Locomotive pilots will undergo advanced training on digital crew simulation system with 3D technology in order to improve their alertness, and safety in train operations.

Train crew, locomotive pilots and assistant locomotive pilots, are key frontline staff of Indian Railways (IR) and play a crucial role in train operations and safety.

Modernising training facilities and skill development of crew is a major focus area of railways.

"We are planning to modernise crew training infrastructure across its network by extensively using computer modeling, simulation, digital and 3D technologies and interactive knowledge based training and assessment tools," said a senior Railway Ministry official.

The initiative is expected to improve productivity of crew, and reliability and safety in train operations, he said.

Over 12,000 electric and diesel locomotives daily run on the 66,000 km route across the country. There are about 86,000 train drivers in the Railways.

The aim is to enhance the learning experience of the crew and improve their productivity and driving skills with regard to aspects like train dynamics and handling, dealing with unusual and hazardous events, route learning, economical fuel efficient driving and safe operations, he said.

This modernisation of crew training facilities through simulation solutions is envisaged through a partnership with private players based on various financing models.

One of the envisaged models is a fee-based model wherein the private partner, selected through a competitive bidding process, invests in the training infrastructure (including the hardware, software, building and trainers), maintains it and provides support for training to the crew of Indian Railways against a specified performance regime for a specified period.

Return on investment could be through a predetermined trainee fee for an assured number of trainees every year, he said. 

In order to proliferate the use of digital crew training simulation solutions, technologies and tools, railways is organising a Round Table Workshop with industry stakeholders tomorrow on modernising crew training infrastructure.

The workshop would explore various financing options with global simulator solution providers to seek their views and suggestions on how to best utilise latest digital simulation based crew training technologies and tools available worldwide, across the 68 divisions of Indian Railways.

Major global simulation solution providers for train crews like M/s Sydac (Australia), M/s Corys (France), and M/s Lander Simulation and Training Solutions, Spain, would participate in the workshop on April 21.

Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadavs's cycle track project may hit a dead end as the Yogi Adityanath government is planning to conduct a feasibility study to ascertain its utility.

Minister of State for Urban Development Girish Yadav said the new government is planning to conduct a feasibility study of the cycle tracks so as to ascertain its utility, before deciding their fate.

'Cycle' is the election symbol of the Samajwadi Party which ruled the state for five years before it was uprooted by the BJP tsunami during the recent Assembly elections which saw the saffron party and its allies storm to power with three- fourth majority in the 403-member House.

Moreover, the red and green demarcation pillars along the cycle tracks have drawn criticism from SP's political rivals, who saw in it camouflaged party publicity as the SP flag is red and green.

"A study is being carried out on the feasibility of the cycle tracks. The report will be submitted to the state government, which will decide the next course of action," he said.

He, however, said any decision taken in this regard will be arrived at keeping in mind the interest of the public.

"May be, in the next couple of days we will be able to take a decision," he said to a question.

The Samajwadi Smartphone Yojana, a pet project of Akhilesh Yadav which promised free smart phones to people, appears as good as scrapped with the Yogi Adityanath government taking no decision on its continuation.

"No decision has been taken by the Uttar Pradesh government to continue the scheme," Additional Chief Secretary (IT and Electronics) Sanjiv Saran said.

Saran, however, did not elaborate on the issue.

Official sources said the scheme would have put a huge burden on the state exchequer.

Over 1.4 crore people, especially youngsters, have already registered themselves online for the scheme, which was launched by Akhilesh amid much fanfare last year, months ahead of the Assembly elections.

Persons who are at least 18 years old as on January 1, 2017, have an annual income up to Rs 6 lakh, have passed Class X, and who are not government employees or their children" were eligible for the free smart phone scheme.

The registration process for the scheme had begun on October 10.

The online registration process was also aimed at establishing Akhilesh's effort to usher in "digital democracy" in the state and bridge the digital divide.

In January this year, the online registration for the scheme was stalled in view of an Election Commission order after a complaint was filed by the BJP, which said it violated the Model Code of Conduct as the UP Assembly election schedule had already been announced.

The Uttar Pradesh government recently scrapped the Samajwadi Pension Scheme of the previous government and ordered a detailed review of its beneficiaries.

The Chief Minister, who was reviewing various schemes being run by the Social Welfare Department of the state, asked the officials to review the list of beneficiaries under the pension scheme and find out whether they were deserving candidates fulfilling the eligibility criteria.

The officials have been asked to complete the review of beneficiaries in a month's time, a government spokesman said, adding a suggestion was made to rename the scheme as Mukhyamantri Pension Yojna after dropping the word 'Samajwadi'.

The scheme provides a pension of Rs 500 per month to families living below the poverty line.

President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday greeted Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on the eve of her birthday.

"India cherishes her rich and multi-faceted partnership with the United Kingdom. Our bilateral cooperation has been expanded and strengthened in recent years and our fruitful engagements and exchanges at the highest political levels have given us much to look forward to," Mukherjee said in his message to the Queen on her birthday tomorrow.

The India-UK Year of Culture, launched by the Queen in London a few weeks ago makes this a particularly special year in the India-UK relationship, he said.

"Your Majesty's personal contribution and commitment to the enhancement of the friendship and mutually beneficial ties between India and the United Kingdom has been invaluable.

"Please accept, Your Majesty, our sincere wishes for your good health and well-being. I take this opportunity to also convey the greetings of the people of India to the friendly people of the United Kingdom on the occasion of 'Queen's Day'," the President said.

Dicey roads in the land of Gods, Himachal Pradesh have turned ‘killer’ as over 1,000 persons reportedly lose their lives in road accidents in the hill state on an average annually, often for similar reasons.

The bus accident, which claimed 45 lives on Wednesday in remote Nerwa belt of Shimla district, is just another eye opener for the state government to address road safety with a sense of urgency.

The state is witness to over 3,000 road accidents every year.

Bad roads in the tough terrain, negligent or drunken driving, over speeding, unchecked plying of old buses and absence of highway policing, all these are identified factors repeatedly making up for accidents in Himachal Pradesh.

However, the government allegedly satisfies itself by ordering inquiries into the cause of accidents every time, only to forget them later, with no long term action coming forth.

The bus accidents are a major cause of worry in the state, as they lead to very high number of causalities in one go. (The state has seen bus accidents with even more than 50 casualties in the past). The death rate in road accidents in the state is on the higher side in the country.

Himachal generally has narrow roads negotiating with the hills, with rivers or local khads flowing at a depth. The chance of survival is very less whenever a bus plunges into the steep gorge, rolling down with speed.

The absence of crash barriers aside roads in Himachal Pradesh, even on tough stretches, makes it all the more inevitable.

Himchal Pradesh government has a fleet of 3200 state run buses under Himachal Road Transport Corporation and around 2000 private buses.

In many cases, the private buses, which are in a hurry to lift as many passengers on way, meet accidents, with over speeding and overcrowding the main factors. In interior belts of Himachal, where the private operators don’t go, even the HRTC buses are overcrowded for lesser availability of public transport. Many accidents involve tourist buses coming to the in summers as the outside drivers are unable to catch up with hill driving.

As per sources, over 350 black spots were identified across the state where accidents occur frequently, but they continue to be so for lack of coordination between state government departments.

“The key word for driving in hilly terrain of Himachal is caution. The risk factors for accident are negligent driving and to an extent maintenance of roads in HP,” said Transport minister, GS Bali. He said the department will go for road safety audit to pinpoint areas.

Bali, who is in the Group of Ministers from hilly states on road safety, said, “The state needs crash barriers not only on highways, but inner roads also, which link the tough and remote areas. The Centre must help us with this.”

All convicts in the jails of Uttar Pradesh, whether petty criminals or notorious mafia dons, should get the same food and treatment, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has told state officials.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister's remarks came at a review meeting of the state's Home, Vigilance and Jails department late last night.

There have often been reports and allegations in the past about certain prisoners enjoying privileges in jails including the use of phones etc.

The chief minister said the same food should be given to all convicts — petty criminals or mafia dons — lodged in jails and ordered installation of mobile phone jammers, an official spokesman said.

The chief minister warned officials of the jails department against any leniency shown towards notorious criminals and asserted that they should not be allowed to use medical treatment as an excuse.

In the meeting, the chief minister stressed on effective checks on corruption in all cells of the police and identification of staff members having links with criminals and anti-social elements, the spokesperson said.

Actor Aamir Khan and cricket icon Kapil Dev will receive the 75th Master Dinanath Mangeshkar Awards, at a ceremony here on April 24.

Khan will be honoured with the Vishesh Puraskar for Best Film Dangal, while Dev for his outstanding contribution to Indian Cricket.

Apart from the duo, other awardees include legendary actress Vyjayanthimala Bali, who will be honoured with Master Dinanath Vishesh Puraskar for her achievements in Hindi cinema.

'Mohan Wagh Award' for best drama will be awarded to Sunil Barve for Amar Photo Studio Subak Sanstha.

"Various awards will be given to personalities who have contributed extraordinarily in the field of social service, literature, drama and music etc," Avinash Prabhavalkar of Hridayesh Arts said in a statement.

Other awardees include Kishore Deshpande, who will be presented with Anadmayee Puraskar for his work in social service, Vishwanath Karad, founder, Vishwashanti Kendra will be presented with Samarpit Jeevan Puraskar, Vijaya Rajadhyaksha will be conferred with Vagvilasini Puraskar for her work in literature, Kaushiki Chakraborty for her work in the field of music.

The event will be organised by Master Dinanath Smruti Pratishthan and Hridayesh Arts.

CGBSE (Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education) will soon declare the Class 12 exam results 2017 for Science, Commerce, Arts streams on the official website cgbse.nic.in, www.cgbse.net. 

After the declaration of the CGBSE board exam result 2017, candidates willing to check CGBSE Class 12th results 2017 have to visit the official website and fill the blank space with the required information including roll number, registration number, date of birth to get their results.

If close sources are to be believed then CGBSE class 12 results 2017 will be announced on April 21, 2017 on the official website.

As per the updates, around 3 lakh candidates entered the CGBSE examination hall took place in the month of March this year.

Huge number of candidates are trying to get their CGBSE results 2017 from the official website and due to the load on the website candidates may face issue in getting their results. Candidates are advised to stay calm and refresh the Chhattisgarh board exam result website in a short interval of time to get their results.

CGBSE candidates may get in touch with the officials over a toll free number at 1800 233 4386.

A 26-year-old British man wanted for the murder of a compatriot in Myanmar is living freely in Scotland because the Southeast Asian nation has yet to request his arrest and extradition, according to UK authorities.

The revelation raises fresh questions over Myanmar's lukewarm response to the death of Gary Ferguson, 47, whose battered body was found inside his Yangon apartment in November.

Harris Binotti, is alleged to have killed Ferguson — a fellow teacher at an international school in Myanmar — after an argument.

Binotti fled Myanmar soon after Ferguson's death.

But in the last week he was photographed by a British newspaper living openly in Scotland, prompting his victim's family to ask why he was not already in custody.

Scottish prosecutors and police say they are yet to receive any extradition request from Myanmar, the investigating country.

"Police Scotland has no authority to arrest anyone at this stage," Scotland's police force said in a statement, adding it would "monitor any ongoing risk" Binotti might pose.

"The matter is being investigated by the Myanmar authorities and it is for them to comment on any extradition request," the Crown Office, Scotland's prosecution department, added.

Binotti was only placed on Interpol's "Red Notice" wanted list in April, some five months after the murder.

But Myanmar would still need to request UK authorities to make an arrest and extradite, a process that would require them to submit some of the evidence against Binotti and make diplomatic representations.

British police would also need assurances the death penalty was off the table as they are banned for helping with any capital punishment cases.

Police in Myanmar were unable to say what steps had been taken to pursue the suspect overseas.

Britain and Myanmar do not share an extradition treaty, however, individual cases can still be negotiated between the countries.

Toe Myo, a police officer in Yangon's Kyauktada township where the murder took place, said his department had filed an arrest warrant that was sent to the national police in the capital Naypyidaw.

"We collected as much information as we could about the case and sent it there," he told AFP.

However police in Naypyidaw directed AFP's enquiries back to police in Yangon.

Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a government spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.

Ferguson's relatives, who lobbied Myanmar for months to contact Interpol, have released anguished statements at their perceived lack of progress in the case. 

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday recalled medium-pacer Shafiul Islam and left out Nurul Hasan, Subashis Roy and Shuvagata Hom from the 15-strong team for the ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in England and Wales in June.

This will be the first time Bangladesh are participating in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy in more than a decade. They last played in the Champions' Trophy in 2006 under the captaincy of Habibul Bashar.

The cut-off date for announcing squad is April 25 for the eighth edition of the eight-team tournament. South Africa and Australia have already announced their squads for the tournament, second in importance only to the showcase event World Cup.

Bashar, one of the ambassadors for this year's tournament, said qualification for the tournament was a big step forward.

"It is definitely a big step forward for our country to qualify directly to this year's Champion's Trophy, and it is really important for the team as well," Bashar was quoted as saying by an ICC statement.

"Now we have the opportunity to demonstrate how good our ODI skills are at the present time."

The selectors also announced the team for a tri-series that Bangladesh will take part in, featuring Ireland and New Zealand, in Ireland, to prepare for the Champions Trophy. 

"It is important to plan separately for this tournament, which is why we are going to Ireland for a tri-nation series before the Champions Trophy. That will help us greatly in preparing for English conditions. You will see a different Bangladesh in this year's Champions Trophy," Bashar said.

The tri-nation series will be played from May 12 to 24.

Meanwhile Shafiul, who last featured for Bangladesh in the home series against England in October 2016 before injuring his hamstring during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) was later part of the Test squad for the one-off game against India in Hyderabad. He, however didn't feature in the playing XI.

The rest of the 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy is on expected lines, with Mashrafe Mortaza leading and Mushfiqur Rahim being his deputy.

Bangladesh will start their Champions Trophy campaign against England on June 1 at The Oval in London.

Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza (Captain), Mushfiqur Rahim (vice-capt, WK), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Sabbir Rahman, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Sunzamul Islam, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam.

Shimla's oldest colonial marvel, historically known as the Vice Regal Lodge, awaits the much needed restoration, which is delayed for want of consultant.

Renamed as Indian Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS) post Independence, as regards to restoration of the building is concerned, has been hit with tribulations over passage of time.

Earlier faced with apathy, lack of funds had been a stumbling block. However, after the ministry of Human Resource and Development (HRD) that governs the institute allotted funds for repair work, the hunt for a consultant has posed to be a hurdle for the restoration work to take off.

The HRD ministry had already allotted Rs.56 Crore for the repair of the institute and a sum of Rs.8.5 Crore towards first instalment.

To undertake the restoration work, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) is the implementing and monitoring agency, which will be assisted by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

CPWD, last year was provided with Rs.5 Core, however, more than a year has elapsed and search for a suitable consultant still continues.

According to sources, a year ago, the post of consultant to guide the CPWD and ASI for the restoration had been advertised by CPWD, which could not mature owing to the IIAS, officiating Secretary Prem Chand said, “We are in the process to hire a consultant and soon the post of consultant will be advertised again, as we are looking for an expert to undertake the restoration work of the historic building which is no ordinary.”

He disclosed that, as the entire restoration is not possible in one go, the same will be done in a phased manner and certain portions will be picked up to begin with, that include the back portion of the building, he added.

The major renovation of the building required is in the back portion of the building that has become vulnerable.

Some of the rooms have been vacated that include around three offices of the publication wing, two rooms housing books, security guard changing rooms.

The weather vagaries are writ large on this architectural marvel and faced with structural distress is in need of restoration to sustain its splendour.

Earlier, minor repair works conducted with lack of archaeological expertise and inputs of specialist has proved to be a bane to the preservation of the architecture.

The plans for restoration are drawn by the ASI which falls under the ministry of culture and the central public works department further executes plans for restoration.

The restoration had over the years, also suffered owing to the lack of coordination between various government departments and agencies that has hampered the work.

The magnificent building was built in 1888 in Jacobethan style during the regime of Lord Dufferin since then has witnessed scores of historical moments. Vice Regal Lodge remained the residence of Viceroys during the British Raj days was renamed as Rashtrapati Niwas after Independence. It was in October 20, 1964, that the then President of India S Radha Krishnan inaugurated the institute.

State-run NTPC on Thursday said its board has approved the proposal to increase the amount to be raised by issuing bonds in international markets to $6 billion from $4 billion.

"The Board of Directors, in its meeting held on April 19, 2017, has accorded approval for updating and upsizing the $4 billion MTN (medium term note) programme up to $6 billion for raising debt from international markets to part finance capital expenditure on new/ongoing projects, coal mining projects, renovation and modernisation of power stations and for other permissible end uses," it said in a BSE filing.

According to the statement, the board has also approved the proposal to issue notes up to Rs.50 billion (Rupee denominated bonds) and or up to $750 million equivalent (foreign currency bonds other than Rupee denominated) in the international markets either under the MTN programme or on standalone basis in one or more tranches.

Forgot your ATM pin? A next- generation biometric card that lets you authenticate your payments with your fingerprints could soon come to your aid.

US-based company Mastercard on thursday unveiled the new biometric card that combines chip technology with fingerprints to conveniently and safely verify the cardholder's identity for in-store purchases.

The technology was recently tested in South Africa in two separate trials.

The card builds on fingerprint scanning technology used for mobile payments on Thursday and can be employed at EMV terminals worldwide.
“Consumers are increasingly experiencing the convenience and security of biometrics,” said Ajay Bhalla, President of enterprise risk and security at Mastercard.
“Whether unlocking a smartphone or shopping online, the fingerprint is helping to deliver additional convenience and security,” said Bhalla, an Indian-origin senior executive of the company.
“It's not something that can be taken or replicated and will help our cardholders get on with their lives knowing their payments are protected,” he said.
A cardholder enrolls their card by simply registering with their financial institution. Upon registration, their fingerprint is converted into an encrypted digital template that is stored on the card. The card is now ready to be used at any EMV card terminal globally.
When shopping and paying in-store, the biometric card works like any other chip card. The cardholder dips the card into a retailer's terminal while placing their finger on the embedded sensor.
The fingerprint is verified against the template and – if the biometrics match – the cardholder is successfully authenticated and the transaction can then be approved with the card never leaving the consumer's hand.
Authenticating a payment transaction biometrically    in this instance via a fingerprint    confirms that the person using the card is the genuine cardholder.
The card works with existing EMV card terminal infrastructure and does not require any new hardware or software upgrades.
It can detect and prevent fraud, increase approval rates and reduce operational costs.
The recent South African trials tested the potential ways convenience and security could contribute to the checkout process.
Over the next few months, additional trials will be conducted with the biometric card. A full roll out is expected later this year, the company said.
Additional trials are being planned in Europe and Asia Pacific in the coming months.

Following the Union government's announcement to ban red beacons on official vehicles from May 1, chief ministers of many states and Union ministers have embraced the decision and removed the red beacon from their respective vehicles, just a day after the announcement was made.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat was the early trendsetter to remove the red beacon from his car. He removed it early Thursday morning.

Other chief ministers, who joined the bandwagons of dignitaries to remove red beacon include Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Odisha Chief Minister CM Naveen Patnaik and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh.

Earlier, before the Union government's announcement to ban red beacon, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh chief ministers had taken the decisions to remove red beacons from official vehicles to end VIP culture in the states.

Other Union ministers, who have welcomed the Centre's decision and have removed red beacons from their vehicles include Giriraj Singh, Smriti Irani, Nitin Gadkari, Mahesh Sharma and Vijay Goel.

In a major move to end VIP culture in the country, the Centre on Wednesday announced to ban the use of red beacon on vehicles of all central government vehicles from May 1.

The Cabinet also announced that the use of red beacon will only be allowed on vehicles attached to emergency services, like ambulance and police.

However, according to reports, the President, Prime Minister, Vice-President, Lok Sabha Speaker and Chief Justice of India are exempted from the ban.

In a series of tweets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi celebrated the decision and said, “Thank you. These symbols (red beacons) are out of touch with the spirit of new India. It should have gone long ago. Glad that today a strong beginning has been made. Every Indian is special. Every Indian is a VIP.”

Actress Sofia Vergara has been tapped to voice the Flamenco Dancer emoticon in the new Emoji Movie, based on the cartoon faces and beings found on mobile phones.

Vergara, 44, shared the news of her casting on Instagram with a photo of herself in a red outfit standing alongside an enlarged version of the female flamenco with a flowing dress and rose in her mouth.

“Excited to be Flamenco Dancer in @emojimovie!!! #emojimovie,” she captioned the picture, complete with the emoji itself.

“She does it in the morning when she gets up, she does it when she's eating, she probably does it when she's sleeping,” Sofia laughed. “It makes things like driving or putting on her make-up very difficult.

“I thought it was a great adventure and who doesn't like an emoji? I thought it was going to be a perfect role for me because people are always saying that I look like her,” the actress told People magazine.

Amid positive Asian and European equity markets, domestic benchmark indices ended Thursday’s volatile trading session in the green zone with Midcaps and Smallcaps indices leading the rally.

The BSE Sensex closed 86 points or 0.29 per cent up at 29,422 while the NSE Nifty ended 33 points or 0.36 per cent higher at 9,136.

Broader markets again outperformed the front liners. BSE Midcap and BSE Smallcap indices jumped 0.7 per cent and 1.1 per cent respectively.

Among BSE sectoral indices, Realty index registered the biggest gain with a jump of 2.1 per cent. Consumer Durables (up 1.2 per cent), IT (up 1 per cent) and Auto (up 0.7 per cent) were other notable gainers. Bankex index dropped 0.5 per cent.

On Wednesday, the BSE Sensex closed 17 points or 0.06 per cent up at 29,337 while the NSE Nifty ended two points or 0.02 per cent lower at 9,104.

Top gainers in the Sensex-30 pack: Gail (up 2 per cent), Adani Ports (up 1.9 per cent), HDFC (up 1.7 per cent), Asian Paints (up 1.4 per cent) and M&M (up 1.2 per cent).

Top losers in the Sensex-30 pack: ICICI Bank (down 2.9 per cent), Axis Bank (down 2.3 per cent), Sun Pharma (down 1.3 per cent), Power Grid (down 1.2 per cent) and NTPC (down 1 per cent).

The Rupee was trading seven paise down at 64.64 against the US Dollar.

The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed a criminal complaint against former India cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni by an Andhra Pradesh resident following his depiction as Lord Vishnu by a business magazine.

Quashing the criminal complaint, the bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra said that the ingredients of the offence alleged in the criminal complaint amounting to hurting the religious feelings of the complainant are not made out.

Another bench of the apex court had in September last year quashed an identical complaint filed by another complainant before a court in Bengaluru.

In the magazine cover that was released in 2013, Dhoni –dressed up as Lord Vishnu — was seen holding several objects in his hands, including a shoe.

A court in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh had issued a non-bailable warrant against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

That had prompted Dhoni to approach the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings against him.

Kenya's Mary Keitany, the second fastest woman of all time, has said that a new world record could be on the cards at the 2017 London Marathon to be held on Sunday.

"I've trained enough," Keitany was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency on Wednesday.

"I'm ready to race on Sunday."

The 35-year-old said the women's marathon world record of 2 hours 17 minutes and 42 seconds, set by Paula Radcliffe at the 2005 London Marathon, is within her sights as her fellow Kenyans Florence Kiplagat and Vivian Cheruyiot work together with her at this year's race.

"If the weather is fine for us, and we cooperate, I think we will run a great time," Keitany said.

"Cooperation means working with the pacemakers, and if we make sure that one person doesn' t go it alone, we will run well."

Kiplagat, who has finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth on her five previous appearances, has set her sight on the title this time round.

"I'm not happy with my finish positions here in London," she said.

"I want to win here."

Kiplagat had an excellent end to 2016, winning the Chicago Marathon in October, and has been running 200 kilometres a week in training to prepare for her sixth London Marathon.

Other medal contenders are three medallists from last year's race, three previous London champions and the winners of last year's World Marathon Majors races in Tokyo, Berlin, Chicago and New York City.