Rail Budget 2016: Drones & geo-spatial based satellite technology to review progress of projects

NEW DELHI: The Indian Railways is creating a new research and development organization that will focus on long-term research to drive innovation and would use drones to check on the progress of projects, the Railway Minister said in his budget speech.

"I also propose to set up an R&D organization. A special railway establishment for Strategic Technology & Holistic Advancement called Srestha. RDSO will focus on day-to-day issues, while Srestha will drive long-term research," the Suresh Prabhu, railway minster, said.

The Minister added that the government was focused on tracking the progress of large projects and would use the latest technology to track their completion.

“We will use the latest drone and geo-spatial based satellite technology for remotely reviewing the physical progress across major projects. This will be launched for dedicated freight corridor in the next financial year," Prabhu said.

Prabhu, who has effectively used social media to garner feedback on the performance of the Railways, has been increasingly tapping technology to provide services to Railways passengers.