The PESB panel has recommended the name of Nirmal Kumar Singh for the post of Director (Finance) of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL)

Nirmal Kumar Singh going to head finance vertical of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL), a PSU under the Ministry of Coal. He has been recommended MCL’s Director (Finance) post by the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) panel on Wednesday. Presently, he is serving as Chief General Manager at Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

To effectively manage this growing passenger demand, the National Capital Region Transport Corporation recently introduced 18 additional train trips during peak hours. This enhancement particularly benefits officegoers, students, and regular commuters who rely on time-bound public transport. By substantially reducing travel times across the National Capital Region, the service has firmly established itself as a preferred choice for daily transit.

The restructuring replaces higher-cost debt with competitively priced long-term rupee financing that features zero processing fees, commitment charges, or prepayment penalties. To ensure seamless servicing of all dues, the transaction is backed by a robust credit enhancement framework from the Government of Telangana, which includes an unconditional and irrevocable undertaking, a state government guarantee, and an RBI-backed direct debit mandate. IRFC CMD Manoj Kumar Dubey noted that the deal demonstrates how large-scale urban infrastructure can be financed domestically through efficient funding structures aligned closely to actual project cash flows.

Spanning 69.2 kilometers across three corridors with 57 stations, the Hyderabad Metro Phase-I is one of the world’s largest transit networks developed under a public-private partnership model and currently handles over 5 lakh daily passenger journeys. This stable financial foundation will now allow the Government of Telangana to accelerate its phased expansion plans, extending sustainable metro connectivity into emerging growth corridors and improving last-mile connectivity. For IRFC, this transaction represents a strategic diversification of its financing portfolio beyond conventional railway assets into high-impact public utility infrastructure with strong national developmental relevance.

The initiative aimed to streamline understanding of the upcoming statutory changes and ensure seamless, full compliance across all operations.

The session was led by senior ministry officials, including Sh. P.S. Karmase, Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), and Sh. S.K. Sahu, Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (Central). They provided key insights into the operational and legal nuances of the reformed codes.

Reflecting the administrative importance of the transition, the programme drew over 250 participants. The attendees included DMRC Heads of Departments, senior officials, and key contractor representatives, ensuring that both internal management and external partners are aligned with the new regulatory standards.

The initiative aims to provide seamless last-mile connectivity between Central Secretariat and Seva Teerth Metro stations and key government offices in the Central Vista region, encouraging greater use of public transport among government officials and the general public while reducing dependence on private vehicles.

Under this initiative, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is providing two state-of-the-art hydrogen-fuelled buses to DMRC having a seating capacity of 35 passengers, equipped with GPS-based tracking and CCTV systems for real-time monitoring, safety, punctuality, and route adherence.

The shuttle service will operate on all working days (Monday to Friday, excluding Gazetted Holidays) during peak office hours as per following timings- Morning: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and Afternoon: 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM

With a frequency of one bus every 30 minutes, one bus will operate in the clockwise direction and the other in the anti-clockwise direction, covering important government offices and landmarks including Kartavya Bhawan, Vigyan Bhawan, Nirman Bhawan, Akbar Road, Baroda House, National Stadium, National Gallery of Modern Arts, India Gate, and Seva Teerth Metro Station.

Fare collection will be facilitated through National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), UPI, and cash payment options, with affordable stage-wise ticket pricing of ₹10 and ₹15.

DMRC will oversee bus operations, conductors, ticketing, and passenger support, while IOCL will provide drivers and hydrogen fuel support.

This pioneering initiative underscores the Government of India’s commitment to green mobility, clean energy adoption, and sustainable public transport infrastructure. The project is expected to serve as a benchmark for future hydrogen-based transportation systems across the country.

Aligned with the Government of India’s One Nation, One Card vision, the new offering includes both Debit and Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) options. These cards will be rolled out across all Delhi Metro stations within the next ten days, ensuring they are easily accessible to the general public. To further enhance user convenience and eliminate the need for physical queues, the cards support digital recharging through both the DMRC and Airtel mobile applications. While these new cards offer expanded utility, DMRC confirmed that existing metro cards will remain functional, though the focus will shift toward promoting NCMC technology for future commuters.

This partnership highlights a strategic shift toward merging banking services with public infrastructure to create a digital-first commuter experience. Dr. Vikas Kumar emphasized that the initiative is centered on passenger convenience, while Anubrata Biswas noted that the collaboration reflects a shared goal of modernizing urban travel through secure and simplified payment solutions. By embedding financial tools directly into the transit experience, the DMRC and Airtel Payments Bank are helping to build a more connected and efficient transportation landscape across the country.

DMIL has the mandate to offer advisory services to other authorities and lenders to help develop, improve and prepare long term plans for metro and transit systems. DMIL will leverage the experience and expertise of DMRC which has directly or indirectly helped many cities in India to build their own metro systems.

Sh. Jamuar is an ex IRTS officer with wide experience across the Indian railways, DMRC, and internationally in the UK, USA, France, Middle East and Europe. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in strategic leadership from Warwick Business school UK, and has done research work at Leeds University in Transport Economics. Incidentally when he joined DMRC in 1998 he was the first O&M employee. Therefore, coming back to DMRC is like a homecoming for him.

DMRC is already involved as a consultant with the Dhaka Metro project in Bangladesh. It is also handling crucial O&M contracts for the Chennai, Mumbai and Patna Metro projects and has played the role of the consultant for almost all major Metro projects in India. DMRC has also carried out construction work for Metro projects in Mumbai, Jaipur and Patna. Therefore, the DMIL is now expected to further expand DMRC’s footprint across the world.