The Union Cabinet has approved two projects of the Ministry of Railways with a total cost of six thousand 405 crore rupees. The projects include the doubling of Koderma – Barkakana rail line has been approved at a cost of three thousand and 63 crore rupees, while the doubling of the  Ballari – Chikjajur rail line has been approved at a cost of three thousand and 342 crore rupees. Briefing media in New Delhi after the Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the Koderma – Barkakana doubling project of 133 kilometres will provide enhanced connectivity to 938 villages and 15 lakh population. He said, the projects will connect four districts in Jharkhand – Koderma, Chatra, Hazaribagh and Ramgarh. Mr Vaishnaw informed that the project section will pass through a major coal-producing area of Jharkhand.

Mr Vaishnaw said, the second project Ballary – Chikjajur doubling rail line of 185 kilometres will connect Mangalore port to Secunderabad. He said, the project line traverses through Ballari and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh. Mr Vaishnaw said that the project will cater to the transport of iron ore, coking coal, finished steel and fertilizers.

Mr Vaishnaw said that this project will be completed in three years. The two projects covering seven Districts across the states of Jharkhand, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, will increase the existing network of Indian Railways by about 318 Kms. The increased line capacity will significantly enhance mobility, resulting in improved operational efficiency and service reliability for Indian Railways. It will enhance connectivity to over one thousand four hundred villages, which have a population of over 28 lakh. The projects will generate direct employment for about 108 lakh human-days during construction. The Union Minister also informed that during the third term of the Narendra Modi government, several projects worth over four lakh 58 thousand crore rupees have been undertaken to reduce the transportation and logistics cost. He said, because of the investment made in the transportation, the logistics cost has been reduced by four percentage points.

The Railways Ministry has said that only those users will be able to book online tatkal tickets through the IRCTC website and app from the 1st of next month who have authenticated their account with Aadhaar. The step has been taken to ensure fair and transparent access to Tatkal tickets and to safeguard the interests of passengers.

Indian Railways has announced key modifications in the tatkal ticket booking system. According to the new scheme, Aadhaar-based OTP authentication will be mandatory for online tatkal bookings from the 15th of July this year. Tatkal tickets booked at computerised Passenger Reservation System counters and through authorised agents will require OTP authentication sent to the mobile number provided by the user at the time of booking.

To prevent bulk bookings during the critical opening period, authorised ticketing agents of Indian Railways will not be permitted to book opening-day Tatkal tickets during the first 30 minutes of the booking window. For AC classes, this restriction applies from 10 AM to 10:30 AM, and for non-AC classes, from 11 AM to 11:30 AM.

The Railways Ministry has said that these changes are being implemented to improve transparency in Tatkal bookings and to ensure that the benefits of the scheme reach genuine end users. Centre for Railways Information Systems and IRCTC have been instructed to make necessary system modifications and inform all Zonal Railways and concerned departments accordingly.

India’s social security coverage has increased from 19 per cent in 2015 to 64.3 per cent in 2025. According to the latest data from the International Labour Organisation’s ILOSTAT, the coverage reflects a 45 percentage point surge over the past decade. Recognising these efforts, the ILO acknowledged India’s achievement and officially published on its dashboard that over 94 crore people are now covered under at least one social protection benefit. In terms of beneficiary count, India now ranks second in the world, providing social protection to around 94 crore citizens. The Director General ILO, Gilbert F. Houngbo, praised India’s focused welfare policies for the poor and labour class under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.

While holding a bilateral discussion with the DG, ILO on the sidelines of the International Labour Conference in Geneva, Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted the pro-poor and labour welfare schemes undertaken by the Modi Government over the past eleven years. He said, this remarkable achievement stands as a testament to the visionary leadership of Mr Modi and the relentless efforts of the Government in building an inclusive and rights-based social protection ecosystem. He said the increase marks the fastest expansion in social protection coverage worldwide, reflecting the Government’s unwavering commitment to empowering the last mile and fulfilling the promise of leaving no one behind.