Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Tuesday launched a web portal 'Rail Sahyog', a platform for the corporates and PSUs (Public Sector Undertakings) to contribute to the creation of amenities at Railway stations through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
The companies desirous of contributing can register their requests on the portal which will be processed by Railway officials. Based on the principle of first come first serve, the requests will be shortlisted and selected ones will be intimated to deposit the funds with Railways agencies like RITES, RAILTEL and so on. The nominated agency will get the work executed thereafter.
The activities identified to be funded through CSR include the construction of toilets in circulating areas of all stations with the provision of low-cost sanitary pad vending machine. The incinerator will be added in female toilets and a condom vending machine in male toilets.
Providing free wifi at stations by setting up hotspots is another activity to be funded through CSR. The approximate cost of the revamp per station is Rs 10.30- 12.30 lakh.
Provision of benches at station platforms as a facility for senior citizens and disabled has also been added to the list, the approximate cost for each set varies from Rs. 17,500 to Rs. 47,500.
The installation of bottle crushing machines at 2175 major stations for ensuring environmental sustainability is another activity. The empty plastic bottles discarded by the railway passengers will be crushed in these machines to manage plastic pollution. The cost for this would be around Rs. 3.5 lakh to Rs. 4.5 lakh.
Lastly, dustbins will be installed at all stations using CSR funds, as a part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which will help prevent littering in the station premises. Separate dustbins for both wet and dry garbage will be provided in the circulating area of stations and platforms, whose approximate cost would be Rs. 4500.
Based on the response received, further additional items will be considered for funding through CSR.
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