Railways may allow more IDs for tatkal booking authentication
NEW DELHI: Indian Railways may allow use of more documents in addition to Aadhaar for authentication of their IRCTC account to book Tatkal tickets, reports Dipak Dash. Documents that are uploaded and saved in Digilocker such as PAN Card, driving licence and voter ID are likely to be included to the list for authentication of users, sources said.
TOI has learnt that the railway ministry may come up with an update on Monday, a day before linking Aadhaar with IRCTC account of users come to effect.
The matter was discussed at a review meeting chaired by minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday. Around 2.2 lakh passengers book Tatkal tickets through the IRCTC website and app daily. Railways has advised travelers to connect their Aadhaar numbers with their IRCTC accounts to prevent any disruptions from July 1 (Tuesday).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Pakistani passport holder grilled for hours at Turkey-Bulgaria border despite valid EU papers
A viral account by a US content creator has prompted mixed reactions after she claimed that border authorities held a Pakistani man at the Turkey-Bulgaria crossing despite him having proper EU documents. The incident, she said, showed how travel can still be shaped by prejudice. A US vlogger claimed her fellow passengers with a Pakistani passport were temporarily detained at the Turkey-Bulgaria border. (Instagram/@poorlittlenomad) Jenny, a travel vlogger who showed her American passport in a video, wrote on Instagram that the whole incident was 'sickening'. 'What should've been a simple border crossing from Türkiye to Bulgaria turned into a 3-hour delay, all because one passenger had a Pakistani passport. He was questioned for hours. Not once, but by multiple officers, as if simply having a Pakistani passport was reason enough to treat him with suspicion,' she continued. She further claimed that the man who was temporarily detained 'lives and works in Luxembourg, a Schengen country'. Jenny wrote that the man had all his documents, including a 'residency permit, employment verification, and proof of address.' However, she also praised her fellow passengers for patiently waiting for the Pakistani passport holder. 'What stood out to me most, though, was the quiet solidarity on that bus. No one complained. No one asked for the bus to leave him behind. And the drivers, without hesitation, refused to continue the journey without him,' she posted. She concluded her share with a video. How did social media react? The video prompted mixed reactions. While some shared that the woman was rightfully outraged, others supported the authorities. 'I'm so glad to hear everyone stuck with him and was so caring,' an individual posted. Another remarked, 'I mean, Pakistan is famous for ONE thing. You can't blame the world for pattern recognition.' Also Read: Pakistani national claims he has Aadhaar card, Indian voter ID: 'Humne vote bhi cast kiya' A third expressed, 'As a Pakistani, this was so heartbreaking to read. and I'm so glad you all didn't complain and didn't make the guy feel any more embarrassed or guilty.' A fourth wrote, 'This is quite literally me and my husband, who has the same passport. This is really how it is; we have plenty of stories, even travelling as a couple where I have a strong passport. It's absolutely sickening that this happened to this man… it's always lesser known/less popular countries that make the biggest issues, too!'
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
an hour ago
- Business Standard
Motilal Oswal sector of the week: Hospitality; check stock picks, targets
The Indian hospitality sector is poised for continued strength in the financial year 2025-26 (FY26), building on the robust momentum seen at the close of FY25. A strong mix of rising Average Room Rates (ARRs), high occupancy, and resilient demand from weddings, spiritual tourism, and large-scale events is driving performance. April 2025 saw strong revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth despite a temporary moderation in May due to geopolitical tensions. Recovery followed quickly in June, aided by MICE activity and domestic travel, with leading hotel players anticipating 11–12 per cent Year-on-Year (Y-o-Y) RevPAR growth in 1Q FY26, led by ARR gains. A major tailwind has been the surge in India's live entertainment economy. High-profile concerts, sporting events, and expos have significantly boosted hotel demand in key metros, allowing hotels to exercise pricing power. With a strong pipeline of such events lined up through FY26, this trend is expected to sustain. Spiritual tourism, another key demand driver, is gaining traction with government-backed initiatives like PRASHAD and Swadesh Darshan improving infrastructure at pilgrimage sites. Hotel chains are responding by expanding in spiritual hubs such as Ayodhya, Tirupati, and Varanasi. The seasonality that typically weighs on Q1 performance is easing due to increasing MICE activities and experiential travel trends. India's hospitality landscape is gradually transitioning into a more structurally balanced growth phase, supported by growing domestic tourism and improving travel connectivity. This is reflected in the FY25 industry data, which showed 8 per cent Y-o-Y RevPAR growth, 7 per cent ARR improvement, and steady occupancy at 65 per cent. The hotel basket also reported 18 per cent revenue and 20 per cent Ebitda growth. Looking ahead, hotel players are expected to benefit from continued ARR growth, healthy occupancy levels, and strong demand from weddings, business travel, and large events. Backed by structural tailwinds and supportive supply-demand dynamics, the outlook for the Indian hospitality sector remains upbeat for FY26 and beyond. Lemon Tree -- Target price: ₹200 Lemon Tree is poised to benefit from sustained demand across MICE, weddings, and spiritual tourism, supported by strong ARR growth and improving occupancy. The ramp-up of Aurika Mumbai, a 1,100-plus room pipeline in spiritual destinations, and the Infinity 2.0 loyalty program strengthen visibility. With rising retail demand (45 per cent of FY25 room revenue), cost efficiencies, and better asset utilisation, earnings growth is likely to accelerate. Over FY25–27, we estimate 14 per cent/17per cent/38per cent CAGR in revenue/Ebitda/PAT, with RoCE expanding to 19 per cent. Indian Hotels -- Target price: ₹940 IHCL is well-positioned to capture the hospitality upcycle led by a strong pipeline of events, rising MICE activity, and the rapid expansion of spiritual tourism. With 30 hotels in the pipeline and ₹1200 crore capex allocated for upgrades and greenfield projects, the company is set for sustained double-digit growth.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
Namibian cheetahs' first home Kuno records 19 per cent tourist growth in 2024-25
BHOPAL: Tourist arrivals at Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park (KNP) – the first home of African cheetahs in India – have grown by 19% in 2024-25 compared to the previous year. Just a day before the park is closed for tourists as part of the annual July 1-September 30 monsoon closure – the KNP management released figures of tourist arrivals spanning between 2019-20 and 2024-25. The figures showed that the tourist inflow at the park grew by 19%, rising from 3,221 travellers in 2023-24 to 3,833 (including 21 foreign tourists) in 2024-25. As part of re-introducing the fastest moving animal on earth into the Indian wilds again – seven decades after it went extinct in the Indian forests due to rampant poaching -- 20 African cheetahs (from Namibia and South Africa) were introduced at the KNP in Sheopur district between September 2022 and February 2023. The tourist arrivals at the park which stood at 804 in 2019-20 grew by 12% to 903 in 2020-21. The numbers rose by 34% to 1,211 in 2021-22 and by 20% to 1,459 in 2022-23. The maximum surge in tourist arrivals, however, was reported in 2023-24, after the cheetahs were set free into the free ranging forests of the park located in the Gwalior-Chambal region of MP, Rajasthan. The tourist traffic grew by a massive 121% in 2023-24 to 3,221 tourists compared to the 1,459 total tourist arrivals at the park in 2022-23. The increase continued in 2024-25 also as the tourist arrivals grew by 19% to 3,833 tourists between Oct-June. Importantly, the park is open for the tourists annually from October to June and remains closed due to monsoon break between July 1 and September 30. Currently, there are 10 adult African (Namibian and South African) cheetahs and their 19 Indian born cubs at KNP. The Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary in western Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur district became the second home to the African cheetahs in India on April 20, after South African male coalition Prabhas and Pavak were moved there from the KNP.
