New Delhi:

The year 2024 was a mixed bag for Indian Railways as it saw progress on several projects but faced persistent challenges.

While on the one hand the Railway Ministry claimed to have crossed several milestones paving the way for a new era of modernization and progress, on the other, frequent accidents, inadequate manpower and frontline workers’ issues among others remained major causes of concern.

Among achievements were the introduction of 62 new Vande Bharat train services in different parts of the country, four Amrit Bharat Express services between Darbhanga-“Anand Vihar and Malda Town-SMVT Bengaluru and the first Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Ahmedabad and Bhuj.

Besides commissioning of 3433 km of rail line across the rail network, inaugurating train operations between the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section of Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL), operationalisation of Kolkata Metro’s Esplanade-Howrah Maidan section which passes below the Hooghly river through the country’s first underwater transportation tunnel, earned accolades.

“Indian Railways achieved 6,450 km of complete track renewal, 8,550 turnout renewals, and raised speeds to 130 kmph over 2,000 km in 2024,” the ministry said in its ‘Year End Review 2024’.

Other highlights included initiating redevelopment work on 1198 railway stations out of 1337 selected ones, introducing the upgraded version of the automatic train protection system Kavach 4.0, recruiting five lakh employees in the last decade -” a number slightly higher than the previous decade – and dedicating to the nation the Marathwada Rail Coach Factory in Latur to supply Vande Bharat train sets.

“A project for equipping 10,000 locomotives has been finalised and 69 numbers of loco sheds have been prepared for equipping with Kavach,” the ministry said.

Some projects which made progress in the year 2024 were the Vande Bharat sleeper trainset’s first prototype which is all set to undergo field trials soon; the Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line which is proposed to be completed by December 2026; and the beginning of design and manufacturing of high-speed train sets that will have a design speed of 280 kmph.

Catering to the need of general passengers, the railway ministry declared its focus on increasing general compartment coaches in its fleet.

“The Ministry of Railways has introduced a system of publishing an annual calendar from 2024 for recruitment to various categories of Group ‘C’ posts. Benefits for the aspirants are more opportunities to those becoming eligible every year, certainty of exams; faster Recruitment process, Training and Appointments,” the Ministry said.

However, despite significant progress in various areas, over 70 reported cases of train derailments including couple of major ones such as – collision between a goods train with Agartala-Sealdah Kanchanjunga Express, Derailment of passenger train between Motiganj and Jhilahi stations in Uttar Pradesh, collision of passenger train with derailed Goods train at Barabamboo station in Jharkhand – involving death of several passengers, remained a bigger challenge to safe train running.

Inadequate manpower topped among concerning issues and the problem was so acute that Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar wrote to the finance ministry and said that there is an urgent requirement for additional manpower to maintain the railways’ ever-increasing assets and safe train operations.

Kumar also urged the finance ministry to give the board the power to create non-gazetted posts in safety and essential categories.

Various railway associations such as All India Railway Track Maintainer Union, Indian Railways S&T Maintainers’ Union, All India Loco Running Staff Association, All India Train Controllers’ Association also raised the acute shortage of safety frontline staff.

Vivek Mishra, assistant general secretary of North Eastern Railway Men’s Congress, talking about Train Controllers’ issues said the Railway Board constituted a committee to look into the problems of train controllers but nothing has come out of it yet.

“Higher grade, Higher stress allowance with retirement benefits and night duty without any ceiling to all, high vacancy, requirement of additional posts, better promotion channel with 3 to 4 grade pay structure, etc are core issues of controllers,” Mishra said.

The slow progress of Kavach also came up in a report of the Standing Committee on Railways which, while presenting the First Report on ‘Demands for Grants (2024-25) in the Lok Sabha felt the need to “speed up Kavach-related works and ensure faster penetration of Kavach across Indian Railway Network”.

Similarly, the Committee on Estimates, in its report submitted to the Lok Sabha, after carrying out an in-depth analysis of the progress of ‘Amrit Bharat Station Scheme” (ABSS), made several recommendations such as need for a dedicated budget, a robust selection process and provisions for maintenance among others.

“While Indian Railways has made commendable progress in infrastructure development, challenges in safety, affordability, and service consistency need urgent attention to ensure it remains a lifeline for the nation. Without a balanced approach to modernization and inclusivity, the transformative vision for Railways risks alienating its core users,” Shailendra Kumar Goel, former DG of Indian Railways Institute of Signal Engineering & Telecommunications, said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Amid regional tensions and global conflicts in 2024, India navigated the complex diplomatic waters to solidify itself as a global leader which can’t be overlooked. However, its ties with Canada remained complicated– and may continue to do so–for at least another ten months till Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to lead the North American nation.

The India-Canada relations have been on a downward trajectory for several years, but they hit rock bottom in October 2024, with tit-for-tat expulsions of top diplomats following Prime Minister Trudeau’s claim that Canadian police were investigating allegations of Indian agents’ – and the Indian government’s – direct involvement in the June 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Following this, Indian envoy to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma – now withdrawn by New Delhi — accused Mr Trudeau of wrecking bilateral ties with India and stressed that Ottawa’s allegations were politically motivated. Ottawa has accused Mr Verma of having links to Nijjar’s murder in June 2023.

Speaking exclusively to NDTV upon his return to New Delhi, he said that it was in fact India which had shared detailed evidence of radical and extremist groups operating on Canadian soil with the Justin Trudeau government, but “no action was taken on it” by either the government or the authorities.

India has consistently rejected any link to the killing of Nijjar, a designated terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and accused Trudeau’s administration of pandering to Khalistani sympathisers for political gain.

In May, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said that by allowing political space to Khalistani separatist elements, the Canadian government is sending a message that its vote bank is “more powerful” than its rule of law. He stressed India respects and practices freedom of speech, but that does not equate with the freedom to threaten foreign diplomats, extend support to separatism or allow political space to elements advocating violence.

“If you have people whose presence there is itself on very dubious documents, what does it say about you? It actually says that your vote bank is more powerful than your rule of law,” the minister said.

ALSO READ: Canada Showing Its Vote Bank Is More Powerful Than Its Rule Of Law: S Jaishankar

India-Canada Relations Collapse: A Timeline

In June 2023, Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by two masked assailants as he left a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Canadian authorities, including Prime Minister Trudeau, accused agents linked to the Indian government of carrying out the assassination.

New Delhi called the allegations “absurd” and “preposterous.” India said Ottawa “has not shared a shred of evidence” with the government “despite many requests” from New Delhi.

But the unusual manner in which Canada made public its understanding that Indian officials were somehow involved in his murder derailed bilateral relations and set off a diplomatic firestorm that continues to rage.

ALSO READ: How Far Can Justin Trudeau Go As Personal Electoral Gain Trumps Diplomatic Ties

Canada first expelled an Indian diplomat in 2023. In response, India also sent back a Canadian diplomat and halted consular services for Canadians for nearly two months. The row escalated in May after Canadian police said they had arrested three Indian citizens in connection with Nijjar’s killing and were “investigating if there are any ties to the government of India.”

In October, Ottawa said India’s top diplomat in the country Sanjay Kumar Verma was a “person of interest” in the case. The Trudeau government tied five other expelled Indian officials to Nijjar’s murder and claimed Ottawa has “ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case.”

In response, India slammed Canada’s accusations, with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling the accusations part of “a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.” India also expelled Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats.

ALSO READ: Amid India-Canada Diplomatic Rift, Justin Trudeau’s “Khalistani” Backpedal

The rift between the two countries intensified in November after attendees of an Indian consular event at a Hindu temple in Toronto were attacked by pro-Khalistani supporters. New Delhi called out Ottawa for failing to protect Indian citizens and institutions.

Amid the standoff, Mr Trudeau, for the first time, admitted to the presence of Khalistanis in his country. In an unexpected statement during a Diwali celebrations event at Ottawa’s Parliament Hill, he acknowledged the presence of a Khalistan support base within Canada but quickly added that they do not represent the Sikh community as a whole.

“There are many supporters of ‘Khalistan’ in Canada, but they do not represent the Sikh Community as a whole. There are supporters of the Modi government in Canada, but they do not represent all Hindu Canadians as a whole,” he said.

ALSO READ: Trudeau Calls His Officials “Criminals”, Media “Wrong” Over Leaks, Fake Report On Indian Leadership

Later in November, he also called his intelligence officials “criminals” for linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to violence on Canadian soil. His statement came after Globe and Mail newspaper published a report, alleging that Canadian security agencies believed PM Modi knew about the violent plots and said Mr Jaishankar and National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval were also in the loop.

In 2024, India witnessed some of the most path-breaking achievements, ranging from border disengagement with China along the Line of Actual Control to the first test flight of the new variant Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A to the testing of a hypersonic missile. The country’s defence and security apparatus evolved in the land, sea, air, and space sectors.

Here are the top milestones in India’s defence and security apparatus

Border Disengagement With China 

In October, the Centre announced that India and China had agreed upon the “last phase of disengagement” regarding patrolling arrangements in the Depsang and Demchok regions. The former is in northern Ladakh, while the latter is in the east. The areas, along with others like the Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley, and Gogra Hotsprings have been points of contention over varying perceptions of the boundary line.

In 2020, the troops of the nuclear-armed countries clashed in the Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian soldiers and an officer were killed in action. The troops disengaged from most of the regions but Depsang and Demchok remained contentious. 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar confirmed the big announcement of disengagement at the NDTV World Summit that day and said “We reached an agreement on patrolling, and we have gone back to the 2020 position. With that, we can say the disengagement with China has been completed… There are areas which, for various reasons after 2020, they blocked us, we blocked them. We have now reached an understanding which will allow patrolling as we had been doing till 2020.”

A month later in November, the Indian Army today “successfully completed” patrolling to one of the patrol points in the Depsang region of Ladakh following the consensus.

Mission Divyastra

In March, India successfully conducted the first flight test of Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) with the Agni-5 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) conducted a successful test of the MIRV technology which was in development for several years, putting India on an elite list of nations that have the capability.

Scientists at DRDO have been working on Multiple Independently Targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRV) technologies for many years. The technology allows a single missile like the Agni-5 to carry multiple warheads and independently target locations. The system developed by DRDO is equipped with indigenous Avionics systems and high-accuracy sensor packages, which ensure that the re-entry vehicles reach the target points within the desired accuracy.

Agni-5 is an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) that goes into space before re-entering the atmosphere. 

‘Project Zorawar’ – India’s Response To China In Ladakh

In July, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) developed a light tank in a record two years, catering to the Army’s need for a high-altitude light tank to counter China’s ZQ-15 in Ladakh.

The tank was put to an advanced stage of trials and will be inducted soon. The light tank Zorawar weighs 25 tonnes. It is the first time, a fresh tank has been designed and made ready for trials in such a short time.

Around 59 of these tanks will be provided to the Army initially and it will be a front runner for the major programme of 295 more of these armoured vehicles.

Tejas MK1A Was Airborne

On March 28, Group Captain K K Venugopal (retired), a Chief Test Pilot with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, took the first aircraft of the Tejas MK1A series, to the skies, staying airborne for 18 minutes. It was a huge milestone in India’s LCA project which seeks to replace the existing fleet of MiGs and other old aircraft in the Indian Air Force

“The Tejas Mk1A will have an advanced electronic RADAR, warfare and communication systems, additional combat capability and improved maintenance features,” the HAL said.

The Indian Air Force has ordered 83 Tejas Mk1A variants in a Rs 36,468 crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. In November last year, the Defence Acquisition Council cleared the project to acquire 97 more Tejas jets for the Indian Air Force.

Commissioning of INS Arighaat 

On August 29, India commissioned INS Arighaat, the second of the Arihant-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, into service.

The submarine will strengthen India’s nuclear triad, enhance nuclear deterrence, help in establishing strategic balance and peace in the region, and play a decisive role in the security of the country.

The country’s nuclear submarine has the distinction of having indigenous systems and equipment which were conceptualised, designed, manufactured and integrated by Indian scientists, industry and naval personnel, the defence ministry said.

Nuclear Missile Test Firing

A few months later after the commissioning of INS Arighaat, India test-fired a nuclear submarine-launched ballistic missile with a range of 3,500 km. The K-4 missile was launched in November and will provide India with a second-strike capability. 

It underpinned India’s nuclear triad capability, putting it in a small group of countries that can fire a nuclear missile from land, air and undersea.

According to reports, it was the first test of the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from a submarine.

Hypersonic Missile Test

In November, India successfully test-fired a long-range hypersonic missile from the APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Odisha. 

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the test-firing of the missile as a historic moment as it put India in the group of select nations having the capabilities to develop such critical technologies.

The @DRDO_India has successfully conducted a flight trial of its long range hypersonic missile on 16th Nov 2024 from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, off-the-coast of Odisha.

Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh has congratulated DRDO, Armed Forces and the Industry for successful flight… pic.twitter.com/wq7yM2YS9f

— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) November 17, 2024

He congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the armed forces and the industry for what he described as a “stupendous” achievement.

Commissioning Of Navy’s New Choppers

In March, a squadron of MH-60 Romeo helicopters was commissioned at INS Garuda, a naval air station and also the “cradle of naval aviation” in Kochi. The Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 334 is the latest air squadron of the Navy and home for MH-60R, the submarine hunters. Captain M Abhisheik Ram will be the commanding officer of the INAS 334 squadron. 

MH-60R, manufactured by Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky, is the naval variant of the US Blackhawk helicopter, is one of the most potent anti-submarine choppers currently operational in the world and is considered a game changer due to its anti-submarine/surface capabilities and command, and control capabilities. 

India ordered 24 MH-60Rs in a $905 million government-to-government deal with the US. Two choppers were formally handed over to the Indian Navy by its US counterpart in 2021. 

C295 Aircraft Manufacturing Facility

Prime Minister Modi and his Spanish President Pedro Sanchez jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 transport aircraft at TATA Advanced Systems Limited Campus in Gujarat’s Vadodara in October 2024. 

The C-295 is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing Avro-748 planes.

In September 2021, India signed a Rs 21,935-crore contract with Airbus Defence and Space SA, Spain for the supply of 56 aircraft – 16 to be brought in fly-away condition from Spain and 40 to be built in India by TASL. Of the 16 aircraft, six have already been inducted into IAF at 11 Sqn based at Vadodara. 

The last would be delivered by August 2025. The first Made-in-India C-295 is expected to be rolled out of the Final Assembly Line facility at Vadodara by September 2026 and the remaining by August 2031.

Test Firing Of Rudram-II

In May, India successfully test-fired an air-surface anti-radiation missile from a Su-30MKI fighter jet. The Rudram-II anti-radiation supersonic missile is developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

The Rudram-II is the latest version after the mark-1 version was tested four years ago by Su-30MKI, the backbone of India’s fighter fleet.

The flight test met all the trial objectives, validating the propulsion system and control & guidance algorithm. Rudram missile is the first indigenously developed anti-radiation missile designed to target enemy ground radars (surveillance, tracking) and communication stations in Suppression of  Enemy Air Defence (SEAD) missions. 

Rudram-II is one of the finest and is meant to neutralise many types of enemy assets. India currently operates the Russian Kh-31, an anti-radiation missile. The Rudram missiles will replace the Kh-31s.