Shillong (Meghalaya) gets selected as the 100th Smart City
- Shillong is the capital city of Meghalaya which has been selected as 100th Smart City after evaluating the proposal submitted by it.
- 99 smart cities had been selected in four rounds of competition till now and with today’s announcement; selection of 100 cities has been completed under the Smart Cities Mission.
- Previously, 20 cities were selected in January 2016, 13 cities in May 2016, 27 cities in September 2016, 30 cities in June 2017 and 9 cities in January 2018.
Airbridge for Mansarovar Yatra : An IAF Effort
- For three months, starting 18 Jun 2018, the Indian Air Force would create an airbridge between Pithoragarh and Gunji, in an effort to airlift 1080 registered passengers to Gunji to enable them to continue their journey for the coveted annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
- The command had been chosen by Air HQ for this task, especially due to the experience its heptr pilots have in flying in mountainous terrain and landing at high altitudes, given the fact that Gunji is at an altitude of 3100 mts above the sea level.
- “We have deployed three MLH class of heptrs at Pithoragarh which would be carrying approximately 60-80 passengers per day” said the task force commander positioned at Pithoragarh.
- The heptrs, from the Kirpan and Nubra Warrior units of the IAF, would be deployed for about three months catering for the return journey as well and would fly about 300 hrs in the duration of the operations.
Union HRD Minister dedicates the National Digital Library of India to the Nation
- The Union Human Resource Development Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar launched the new digital initiative of HRD Ministry ‘National Digital Library of India’ on the occasion of National Reading Day in New Delhi today.
- This National Digital Library of India (NDLI) is a project of the Ministry of Human Resource Development under the aegis of National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT). National Digital Library of India is developed by IIT Kharagpur.
- Objective of NDL:
- To make digital educational resources available to all citizens of the country to empower, inspire and encourage learning.
- NDL is the Single Window Platform that collects and collates metadata from premier learning institutions in India and abroad, as well as other relevant sources.
- It is a digital repository containing textbooks, articles, videos, audio books, lectures, simulations, fiction and all other kinds of learning media.
- The Minister said that anybody can access the digital library anytime and anywhere absolutely free of cost and will contribute greatly to the Government’s commitment towards “Padhe Bharat Badhe Bharat”.
3 MoUs signed and 6 at an advanced stage under ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme: Culture Ministry
- The Ministry of Culture has clarified that ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme of the Government of India is making good progress.
- The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Culture and Archaeological Survey of India.
- Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Shri Raghvendra Singh today said that under ‘Adopt a Heritage’ Scheme, three MoUs have already been signed and six are at an advanced stage and 31 more Adarsh Monuments are enlisted for coverage under the scheme.
- The Project aims to develop synergy among all partners to effectively promote “responsible tourism”, he added.
- The schemes aims to involve public sector companies, private sector companies and corporate citizens/individuals to take up the responsibility for making our heritage and tourism more sustainable through development, operation and maintenance of world-class tourist infrastructure and amenities at ASI/ State heritage sites and other important tourist sites in India.
- Primary focus of the project is on providing basic amenities that includes cleanliness, public conveniences, drinking water, ease of access for differently abled and senior citizens, standardized signage, illumination and advanced amenities such as surveillance system, night viewing facilities, tourism facilitation center and an enhanced tourism experience that will result in more tourist footfalls, both domestic and foreign.
To ace UPSC current affairs section, read more PIB articles here.
Comments