sports is the responsibility of the State Governments and the National Sports Federation (NSF) concerned. NSFs are autonomous bodies registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860. The Government does not interfere in their day-to-day affairs which include holding of sports events, selection of players, etc. However, Government has laid down that, for selecting sports-persons for participating in different sports competitions, the Selection Committee should consist of the President of the concerned NSF, the National Coach and a representative of the Indian Olympic Association.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today Shri Sonowal said, during the past, complaints in selection of players in the disciplines of Equestrian, Wrestling, Para Table Tennis, Badminton etc. were received. While such complaints were dealt with in consultation with the NSFs, Sports Authority of India and other stakeholders, year-wise and sport discipline-wise data is not maintained.

The Minister said, to bring transparency in the selection of sports persons, Government on 6.8.2014 has issued instructions, to all the major NSFs to place on their website, various details of the international events held in India and abroad such as notification of selection criteria for such events well in advance along with the details of time and venue for selection, list of core probables and basis of their selection, details of coaching camps organized including venue, dates and list of participants, list of the athletes selected, performance criteria which formed the basis of selection, actual performance in terms of timing, distance, etc. and the position obtained by each athlete/team etc. These instructions have also been made an integral part of the National Sports Development Code of India. 

Minimum Pension To Labourers

The Minister of State (IC) for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya has said that the Employees’ Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions (EPF & MP) Act, 1952 is applicable to the establishments employing 20 or more workers. The Employees’ Pension Scheme 1995 is one of the Schemes under the Act. Government has notified a minimum pension of Rs. 1000/- per month to the pensioners under Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995. Further, the Government is implementing Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme. All citizens above the age of 60 years and living below poverty line are eligible for benefits under the scheme. For persons above the age of 80 years, the amount of pension has been raised from Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 per month.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya said that the statistics regarding total number of workers employed in the organised sector in the country is not maintained centrally. However, as on 31.03.2014, total number of members under the EPF & MP Act, 1952 are 1178.13 lakhs. There are 310 lakhs contributory members as on 30.06.2014.

The Minister said that a proposal to reduce the threshold limit from 20 to 10 for coverage under EPF & MP Act, 1952 is under consideration of the Government to bring more workers under the ambit of the Act.

Source:pib

Indian Railways To Introduce Wi-Fi Services At 400 Stations

Indian Railways proposes to introduce Wi-Fi services at 400 railway stations (‘A1’ & ‘A’ category) throughout the country and in select trains.

Wi-Fi facility in three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani Express has been provided as a pilot project and Railway further proposes to provide this facility in select trains (Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duranto Category). This facility will be provided selecting suitable technology for continuous connectivity with the World Wide Web when the train is on move.

Presently, provision of Wi-Fi facility at 75 ‘A1’ category stations is in progress. Wi-Fi facility in three rakes of Howrah Rajdhani Express has already been commissioned. Provision of Wi-Fi Broadband facility in other select trains involves bandwidth from Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and modification in Power Cars to house satellite antenna and associated equipments. It will take 18-24 months for completion, subject to availability of funds.

Wi-Fi at Bengaluru station has been commissioned in October 2014. For the balance A1 category stations, work is in progress and is likely to e commissioned in the next 12 months and subsequently work in A category stations will be taken up.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Railways Shri Manoj Sinha in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

Source:pib