The Government will install one lakh bio-toilets in about 300 backward Gram Panchayats in the country in next two years. This will make the villages open defecation free. Announcing this in New Delhi, Rural Development Minister Mr Jairam Ramesh said, the project will entail a cost of 150 crore rupees in the first phase. 

Mr Ramesh was speaking after the signing of an MoU between the Defence Research and Development Organisation , DRDO, and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for Bio-Digester based Eco-friendly toilets developed by DRDO.

He said, his Ministry has also offered to install with DRDO built bio-toilets in all new railways coaches and to share half the cost of retrofitting all existing 50,000 coaches in the next four to five years. He informed that the whole project will cost about 500 crore rupees and offered to share the burden on a 50 to 50 basis with the Railways.

The Minister said there are three dimensions to sanitation challenge in the country and the solution must be found to tackle the same.

Referring to the fact that 60 percent of all open defecations in the world happen in India, Mr Ramesh promised to make the country open defecation free in the next ten years. He said, 11 million passengers travel every day by train and at present waste is dumped directly onto the tracks because of the existing toilet system in trains.

The Minister said the DRDO technology is an important route and not a magic bullet, but he expressed the hope that in the long run it will bring about a revolution in the rural areas if pursued in a mission mode manner.

he Indian Railways have registered an increase of over 27 per cent on revenue earnings from commodity-wise freight traffic during April-June this year. An official release says, the Railways generated over twenty one thousand crore rupees of revenue between April to June this year as compared to more sixteen thousand crore rupees during the corresponding period last year. It also carried nearly 245 million tonnes of commodity-wise freight traffic during the same period as against more than 233 million tonnes carried during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 4.77 per cent.

he Indian Railway is introducing new guidelines from tomorrow to overcome the menace of touts cornering the tatkal tickets meant for common passengers. The Railway today said that tatkal tickets would be exclusively issued in all computerised reservation counters and unreserved ticketing system counters between 10-10.30 am for trains of next day.

Eastern Railway spokesperson Samir Goswami said in Kolkatta that tatkal tickets cannot be booked on internet reservation system during the special time of 10-10.30 am for next day trains. During this exclusive period, no unauthorised agent including of IRCTC and RTAs will be allowed to book tatkal tickets.

The Ministry of tourism today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Railway ministry for implementing Clean India campaign in the Indian Railways to promote the country as a preferred tourist destination overseas. The MoU was signed in the presence of Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay and Railway Minister Mukul Roy.

Speaking on the ocassion, Union Minister Subodh Kant Sahay said, convergence with Railways is very important for developing tourism within the country and abroad. He said, the Indian Railways runs 12000 trains every day moving 20 million people and better facilities and cleanliness in Railway Stations and trains will go a long way in boosting tourism. He said, 24 stations have been identified to be jointly developed by the Railways and Tourism ministry. He also said, efforts are on to connect the Golden triangle tourist circuit of Delhi-Jaipur- Agra through Sathabdi trains.

Railway minister Mukul Roy said, the Railways will jointly work with the Tourism ministry for ensuring greater cleanliness at Railway premises and trains. He also said, the good future of railways largely depends on tourism.
Messages on Cleanliness as part of the Clean India campaign will also be printed on Railway tickets to spread awareness.

In a relief to Rail travellers, the government has decided not to levy 12 per cent service tax on passenger fares and freight till September 30.

A finance ministry statement said, the Government has exempted the core services provided by the Indian Railways, namely transportation of goods and passengers, from the levy of service tax. The exemption will for a period remain effective of 3 months, up to September 30, 2012.

The decision to exempt railways from levy of service tax follows a letter written by Railway Minister Mukul Roy to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is now looking after the Finance portfolio, requesting him not to introduce service tax

on passenger fare and freight traffic from July 1.

The Finance Ministry has introduced a new regime of Service Tax based on negative list from July 1, under which only 38 services are exempted from payment of the levy.

The NH-44, the life line for Tripura, Mizoram and South Assam which was closed for the last 2 days from Tuesday morning due to mudslide in Sonapur area at Jowai-Malidor Highway of Meghalaya has finally been partially restored. According to Officials here in Agartala the Road has been partially opened and small vehicles are playing through it from today afternoon. 

The road is expected to be opened for heavy vehicles from tomorrow. Work for the restoration is going on for the last 2 days. On the other the Train connectivity between Tripura and Lumding and Silchar-Lumding has not yet been restored. The Track has not yet been cleared off the landslide said a railway officials. 

The stranded passengers have been given food by the railway. For the last 2 days the Agartala-Lumding express has been struck in the Lower Haflong of Assam due to the landslide in lower
Haflong.

Train services on the Silchar-
Lumding line connecting Southern Assam and North Eastern states of Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram resumed today after a
fortnight.

Train services were suspended since June one after heavy landslides due to incessant rainfall damaged tracks at several places between Harangajao and Mailongdisa railway stations in
Dima Hasao district.

In Bihar, rail traffic on Gaya- Dhanbad rail section has been restored. 

Rail traffic on this section was disrupted following blowing up of a track near Gurupa railway station in Gaya district in wee hours today. 

The Railways has stepped up security in view of maoist attack. Patrolling has been intensified along railway track to meet any eventuality.

The Railways has fixed a target of planting one crore saplings on its land in the current financial year. In the last three years, about two crore and sixty-one lakh saplings were planted. This drive is part of the Railways' commitment to improve the environment as also to safeguard its land from unauthorized occupation. Giving this information in the Lok Sabha today, Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa said vacant railway land is available in the form of thin strips along the tracks. The Railways plants saplings on its land taking full care of track visibility and safe operation of trains, he said.

AIR Mumbai correspondent reports that lakhs of suburban train commuters in Mumbai are facing inconvenience since yesterday as services on the Central Railway (CR) line were thrown out of gear following a fire in a signal cabin between Kurla and Vidyavihar stations on Tuesday night causing heavy damage to signaling gears.

Meanwhile the Central Railway has announced that train services are expected to be fully restored by tomorrow.

The North-East Frontier Railway has decided to run New Delhi - Guwahati - Dibrugarh Town Rajdhani Express everyday with effect from 22nd of this month. The train at present runs six days a week except Sunday. Similarly, the Dibrugarh Town - Guwahati - New Delhi Rajdhani Express, which now runs five days week except on Monday and Friday, will also run everyday with effect from 27th April. The N.F. Railway in a press release said all the Rajdhani Express trains will now run with full composition of 18 coaches to Dibrugarh and there will be no detachment and shunting at Guwahati.

In Assam, services of 11 passenger trains within the State have been cancelled till Friday next due to security threat posed by bandh call given by banned underground ULFA outfit. According to a North East Frontier Railway press release, the cancellation comes into effect from today. Services of four passenger trains, including the Kamrup Express running between Dibrugarh and Howrah, have been rescheduled while services of three other passenger trains have been pre-poned. AIR Correspondent reports that the State Government has directed all concerned to maintain normal functioning of the Government Offices and services during the 12-hour Assam bandh call given by the ULFA starting from 5 am on 20th April next.

The ambitious project of Union Railways of Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) factory at Haldia is likely to be commissioned by the end of November this year. The unit will be spread over 42.5 acres of land, according to Railway sources.

 A team of officials also visited the site and took stock of the situation.

In the first phase there would be an expenditure of hundred and ten crore rupees as against the original estimate of 70 crore rupees. In the first phase the Haldia factory will produce one rake consisting of 8 coaches every month.

On completion of second phase, 50 rakes will be produced annually. There is an estimated expenditure of hundred and 79 crore rupees to be implemented through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode in the second phase. The DMU is expected to roll out about 10 thousand coaches annually.

With a view to facilitate hassle-free passenger boarding, the Railways have decided to introduce a number of facilities like setting up of executive lounges and installation of escalators at 50 major Railway stations. 

According to Railways Ministry, it will also provide facilities like seating arrangements, food and beverage, wheel chairs for senior citizens and the handicapped. The executive lounges will come up at stations like New Delhi, Howrah, Mumbai and Bangalore to provide value added service. The lounge will also be equipped with Wi-Fi facility, business centre with fax, laptop facility, locker facility and washroom.

Railways will also install over 300 escalators at important stations to facilitate easy movement of passengers in the next five years. Our Correspondent reports that Railways have allocated one thousand, one crore rupees for the current financial year to improve passengers amenities.

Nuclear Fuel Complex on Monday flagged off the first batch of indigenously manufactured high standard Steam Generator Tubes for Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors. The Hyderabad based NFC has manufactured these high standard Nickel Alloy tubes for the first time in India and supplied to Larson and Toubro to use in Steam Generators that it is manufacturing for 700 MW electric Heavy Water Reactors. By making 1.1 millimeters thick and 27 meter long U-bend tubes, India has become fourth country in the world to manufacture this critical component for building Steam Generators for Nuclear power Plants.

Speaking on the occasion, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited Chairman S K Jain said about 20 nuclear power units are coming up at a cost of 2 lakh 50 thousand crore rupees during the 12th plan period and 4 are already under construction. He said the Uranium production has gone up by 25 percent after mining started at Tummalapalli in Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh. On Koodunkulam plant, Mr Jain said round the work is in progress round the clock in three shifts.

The Minister for Railways Mr. Mukul Roy The Minister also said that, passenger, security, safety and punctuality would be given utmost stress .