Bhupen Hazarika Setu : Symbol of Govt's Dedication & Determination towards Dynamic Development of India

 Bhupen Hazarika Setu : 

Symbol of Govt's Dedication & Determination 

towards  Dynamic Development of India

Today that is 26th May 2017 is the  historic day as the  central government is celebrating three years of its incumbency, today is the historic day as Sensex settled at 31,028 above historic 31,000 levels for the first time in history, and today is also the historic day as the longest bridge of India, perhaps the longest in Asia also, was thrown open for public.

Image courtesy:jagranjosh.com

Dhola - Sadiya bridge, now officially named as  'Bhupen Hazarika Setu' was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, not only heralding the celebrations of successful completion of three years of the government in centre but also a new era of development, not only for Assam and Arunachal but also for whole of North East India - coining new acronym North East that is NE stands for 'New Engine' to drive India.

Image courtesy:thehillstime.in

The 9.15km  Bhupen Hazarika Setu (Bridge) will connect and bring closer the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It will shorten the distance by 165 km reducing the travel time by 7-8 hours, opening new doors to economic development. This bridge will also open new road for the high quality North East ginger grown by farmers of the region and improve their economic condition.

Image courtesy: india.com

Not only that. The bridge is capable of bearing the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank. It will improve the movement of civilian and military vehicles to strategic locations, all the way upto Anini in Arunachal Pradesh. Anini is about 100 km from China border. It will also reduce the time taken by the armed forces in reaching the border in Dibang and Anjaw. This journey normally takes almost two days. This bridge will save rupees ten lakh per day in the form of  petrol and diesel.

Image courtesy:financialexpress.com

The Bhupen Hazarika Setu appears to be a symbol of government's dedication and determination towards dynamic development of India.

Zipping Around inside a "Forest Bus " in Taiwan

Zipping Around inside a "Forest Bus " in Taiwan

Taiwan is a small island nation. It is  180 km east of China with modern cities, traditional Chinese temples, hot springs resorts and dramatic mountainous terrain.

Image courtesy: operationworld.org

It is in the news because it launched a new "forest bus" on 24th May 2017, introduced as a part of an initiative to increase green spaces in the city.

The bus is decorated with seasonal plants and will allow passengers to sit on grass as they travel around. The passengers will enjoy the ride around Taipei city in a plant filled observatory.

Image courtesy: Taiwan News

The bus is themed as "a boy's imaginary forest". It will feature the concept of integrating more green space into cities.

The "forest bus" is very first of its kind.

"India First Country to Draw up Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction" - UNISDR

"India First Country to Draw up Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction" - UNISDR

Cancun is a city in southeastern Mexico  on the Yucatan Peninsula bordering the Caribbean sea. It is known for its beaches, numerous resorts and nightlife.

Image courtesy:wikitravel.org

It is in the news because representatives of 176 countries, including more than 50 ministers and at least seven heads of state, are attending the global platform (22-26 May 2017) here organised by the UN's Office for Disaster Risk Reduction( UNISDR). The Indian delegation is led by Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju.

Shri Kiren Rijiju
Image courtesy: oneindia.com

At the global platform, countries will detail their progress made on the Sendai declaration which binds all signatory to bring down disaster related deaths and implement the roadmap agreed upon by 2030.

Image courtesy: unisdr.org

As per the communique of UNISDR, " India is the largest democracy which has braced the Sendai framework for disaster risk reduction and the first country to have drawn a national and local strategy with a short-term goal achievement target set for 2020." 

The Sendai Framework was adopted by UN Member States on 18th March 2015 at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai city, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It is a 15 year voluntary, non-binding agreement which recognizes that the State has primary role to reduce disaster risk. 

First in India : Prayers in Sign Language in a Kerala Mosque

First in India : Prayers in Sign Language in a Kerala Mosque

Masjid Al-Rahma at Pulikkal in Malappuram is built on a serene five acre campus . It has facilities whereby speeches during Friday namaz (qutuba) will be rendered into sign language.

Image Courtesy: thestar.com

This mosque has the distinction of being the first mosque to do so in the country. Not only that. Sermons at every prayer meet in the mosque will avail the services of a sign language specialist and will be displayed on LCD screens  installed on the walls of the mosque.

Image courtesy:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

The construction of the mosque began in October 2016 with the estimated cost of around 75 lakh. The mosque was inaugurated on 22nd May 2017 dedicated to  the hearing impaired who were skipping prayer meets and Friday namaz as they were struggling to follow the sermons.

Malappuram is a city in the southern Indian state of Kerala situated 54 km southeast of Calicut. The name Malappuram means "terraced place atop the hills" or simply "hilltop" derived from general geographical characteristics  of the city.