Indian Railway Innovation Policy: Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently launched “Start-Ups for Railways” in Rail Bhavan, New Delhi to improve operational efficiency & safety.

Key Points:

• This policy document establishes a wide framework for the Ministry of Railways' cooperation with innovators to develop technology, goods, and need-based solutions for Indian Railways.
• Through this platform, start-ups will get an opportunity to connect with the national transporter. 
• Out of more than 100 problem statements received from various divisions, field offices or zones of Indian Railways, eleven problem statements such as rail fracture, headway reduction, etc., have been taken up for this program’s phase 1.

Aim:

• This Start-Ups policy aims to leverage innovative technologies developed by Indian Startups, MSMEs, Innovators and Entrepreneurs to improve the operational efficiency and safety of Indian Railways.

Significance:

• The policy which is part Indian Railways Innovation Programme, seeks to bring scale and efficiency in the field of operation, maintenance and infrastructure creation through the participation of a very large and untapped startup ecosystem.
• The Railway Minister has requested the startups to use this opportunity and ensured them support in form of a 50 percent capital grant, assured market, scale and ecosystem.
• Through this platform start-ups will get a good opportunity to connect with Railways.

Salient features of Indian Railway Innovation Policy:

1. Grant up to Rs. 1.5 Crore to innovator on equal sharing basis with provision of milestone-wise payment.
2. The complete process, starting from floating of problem statement to development of prototype, will be online with a defined timeline to make it transparent and objective.
3. The trials of prototypes will be done on Railways. Enhanced funding will be provided to scale up deployment on the successful performance of prototypes.
4. The selection of innovators will be done in a transparent and fair manner through the online portal inaugurated by the Railway Minister.
5. Assured developmental order to innovator.
6. Developed Intellectual property rights (IPR) will remain with innovators only.
7. De-centralization of the complete product development process at divisional level to avoid delays.