Mandatory Disaster management training for Railway employees

Mandatory Disaster management training for Railway employees

News: The aftermath of the Odisha train tragedy inquiry has revealed the need for a quicker disaster response.

Key decisions:
• Disaster management is now an integral part of railway officers training, included in both induction courses and mid-career training programs.
• The National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) in Vadodara and the Indian Railway Institute of Disaster Management (IRIDM) in Bengaluru will collaborate to deliver this comprehensive training.
• There are some issues regarding the implementation of the training. With the Railway Board’s directive for NAIR to transfer assets, including buildings and infrastructure, to Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), the training programs will now need approval from the university’s Vice-Chancellor.

What is Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV)?
• Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), formerly known as the National Rail and Transportation Institute, is a central university located in Vadodara, Gujarat, India. It was established in 2018 and is India’s first university exclusively focused on transport-related education, multidisciplinary research, and training.
• The university offers a variety of courses, including B.Tech in Rail Systems and Communication Engineering, B.Tech. in Rail Infrastructure Engineering, BBA in Transportation Management, and B.Tech. in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science with a specialization in Transportation and Logistics.

What is National Academy of Indian Railways?
• The National Academy of Indian Railways (NAIR) is the alma mater for the Officers of the Indian Railways. It is situated in a sprawling campus of 55 acres of the Pratap Vilas Palace at Lalbaug, Vadodara. The academy provides training to all levels of Indian Railway officers, from probationers to General Managers.
• The academy was founded in 1930 at Dehradun and then shifted to its present regal sylvan surroundings at Vadodara, in 1952.