'Rail Green Points': Indian Railways May Launch Scheme To Assign Carbon Saving Points To Freight Customers In April

Indian Railways is likely to launch a scheme for assigning carbon saving point, called Rail Green Points, to freight customer in April.

"Indian Railways has laid down policy guidelines recently to assign carbon saving point, termed as Rail Green Points, to freight customer. It will be applicable only to the freight customers who are registered on e-RD portal of Freight Operations Information System (FOIS), an official release said on Thursday (24 March).

"Every customer who places demand online (on e-demand module) for freight services may be prompted by a ‘Pop up’ thanking him for choosing to transport by Indian Railways giving details of the expected saving of carbon emission called Rail Green Points," the Ministry of Railways said in a release.

Once RR (Railway Receipt) is generated, the saving of carbon emission will be credited to customer’s account in the form of Rail Green Points and the cumulative points will also be shown in his account on Freight Business Development portal, it added.

Downloadable certificate displaying Rail Green Point may be provided in the system, the ministry said.

The ministry clarified that the Rail Green Points cannot be claimed for any benefit from Railways.

It added that the Rail Green Points will be reckoned on financial year basis.

The ‘Feel Good Factor’ that customers would get from this information will motivate them to transport more by train, according to the ministry.

Moreover, the corporate customers may like to mention it on their website, and in their Annual Reports, it said.

The module for Rail Green Point will be developed by Centre For Railway Information Systems (CRIS) and FOIS.

CRIS will also evolve some kind of Green Star Rating type concept for customers for identification based on their Rail Green Points, according to the ministry.