Senior journalist Ravish Tiwari passes away
New Delhi(PTI): Senior journalist and Indian Express national bureau chief Ravish Tiwari passed away following a two-year-long battle with cancer.
He was 40.
Tiwari died in Gurgaon on Friday night and leaves behind his parents, wife and a brother. Tiwari was also the national political editor of The Indian Express. He had previously worked at India Today and The Economic Times.
He had done his schooling from the government-run Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and thereafter completed his BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay.
Tributes poured in for Tiwari. President Ram Nath Kovind said Tiwari's death ''silences a distinct voice in news media''.
"For Ravish Tiwari, journalism was a passion, and he chose it over lucrative professions. He had an enviable knack for reporting and incisive commentary. His sudden and shocking demise silences a distinct voice in news media. My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues," he said in a tweet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while condoling Tiwari's demise said he was insightful and humble .
"Destiny has taken away Ravish Tiwari too soon. A bright career in the media world comes to an end. I would enjoy reading his reports and would also periodically interact with him. He was insightful and humble. Condolences to his family and many friends. Om Shanti," Modi tweeted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Tiwari was a ''young, bright and professional journalist''.
"Shocked and pained to learn about the untimely demise of, Ravish Tiwari. He was a young, bright and professional journalist, full of life. My condolences to his family and friends. May God give them strength to bear the irreparable loss. Om Shanti," Shah tweeted.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh remembered Tiwari as a close friend.
"Ravish Tiwari, a product of Navodaya Vidyalaya, IIT Mumbai & Oxford, was amongst the finest, scholarly & objective journalists. He'd been critical of me as Env Minister, but we were closest of friends. Just 4 days ago we had a long chat. Extremely saddened by his untimely demise," he tweeted.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also paid tributes to Tiwari.
"The untimely demise of senior journalist Ravish Tiwari is extremely saddening. My deepest condolences to his family, friends and colleagues from the newsroom. May God bless his soul," he said.
Kejriwal's colleague and AAP leader Atishi called Tiwari her dearest and most loyal friend.
"Lost my best friend @ravishkt today after his long battle with cancer. While the world has lost a sharp and insightful journalist, I have lost my dearest and most loyal friend. Ravish: you will be missed deeply...," she tweeted.
Senior journalist Vikas Bhadauria shared the news of Tiwari's death on Twitter.
"Profound journalist, a great human being and my dearest friend, Ravish Tiwari, passed away last (Friday) night. Last rites will be performed at Sector-20, Gurgaon 3.30 PM today. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti," he tweeted.
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After fake ID crackdown, IRCTC daily new accounts down to 5000 from one lakh: Railways
New Delhi (PTI): With a new, stringent system to establish user identity, the number of new user IDs being added daily on the IRCTC website has declined to about 5,000 from nearly one lakh, officials said on Saturday.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the crackdown by Indian Railways on train ticket booking through fake identities is yielding positive results, according to a press note.
Before the latest reforms, this number had touched nearly one lakh new user IDs per day, it said.
"Following the introduction of a stringent system to establish user identity and detect fake IDs, about 5,000 new user IDs are now being added daily on the IRCTC website," the note said.
The officials stated that these steps have already helped Indian Railways deactivate 3.03 crore fake accounts.
"Another 2.7 crore user IDs have either been temporarily suspended or identified for suspension based on the suspicious activities they are indulging in," they said.
The Union minister directed officials to ensure that the ticketing system is reformed to a level where all travellers are able to book tickets easily through a real and genuine user ID, the press note added.
Additionally, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to provide local cuisine of the region in Vande Bharat trains.
Introducing local cuisine that reflects the culture and tastes of the regions being traversed will significantly enhance the passenger experience, officials said.
This facility will be expanded to all the trains progressively in future, they added.
