A seven-year-old boy was saved by a constable from the Railway Protection Force in Naigaon railway station in Mumbai. The constable’s swift action saved the boy from slipping into the small gap between the train track and the platform.

Constable Sunil Kumar Napa was on his duty at platform number 2, at Naigaon station, around 9 pm on February 2, when a train going towards Churchgate entered the station. CCTV footage showed that the boy, who was with his mother, trying to board but before he could the train started moving and he slipped and fell. His mother was already inside the compartment.

The constable, who was standing nearby, rushed in at lightning speed and caught the boy just on time, saving him from an accident, which could have been fatal. Commuters around were stunned but after a few seconds they rushed to towards the boy.

In appreciation of his swift action, the Western Railways have rewarded Constable Sunil Napa for his “exemplary courage and humanity”. The Railways said, apart from the reward, a certificate for his “sense of duty, presence of mind and quick action” has been awarded. The Railways a tweeted, “we thank other commuters too who helped the mother and the child.”

Mumbai trains, which are the lifeline of the city, see as many as eight accidents per day. According to the numbers of the Government Railway Police, over 3,000 people have died in train accidents in 2017.  Just about a fortnight ago, 22-year-old Marathi actor Praful Bhalerao, died in a similar situation when he tried to hop on to a moving train.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said there has been a 180 per cent increase in the allocation for Karnataka after the BJP-led NDA government came to power in the centre. The money, however, has not been passed on by the state’s Congress government, he said. He also outlined the party’s plan for the state, which includes a suburban railway for Bengaluru, bonanza for farmers and reiterated Union finance minister Arun Jaitley’s budget promise of putting men in hawai chappals (slippers)  in haiwai jahaaj (airplanes).

“When the Congress was there in the centre, Karnataka was given Rs. 73,000 crore. When the BJP came to power in the centre, we gave the state 2 lakh crore. It is an increase of 180 per cent. However, have you seen that money given to the state?” he said.

He also blamed the Congress for murders of volunteers of the BJP. “With the Congress government in the state, what makes the news is ‘ease of doing murder’,” he charged, pitting it against what he said was the BJP’s focus of improving “ease of living” and ease of doing business.

The Prime Minister also continued his pitch to the farmers, who have been one of the key focus areas in the recently announced Union budget. The BJP, he said, has given “TOP” priority to the farmers, he added, explaining, “by TOP, I mean Tomato, Onion, Potato”.

The focus, he indicated, was also evident in the party’s choice for the top job in the state — BS Yeddyurappa, who headed the earlier BJP government in the state.

Karnataka is the only state in south India, where the BJP came to power once. The party is going all-out to wrest power from the Congress in the assembly election that will be held later this year. Mr Yeddyurappa led the statewide Parivartana Rally, whose culmination was being addressed by PM Modi at Palace Grounds in the heart of the city.

The ruling Congress has dismissed the possibility of the rally influencing the voters. Senior state Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao said, “It was more an yatra of lies and deceit than any parivartana (progress)… they had no agenda or material to attack us. So all they were doing is spreading lies and creating disturbance.”

NEW DELHI:  With job announcement for Class 10 pass and Diploma candidates, Indian Railways has opened up the biggest opportunity for government job aspirants in the country. 21 RRBs, nationwide, will recruit for 27019 vacant Assistant Loco Pilots (ALP) and Technician Grade III posts. Interested candidates can register online till 5 March 2018. The first stage selection process, which will be computer based test (CBT), will be held in April/ May 2018. In 2015, Indian Railways had conducted the biggest recruitment, then, for 18252 RRB NTPC posts.

Indian Railways Announces Jobs For 10th Pass, Diploma Candidates; 27019 Vacancies

There will be two CBTs for both the posts; for ALP post, candidates who qualify the second stage CBT will appear for computer based Aptitude Test (AT).

Applicants should note that individual RRBs will come up with fresh vacancy details after the completion of first CBT. ‘RRBs will publish updated Vacancy Table on their websites indicating the RRB wise vacancies against various Railways/Production units and posts after the completion of First Stage CBT. Candidates who secure marks, equal to or above the Minimum Qualifying Marks prescribed for various communities/categories in the First Stage CBT shall be advised to exercise their option for RRB and preference of Railways and Posts within the chosen RRB.’

Indian Railways ALP, Technician Recruitment Begins: Know How To Apply

CBT, in both stages, will carry negative marking. One third of the marks allotted for each question shall be deducted for each wrong answer. There shall be no negative marking for Computer Based Aptitude Test.

In the second stage CBT, number of candidates shortlisted will be 15 times the vacancies available.

Exam Pattern For First Stage CBT
The exam will be of 1 hour duration and will comprise of 75 questions. The minimum marks required to qualify is 40% for unreserved categories. The questions will be from Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning, General Science and General Awareness on Current Affairs.

Exam Pattern For Second Stage CBT
The exam will be of 2 hours and 30 minutes duration (part A: 90 minutes; part B: 60 minutes). Part A will have the same qualifying mark criteria and will consist of 100 questions from Mathematics, General Intelligence and Reasoning, Basic Science and Engineering, General Awareness on Current Affairs. Part B will be qualifying in nature.

Indian Railways ALP, Technician Recruitment 2018 For 27019 Vacancies: Check Your Eligibility

Exam Pattern For Aptitude Test
Only those candidates who have registered for Assistant Loco Pilot post and have qualified both stages of CBT will appear for it. ‘Candidate needs to secure a minimum score of 42 marks in each of the test batteries to qualify. This is applicable to all candidates and no relaxation is permissible.’ There will be no negative marking in this test.

Document Verification
Candidates equal to 50% of the number of vacancy for various posts will also be called for document verification.

Online registration for recruitment to 27019 vacancies in Assistant Loco Pilot and Technician recruitment in 21 railway recruitment boards under Indian Railways has begun. This is a big opportunity for class 10 pass with ITI and Diploma holders. This is one of the biggest recruitment drives ever conducted by Indian Railways, the last one being RRB NTPC CEN 03/2015 recruitment. The official notification CEN 01/ 2018 has been released online. Online registration portal will be open till 5 March 2018.

Read: Indian Railways Announces Jobs For 10th Pass, Diploma Candidates; 27019 Vacancies

Assistant Loco Pilot: Candidates must be class 10 pass with ITI in the trades of Armature and Coil Winder / Electrician / Electronics Mechanic / Fitter / Heat Engine / Instrument Mechanic / Machinist / Mechanic Diesel / Mechanic Motor Vehicle / Millwright Maintenance Mechanic / Mechanic Radio & TV / Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Mechanic / Tractor Mechanic / Turner / Wireman; those with Apprenticeship in the relevant trade are also eligible to apply.

For ALF, Diploma holders in Mechanical / Electrical / Electronics / Automobile Engineering (OR) combination of various streams of these engineering disciplines are also eligible to apply.

Read: Indian Railways ALP, Technician Recruitment Begins: Know How To Apply

Technician Grade III: Candidates must be 10th pass with ITI or Apprenticeship in the relevant trade.

Those awaiting final results are not eligible to apply.

Candidates fulfilling the above eligibility criteria and in the age group of 18-28 years are eligible to apply.

Indian Railways has come up with the biggest recruitment of the year. After RRB NTPC 2015, this is one of the major recruitment for 27019 Assistant Loco Pilot (ALP) and Technicians. The first stage computer based test, as a part of the selection process, will be held during April and May 2018. Class 10 pass candidates in the age group of 18-28 years are eligible for the recruitment. Candidates shall have to apply at the official website of the RRBs. ‘One application ONLY is required to be submitted for all the notified posts in the Central Employment Notice (CEN).

Read: RRB Recruitment 2018: Jobs For 10th Pass, Diploma Candidates; 27019 Vacancies

Candidates should ensure their eligibility before going for registration. After the submission of application form, candidates will receive registration number and password. OTP will be sent to the registered mobile number of the applicant which will be used to login to the portal and complete the application details and make payment. Candidate should note and preserve their registration number for later reference during the recruitment process and RRBs will not entertain any request seeking registration number.

While Part 1 of the application will ask educational qualification, community, gender, religion, Ex-Serviceman, PWD, minority, economically backward class, age relaxation, eligibility category, etc., the second part of the registration will ask applicants details of the educational qualification, requirement of scribe, choice of exam language, etc.

Indian Railways ALP, Technician Recruitment 2018 For 27019 Vacancies: Check Your Eligibility

Candidates should be very particular about the photograph and signature which needs to be scanned properly with the required dimensions.

Applicants will get a chance to modify their application as well (other than State, email and mobile number) by paying a modification fee of Rs. 250. ‘The modification fee shall be applicable to all candidates including fee concession categories and this fee is not refundable for any category. The modification to the registration and application details can be done twice only.’

Applicants shall have to pay application fee of Rs. 500 (Rs. 250 for for candidates belonging to SC / ST / Ex-Serviceman / PWDs / Female / Transgender / Minorities / Economically backward class; this fee will be refunded to the same account from which the payment is made).

Indian Railways has announced recruitment for 27019 vacant posts of Assistant Loco Pilot and Technician posts. The job notification, CEN 01/2018 is available online in the official website of all Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs). Candidates can also find the details in Employment News (3-9 February 2018). Online registration for the same has begun and will continue 5 March 2018. ‘One application ONLY is required to be submitted for all the notified posts in this CEN. Any attempt by a candidate to submit more than one application against this CEN shall result in disqualification and debarment,’ clarifies the recruiting body about the application process.

A total of 27019 vacancies are open for recruitment in 21 RRBs. Candidates should note that, ‘RRBs will publish Updated Vacancy Table again on their websites indicating the RRB wise revised vacancies against various Railways/Production Units and posts after the completion of First Stage CBT.’

Read: Indian Railways ALP, Technician Recruitment Begins: Know How To Apply

Candidates will be selected on the basis of their performance in computer based test (two stages), computer based aptitude test and document verification. ‘The date, time and venue for all the activities viz First stage CBT, Second stage CBT, Computer Based AT and DV or any other additional activity as applicable shall be fixed by the RRBs and shall be intimated to the eligible candidates in due course.’

Even after submission of the application, candidates can edit the details (other than State, email and mobile number) by paying Rs. 250 as the modification fee.

Indian Railways ALP, Technician Recruitment 2018 For 27019 Vacancies: Check Your Eligibility

This is one of the biggest examinations conducted by the Indian Railways; bigger than RRB NTPC recruitment 2015. In 2015, Indian Railways had announced recruitment for 18252 vacancies. While more than 90 lakh candidates had registered for the examination, more than 55 lakh actually appeared for it. 2.73 lakh qualified the preliminary exam and were called for written test. Describing it as the “largest online examination in the world”, the official said that in order to ensure complete transparency, the railways has introduced the system of showing answer papers online to examinees one week after the examination. Earlier, recruitment examinations in Railway Board used to be conducted manually, but the Indian Railways had to abandon the manual system and opt for online mode after a few alleged incidents of question paper leak.

Thousands of commuters in Mumbai faced delays and detours after a fire broke out in one of the coaches of a suburban train at Dadar station tonight.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Management unit said that the fire, that broke out around 9:24 pm, had been doused and there were no injuries to any commuter.

A Central Railway spokesperson said that the fire began underneath one of the coaches and it was possibly a case of brake binding – a technical problem where the brake gets jammed, leading to friction, fire and smoke.

He added that three trains going towards the suburbs were affected and they had to be diverted to the fast line between Byculla and Kurla.

Chief public relations officer of Central Railway, Sunil Udasi said, “It was a rake made by BHEL. There was a minor fire which was immediately brought under control. The coach was empty. The down slow traffic was diverted to down fast line.”

“The train was cleared in 10 minutes and down slow traffic will also be restored on its normal path,” Mr Udasi added.

The Ministry of Railways is having a rethink on flexi-fares and bringing in a dynamic pricing system that will help increase occupancy and enhance revenues, Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said today.

Replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha, he also said his ministry was planning a major overhaul of the obsolete signalling system currently being used and to introduce latest technology.

During the Question Hour, some members raised questions about the flexi-fares, with BJP member Ram Vichar Netam saying there were times when the prices rose to a quite high level.

In response, Goyal said a committee has submitted a report on how to dynamically price the train tickets which would also help improving profits.

Under this system, discounts could be given during the off season, the minister said, adding that the fares would automatically adjust themselves through artificial intelligence, algorithms or technology, to help trains have more occupancy, thus maximizing revenues.

“We have got a detailed report on how to make it a dynamic fares from flexi fares which will be decided according to the season and demand and supply…Sometimes the consumer may get tickets at cheap rates and sometimes a bit higher,” he said.

During the discussion, Congress member Jairam Ramesh asked whether the social obligation costs pertaining to the railways would be borne by the government as the Railway Budget and the General Budget have been combined.

Goyal said the railways needed to increase efficiency which will increase its profits and provide resources to meet social obligations.

Referring to the signaling system, he said 100-year old technology was still being used by railways and this obsolete technology was responsible for delays during situations like fog.

“We are looking at transforming the entire signalling system of 1,10,000 plus line kilometers of the railways in the next five to six years,” the minister said.

He said the government was looking at ETS II which is the most modern signalling system.

“The moment I can change the signalling system, I can double the carrying capacity of the railways,” he said.

He said once this is done, the railways will be able to meet social obligations by increasing efficiency.

He said the Railways was active in meeting its social duties and added that a train was recently started through a insurgency-affected area in Chhattisgarh.

Replying to another question, Goyal said the Railways were not in losses and several measures were being taken to increase efficiency which will help the Railways to improve its profitability.

“We have not increased fares in last four years, certainly there is stress on the budget of Railways, keeping in view the impact of pay commission,” he said.

KOLKATA: With a view to clear extra rush of passengers during Summer, South Eastern Railway has decided to run thirteen pairs of AC Superfast Summer Special trains between Santragachi-Hapa-Santragachi during the period from 06.04.18 to 02.07.18.

Santragachi-Hapa (02834) Special leaving Santragachi at 21.05 hrs every Friday will reach Hapa at 15.50 hrs, on Sunday. In the opposite direction, Hapa-Santragachi Special (02833) leaving Hapa at 10.40 hrs every Monday will arrive Santragachi at 05.45 hrs, on Wednesday.

The Special trains consisting of fourteen AC 3-Tier coaches will have stoppages at Kharagpur, Tatanagar, Chakradharpur, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Bilaspur, Raipur, Durg, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Badnera, Akola, Malkapur, Bhusaval, Jalgaon, Amalner, Nandurbar, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Nandiad, Ahmedabad, Viramgam, Sunar, Wakaner and Rajkot stations enroute.