New Delhi, Feb 26 (UNI) Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday unveiled two major reforms aimed at modernising Indian Railways, the launch of the Rail Tech Policy, enabling startups and innovators to collaborate directly with the Railways through a dedicated portal, and a fully AI-enabled Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) to ensure faster, transparent, and citizen-centric processing of claims with 24×7 e-filing and automated alerts.
The Minister said the Rail Tech Policy initiative seeks to ensure that new and emerging technologies are not only developed but also smoothly integrated into railway operations.
Under the policy, startups and innovators will be able to collaborate directly with the Railways through a dedicated Rail Tech Portal, which was also launched by Vaishnaw during a press conference.
The portal will streamline the process of selecting investors and innovators and make engagement more transparent and efficient.
In a major push to innovation funding, innovators will now be allowed to submit their complete proposals in a single stage.
The scale-up grant has been increased more than threefold, while the maximum grant for prototype development and trials has been doubled.
The overall process has been designed to be user-friendly to encourage wider participation.
The Rail Tech Policy also outlines key technology challenges, including the development of an AI-based Elephant Intrusion Detection System (EIDS), AI-based fire detection systems in railway coaches, drone-based detection of broken tracks, rail stress monitoring systems, and technology for installing solar panels on coaches.
Another reform focuses on making the Railway Claims Tribunal fully digital and AI-enabled. Describing it as a citizen-centric reform, the Minister said the move aims to simplify and speed up the claims process.
Under the new system, RCT cases will be filed and processed entirely online with 24×7 e-filing facilities.
Automatic alerts and notifications will keep applicants informed about case updates.
The use of AI is expected to significantly reduce processing time and improve transparency.
The reforms are expected to benefit victims and their families, legal professionals, and the general public by ensuring faster, more transparent disposal of claims.
