Latest news with #Aadhaar-authenticated
Time of India
27-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Engg faculty to get Aadhaar-verified ID
Chennai: To prevent ghost faculty members in engineering colleges and other institutions, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will soon issue Aadhaar-authenticated IDs to all 6.5 lakh faculty members working in professional colleges across India. Speaking to The Times of India, AICTE chairman T G Sitharam said the Union education ministry will issue a gazette notification for creating new IDs for faculty members. "We have already approached the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and they have accepted the proposal. It will remove the ghost faculty issue," Sitharam said. Following an expose by an anti-corruption NGO, Anna University found that around 2,000 faculty positions were wrongly shown as filled by engineering colleges for 2024-25. These faculty members were found to be working in multiple institutions at the same time. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai AICTE has removed the cap to increase engineering seats, which has resulted in many colleges increasing their sanctioned strength in emerging areas. When asked about the impact of removing the cap, Sitharam said, "Good institutions that have teachers and good placements are getting more students." On the increased interest in joining engineering courses, he said, "It is mainly due to the rise in campus placements. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Hurt in an Accident? Read This vividtrendlab Undo According to the data submitted by the colleges, 95% of students studying computer science engineering were placed last year, while other branches recorded 65% placements." To overcome the faculty shortage in computer-related courses, AICTE has taken various initiatives. Highlighting those initiatives, Sitharam said, "AICTE has introduced a PG certification programme for core engineering faculty members to train them in emerging areas. They are not being transferred but allowed to take a course after completing a course. Further, we have introduced associate professors of practice and assistant professors of practice to attract industry experts from emerging areas. They can fill up to 20% of the faculty requirement through industry experts." While the professors of practice need 15 years of experience, an assistant professor of practice and associate professor of practice need five years and eight years of experience, which will enable the colleges to hire industry experts from emerging areas. He also stressed the need for continuous upgradation of the curriculum to teach industry-relevant topics to students. AICTE has also introduced the Centre for Engineering Education Excellence to upskill engineering faculty members in partnership with IITs and the Indian National Academy of Engineering. "We are planning to train 4,000 teachers from engineering colleges in the tier-two and tier-three colleges in the next three years," Sitharam said.
Hindustan Times
25-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Around 89 per cent of train tickets being booked online: Rail Minister
New Delhi, Prospective train passengers can book reserved tickets either online or through computerised Passenger Reservation System counters, and around 89 per cent of tickets are being booked online, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw apprised the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Friday. Around 89 per cent of train tickets being booked online: Rail Minister He responded to questions regarding recent initiatives related to digital reservations and deactivation of crores of dubious User IDs by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation "With a view to curb malpractices in the ticket booking system, IRCTC has recently deactivated over 2.5 crore user IDs, as their credentials were found to be suspicious during extensive data point analysis," the Railway Minister said. He added, "On Indian Railways, the demand pattern of reserved accommodation is not uniform throughout the year, and it varies over lean and peak periods. The trains running on popular routes and convenient timings are generally well patronised. However, in other trains, accommodation is generally available." Vaishnaw presented various steps taken by the Ministry to improve passenger access to confirmed tickets, ensure transparency and proliferate digital modes. "Reserved tickets can be booked either online or across computerised Passenger Reservation System counters on a first cum, first-served basis. Presently, around 89 per cent of total tickets are being booked through online mode," Vaishnaw said. "At PRS counters, the facility of making payments through digital modes has been provided. With effect from 01-07-2025, tickets under the Tatkal Scheme can be booked through the website of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation /its app only by Aadhaar-authenticated users," he said. He said that agents are barred from booking opening-day Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the opening of Tatkal reservations. Vaishnaw stated that the waiting list position of the trains is monitored on a regular basis, and in order to cater to additional demand, Indian Railways operates special train services and augments the load of trains to generate additional accommodation, subject to operational feasibility. "Further, schemes like Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme , known as VIKALP and Up-gradation scheme have been introduced to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and also to ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation," he added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
News18
25-07-2025
- Business
- News18
Around 89 per cent of train tickets being booked online: Rail Minister
New Delhi, Jul 25 (PTI) Prospective train passengers can book reserved tickets either online or through computerised Passenger Reservation System counters, and around 89 per cent of tickets are being booked online, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw apprised the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on Friday. He responded to questions regarding recent initiatives related to digital reservations and deactivation of crores of dubious User IDs by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) 'With a view to curb malpractices in the ticket booking system, IRCTC has recently deactivated over 2.5 crore user IDs, as their credentials were found to be suspicious during extensive data point analysis," the Railway Minister said. He added, 'On Indian Railways, the demand pattern of reserved accommodation is not uniform throughout the year, and it varies over lean and peak periods. The trains running on popular routes and convenient timings are generally well patronised. However, in other trains, accommodation is generally available." Vaishnaw presented various steps taken by the Ministry to improve passenger access to confirmed tickets, ensure transparency and proliferate digital modes. 'Reserved tickets can be booked either online or across computerised Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters on a first cum, first-served basis. Presently, around 89 per cent of total tickets are being booked through online mode," Vaishnaw said. 'At PRS counters, the facility of making payments through digital modes has been provided. With effect from 01-07-2025, tickets under the Tatkal Scheme can be booked through the website of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)/its app only by Aadhaar-authenticated users," he said. He said that agents are barred from booking opening-day Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the opening of Tatkal reservations. Vaishnaw stated that the waiting list position of the trains is monitored on a regular basis, and in order to cater to additional demand, Indian Railways operates special train services and augments the load of trains to generate additional accommodation, subject to operational feasibility. 'Further, schemes like Alternate Train Accommodation Scheme (ATAS), known as VIKALP and Up-gradation scheme have been introduced to provide confirmed accommodation to waitlisted passengers and also to ensure optimal utilisation of available accommodation," he added. PTI JP HIG view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 19:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
03-07-2025
- India Today
Tatkal in 60 seconds: Telegram racket sells Aadhaar IDs after railway announcement
Tatkal tickets - meant for last-minute travel and released 24-hours before departure- are often bought within seconds by bots or agents, leaving genuine travellers stranded.A network of more than 40 groups active on Telegram and WhatsApp has been identified by India Today's OSINT team. But it represents just a fraction of the larger online black market for e-ticketing, where thousands of agents appear to be active—and business continues to boom, despite government Ministry of Railways has mandated that tickets under the Tatkal scheme can be booked through the Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) website or app only by Aadhaar-authenticated users starting July 1. Soon after the announcement, the e-ticketing racket on social media channels began peddling Aadhaar-verified IRCTC IDs and OTPs to both agents and buyers. RACKET UNCOVEREDNot just agents, the e-ticketing rackets are rife with tech geeks and fake service providers who claim to exploit alleged loopholes in the IRCTC system, operating through shady Telegram and WhatsApp mask their identities, the admins use international phone Aadhar-authenticated IRCTC user IDs are openly sold for just Rs. 360 each, as per posts seen by India Today. These accounts are allegedly used to generate OTPs for booking Tatkal tickets. But the process isn't manual—agents claim to use bots or automated browser extensions to speed up bookings and overwhelm the system for genuine users. MODUS OPERANDIIndia Today closely observed activity inside one of the racket's Telegram groups, 'Fast Tatkal Software,' for over three months to understand their ticketing racket operators or the technical masterminds behind the illicit network are the ones claiming to sell bots to agents. The agents are asked to install these bots in their browsers and use autofill features to complete bookings quickly, gaining an advantage over genuine users who struggle with slow-loading pages and failed transactions. One video shared by an operator makes the picture bots allegedly autofill IRCTC login credentials, train details, passenger information, and payment data. The entire process is automated and 'guaranteed' to secure confirmed tickets in less than a minute.A conversation in the channel reveals the tech expert guiding agents to evade IRCTC's AI algorithm, which counters bot activity by blocking suspicious IPs. The fraudsters dodge these blocks by using Virtual Private Servers (VPS) to mask their IP operators even claim to be developing features to complete BOTS ON SALEadvertisementIndia Today also discovered that the racket admins operate full-fledged websites selling bots like Dragon, JETX, Ocean, Black Turbo, and Formula One—marketed for 'instant Tatkal bookings' and priced between Rs 999 and Rs 5,000. After purchase, users are guided through Telegram channels on how to use bots are not just used to book tickets but steal information from users. Malware analysis of the bot file named WinZip, downloaded as an APK, was conducted using the malware scanner site VirusTotal. The analysis revealed it to be Trojan - a malware designed to steal user information. On June 04, the Ministry of Railway said in a press release that during the first five minutes of Tatkal booking, 'the bot traffic accounts for up to 50 per cent of overall login attempts.'The deployment of the anti-bot system by IRCTC led to the suspension of over 2.5 crore fake user IDs, the Ministry added. Also, agent bookings are now banned during the first 30 minutes of Tatkal ticket opening for both AC and non-AC categories.- Ends advertisement
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
02-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
All about RailOne, one-stop super app for various railway services
Indian Railways has launched a 'super app' called RailOne to consolidate all major services under one platform that it says will end the need of using different platforms. One app, multiple functions Passengers relied on multiple apps for booking tickets, checking train status, giving feedback and other purposes. RailOne seeks to change that. Here's what passengers can do with RailOne: -Purchase platform tickets -View coach positions -Register complaints via Rail Madad -Submit travel feedback -Access e-catering and inquiry services -Unified access and login RailOne offers a single sign-on feature, meaning passengers need not remember different login credentials for separate railway apps. Users can log in with existing IRCTC Rail Connect or UTSonMobile credentials. Key features include: -Easy login via mPIN or biometric authentication -Integration with R-Wallet, the railway's digital wallet -Guest login for quick enquiries via mobile OTP -Minimal registration process for new users -Available on all platforms RailOne is available on Android Play Store and iOS App Store. The interface has been kept clean and simple to make navigation easier for users of all ages, said Railways. Authorised and integrated RailOne is authorised by IRCTC, much like other third-party travel booking apps. It brings both core and value-added services into one platform, offering convenience while helping reduce mobile storage usage. What does this mean for passengers? This initiative is part of Indian Railways' broader digital upgrade, which also includes enhancements to the passenger reservation system, a shift to Aadhaar-authenticated Tatkal bookings, and faster chart preparations. The RailOne app can be seen as the foundation for more integrated and user-friendly railway services in the coming months. As the number of digital rail users continues to grow, RailOne could become the go-to app for Indian travellers, offering all-in-one convenience at their fingertips.
