6,000 railway stations to become Wi-Fi enabled: Goyal
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Stressing the need for high-speed Internet connectivity in the remotest parts of the country, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday said that about 6,000 railway stations will be Wi-Fi enabled in six to eight months.
"We believe that if we have to leverage digital technology, the basic thing is to ensure access to technology in the remotest part of the country," Goyal said at the 'Smart Railways Conclave' organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry here.
He said that the Railways is working on a programme to ensure last-mile connectivity, wherever there were no fibre optics network.
"We are hopeful that in the next six to eight months, all railway stations other than halt stations -- about 6,000 stations -- will be Wi-Fi enabled," the Minister said.
"We are focusing on the implementation of smart projects. We will have to start thinking, planning, and working smartly. I think that's the change that you must have seen in the last four years."
The Minister stressed on the punctuality of trains and said that between April 1 and August 28, punctuality had improved to 73-74 per cent due to installation of data loggers at interchange points to ensure computer-generated timings instead of the station master recording the timings.
"We are working on putting GPS on every locomotive so that we will have every train marked on mobile phone, knowing exactly where they are," he said.
"We are looking at electrification in a big way, which will save $2 billion every year, which otherwise I would have to charge the passengers. With efficient Railways, we won't have to burden the poor," he said.
Two knowledge papers on 'FICCI-EY Report on Make in India in Railways Sector' and 'FICCI-AT Kearney Report on Technology: Transforming Railways Transportation' were released on the occasion.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
