Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train to Travel under the Sea
- The Mumbai- Ahmedabad high speed rail corridor will have a 21 km long tunnel out of the total stretch of 508 km that will go under the sea. It is the first bullet train of the country, the trains to run at a speed of 350 km/h.
- Japan has granted a loan amounting to 81% of the estimated cost of the Rs 98805 crore high speed rail projects.
- Earlier, a joint committee was formed under the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog for timely completion of the project.
Tata Trusts Signed Pact with Odisha Government for Malaria Elimination
- Tata Trusts signed an MoU with the Odisha government on April 19, 2016 to achieve elimination of Malaria from the State) by 2030.
- It aims to reduce malaria deaths by 50% in five years and incidence by 40%. The Centre has committed to eliminate malaria from the country by 2030.
- Tata Trusts will be taking mass screenings twice a year in 557 villages in five selected blocks including Bissamcuttack and Muniguda blocks of Rayagada district, Lanjigarh, Thuamulrampur blocks of Kalahandi district and Kotgarh block of Kandhamal district in Southern Odisha.
Katoch Panel Recommendation to Reduce Bulk Drug Imports
- The recommendations of Katoch Committee to reduce the import of bulk drugs were released on April 19, 2016. The government will go ahead with the mega parks for bulk drugs.
- Many Indian State governments have shown interest in setting-up bulk drug manufacturing units and soon the country will have many such hubs. This will reduce the capital expenditure on production of bulk drugs.
- Earlier, the government had set-up a committee headed by Secretary, Health Research, VM Katoch, to suggest ways to reduce the dependency on bulk drug imports from China.
Commemorative Coin Released on Tatya Tope
- A commemorative coin of Rs 200 denomination and a circulation coin ofRs 10 was released on April 18, 2016 by Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma to mark the martyrdom day of 1857 freedom struggle hero Tatya Tope.
- The Ministry of Culture celebrated the 200th Birth Anniversary of Tatya Tope during 2015-16 in association with State government of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh respectively.
- Ramachandra Pandurang Tope, popularly known as Tatya Tope, was captured by the British forces on April 7, 1859 and after a hurried trial for waging war against the East India Company, was hanged to death on April 18, 1859 at Shivpuri in Madhya Pradesh.
Free Public Wi-Fi Service Launched at 10 Stations across India
- Google in collaboration with RailTel, the telecom arm of the Indian Railways, launched free Wi-Fi service at 9 more stations on April 15, 2016, taking the total to 10 where it will offer high-speed Internet to an estimated 1.5 million passengers and visitors.
- It includes the staions like Pune, Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Ranchi, Raipur, Vijayawada, Kacheguda (Hyderabad), Ernakulum Junction (Kochi), Mumbai and Vishakhapatnam.
- Free Wi-Fi by Google-RailTel took off at Mumbai Central in January. Google plans to provide free and high-speed Wi-Fi access to railway commuters,at over 400 stations in India.
