Railways to Come up with App to Ensure Women's Safety
NEW DELHI, December 11, 2014: Concerned over the safety of women travellers in trains,
Indian Railways is in the process of developing a Mobile App to help women travelling on trains.
Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu has directed CRIS, the IT arm of the Ministry of Railways, to develop an application to ensure that women
passengers travelling alone on trains can immediately report any untoward incident to police using their mobile phones.
Prabhu wants the application to be part of an integrated system involving all
stakeholders including police and the RPF. He is also thinking about installing CCTV cameras in compartments as a preventive measure so that movement of suspicious characters can be spotted and it
would not be an intrusion of privacy of passengers. “Women safety is not only Railways’ but entire society’s concern. As Railway Minister it is
my serious concern. We are planning to make an app operational for women passengers. If a woman passenger touched the App then the RPF or GRP
will immediately get the information and prompt action can be taken. Station Masters will also get the alert message,” he said.
Railway Ministry during the Budget Session had announced that CCTV cameras would be installed in ladies’ compartment of trains in a phase-wise manner.
As of now, the Western Railways is implementing a similar scheme in women coaches in suburban trains in Mumbai. Railways have sanctioned
4,000 more posts of women Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel to provide enhanced security to women passengers. Besides, eight sanctioned
Mahila Vahinis (women RPF companies) would be recruited. Source: The New Indian Express
New Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu
New Delhi, November 11, 2014 (PTI): Suresh Prabhu on Monday took over as the new Railway Minister and said
rail safety and customer service would be his priorities, as he seeks to unleash the true potential of the transport behemoth.
A 61-year-old banker-politician and a qualified Chartered Accountant, Suresh Prabhu returns to the Union Cabinet after having served in the Atal Behari Vajpayee
government . During Vajpayee's tenure from 1998 to 2004, Prabhu was Industry Minister, Minister of Environment and Forests,
Fertilizers & Chemicals, Power, Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises.
Prabhu has represented the Rajapur Lok Sabha constituency in Konkan four times, from 1996 to 2009.
Prabhu, decided to severe ties with the Shiv Sena,just hours after he was inducted into Modi's cabinet. After 18
years with the Sena, he formally joined the BJP on Sunday, ahead of the swearing-in ceremony.
Suresh Prabhu, who took oath as a Cabinet minister yesterday shortly after he
joined BJP from Shiv Sena, replacing SD Sadananda Gowda who was shifted to the Law ministry in the reshuffle.
"The Prime Minister has decided that the condition (of railways) has to change. Our two focus areas will be customer service and railway safety as passenger safety is increasingly becoming an area of concern," he said.
Observing that the people have reposed lot of faith in the government, he said the steps they undertake in railways will be seen in due course of time.
Prabhu said the economy is also dependent on railways. Railways are an integrating factor for the economy and, "if we work in
this direction we can propel economic growth," he said.
With the public transporter having the largest workforce in the country, Prabhu said addressing their concerns
will be high on his agenda , the driving force behind the railway's journey.
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