Indian Polity & Constitution
In News: The ‘Bharat Gaurav’ train service from Coimbatore to Shirdi, a first of its kind in the country, was inaugurated at the Coimbatore North Railway Station
Bharat Gaurav scheme
- To promote and attract tourism business, the Indian Railways launched Bharat Gaurav trains that will be operated by private players and run on theme-based circuits.
- Through this policy, which offers operators the “Right of Use” of its rakes and infrastructure, the Railways has liberalised and simplified a part of operations that was otherwise carried out mostly by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC).
- While any entity can run these trains, including state governments, it is implied that the policy is targeted at tour operators.
- According to the Bharat Gaurav policy, any operator or service provider, or virtually anyone, can lease trains from Indian Railways to run on a theme-based circuit as a special tourism package.
- The tenure of the arrangement is a minimum of two years and maximum of the codal life of the coach.
- The operator has the freedom to decide the route, the halts, the services provided, and, most importantly, the tariff.
- Anyone can approach Railways to lease the 3033 conventional Integral Coach Factory-design coaches earmarked for this segment.
- These trains cannot be used as ordinary transport trains between an origin and destination.
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Questions
Q.1) What is the aim of the programme ‘Unnat Bharat Abhiyan’? (2017)
- Achieving 100% literacy by promoting collaboration between voluntary organizations and government’s education system and local communities.
- Connecting institutions of higher education with local communities to address development challenges through appropriate technologies.
- Strengthening India’s scientific research institutions in order to make India a scientific and technological power.
- Developing human capital by allocating special funds for health care and education of rural and urban poor, and organizing skill development programmes and vocational training for them.
