PM Narendra Modi to open Rail Vikas Shivir today

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday address the inaugural session of the Rail Vikas Shivir at Surajkund near New Delhi.

The PM is likely to speak on the role of the railways sector for the country's economic growth, setting the agenda for the mega event.

During the three-day Rail Vikas Shivir beginning today, making train journeys a pleasant experience and achieving near-zero fatalities on tracks are among a number of critical issues that will be up for discussion.

The PM will deliver the address through video conferencing from here.

The programme will seek to generate innovative yet practical ideas in the most crucial areas of rail operations and chart out a roadmap for the substantial progress of the sector.

Making Indian Railways the preferred freight carrier in India, reducing the operational cost, improving non-tariff revenue and increasing the investment in rail infrastructure substantially are among the other issues to be taken up during the event.

Such brainstorming and large-scale planning involving all railway employees are taking place for the first time in the 163-year-long history of the Indian Railways.

More than one lakh new crowdsourced ideas for improving railways were generated and examined by various teams, and all those selected ideas will be discussed in the event.

The venue at Surajkund has been divided into various areas named after iconic trains services like Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto, Humsafar, Tejas, Gatimaan, Uday, Antyodaya and Jan Shatabdi.

The Prime Minister will be present personally again to have a detailed interaction with the participants on the concluding day of the Shivir and will give away prize money to the top three teams and top 15 crowdsourced ideas.

(With Agency inputs)