RPF Operations — Set 5

Correct Answer: C. Meri Saheli

• **Meri Saheli** = a flagship RPF initiative launched in September 2020 to ensure end-to-end safety of solo women passengers throughout their train journey — from the origin station to the destination. A dedicated team of women RPF personnel boards at the origin, records coach and berth numbers of solo female travellers, and coordinates with staff at intermediate and destination stations for continuous monitoring. • **Key fact** — Meri Saheli was first launched on South Eastern Railway and expanded nationally within three months; by 2023 it had covered over 40 lakh (4 million) women passengers across all 18 railway zones, making it one of the largest in-transit women's safety programmes in the world by reach. • The initiative distributes helpline cards (Dial 182 — Railway Security Helpline) to women passengers, and cases of harassment reported through the programme are followed up with swift legal action by the GRP. • 💡 Option A (Operation Saheli) is wrong because while Saheli is the theme word, the official designated name is Meri Saheli and no separate Operation Saheli exists in RPF's framework; Option B (Operation Shakti) is wrong because Shakti is a different women-focused initiative at the state police level, not the RPF train-journey safety programme; Option D (Operation Durga) is wrong because no RPF operation by that name covers solo women passenger safety during train journeys — Meri Saheli is the correct and official programme.

Correct Answer: B. Children

• **Operation Nanhe Farishte** = an RPF child-rescue operation — Nanhe Farishte means Little Angels in Hindi — focused on identifying, rescuing, and rehabilitating runaway, trafficked, lost, or abandoned children found at railway stations and on trains. RPF personnel are trained to recognise child-distress indicators and distinguish genuine families from potential traffickers. • **Key fact** — Operation Nanhe Farishte has rescued over 1 lakh (100,000) children as of 2024; rescued children are handed over to Childline (1098), Child Welfare Committees, or the Ministry of Women and Child Development for rehabilitation and family reunification. • Railway stations are historically identified as high-risk transit points for child trafficking in India; RPF's continuous 24/7 station presence makes it the first line of defence against this crime. • 💡 Option A (Birds) is wrong because no RPF operation targets wildlife rescue — that responsibility falls under the Forest Department and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau; Option C (Senior citizens) is wrong because while RPF assists elderly passengers, Operation Nanhe Farishte is specifically designated for child rescue, not senior citizen welfare; Option D (Laptops) is wrong because recovering lost gadgets is the objective of Operation Amanat, not Nanhe Farishte.

Correct Answer: B. Operation Narcos

• **Operation Narcos** = a targeted RPF anti-narcotics drive to detect and intercept the illegal transportation of drugs — including heroin, smack, ganja, and synthetic substances — through the railway network, which traffickers exploit due to its extensive reach and high passenger volume. RPF coordinates surprise raids with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and state police anti-narcotics cells. • **Key fact** — In 2022–23 alone, RPF seized narcotics worth over ₹300 crore under Operation Narcos; key routes intercepted include the Northeast-to-Kolkata corridors and Punjab-to-Delhi connections, both historically used for drug movement across India. • The operation uses passenger profiling, intelligence inputs, sniffer-dog squads, and scanning technology to identify suspicious parcels — often disguised as food or household goods — in parcel vans and luggage compartments. • 💡 Option A (Operation Drug-Out) is wrong because this is not the official name of any RPF anti-narcotics operation; Option C (Operation Satark) is wrong because Satark is a broad surveillance operation covering multiple threats and is not the specific narcotics-focused interdiction drive; Option D (Operation Shuddhi) is wrong because Shuddhi refers to cleanliness or purity themes and is not associated with drug interdiction by the RPF.

Correct Answer: B. Finding lost belongings

• **Operation Amanat** = an RPF passenger-service initiative — Amanat means trust or entrusted property in Urdu and Hindi — dedicated to recovering items left behind by passengers on trains and at stations, verifying ownership, and ensuring their safe return to rightful owners. Each item is catalogued with a description, photograph, and recovery-location detail before being listed on the official Railway portal. • **Key fact** — In financial year 2022–23, RPF recovered and returned more than 60,000 items including gold jewellery, laptops, mobile phones, and cash under Operation Amanat; claimants must produce valid photo ID and accurately describe the item to prevent fraudulent claims. • The operation is managed through dedicated Amanat counters at major stations, and the recovered property is stored in secure custody until the rightful owner is identified and verified. • 💡 Option A (Booking hotels) is wrong because hotel booking assistance is not within RPF's operational mandate — that service falls under tourism facilitation; Option C (Hiring porters) is wrong because coolie and porter services are managed by the Commercial Department, not RPF; Option D (Buying food) is wrong because food services at stations are handled by IRCTC and licensed vendors, completely outside the Railway Protection Force's role.

Correct Answer: A. Human trafficking

• **Operation AAHT** = an RPF anti-human-trafficking operation — AAHT stands for Anti-Human Trafficking — launched to identify victims being transported across state lines via trains and to arrest members of organised trafficking syndicates exploiting the railway network. The operation uses surveillance, plainclothes deployment, and intelligence inputs from NGOs working in trafficking prevention. • **Key fact** — Operation AAHT has rescued over 80,000 trafficking victims since its inception; in a single 2023 drive across 63 trains, RPF rescued 167 victims in one week, demonstrating the scale of the problem and the operation's effectiveness. • RPF works alongside the Ministry of Home Affairs Anti-Trafficking Cell, Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) battalions, and civil society organisations to provide immediate shelter, counselling, and legal aid to rescued persons. • 💡 Option B (Chain pulling) is wrong because chain-pulling misuse is addressed by Operation Samay, not the anti-trafficking AAHT operation; Option C (Unauthorized hawking) is wrong because illegal hawker removal is handled under separate station-management drives distinct from AAHT; Option D (Scrap theft) is wrong because railway scrap theft falls under general property-protection duties, not the specialised anti-human-trafficking mandate of Operation AAHT.

Correct Answer: B. Curbing the illegal activities of touts

• **Operation Upalabdha** = an RPF operation — Upalabdha means available or accessible in Sanskrit — aimed at ensuring that reserved railway tickets are genuinely available to bona fide passengers by cracking down on illegal touts and software-based ticket-scalping syndicates. The operation targets both physical touts loitering at reservation counters and cyber-touts using bots and ghost accounts on IRCTC to hoard tickets. • **Key fact** — In 2022–23, RPF arrested over 1,300 touts under Operation Upalabdha and deactivated hundreds of fraudulent IRCTC accounts; software tools like iMoss (illegal software that exploits IRCTC APIs) are specifically targeted in this operation. • Touts typically buy Tatkal and premium tickets in bulk and resell them at 2–5 times the official price, particularly on popular routes during peak seasons, causing genuine passengers to miss travel opportunities. • 💡 Option A (Clean platforms) is wrong because platform cleanliness is managed under Swachh Rail Swachh Bharat by the Commercial and Mechanical departments, not this RPF operation; Option C (Checking food price) is wrong because food price monitoring at stations is handled by IRCTC and the Railway Consumer Complaint cell, not RPF; Option D (Managing parking) is wrong because parking management at stations is a Commercial Department function and is entirely outside Operation Upalabdha's scope.

Correct Answer: A. Operation Matrushakti

• **Operation Matrushakti** = an RPF humanitarian initiative — Matrushakti means strength of motherhood in Sanskrit — in which trained RPF personnel assist pregnant women who go into labour during train journeys, providing emergency first aid and coordinating medical evacuation at the nearest station. The operation reflects RPF's expanded role beyond security into passenger welfare and emergency response. • **Key fact** — RPF personnel undergo basic Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) training and carry first-aid kits that include sterile delivery supplies; successful in-train deliveries assisted by RPF have been recorded on routes including Delhi–Patna and Mumbai–Howrah Rajdhani expresses. • Under Operation Matrushakti, RPF also coordinates with IRCTC catering staff and station medical rooms to provide nutrition, warmth, and post-delivery care to mother and newborn until formal medical handover. • 💡 Option B (Operation Child-Care) is wrong because no RPF operation by that name exists; child welfare by RPF is covered under Operation Nanhe Farishte, which focuses on rescue rather than obstetric support; Option C (Operation Janani) is wrong because Janani is a government maternity benefit scheme under the Health Ministry, not an RPF security operation; Option D (Operation Raksha) is wrong because Raksha refers generally to protection duties and is not the designated RPF programme for maternal care during train journeys.

Correct Answer: A. Escorting trains and platform patrolling

• **Operation Yatri Suraksha** = a 24/7 RPF security mission — Yatri Suraksha means passenger safety in Hindi — encompassing the physical escorting of long-distance trains by armed RPF escorts, round-the-clock platform patrolling, and coordinated checking of passenger coaches to prevent robbery, harassment, and other crimes. It is the umbrella operation under which most day-to-day passenger protection activities are conducted. • **Key fact** — Under Operation Yatri Suraksha, RPF deploys armed escorts on over 11,000 trains daily across the Indian Railways network; during festival seasons like Diwali and Holi, deployment is scaled up by 40–50% with additional forces drawn from the Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF). • RPF works in close coordination with Government Railway Police (GRP) under this operation, with a clear jurisdiction demarcation: RPF handles railway property and passenger safety on trains, while GRP handles station law and order. • 💡 Option B (Selling magazines) is wrong because magazine and book stalls are IRCTC-licensed vendor businesses, entirely outside RPF's security mandate; Option C (Announcement of delays) is wrong because train delay announcements are handled by the Commercial and Station Management departments, not RPF; Option D (Providing umbrellas) is wrong because provision of amenities to passengers is an IRCTC and station management function, not a Railway Protection Force operation.

Correct Answer: B. Destitute and abandoned adults

• **Operation Dignity** = a compassionate RPF social-welfare initiative targeting homeless, mentally ill, destitute, and abandoned adults found wandering at railway stations — who are at risk of exploitation, accidents, or death. Rescued individuals are assessed, provided immediate food and medical attention, and then either reunited with their families or transferred to government-run care homes and NGO shelters. • **Key fact** — Since its launch, Operation Dignity has rescued over 10,000 destitute adults annually from railway premises; RPF coordinates with district social welfare officers and NGOs like iCall and Vandrevala Foundation for long-term rehabilitation of mentally ill persons rescued under this programme. • Railway stations, due to their 24/7 activity and free access, often serve as refuge points for homeless and mentally ill persons — making RPF's presence uniquely positioned to address this humanitarian crisis. • 💡 Option A (Retired staff) is wrong because post-retirement welfare of railway employees is handled by the Personnel and Welfare departments of Indian Railways, not by this RPF operation; Option C (Wounded soldiers) is wrong because care of wounded military personnel is the responsibility of the Armed Forces Medical Services and Sainik Welfare Boards, not RPF; Option D (Cultural artists) is wrong because support for artists is a cultural ministry function with no connection to this railway-station based welfare operation.

Correct Answer: B. Operation Satark

• **Operation Satark** = a broad RPF vigilance and surveillance operation that is specifically intensified during election periods to intercept the illegal movement of cash, liquor, narcotics, and other inducements being transported by train to influence voters — in coordination with the Election Commission of India's guidelines. RPF increases baggage screening, deploys more plainclothes personnel, and sets up checking nakas at sensitive station points. • **Key fact** — Under the Model Code of Conduct, all security forces including RPF are bound by Election Commission directives; during the 2024 General Elections, RPF seized illegal cash and liquor worth hundreds of crores across multiple railway zones, making it one of the largest election-integrity enforcement operations in the country. • Operation Satark during elections also monitors suspected individuals based on intelligence inputs shared by the Income Tax Flying Squads and state police, integrating RPF into the broader election-law enforcement machinery. • 💡 Option A (Operation Election-Guard) is wrong because this is not the official name of any RPF operation — the correct operation activated during elections is Operation Satark; Option C (Operation Clean) is wrong because no RPF operation by that name handles election-period cash and liquor seizures; Option D (Operation Vigil) is wrong because while 'vigil' is thematically apt, it is not the officially designated RPF operation name — Operation Satark is the correct term used in RPF's operational framework.