06 July 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

PM addresses International Convention of Saurashtra Patel Cultural Samaj through video conference

• The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today addressed the 8th International Convention of Saurashtra Patel Cultural Samaj through video conference. The International Convention of Saurashtra Patel Cultural Samaj is being held in California, United States of America.
• Applauding the efforts of NRIs, particularly Saurashtra Patel community, Prime Minister said that NRIs have always made India proud. He added that their efforts have ensured that Indian Passport is respected everywhere.
• He also appealed to NRI community to motivate at least five foreign families to visit India every year for Bharat Darshan. This can pave a new way to serve the purpose of Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat Abhiyan, ultimately providing a great boost to India’s tourism development.
• Prime Minister said that India would celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, beginning from 2nd of October.  
• In the name of the Iron Man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a mammoth Statue of Unity is constructed on River Narmada and it will be completed on 31st October 2018. Once completed, the Statue of Unity will be the highest statue in the world.
• Today India is associated with fast economic growth and honest, transparent governance. Initiatives like GST and strict action against corruption has helped people doing honest business.  
• These initiatives have resulted in 42-place jump in the Ease of Doing Business rankings in the last four years, he added.

Digital Aadhaar and Driving Licence from Digital Locker as proof of identity of passengers for undertaking journey by Train

• The issue regarding accepting Aadhaar and Driving Licence as valid proof of identity when presented from digital locker account of the passenger has been examined by Ministry of Railways and it has been decided that while undertaking journey in a train, if a passenger shows the Aadhaar/Driving Licence from the ‘Issued Documents’ section by logging into his/her DigiLocker account, the same should be considered as valid proof of identity.
• It is, however, clarified that the documents uploaded by the user himself/herself (i.e. the documents in ‘Uploaded Documents’ section) will not be considered as a valid proof of identity.

At present, the following proofs of identity are considered as valid for undertaking journey in any reserved class of Indian Railways:-

1. Voter Photo identity card issued by Election Commission of India
2. Passport
3. PAN Card issued by Income Tax Department
4. Driving Licence issued by RTO
5. Photo identity card having serial number issued by Central/State Government
6. Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognized School/College for their students
7. Nationalised Bank Passbook with photograph
8. Credit Cards issued by Banks with laminated photograph
9. Unique Identification Card-Aadhaar, m-Aadhaar & e-Aadhaar
10. Photo Identity cards having serial number issued by Public Sector Undertakings of State/Central Government, District Administrations, Municipal bodies and Panchayat Administrations
11. In case of reserved tickets booked through computerized Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters, for undertaking journey in Sleeper (SL) & Second Reserved Sitting (2S) classes, attested photocopy of Ration Card with photographs and Nationalized Bank Passbook with Photograph are also accepted

Sambalpur Division becomes the first to eliminate all unmanned Level Crossing Gates in Indian Railways

• With the aim of eliminating all unmanned Level Crossing Gates over Sambalpur Division, East Coast Railway launches highest ever 6 (six) Limited Height Subways (LHS)  in Sambalpur Division and completed it in a single block of four and half hours on 5^thJuly, 2018.
• Launching of 6 Limited Height Subways in Sambalpur Division is a first of its kind not only in East Coast Railway, but also in the entire Indian Railways.
• In view of the launching of six Limited Height Subways, seven unmanned Level Crossing gates will be totally closed in Bhawanipatna-Lanjigarh Road Section of Kalahandi area of Odisha.
• While completion of one single LHS in a block of four hours is itself an achievement, completion of 6 LHSs within the same time frame was unheard of earlier. 
• In spite of the tremendous challenges involved in launching six LHSs in one go and despite the unfavourable monsoon weather conditions, Sambalpur Division has converted the mighty challenge into a favourable opportunity and completed the onerous task of launching of six LHSs in one go and thereby has set up a new mile stone in the history of Indian Railways.

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