Relevance: GS III (Infrastructure & Technology) | Source: PIB

1. What is the Big News?

The Railway Minister has launched the Rail Tech Policy and a special Rail Tech Portal.

• This is a part of the government’s “52 Reforms in 52 Weeks” plan to fix old problems.
• The Main Goal: To open the doors of Indian Railways to young Indian start-ups. Instead of just buying technology from foreign companies, we want our own engineers to build it.

2. The New Tech Tools (What is being built?)

The policy focuses on simple but smart solutions for safer travel:

• AI for Animal Safety: Using the Elephant Intrusion Detection System (EIDS). This uses Artificial Intelligence to alert train drivers if elephants are near the tracks, preventing sad accidents.
• Drones & Sensors: Drones will now fly over tracks to find tiny cracks (rail fractures) that the human eye might miss.
• Fog-Proof Travel: New sensors are being made to help train drivers “see” through thick winter fog in North India, so trains don’t get delayed for hours.
• Fire Detection: Using smart sensors inside coaches to catch fire or smoke at a very early stage.

3. Why do we need this?

• Safety First: Manual checking of thousands of kilometres of track is slow and has chances of human error. Technology is faster and more accurate.
• Helping Start-ups: Earlier, it was very hard for a small company to work with a giant like the Railways. This policy makes the process simple and easy.
• Faster Justice: A new e-RCT system has been launched. If an accident happens, victims can now file for compensation online from their homes instead of running to government offices for years.

4. How does it help the Innovators?

• 50-50 Funding: The Railways will pay for half the cost (50%) to help start-ups build their first models.
• Aatmanirbhar Bharat: By making these tools in India, we save money and create high-tech jobs for our youth.

UPSC Value Box

With reference to recent reforms in the Indian Railways, consider the following statements:

1. The ‘Rail Tech Policy’ allows for a cost-sharing partnership where the government provides 50% funding to start-ups for technology development.
2. The Elephant Intrusion Detection System (EIDS) uses Artificial Intelligence to prevent train-animal collisions.
3. The ‘e-RCT’ portal has been launched to digitize the process of filing railway accident compensation claims.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer: (d)