IRCTC makes Aadhaar authentication mandatory for morning online train bookings
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New Delhi: Indian Railways has introduced a new rule requiring Aadhaar authentication for online train ticket bookings made during morning hours on the IRCTC platform.
According to the Railways Ministry, the measure aims to ensure that reservation benefits reach genuine passengers and to curb misuse by touts and other fraudulent entities.
Effective October 28, 2025, only users whose Aadhaar details are verified will be allowed to book tickets between 8 AM and 10 AM on the first day of opening for reserved ticket bookings. This rule applies to both the IRCTC website and its mobile application.
The Ministry clarified that there will be no change in the timings for booking general reserved tickets through Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters. It further stated that authorised ticketing agents will remain barred from booking tickets during the first 10 minutes of the opening of general reservation to prevent misuse.
This step follows a similar move made last month when the Railways made Aadhaar verification mandatory during the first 15 minutes of general reservation booking through IRCTC.
In addition, earlier this year, Aadhaar-based authentication was also made compulsory for booking Tatkal tickets through IRCTC. During the initial 30 minutes of the Tatkal booking window, authorised agents are not permitted to make bookings, a rule aimed at preventing large-scale bulk reservations.
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Compromised PM didn't sign trade deal with US, but a bargain for Adani's release: Rahul
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of signing a trade deal with the US only to secure the "release" of billionaire businessman Gautam Adani.
"Compromised PM did not strike a trade deal, but a bargain for Adani's release," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X, after reports that the US has agreed to settle the lawsuit that accused Adani of hiding alleged bribery.
The US government has agreed to settle the lawsuit filed against Adani, who is accused of duping investors by concealing that his company's huge solar energy project in India was being facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme, according to court filings published Thursday.
Reacting to the reports, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said it was now clear why the PM agreed to the "hopelessly one-sided Indo-US trade deal that was really a steal by the US".
"And it is also clear why he abruptly halted Operation Sindoor on May 10, 2025, acting on President Trump's threats rather than on our national interest. Reportedly, the Trump Administration is about to drop all charges of corruption against Modani," he said on X.
"How much more compromised can the PM get?" Ramesh asked.
In the lawsuit filed in late 2024, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his nephew Sagar Adani, who is a director at the group's renewable energy unit Adani Green Energy Ltd, of agreeing to pay about USD 265 million in bribes to Indian government officials between approximately 2020 and 2024 to obtain lucrative solar energy supply contracts on terms that expected to yield USD 2 billion of profit over 20 years.
It was alleged in the lawsuit that Adani Group raised USD 2 billion in loans and bonds, including from US firms, on the backs of false and misleading statements related to the firm's anti-bribery practices and policies.
The ports-to-energy conglomerate had denied the allegations.
