National
PM visits to Hyderabad and Chennai
⇒ The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Hyderabad and Chennai on 26 May 2022.
PM in Hyderabad:
Prime Minister participated in the celebration of completion of 20 years of Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad and addressed the graduation ceremony of Post Graduate Programme (PGP) Class of 2022.
- ISB was inaugurated on 2 December 2001, by Former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
PM in Chennai:
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of 11 projects worth over Rs 31,500 crore at JLN Indoor Stadium in Chennai. These projects will boost infrastructure development, enhance connectivity and give an impetus to ease of living in the region.
» The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation five projects worth over Rs 2960 crore.
- The 75 km long Madurai-Teni (Railway Gauge Conversion Project), built at a project cost of over Rs.500 crore, will facilitate access and give a boost to tourism in the region.
- The 30 km long third railway line between Tambaram – Chengalpattu, built at a project cost of over Rs.590 crore, will facilitate running of more Suburban services.
- The 115 km long Ennore-Chengalpattu section and 271 km long Thiruvallur-Bengaluru section of ETB PNMT natural gas pipeline, built at a project cost of around Rs.850 crore and Rs 910 crore respectively. It will facilitate supply of natural gas to consumers as well industries in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- The programme also witnessed inauguration of 1152 houses constructed as part of the LightHouse Project – Chennai, built at a cost of Rs 116 crore under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of six projects, being built at a cost of over Rs.28,540 crore.
- The 262 Km long Bengaluru – Chennai Expressway will be built at a cost of over Rs 14,870 crore. It will pass-through the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and help reduce travel time between Bengaluru and Chennai by 2-3 hours.
- The 4 Lane double decker elevated road connecting Chennai Port to Maduravoyal (NH-4), of about 21 Km in length, will be built at a cost of over Rs 5850 crore. It will facilitate round the clock approach of goods vehicles to Chennai port.
- The 94 km long 4 lane Neraluru to Dharmapuri section of NH-844 and 31 km long 2 lane with paved shoulders of Meensurutti to Chidambaram section of NH-227, being built at a cost of around Rs 3870 crore and Rs 720 respectively, will help provide seamless connectivity in the region.
- The foundation stones for redevelopment of five Railway stations: Chennai Egmore, Rameswaram, Madurai, Katpadi and Kanyakumari, were also laid during the programme. This project will be completed at a cost of over Rs 1800 crore.
- The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of a Multi Modal Logistic Park at Chennai worth around Rs 1430 crore. It will provide seamless intermodal freight movement and also offer multiple functionalities.
Launch of ‘NIRDESHAK’ (YARD 3026) 2nd Vessel of Survey Vessel (Large) Project
⇒ ‘Nirdeshak’, the second of the four Survey Vessels (Large) (SVL) Project being built by GRSE in collaboration with L&T shipbuilding for Indian Navy was launched on 26 May 2022 at Kattupalli, Chennai.
- The ship has taken its name from erstwhile Nirdeshak which was also an Indian Naval Survey ship and was decommissioned after 32 years of glorious service in December 2014.
Background:
- Part construction of three out of four ships of SVL is being undertaken at L&T, Kattupalli as part of collaborative approach between GRSE and L&T shipbuilding.
- The contract for building four SVL ships was signed between Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on 30 October 2018.
- The first of class ship ‘Sandhayak’ was launched on 05 December 2021 at GRSE, Kolkata.
About Ship:
- The SVL ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships with new generation hydrographic equipment to collect oceanographic data.
- The Survey Vessel (Large) ships have a deep displacement of about 3400 tons and a complement of 235 personnel.
- The ship is designed to operate at cruise speed of 14 knots and maximum speed of 18 knots.
- Bow & Stern Thrusters have been catered for better manoeuvring at low speeds required during shallow water survey operations.
- The hull of these ships is made from indigenously developed DMR 249-A steel manufactured by Steel Authority of India Limited.
Role of the ships:
- With a capability to carry four Survey Motor Boats and an integral helicopter, the primary role of the ships would be to undertake full scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of Ports and navigational channels.
- The ships would also be deployed for collecting oceanographic and geophysical data for defence as well as civil applications.
- In their secondary role, the ships are capable of providing limited defence, besides serving as Hospital ships during emergencies.
» GRSE has made substantial progress and aim to deliver Sandhayak, the first ship of SVL by January 2023. The delivery of the second ship Nirdeshak is likely by April 2023.
International
17th Asia Media Summit
⇒ Union Minister Shri Anurag Thakur delivered his speech at the 17th Asia Media Summit via video conferencing on 25 May 2022.
In his speech, the Union Minister applauded the role played by Indian media during the trying times of COVID19 pandemic.
- The Minister said that Indian media ensured that the Covid awareness messages, important government guidelines and free consultations with doctors reach everyone in the country.
About Summit:
The conference provides a unique opportunity for broadcasters in the region to share their thoughts on Broadcasting and Information.
Theme:
The theme for Asia Media Summit 2022 was “Future Forward, Reimagining Media”.
Organized by:
The 2-day Asia Media Summit 2022 was organized by AIBD and co-hosted by the Government Republic of Fiji on 25-26 May 2022.
- The Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), established in 1977 under the auspices of UNESCO.
Participation:
- Decision makers, media professionals, scholars, and stakeholders of news and programming from Asia, Pacific, Africa, Europe, Middle East and North America attended this annual conference.
- It was a gathering of media industry leaders, data analysts, public officials and a variety of other experts to share a platform to create new, comprehensive solutions facing traditional broadcasting for the common good.
Lifetime Achievement Award of the Canada-based Tamil Literary Garden, for 2021
⇒ Historian and professor of the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS), A.R. Venkatachalapathy, has been selected for the Lifetime Achievement Award (Iyal Award), of the Canada-based Tamil Literary Garden, for 2021.
He played a major role in taking Tamil literature and Tamil culture to people in foreign countries. He has been writing on history, language, culture, society and politics for the last 40 years and has written over 60 books and articles.