National
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Chennai
⇒ Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 8th April, 2023.
125th Anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Math:
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi participated in the 125th Anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Math at Vivekananda House in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 08 April 2023.
- The Prime Minister also released a book on Holy Trio on the occasion.
- Started in Chennai in 1897 by Swami Ramakrishnananda, the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are spiritual organizations engaged in various forms of humanitarian and social service activities.
Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express:
» The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express at MGR Chennai Central Railway Station in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 08 April 2023.
New Integrated Terminal Building (Phase- 1) of Chennai International Airport:
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the New Integrated Terminal Building (Phase- 1) of Chennai International Airport, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 08 April 2023.
- Developed at the cost of Rs 1260 crores, the addition of this new Integrated terminal building will increase the passenger serving capacity of the airport from 23 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) to 30 MPPA.
- The new terminal is a striking reflection of the local Tamil culture, incorporating traditional features such as the Kolam, Saree, Temples, and other elements that highlight the natural surroundings.
PM lays foundation stone and dedicates to the nation various projects:
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various projects at Alstrom Cricket Ground in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on 08 April 2023.
About Projects:
The Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of road projects worth about Rs 3700 crores.
- The Prime Minister inaugurated the 7.3 km long Elevated Corridor in Madurai City and the 24.4 km long four-lane road of National Highway 785.
- The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the construction of road projects of National Highway-744.
- The project worth more than Rs 2400 Crore will boost inter-state connectivity between Tamil Nadu and Kerala and ensure a convenient journey for pilgrims visiting Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, Andal Temple in Srivilliputhur and Sabarimala in Kerala.
- The Prime Minister also inaugurated the 37-kilometer gauge conversion section between Thiruthuraipoondi and Agasthiyampalli, which has been completed at a cost of Rs 294 Crores. This will benefit the movement of edible and industrial salt from Agasthiyampalli in Nagapattinam district.
- The Prime Minister also flagged off the Express service between Tambaram and Sengottai. He also flagged off a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) service from Thiruthuraipoondi – Agasthiyampalli, which will benefit commuters from Coimbatore, Tiruvarur and Nagapattinam districts.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Hyderabad
⇒ Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited Hyderabad, Telangana on 8th April, 2023.
» The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off the Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express at Secunderabad Railway Station in Hyderabad, Telangana on 08 April.
- Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express connecting IT City, Hyderabad with the Abode of Lord Venkateswara, Tirupati, is the second Vande Bharat train to be started from Telangana within a short span of three months.
- The train will reduce the travel time between the two cities by almost three and a half hours and will be particularly beneficial for pilgrims.
» The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation various projects worth over Rs 11,300 crores at Parade Ground in Hyderabad, Telangana on 08 April 2023.
The projects include laying the foundation stone of AIIMS Bibinagar, Hyderabad, five National Highway projects and the redevelopment of Secunderabad Railway Station. He also dedicated other development projects related to railways.
About Projects:
- The redevelopment of Secunderabad Railway Station, to be done at the cost of Rs 720 crores, is being planned such that it will undergo a massive makeover with world-class amenities and an aesthetically designed iconic station building.
- During the Programme, the Prime Minister flagged off 13 new Multi-Modal Transport Service (MMTS) services in the suburban section of Hyderabad – Secunderabad twin city region, providing commuters with a fast, convenient and comfortable travel option.
- He also dedicated to the nation, the doubling and electrification of Secunderabad–Mahabubnagar project. The project stretching for a distance of over 85 km has been completed at the cost of nearly Rs 1,410 crores. The project will provide seamless connectivity and enhance the average speed of trains.
- The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of AIIMS Bibinagar, Hyderabad. This is a testimony of the Prime Minister’s vision of strengthening health infrastructure across the country. AIIMS Bibinagar is being developed at a cost of more than Rs 1,350 crores.
- The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of National Highway projects worth more than Rs 7,850 crores which will strengthen the road connectivity of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and will aid in the socio-economic development of the region.
International
High-Level Conference on Accelerating Rail Digital Transformation in Asia and Pacific region
⇒ A High-Level Conference on Accelerating Rail Digital Transformation in Asia and Pacific region was held in New Delhi, India on 5 and 6 April 2023.
Organized by:
The Conference was organized by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Railways.
Participation:
The Conference was attended by the representatives of the Ministries of Transport/Railways of 18 countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Georgia, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan (online), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nepal, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uzbekistan (online) and Viet Nam.
- The representative from Asian Institute of Transport Development, Birmingham Center for Railway Research and Education, Organization for Cooperation Between Railways, International Union of Railways and International Organization for International Carriage by Rail also participated in the Conference.
Discussion:
» The Conference deliberated on ways and means to accelerate rail digital transformation in Asia and the Pacific to enhance competitiveness of rail transport to attract more freight and passenger to railway transport. The participating countries deliberated on a regional strategy on accelerating rail digital transformation in Asia and the Pacific that was presented by Mr Sandeep Raj Jain, official from the Transport Division of UN ESCAP head office in Thailand.
- The proposed strategy aims to provide coherence and momentum to current initiatives on rail digitalization; foster an ecosystem to harnesses full potential of rail digitalization; augment the operational performance, capacity, reliability, safety, and security of rail assets; enhance customer experience including ease of doing business; create synergies through partnerships to digitalize rail; and ensure high level political support on rail digitalization. It further identifies eight priority areas and five cross cutting issues to deepen the regional cooperation on accelerating rail digital transformation.
» Among the cross-cutting issues, the strategy proposes to set up a regional capacity building programme on rail digital transformation with a pool of experts to enhance digital skills of railway officials. For financing rail digital projects, the strategy suggests countries to establish a rail digital and innovation fund as multi-donor trust fund to support landlocked and least developing countries to leapfrog to digital technologies.
» On strengthening rail cybersecurity, it advocates developing a regional framework for rail cybersecurity for sharing of information, capacity building and learning from experience. The strategy also aims to heighten engagement with private sector by encouraging countries to supportive legal and regulatory framework that attract private investments and expertise in rail digital applications.
- The proposed strategy also provides for implementation arrangements with suggestion to formulate national and sub-regional strategies on rail digitalization and measuring progress through developing a rail digital and innovation index complemented by three level of maturity for rail digitalization.
» The Conference participants welcomed the draft strategy on accelerating rail digital transformation presented by ESCAP secretariat and underlined that its adoption and subsequent implementation can fast track rail digitalization, particularly, for landlocked and least developing countries of the region.
» The two-day Conference ended with a recommendation to adopt the regional strategy on accelerating rail digital transformation by the members of Trans-Asian Railway network.
Important Day
World Homoeopathy Day 2023
⇒ World Homoeopathy Day 2023 was observed to commemorate the birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr Christian Fredrich Samuel Hahnemann to mark his 268th birth anniversary.
World Homeopathy Day is observed every year on 10 April.
World Homeopathy Day is celebrated to understand the challenges and future strategies to develop homoeopathy. The day aims to spread awareness about homoeopathy as a form of medicine and work towards improving its success rate.
Theme:
The theme of World Homeopathy Day 2023 was ‘Homoeoparivar- Sarvajan Swasthya, One Health, One Family’.
- This theme highlights the importance of homeopathy in promoting the health and well-being of the entire family and community.
About Dr Samuel Hahnemann:
- Born in Paris on April 10, 1755, Hahnemann was an acclaimed scientist, great scholar, and linguist.
- He discovered the way to heal through the use of homeopathy. He developed the principle of ‘similia similibus curentur’, meaning ‘let like cure like’, in the late 18th century. Thus, homeopathy works on the principle of “like cures like”.
- He died on July 2, 1843.
Celebration in India:
» Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy under Ministry of AYUSH organised a scientific convention on the occasion of the World Homoeopathy Day on 10th April 2023 at New Delhi.
- The theme of this scientific convention was ‘Homoeoparivar- Sarvajan Swasthya, One Health, One Family’.
- The convention aimed to promote evidence-based homoeopathic treatment for health & wellness of the entire family, capacity building of homoeopathic practitioners to provide homoeopathy as first line of treatment and promote homoeopathy as a treatment of choice in households.