GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
Background : In response to Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clarion call for innovation in Indian Railways under the Navrachna Initiative, Indian Railways has decided to conduct a public competition for ‘Developing new Digital Capabilities at the Stations of Indian Railways‘.
First Prize 06 Lacs Maximum
Second Prize 03 Lacs Maximum
Third Prize 02 Lacs Maximum
Consolation Prizes (three Maximum) 01 Lac Maximum
The Central idea is to develop working solutions for management and dissemination of information at Railway Stations and associated premises to enhance the customer satisfaction using new and novel digital insights.
The Central idea is to develop working solutions for management and dissemination of information at Railway Stations and associated premises to enhance the customer satisfaction using new and novel digital insights.
The Challenge is designed as an online competition hosted at https://innovate.mygov.in for submission of original technological ideas and plans for 'Developing new Digital Capabilities at the Stations of Indian Railways'. The ideas should be scalable to cover wide variety of stations based on passenger volumes and diverse geographical locations.
The Challenge aims to encourage creation of innovative, easy to use products and solutions that can enable and drive access to services linked to passenger touch points right from entry to exit from the station related to convenient and seamless travel. Some of these critical services are ticketing, guidance, circulation and access.
Possible Areas in which Comprehensive digitally enabled information can be made available to the passengers at stations:
Parking space location, vacancy information and parking charges.
Porter/Luggage trolley/ Battery operated car(BOC)/ Rail Mitra
Purchase of tickets: Journey & Platform (Both reserved and Unreserved)
Availability of Retiring rooms/cloak room.
Booking and location of VIP lounges.
Help desk, Enquiry, Complaints, Security, Medical aids and Passenger amenities.
Accessibility provisions for differently abled.
Lift/ Accelerators/ FOBs
Any new service(s) proposed.
Railway stations are equipped with LCD displays to display Train reservation charts showing berth conformation status of passengers. Data is digitally fed from the Passenger reservation system (PRS) of Indian Railway.
Some stations have been provided with computerised Kiosks which respond to the passenger’s various pre-fed queries as well as current reservation status of the ticket after feeding PNR number to it. Information regarding PNR enquiry is obtained electronically from PRS.
Note: Such information is identical to that available on IRCTC website.
It is a computerised LED based Train display boards with Expected time of arrival (ETA) and platform no at which trains are expected. Actual data is fed from the station manager’s office. Complete train data of station is available in the server and also integrated with coach indication boards and automated announcements. This server is also integrated with National Train Enquiry System established by CRIS. These boards are designed to display important information and messages also. Detailed technical information of display boards is available in the RDSO specification no.
RDSO/SPN/TC/61/2012 Rev.4 available on RDSO website.
It is a computerised LED based Coach Guidance display boards at platforms at which trains arrive. Actual data is fed from the station manager’s office on the common server. Complete coach position data of train station is available in the common server integrated with Train arrival/Departure system. This server is also integrated with Control office Management System (CMS) established by CRIS. Detailed technical information of coach display boards is available in the RDSO specification no. RDSO/SPN/TC/61/2012 Rev.4 available on RDSO website.
It is computerised announcement system integrated with Train arrival/departure display system with common server to provide automated announcements of train arrival/departure and platform no. to the passengers. This system is used for providing other passenger related announcements also. Detailed technical information of coach display boards is available in the RDSO specification no. RDSO/SPN/TC/61/2012 Rev.4 available on RDSO website.
Manual train enquiry Booths at entrances of the stations
Manual public announcement system at stations
Kiosks for other fixed information and other utilities
Presently free internet facility on Wi-Fi is being provided at bigger stations. The above facility is being provided either by Zonal Railway or by Railtel. Challenges are being faced to provide this facility at the smaller stations.
Presently Railways are providing IP based video surveillance system at stations in phased manner. This is provided for passenger’s security and crime control at stations. All cameras are IP enabled network cameras.
As a comprehensive security measures X-ray baggage scanners and DFMDs are being provided at entry and exit of the station.
The participants shall be required to submit their entries in the fields provided in the Entry Submission forms limited to the number of characters prescribed for the fields as under
Abstract of the Proposed Innovation, in about 2000 Characters.
System of Working of the Proposed Innovation, limited to 8000 Characters. Drawings, if necessary, can be attached as PDF, but should not exceed 8 MB in size.
Elaboration on utility to passengers and how the innovative concept/ design enhances the passenger experience in about 1200 Characters.
Feasibility of Implementation of the proposed innovation and integration with the existing infrastructure and new setup including retrofitments and modifications required should be explained in about 1200 Characters.
Explain how the existing infrastructure is integrated with the Proposed Innovation in about 2000 Characters.
Originality of the Proposed Innovation to explain how the proposed Innovation is an original idea in about 1200 Characters.
Cost effectiveness of proposed design for setup and operation (to include initial cost, operating cost, life cycle costing) to be explained in about 1600 Characters.
Maintainability of the proposed design explaining its ruggedness, ease of maintenance and swift replacement of spares to be explained in about 1200 Characters.
Possible constraints anticipated in deployment to be explained in about 1200 Characters.
For posting the entries using the online application system, participants are advised to go to https://innovate.mygov.in and click on the "CLICK HERE TO PARTICIPATE" button. The participant will be taken to a landing page featuring the registration form with various fields
Participant will have to fill out the Participant Registration Form and Entry Submission Form. The submission must comply with the requirements as set out in the Guidelines mentioned on the online Entry Submission form.
On successful submission, participant will receive a confirmation email.
Should Indian Railways/ Organizers require additional information, they will contact the registered participant via email. Participants are advised to duly provide any additional information as instructed.
Correspondence: Any correspondence from the Indian Railways/Organizers to participants shall be through email or SMS on mobile number provided by the participant at the time of registration. Organizers and Indian Railways are not liable in case of email delivery failures.
Entries duly completed and fully filled must be submitted using the online application system before 6pm IST on 20/05/2017 .
The Challenge is open to Individuals and Companies/ Institutions.
*Companies/Institution may be of National or International Origin.
*Participating individual may be Indian or Foreign nationals.
*Edited w.e.f.08.05.2017
Participants (Individual/ or in case of teams, the team leader) are required to be at least 18 years of age as on 1/12/2016 .
The following persons and their immediate relatives can not participate in the Challenge:
The write up should either be submitted in Hindi or English.
In case submission is in any other language, it must be accompanied with translations in either Hindi or English.
It could be an individual project or a team project. However, in case of team, total team members, including the team leader, should not exceed six.
No reference of the identity of the person(s) submitting should be made in the proposal. If done so, it shall debar the entry from consideration.
It is strongly advised not to wait till the closure time for submission of entries. Railways shall not be responsible for late/ non receipt of entries on account of server errors/ traffic.
The contestants may be asked to present/ elaborate their proposed solution to an appropriate jury.
Railways may decide to associate with the proposer for further development of the proposed Concept/ design.
The decision of the Evaluation Panel and Jury will be final. No communication will be entered into with any person in relation to any decision of the panel or process.
Unsuccessful entries shall be intimated through email and Ministry of Railways shall not have any right over the same.
| SN | Evaluation Criterion | Weightage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Passenger Utility | 30 |
| 2 | Feasibility of Implementation | 25 |
| 3 | Integration with Existing Systems | 15 |
| 4 | Innovation Originality | 15 |
| 5 | Cost Effectiveness | 05 |
| 6 | Maintainability | 05 |
| 7 | Quality of Presentation | 05 |
| TOTAL 100 |
The evaluation of Entries shall be carried out in following three stages, as per the criterion mentioned in above table.
| Stage | Evaluation Results |
|---|---|
| 1st | All Entries to be evaluated to shortlist approximately 30 entries, through double blind review |
| 2nd | The 30 shortlisted entries to be further evaluated by an Expert panel for selecting 10 most promising ideas |
| Final | The 10 ideas selected in Stage II shall be presented to Innovation Committee formed by Ministry for consideration of Awards |
The evaluation of Entries shall be carried out in following three stages, as per the criterion mentioned in above table.
1.1. Indian Railways/ Organizers do not claim ownership over the applications submitted or any newly Developed IP, but by submitting an application, Participant grants Indian Railways and its affiliated units/ ministries a transferable, worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, fully paid-up license under all Participants intellectual property rights in the applications submitted, Participant Newly Developed IP and Participant Background IP:
1.1.1. To reproduce, publically perform and display, distribute and create derivative works of the applications and/or Participant Newly Developed IP and Participant Background IP;
1.1.2. To use, make, have made, import, offer to sell and sell, rent, lease, or lend the products;
1.1.3. To disclose such applications to third parties; and
1.1.4. To publish Participants name or alias in connection with this Challenge.
1.2. While Indian Railways shall take all possible measures to ensure protection of intellectual property, participants should not include technical details to a level which might affect their capacity to protect and, at some future point, exploit their Intellectual Property through registered rights. Participants should also ensure they understand their rights in relation to Intellectual Property and the protection of those rights.
1.3. Originality: If an idea has been patented by, or is the property of, a third party, the originator of the idea must agree through a legally enforceable instrument to the use of the idea by the applicant and must be expressly credited in the submission.
1.4. Indian Railways/ Organizers assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of entries.
1.5. Further, Participants represent, warrant and covenant that the submissions do not:
1.5.1. Infringe on any third party intellectual property rights and further do not violate any confidentiality obligations of the Participant.
1.5.2. Contain any software or programming code subject to any restrictions or third-party limitations without prior written notice to Organizers & Indian Railways .
1.5.3. Contain any viruses, worms, spyware, other components or instructions that are malicious, deceptive or designed to limit or harm the functionality of a computer.
1.5.4. Include any Participant owned trade secrets or third party trade secrets and no such trade secrets will be required for Organizers or Indian Railways to enjoy the full benefits of the applications.
1.5.5. Contain material that may be considered as defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, threatening or harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation. and
1.5.6. Violate any statutory provisions.
1.6. Participant shall not assign any rights, obligations or privileges (by operation of law or otherwise) hereunder without the prior written consent of Organizers. Except as otherwise set forth herein, any attempt by Participant to assign any of the rights, duties or obligations hereunder without Organizers' prior written consent will be null and void. Subject to the foregoing, these terms and conditions shall be fully binding upon, inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Parties and their respective successors and assigns.
1.7. No liability: Indian Railways, Organizers, MyGov, members of Evaluation Panel, Selected Jury, supporting organizations or any employee or agent of Indian Railways shall be liable for:
1.7.1. Any costs incurred or loss or liability suffered by the participant in relation to the Challenge;
1.7.2. Any loss in expectation of profits by participant
1.7.3. Any failure by participant to understand the rights in relation to Intellectual Property, or the rights of Organizers, IR, supporting organizations or any third party in relation to Intellectual Property. or
1.7.4. Any other benefit the participant may expect to gain by participating in the Challenge
1.8. Participant agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold Organizers, Indian Railways, members of Evaluation Panel, Selected Jury, supporting organizations harmless against any loss, cost, liability, and expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from any action or claim brought or threatened against Organizers, Indian Railways or members of Evaluation Panel, Selected Jury, supporting organizations or its customers alleging that any of the applications submitted, short listed and or selected, infringe any patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret, or other intellectual property rights of any third party, and or if Organizers, Indian Railways or members of Evaluation Panel, Selected Jury, supporting organizations suffers any injury, loss or damages by breach of the warranties above. Organizers or Indian Railways agrees to provide Participant(s) with:
1.8.1. Prompt written notice of such claim or action,
1.8.2. The opportunity to participate in the defense or settlement of such claim or action, provided, however, that Participant(s) will not without Indian Railways prior written consent settle or compromise any claim in a manner that does not unconditionally release Indian Railways and that may adversely affect Indian Railways rights under this terms & Conditions; and
1.8.3. Reasonable information and assistance in the defense and/or settlement any such claim or action. Indian Railways shall have the right to participate in any of the disputes or actions referenced above at its own expense. Participant(s) will not be responsible for any costs, expenses or compromise incurred or made without Participant(s) prior written consent.
1.9. Reasonable Efforts shall be made by Indian Railways/ Organizers to ensure confidentiality. Members of the Evaluation Panel, Experts and Jury will be appointed on the basis that they are prohibited from disclosing or using any details of the participants, or Ideas or any other information submitted in connection with the Challenge, except in accordance with the terms of the Confidentiality Agreement, and in their capacity as member of Evaluation Panel/Jury.
1.9.1. Indian Railways, Organizers, Ministry of Railways or any of supporting organizations can not accept any responsibility for the actions of any evaluation panel member or Experts or member of the Jury for their obligations in respect of confidentiality and will not sign any Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with participants. While every effort will be made to preserve the confidentiality of each submission, it is suggested that highly sensitive material be excluded from the entry if a team is concerned about the confidentiality of such material. Note, however, that finalist teams will be making brief presentations to a Jury and an audience. All reasonable measures to ensure the protection of intellectual property received for the Challenge will be taken. Protection of such rights is however, ultimately the responsibility of each participant.
1.9.2. All the information received during this Challenge including but not limited to scores, business plan summaries etc. shall remain confidential and shall not be disclosed to any person or entity by any party there to and can not be disclosed outside the Program organizers, supporting organizations of Indian Railways.
1.10. Indian Railways/Organizers may change the Terms and Conditions of participation at any time without prior notice. The amended Terms and Conditions will be effective immediately upon being posted on the website. It is participant's sole responsibility to regularly visit the website to read any changes to the Terms and Conditions of the Challenge.
1.11. Organizers and Indian Railways or any of the supporting organizations will not incur any costs for participants participating in the Challenge nor entertain any claims for the same except specified above.
2.1. Indian Railways/ Organizers may, at any time
2.1.1. Disqualify a participant from the Challenge for breach of any terms & conditions of the Challenge; or
2.1.2. Discontinue the Challenge by posting a notice to that effect on the Website
2.2. Disputes, if any, are subject to the jurisdiction in the courts of Lucknow only.
The following persons and their immediate relatives cannot participate in the Challenge:
The competition is designed as an online challenge. The following method applies:
Possible areas in which comprehensive digitally enabled information can be made available to the passengers at the stations are given below. The list is however not exhaustive and new radical, but implementable, solutions are welcome and indeed encouraged.
There can be no exhaustive list of services and benefits that can be provided to the users. Additionally, user requirements and aspirations also keep changing over time. An indicative list is provided as part of the innovation challenge details.
The participants are also encouraged to visit railway stations and area around it to get a firsthand feel of the needs of the passengers that can be served digitally and come up with a comprehensive plan.
