Business
PM Modi Likely To Launch New Trains Linking Aizawl With Delhi, Kolkata And Guwahati
Guwahati/Aizawl: After the expected inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on September 13 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Indian Railways is set to introduce three pairs of new train services connecting the Mizoram capital Aizawl with the national capital, Guwahati and Kolkata, officials said on Thursday.
The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that Indian Railways is pleased to announce the introduction of three new pairs of train services from the newly built Sairang station in Aizawl.
A senior Mizoram government official said that the Prime Minister accompanied by state Chief Minister Lalduhoma and a few Central Ministers would flag off the three new trains after the inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on Saturday.
The NFR CPRO said that these trains would greatly enhance rail connectivity between the state capital of Mizoram with important destinations across the country.
The inaugural runs of all three pairs of trains will take place on September 13 (Saturday), followed by the commencement of regular services on the notified dates.
The three trains are Sairang-Anand Vihar (Delhi) Rajdhani Express (weekly), Kolkata-Sairang-Kolkata Express (tri-weekly) and Guwahati-Sairang-Guwahati Express (daily).
The Sairang-Anand Vihar Rajdhani Express will run via Badarpur junction, Guwahati, New Jalpaiguri, Malda Town, Bhagalpur during its journeys while the Sairang-Kolkata Express (tri-weekly) trains will run via Badarpur junction, Guwahati, Goalpara Town, Golakganj, New Jalpaiguri, Malda Town to reach its destinations in Kolkata.
The details of stoppages and timings of these trains are available at IRCTC website and are also being notified in social media platforms of Northeast Frontier Railway, Sharma said and requested the passengers to verify the details before undertaking their journey.
The 51.38 km Bairabi (near Assam’s Hailakandi district)-Sairang (near Aizawl city) railway project will make Aizawl the fourth capital city in the Northeast region to be connected by railways after Guwahati, Agartala and Itanagar.
Senior officials of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), led by General Manager (Construction) Arun Kumar Chaudhary, are making hectic preparations to give final touches to the railway project and arrangements for the inauguration.
Union Ministers and senior officials of several ministries, including the Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Tribal Affairs, Road Transport and Highways, would be present at the events.
The NFR CPRO earlier said that the 51.38-km-long Bairabi-Sairang new line railway project is considered an engineering marvel of Indian Railways, built at an estimated cost of Rs 8,071 crore.
The project consists of 48 tunnels, 55 major bridges and 87 minor bridges and includes tunnels with a total length of 12,853 metres, with the longest tunnel (Tunnel No. 3) spanning about two km.
The height of bridge number 196 is 114 metres, which is 42 metres taller than the Qutub Minar, the CPRO added.
The project also includes five Road Over Bridges and six Road Under Bridges. This new line project also includes construction of four new stations — Hortoki, Kawnpui, Mualkhang and Sairang.
Despite the challenging terrain, the NFR has accomplished remarkable work in extending rail connectivity to Aizawl, overcoming significant geographical and engineering hurdles to make this long-awaited project a reality, CPRO Sharma said.
Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma on September 9 held a meeting with senior officials to review preparations for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on September 13.
An official of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the Prime Minister would also likely address a public gathering at the Assam Rifles ground on September 13 and the public meeting would be organised in connection with the inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project.
However, the Prime Minister’s final schedule of Mizoram visit has not yet been announced by the PMO.
From Aizawl, the Prime Minister is likely to visit Manipur capital Imphal and tribal inhabited Churachandpur and address the gatherings in both the places.
Security and other necessary arrangements are in full swing both in Imphal and Churachandpur.
New Delhi: Bhavish Aggarwal-run Ola Electric Mobility Ltd reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 418 crore for the July-September period (Q2 FY26), its exchange filing said on Thursday, as revenue slipped.
Revenue from operations dropped 43 per cent year-on-year to Rs 690 crore in Q2 FY26, down from Rs 1,214 crore in Q2 FY25, indicating a substantial decline in sales for the quarter.
However, the electric two-wheeler maker’s operating EBITDA loss narrowed to Rs 203 crore during the quarter from Rs 379 crore a year earlier, indicating improved cost efficiency.
The company’s auto segment delivered an EBITDA margin at 0.3 per cent by reducing Auto operating expense from Rs 308 crore to Rs 258 crore (on-quarter), the release said.
After the announcements of the results, Ola Electric’s stock fell to Rs 49.4 on the NSE, down 66 paise, during intra-day trade, posting a decline of 1.32 per cent from the previous close.
“For the Auto segment, we expect lower volumes than the Q1 guidance as we continue to focus on margin and cash discipline in a hyper competitive market,” the company said in its filing.
For H2 FY26, Ola Electric targets total deliveries of approximately 100,000 units. This moderation in unit volumes will be complemented by volumes from its new vertical beginning in Q4, the company added.
The company recorded sales of 16,034 e-scooters in October, marking a 61 per cent decline from 41,843 units sold in the same month last year, according to data from the government’s Vahan portal.
“On a full-year basis, we now expect FY26 consolidated revenue of around Rs 3,000 – Rs 3200 crore, reflecting a balanced focus on profitability over volumes,” the company said.
The auto segment will continue to improve QoQ profitability. We expect to exit Q4 with Auto gross margins around 40 per cent and segment EBITDA of around 5 per cent, it added.
Miles DavisDevon political reporter
PA MediaAbout 1,300 children in Devon are now getting free school meals who were not previously entitled to them.
Devon County Council and Torbay Council have changed the rules so families who are entitled to free school meals automatically get them without having to apply.
The increase in the number of children who are eligible also brings with it extra “pupil premium” funding that can be used to provide additional support for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Cornwall Council agreed to introduce the same scheme from September 2026 and said it believed it could affect about 1,800 children, while Plymouth City Council said it was also looking into the possibility of making the change.
The percentage of children receiving free school meals in the Devon County Council area has risen steadily from 9.6% in 2016/17 to just under 20% by 2023/24.
At the moment, a household must earn less than £7,400 a year to qualify for free school meals.
Devon County Council said it was the first county council in the country to introduce auto-enrolment for pupils whose family income made them entitled.
The council said there were now about 21,065 pupils receiving free school meals, with an increase of about 1,065 due to auto-enrolment.
‘Unfair link’
The leader of Devon County Council, Liberal Democrat Julian Brazil, said the application process for free school meals had been “a barrier” to some families.
He said: “This is one of those initiatives that makes absolute sense – it’s good for pupils and it’s good for schools.”
The changes have also meant that schools in the Devon County Council area will receive an additional £1.5m, with an extra £1,515 per primary pupil and £1,075 per secondary pupil on free school meals.
Moira Marder is chief executive of the Ted Wragg Trust, which has 18 schools across Devon.
She said: “The additional pupil premium funding unlocked by this policy will enable us to offer more targeted interventions and extra support to these students, moving one step closer to breaking the unfair link between disadvantage, opportunity and outcomes.”
According to research carried out by the charity End Child Poverty in conjunction with Loughborough University, 27% of children in the south-west of England were living in poverty in 2023/24.
That figure was highest in the Plymouth Sutton and Devonport area – at 35% of children – and at 32% in Torbay.
Sonia Duggan, who works for the charity Action for Children in Paignton, welcomed more childen getting free school meals but said many families were still struggling to feed themselves.
She said: “The auto-enrolment is great. However, it’s not going to touch the surface for some of our families.
“Our families are living in poverty. Everything has increased – all their bills, fuel costs, their food, everything.
“We have families that are working, that cannot afford to feed their children.”
Business
Digital Life Certificate From Comfort Of Home For Pensioners: How To Book Doorstep Request Through India Post; Check Direct Link
 "Digital Life Certificate From Comfort Of Home For Pensioners: How To Book Doorstep Request Through India Post; Check Direct Link")
New Delhi: India Post Payments Bank (IPPB) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), to provide doorstep Digital Life Certificate (DLC) services to its pensioners under the Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995.
Under this collaboration, IPPB — a 100 per cent government-owned entity under the Department of Posts — will leverage its wide network of over 1.65 lakh post offices and more than 3 lakh postal service providers (postmen and Gramin Dak Sevaks).
Digital Life Certificate For Free
EPFO will bear the cost of issuing Digital Life Certificate entirely, making the service free for their pensioners.
They are equipped with doorstep banking devices and digital process of face authentication technology and fingerprint biometric authentication, to assist EPFO pensioners in submitting their Digital Life Certificates conveniently from their homes, eliminating the need for them to visit bank branches or EPFO offices to submit traditional paper-based certificates.
Digital Life Certificate: How To Book Doorstep Request Online
Doorstep request for Digital Life Certificate can be made through the Post Info app or website.
You can visit https://ccc.cept.gov.in/ServiceRequest/request.aspx to book India Post doorstep request for Digital Life Certificate
India Post Payments Bank introduced the doorstep service of Digital Life Certificate in 2020 for generating Jeevan Pramaan for pensioners using Aadhaar-enabled biometric authentication to reduce the turnaround time for issuance of Jeevan Pramaan.
On completion of the certificate generation process, confirmation SMS will be received by the pensioner in his mobile number and the certificate can be viewed online the next day.
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