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Railways on a rebranding drive

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Some platforms may soon host shaadis

By Sujit Bhar

Indian Railways is on a rebranding drive it says, this process having started from its last financial year. It says it wants to look new, improved. Recent announcements, however, have taken the people by surprise.

Here are two news items that one may find a bit strange.

The first says that railway platforms may soon host wedding receptions. The railways want to rent out platforms at less busy stations for wedding receptions and even other functions. As a test case, the Indian Railways has chosen two “safe” locations, the Surat and Navapur stations, in Gujarat and Maharashtra, respectively.

A proposal to this effect has been sent to the ministry for approval, a report says.

A senior railway official has been quoted as saying: “Surat station is massive, and there are people there who would actually pay to have their wedding receptions or parties on platforms as well. We will propose platform No. 4 for the project as it has two-three booking offices, which is ideal for these kind of functions,” he added.

The second news item shows the capitalist motive within the somewhat socialist objectives of Indian Railways.

It says that the fourth largest railways in the world (after the US, China and Russia) will now be branding not only its trains but also the stations. Technically it is possible that multinational companies such as Pepsi or Coca-Cola could be in the fray, as well as Indian specials such as Reliance or Tata Motors, maybe.

The idea is to keep fares at its current levels (which have, anyway, become less poor-friendly with the introduction of surge pricing), while earning better returns from the branding exercise. Whether such branding exercises would be extended to freight trains is not clear.

The proposal, as reported, is not just for providing ad space. It would be a package, where the “sponsor” would be able to do its branding exercise inside as well.

These were probably necessitated when the railways were slipping into deep deficits, coming out of the once surplus era.

A quick look at its finances – as Railway Minster Suresh Prabhu has admitted in Parliament, the system itself remains unproductive – reveals the following.

The railways’ operating ratio was a sad picture today, explained the minister. He said that for every rupee gained, the railways was spending 92 paise on just operations. This was as steep fall from the days of railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav (2004-2009) when Indian Railways allegedly managed a massive surplus, inviting studies from Ivy League colleges. Yadav was invited to lecture at eight Ivy League schools including Harvard and Wharton.

So what happened suddenly? It seems that there was some number fudging involved, and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had refuted Lalu Prasad Yadav’s claims. The uplift of the railways, said the CAG was more of a “cosmetic exercise,” according to an agency report.

It was somewhat like the case of showing that single crocodile chick over and over again. It was, the CAG had said, a “new practice of issuing a statement of cash and investible surplus”. How did this happen? The CAG pointed out that the claim made by Lalu (in 2004), of a “profit” of Rs 25,000 crore, actually covered this “cash and investible surplus”.

It was just a fudging of the books, in which this was not included in the “net surplus”. Sadly, the so-called “cash surplus” included the money available for paying dividend, contribution to the Depreciation Reserve Fund used for renewal or replacement of existing assets. It also included other funds for investment, the agency reported.

It was a huge fall from grace for the Indian public sector behemoth. Now that the Railway budged is part of the main Union Budget, there will not only be a huge budgetary crutch provided, but also a leeway to escape [public scrutiny.

This branding process should also help.

Last year the railways had announced that 400 ‘A-1’ and ‘A’ category stations “shall be offered to interested parties for redevelopment on ‘as is where is’ basis.”

This is a large number and one has to wait and see how it works out.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

India News

Wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia refute rumours of withdrawal of protest

Both Malik and Punia denied the news of withdrawing from the protest, they termed it as rumours and also urged people not to spread false news.

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Sakshi And Bajrang

Olympians Sakshee Malik and Bharang Punia said today, they will keep fighting for justice and that no wrestler has given up and will not give upon protest.

Both Malik and Punia denied the news of withdrawing from the protest, they termed it as rumours and also urged people not to spread false news. We have resumed our responsibilities in Railways, but we are also working on our plan, Sakshee said.

The wrestlers also met with Home Minister Amit Shah late on Saturday night to ask him to conduct a fair investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by seven female wrestlers, which also includes a minor.

It’s been learned that Amit Shah assured the wrestlers that the law still applies to everyone equally. He reportedly said to the wrestlers, let the law take its course.

The wrestlers announced they were going to submerge their medals in the Ganga river in Haridwar last month. They claim that their complaint against the head of the wrestling federation has been largely ignored.

However, they temporarily halted their plan as farmer leader Naresh Tikait intervened.

Earlier on May 28 march, some protesters were taken into custody. The country was shocked and outraged when images of champions Vinesh Phogat and her cousin Sangeeta Phogat being detained by the police surfaced.

The Delhi Police announced that they would not be permitted to stage a protest at India Gate after the wrestlers were denied access to the Jantar Mantar protest location following the crackdown.

Meanwhile, Sakshee Malik’s husband, wrestler Satyawart Kadian, also joined her and said, neither we have made a concession nor will we back down. All of it is false, and we won’t end our protest. He added we shall continue seeking justice while remaining strong. To weaken us, false information is being broadcast. The entire country is against the Delhi Police.

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Varanasi Court sentences life imprisonment to gangster Mukhtar Ansari in Awadhesh Rai murder case

Almost 60 criminal cases of land grabbing, murder and extortion are registered against him. His name was first come into notice when he murdered the local contractor Sachchidanand Rai in 1988 and he never stopped after his first murder.

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Mukhtar Ansari who is currently serving 10 years jail term in a kidnapping and murder case has been convicted by the Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi Court in connection with the 1991 Awadhesh Rai murder case. Special Judge Avneesh Gautam convicted him today after a hearing in a case concluded on may 19. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment and also a fine of Rs 1 lakh has been imposed upon him. On August 3, 1991, Congress leader and brother of Former MLA Ajay Rai, Awadesh Rai was gun downed in a broad day light in front of Ajay Rai’s house in Varanasi. In this case Ajay Rai named Mukhtar Ansari, Bhim Singh, former MLA Abdul Kalim, Kamlesh Singh, and Rakesh in the FIR.

In june 2022, the original case diary went missing during the hearing of the case. Officials’ could not find the missing diary despite best effort from Varanasi to Prayagraj. Police had to register a case against Mukhtar Ansari for the same and accused him of destroying evidence through his influence.

Mukhtar Ansari is a dangerous gangster-turned-politician in the Uttar Pradesh; he has been an MLA for five consecutive terms from the Mau Sadar assembly seat. In 2022, Uttar Pradesh Assembly election his seat was won by his son Abbas Ansari from the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party since he did not fight the election.

Almost 60 criminal cases of land grabbing, murder and extortion are registered against him. His name was first come into notice when he murdered the local contractor Sachchidanand Rai in 1988 and he never stopped after his first murder.  

In Uttar Pradesh’s most sensational political murder history, he killed BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai with an AK-47 rifle in November 2005. It is believed that 400 bullet shells were reportedly recovered from the spot.  

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HDFC Bank manager abuses, howls at employees over incomplete account targets

Toxic work culture is a pervasive and serious issue in India. Many Indian workplaces are marked by a high-pressure, competitive environment that can be emotionally and psychologically draining for employees.

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Video Meeting

Recently, Soumi Chakraborty shared a video on LinkedIn which gives us the perfect example of a toxic work environment. HDFC bank’s Senior VP Pushpal Roy, is seen engaging in various inappropriate behaviours, including verbal abuse, public humiliation, and the misuse of authority.

In this video, we can clearly notice that the manager is screaming at his employees in Bengali.

After the release of this video, it has gained lot of attention on social media platforms and people are also raising concerns about the toxic work cultures and few people also demanded an immediate action towards his unethical behaviour.
In response to the incident, HDFC Bank informed that they have suspended the employee and they have also initiated an investigation based on a preliminary inquiry.
In their statement, the bank emphasised on its zero-tolerance policy towards harassment or misconduct in the workplace and they beleive in treating all employees with dignity and respect.

“This bears reference to a recent social media report. Basis a preliminary enquiry in the matter, the concerned employee has been suspended and an investigation initiated to gather all relevant facts. We at HDFC Bank have a zero tolerance policy for any form of harassment or misconduct at the workplace and firmly believe in treating all our employees with dignity and respect,” the bank statement read.

Toxic work culture is a pervasive and serious issue in India. Many Indian workplaces are marked by a high-pressure, competitive environment that can be emotionally and psychologically draining for employees.

Some common features of toxic work cultures in India include long hours, lack of work-life balance, a hierarchical structure that discourages dissent and innovation, micromanagement, and an excessive focus on individual performance over teamwork.
Workplace discrimination based on gender and caste is also prevalent in many Indian organizations. Harassment, including sexual harassment, is also a major problem, and many companies fail to address such issues properly.

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