Day: January 1, 2021

Countries around the world welcome New Year 2021 with fireworks

Few countries around the world welcomed 2021 with fireworks, but crowds were only allowed at some displays.  New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to welcome the New Year and fireworks lit up Hagley Park in Christchurch during New Year celebrations.

Fireworks exploded over the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge as New Year celebrations began in Australia. Taiwan hosted its usual fireworks display by its capital city’s iconic tower, Taipei 101.Thailand ushered in the New Year with a fireworks display at the Iconsiam mall in Bangkok. Officials in Hong Kong cancelled the pyrotechnics over Victoria Harbour, as well as the annual iconic Lunar New Year parade in February. This makes 2021 the second year in a row the city has missed out on the usually lavish annual celebrations.

Japan rang in the New Year without its annual event at which Emperor Naruhito and other imperial family members greet members of the public. In Russia, President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual message online.

CBSE to hold Board Examinations for class 10th and 12th from 4th of May

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today announced the schedule of the CBSE Board examinations for class 10th and 12th. He said that the CBSE board examinations will be held from 4th May to 10th June of 2021. He said the results will be declared by 15th July. The practical examination for class 12th will start from 1st March.

Mr. Nishank appreciated the role of teachers and parents saying that they provided constant support and help to the students during the unprecedented and uncertain situation caused by COVID-19 pandemic.

He said, teachers adopted new techniques and methods for teaching. The Minister also highlighted various steps taken by the government to provide a platform and content for learning through digital medium. He said, the government has successfully conducted JEE and NEET exams during the COVID-19 pandemic which is unprecedented.

Centre orders 83 crore syringes for COVID-19 vaccination; Nationwide dry run to begin tomorrow

Government has ordered 83 crore syringes for COVID-19 vaccination drive and Universal Immunization Programme in the country. The Union Health Ministry said the centre has also invited bids for 35 crore more syringes. Government has prioritized 30 crore people for COVID vaccine which includes health workers, frontline workers and sanitation staff.

Earlier, the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration of COVID-19 has recommended three prioritised population groups including Healthcare Workers of about one crore, Frontline Workers about 2 crore and Prioritized Age Group about 27 crore. As vaccines are temperature sensitive and need to be stored in specific temperature, the present cold chain system consisting of 85 thousand 634 equipment for storage of vaccines at about 28 thousand 947 cold chain points across the country will be used for the cold chain administration.

PM Modi to lay foundation stone of light house projects under Global Housing Technology Challenge-India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of Light House Projects (LHPs) under Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC)-India at six sites across six States through video conferencing.

The Prime Minister will also announce winners under Affordable Sustainable Housing Accelerators (ASHA)- India and give out annual awards for excellence in implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) Mission.

During the event, Mr Modi will also release a certificate course on innovative construction technologies named NAVARITIH (New, Affordable, Validated, Research Innovation Technologies for Indian Housing) and a compendium of 54 innovative housing construction technologies identified through GHTC-India.

The Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs along with Chief Ministers of Tripura, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh will be present on the occasion.

The LHPs showcase the best of new-age alternate global technologies, materials and processes in the construction sector for the first time in the country at such a large scale. They are being constructed under GHTC-India, which envisages to provide an ecosystem for adoption of innovative technologies in the housing construction sector in a holistic manner. The LHPs are being constructed at Indore in Madhya Pradesh, Rajkot in Gujarat, Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Ranchi in Jharkhand, Agartala in Tripura and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. They comprise about one thousand houses at each location along with allied infrastructure facilities. These projects will demonstrate and deliver ready to live houses at an expedited pace within twelve months, as compared to conventional brick and mortar construction, and will be more economical, sustainable, of high quality and durability.

These LHPs demonstrate a variety of technologies, including Prefabricated Sandwich Panel System in LHP at Indore, Monolithic Concrete Construction using Tunnel Formwork in LHP at Rajkot, Precast Concrete Construction System in LHP at Chennai, 3D Volumetric Precast Concrete Construction System in LHP at Ranchi, Structural Steel Frame with Light Gauge Steel Infill Panels in LHP at Agartala and PVC Stay In Place Formwork System in LHP at Lucknow. The LHPs will serve as live laboratories for facilitating transfer of technology to the field and its further replication. This includes planning, design, production of components, construction practices and testing for both faculty and students of IITs, NITs, other Engineering colleges, Planning and Architecture colleges, builders, professionals of private and public sectors and other stakeholders.

ASHA-India aims to promote domestic research and entrepreneurship by providing incubation and acceleration support to potential future technologies. Under ASHA-India initiative, five ASHA-India Centers have been set up for providing incubation and acceleration support. The potential technology winners under acceleration support will be announced by the Prime Minister. The technologies, processes and materials identified through this initiative will provide a major fillip to young creative minds, start-ups, innovators and entrepreneurs.

PMAY-U Mission has been designed to achieve the vision of Housing For All by 2022. In order to recognize the outstanding contribution by States, UTs, Urban Local Bodies and beneficiaries, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has introduced annual awards for excellence in implementation of PMAY-Urban. The winners of PMAY (Urban) Awards-2019 will be felicitated during the event.

Dr E SREEDHARAN: THE MAN WHO ADDED WHEELS TO INDIA’S METRO DREAMS

Dr Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, popularly known as the “Metro Man”, is primarily credited for changing the face of public transportation in India through his leadership in building Konkan Railway, designed and built in a record time of eight years and Delhi Metro, the largest and busiest metro in India, when he served as its managing director between 1995 and 2012. He is well known for his exceptional leadership qualities and unwavering determination in shouldering arduous responsibilities. During the national railway strike by about 1.7 million workers in 1974 which spanned over 20 days, he was resolute to work on the Metro rail network in Calcutta without a halt. The construction of Konkan Railway headed by Sreedharan was the only project in India which managed to overcome all the adversities faced during the first Gulf War while many countries around the globe including India suffered excessive fuel shortage. These incidents stand out as a testimony for his clairvoyant and exhilarating personality.

Dr E Sreedharan was born on 12th  June 1932, in Palakkad district of Kerala. He completed his primary education and college from Kerala before moving to Andhra Pradesh from where he had his education of Civil Engineering from Government Engineering College in Kakinada. After completing his education, he joined the Government Polytechnic in Kozhikode where he taught Civil Engineering subjects. He passed the Indian Engineering Service (IES) examination in 1953 while working as a trainee in Bombay Port Trust and was further appointed as the Probationary Assistant Engineer in Southern Railways in 1954. 

Dr E. Sreedharan played a key role in bringing a revolution in the country as a metro. Country’s first Metro project, Kolkata Metro was entrusted to him and its foundations were laid in 1970. Cochin Shipyard got rejuvenated under his guidance and several projects which were hanging for a long time gained momentum. The construction of Konkan Railway, the biggest railway construction endeavour in independent India was carried out under the watchful eyes of Dr Sreedharan. Its construction effectively connected the southwestern coast of India with the rest of the country in a point-to-point straight line. The Delhi Metro Rail Project is another example of architectural marvel constructed under his excellency connecting Delhi and its satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurgaon etc. Being the chief advisor of major metro rail projects of Kochi, Lucknow and Jaipur, he is also associated with numerous metro rail projects across the country. The latest endeavour Dr Sreedharan has undertaken is the reconstruction of Palarivattom flyover in Ernakulam district of Kerala, which he promised to construct within 8 months using the leftover budget of other four bridges constructed by Kochi Metro Rail Corporation. The government of Kerala doesn’t need to spend a penny on the bridge’s reconstruction.
Dr E. Sreedharan, a man so dedicated to his cause and service was honoured with Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan by the country for his exceptional and unfathomable services. He was also awarded Chevalier légion d’honneur by the French government in 2005.