Category: India

  On the formation of Telengana state, Indian Railways was required to examine establishing a new railway zone in the successor State of Andhra Pradesh. The matter has been examined in detail in consultation with stake holders and it has been decided to go ahead with creation of a new zone with headquarter at Visakhapatnam. The new zone named ‘South Coast Railway (SCoR)’, will comprise of existing Guntakal, Guntur and Vijayawada divisions.  It was announced by Piyush Goyal, Union Minister for Railways. Accordingly, Waltair division shall be split into two parts. One part of Waltair division will be incorporated in ... Read more

Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Praphu address the conclave The Ministry of Civil Aviation, in association with Airports Authority of India, AAI Cargo Logistics and Allied Services Company Limited and Confederation of Indian Industry has organized the Aviation Conclave 2019 with an overarching theme of ‘Flying for All’ in New Delhi today, 27th February 2019. Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, stated that realizing Government’s vision of making ‘Flying for All’ a reality underpins the government’s commitment to bring about a veritable revolution in the Indian aviation sector. He further reiterated that the ball was set rolling during the ... Read more

Ministry of AYUSH and WHO has been jointly organizing a three days Working Group Meeting for reviewing the WHO document ‘Benchmarks for Training in Yoga, from 26-28 February, 2019 at New Delhi. The meeting is coordinated by Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY). WHO is developing Benchmarks Document for Training in Yoga as part of its global strategy to strengthen the quality, safety and effectiveness of Traditional and Complementary Medicine.  Development of this benchmarks document is included in the Project Collaboration Agreement signed between World Health Organization (WHO) and Ministry of AYUSH on Cooperation in the field of Traditional ... Read more

The government is taking the necessary steps to implement a Tourism Policy for the state for promotion and development of tourism, said  Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh. He was replying to a question in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. The chief minister also informed of that infrastructure development projects funded by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) and NEC (North Eastern Council) is under process as well. The chief minister informed the House that a total of Rs 4171.14 lakh has been allocated in the Revised Estimate of 2018-19, of which Rs. 3703.14 ... Read more

Privatization of the Thiruvanathapuram airport is widely welcomed by the stakeholders. It is said that privatization will improve the infrastructure facilities and quality of service. SN Raghuchandran Nair, President of Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of Airport Users Consultative Committee, said that the move will be beneficial to the tourism industry in long run. “We consider it as a positive move for the airport, which has been losing its galore in recent years. Privatization will encourage competition and the airlines have to reduce ticket rates to attract more passengers. If the infrastructure and other conditions improve, more international airlines ... Read more

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the National War Memorial to the nation in a solemn ceremonial function on 25th February 2019. He will also address ex-servicemen on the occasion. The National War Memorial, near India Gate in New Delhi, is a fitting tribute to our soldiers who laid down their lives defending the nation, post-independence. The National War Memorial also commemorates the soldiers who participated and made the supreme sacrifice in Peace Keeping Missions, and Counter Insurgency Operations. The obelisk in the center of the memorial In 2014, Prime Minister had spelt out his vision for the National War Memorial ... Read more

The 23-year-old Parth Upadhyaya came hitting my thoughts with his fundraising campaign in ketto, for the upcoming Eco Everest Expedition 2019. Parth, is planning to climb the Mount Everest, supporting a great cause called #ClimbForGood. Parth aims to help underprivileged kids taking them for trips and introduce them the beauty of nature through his fundraising platform. Mountaineering is a very expensive sport and the expedition to Everest costs Rs 30 lakh rupees which is almost 43,000 USD. Out of which, Parth is now short of Rs 12 lakh rupees with just 40 days for the big climb. Born and brought up ... Read more

Adani Group, the leading Infrastructure conglomerate in India, has stepped into the airports business by winning the bid for operating Thiruvananthapuram airport along with other four airports in the country. There were 6 airports in the bid run by the the Airports Authority of India (AAI), as part of the privatization programme of the Central Government. Thiruvananthapuram Airport As per sources, Adani Group, which had bid for all six airports, has won to upgrade and operate five of them of for a period of 50 years. Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mangalore are the airports won by Adani Group under ... Read more

Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme, Ministry of Tourism is developing critical tourism infrastructure in the country in a sustainable and inclusive manner to make India into a world class tourist destination. The focus under the scheme is to develop public facilities like last-mile connectivity, tourist reception centers, wayside amenities, solid waste management, illumination, landscaping, parking etc. where private sector is not willing to invest. The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the following proposals: 1. Continuation of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme during 14th Finance Commission period and beyond; 2. Rs 2055.96 crore for 60 on-going projects ... Read more

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, laid the foundation stones for seven National Highway projects worth over Rs 4,419 crore in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra on Sunday. From the inaugural function Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda and the Minister of the province, all MPs and MLAs were present on the occasion. The projects include four-laning of 37.03 km long Punjab-Himachal Pradesh Border to Sihuni section of NH-154 at a cost of Rs 1572.9 crore, construction of 104.6 km long Paonta Sahib –Guma-Feduzpul section of NH-707 at a cost of Rs 1356 crore, construction ... Read more

The Fern Hotels & Resorts has opened Viola Beacon Resort at Lonavla in Maharashtra. Located amidst sylvan green surroundings off the Old Mumbai-Pune Highway in the Waksai-Maval area of Lonavala, the 40 room hotel is just 6.5 km from the Lonavala Market. The popular weekend getaway, which is just a 2 hours drive from Mumbai, offers guests a relaxed holiday blended with style, comfort and privacy. The rooms are designed with care and offer all essential amenities and services. The bright coffee shop and pillar less banquet hall for conferences, parties and events, complete the stay experience. Conversation Café is an ... Read more

The InterContinental Hotels Group has signed a management agreement with Indroyal Hospitality Services for Crowne Plaza in Amaravati. The 300-room hotel will be the first IHG hotel in the city and is expected to be operational by 2024. Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh is being rapidly developed as a world class city and is expected to attract high-value manufacturing and service industries, creating strong economic growth opportunities in the years to come. Connected to the major cities in India by land, rail and air through its neighbouring city of Vijaywada, Amaravati is expected to attract both domestic and ... Read more

The Aero India show that is on in Bengaluru is celebrating successful women professionals in the field of Defence Aviation. As a precursor to the focus theme, a seminar was organised yesterday on Women in Aviation. The successful professionals from the field of Aviation and defence spoke on how they succeeded in establishing themselves in the professions dominated by men. Dr. Tessy Thomas who is Director General (Aero) in Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) narrates of her experience as the Project Director of Agni missile programme. Dr. Tessy, popularly known as the Missile Woman of India, is a recipient ... Read more

The Tourism sector of India has created nearly 14 million jobs in the country, employing all sections of the society, in the last four years, said KJ Alphons, Union Tourism Minister. He was addressing the 2nd Meeting of National Tourism Advisory Council (NTAC) at Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat.   “India has climbed from 7th rank in 2017 to 3rd rank in 2018 in World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Power and Performance index which has an impact on our Civil Aviation sector,” said Alphons, while narrating the excellent performance of the country globally in recent years. The Minister ... Read more

The Government of Canada has issued travel advisory warning its citizens not to travel to India. “Exercise a high degree of caution in India due to a continuing threat of terrorist attacks throughout the country at all times,” it said. The advisory also tells to avoid non-essential travel to parts of north eastern India, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland, due to conflict. It also advises to avoid all travel to Western border with Bangladesh and Jammu and Kashmi, due to sporadic terrorist activity and violent demonstrations. This advisory excludes travelling to Ladakh via Manali, and air travel to Leh, it said. ... Read more