Here’s how BEL is contributing to the One nation, One Card project

Here’s how BEL is contributing to the One nation, One Card project

PW Bureau

SWAGAT is the country's first indigenous Automatic Fare Collection barrier gate and the first-ever built outside the developed world, courtesy BEL and CDAC

Ahmedabad: A vital piece in the picture that aims to connect the entire nation with one card under the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) ecosystem has been supplied by state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). While inaugurating the Phase I of the Ahemdabad Metro on March 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched an Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gating system, called SWAGAT, that has been developed jointly by BEL and Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC).

What is SWAGAT?

SWAGAT is the first indigenous AFC barrier gate and the first-ever built outside the developed world. Since it can operate across all cities and all modes of transport, it is in line with the idea of connecting the entire country under 'One Nation – One Card.'

A statement released by BEL said, "It provides a convenient and seamless experience for the commuter. This state-of-the-art technology is a huge step towards a cashless, digital India." This fully indigenous and interoperable system consists of National Common Mobility Card, Automatic Fare Collection System, Validation Terminal and gates.

SWAGAT is a national initiative steered by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in collaboration with BEL and CDAC with the support of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI) and State Bank of India (SBI). It is compliant with the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) ecosystem for hassle-free commute across India. The system has qualified a stringent certification process and has received EMVCo certification by FIME Lab, France.

BEL taking up large-scale manufacturing of the AFC system

BEL is taking up the large-scale manufacturing and deployment of the system at its well-equipped manufacturing facilities. The AFC system has been designed and developed by CDAC, a premier R&D organisation of the Ministry of Electronics & IT. The Validation Terminal and Gates have been co-designed and developed by CDAC and BEL. All the sub-systems are made in India and the IP rests with India.

With this, India will join the group of very few elite nations who have successfully developed and deployed this technology. In a phased manner, SWAGAT will be implemented across all modes of transport — metro, trains and buses — across cities.

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