PM Modi to flag off 100th Kisan Rail from Maharashtra to West Bengal today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will flag off the 100th Kisan Rail from Maharashtra to West Bengal, via video conferencing, amid the ongoing farmer's agitation in Delhi borders. The event is scheduled to begin at 4:30 pm in the evening. According to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the multi-commodity train service will carry vegetables as well as fruits. This train will run from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal.

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The PMO added that the loading and unloading of perishable commodities will be permitted at all en route stoppages with no bar on the size of the consignment. The Government of India has extended a subsidy of 50 percent on the transportation of fruits and vegetables. Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will reportedly be present on the occasion. 

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First Kisan Rail was introduced in August

The first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali to Danapur on August 7 this year, which was extended up to Muzaffarpur. Its frequency was also increased from weekly to three days a week.

As per the PMO, Kisan Rail has been a "game-changer" in ensuring "fast transportation of agriculture produces" across the nation. It provides a "seamless" supply chain of perishable produce.

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PM Modi will also inaugurate India's first-ever driverless train operations on the Delhi Metro's Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden) on Monday via video conferencing. The fully automated train will be running on the 37-km Magenta Line and it will be connecting the national capital with nearby cities, including Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh, and Ghaziabad. They will also be equipped with several advanced features such as better regeneration of energy during braking, energy-efficient subsystems like LED lighting and air conditioning systems. In addition to this, he will launch the fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on the Airport Express Line as well in the same event.

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(With ANI Inputs)