VK News Today https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html NIT Rourkela placement drive records 1,340 offers, highest B.Tech CTC reaches Rs 1.31 crore Kangana Ranaut opens up on politics, career and being ‘Hugely Desirable’: ‘Had an identity for 20 years as actor, BJP might not be there tomorrow’ Invasive Species India: In the 1840s, this African snail reached India decades ago and now appears in gardens and farms across the country Sawan Purnima 2026 Date: 27 Aug or 28 Aug? Know the correct Tithi, Shubh Muhurat, and Moonrise Time 55 million-year-old penguin fossils reveal hidden chemical clues about Antarctica before the continent became frozen Could UK military sites come under attack? 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NEW DELHI: A training aircraft belonging to Kanpur’s Garg Aviation crashed on Thursday, killing two — the trainer and trainee pilots — on board. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement the Tecnam P2006T twin-engine aircraft (VT-NBV) crashed about five nautical miles from Kanpur Civil Airport, near Ganga Barrage.“The aircraft was on a training flight in the local flying area of Kanpur Civil Airport. There were two persons on board, a trainee pilot and an instructor. Both sustained fatal injuries in the accident. A team of three officials from the DGCA is proceeding to the site for necessary regulatory oversight and coordination,” said the DGCA statement. Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been informed and “will undertake a detailed investigation into the accident in accordance with the applicable rules. The circumstances and cause of the accident will be determined through the investigation,” it added.Senior pilots call for a thorough investigation into the flying school operations. On June 26, 2026, a trainee pilot had got grievously injured while deboarding VT-NBV with the propeller running at Kanpur’s Chakeri Airport. Following this lapse, the DGCA had on June 28 said in a statement that it had “directed VT-NBV aircraft should not be utilised pending the probe.” Subsequently the aircraft started flying again till it crashed on Thursday.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?18 Rounds, Point-Blank: How Haryanvi Singer Ankit Balyan Was Gunned Down Outside Gym In UPIndia-China Talks Yield 8-Point Consensus; New Military Hotlines, Border Talks On The TableSkardu Base Was India’s Target During Operation Sindoor, Ex-CDS Reveals Why Strike Was Aborted’Gone In Seconds’: Kailash Mansarovar Pilgrims Missing, 77 Isha Foundation Members Among ThemSinger Mary Millben Hits Back Over ‘Anti-Modi’ Politics Over Mohan Bhagwat New York Event105 Indians Missing In Nepal Flash Floods; Tibet-Side Surge Leaves Eight Dead | Watch‘Big Reveal’ Or Big Scam? 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Decoding Yash starrer’s shocking climax and Geetu Mohandas directorial’s ambiguous ending Intuition or fear? 5 ways to tell what your gut is really telling you Chandra Grahan 2026: These 5 Things Should Be Removed From Home Before Sutak Starts- Vastu Secrets US debt crosses $40 trillion: But who does Uncle Sam owe money to? 11,000-year-old sculpture of human seated on leopard found on a stone bench at Karahantepe in Türkiye reveals unique Neolithic art | World News Vande Bharat to E. coli: What CAG found behind Indian Railways’ big makeover (PTI file photo) NEW DELHI: Indian Railways is in the middle of one of its biggest modernisation drives, spanning station redevelopment, new trains, electrification and record capital investment. A recent CAG audit, however, shows that alongside this expansion, gaps remain in some of the most basic passenger amenities at stations.For years now, the story of Indian Railways has been told through images of transformation.There are sleek Vande Bharat trains gliding out of revamped stations, glossy artist’s impressions of redeveloped railway hubs, new concourses, lifts, escalators and futuristic terminals. The government has steadily raised capital expenditure on the national transporter, presenting the Railways as one of the central pillars of country’s infrastructure push.The makeover is visible. But the latest audit findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India show that ensuring basic passenger amenities remain available and functional across the network continues to be an important part of that transformation.In a report tabled in Parliament on August 12, the CAG examined passenger amenities and sanitation at non-suburban railway stations and found significant gaps in the basics. Of 512 stations covered by the audit, 458 had deficiencies in one or more essential passenger amenities. Water samples collected from coolers at eight stations were found contaminated with E. coli, a marker that raises serious concerns about faecal contamination and water safety.Amenities gap at railway stations (Source: CAG)The latest CAG reports, including those on passenger amenities, railway finances and compliance, raise a larger question about the makeover that we keep talking about: Is the transformation merely about building new assets, or is it also about making the everyday railway experience safer, cleaner, more reliable and financially sustainable?What the CAG found at railway stationsIndian Railways is not a conventional transport system. It is the daily infrastructure of a country on the move.Millions pass through its stations not as occasional tourists but as workers, students, migrants, families and small traders. For many, the railway journey begins long before boarding a train. It begins with finding the platform, locating a toilet, getting drinking water, sitting in a waiting area and navigating a crowded station.That is precisely where the latest audit becomes very important.The CAG’s Report No. 31 of 2026, focused on passenger amenities and sanitation at non-suburban railway stations, was tabled on August 12.The findings suggest that while major infrastructure projects may dominate the narrative around railway modernisation, there continues to be significant variation in the availability of basic passenger amenities across the stations examined.The audit found deficiencies at nearly nine out of every 10 stations examined.The gaps ranged across basic amenities such as toilets, urinals and drinking-water facilities. In other words, the issue was not necessarily the absence of a grand redevelopment plan. It was ensuring that facilities passengers encounter every day are available and functional consistently.The audit underlines that station modernisation has two components: creating new infrastructure and ensuring that routine passenger amenities remain available and functional.Water quality emerges as a key concernPerhaps the most striking finding in the audit concerns drinking water.The CAG found E. coli contamination in samples collected from water coolers at eight locations. The presence of such bacteria raises concerns because contaminated drinking water can pose a serious public-health risk.The finding was particularly important because access to safe water is among the most basic services expected at a railway station.The finding has now prompted a special response from Indian Railways.The Railways has launched a special drive to clean and disinfect drinking-water tanks and filters. Zonal Railways have also been advised to undertake comprehensive inspections of drinking-water infrastructure and rectify deficiencies wherever they are found.Importantly, the exercise is not being limited to a one-time cleaning drive. The Railways has directed that station-wise deficiencies and the action taken to address them be monitored.That changes the nature of the response.The issue is no longer simply whether a station has a drinking-water facility. The bigger question is whether the entire system behind that facility, tanks, filters, pipelines, coolers and monitoring, is functioning properly and delivering safe water consistently.It is a crucial distinction.A water cooler installed at a station is an infrastructure achievement. Ensuring that the water remains safe every day is a maintenance and governance challenge.The new cleaning and inspection drive also underlines the broader problem identified by the CAG.Modernisation is not simply about creating infrastructure. It is about maintaining it.A water cooler installed at a station is only as useful as the quality of the water flowing through it. A new toilet is only as useful as its cleanliness and upkeep. An escalator that frequently stops working or a waiting hall that is not maintained does not become useful merely because the infrastructure exists.The challenge for Indian Railways is increasingly shifting from construction to maintenance.The missing link in the makeoverIndia’s railway modernisation programme has been built around large numbers.New lines, doubling and electrification projects, station redevelopment, signalling upgrades and new rolling stock have become the visible markers of the transformation.The latest financial audit, Report No. 30 of 2026, was also tabled on August 12 and examines the finances of the ministry of Railways for the year ended March 2025. Its significance lies in placing the makeover against the larger question of financial capacity and the resources available to sustain such an ambitious transformation.The numbers show the scale of the continuing investment push. For 2026-27, railway capital expenditure is budgeted at Rs 2.93 lakh crore, with budgetary support from the Centre expected to finance around 95% of that spending.This represents a fundamental shift in how railway modernisation is being financed.The network is no longer relying only on internally generated resources to fund its massive expansion and upgrade plans. Government support has become the financial backbone of the capital programme.That has enabled Indian Railways to build faster. At the same time, the growing asset base makes maintenance, upgrade and efficient operation increasingly important.Record spending, 98.4% operating ratioThe answer lies partly in the operating ratio, a measure of how much of every rupee earned is consumed by working expenses. A lower operating ratio leaves more room for investment and financial flexibility.For 2026-27, the operating ratio is budgeted at 98.4%, after a revised estimate of 98.8% for 2025-26, as reported by Parliament and PRS Legislative Research.The margin remains narrow.The modernisation drive is also being supported by a substantial increase in central budgetary support. Government support is expected to finance around 95% of railway capital expenditure in 2026-27, while the operating ratio remains above 98%.Building big, maintaining betterThe CAG’s findings bring an old problem into a new context.The audit places renewed focus on maintenance, an increasingly important issue as the Railways adds and upgrades infrastructure across a very large network.The transformation of Indian Railways will not be judged only by whether a station redevelopment project is completed on schedule. It will also be judged years later by whether the facilities created continue to work as intended.The CAG examined precisely these everyday indicators — drinking water, toilets and urinals, seating, platform shelters, accessibility and sanitation — making the report as much about service quality as infrastructure availability.The findings highlight the importance of pairing asset creation with regular maintenance, inspection and service monitoring.The former is visible. It can be photographed, inaugurated and counted.The latter is harder. It requires regular inspection, accountability, maintenance contracts, quality checks and systems that continue to work long after the inaugural ceremony.The Railways’ latest drinking-water drive points in that direction. The focus on comprehensive inspection, rectification and station-wise monitoring suggests an attempt to make maintenance more systematic rather than waiting for individual problems to surface.The real test will be whether that monitoring continues after the immediate response to the audit findings.The challenge of maintaining standards across a vast networkThe latest findings also underline the challenge of ensuring uniform service standards across a railway network of India’s scale.At one level are the flagship projects: High-profile trains, major stations and corridors receiving substantial investment. These are the symbols that shape public perception of a changing railway system.At another level are hundreds of ordinary stations where the provision and upkeep of basic amenities remain equally important.The CAG’s examination of 512 stations and its finding of deficiencies at 458 suggests that ensuring minimum standards consistently across the network remains a work in progress.That is where the true test of the makeover lies.Indian Railways is too large and too geographically diverse for transformation to be measured only through a handful of showcase projects. The success of the modernisation programme will depend on whether improvements can eventually become the standard across the network rather than remain concentrated at major stations.The passenger boarding from a smaller city experiences the Railways through the condition of the local station.That station is where the promise of transformation ultimately becomes visible.A financial makeover still in progressThe railway modernisation programme is also taking place against a difficult financial backdrop.Passenger and freight revenues remain central to the financial health of the system. Yet recent budget analysis has pointed to revenue estimates falling short of targets, even as the Railways continues to undertake large capital investments.According to the 2026-27 analysis by PRS Legislative Research, freight revenue in 2025-26 was estimated to be 5.1% below the budget estimate, while passenger revenue was expected to fall short by 13.8%.Freight down, passenger revenue misses targetThis does not mean that the railway transformation has stalled. Far from it. The scale of capital expenditure remains historically high.It does mean, however, that central budgetary support remains a major pillar of the current modernisation programme.The question is whether the investments being made today will eventually create a more efficient railway system, one that can carry more freight, attract more passengers, reduce congestion and improve revenue generation.That is the economic logic behind modernisation.The CAG’s latest findings add another dimension: modernisation must also ensure that spending translates into reliable passenger amenities and services.The real makeover begins after inaugurationThere is another lesson in the CAG audit.One of the most important parts of railway transformation is creating systems capable of looking after the infrastructure once it is built.A station redevelopment project has a beginning and an end. A maintenance programme does not.It requires continuous supervision.The Railways’ decision to launch a special drive for cleaning and disinfecting drinking-water tanks and filters, inspect infrastructure and monitor station-wise deficiencies is therefore significant.The Railways will now have to ensure that the response goes beyond corrective action after contamination is detected. The larger goal is preventive systems, regular water testing, routine cleaning and disinfection, replacement of ageing infrastructure, clear responsibility for sanitation, and stronger monitoring of passenger amenities.The same principle applies across the network.Modernisation must become a process rather than an event.The CAG’s findings have arrived at an important moment because Indian Railways is entering a phase where the story can no longer be told only through the scale of capital expenditure. The network has already seen major investments and ambitious announcements.The next question is whether these investments are producing a railway that works better every day.From showcase projects to everyday reliabilityThere is no doubt that Indian Railways is changing.The infrastructure pipeline is enormous. Capital spending remains high. Stations and trains look different from what they did a decade ago. Electrification, new corridors and capacity expansion are reshaping the network.The CAG audit does not erase those changes.Instead, it adds another dimension to the modernisation story: the importance of ensuring that basic passenger services improve alongside major infrastructure creation.A transformed railway will ultimately be judged both by its new assets and by the consistency with which its everyday facilities work.It must be judged by outcomes.The latest audit reports offer precisely that reminder.The CAG’s passenger amenities report was tabled in Parliament on August 12, alongside the latest reports on railway finances and compliance. Together, they offer a snapshot of a system undergoing one of its most ambitious periods of investment while still grappling with persistent questions of service delivery, maintenance and financial sustainability.Record capex, heavy government support: The financial reality behind Railways’ makeoverThe new drinking-water drive shows that the Railways is responding to at least one of those concerns. But whether the effort translates into consistently safer and better-maintained facilities across stations will determine its real impact.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe railway makeover, in other words, is real. But seems unfinished.The CAG report does not negate the scale of the transformation underway in Indian Railways. Capital investment remains at record levels, stations are being redeveloped and capacity is expanding. What the audit adds to that picture is a reminder that the next phase of modernisation will also depend on maintenance, consistency and ensuring that facilities already created remain functional, accessible and safe.The Railways’ response to the water-quality findings, including inspections, filtration upgrades and station-wise monitoring, shows that corrective action has begun. The larger test will be whether these systems can help close the remaining amenity gaps across a network that serves millions of passengers every day.For millions of passengers, transformation will ultimately mean something simple: a clean station, a functioning toilet, safe drinking water and a journey in which the infrastructure created for them continues to work as intended.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAbhishek MishraAbhishek Mishra is a Digital Content Producer at The Times of India, working with the news desk. He writes with a keen eye on foreign policy, defence developments, and the shifting currents of geopolitics-and yes, Indian politics always finds a way onto his radar too.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosFake IAS Officer Tripti Rajput Under Probe, Police Recover CBI Cards And Government DocumentsWhy A Supreme Court Judge Wants The Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Transferred?18 Rounds, Point-Blank: How Haryanvi Singer Ankit Balyan Was Gunned Down Outside Gym In UPIndia-China Talks Yield 8-Point Consensus; New Military Hotlines, Border Talks On The TableSkardu Base Was India’s Target During Operation Sindoor, Ex-CDS Reveals Why Strike Was Aborted’Gone In Seconds’: Kailash Mansarovar Pilgrims Missing, 77 Isha Foundation Members Among ThemSinger Mary Millben Hits Back Over ‘Anti-Modi’ Politics Over Mohan Bhagwat New York Event105 Indians Missing In Nepal Flash Floods; Tibet-Side Surge Leaves Eight Dead | Watch‘Big Reveal’ Or Big Scam? 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Decades later their flock reached 120; alarming Yellowstone officials AI generated representational image During election coverage, a common refrain among older folks is their concern that young people are sitting at home without jobs, sometimes not even looking for one, happily scrolling through reels. Talk to young people and they often speak of a lack of coherent job opportunities or the skills that match the demands of the market.These often-heard anecdotes are given a more coherent shape in Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047, a new report from the government’s policy think tank NITI Aayog. The report attempts a candid diagnosis of where India is, and how it can become a developed nation by 2047, the centenary of Independence.Beyond merely ticking boxes on broad numbers of people trained, the report examines the barriers that determine whether skilling actually leads to work. Money, information, mobility, family circumstances, access to institutions and exposure to the workplace all matter. In that sense, it also tells a larger story about how the circumstances into which a young person is born can influence where he or she gets slotted in life.The report focuses, among others, on a group of young Indians who do not fit neatly into the conventional categories. They are neither in school or college, nor employed or undergoing training. Policy researchers have an acronym for them: NEET, or Not in Education, Employment or Training.What exactly is NEET?NITI Aayog’s new report puts 8.7 crore people in a NEET youth bucket in its map of India’s population. After the figure was interpreted in some reports as a measure of unemployment, the government issued a clarification. It said the 8.7 crore estimate refers to young people who were not seeking employment, while the unemployed form a separate category drawn from a different population base.In the NITI report, NEET youth are defined as those aged 15 to 29 who are not engaged in education, employment or training. The footnote describes approximately nine crore as “NEET excluding seeking jobs”, based on the NSS 78th Round of 2021, and says roughly 88% were engaged in domestic duties.In its clarification, the government has provided further clarity. It said the category includes young people engaged in voluntary work or household enterprises, attending to domestic duties, unable to work because of a health condition, spending leisure time, and others.Unpacking what is NEETThe Covid factorNITI’s population exhibit starts with an estimated 145 crore Indians. It shows 65.4 crore, or 45.1%, in the labour force, and 79.6 crore, or 54.9%, outside it.Among those in the labour force, the exhibit shows 29.23 crore in agriculture, 34.24 crore in non-agricultural work and around 2 crore unemployed. The unemployed are part of the labour force because they are seeking employment.The population outside the labour force is split into roughly 29.1 crore students, 11.3 crore children below five, 15.7 crore people aged 59-plus, 14.7 crore in other categories and 8.7 crore NEET youth.There is another important qualification. The 8.7 crore estimate is based on the NSS 78th Round of 2021, which included a Multiple Indicator Survey (MIS) to assess different socio-economic parameters. The government subsequently pointed out that the data used to calculate this figure was collected in FY2020-21, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when education and employment were severely disrupted. It said the figure could therefore represent a deviation from the normal trajectory.The government points to the latest PLFS to say that the youth NEET percentage is now “significantly lower”. The PLFS Annual Report 2025 estimates that 25.0% of Indians aged 15 to 29 were not in employment, education or training under the usual-status measure. For those aged 15 to 24, the corresponding figure was 21.0%.The NITI report itself warns that its population exhibit is a “static snapshot” constructed using different datasets, including PLFS, UDISE, AISHE and NSS, with reference years ranging from 2021 to 2024.NITI followed a mixed-method approach across five groups of school students, tertiary learners, formal and informal non-agricultural workers, NEET youth, and women as a cross-cutting segment. Agriculture was excluded because NITI says the sector requires a separate analytical framework.Its quantitative evidence draws on the MSDE State of Skills Survey 2024, covering roughly 8,000 learners, and BCG’s Higher Education Survey 2023, covering roughly 4,000, supplemented by more than 60 in-depth interviews, focus groups and industry conversations.NEET youth have an information problemAmong surveyed NEET youth who had not undertaken or completed a skilling programme, 43% cited lack of awareness of the right programmes as one of their top three reasons for not pursuing skilling. The corresponding proportion was 55% among informal workers, 52% among formal workers, 47% among women and 36% among higher-education students.The report says young people often make choices based on examination scores, family preferences, cost or social prestige rather than a clear understanding of what exactly is needed to get a job. Vocational education and ITIs are often viewed as second-tier options, while online courses are often perceived as unreliable.The money problemNITI describes affordability as a “binding constraint”.NEET youth, it says, face the particular disadvantage of having no income while also carrying the sunk cost of their previous education. In simple terms, that is the cost already incurred on an education that may not have translated into work.For low-income workers, even a free course can be expensive if attending it means losing wages. In other words, the opportunity cost of training can remain high even when the course itself is free.The report shows how price-sensitive the wider skilling market is. More than 80% of informal workers who undertake skilling do so either free or for less than ₹10,000. Among women who undergo skilling, 72% either take a free course or pay less than ₹5,000, compared with 52% of men.NITI’s prescription for NEET youth is based on understanding this ground reality. It advocates affordable or subsidised training with financial support, along with the ability to combine learning with earning instead of having to stop work for weeks or months.Courses have ‘weak outcome orientation’NITI says 82% of NEET respondents report a foundational gap in existing skilling programmes involving job-interview preparation and placement tie-ups.This is where the report turns its gaze on the skilling system itself. NITI describes “weak outcome orientation” as a “core limitation” of many existing skilling programmes. It says programmes often prioritise enrolment and completion over placement, progression or income outcomes.That observation becomes significant when set against the sheer scale of India’s skilling push. The report says more than 7.67 crore individuals have been trained since 2014-15, while around ₹34,000 crore was allocated towards skilling-related expenditure across central ministries in FY2025-26.The government, meanwhile, says it has begun implementing some of the report’s recommendations. It points to the ₹600 crore Integrated Scheme in Skilling Architecture (ISSA) announced in the Union Budget 2026-27 as part of an effort to strengthen convergence across education, skilling, employment and lifelong learning.Reasons behind feeling disconnectedThe problem NITI identifies is visible even among people still in education.It says 80% of higher-education students cite lack of practical experience and industry exposure as a major pain point, while 47% of formal workers identify lack of prior work experience and internships as the top challenge when finding new jobs.Among undergraduate students dissatisfied with their education outcome, 34% cited lacking skills and 18% inadequate interview preparation. Among higher-education students aspiring to entrepreneurship, the report says 61% are unaware of pathways to pursue it.The larger point is that a degree by itself does not guarantee workplace readiness. Somewhere between the classroom, the training centre and the employer, the route from learning to earning needs to be more robust.An illustrative pathwayNITI uses a character called “Meera” to illustrate how its proposed system might work.In the illustration, she gains some vocational exposure in school but drops out following household constraints and early marriage at 18, becoming NEET. She then discovers a nearby short-term beauty course, receives a skill voucher, moves into a nearby part-time salon job and ultimately towards self-employment.In NITI’s illustration, that part-time job pays ₹15,000 a month, before she starts taking clients independently.The point is that for someone who has dropped out of both learning and earning, the route back is unlikely to be a single jump from NEET to a permanent salaried job. It will generally go through a short course, flexible work and then a steadier livelihood.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe official unemployment count, then, is only one measure. What also matters is whether young Indians stay connected to at least one of three systems of education, training or earning.NITI’s findings point to something larger than a skills gap. They also point to a privilege gap.Bridging that privilege gap may be the most sober takeaway from NITI’s roadmap to 2047. India’s demographic dividend will not be realised merely by counting how many people receive training certificates. It will depend on whether young Indians, irrespective of the circumstances they start with, have a credible route from learning to earning.As economist and philosopher Amartya Sen wrote in Development as Freedom, “Development can be seen … as a process of expanding the real freedoms that people enjoy.”Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorArghya Prasun RoychowdhuryInterested in politics, policy, data and cricket.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos18 Rounds, Point-Blank: How Haryanvi Singer Ankit Balyan Was Gunned Down Outside Gym In UPIndia-China Talks Yield 8-Point Consensus; New Military Hotlines, Border Talks On The TableSkardu Base Was India’s Target During Operation Sindoor, Ex-CDS Reveals Why Strike Was Aborted’Gone In Seconds’: Kailash Mansarovar Pilgrims Missing, 77 Isha Foundation Members Among ThemSinger Mary Millben Hits Back Over ‘Anti-Modi’ Politics Over Mohan Bhagwat New York Event105 Indians Missing In Nepal Flash Floods; Tibet-Side Surge Leaves Eight Dead | Watch‘Big Reveal’ Or Big Scam? 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