Kolkata, April 27: State-run BEML Ltd, leading manufacturer of Rail and Metro coaches, remains focused on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project as "some indigenisation" is expected, an official said on Friday.
"Whatever I understand, a total of 240 coaches would be inducted by 2023 (for the project). Of this, some numbers would be assembled (in India). Initially, I believe it is better to absorb the technology. Some particular Indigenisation will happen and that has not been decided," said company's Chairman and Managing Director D.K. Hota.
The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Train Project, popularly referred to as Bullet Train, is an endeavour to bring economic growth and prosperity with the Indian Railways adopting most modern technologies.
"As and when the opportunity comes and particularly, when it comes to us contractually, we would invest. There are various Japanese companies which would primarily be there and we would be talking to them," he said on the sidelines of a programme "Rail connect east, 2018".
The programme was organised by Confederation of Indian Industry in partnership with Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO) and Indian Railways.
According to him, BEML has tied up with Japanese company Hitachi. Another public sector undertakings, BHEL Ltd, has also tied up with Kawasaki.
Hota said: "The government is extremely serious (on the high speed train project) and lot of ground work has happened. Whatever part (of the project) comes out for bidding, we would bid and try to get order.
"We have to be in sync with the government plans... We have the capacity to absorb the technology," he added.
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Sharad Pawar praised RSS after seeing how it burst fake narrative balloon of LS polls: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."
