Northern Railways introduces container-based wagons to ferry apples from Kashmir

Jammu: Northern Railways on Monday supplied 21 container-based wagons to ferry apples from Kashmir, marking another initiative to support the apple industry, officials said.More than 6,400 tons of apples have been transported from Kashmir to Delhi in the last week, using both bogie covered wagons (BCN) and parcel coaches from the Anantnag Goods Shed Terminal in the Kashmir Valley.

“A total of 21 wagons were supplied at Bari Brahmana for loading. Each wagon accommodated almost 76 special containers, each weighing 40 kilograms,” officials said.In another effort to support the apple industry, the Jammu Railway division arranged for crates and racks meant for apple storage in cold storage units in Lassipora in Pulwama district, South Kashmir, to be loaded onto a BCN rake from Bari Brahmana Railway Station destined for Anantnag.

For the first time, puff panels — insulated steel panels used for temperature-controlled apple storage — were also unloaded at Anantnag. “These puff panels provide insulation and energy efficiency, enabling better temperature-controlled storage houses for apples,” an official said.The Jammu division of Northern Railway continues to operate parcel trains carrying apples from Kashmir to Delhi to transport perishable goods efficiently.

“Continuing this trend, over 6,400 tons of apples have been transported from Kashmir to Adarsh Nagar, Delhi, using both BCN covered wagons and parcel coaches from Anantnag Goods Shed Terminal,” they said.The service commenced on September 11, 2025, with two parcel van coaches — one destined for Jammu and the other for Adarsh Nagar, Delhi.

“Each parcel van coach was loaded with approximately 23 tons of goods. This was considered a historic achievement, as a parcel van coach reached Adarsh Nagar from Budgam Railway Station in less than 21 hours, and another reached Jammu in less than six hours,” an official said.On September 15, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha flagged off an eight-parcel van coach train, each with a weight capacity of 23 tons, from Srinagar to Adarsh Nagar in Delhi.

“These eight parcel van trains reached Delhi significantly faster than road transport,” officials said.Expanding the parcel train service to transport other goods, over 500 tons of mustard oil and other food items have been transported from Bari Brahmana to Budgam so far, ensuring that essential supplies remain unaffected despite disruptions in road connectivity.

Changing nature of modern warfare necessitates integrated tech solutions: CDS Gen Chuahan

New Delhi: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan on Monday highlighted the changing nature of modern warfare driven by convergence across kinetic and non-kinetic domains which, he said, necessitated advanced and integrated technological solutions.CDS Gen Chauhan was addressing a tri-services symposium here, aiming to synergise the services-academia research and development ecosystem for the development of niche technologies critical to national defence.

He emphasised the critical role of academia, start-ups and industry in developing indigenous capabilities across platforms, weapons, networks and doctrines to meet future operational demand, the defence ministry said in a statement.He also called for a whole-of-nation approach, urging academia to scale innovation and commit to making India a “global leader in next-generation defence technologies”.

In his address, the CDS highlighted the changing nature of modern warfare, driven by convergence across kinetic and non-kinetic domains, necessitating advanced and integrated technological solutions, it said.The inaugural edition of the Tri-Services Academia Technology Symposium (T-SATS) was held at the Manekshaw Centre at Delhi Cantonment, synergising the services-academia R&D ecosystem for development of niche and futuristic technologies tailored for the Indian armed forces, the ministry said.

The symposium was inaugurated by Gen Chauhan.The event witnessed participation from directors and heads of departments of academic and premier R&D institutions, along with students from 62 institutes including IISc, IITs, IIITs and private technology institutes.The CDS also inaugurated a technology exhibition showcasing 43 selected innovative exhibits by academia.

“These innovations were evaluated by subject matter experts from various technology domains of the three services for their potential military applications. Projects showing promise will be considered for R&D collaboration and funding support in future,” it said.

A major highlight of the day was a series of 95 structured one-on-one meetings between academic innovators and service representatives. These closed-door sessions provided a platform for academia to pitch R&D proposals and receive strategic guidance on converting ideas into military-use cases, fostering a collaborative and results-oriented environment, the statement said.

These meetings will continue on Tuesday.Also, MoUs were signed with various academic institutes, including Ajeenkya DY Patil University, Gujarat National Law University, Indian Institute of Technology-Madras, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), MS Ramaiah University of Applied Sciences, Nirma University, Oriental Institute of Science and Technology, Rashtriya Raksha University and National Research Development Corporation, it said.

Themed ‘Vivek va Anusandhan se Vijay’ or ‘victory through wisdom and research’, the symposium, a first of its kind, is a significant step towards fostering deeper integration between academic research capabilities and defence technology requirements, the ministry said.By connecting the armed forces with the vast untapped intellectual and technical capital within Indian academia, T-SATS aims to build a “sustainable and strategic partnership to co-create future-ready solutions for national security,” it said.