IRCTC’s ‘Vikalp’ Scheme Is Revolutionary

As of now, there is a mismatch between accommodation in reserved trains – While some trains are running with additional passengers, there are some trains which are running empty. And the irony is that, in most of the cases, both of these trains are running in the same direction.

To avoid such situation, Indian Railway has announced a new scheme called ‘Vikalp’ (Option), which can prove to be beneficial for all wait-listed passengers. And, at the same time, it can optimally utilise railways’ resources as well.

Here are 8 facts about Vikalp scheme which every train traveller should be aware of:

Assume you have a wait-listed ticket for a train called Lucknow Mail which goes from New Delhi to Lucknow, every day at 10 PM. The Chart has been prepared, and your ticket shows wait-listed # 32. Under Vikalp scheme, your ticket can be allocated to the next available train, which is going towards Lucknow from Delhi, and leaves after 10 PM.

Hence, without paying anything extra, your ticket can be upgraded or moved to another class under Vikalp. Assuming that you have a Sleeper class ticket for Lucknow Mail, which is wait-listed. Under Vikalp, your ticket can be upgraded to AC Superfast Express which leaves at 11.30 PM for Lucknow. You are not required to pay anything additional for the upgrade.

Hence, theoretically speaking, any ticket which is waitlisted can now be used to travel in premium trains like Shatabdi or Rajdhani, without any extra cost.

Vikalp Scheme is only for those tickets which have been booked via IRCTC website. As soon as the chart is prepared, and if your ticket is wait-listed, you will get an SMS, informing about activation of Vikalp option, and your new train, coach and berth numbers would be shared.

You have the option to either choose Vikalp option, and travel in another train, or cancel the existing ticket. In case of cancellation, the normal rules apply for wait-listed trains.

Once you opt for the Vikalp option, you can always upgrade to another higher class in the new train, by paying the difference of cost. For example, you had a AC 3 ticket, but under Vikalp, you got a sleeper class berth in a new train. Now, once you say yes to Vikalp, you can always upgrade to AC 3 in the new train by paying the difference of amount (in case berths are available). But the default allocation of ticket in a new train under Vikalp shall be free of cost, and included in the cost of the original ticket.

Now, after you say yes to Vikalp, and then you decide to cancel, then the cancellation shall be treated for a confirmed berth on the new train, not on the basis of wait-listed ticket on the old train.

Only those passengers whose tickets are wait-listed even after preparation of chart would be eligible for Vikalp option. And, once you have said yes to Vikalp, you cannot board the original train, for which your ticket was issued in waiting list.

Pan-India roll out of Vikalp shall start from April 1st. However, Indian Railways had been running the scheme on a pilot basis on few routes such as Delhi-Lucknow, Delhi-Jammu and Delhi-Mumbai, since November 1st.

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PGI Wins HOT 1OO: RACE TO GRACE 2017 Award

Mumbai, India – March 15, 2017 – Amidst a gathering of eminent CIOs, angel investors, industry stalwarts, VCs, and corporate heads, PGI (Payment Gateway of India) has been recognised with HOT 1OO: RACE TO GRACE 2017 Award, which champions innovation and enterprise.

This was the third edition of the Hot 100 Awards, which honour startups providing unique and disruptive technology solutions that work, deliver real benefits, are innovative and potentially address the market at large. This year saw a significant number of entries and the 23 jury member panel was hard pressed to select the winners whose creative use of technology made them stand out. Entries were received from a wide array of fields, from Cloud and Data Analytics to Healthcare, Education, Social Media, eCommerce, IoT, and BFSI, among others.

Winners of the HOT 1OO: RACE TO GRACE 2017 Awards were determined by public voting coupled with scores from an eminent pan-India jury panel. The panel comprised industry stalwarts—CIOs, Investors, Analysts, Commentators and Industry Leaders—who allocated scores and basis their expertise finalised the winners. Selection is made by evaluating the startup’s technological innovation, team strength, opportunity size, and product value proposition. The HOT 100 Awards are a celebration of the entrepreneurial spirit, and seek to recognise and reward India’s most dynamic enterprise-focused startup businesses. Having earned this validation and honour, startups have a platform through which they can introduce their company to the world.

HOT 1OO: RACE TO GRACE 2017 Awards were presented to 100 innovative startups.

“Through the Hot100 Awards we have curate the most validated, trustworthy and promising technology startups in the country,” said Anoop Mathur, Founder & President, Centre Of Recognition & Excellence. “This is done with the help of the CIO community, Angel Investors and the ICT Ecosystem Mentors. I’m very excited for the winners who demonstrated innovation and excellence, with outstanding achievements. I congratulate them on winning this elite tag.”

PGI is one of a kind, A one stop assisted fintech eco system bridging the gap between offline and online through tech based consolidation between PGI local touch point, end customer and merchant by addressing pain area of all stake holders, catering to the banked, unbanked population of India and Bharat. Our customers both banked and unbanked including wallets population of India and the rest of Bharat. With excellent feedback received, users are enthralled about PGI solving their problem in a coherent way, while certain feature additions will definitely be part of the solution. With 5 lac + micro merchants presence on boarded with 1000 merchants, actually makes a much more efficient system to impact mass numbers.

“The Hot100 awards provides a great showcase for start-ups in the tech sector and a great networking opportunity” said Parag Shah Founder & Director at Payment Gateway of India.

KPMG is the knowledge partner for HOT 100 2017.

Read a great interview with our founder Parag Shah at matrixmag.in

PGI is one of a kind, A one stop assisted fin tech eco system bridging the gap between offline and online through tech based consolidation between PGI local touch point, end customer and merchant by addressing pain area of all stake holders, catering to the banked, unbanked population of India and Bharat. read full interview here