Umashankar appointed as GM at RVNL

​Hyderabad: M Umashankar Kumar took charge as general manager of Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) here on Monday after relinquishing his post as chief public relations officer at South Central railway (SCR). During his stint as the head of the public relations department, Umashankar with his affable nature not only won the hearts of his team, but also brought in several positive changes. He has been instrumental in issuing press releases in Telugu to the media and positioning SCR on social media platforms.

One of the highlights of his four-year tenure was the extensive multi-pronged publicity campaign undertaken to highlight the extensive arrangements made by railways during Godavari and Krishna Pushkarams. Umashankar took personal interest in the publication of ‘SCRs Coffee Table Book - A Treasure Trove of Rail Heritage.’ One of his biggest contributions was the planning and execution of DIGIPAY Railway Station concept, which was implemented for the first time on Indian Railways, enabling services on the Digital Gateway at important railway stations. 

Umashankar was from the 1997 batch of Indian Railway Service of Signal Engineers (IRSSE). He was credited with several technology innovations on the Railways that include the introduction of the rail user-friendly mobile apps, HYLITES and TADAAST, on SCR recently. He was also the brain behind the introduction of web-based Passenger Information System (PIS) and was also involved in the field trials of Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) on Secunderabad – Wadi Section of SCR. He was presented with the Minister of Railways Award in 2011 for his outstanding contribution in completion of throughput enhancement works on SCR in a record time.