Mumbai: Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed the BMC health and medical departments to formulate a comprehensive, multi-pronged policy aimed at providing quality, affordable, comprehensive and accountable healthcare services to the citizens of Mumbai. He directed that the policy be developed in a phased manner and include various aspects like artificial intelligence (AI)-based operations, sanitation and workforce management.

A special meeting of the BMC health and medical departments was held recently at the BMC headquarters, where Bhide provided guidance. The meeting was attended by Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Prajakta Laungare. Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Public Health) Sharad Oghade, Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Municipal Commissioner Office) Shri Prashant Gaikwad, Director Medical Education and Major Hospitals Dr Shailesh Mohte, Executive Health Officer Dr Daksha Shah, and officers of the concerned departments were present.

Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has directed the health and medical departments to implement multi-level reforms in a phased manner, with the aim of making various health and medical services provided by the BMC more citizen-centric. Accordingly, a digital presentation was given by the concerned departments regarding the proposed plan. The plan has set milestones and objectives and issued instructions to formulate a strategy for their implementation. The details about the milestones of the proposed plan and the targets set for each phase are as follows: Phase-I; The objectives set for the first phase of this proposed plan include: Display of ‘Citizen Charter’ at the health and medical facilities of the Municipal Corporation; Strengthening and enhancing the cleanliness management in hospitals and dispensaries; Ensuring faster redressal of complaints; Implementing HMIS (Hospital Management Information System) more effectively; Enabling a comprehensive dashboard for hospital services and facilities; and reducing patient waiting times in Outpatient Departments (OPD) by implementing ‘Smart and Digital OPD’ system.

This also includes streamlining the process of issuing various permits and licenses by the Public Health Department. Ensuring strict compliance with the terms and conditions under which these permits and licenses were granted through regular checks. And adopting the latest technology wherever needed.
Furthermore, the first phase of the improvement includes technology-friendly measures that are extremely important and beneficial to patients, such as filling up of vacant medical posts and setting up of dedicated Insurance Assistance Cells in major municipal hospitals to help patients avail health insurance benefits. Furthermore, the plan includes a special improvement program to ensure prompt availability of essential medicines during emergencies for patients seeking medical treatment.
Phase II; The objectives set for the second phase of this proposed project include several key initiatives: implementing ‘online bed allocation’ on a pilot basis – thereby allocating hospital beds to needy patients on the waiting list through an online system; decentralising hospital services, especially by referring patients who require minor treatment to suburban hospitals; and starting 24/7 clinics on a pilot basis in every ward of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Furthermore, the second phase includes initiatives such as making joint efforts — through public-private partnerships — to secure funds to cover up to 50% of the cost for needy patients; providing training to hospital officers and staff in soft skills, medical ethics and related fields; and establishing special awards for employees who perform exceptionally.

Another prominent feature of the second phase is the inclusion of various components based on ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (AI). These mainly cover aspects related to radiology, pathology, and resource management.
Phase Three; The third phase of this proposed project mainly focuses on ‘Quality Assurance’. It includes

Mumbai: Due to the efforts of Mumbai Police, an 8-year-old child was handed over to his family after three years, bringing joy to the faces of the grieving family. An orphanage named Asanhasdan under the limits of Andheri MIDC police station had filed a complaint that a child from their place had gone missing. On October 22, 2023, a police complaint of kidnapping was filed in this matter. On October 22, the child was found abandoned in a suspicious condition on Juhu Chowpatty, which the police had kept in the orphanage. 8-year-old Anees Khan had left the orphanage without telling anyone, after which the police have started searching for him. All the missing FIRs from 2023 till now were examined. Along with this, the police came to know that there is a child of the same name in Matunga too. In such a case, the records were checked and from here it was found that this child was residing in Malad Maloni. After that, the police found out the address of his house and then from Maloni police station it was found that the name of the child is Aman Sheikh, after which the police found out by sharing a picture with his aunt, she identified him and later the police The police have handed over an 8-year-old boy who had been missing for 3 years to his family. This operation was carried out by DCP Dutta Nalawade on the instructions of Mumbai Police Commissioner Devin Bharti.

New Delhi, July 22: There has been a sharp decline in train accidents in the country over the last 12 years as a result of the high priority being accorded to safety on Indian Railways.

The annual budgetary allocation for safety has shot up more than three-fold from Rs 39,200 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,20,389 crore in 2026-27, the Centre told the Parliament on Wednesday.

The number of “consequential accidents” came down from 135 in 2014-15 to 16 in 2025-26 and only two accidents have been reported in 2026-27 till June this year, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha.

“The causes of the accidents that took place over Indian Railways broadly include track defects, locomotive or coach defects, equipment failures, human errors, etc. Rail safety has now been strengthened through modern technology, infrastructure and enhanced maintenance. As many as 6,671 stations have been equipped with electronic interlocking and complete track circuiting while 10,395 level crossing gates have also been brought under the interlocking system to minimise human errors,” Union Minister Vaishnaw noted.

Complete track circuiting of these railway stations has been undertaken to enhance safety by verification of track occupancy by electrical means.

Detailed instructions on issues related with safety of signalling, for example, mandatory correspondence check, alteration work protocol, preparation of completion drawing, etc. have been issued.

The Indian Railways has added 36,429 track kilometres during 2014–26, which is more than 2.5 times higher than 2004–14 which has enhanced track safety.

Modernisation of rolling stock and maintenance practices strengthens safety, with LHB coach production rising more than 21 times to 49,366 during 2014–26 and weld failures reduced by 93 per cent.

The indigenously developed Kavach 4.0 safety system has been successfully commissioned on 2,490 route kilometres covering the high-density Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Howrah routes.

Kavach implementation work is also under progress on 21,937 route kilometres, with installation being taken up on 7,435 locomotives and 1,200 EMU/MEMU trains.

The amount utilised for Kavach works so far up to June 2026 is Rs 3874.9 crore.

The allocation of funds during the year 2026-27 is Rs 2066.24 crore.

Requisite funds are made available as per the progress of works.

In reply to another query, Union Minister Vaishnaw said that at present, recruitment against 1,61,889 vacancies of non-gazetted personnel has been taken up on Indian Railways as per annual calendar 2024, 2025 and 2026.

During January to December 2024, ten Centralised Employment Notifications for 92,116 vacancies were notified for filling up of posts of Assistant Loco Pilots, technicians, Sub-Inspectors, Constables in Railway Protection Force (RPF), Junior Engineers, Depot Material Superintendent, Chemical and Metallurgical Assistant, Paramedical Categories, Non-Technical Popular Categories (Graduate), Non-Technical Popular Categories (Under-Graduate), Ministerial and Isolated Categories and Level-1 categories such as Assistants, Track Maintainers and Pointsman.

First stage/Single stage Computer Based Tests for 92,116 posts have been completed.

“During 2026-2027 (up to June 30, 2026) panels for more than 3,300 candidates for various posts, including the posts of Technicians, Junior Engineers, Paramedical Categories, Ministerial and Isolated categories and Assistant Loco Pilots have been finalised. Majority of them are in safety categories,” Union Minister added.