Memorandum 2015 November Consumer Studies: Fill & Download for Free

I rate him 95+ out of 100.INITIATIVES FOR PASSENGERSPassenger Helpline No. 138 and security helpline 182Indian Railways provided the All India Helpline Number ‘138’ for passengers, as an interface for queries/complaints related to medical emergency, cleanliness, food & catering, coach maintenance, linen etc. A security helpline ‘182’has also been launched to report any unsavory incidents. This service is very important public service and may play an important role in emergencies like crime against women, onboard unlawful activity, train accidents, medical attention required and fire etc. These helpline numbers viz.138&182 and existing 139 are now to be printed on the tickets for the convenience of passengers.Launching of e-catering service in trainsThe Ministry of Railways is providing e-catering service in trains through its PSU, Indian Railways Catering &Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). This is a service where a passenger is able to place an order for a meal, to be served at his seat in the train enroute, through a phone call or an SMS. Presently this service is available in 120 pairs of trains.Go-India Smart cardGo-India’ smart card scheme has been launched on pilot basis on two sectors i.e. New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah. At present, the Go-India smart card enables passengers to pay for reserved and unreserved tickets. The scheme is intended to reduce the transaction time at the booking counters for the convenience of passengers as it facilitates cashless transaction.Introduction of Next Generation e-ticketing systemNext generation E-ticketing system introduced, which can book 7200 online tickets instead of 2000 tickets per minute and to attend 2,00,000 enquiries instead of 50000 per minute.SMS Alerts to passengersIndian Railways added another milestone by launching yet another innovative scheme called the ‘SMS Gateway’, which will enable passengers to get SMS alerts on the status of reserved tickets. Moreover SMS alerts giving wakeup calls has also been introduced.Mobile security App.for womenMobile app for security of women has been launched in Mumbai suburban trains.This is the first phase and it will be extended in other areas in a phased manner.Yatri Ticket Sewa Kendra schemeA new scheme called the Yatri Ticket Sewa Kendra (YTSK) Scheme has been launched. Under this scheme, agents of Indian Railways can operate ticketing terminals at various locations in the cities and towns for issuing reserved tickets and unreserved tickets. This will offer greater convenience to passengers in getting rail tickets.Adarsh StationThe scheme of Adarsh stations for better amennities has been introduced in the year 2009. Under this scheme, 1052 stations have been selected for development as Adarsh Station upto 2013-14. 108 stations have been developed under the scheme during 2014-15, as such a total of 934 stations have been developed as ‘Adarsh’ station so far.Pilgrim special tourist trainsWith a view to promote rail tourism in the country and to provide reasonably priced tourism package to tourists, especially the pilgrims in the country, India Railways through its PSU IRCTC has launched six pilgrim special tourist train packages in the first phase. The tourist packages are; Sukhamngalam Yatra, Dham special with Dakshin Darshan via Lucknow, Dham special with Dakshin Darshan via Jaipur, Shikharji Circuit Yatra, Jyotirling Yatra, and Takht Parikrama.Braille Signages on coachesFor the help of visually impaired passengers, Indian Railways has taken the initiative of providing Braille signages on coaches.CCTV on coachesIn order to improve security measures on trains and especially for women passengers, it has been decided to provide CCTV cameras on coaches especially in ladies compartments in doorway and aisle area without infringing on the privacy.Waiting chairs/benches etc. under MPLAD SchemeGuidelines issue for installations of chairs/benches/overhead sheds at stations under Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme(MPLAD).Comprehensive guidelines have been issued for improvement of passenger amenities at stations through NGOs, Trusts, Corporate etc.R.O. drinking water at stationsProvision of Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) drinking water units at selection stations on experimental basis has been planned. To begin with, eight stations namely, Madurai, Gadag, Tirupati, Guwahati Dwarka, H.Nizammudin, Patna & Bhopal were identified for provision of R.O. drinking water units. While R.O. drinking water units have already been commissioned at Dwarka, Gadag, H.Nizammudin, Katihar (in lieu of Guwahati), Madurai and Tirupati stations R.O. units at Patna & Bhopal are planned to be commissioned shortly.This will help provide safe drinking water to passengers.Seperate Food safety officer in every divisionWith a view to ensure better quality check on the food installations in Railway, it has been decided to appoint one Food Safety Officer in every Division of the Railways. Earlier a Food Safety Officer was entrusted with more than one Division which was causing difficulty in ensuring proper supervision.DIGITAL INDIA INITIATIVELaunching of a ‘Customer Complaint Web Portal’A ‘Customer Complaint Web Portal and Mobile Application’ (android/windows based mobile App), was launched. One can track the status of the complaints which he or she registered on this portal with the help of mobile App. Feedback can also be given on this portal. This will help in faster redressal of passenger grievances.‘Operation Five Minutes’ –Paperless Unreserved TicketingFulfilling yet another commitment of the Railway Budget 2015-16, the Minister of Railways launched Mobile Application for Paperless Unreserved Ticketing on pilot basis on Egmore –Tambaram Suburban Section of Chennai. This initiative is part of Indian Railways effort to help passengers purchase the unreserved tickets within five minutes under its ‘Operation five minutes programme’. This will allow the passenger to buy a ticket on the move and allow him or her to board the train with the ticket secured on his or her mobile phone, without any need for printing the ticket.‘E-Samiksha’ for Implementation MonitoringIn yet another milestone initiative for ensuring timely implementation of budget proposals, a special portal called ‘E-Samiksha’, has been launched for monitoring the implementation of budget announcements/commitments .This portal would help to keep an eye on the implementation of budget process.Facility of ‘Wi-Fi’ services on Railway stationsIndian Railways is providing the Wi-Fi Broadband Services at several stations which include Bangaluru, Secunderabad, Mumbai CST, Agra, Varanasi, Hawrah, Chennai, Ahmdabad. The Wi-Fi project on Indian Railways is being executed by RailTel, a Public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Railways. Wi-Fi facility is available to the users free of cost initially for a period of 30 minutes by registering on the Wi-Fi network through their mobile phones. The facility of Wi-Fi will be extended to other stations in a phased manner.Introduction of e-demand systemWith the release of this module, customers can sit in the convenience of their homes or offices and register their freight demands.Railways’ Social Media platformTo keep pace with the modern means of internet media, Indian Railways launched its three social media platforms namely Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with the URL @railminindia. Railway Budget was for the first time live streamed on social media platforms. Online suggestions and feedback can also be made on these social media platforms.SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTMoU signed for highest ever funding for RailwaysIn a landmark achievement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Railways and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) for highest ever funding of Rs. 1.5 lakh crore for Railways. This move will ultimately help railways growth through augmentation of its financial resources.Interim Report of HLRRC submitted to Railway BoardInterim Report of High Level Railway Restructuring Committee (HLRCC) headed by Dr. Bibek Debroy has been submitted to the Railway Board.The report has also been put on the Ministry’s website for inviting suggestions and comments. This committee was constituted with an aim to find out ways to mobilise resources for major railway projects and restructuring of railways.Delegating more power to Zonal RailwaysWith an aim to fast track decision making and bring in transparency full powers have been delegated to General Manages and Director Generals as tender authority . All the cases for acceptance of Works and Stores tenders, will now be dealt with and finalized by Zonal Railways and Production Units.Scope of e-tendering is being expanded for increased transparency and procurement.Saving of energyTo reduce cost of Electrical energy being used for traction, procurement through open market is being done.Power Purchase Agreement between DVC and North Central railway for supply of 50MW power has already been signed.Saving for the month of March 2015 alone is Rs 10 Crore approx.A web based electrical energy management system called RailSaver has been launched which will help save upto 15% energy by 2020.Logistic Hubs on National WaterwaysA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWA) and the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) for creation of logistic hubs with rail connectivity at Varanasi and other places on National Waterways.Alternative Energy ResourcesSolar Plants of 2 MW at RCF, Raebareli and 1 MW at Katra Railway station have been commissioned.Target of commissioning 6.5 MW Solar Power plants in year 2015-16. A 30 KW Solar Plant has been commissioned at roof top Rail Bhawan at New Delhi. Solar plants at other Railway buildings are proposed to be installed in future. Target for commissioning of 25 MW Wind Energy Plant at Jaisalmer in 2015-16.Ratan Tata as Head of ‘Kayakalp’ CouncilTaking immediate follow up action in implementing the Budget announcement, Railways constituted the ‘Kayakalp’ Council and appointed Shri Ratan Tata to head this Council. The purpose of the Council is to recommend innovative methods and processes for the improvement, betterment and transformation of the Indian Railways.MOU with National Institute of DesignAdding yet another milestone by fulfilling another commitment announced in the Railway Budget 2015-16, the Indian Railway signed an MoU to set up its own Railway Design Centre in the campus of National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmadabad. This will help improve customer’s happiness by way of better designed coaches and providing cost effective solutions to problems faced by passengers during train travel.White paper and vision 2030 documentMinister of Railways released White Paper on Railways in the parliament with a view to understand the challenges that the organization is presently facing. Ministry of Railways is now working on the vision 2030 document on Railways which will contain a blueprint for the future development of the Indian Railways.Task forces and Experts’ committeesSeveral task forces and committees of experts constituted for focussed attention on areas like revenue mobilization through advertising, improving financial health of railways, restructuring delegation of powers, productivity enhancement, etc. The various committees have roped in experts like E Shreedhran, former CAG Vinod Rai, economist Bibek Debroy and noted industrialist Ratan Tata to improve the Railways and bring in innovative ideas and solutions.Better training of Railway PersonnelAcademic Services Agreement has been signed with Beijing Jiao Tong University, China for training of 100 officers of various departments in Heavy Haul Technology. ‘Indian Railways Chair for Sustainable Mobility’ has been set up at TERI University, New Delhi. Modules on gender sensitization of Railway personnel have been introduced in centralized training institutes.Centre for Railway Research set up at Mumbai UniversityRailway Ministry and Mumbai University signed an MoU to set up a Centre for Railway Research (CRR) at University of Mumbai in order to develop a long-term frame work for research collaboration.Leveraging of space for advertisingWith a view to generate additional revenue, RITES,a public sector undertaking of Ministry of Railways prepared a Concept Note, indicating ways and means for leveraging of space in coaches, wagons, trains, railway stations etc. for advertisements, publicity and other purposes. Now, six-member task force headed by Member Traffic Railway Board has been set up to examine and implement this project.INFRASTRUCTURECritical coal connectivity projects fasttrackedTransportation of coal is an important activity of Indian Railways and is very crucial for the country’s power supply system. Critical Coal connectivity projects in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa are being fast tracked. MOU has been signed with Ministry of Coal and Government of Odisha. Another MOU with Government of Jharkhand is in the offing.Redevelopment of Railway StationsRailway Ministry has now decided to offer Railway Stations for redevelopment on ‘as is where is’ basis, by inviting open bids from interested parties with their designs and business ideas duly providing for amenities and other requirements of the Railways. The Process for redevelopment of stations, already indentified viz. Anand Vihar, Bijwasan, Chandigarh, Shivaji Nagar & Habibganj by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) is continuing.Progress On Dedicated Freight Corridor ProjectEastern and Western Dedicated Freight corridors are being developed for smooth and fast transportation of freight.Loan for Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (Phase 2) for US $ 1100 million approved by the World Bank on 22.04.14, has been signed on 11th November 2014. Electrification contract for 945 km of Western DFC has been awarded on 18.11.2014.FDI and PPP in RailwaysCabinet approved 100% FDI in identified areas of Railway sector.Ministry of Railways has formulated sectoral guidelines on FDI.Investor’s meet was held to explain FDI to investors.More meets planned in future. High level committee set up to discuss FDI and PPP issues. Ministry of Railways has also issued Model Concession Agreement for Non Governmental Railway model, joint venture model and Built, Operate and Transfer (BOT) model. During the period , approvals were also given for port connectivity PPP projects viz. Roha-Dighi newline and Digni-Jaigarh port newline. In addition in principle approval for two more port connectivity projects viz. Chhara port and Nargol port has been given.New Rail Neer Plant in Mumbai inauguratedA new Rail Neer plant has been set up at Ambernath (Mumbai) by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking of Ministry of Railways, the production capacity of this plant will be 2 lakh liters per day, This will improve availability of safe Packaged Drinking Water (PDW).Laying of Opticle Fibre Cable on Railway NetworkA total number of 1,329 route kilometres OFC has been laid. Cumulatively, 48,179 route kilometers (approx.) OFC has been commissioned over Indian .It will enable high speed internet connectivity and video conferencing facility.New lines and electrificationIn 2014-15, 1983 km of railway lines have been commissioned. This is the highest ever. In 2014-15, 1375 km of railway electrification completed. This is the highest ever.SAFETYGeo-spatial technologies for unmanned level crossingsIn a significant move to make Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs) safer for road users thereby avoiding accidents thereat, Geo-spatial technologies are proposed to be used with the help of ISRO. Under such technologies which combine Global Positioning System(GPS), Geographic Information System(GIS) and Remote Sensing, an alert message will be flashed automatically in the mobile phones of all the road users carrying GPS enabled mobile phones in the vicinity of an Unmanned Level Crossing, about the approaching train. This will save many lives as many fatal accidents occur at unmanned level crossing.Quick evacuation of injured persons from tracksStandard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are being put in place regarding quick evacuation of the injured persons from the railway track so that human lives are saved.MoU on construction of ROBs/RUBsIn a move to further enhance safety of road users, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on policy related to constructions of Road Over Bridges and Road Under Bridges on National Highway corridors.MAKE IN INDIAExpansion project of DLW factoryThe Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the commencement of Expansion Project of Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), a production unit of Indian Railways at Varanasi on some of the features of the expansion plan are; a new block shop, loco frame shop and loco assembly shop, new plant shop having advanced paint booths, induction of high productivity machines and generation of 250 kw Green Power by roof mounted grid connected solar power plant. The project will herald the ‘Make in India’ campaign in the holy city, Varanasi.Ministry of Railway also successfully floated RFP for state of the Art Electro Loco Factory at Madhepura and Diesel Loco Factory at Marhowra. Again RFP were issued for manufacturing 9000 HP electric locos for western DFC. Locos will be manufactured at Dankuni and Technology will be transferred to CLW, Chittanranjan.New production unitsRail Wheel Plan, Bela commissioned and regular production started.2nd unit for manufacture of LHB coaches fit to run at 160kmph made functional at Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.DEMU factory Haldia commissioned.Mid-life Rehabilitation Workshop for coaches at Jhansi completed.New Loco and New Green Train5500 HP Diesel Locomotive introduced in Indian Railway System which is the highest horse power Diesel Engine.First “Green” DEMU rail introduced on Northern Railway to run between Rewari-Rohtak Section.HIGH SPEED PROJECTSStatus of Railways Semi High Speed ProjectsIndian Railways is working on increasing speed of trains raising it to 160kmph/200 kmph referred as Semi-High speed. It has identified nine corridors for this purpose. Trial run in Delhi-Agra corridor successfully completed for running trains at semi-high speed of 160 km. per hour. The commercial services will be started after obtaining the CRS sanction.The feasibility study for semi high speed on Chennai-Bangaluru-Mysore Corridor is being taken up by Chinese Railways.Feasibility study for New Delhi-Chandigarh Corridor to be undertaken with French Railway.Discussions are on with Germany for undertaking feasibility study of Nagpur-Secunderabad Corridor.5 other identified corridors under examination for semi high speed trains.Mumbai-Ahemdabad High Speed Bullet train projectMinistry of Railways took steps for introduction of High Speed Bullet Trains(300+kmph) in the country on Mumbai-Ahmadabad corridor. It is part of the Ministry’s ambitious plan to have Diamond Quadrilateral network of High Speed Rail connecting major metros and growth centers of the country. French Railway submitted business model study of this corridor. The interim report of feasibility study being undertaken by Japan has been received and final report is expected in June, 2015. One new route between New Delhi and Chennai has been identified for introducing bullet train and China has been entrusted with the task of undertaking feasibility study of this line.JAMMU & KASHMIR AND NORTH EASTOpening of Lumding-Silchar broad gauge sectionThe much awaited Lumding-Silchar Broad Gauge section (Assam) inaugurated with the running of goods trains. The passenger train services will be started soon on this section. This line will provide seamless BG connectivity to Barak Valley of Assam with the rest of the Country.it Musica Country,Free Country Music WebRadio Online! is a very crucial rail link for the N.E region.First train to MeghalayaIn an important event in the history of Railways, one more north-eastern state namely Meghalaya was brought on country’s railway map. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the first ever train from Guwahati to Medipathar in Meghalaya to mark this feat.Foundation stone for rail link to Mizoram’s capitalTo further boost the development of rail link in North Eastern region, the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation for a new rail route from Bhairabi to Sairang in Mizoram. It will take rail connectivity to Aizawl, the capital of MizoramKatra comes on country’s railway mapIn another landmark engineering marvel, Indian Railways completed Udhampur-Katra Broad gauge line in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister dedicated this line to the nation at a programme held at Katra.This line has brought Katra on country’s railway map consequently bringing Jammu & Kashmir Valley nearer to the rest of the nation .Railways help during J&K floodsIndian Railways geared up its machinery to provide all possible help to the travelling public in the wake of unprecedented flood in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Railways arranged transport of relief material free of charge by coaching trains to Jammu Tawi and Udhampur from any station of India. Railways made about 4 lakh Rail Neer drinking water bottles available for flood affected people of J&K.North-eastern tour package for college studentsAn education train ‘Gyanodaya Express’ – a tour package for the students of Delhi University to visit North east states, was flagged off from Delhi . It will help the students to connect with NE region .SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAANNation wide Action PlanIndian Railways is implementing PMs nationwide campaign of Swachch Bharat Abhiyan in true letter and spirit.Separate Directorate for Environment and Housekeeping created. This Directorate will address all environment and housekeeping related issues over Railways.Detailed action plan on cleanliness prepared has been prepared and an Integrated Policy of cleanliness in Stations, Platforms and Coaches is under formulation.50 major stations outsourced for international level cleanliness.Setting up of mechanised laundriesMechanised laundries at 6 new locations have been set up to improve the quality of linen being supplied to AC class passengers. With this Indian Railway now have 33 such mechanized laundries.Dustbins on all the coaches:Dustbins on trains were hitherto being provided mainly on AC coaches. Now dustbins will be provided in all the coaches including non AC coaches.On Board Housekeeping services scheme:An additional 83 no. of trains have been covered under OBHS scheme taking total coverage to around 500 trains. Under this scheme ,cleanliness is maintained during run of the train.Installation of more Bio-Toilets in coachesMore than 10159 Bio-toilets have been fitted till March, 2015 and target set for 2015-16 is fitment of 17,000 bio-toilets. These toilets use bacterial action to convert human waste into water and gas.HELPING FARMERS AND RURAL PEOPLEFirst ever Perishable Cargo Centre set upThe first ever Perishable Cargo Centre of Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) (a Railway PSU) at Adarsh Nagar station near Azadpur Sabzi Mandi, Delhi, was inaugurated. This perishable cargo centre will help farmers and consumers in a big way and the ripening of fruits and cold storage facilities at this cargo centre will help the farmers get a good price and good market for their product.Skill development activities in railway premisesIndian Railways has around 8000 stations and premises of some of the railway stations with very few trains and scanty footfall would be used for skill development activities. It will help rural people substantially.The skill development programme has been emphasized by the Hon’ble Prime Minister for the benefit of the people.Promoting Rural ProductsRailways will also help in marketing rural products made by self help groups and other such agencies so as to help common rural people. The Konkani-cuisine restaurant “Konkan Swaad Katta’ recently set up at Ratnagiri station in Konkan Railway is a step in this direction to encourage traditional businesses and local talent as well as help the financial empowerment of local people and at the same time passengers getting taste traditional dishes.INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONMoU with China in technical cooperation in RailwaysA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and an Action Plan were signed between the Government of India and People’s Republic of China in enhancing Technical Cooperation in Railway Sector, at delegation level talks between the two countries on 18th September 2014. The potential cooperation areas mentioned in the MoU are; i) Training in heavy haul freight transportation, ii) Raising of speed of trains on existing routes, iii) Station redevelopment, iv) High speed rail and v) Setting up of Railway University.MoU on cooperation with Republic of KoreaIndian Railways and Republic of Korea signed a MoU on Technical Cooperation In the Rail Sector. The MoU would enable technical assistance and cooperation between the Railways of the two countries on areas such as High Speed Rail, Modernisation of Rolling Stock, Railway Operations, Modernisation of Signalling, Construction & Maintenance technologies and in development of Logistics Parks/Terminals.Cooperation with Czech RepublicMoU has also been signed with Czech Republic for technical assistance in Railway sector. The potential cooperation areas mentioned in the MoU are Freight operations- Logistics of automotive transport, Passenger operations – raising of speeds upto 200 kmph; Infrastructure building and management – station development and workshop modernization; Information & communication technologies especially for passenger amenities ; Modernisation of rolling stock; Modernisation of signalling & telecom etc.Cooperation with AustriaThe 2nd Indo-Austrian Joint Working Group meeting on the Technology Specific Cooperation in the field of Railways was organized on 9.9.2014.Cooperation among SAARC nationsMinistry of Railways hosted the 5th meeting of the SAARC Inter governmental Group on Transport on 30thSeptember,2014 at Vigyan Bhawan ,New Delhi,The meeting was attended by all the SAARC member countries.Relief during Nepal earthquakeDuring the Nepal earthquake crisis, Railways made available to Nepal about 4 lakh Rail Neer drinking water bottles. Railways also made available to earthquake victims the facility of the Railways hospitals situated in the border towns. Railways also facilitated travel of earthquake victims.IMPROVED PERFORMANCEIncrease in Railways’ revenue earningsThe total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during the financial year 2014-15 (1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015) were Rs. 157880.50 crore compared to Rs. 140761.27 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 12.16 per cent.Improved Freight loadingIndian Railways carried 1097.57 million tonnes of revenue earning freight traffic during the financial year 2014-15 i.e. from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015. The freight carried shows an increase of 44.02 million tonnes over the freight traffic of 1053.55 million tonnes actually carried during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 4.18 per cent.MISCELLANEOUSPathbreaking Railway BudgetRailway Budget 2015-16 was completely depoliticized making it a long term perspective document.The thrust areas identified in the budget include Quality of life in journeys, station redevelopment, capacity augmentation, safety, technology upgradation, partnerships for development, improvements to management processes and systems, resource mobilization, human resources, energy and sustainability, transparency and governance initiatives.28 announcements made in the Budget speech already implemented.Railways players bring laurel to the nationRailway sportspersons as a part of Indian contingent at recently concluded Commonwealth Games-2014, (CWG) at Glasgow, Scotland, again brought glory to the nation by bagging 9 medals out of total 64 medals won by India.Renovation of National Rail MuseumA big renovation exercise was undertaken in National Railways Museum, Delhi. Musical Fountain, Toy Train and Renovated Exhibits have been added at the Museum.

Suresh PrabhuAs many as 7,575 children were rescued at railway stations and trains in 2015Source:-http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/51328256.cms?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ETFBMain&utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppstINITIATIVES FOR PASSENGERSPassenger Helpline No. 138 and security helpline 182Indian Railways provided the All India Helpline Number ‘138’ for passengers, as an interface for queries/complaints related to medical emergency, cleanliness, food & catering, coach maintenance, linen etc. A security helpline ‘182’has also been launched to report any unsavory incidents. This service is very important public service and may play an important role in emergencies like crime against women, onboard unlawful activity, train accidents, medical attention required and fire etc. These helpline numbers viz.138&182 and existing 139 are now to be printed on the tickets for the convenience of passengers.Launching of e-catering service in trainsThe Ministry of Railways is providing e-catering service in trains through its PSU, Indian Railways Catering &Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). This is a service where a passenger is able to place an order for a meal, to be served at his seat in the train enroute, through a phone call or an SMS. Presently this service is available in 120 pairs of trains.Go-India Smart cardGo-India’ smart card scheme has been launched on pilot basis on two sectors i.e. New Delhi-Mumbai and New Delhi-Howrah. At present, the Go-India smart card enables passengers to pay for reserved and unreserved tickets. The scheme is intended to reduce the transaction time at the booking counters for the convenience of passengers as it facilitates cashless transaction.Introduction of Next Generation e-ticketing systemNext generation E-ticketing system introduced, which can book 7200 online tickets instead of 2000 tickets per minute and to attend 2,00,000 enquiries instead of 50000 per minute.SMS Alerts to passengersIndian Railways added another milestone by launching yet another innovative scheme called the ‘SMS Gateway’, which will enable passengers to get SMS alerts on the status of reserved tickets. Moreover SMS alerts giving wakeup calls has also been introduced.Mobile security App.for womenMobile app for security of women has been launched in Mumbai suburban trains.This is the first phase and it will be extended in other areas in a phased manner.Yatri Ticket Sewa Kendra schemeA new scheme called the Yatri Ticket Sewa Kendra (YTSK) Scheme has been launched. Under this scheme, agents of Indian Railways can operate ticketing terminals at various locations in the cities and towns for issuing reserved tickets and unreserved tickets. This will offer greater convenience to passengers in getting rail tickets.Adarsh StationThe scheme of Adarsh stations for better amennities has been introduced in the year 2009. Under this scheme, 1052 stations have been selected for development as Adarsh Station upto 2013-14. 108 stations have been developed under the scheme during 2014-15, as such a total of 934 stations have been developed as ‘Adarsh’ station so far.Pilgrim special tourist trainsWith a view to promote rail tourism in the country and to provide reasonably priced tourism package to tourists, especially the pilgrims in the country, India Railways through its PSU IRCTC has launched six pilgrim special tourist train packages in the first phase. The tourist packages are; Sukhamngalam Yatra, Dham special with Dakshin Darshan via Lucknow, Dham special with Dakshin Darshan via Jaipur, Shikharji Circuit Yatra, Jyotirling Yatra, and Takht Parikrama.Braille Signages on coachesFor the help of visually impaired passengers, Indian Railways has taken the initiative of providing Braille signages on coaches.CCTV on coaches In order to improve security measures on trains and especially for women passengers, it has been decided to provide CCTV cameras on coaches especially in ladies compartments in doorway and aisle area without infringing on the privacy.Waiting chairs/benches etc. under MPLAD SchemeGuidelines issue for installations of chairs/benches/overhead sheds at stations under Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme(MPLAD).Comprehensive guidelines have been issued for improvement of passenger amenities at stations through NGOs, Trusts, Corporate etc.R.O. drinking water at stations Provision of Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) drinking water units at selection stations on experimental basis has been planned. To begin with, eight stations namely, Madurai, Gadag, Tirupati, Guwahati Dwarka, H.Nizammudin, Patna & Bhopal were identified for provision of R.O. drinking water units. While R.O. drinking water units have already been commissioned at Dwarka, Gadag, H.Nizammudin, Katihar (in lieu of Guwahati), Madurai and Tirupati stations R.O. units at Patna & Bhopal are planned to be commissioned shortly.This will help provide safe drinking water to passengers.Seperate Food safety officer in every divisionWith a view to ensure better quality check on the food installations in Railway, it has been decided to appoint one Food Safety Officer in every Division of the Railways. Earlier a Food Safety Officer was entrusted with more than one Division which was causing difficulty in ensuring proper supervision.DIGITAL INDIA INITIATIVELaunching of a ‘Customer Complaint Web Portal’A ‘Customer Complaint Web Portal and Mobile Application’ (android/windows based mobile App), was launched. One can track the status of the complaints which he or she registered on this portal with the help of mobile App. Feedback can also be given on this portal. This will help in faster redressal of passenger grievances.‘Operation Five Minutes’ –Paperless Unreserved TicketingFulfilling yet another commitment of the Railway Budget 2015-16, the Minister of Railways launched Mobile Application for Paperless Unreserved Ticketing on pilot basis on Egmore –Tambaram Suburban Section of Chennai. This initiative is part of Indian Railways effort to help passengers purchase the unreserved tickets within five minutes under its ‘Operation five minutes programme’. This will allow the passenger to buy a ticket on the move and allow him or her to board the train with the ticket secured on his or her mobile phone, without any need for printing the ticket.‘E-Samiksha’ for Implementation MonitoringIn yet another milestone initiative for ensuring timely implementation of budget proposals, a special portal called ‘E-Samiksha’, has been launched for monitoring the implementation of budget announcements/commitments .This portal would help to keep an eye on the implementation of budget process.Facility of ‘Wi-Fi’ services on Railway stationsIndian Railways is providing the Wi-Fi Broadband Services at several stations which include Bangaluru, Secunderabad, Mumbai CST, Agra, Varanasi, Hawrah, Chennai, Ahmdabad. The Wi-Fi project on Indian Railways is being executed by RailTel, a Public Sector Undertaking of the Ministry of Railways. Wi-Fi facility is available to the users free of cost initially for a period of 30 minutes by registering on the Wi-Fi network through their mobile phones. The facility of Wi-Fi will be extended to other stations in a phased manner.Introduction of e-demand systemWith the release of this module, customers can sit in the convenience of their homes or offices and register their freight demands.Railways’ Social Media platformTo keep pace with the modern means of internet media, Indian Railways launched its three social media platforms namely Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with the URL @railminindia. Railway Budget was for the first time live streamed on social media platforms. Online suggestions and feedback can also be made on these social media platforms.SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT MoU signed for highest ever funding for RailwaysIn a landmark achievement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Railways and Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) for highest ever funding of Rs. 1.5 lakh crore for Railways. This move will ultimately help railways growth through augmentation of its financial resources.Interim Report of HLRRC submitted to Railway BoardInterim Report of High Level Railway Restructuring Committee (HLRCC) headed by Dr. Bibek Debroy has been submitted to the Railway Board.The report has also been put on the Ministry’s website for inviting suggestions and comments. This committee was constituted with an aim to find out ways to mobilise resources for major railway projects and restructuring of railways.Delegating more power to Zonal RailwaysWith an aim to fast track decision making and bring in transparency full powers have been delegated to General Manages and Director Generals as tender authority . All the cases for acceptance of Works and Stores tenders, will now be dealt with and finalized by Zonal Railways and Production Units.Scope of e-tendering is being expanded for increased transparency and procurement.Saving of energyTo reduce cost of Electrical energy being used for traction, procurement through open market is being done.Power Purchase Agreement between DVC and North Central railway for supply of 50MW power has already been signed.Saving for the month of March 2015 alone is Rs 10 Crore approx.A web based electrical energy management system called RailSaver has been launched which will help save upto 15% energy by 2020.Logistic Hubs on National WaterwaysA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWA) and the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL) for creation of logistic hubs with rail connectivity at Varanasi and other places on National Waterways.Alternative Energy ResourcesSolar Plants of 2 MW at RCF, Raebareli and 1 MW at Katra Railway station have been commissioned.Target of commissioning 6.5 MW Solar Power plants in year 2015-16. A 30 KW Solar Plant has been commissioned at roof top Rail Bhawan at New Delhi. Solar plants at other Railway buildings are proposed to be installed in future. Target for commissioning of 25 MW Wind Energy Plant at Jaisalmer in 2015-16.Ratan Tata as Head of ‘Kayakalp’ CouncilTaking immediate follow up action in implementing the Budget announcement, Railways constituted the ‘Kayakalp’ Council and appointed Shri Ratan Tata to head this Council. The purpose of the Council is to recommend innovative methods and processes for the improvement, betterment and transformation of the Indian Railways.MOU with National Institute of DesignAdding yet another milestone by fulfilling another commitment announced in the Railway Budget 2015-16, the Indian Railway signed an MoU to set up its own Railway Design Centre in the campus of National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmadabad. This will help improve customer’s happiness by way of better designed coaches and providing cost effective solutions to problems faced by passengers during train travel.White paper and vision 2030 documentMinister of Railways released White Paper on Railways in the parliament with a view to understand the challenges that the organization is presently facing. Ministry of Railways is now working on the vision 2030 document on Railways which will contain a blueprint for the future development of the Indian Railways.Task forces and Experts’ committeesSeveral task forces and committees of experts constituted for focussed attention on areas like revenue mobilization through advertising, improving financial health of railways, restructuring delegation of powers, productivity enhancement, etc. The various committees have roped in experts like E Shreedhran, former CAG Vinod Rai, economist Bibek Debroy and noted industrialist Ratan Tata to improve the Railways and bring in innovative ideas and solutions.Better training of Railway PersonnelAcademic Services Agreement has been signed with Beijing Jiao Tong University, China for training of 100 officers of various departments in Heavy Haul Technology. ‘Indian Railways Chair for Sustainable Mobility’ has been set up at TERI University, New Delhi. Modules on gender sensitization of Railway personnel have been introduced in centralized training institutes.Centre for Railway Research set up at Mumbai UniversityRailway Ministry and Mumbai University signed an MoU to set up a Centre for Railway Research (CRR) at University of Mumbai in order to develop a long-term frame work for research collaboration.Leveraging of space for advertisingWith a view to generate additional revenue, RITES,a public sector undertaking of Ministry of Railways prepared a Concept Note, indicating ways and means for leveraging of space in coaches, wagons, trains, railway stations etc. for advertisements, publicity and other purposes. Now, six-member task force headed by Member Traffic Railway Board has been set up to examine and implement this project.INFRASTRUCTURECritical coal connectivity projects fasttrackedTransportation of coal is an important activity of Indian Railways and is very crucial for the country’s power supply system. Critical Coal connectivity projects in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Orissa are being fast tracked. MOU has been signed with Ministry of Coal and Government of Odisha. Another MOU with Government of Jharkhand is in the offing.Redevelopment of Railway StationsRailway Ministry has now decided to offer Railway Stations for redevelopment on ‘as is where is’ basis, by inviting open bids from interested parties with their designs and business ideas duly providing for amenities and other requirements of the Railways. The Process for redevelopment of stations, already indentified viz. Anand Vihar, Bijwasan, Chandigarh, Shivaji Nagar & Habibganj by Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation Ltd. (IRSDC) is continuing.Progress On Dedicated Freight Corridor ProjectEastern and Western Dedicated Freight corridors are being developed for smooth and fast transportation of freight.Loan for Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (Phase 2) for US $ 1100 million approved by the World Bank on 22.04.14, has been signed on 11th November 2014. Electrification contract for 945 km of Western DFC has been awarded on 18.11.2014.FDI and PPP in RailwaysCabinet approved 100% FDI in identified areas of Railway sector.Ministry of Railways has formulated sectoral guidelines on FDI.Investor’s meet was held to explain FDI to investors.More meets planned in future. High level committee set up to discuss FDI and PPP issues. Ministry of Railways has also issued Model Concession Agreement for Non Governmental Railway model, joint venture model and Built, Operate and Transfer (BOT) model. During the period , approvals were also given for port connectivity PPP projects viz. Roha-Dighi newline and Digni-Jaigarh port newline. In addition in principle approval for two more port connectivity projects viz. Chhara port and Nargol port has been given.New Rail Neer Plant in Mumbai inauguratedA new Rail Neer plant has been set up at Ambernath (Mumbai) by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), a Public Sector Undertaking of Ministry of Railways, the production capacity of this plant will be 2 lakh liters per day, This will improve availability of safe Packaged Drinking Water (PDW).Laying of Opticle Fibre Cable on Railway NetworkA total number of 1,329 route kilometres OFC has been laid. Cumulatively, 48,179 route kilometers (approx.) OFC has been commissioned over Indian .It will enable high speed internet connectivity and video conferencing facility.New lines and electrificationIn 2014-15, 1983 km of railway lines have been commissioned. This is the highest ever. In 2014-15, 1375 km of railway electrification completed. This is the highest ever.SAFETY Geo-spatial technologies for unmanned level crossingsIn a significant move to make Unmanned Level Crossings (UMLCs) safer for road users thereby avoiding accidents thereat, Geo-spatial technologies are proposed to be used with the help of ISRO. Under such technologies which combine Global Positioning System(GPS), Geographic Information System(GIS) and Remote Sensing, an alert message will be flashed automatically in the mobile phones of all the road users carrying GPS enabled mobile phones in the vicinity of an Unmanned Level Crossing, about the approaching train. This will save many lives as many fatal accidents occur at unmanned level crossing.Quick evacuation of injured persons from tracksStandard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are being put in place regarding quick evacuation of the injured persons from the railway track so that human lives are saved.MoU on construction of ROBs/RUBsIn a move to further enhance safety of road users, Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on policy related to constructions of Road Over Bridges and Road Under Bridges on National Highway corridors.MAKE IN INDIA Expansion project of DLW factoryThe Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the commencement of Expansion Project of Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW), a production unit of Indian Railways at Varanasi on some of the features of the expansion plan are; a new block shop, loco frame shop and loco assembly shop, new plant shop having advanced paint booths, induction of high productivity machines and generation of 250 kw Green Power by roof mounted grid connected solar power plant. The project will herald the ‘Make in India’ campaign in the holy city, Varanasi.Ministry of Railway also successfully floated RFP for state of the Art Electro Loco Factory at Madhepura and Diesel Loco Factory at Marhowra. Again RFP were issued for manufacturing 9000 HP electric locos for western DFC. Locos will be manufactured at Dankuni and Technology will be transferred to CLW, Chittanranjan.New production unitsRail Wheel Plan, Bela commissioned and regular production started.2nd unit for manufacture of LHB coaches fit to run at 160kmph made functional at Integral Coach Factory, Chennai.DEMU factory Haldia commissioned.Mid-life Rehabilitation Workshop for coaches at Jhansi completed.New Loco and New Green Train5500 HP Diesel Locomotive introduced in Indian Railway System which is the highest horse power Diesel Engine.First “Green” DEMU rail introduced on Northern Railway to run between Rewari-Rohtak Section.HIGH SPEED PROJECTS Status of Railways Semi High Speed ProjectsIndian Railways is working on increasing speed of trains raising it to 160kmph/200 kmph referred as Semi-High speed. It has identified nine corridors for this purpose. Trial run in Delhi-Agra corridor successfully completed for running trains at semi-high speed of 160 km. per hour. The commercial services will be started after obtaining the CRS sanction.The feasibility study for semi high speed on Chennai-Bangaluru-Mysore Corridor is being taken up by Chinese Railways.Feasibility study for New Delhi-Chandigarh Corridor to be undertaken with French Railway. Discussions are on with Germany for undertaking feasibility study of Nagpur-Secunderabad Corridor. 5 other identified corridors under examination for semi high speed trains. Mumbai-Ahemdabad High Speed Bullet train projectMinistry of Railways took steps for introduction of High Speed Bullet Trains(300+kmph) in the country on Mumbai-Ahmadabad corridor. It is part of the Ministry’s ambitious plan to have Diamond Quadrilateral network of High Speed Rail connecting major metros and growth centers of the country. French Railway submitted business model study of this corridor. The interim report of feasibility study being undertaken by Japan has been received and final report is expected in June, 2015. One new route between New Delhi and Chennai has been identified for introducing bullet train and China has been entrusted with the task of undertaking feasibility study of this line.JAMMU & KASHMIR AND NORTH EASTOpening of Lumding-Silchar broad gauge sectionThe much awaited Lumding-Silchar Broad Gauge section (Assam) inaugurated with the running of goods trains. The passenger train services will be started soon on this section. This line will provide seamless BG connectivity to Barak Valley of Assam with the rest of the Country.it Musica Country,Free Country Music WebRadio Online! is a very crucial rail link for the N.E region. First train to MeghalayaIn an important event in the history of Railways, one more north-eastern state namely Meghalaya was brought on country’s railway map. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the first ever train from Guwahati to Medipathar in Meghalaya to mark this feat.Foundation stone for rail link to Mizoram’s capitalTo further boost the development of rail link in North Eastern region, the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation for a new rail route from Bhairabi to Sairang in Mizoram. It will take rail connectivity to Aizawl, the capital of MizoramKatra comes on country’s railway mapIn another landmark engineering marvel, Indian Railways completed Udhampur-Katra Broad gauge line in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Prime Minister dedicated this line to the nation at a programme held at Katra.This line has brought Katra on country’s railway map consequently bringing Jammu & Kashmir Valley nearer to the rest of the nation .Railways help during J&K floodsIndian Railways geared up its machinery to provide all possible help to the travelling public in the wake of unprecedented flood in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Railways arranged transport of relief material free of charge by coaching trains to Jammu Tawi and Udhampur from any station of India. Railways made about 4 lakh Rail Neer drinking water bottles available for flood affected people of J&K.North-eastern tour package for college studentsAn education train ‘Gyanodaya Express’ – a tour package for the students of Delhi University to visit North east states, was flagged off from Delhi . It will help the students to connect with NE region .SWACHH BHARAT ABHIYAANNation wide Action PlanIndian Railways is implementing PMs nationwide campaign of Swachch Bharat Abhiyan in true letter and spirit.Separate Directorate for Environment and Housekeeping created. This Directorate will address all environment and housekeeping related issues over Railways.Detailed action plan on cleanliness prepared has been prepared and an Integrated Policy of cleanliness in Stations, Platforms and Coaches is under formulation.50 major stations outsourced for international level cleanliness. Setting up of mechanised laundries Mechanised laundries at 6 new locations have been set up to improve the quality of linen being supplied to AC class passengers. With this Indian Railway now have 33 such mechanized laundries. Dustbins on all the coaches: Dustbins on trains were hitherto being provided mainly on AC coaches. Now dustbins will be provided in all the coaches including non AC coaches. On Board Housekeeping services scheme: An additional 83 no. of trains have been covered under OBHS scheme taking total coverage to around 500 trains. Under this scheme ,cleanliness is maintained during run of the train. Installation of more Bio-Toilets in coachesMore than 10159 Bio-toilets have been fitted till March, 2015 and target set for 2015-16 is fitment of 17,000 bio-toilets. These toilets use bacterial action to convert human waste into water and gas. HELPING FARMERS AND RURAL PEOPLE First ever Perishable Cargo Centre set upThe first ever Perishable Cargo Centre of Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) (a Railway PSU) at Adarsh Nagar station near Azadpur Sabzi Mandi, Delhi, was inaugurated. This perishable cargo centre will help farmers and consumers in a big way and the ripening of fruits and cold storage facilities at this cargo centre will help the farmers get a good price and good market for their product.Skill development activities in railway premisesIndian Railways has around 8000 stations and premises of some of the railway stations with very few trains and scanty footfall would be used for skill development activities. It will help rural people substantially.The skill development programme has been emphasized by the Hon’ble Prime Minister for the benefit of the people.Promoting Rural Products Railways will also help in marketing rural products made by self help groups and other such agencies so as to help common rural people. The Konkani-cuisine restaurant “Konkan Swaad Katta’ recently set up at Ratnagiri station in Konkan Railway is a step in this direction to encourage traditional businesses and local talent as well as help the financial empowerment of local people and at the same time passengers getting taste traditional dishes.INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION MoU with China in technical cooperation in RailwaysA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and an Action Plan were signed between the Government of India and People’s Republic of China in enhancing Technical Cooperation in Railway Sector, at delegation level talks between the two countries on 18th September 2014. The potential cooperation areas mentioned in the MoU are; i) Training in heavy haul freight transportation, ii) Raising of speed of trains on existing routes, iii) Station redevelopment, iv) High speed rail and v) Setting up of Railway University.MoU on cooperation with Republic of KoreaIndian Railways and Republic of Korea signed a MoU on Technical Cooperation In the Rail Sector. The MoU would enable technical assistance and cooperation between the Railways of the two countries on areas such as High Speed Rail, Modernisation of Rolling Stock, Railway Operations, Modernisation of Signalling, Construction & Maintenance technologies and in development of Logistics Parks/Terminals.Cooperation with Czech RepublicMoU has also been signed with Czech Republic for technical assistance in Railway sector. The potential cooperation areas mentioned in the MoU are Freight operations- Logistics of automotive transport, Passenger operations – raising of speeds upto 200 kmph; Infrastructure building and management – station development and workshop modernization; Information & communication technologies especially for passenger amenities ; Modernisation of rolling stock; Modernisation of signalling & telecom etc.Cooperation with AustriaThe 2nd Indo-Austrian Joint Working Group meeting on the Technology Specific Cooperation in the field of Railways was organized on 9.9.2014.Cooperation among SAARC nationsMinistry of Railways hosted the 5th meeting of the SAARC Inter governmental Group on Transport on 30thSeptember,2014 at Vigyan Bhawan ,New Delhi,The meeting was attended by all the SAARC member countries.Relief during Nepal earthquakeDuring the Nepal earthquake crisis, Railways made available to Nepal about 4 lakh Rail Neer drinking water bottles. Railways also made available to earthquake victims the facility of the Railways hospitals situated in the border towns. Railways also facilitated travel of earthquake victims.IMPROVED PERFORMANCE Increase in Railways’ revenue earningsThe total approximate earnings of Indian Railways on originating basis during the financial year 2014-15 (1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015) were Rs. 157880.50 crore compared to Rs. 140761.27 crore during the same period last year, registering an increase of 12.16 per cent.Improved Freight loadingIndian Railways carried 1097.57 million tonnes of revenue earning freight traffic during the financial year 2014-15 i.e. from 1st April 2014 to 31st March 2015. The freight carried shows an increase of 44.02 million tonnes over the freight traffic of 1053.55 million tonnes actually carried during the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 4.18 per cent.MISCELLANEOUS Pathbreaking Railway BudgetRailway Budget 2015-16 was completely depoliticized making it a long term perspective document.The thrust areas identified in the budget include Quality of life in journeys, station redevelopment, capacity augmentation, safety, technology upgradation, partnerships for development, improvements to management processes and systems, resource mobilization, human resources, energy and sustainability, transparency and governance initiatives.28 announcements made in the Budget speech already implemented.Railways players bring laurel to the nationRailway sportspersons as a part of Indian contingent at recently concluded Commonwealth Games-2014, (CWG) at Glasgow, Scotland, again brought glory to the nation by bagging 9 medals out of total 64 medals won by India.Renovation of National Rail Museum A big renovation exercise was undertaken in National Railways Museum, Delhi. Musical Fountain, Toy Train and Renovated Exhibits have been added at the Museum.

Day 316 - 320January 6:- AAP govt scraps management quota in nursery admissionsJanuary 1: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal clarified that the odd-even scheme can't be implemented on a permanent basis. Calling it as a temporary call to curb dangerous levels of pollution, Kejriwal said that the scheme would be in practice till 15 January.December 31: After AAP suspended two officers for allegedly refusing to sign off on decisions taken by the government, around 200 officials went on mass leave today to protest against the suspension. Terming the suspension as 'illegal', the senior officers of the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Service (DANICS) went on mass leave in a show of solidarity.December 31: The Delhi High Court asked Kejriwal government about its decision to exempt women and 55-lakh two-wheelers from the odd-even scheme to curb pollution. The Court sought to know the logic behind such exemptions and asked the government to submit a report on pollution levels during the odd-even experiment from 1 -15 January.December 28: BJP workers protested outside Kejriwal’s residence and demand his resignation over the alleged auto-rickshaw permit scam. The BJP held Kejriwal and Transport Minister Gopal Rai accountable for allegedly giving permits to the auto mafia. On 26 December, the Delhi government scrapped more than 900 autorickshaw permits.Day 301 - 315December 27: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced his decision to kick-start his Punjab campaign in January. The state will go to polls in 2017. Kejriwal will start the campaign by addressing a mega rally in Muktsar next month. The Delhi Chief Minister will reportedly spend more time in Punjab from next year, AAP sources said.December 22: A criminal complaint has been filed against Arvind Kejriwal for using "defamatory" words against PM Narendra Modi after the CBI raid at the office of his Principal Secretary. An advocate has sought Kejriwal's prosecution under sections 124A (sedition) and 500 (defamation) of the IPC.December 17: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's resignation for "very serious allegations" have been levelled against him in the DDCA corruption case. Earlier, AAP had levelled corruption allegations against him.December 16: Arvind Kejriwal accused the CBI of seizing documents "unrelated" to the probe against Principal Secretary Rajendra Kumar during the day-long raid. Kejriwal also claimed that a file related to DDCA was also scrutinised.The Kejriwal government finalised its slum rehabilitation policy. The proposed ‘Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015’, which was approved in a meeting chaired by Arvind Kejriwal, stated that no new slums will be allowed to come up in the capital.December 14: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu to discuss the demolition drive in West Delhi that has allegedly caused death of a six-month-old infant. Prabhu and Kejriwal discussed how homeless people could be rehabilitated. After the meeting, Kejriwal announced that there will be no further slum demolition "without rehabilitation”.Day 201 - 300December 9: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured full support to Delhi government on implementing its odd-even scheme for plying of private vehicles in the city from 1 January. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said that his meeting with the Home Minister was very positive and he has got assurance of full support of Delhi Police as well.December 5: Describing the odd-even scheme as a drastic step that had to be taken to address the panic over pollution, Kejriwal said that it will be tried out for limited period of time and it will be stopped problems surface. He further said that Delhi’s roads will be vacuum-cleaned starting 1 April 2016.December 2: Delhi CM offered “fullest support” to people in Chennai after an unprecedented downpour created a flood-like situation. Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa offering all resources at the disposal of the Delhi government to the flood-affected state.December 1: The AAP government passed a bunch of bills to bring major reforms in education system of Delhi. The Delhi School Education ( Amendment) Bill 2015 and The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (Delhi Amendment) Bill are among the ones passed.November 28: The AAP government approved the proposal for a hike in salary and allowances of MLAs at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In October, an independent panel appointed by the Delhi government had recommended over 400% increase in their basic salary.November 23: The BJP government at the Centre allotted Rs. 3,250 crore for decongesting and developing the national capital. After allotting an additional Rs. 96.7 crore for making Delhi cleaner, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu praised Arvind Kejriwal for roping in three municipal bodies in Delhi for the week-long cleanliness drive.November 23: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party is not in the race for 2019 elections. Calling the Delhi win 'miraculous', Kejriwal said that the party is not here for power politics and it will keep working hard and with honesty.November 18: The Cabinet of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal cleared the Jan Lokpal Bill that meets the long-standing demand of the chief minister coming under the purview of the ombudsman. The Bill will be tabled in the Legislative Assembly for approval.November 13: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has launched a complaint against Delhi Police for not cooperating with the AAP government. In a letter sent to the MHA on 7 November, the Delhi government alleged that the police are “hounding” AAP MLAs by digging up old cases and slapping new ones against them.November 7: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the result of Bihar elections was a referendum against the Narendra Modi government. The people's verdict, according to AAP Chief, “has broken the Centre's arrogance”.November 5: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered a probe against Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) chief MK Meena for allegedly intimidating his juniors in office. The probe will be based on the reports of misconduct or misbehaviour against Mukesh Meena.October 30: Arvind Kejriwal wrote an open letter in a national daily absolving his party of any responsibility for the garbage crisis in the wake of ongoing strike of municipal workers in the Delhi. The Delhi CM clarified that MCD workers are not on strike because of non-payment of dues.October 29: Arvind Kejriwal rallied in support of Nitish Kumar as Bihar was gearing up for the third phase of Assembly polls. He appealed to the people of Bihar to vote the incumbent Chief Minister to power. Kejriwal had publicly backed Kumar’s candidature since the beginning of the elections campaign.October 28: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condemned the Delhi Police's "raid" at Kerala Bhavan after a complaint was lodged that its canteen was serving beef. Stating that Kerala house is a government establishment, he added that the raid was an attack on federal structure.October 22: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led a cycle rally to mark the first ever 'Car-Free Day' in Delhi. Hundreds of people joined him in the cycle rally, which was held between Red Fort and Bhagwan Das Marg.October 17: After the ghastly incident of three rapes within a week, Kejriwal reiterated his demand for full authority over the police department. Besides shaming the repeated rape of minors, he also criticized the Delhi Police for completely failing to provide safety.October 15: The AAP government extended "full support" to Swachh Bharat Abhiyan after it announced its decision to launch a major drive on 21st and 22nd November to clean up Delhi of "all garbage and debris"October 9: Delhi CM sacked environment and food minister Asim Ahmed Khan for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs. 6 lakh from a builder. Emphasizing AAP's zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, Kejriwal dared the BJP to sack its leaders – Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Madhya Pradesh's Shivraj Singh Chouhan – on corruption charges.September 30: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s efforts to bring all the CMs of the states together for a meeting to build a pressure group against PM Modi didn't yield a positive response. The CMs of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar intimated they would be unable to attend the function. Kejriwal was counting on non-BJP and non-Congress chief ministers to make the conclave a success.September 27: Arvind Kejriwal took at dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project ‘Make in India’ by asserting that the focus should be on ‘Making India' rather than 'Make in India'. He argued that the Centre should concentrate on “providing proper infrastructure, rendering honest services and ensuring a conducive atmosphere for making India.September 26: Although Kejriwal has been locked in a tussle with Governor Najeeb Jung over several issues since AAP government came to power, the Delhi CM rallied in his support when BJP called for his removal. Describing him as a 'good man”, he added that removing Jung will not help sand the real solution lies in PMO not interfering in Delhi's affairs.September 25: After the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) announced its decision to keep the power tariff at the prevailing level for domestic consumers, AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal attributed this development to “honest politics” of the party. The AAP-led Delhi government had urged DERC to reduce the tariff or keep it at existing levels, till an audit of the discoms is finalised.September 23: Delhi chief minister described his former law minister Somnath Bharti as an “embarrassment” to his party, AAP. He added that Bharti should surrender in a case of domestic violence and attempt to murder filed by his wife. On the contrary, other senior AAP leaders had shown solidarity with Bharti.Day 200The AAP government in Delhi will start providing education loan from 8 September onwards. Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, who also holds the Education portfolio, said that the needy students could avail loans from the date mentioned. He was attending a programme at the Talkatora Stadium when he said this. He said, “If any student has any problem pursuing education, Delhi government guarantees the solution and will pay the fees. Rs 10 lakh education loan will be provided to students from September 8”. According to the government's scheme, the needy students will be entitled to a maximum loan of Rs. 10 lakh to pursue higher studies.A list comprising the names of five judges was sent by the Kejriwal government to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice G Rohini, in connection with the appointment of a new Lokayukta of Delhi. The Lokayukta can only be appointed after the consultation with the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court as per the provisions of the 'Delhi Lokayukta and Uplokayukta Act 1995'. According to the government sources, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was recently asked by the Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to send across proposed names for the post that has been lying vacant since November 2013.Day 199The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA launched an agitation against Delhi government on Tuesday. Pankaj Pushkar, AAP MLA from Timarpur, criticised Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his “neglect and substandard treatment of Sangam Vihar” area. While Pushkar demanded resolution of civic issues in Sangam Vihar, the party leadership refused to engage with the MLA. Pushkar had raised the issue twice in the Assembly but he was denied an opportunity to speak the third time.The Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal promised one lakh jobs in next one year and free Wi-Fi in colleges to the students of Delhi University that will have students union elections soon. During a star-studded event on Tuesday, Kejriwal also promised higher education loan scheme for the students.Day 198Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday that his government was planning to set up a special unit to address the issues faced by the students of northeastern states and ensure 'better resolution'. The proposed body will be called 'North East India Support Cell and Monitoring Committee'. He said this after meeting a delegation of the members of the northeastern states. Kejriwal said, “We will set up the cell immediately to have a better coordination and resolution of your issues. The cell will look into all your problems and demands, we will put people who understand your problems in the cell".The Delhi government on Monday took back the Law Ministry from Kapil Mishra and handed its charge to the second most senior minister in the government Manish Sisodia. This is the third time in last six and a half months that the AAP government changed its Law Minister. The charge of the Ministry first given to Jitendra Singh Tomar, who was replaced by Satyendra Jain. The AAP government said that there was no major reason why this was done as Mishra was already holding the Delhi Tourism Ministry and the charge of Jal Board. According to government sources, Kapil Mishra himself wanted that someone else becomes the Law Minister.Day 197AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the Delhi Power tariff issue, saying that the private discoms were charging way too much for power supply to Delhi. Kejriwal asked PM Modi to allow his government to terminate all existing power pacts with power generation companies so that the allegedly high tariffs can be brought down considerably. While launching the Power Amnesty Scheme in Vinod Nagar area of East Delhi, Kejriwal said “We have come to know that many power companies are ready to supply power at Rs. 2.5 to Rs. 3 per unit. When we can get electricity at this rate, why should we buy it for Rs. 5 or Rs. 5.50 per unit?”.Now the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus shelters in the National Capital will carry solar power panel over them as planned by the Delhi government. The AAP government plans to do so in order to meet the city's increasing power demand. The Kejriwal government was of the view that the solar power was the only solution in sight to satisfy Delhi's electricity requirements. Delhi's Power Minister Satyendra Jain said at the launch of the power amnesty scheme, “We are planning to install solar panel on the roofs of the city's bus shelters so that more electricity could be generated. Installation of solar panel on the roofs of bus shelters will help the government generate power. Besides, we will be self-reliant in generating electricity through solar power.Day 196Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was in Haridwar to celebrate the occasion of Raksha Bandhan with his sister. His sister, Dr. Ranjana Gupta, is employed with BHEL in Haridwar. She tied a Rakhi on Kejriwal's wrist who spent the whole day with her family. The Delhi CM reached the holy city by Shatabdi train on Saturday morning and returned by late evening. Kejriwal was accorded a grand welcome by AAP workers upon his arrival in Haridwar.Day 195Delhi Law Minister Kapil Mishra on Friday requested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to pass the orders to file an FIR against former Delhi CM Sheila Dixit for her alleged involvement in Rs. 400-crore Tanker Scam. The minister and the Jal Board made the request after the 200-page report of the committees probing into Delhi water tanker scam came out. The Law minister handed over the report to Kejriwal on Friday.The AAP-led government in Delhi has asked the NDA government in the centre to resend Delhi's nomination for UNESCO World Heritage Cities in 2016, after the latter withdrew it for 2015. The Delhi government severely criticised the centre's move. “Delhi government had proposed ‘Delhi’s Imperial Capital Cities’ for nomination to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Cities. However, according to the UNESCO website, the Government of India withdrew the nomination just before the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, in 2015. There was no communication to the Delhi government in this regard” KK Sharma, Delhi's Chief Secretary wrote to the Secretary of the Ministry of Culture.A University Special (U-Special) bus, dedicated to serve the Delhi University students, was flagged off on Friday by Delhi's Transport Minister Gopal Rai. A government official said that the Transport Ministry decided to start the service when the minister met a delegation of students 10 days back. A Facebook post by Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) said, “Taking prompt cognisance on a CYSS memorandum, Transport Minister Gopal Rai inaugurated ‘DU special’ bus service for the comfortable conveyance of DU students. CYSS is committed to raise the issues of students and the Delhi government is more than eager to give preferences to the demands of students, the future of our nation.Day 194Delhi's Power Minister, Satyendra Jain, on Thursday, said that the AAP government was working non-stop to fulfill Delhi's power requirements and install solar power plants in order to make power generation an eco-friendly exercise. The Minister said that these projects will get around 20% boost in work efficiency. The projects will generate 1,000 MW of power in next five years and around 2,000 MW by 2025. To achieve the set targets, the Delhi government will promote solar power plants based on the model of Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO).Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Najeeb Jung, was not the elected government in the National Capital, the Kejriwal government told the Delhi High Court on Thursday. The AAP government said that the L-G was only supposed to act on the assistance and advice extended to him by the elected Council of Ministers. The government made this submission in front of a bench of Justice VP Vaish hearing the government's plea that challenged the May 21 notification from the Home Ministry allowing absolute powers to appoint bureaucrats to Najeeb Jung.Day 193Launching a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that Modi's Clean India campaign is a failure.Addressing a meeting in Patna, Kejriwal said that the NDA government is spending millions of rupees on advertisements related to the Swachh Bharat campaign but "not a single lane was clean". He also added that the youth were losing faith in the Central government.The Delhi BJP, on Wednesday, termed AAP government's decision of setting up a commission to probe into the CNG fitness scam as "retrogressive”. According to the Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly, Vijendra Gupta, the fact that the Delhi government going ahead with the its own commission despite the objection from the Home Ministry is “against the letter and the spirit of the Constitution of India”.Greenpeace India, on Wednesday, urged the Delhi Government to "capitalise" on the city's rooftop solar potential. It expects the AAP government to show commitment towards harnessing 2GW of solar power by 2025. Greenpeace also requested the AAP government to start implementing the draft solar policy presented at the Delhi Solar Roundtable Conference on 25 October.Day 192Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and complained to him that the Delhi Police was in an unwanted tussle with his government and it was time the PM intervened. “We feel as if Delhi Police is at war with Delhi government and this is not good”, he said while in conversation with media after he met Modi. Kejriwal also raised his concerns that the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung was intentionally interfering in the functioning of the AAP government in the National Capital. He stressed the need of better communication with the Union Government saying, “I told PM that we will fulfil Swachh Bharat or Digital India in Delhi, but for that better communication with Centre is needed”.The AAP government told the High Court on Tuesday that within next ten days it would come up with new guidelines for radio taxi companies operating in Delhi. The guidelines will focus on setting rules and regulations for these companies to follow in connection with the safety of women and other passengers. The government told the High Court bench comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath that it was trying to make a few changes in the existing radio taxi scheme. The GPRS system will be mandatory, there will be a panic switch, and the Delhi Police will have the driver's full database with them according to the new guidelines.Day 191Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrwal on Monday was urged by the leader of opposition, Vijendra Gupta of BJP, to dismiss his government's order of fixing an upper age limit for enrollments into the government schools. Gupta maintained that the AAP government's decision was against the very meaning and existence of the Right to Education Act. He said that a large number of students from slums and other economically backward sections will be deprived of the basic right to be educated. Gupta said, “The worst affected are the students belonging to weaker sections of the society whose parents have no regular source of income and fixed house to stay. It causes disruption in studies of their children, therefore, they are unable to get regular education as per their age... By fixing upper limit of the age, these children are not able to get admission in government schools”.The AAP government on Monday increased the number of mobile vans selling onions in Delhi at cheaper price in a bid to control the steep rise in onion prices in the National Capital. The Kejriwal government met the wholesale traders of the Azadpur Sabzi Mandi on Monday and urged them to sell onions at lower rates, to which the traders have responded positively. In a meeting held at the Delhi Secretariat, the traders told Delhi's Development Minister Gopal Rai and the Food and Supplies Minister Asim Ahmed Khan that they receive onion from the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh at varying rates. The prices have just started coming down as huge amount of onion has been imported from Egypt and Afghanistan.Day 190The Delhi government's proposal for hiking the salaries of its mid and senior-level officers has been turned down by the NDA-led central government. An utter displeasure over the AAP government's decision has been expressed by the Union Home Ministry. The Delhi government had decided to grant time-bound pay scales to the civil servants of the Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Island Civil Services (DANICS). Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal confirmed the centre's move and said, “they will not do good work, neither will they let us”. While, maintaining that it was not consulted before issuing the orders, the MHA said, “(Home Ministery was) the competent authority to make any amendments in the DANICS Rules”.Prime Minister Narendra Modi was again at the receiving end when the Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal lashed out at him and blamed him for the arrest of AAP MLA Surinder Singh. Kejriwal took to twitter to express his displeasure and wrote “The Modi government gets Commando Surinder arrested. In less than 24 hours, he gets bail. What is Modiji trying to achieve?” Surinder Singh is an MLA from the Delhi Cantonment constituency, who was arrested on Friday for allegedly thrashing and beating a NDMC worker on 4 August in the Tughlaq Road area.Day 189The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is mulling over the possibility of showing the door to the tainted members of the assembly. Amongst those who can be ousted are Jitender Singh Tomar, Pankaj Pushkar and Manoj Kumar. It is believed that the Kejriwal government is thinking of taking this action in a bid to improve its image that has taken a hit in recent times and re-instill people's faith in the government and the party. If a resolution against the three suspects is passed unanimously in the assembly and is accepted by the speaker, they will be expelled. An AAP member said, “We are a party with a difference and have zero tolerance to any kind of corruption and wrong doings. Two of the three persons have caused a severe dent in the party’s image”.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday stressed the need to provide quality education for all to get the country rid of poverty. Addressing the students of the Delhi Public School, Noida, Kejriwal said that his government was committed and trying its best to improve the quality and standard of education in government schools. He said, “I have been coming to DPS for past 13 years as a parent. My daughter passed out from this school and my son Pulkit is a student of Class 9. As a proud parent I give credit to the school for grooming children into multi-faceted individuals”.Day 188The AAP government in Delhi on Friday decided to establish a new trauma centre and make stringent laws to punish the culprits behind the disasters and tragedies like those of Uphaar cinema and Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said this to media after holding talks with the members of the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT). A day earlier, Chairperson of AVUT Neelam Krishnamurthy had urged the CM not to accept Rs. 60 crore from the Uphaar owners – Ansals – as compensation. However, a statement by the Delhi government said, “The CM is seeking a legal opinion on the matter and will take a considered decision, which will take into account sentiments of the victims’ families. The CM told the delegation that the government will appoint counsels in these cases only after consulting the families, and will do everything possible to fast-track these cases”.The Kejriwal government on Friday assured the people of Delhi that there was enough stock of onion with the Fair Price Shops and it will be sold at the prices as promised. The CM urged the people not to panic while the market price of onion has touched a whopping Rs. 80 per kg. The government had to face the heat at the hands of the opposition, which blamed the government for mismanagement of vegetable prices in the National Capital. The government, though, warned that the onion price might just go even higher. “Further spike in prices is expected both in wholesale and retail markets as the tight supply situation would continue in the wake of likely fall in kharif production and delay in arrival of the fresh crop”, an official said.Day 187A stay on the notification tripling the circle rates of the agricultural land in Delhi was refused on Thursday by the Delhi High Court. This came as a huge relief to the AAP government as the legality of the notification was challenged by the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, while Congress leader Naresh Kumar filed a PIL seeking a stay on the notification. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath shied away from passing an interim order to stay the notification and said that the Delhi government's stand will be heard before any orders are passed. The Kejriwal government has got 23 September as the last date to file a reply to the plea.The parents of Meenakshi, the girl who was brutally stabbed and killed last month in the Anand Parbat area of Central Delhi, were handed over cheques worth Rs. 5 lakh on Thursday. The amount of compensation was announced by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal last month when he visited the victim's house. Sandeep Kumar, Women and Child Development Minister, handed over the cheque to Meenakshi's parents.The Kejriwal-led government in Delhi was urged on Thursday by the kin of the victims of the 1997 Uphaar fire tragedy not to accept compensation of Rs. 60 crore. Having lost her children in the tragedy, Neelam Krishnamurthy said that she did not want the government to accept this amount as it was “blood money”. She said, “This is not compensation awarded to remove our trauma but it is, in fact, blood money. I have sought a meeting with CM Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow. Our representation to him requests his government to refuse the amount”. The Chairperson of the Association of Victims of Uphaar Tragedy (AVUT), Krishnamurthy was of the view that money is not the solution of the problem, “Can the money ever be a substitute for losing your children? Let the Supreme Court utilise it for faster criminal justice system in the country, we would be satisfied with that. Delhi government has enough money to build a trauma centre”, she added. On 13 June 1997, a major fire broke out in the Uphaar cinema, which killed 59 people.Day 186Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, who earlier supported the stand and cause of the protesting FTII students, went an extra mile on Wednesday. He offered the agitating students to come to Delhi and hold their classes here. Kejriwal fired a series of tweets in which he said, “Delhi government can offer you space in Delhi to run your classes till the Centre agrees to your demand. If the Centre doesn't agree, we will create a full-fledged institute for students to continue here. An institute of international repute is being destroyed by Centre's wrong decisions”, he said in a number of tweets. The FTII students have been protesting against the appointment of actor and BJP leader Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the institute since 12 June.Under a plan to widen the National Highway number 24 (NH-24), the AAP government in Delhi has decided to strike down unauthorised roadside shanties in East Delhi. These slums fall in the Patparganj legislative assembly constituency from where the Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is the sitting MLA. However, the AAP had promised not to demolish any unauthorised colonies or slums when it re-assumed power in the National Capital, the locals claim. A notification regarding the demolition of these slums was issued about a month ago by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate. One of the residents of the slums at Nehru Camp said, “We have been living here for the last 25-30 years but the government has suddenly asked us to vacate the land without any alternative arrangement. On the one hand, government has prohibited demolition of slums and on the other hand it is ready to bulldoze our houses. This action will leave us homeless”.Day 185The Delhiites may have to pay even lesser for electricity consumption if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his government have their way. Arvind Kejriwal maintained on Tuesday that the power tariffs in the city should be further cut down as the three private discoms in Delhi have produced undulyinflated figures upto Rs. 8,000 crore as the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) suggests. The AAP government is also contemplating on seeking legal opinion before moving the court against the publication of the final report. Kejriwal said, “If whatever has come out is true, then it will be a very big thing. The scam of Rs 8,000 crore has surfaced. Delhiites will be benefited as tariff will have to be brought down. We have received a draft report and we are studying it. Let the final report come”.Anxious with the rapidly rising water level in the River Yamuna, the AAP-led Delhi government is trying to get its act together before its too late. Delhi Minister of Irrigation and Flood Control Gopal Rai paid a visit to the river and examined the ground situation. He also visited the Flood Control body located inside the Kashmiri Gate Bus Terminus building and issued orders to the officials to take necessary steps on time. The minister also directed the officials to keep a track of the amount of water being released from the Hathini Kund Barrage and its potential impact on Delhi. The officials were further asked to keep in touch and coordinate with the authorities in Haryana.Day 184Bihar Chief Minster Nitish Kumar will be the chief guest at the 'Bihar Samman Sammelan', which will be hosted by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government on 19 August. This move by the Delhi government is being seen as an apparent attempt to evince support for the JD (U) leader ahead of the crucial Bihar assembly polls. According to the Delhi government officials, Nitish Kumar will be the chief guest in the programme, which will be held to honour people working for the uplifting of Bihar but living in Delhi.While the face-off between the AAP-led Delhi government and the Delhi Police has already become a major concern, the latest statement by the PWD, which works under the purview of the state government, may just make it worse. The PWD, in a statement on Monday, said that it would no longer be able to look after the maintenance of the Delhi Police colonies in the National Capital. Lack of funds is what has been cited as a reason behind the PWD's alleged inability to look after the maintenance of the residential colonies. “We used to maintain the buildings. But now, we are cash-strapped and need funds. Moreover, the police buildings fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which should allocate funds. It has issued new directions that only fresh constructions will be funded by the ministry and that we should forget our dues”, a PWD official said.Day 183The AAP government in Delhi, which had earlier given 50 per cent subsidy in electricity tariff, has decided to waive off electricity bills of defaulters with an aim at bringing relief to those who are facing disputes with the power companies (discoms). The government will launch a one-time settlement scheme. Under this scheme, the criminal and civil proceedings related to electricity disputes will be withdrawn.The Kejriwal government created yet another controversy after it appointed 'tainted' bureaucrat Kamal Malhotra as the Deputy Labour Commissioner. According to a news daily, the officer was twice fined by the Union Government for alleged irregularities. The decision to rope him in was criticised even by the existing staff in the department.The Delhi government plans to conduct the first ever tree census in the city with an aim at protecting its green cover. According to a government official, the Public Grievances Commission had recently recommended the government to carry out tree census in the city. “"However, such a massive census can not be done by the government alone and involvement of Residents' Welfare Associations and civic agencies will be crucial in this endeavour”, the official said.The Delhi government is planning a scheme to rehabilitate children begging at traffic signals and streets. The government is reportedly planning a committee that will conduct inspections on the streets. The members of the committee will interact with street children and persuade them to get into child care institutions.Day 182Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal attended the Independence Day celebrations on Saturday and for the first time unfurled the Indian Tricolour at the Chhatrasal Stadium in the National Capital. He was expected to announce a few plans for the city for the time to come, but he highlighted the achievements of his government during the six-month tenure in Delhi. He also attacked the previous governments over a number of issues. Kejriwal stressed the need of working closely with the Centre as well. During his Chief Ministerial speech at the function, Kejriwal hinted that the power tariffs in Delhi might be reduced further very soon. Although, in a serious tussle with the NDA led government in the Centre, Kejriwal was all praise for two of its Union Ministers. He praised the Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti, who recently expressed her willingness to see him to lay down a structured plan for the rejuvenation of river Yamuna. He also lauded Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for announcing an additional five lakh rupees each as compensation for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots with the expenses being borne by the Centre.The AAP led Delhi government found itself in the middle of yet another controversy when CM Arvind Kejriwal's name appeared in the stands of the Chhatrasal Stadium because of the way the seating arrangements for the students were made. It was criticised alike by not only the Congress party leaders but also Kejriwal's former associates and AAP leaders Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushant . However, the AAP government said that nothing was wrong with it as this has been done by the previous governments and in the same manner. The BJP, the main opposition in the Delhi Assembly, pronounced the incident as the CM's self-propaganda, which demeaned the sanctity of Independence Day itself.100 Days of Kejriwal (AAP) Government Achievements On 24 May 2015, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government completed 100 days in office in Delhi and now, all stakeholders want to look back and review what was promised in the Election Manifesto and what has been achieved till date by the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government.The last 100 days were hectic and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal continued to remain in news, though not always for the best reasons. His time in office has been mostly spent fighting one controversy after the other. Immediately after taking over as the Chief Minister, 47-year-old Arvind Kejriwal took on party colleagues Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav in full view of the media. Arvind Kejriwal’s handling of internal dissent reflected poorly on his ability to work alongside people with divergent and sometimes dissenting views, when actually politics is all about bringing people together through accommodation and consensus.With an overactive media critically scrutinising his and his party’s every move, Arvind Kejriwal stoked yet another controversy when he issued a circular asking his bureaucrats to report any case of misreporting or defamation by any section of the media. He went on to the extent of threatening the media with legal action. This move only resulted in further antagonising of the already critical media and it took the Supreme Court to intervene by placing a stay on the implementation of the order.This ugly spat had barely moved out of media glare when another controversy broke out with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung appointing Shakuntala Gamlin as an acting Chief Secretary in the absence of Chief Secretary KK Sharma, who was on a 10-day leave. Rather than addressing the tricky issue with tact, he responded by issuing a notification cancelling Shakuntala Gamlin’s appointment. This caused an unnecessary debate on constitutional rights between the Lieutenant Governor’s office and the Chief Minister’s office, with the matter reaching the President’s office.On its part, the MHA clarified that as per the existing rules, the LG was entitled to make the appointment; however, the MHA left it to the offices to amicably settle the matter. But CM Kejriwal refused to let it rest. He has now further hardened his position and called on for a two-day special session of the Delhi Assembly and may pass a resolution demanding full statehood. Caught up in the ugly fight for one-upmanship are the bureaucrats serving the Delhi government, whose morale is at an all-time low.In all this, the people of Delhi continue to live through the searing heat of Delhi’s summer, waiting for signs of better quality of life that they hoped Arvind Kejriwal would provide.Poll Manifesto Promises fulfilled by AAPControversy aside, there are several positive steps that Arvind Kejriwal has taken after becoming the Chief Minister. Here are some of the promises on which he has delivered, while many still await action.Power SubsidyIn the Poll Manifesto, the AAP had promised to halve power tariffs for consumers in Delhi. To his credit, one of the first actions Arvind Kejriwal undertook was to announce 50% reduction in power tariff. On the other side, not much action has been announced on how he plans to make up this shortfall.The manifesto also spoke about Delhi meeting 20% of its power needs through solar energy in the next 10 years. That translates to about 2% per year starting this year. However, 100 days have gone by and not much concerted action or investment in this regard has been seen.With Delhi succumbing under scorching heat, not much has been done towards working with discoms to ensure optimum power procurement and distribution. A new power plant for Delhi was promised but not much has been done towards allocating funds, nor has any action been taken towards land acquisition. The manifesto also spoke about optimising the Rajghat and Bawana plants for power generation without specifying how the government planned to do so. With the government bogged down with controversies, little action has been taken in this regard, while people continue to suffer power outages.Clean Drinking WaterThe manifesto spoke about people’s right to clean drinking water and promised to make 20 kilolitres of free water lifeline connection to every household. Here again, CM Kejriwal must be applauded for implementing this poll promise immediately after taking the office.The manifesto promised a water pipeline to every home in Delhi supplying clean drinking water. In the last 100 days, very few water pipelines have been laid, with large parts of Delhi still waiting for water to be made available through tankers, etc. The citizens who still do not have water pipeline connections are still a long way from getting this promise fulfilled.A network of Piaos (water kiosks) was to be set up in JJ Colonies to meet the drinking water requirements of the people; however, this summer has not seen many new kiosks being set up. The city continues to depend on tankers to meet their daily requirements of water.Another promise was on water conservation. The party promised to implement a dual water distribution system to recycle community waste water for non-domestic use. This was to be implemented in housing societies, commercial complexes, malls, etc. However, no announcements have been made in this regard.The manifesto also promised that the government would build underground water reservoirs, booster pumping stations and water treatment plants. All these require planning, fund allocation and land acquisition before any tendering process begins.Safe drinking water that meets BIS: 10500 Certification standards was to be supplied. Zonal water testing facilities in all the nine zones of Delhi were to be put up to check, test and monitor water quality levels.The manifesto also promised to initiate a program for the supply and installation of bulk and domestic water meters to monitor pressure, flow and supply using latest data analytical tools.A lot was promised on the revival of the river Yamuna – all requiring detailed planning, coordination with stakeholders, fund allocation and comprehensive monitoring.100 days have gone by; however, no word has been uttered on any of the above.Building Community Toilets and Effective Sewage SystemsThe AAP set for itself an ambitious target to provide a comprehensive sanitation system to 42 lakh people of Delhi who still do not have access to toilets and proper sewage system. The plan included building of two lakh new public toilets, half of which were to be for women. Till date, little is known regarding whether any areas have been earmarked, funds have been allocated or tenders have been issued on this account. The people of Delhi are still waiting.EducationThe manifesto highlighted the previous government’s budget allocation on education of 15% and showed that only 1.6% of GSDP was spent on education. Furthermore, the manifesto highlighted the fact that from 2003 to 2011, only 211 new government schools were opened in Delhi.The party promised to open 500 new schools and 20 new colleges. This translates to opening 100 new schools and five new colleges every year. With 100 days gone by, it is still a mystery as to how does CM Kejriwal propose to meet its target of 100 schools and five new colleges this year when neither any land has been acquired nor any budgetary provisions have been allocated.Furthermore, 17,000 new teachers are to be recruited. When this process is likely to start and how the Delhi government proposes to meet the additional cost given its already precarious financial situation are still an enigma.The party had also promised to allocate Rs. 1 lakh of untied funds to every school principal and give him/her the administrative and financial control over his employees. While this may sound a welcome step towards delegating more responsibility and freedom to principals, little has been stated on how the same will be monitored for misuse. And if these funds are made available to school principals, then from where the financial resources will come to build the much publicised 500 schools?Public HealthcareThe AAP has made some very ambitious promises to improve the medical infrastructure in Delhi. The manifesto stated that the party would increase the number of beds in primary and tertiary hospitals of the Delhi government from 10,600 to 40,000. This means that the party plans to add 29,400 beds over its term of five years. This translates to 5,880 beds per year. The per capita budget required for each hospital bed is significant and the per year funds requirement will be massive. Beds can’t be added without accompanying civil infrastructure and support staff of doctors, nurses, paramedics and technicians.With 100 days gone by, can the CM throw some light on the project status of the targeted 5,880 beds for this year? There are 4,000 vacancies for doctors and 15,000 vacancies for paramedics that the party had promised to fill immediately. Firstly, where these 4,000 qualified doctors are available for recruitment and how one raises 15,000 paramedics in a short period are a conundrum. Moreover, the question is how the Delhi government proposes to fund this additional expenditure when meeting expenses in just maintaining the existing medical facilities is a challenge. Another poll commitment had been to build 900 primary health centres in Delhi. This translates to 180 new primary health centres to be built every year over the next five years. Again, 100 days have gone and neither word nor any provision towards these has been initiated.Women’s Rights and SafetyWomen’s safety was a major poll issue for the AAP and the party promised to undertake several measures immediately to address this vital issue. The party promised to install two lakh CCTVs across public areas of Delhi and in buses, to monitor and respond to crimes in real time. To augment Delhi’s security, the party had committed to raise a Mahila Suraksha Dal comprising of new 10,000 home guards who will be recruited from the vast population that is currently working as maids or drivers or in other support services in the domestic area. Additionally, the party stated that they would use 5,000 bus marshals to monitor security in buses.While this is a laudable initiative, any recruitment by the government comes with a total cost package and a force this large will require a matching budget to recruit, train, deploy and maintain. Then there are other benefits and costs involved as well.Along with the aforementioned promises, additional working women’s hostels and shelters for the homeless had been promised. Though no numbers had been committed, what is interesting to note is that even no discussion on an action plan for implementing these has been initiated.CM Kejriwal is going to be hard-pressed to raise funds for the above.Pension Scheme for Senior CitizensThe manifesto promised immediate implementation of a universal and non-contributory old age pension system that would assure a dignified amount, indexed to inflation, to the beneficiary. The government is yet to announce any action taken so far on this account.Development of Rural Areas of DelhiThe AAP had promised several measures for improving the quality of life of those living in rural areas of Delhi by providing better water supply, electricity, education and infrastructural facilities.The party has also committed to build 100 new schools, more veterinary hospitals and 50 new ambulances. It remains to be seen how many of these have been kick-started by the Delhi government thus far and how it plans to roll out these in the remaining time it has.Regularisation of Unauthorised ColoniesThe AAP has promised and fulfilled their promise to ban demolition of ‘Jhuggis’. Furthermore, the party had promised to regularise the unauthorised colonies within one year in office and give full ownership rights to all the valid residents who had built their structures.It must be said that CM Kejriwal remains committed to fulfilling these and some work has already been started. The party plans to mobilise the ‘Mohalla Sabhas’ to assist and coordinate the same at the local level.Mohalla SabhasTowards fulfilling his poll promise for ‘Swaraj’ in Delhi, CM Kejriwal has taken an initiate to start ‘Mohalla Sabhas’, which is one of the efficient ways of empowering people and involving them to take decisions on developmental issues that impact them most at the local level. As a concept, the attempt at involving people as a part of the planning and execution process at the local level is indeed admirable.To his credit, CM Kejriwal has shown serious intent towards this and directed his team to organise a series of ‘Mohalla Sabhas’ across Delhi. The initial reactions to the initiative have been mixed, with the RWAs expressing concern at the overlap of responsibilities and becoming marginalised in the process.The ‘Mohalla Sabhas’ have been entrusted with the coordination of several developmental issues at the local level, pertaining to regularisation and development of unauthorised colonies and slums.Going forward, the concept of ‘Mohalla Sabhas’ will need further refining for standardization of processes for identifying projects, debating viability, selecting contractors, ensuring quality material supply and finally doing work audit. All of these are yet to be addressed and unless addressed quickly, it will give rise to accusations and counter-accusations regarding favouritism and corruption in selection of contractors and quality of material supply and finally creating financial irregularity.Employment GenerationThe manifesto promised:Establishing technology incubators at the college and university levelProviding 3 million sq ft of affordable incubation spaceFilling 50,000 vacancies in government departments and other autonomous bodies in GNCTUndertaking on priority to skill one lakh youth per year for the first two years and then increase it to five lakh per year for the remaining three yearsActions on all the aforementioned points are yet to be taken. This year alone one lakh youth are to be skilled. With 100 Days already gone by, the government is going to be hard-pressed for funds and time to meet the promised targets on any of the above. The party has already opposed FDI in retail in Delhi. It remains to be seen what measures the Delhi government will take to attract investors to the state, for creation of new jobs, which is not just a necessity but a priority.Infrastructure DevelopmentThe AAP has promised to work towards making Delhi a modern and green city. Towards improving the public transportation system, the Delhi Metro will continue to get support of the Delhi government; however, the DTC remains a problem area. From fleet modernisation to reforms in recruitment including regularisation of contractual workers, all remain work in progress as only little work has been done so far.The state was to acquire modern air-conditioned buses to ease the pressure of traffic ; however, little progress has been made on this front. Availability of funds remains a problem.Jan LokpalThe AAP was formed on the anti-corruption plank and had committed itself to building an effective Jan Lokpal as top priority. This remains a desired goal but little progress has been made to get the required consensus to pass the Bill.There are several poll promises that require serious review. What’s next is whether people will allow the party to go back on its poll promises, even partially.Demand for Full Statehood for DelhiThe recent spat with the LG on the right of the state government to appoint bureaucrats has now led Team Kejriwal to push for the demand for full statehood for Delhi.CM Kejriwal realises that this is an opportunity for him to press for the demand as it resonates favourably with the people and will give him the requisite powers for more effective governance.This is not going to be easy by any means. If Arvind Kejriwal succeeds in his endeavour, he will emerge as a hero and remain one at the time of the next state elections and both the BJP and the Congress realise that. Therefore, in all probability, despite his attempts to get the Delhi Assembly to endorse his demand for full statehood, it will run into a wall when it reaches the Parliament. This, in turn, will force the CM back to taking the streets, something that he relishes, and try and emerge as both a victim and a hero for the cause of Delhi. His next moves will be closely watched by all the stakeholders.Narendra Modi vs. Arvind KejriwalSimilar Mandates,Contrasting Styles It was Arvind Kejriwal who wanted a comparison between the 100 days of the NDA with his 100 days in power. While a comparison between the two parties is difficult as they have differing mandates and scale, it is interesting to note that there are a lot of similarities between the rise of both the leaders in national politics, the popular support from the voters and the subsequent style of leadership. This comparison becomes inevitable given that both reside in the same city.Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India after a long and successful stint at the state level, where he honed his political and administrative skills. His taking to politics at the national level was a huge step but he took it as a fish would take to water.In contrast, Arvind Kejriwal rose rapidly on the back of street-agitation politics. His lack of political understanding and administrative skills is seriously impeding his chances of emerging as a leader with a difference. He came into politics with the mandate of providing corruption-free administration with people participation and empowerment as his hallmark. However, he has not been able to inspire confidence or leadership among the bureaucrats working in his administration. In fact, many want to revert to central cadre.And finally, what do people of Delhi think of Kejriwal after 100 days?One thing remains clear and that is the Aam Aadmi of Delhi still believes and remains loyal to Arvind Kejriwal and what he stands for. In him, they see a David who cares and one who is willing to stand up to the Goliath in the Narendra Modi-led NDA at the centre.Despite not seeing much action on the ground, people do register the immediate power and water subsidy given by CM Kejriwal on taking office and continue to remain patient that he will deliver on most of his promises over time. Team Kejriwal also nurtures this sentiment and responds with good governance that the citizens of Delhi deserve and look forward to.