Rajnath to begin two-day J&K visit from Wednesday
New Delhi, July 3: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday will begin a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir during which he is slated to hold a high-level meeting in Srinagar and pay obeisance at the holy cave shrine of Amarnath.
Informed sources said the Minister will leave for Srinagar on Wednesday evening and return to Delhi on Friday afternoon.
Rajnath Singh's agenda, said ministry officials, was yet to be disclosed but it was confirmed that he would start his day on Thursday by visiting Amarnath cave, to which a 60-day annual pilgrimage commenced on June 28 and will continue till August 26.
The minister later in the day will chair a high-level security review meeting where top army brass, officials of the Jammu and Kashmir government and police, central paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies will be present, said a source, adding he will also hold political discussions with Governor N.N. Vohra.
Rajnath Singh will be accompanied by Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other ministry officials dealing with Jammu and Kashmir related matters. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is also expected to accompany him.
The meeting is expected to review the impending threats from terrorist outfits active in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly to the Amarnath Yatra, and measures taken to neutralise them.
Safe and uneventful conduct of the Amarnath pilgrimage is among the top priorities of the security establishment and the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government are leaving no stone unturned to ensure this.
The meeting shall discuss measures to minimise attempts by locals to disrupt anti-terror operations by indulging in stone-pelting and protests during operations against militants in the Kashmir Valley.
The security brass will also review steps for a heightened vigil at the Line of Control and International Border to curb infiltration of foreign terrorists linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, including those looking to target the Amarnath Yatra.
Over two lakh pilgrims from across the country have registered for the Yatra. Security measures have been taken keeping in mind the ceasefire violations on the border and other terrorist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.
It would be Rajnath Singh's first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the Bharatiya Janata Party's decision to end its alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party led to the fall of the Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government and imposition of Governor's rule in the state.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
