Railway Ministry Helps Paralysed Passenger Alight Train After Son Tweets His Request For Help

Ok, we may be part of a huge population the majority of which spends days lamenting the government and it's departments.

Granted that many of the government agencies are spending more time devising new ways to waste public money and make life easier for babus but there are some government companies which want to make a real difference and the Indian Railways surely seem like one of them.


Pankaj Jain and his father who were latest recipients of some love from Railway Min Twitter handle. Image: Twitter

The largest public sector enterprise in the country has in recent times shown a great affinity for modernization and love for its passengers.
In recent times we have heard much about the new catering systems coming into force and combined with the new age coaches the zest to travel in a train is surely increasing.
Add to this one of the best customer relation management team in the world and you  and have an unstoppable force.

Recently Railways twitter handle was in news for helping a woman who felt unsafe while travelling on a train and now the batman-esque Twitter handle has struck again.
Pankaj Jain, a businessman and a JDS youth wing member from Karnataka, was travelling on train with his father, who is paralysed due to an ailment, to Butati Dham for some treatment. Butati Dham is a famous place near Pushkar where people suffering from paralysis often visit for cure at the Chatur Das ji Maharaj Temple.

The train he was travelling in has a 3 minute stop at Merta station which will not be enough for his father to alight. Needless to say, the stressed Pankaj was looking for some help when a friend suggested he tweet to the Railway Ministry Twitter handle.


And he did:

https://twitter.com/pankajjain86/status/670599362620358659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

In the next tweet, he explained the situation:

And then 'they' replied:

Next day, the train didn't just stop at the station for 10 long minutes but the entire station staff was waiting at the platform with a wheelchair to escort Pankaj's father.
Pankaj could not hide his happiness and tweeted his thanks to everyone!!!

Well, we have to hand it to you Super Twitter Handle aka @GMNWRailway, you are making believers out of us!!! Acche Din on tracks may be?

By Deepu Madhavan,
[India Times]
 

The Govt Now Wants Army's Gurkha Units To End Ritualistic Buffalo Sacrifice!

Signalling the end of an age old tradition, the defence ministry has asked the army to ensure that none of its units indulge in the ritual slaughtering of buffalos, reminding the force that sacrificing bovines is against the law. Highly-placed sources in the ministry told ET that instructions have been issued to put an end to the practice of certain army units to behead a male buffalo (Rango) during Dussehra that is attributed mostly to Gurkha tradition.

 

 

 

TReutersqz.com

 

"No doubt it is an old tradition but the tradition is now against Indian law. There are laws that govern slaughter and sacrificing an animal in such a manner is against the rules," a top defence ministry functionary told ET. Sources said instructions were sent earlier this month to ensure that buffalo sacrifice did not take place at Gurkha units across the country on Dussehra. The view of the government is that the ritual sacrifice amounts to cruelty and the slaughtering of an animal has to be done according to the law.

 

"It is understood that there may be some who wish to carry out this tradition but rules should not be bent. If there is such a need, rules can be followed and the animal can be taken to government authorized slaughter houses as per the law," a ministry source said, adding that there has been no opposition to the move.

 

 

While the decision has been welcomed by some veterans who believe that it is time for such traditions to fade away, others have opposed the move. "Over a period of time, the practice of buffalo sacrifice has reduced in Gurkha battalions. The men would be equally up to accepting the fact that we have to change with time. I do not see any opposition to such a move," Brigadier Rattan Kaul (retd), who commanded the 4/5 Gurkha battalion, said.

(Originally published in The Times of India)

 

ET Bureau October 30, 2015

Indian Air Force Rafale Jets Will Be Made In India, To Give Boost To Tejas Technology

India's largest-ever military deal is likely to bring in big business for the private sector with the French side looking to set up a production centre for the Rafale fighter aircraft as well as a low-cost executive jet in India, besides sharing vital aircraft technology for the indigenous Tejas project.

Reuters

Officials familiar with the project have told ET that major partners for this 'Make in India' project are currently being identified by the French side and are likely to include Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence Systems, Noida-based Samtel and Bharat ElectronicsBSE -0.36 %. These officials, both Indian and French, spoke on the condition they not be identified.

Spokespersons of the Anil Ambani-led Reliance Group told ET "there is no development". Officials on the French side told ET, on condition of anonymity, that the agreement between Rafale and an Indian partner will be on the lines of the 2012 agreement between the French company and the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries.

The NDA government had reformatted the UPA government deal and ordered 36 aircraft, instead of 126. The Rafale fighter deal, which will bring in at least $4.5 billion into 'Make in India' projects as per the contract being negotiated, is set to involve a third production line for the aircraft in India, French officials have told ET.

While two lines for the fighter are currently active in France at the same facility, a third line in India would take care of export orders for the fighters and also possible future orders by the Indian Navy and Air Force. The line would also support the production of a low-cost variant of the 'Falcon' executive jet for the Indian and Asian markets.

Reuters

"It will not be possible to roll out any of the 36 fighters being acquired by India from the production line as it would take time to set up but future orders, including exports, will be fulfilled with the new line," a person involved in the discussions has told ET. "At most, the final painting of the last ten aircraft to be delivered to India could be carried out at the Indian assembly line. This itself is a very high technology process as the fighter has a special anti-radar coat," the person added.

Besides the joint production facilities in India, the French side is also set to transfer some key technologies to DRDO that would benefit the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) project. A complete list of the technology to be transferred is being finalised but would include several systems to make the LCA more effective.

Technology to be transferred includes the air intake system for the fighter, an undercarriage for the naval variant of the LCA, cutting edge radar absorbing painting technology as well as an integrated production line software and management system for the fighter aircraft.

Reuters

While the main Rafale contract is likely to be signed this financial year, as was reported by ET, a separate contract for armament systems will be signed at a later date with French company MBDA. A partnership for transfer of technology and production could be inked with the Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) that specialises in advanced armaments.

Engineer-General Stephane Reb, Director of the International Directorate of the DGA (General Directorate for Armament) of the French Ministry of Defence is in New Delhi this week to finalise the inter-governmental agreement draft that is likely to be signed before January 26 when French President Francois Hollande will visit India as the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade.

 

 

Manu Pubby, ET Bureau  November 29, 2015

On this day - Lt Gen Raj Kadyan

Life is a paradox. One can live one's dreams and nighmares at the same time.

On this day, 01 Dec....

1783 - The first manned voyage of a hydrogen balloon left Paris carrying Professor Jacques Alexander Cesar Charles and Marie-Noel Robert to about 600 m and landed 43 km away after 2 hours in the air.

1857 - A U.S. patent was issued to Ephraim Ball for his mower design, which became the first widely successful of the two-wheeled flexible or hinged bar mowers.  After his “Ohio Mower” he continued inventing farm machinery, including the “New American Harvester,” of which 10,000 were produced annually.

1878 - The White House had its first telephone installed by Alexander Graham Bell himself, during the President Rutherford B. Hayes administration. It is reported that the first outgoing call went to Bell, thirteen miles away. Hayes first words instructed Bell to speak more slowly. President Hayes did not use it very often, however, because there were not many other telephones in Washington.

1903 - "The Great Train Robbery", the 1st Western film, released.

1913 - The continuous moving assembly line introduced by Ford in his Detroit factory was capable of delivering a car every 2-min 38-sec. By the summer of 1913, three subassemblies (magnetos, motors, and transmissions) were assembled on moving lines using conveyor belts. Because these moving lines produced subassemblies faster than the main production line could take them, a moving chassis line was added to replace his “push” assembly line. The method was so successful that the Ford Motor Co. became the world's largest car manufacturer. Business men the world over flocked to Detroit to glean the secrets of the moving assembly line.

1931 - The Second Round Table conference that began in London ended. Congress was solely represented by Gandhi and Muslim League by Sir Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam, etc. Two committees were setup to carry out the work of the conference on Federal Structure and Minorities. Gandhi was the member of both committees. He claimed that being the sole representative of the Congress, he represented the whole of India. Quaid-e-Azam replied that Muslims are a separate nation.

1959 - The first colour photograph of the earth from outer space was taken from the nose of a Thor missile launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The data capsule containing the camera was recovered 16 Feb 1960 on the beach of Mayaguana Island, Bahama Islands, approximately 1,700 miles from the take-off point.

1963 - Nagaland becomes the 16th state of Indian union.

1965 - Border Security Force came into existence; to be armed and trained to man the International Border with Pakistan.

1990 -  British and French workers digging the Channel Tunnel between their countries finally met in the service tunnel after knocking out a passage large enough to walk through and shake hands, 22.3 km from the UK and 15.6 km from France. When British construction worker Graham Fagg and his French counterpart, Philippe Cozette, drilled through the final piece of rock, the United Kingdom and France were now linked for the first time in 8,000 years. The event was witnessed photographers, reporters, and a small handful of privileged spectators. The tunnelling began three years earlier, on this same day in 1987.

Born....

1894 - Bhim Sen Sachar, freedom fighter, leader and Chief Minister of Punjab.

RIP....

1990 - Vijayalaxmi Pandit, first Indian Lady Ambassador and Politician, passed away at the age of 90 years.

Good morning. Have a nice day.
Raj Kadyan

China Welcomes Indian Air Force Chief Arup Raha's Comments on Bilateral Ties

All India | Press Trust of India | Updated: December 01, 2015 01:28 IST

 

Referring to India-China relations, Air Force Chief had said the adversarial stance should now change into a more friendly stance.

Beijing: China today welcomed Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha's remark that China should not be viewed as an adversary and called for deepening of strategic bilateral relationship.
"Noted the positive remarks made by Air Force Commander of India. We believe that we should keep deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries and push for new progress of bilateral relationship," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
She also said that instead of threatening each other, they should cooperate as they are the biggest developing countries and most dynamic emerging markets in the world. "We should be long-term strategic partners to each other," she said.

"We are in the same region, we have common interests. I don't think that we should look at them as adversaries anymore," Air Force Chief Arup Raha had said.
Stating that two rising economic or military powers can co-exist, Air Force Chief had said, the adversarial stance should now change into a more friendly stance.
Hua also recalled Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip this year to China.
"As for differences and the boundary dispute, both of us agreed to properly manage the differences through the border related management regime to create favourable environment for the improvement of bilateral relations," she said.
"We would like to make joint efforts with the Indian side to deepen the political mutual trust as well as mutual beneficial cooperation so as to ensure that a bilateral relationship will be developing on the right track and deliver benefits to the peoples and the whole region," she said.

Story First Published: December 01, 2015 01:28 IST

[NDTV]