National
PM Shri Narendra Modi inaugurates, dedicates to the nation and lays foundation stone of projects in Sambalpur
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for projects worth more than Rs 68,000 crore in Sambalpur, Odisha on 03 February 2024.
- These projects are aimed at boosting the energy sector involving natural gas, coal and power generation apart from important projects of road, railway and higher education sector.
- Shri Modi also took a walkthrough of the IIM Sambalpur model and a photo exhibition showcased on the occasion.
Details of Projects:
» The Prime Minister inaugurated ‘Dhamra – Angul Pipeline Section’ (412 Km) of ‘Jagdishpur-Haldia & Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline Project (JHBDPL)’.
- Built at a cost of more than Rs 2450 crore under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga’, the project will connect Odisha with the National Gas Grid.
» The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of ‘Nagpur Jharsuguda Natural Gas Pipeline Section’ (692 Km)’ of Mumbai-Nagpur-Jharsuguda Pipeline.
- The project, which will be developed at a cost of more than Rs 2660 crore, will improve the natural gas availability to states like Odisha, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.
» During the programme, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of multiple power projects worth about Rs 28,980 crore.
- The projects to be dedicated to nation include NTPC Darlipali Super Thermal Power Station (2×800 MW) and NSPCL Rourkela PP-II Expansion Project (1×250 MW) in Sundargarh district of Odisha.
» He also laid the foundation stone of NTPC Talcher Thermal Power Project, Stage-III (2×660 MW) in Angul district of Odisha.
- These power projects will supply low-cost power to Odisha as well as several other states.
» The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) Talabira Thermal power project worth more than 27000 crore.
- Strengthening the Prime Minister’s vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, this state-of-the-art project will provide reliable, affordable and round-the-clock power contributing significantly to the nation’s energy security and playing a vital role in the country’s economic growth and prosperity.
» The Prime Minister inaugurated coal infrastructure projects of Mahanadi Coalfields Limited including First Mile Connectivity (FMC) projects – Bhubaneswari Phase-I in Talcher Coalfields in Angul district and Lajkura Rapid Loading System (RLS).
- Built at a cost of about Rs 2145 crore, these projects will boost the quality and supply of dry fuel from Odisha.
» The Prime Minister also inaugurated Ib Valley Washery, built at a cost of over Rs 550 crore in Jharsuguda district of Odisha.
- It will mark a paradigm shift in coal processing for quality, signifying innovation and sustainability.
» The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation a 50 km long second track of Jharsuguda-Barpali-Sardega rail line Phase-1 built by Mahanadi Coalfields Limited, with an investment of Rs 878 crore.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated three National Highways road sector projects, developed at a cumulative cost of about Rs 2110 crore.
- The projects include four laning of Rimuli-Koida Section of NH 215 (New NH No 520), four laning of Biramitrapur-Brahmani Bypass end section of NH 23 (New NH No 143) and four laning of Brahmani Bypass End-Rajamunda Section of NH 23 (New NH No 143).
- These projects will enhance connectivity and also contribute towards the economic development of the region.
» Further, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of railway projects worth about Rs 2146 crore. He laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Sambalpur Railway Station, whose architecture is inspired by the Sailashree Palace.
» He also dedicated the Sambalpur- Talcher Doubling Railway Line (168 Kms) and Jhartarbha to Sonepur New Railway line (21.7 Kms), enhancing the rail network capacity in the region.
» The Prime Minister also flagged off Puri-Sonepur-Puri Weekly Express, improving connectivity for the rail passengers in the region.
» The Prime Minister also inaugurated the permanent campus of IIM Sambalpur.
» Further, he dedicated the Jharsuguda Head Post Office Heritage Building to the nation.
Exercise Vayu Shakti 2024
⇒ The Indian Air Force conducted Exercise Vayu Shakti 2024 on 17 February 2024 at the Pokhran Air to Ground Range, near Jaisalmer.
- The last edition of exercise Vayu Shakti was held on 16 February 2019.
» As always, the Vayu Shakti exercise was a spectacular display of the IAF’s offensive and defensive capabilities that took place both during the day and night. The exercise also showcased joint operations with the Indian Army.
» The event began with three Chetak helicopters trooping the National Flag and the Air Force ensign, flying past the grand stand with the National Anthem playing in the background.
Theme:
The theme of the exercise Vayu Shakti 2024 was ‘Lightning Strike from the Sky’.
Highlights:
- This year, 120 aircraft, including indigenous Tejas, Prachand and Dhruv, participated in the exercise.
- Other participating aircraft included Rafale, Mirage-2000, Sukhoi-30 MKI, Jaguar, Hawk, C-130J, Chinook, Apache and Mi-17.
- Indigenous surface-to-air weapon systems Akash and Samar demonstrated their capability to track and shoot down intruding aircraft.
- Exercise Vayu Shakti was a demonstration of the IAF’s capability to deliver weapons with long range, precision capability as well as conventional weapon accurately, on time and with devastating effect, while operating from multiple air bases.
- Special operations were also demonstrated by the Indian Air Force’s transport and helicopter fleets along with Garuds and Indian Army elements.