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| Jan 01, 1970 | Daily Report |
| RISING BHARAT | News Count (102079) | |
551. Indian Railways using 898 MW solar power at 2,626 stations: Govt
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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Make in India- Renewable Energy(Solar Power)
English
India
NEWS
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- On December 17, 2025, Indian Railways has commissioned 898 MW of solar power as of November 2025, up from 3.68 MW in 2014, with 2,626 railway stations now using solar energy, including 318 stations added in 2025.
- Power Usage Of the total solar capacity, 629 MW is used for train traction, while 269 MW supports non-traction needs such as station lighting, workshops, buildings, and railway quarters.
- The solar push supports Indian Railways’ goal of Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2030 , 164 Vande Bharat Express trains have been running since 2019, carrying over 7.5 crore passengers.
552. India-Made Locomotives Expand Global Footprint with Sixth Export to Mozambique
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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‘Make in India’ – Indian Railway
English
India
Sarkaritel
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- On December 17, 2025, India’s Banaras Locomotive Works (BLW) has dispatched the 6th of 10 contracted 3300 HP AC–AC diesel-electric locomotives to Mozambique under a contract executed through RITES.
- Technical Capability Each locomotive delivers 3300 HP, operates at speeds of up to 100 kmph, and includes modern driver amenities such as a refrigerator and ergonomically designed cab for enhanced efficiency and comfort.
- Since 2014, BLW has exported locomotives and rolling stock to multiple countriesSince 2014, including Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and several nations in Africa and Europe, supporting India’s Make in India and positioning the country as a reliable global railway exporter.
553. Reduced maternal deaths mark India’s healthcare success: MoS Health
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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Make in India- Public Health and Infrastructure
English
India
Awaz The Voice
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- On December 16, 2025, Union Minister said India’s maternal mortality rate has fallen from 130 to 88 per lakh live births, calling it one of the country’s major public health success stories. India’s 86% rate of decline has surpassed the global average decline of 48%.
- The minister highlighted initiatives under the National Health Mission, especially the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), which provides free, assured antenatal check-ups by specialists on the 9th of every month and focuses on identifying and managing high-risk pregnancies.
- A centralised PMSMA portal enables participation of private doctors and specialists, with district nodal officers ensuring follow-up care. The government said efforts will continue to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on maternal health.
554. Al System to prevent Elephant deaths on Howrah-Mumbai rail route
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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‘Make in India’ – Indian Railway
English
India
The Times Of India
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- The Chakradharpur divisional railway under the South Eastern Railway (SER) conducted a trial of the AI-driven elephant intrusion detection system installed on the Howrah-Mumbai route to prevent train-elephant collisions.
- The test run was held at the railway engineering colony ground on the Manoharpur-Rourkela stretch of the Howrah-Mumbai route to read and map the data collected by the system.
- The Rs 15 crore facility would be a real-time response system backed by algorithms to monitor and detect the presence of wildlife. It would use artificial intelligence-enabled distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology to register the footsteps of approaching elephants by detecting vibrations transmitted through fibre optic cables buried alongside the tracks.
- The railways have identified Manoharpur-Rourkela, Chakulia-Ghatsila, Jaraikela-Mahadevsal, and Dhutra-Bagadih on the Howrah-Mumbai route, besides Manikui-Chandil and Kunki-Chandil on the Howrah-Delhi route for installing the device in the first phase.
555. India’s Exports Surge 19.37% In November To Six-Month High, Trade Deficit Narrows
Bharat Economic Growth
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Increasing Exports
English
India
Free Press Journal
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- On december 16, 2025, it was reported that India’s merchandise exports rose sharply by 19.37% to USD 38.13 billion in November, the highest in six months, driven mainly by engineering, electronics, chemicals and gems & jewellery. Lower imports helped narrow the trade deficit to a five-month low of USD 24.53 billion, from a record USD 41.68 billion in October.
- Imports fell 1.88% to USD 62.66 billion, led by a steep 59.15% drop in gold imports and an 11.27% decline in crude oil imports. Reduced inflows of coal and coke also contributed to easing pressure on the trade balance.
- During April–November, 2025total goods and services exports rose 5.83% to USD 562.13 billion, with the US remaining India’s top export destination. The government expects exports to cross last year’s USD 825 billion, supported by policy measures and an export promotion mission.
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556. AI-enabled system successful in preventing elephant-train collisions on Kerala-Tamil Nadu border
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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‘Make in India’ – Indian Railway
English
Tamil Nadu
(Coimbatore)
Down To Earth
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- A year after its implementation, the country’s first artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning-enabled surveillance system, designed to prevent elephant deaths on railway tracks, has proven successful along the busy interstate route between Palakkad in Kerala and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.
- Installed by the Coimbatore Forest Division, the facility detects elephant movement on the busy tracks that pass through the Walayar-Madukarai forests around the clock and alerts train operators instantly to avoid collisions.
- Since its inauguration in February 2024, the AI surveillance system has effectively safeguarded the traditional migratory path in the Walayar-Madukkarai forest range. Notably, no wild elephants have been killed on the two railway tracks, marking a significant success for elephant safety.
- Now, a year after commissioning, the results are stunning: zero elephant accidents, 5,011 AI-generated alerts, and 2,500 safe elephant crossings,
557. AI Cameras In Odisha Alert Railways To Halt Train After Spotting Elephant Herd
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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‘Make in India’ – Indian Railway
English
Odisha
(Sundargarh)
NDTV
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- Elephants in Odisha's forests often face the threat of train collisions on railway tracks, as highlighted by multiple reports over the years. To prevent such accidents, authorities installed four AI cameras in the Rourkela Forest Division.
- AI camera captures and zooms into the elephants approaching the railway line, sending alerts to the control room for stopping the train. AI cameras effectively averted another potential accident. The black-and-white AI camera provides a clear view of a herd of elephants moving in a specific direction.
- Funded by RSP under its wildlife conservation plan, the pilot project is being expanded to Keonjhar and Bonai Forest Divisions to reduce elephant deaths and ensure safer railway operations.
558. Jumbo effort to save wildlife on rail tracks
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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‘Make in India’ – Indian Railway
English
West Bengal
(Alipurduar)
The Telegraph Online
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- The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has built infrastructure and will introduce new technology to reduce elephant deaths along the Dooars railway tracks. The stretch of 160km tracks connecting Siliguri and Alipurduar junctions passes through a number of reserve forests and wildlife habitats.
- In the past two decades, that is, since the track was upgraded into broad gauge, close to 90 elephants were fatally hit by trains.
- The railways constructed eight ramps in and around Chalsa (near the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary and other forests) and another four ramps between Hasimara and Madarihat stations (located near the Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve) for safe passage of elephants.
559. Railways Plan Bee helps in preventing elephant deaths on tracks
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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‘Make in India’ – Indian Railway
English
India
India Today
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- In order to reduce the increasing incidents of elephant deaths on railway tracks, Indian Railway has implemented an innovative method. The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) adopted 'Plan Bee' last year, 2017.
- The mechanism has been installed near Guwahati railway station at two places and is being hailed as one of the most innovative ways to save the lives of the pachyderms.
- There have been various studies done to prove that elephants are revulsed by the buzzing noise of bees. This understanding has led to many villages in Africa and other continents to reduce the damage from crop-raiding by elephants.
- The NFR has used this at two places around Guwahati station. A loudspeaker plays the buzzing sound of the bee hive which the animal can hear from about 600 meters. The cost to install the system being at each location is about Rs 2,000.
560. Southern Railways to rollout optical fibre system to detect wild elephants near tracks
Make in India / Atmanirbhar
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‘Make in India’ – Indian Railway
English
Tamil Nadu
(Coimbatore)
The New Indian Express
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- The Southern Railway is set to introduce an optical fibre-based Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to prevent wild elephant deaths in train collisions in the Madukkarai forest range in Tamil Nadu and adjoining areas in Kerala.
- Already, subways have been constructed and railway tracks have been fenced using old rails in the Madukkarai forest to prevent elephants from getting hit by trains.
- Under the new initiative, underground optical fibre cable (OFC) has been laid on a 120km stretch between Kottekkad and Walayar (both in Palakkad district), and Walayar and Madukkarai (in Coimbatore district).
- Once the elephant walks over or near the cable, an immediate alert will be sent to the loco pilots and station managers within the 40 km Palakkad and Madukkarai stretch.