Question 9 from UPSC CSE 2025 - Current Affairs (S&T)

Question

Consider the following statements:
I. Indian Railways have prepared a National Rail Plan (NRP) to create a future-ready railway system by 2028.
II. 'Kavach' is an Automatic Train Protection system developed in collaboration with Germany.
III. 'Kavach' system consists of RFID tags fitted on track in the station section.
Which of the statements given above are not correct?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: A. I and II only

Strategy: Statement I mentions 2028 as the NRP's target year, but authoritative sources confirm the National Rail Plan is for 2030—making this incorrect. Statement II claims 'Kavach' was developed with Germany, but in reality, it is an indigenous Indian technology, so this is also incorrect. Statement III about RFID tags fitted on the track is consistent with the actual system, so it's correct. Therefore, the answer correctly excludes I and II only.

Key Info: National Rail Plan (NRP):
- Launched by Indian Railways to develop a 'future-ready' railway system by 2030, not 2028.
- Aim: To increase the modal share of rail freight to 45%, and provide long-term infrastructure planning, investment guidance, and multimodal connectivity.
- The plan addresses capacity augmentation, high-speed corridors, technology upgradation, and supporting Atmanirbhar Bharat in logistics.

Kavach Automatic Train Protection System:
- Kavach is an indigenously developed Automatic Train Protection (ATP) technology.
- Developed by the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Ministry of Railways, in collaboration with Indian industry partners.
- It is certified at Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4)—the highest level of safety certification for train systems.
- Features: Prevents train collisions by automatic application of brakes, detects Signal Passing At Danger (SPAD), overspeeding, and ensures end-to-end monitoring of train movement.
- It was not developed with Germany; it is entirely an Indian innovation.

RFID Tags in Kavach System:
- Kavach uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, with tags fitted along the tracks in station and block sections.
- These tags help in continuous positional tracking of trains, ensuring the real-time relay of train location and speed to the system.
- The RFID infrastructure supports automatic warning, speed regulation, and collision avoidance functions integrated with the Kavach safety protocols.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: II and III only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: I and III only

IASCODEX · Answer

Option D: I, II, and III