Railways To Roll Out 52 Reforms In 52 Weeks

12 Jan 2026 CW Team

The Ministry of Railways on Thursday announced a major reform drive to implement 52 key measures over 52 weeks across the country, signalling a renewed push to improve governance, efficiency and service delivery in the rail sector.

The announcement was made at a high-level meeting chaired by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, attended by senior officials and Ministers of State in the ministry. Vaishnaw said the initiative is designed to bring systemic improvements, with a strong focus on safety, operational efficiency and passenger experience.

A key priority under the programme will be further reducing consequential train accidents, which have already fallen by nearly 90 per cent, from 135 in 2014–15 to 11 in 2025–26. The ministry now aims to bring the number down to a single digit.

The reform agenda also includes faster adoption of artificial intelligence and advanced technologies for safety, maintenance and train operations. Talent management, employee skill development and improvements in onboard catering services are among the other measures planned under the initiative.

During the meeting, officials reviewed progress on infrastructure development, maintenance and capacity enhancement works. According to a Railway Ministry statement, ministers and senior officials shared their on-ground experiences and reaffirmed their commitment to technological advancement, improved safety standards and passenger-centric growth.

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..