Mumbai, February 26 (IANS). Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav on Thursday announced the Rail Tech Policy and complete digitalization of Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) as reform number three and reform number four under Indian Railways’ flagship “52 Reforms in 52 Weeks” initiative.
The Rail Tech Policy aims to engage innovators, startups, industries and institutions to promote innovation in Indian Railways.
The Railway Ministry said in the statement that the new policy simplifies the selection of innovators and launches a dedicated ‘Rail Tech Portal’ for innovators.
The policy has provided a user-friendly interface, increased the extension grant by more than three times and doubled the maximum grant for prototype development and trials.
Key innovation sectors under this policy include AI-based Elephant Intrusion Detection System (EIDS), AI-based fire detection system in coaches, drone-based broken rail detection system, rail stress monitoring system, sensor-based load calculation device on parcel vans (VPU), solar panels on coaches, AI-based coach cleanliness monitoring system, obstacle detection in foggy weather and AI-based pension and dispute resolution system. Are included.
While outlining the third reform, Union Minister Vaishnav said that the objective of the Rail Tech Policy is the comprehensive and systematic integration of technology in the Railways. He emphasized that startups, researchers and innovators must definitely connect with Indian Railways in a structured, meaningful and simple manner.
He said that anyone who has a strong technology idea should have the facility to approach Railways through a dedicated Rail Tech portal, which will be completely digital and walk through the entire process.
He explained that the aim is to move away from the earlier complex system of vendor selection based on rigid specifications, to a simpler, innovation-driven structure focused on testing and adopting new technologies.
Vaishnav announced complete digitalization and AI-enabled transformation of the Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) in reform number four. The e-RCT system will enable complete computerization and digitalization of Railway Claims Tribunal. It will revolutionize the process of filing, processing and settling claims by making them faster, more transparent and accessible from anywhere in the country.
–IANS
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