Another somersault of the Modi government - yoga removed from sports category

One year after recognizing yoga as a sport and placing it in the "priority" category alongside other sports like football, swimming, squash and chess, the sports ministry has reversed the decision. Yoga is no longer considered to be a sport.
It may be recalled that the proposal to recognize yoga as a sport had come from the department of personnel and training, which is under the PMO. The Prime Minister Modi had also led countrywide International Yoga Day celebrations for the past two years.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 24 December 2016.

It seems the department (of sports) has studied the matter and has decided that it may not be feasible to hold competitions in yoga. This has been conveyed through a letter from the ministry to the Indian Olympic Association and all recognized national sports federations. The reason is that yoga has various dimensions/ arms in which competitions are not possible. Hence, it cannot be termed as a sport.
The department of ayurveda, yoga & naturopathy, unani, siddha and homoeopathy (AYUSH) had given its go-ahead and within a matter of months yoga was recognized as a sport in September last year. Getting such a status meant all zonal and national competitions in the discipline would be funded by the sports ministry and, those who practice yoga would get a pie of the sports quota.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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India’s first bullet train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad would be cheapest in the world

India’s first bullet train is gradually taking shape – at least on paper. It would cost Rs 98,000-crores, would have 10 stations and the fare for the 534-Km journey would tentatively be in the region of Rs 2800 – the current fare in AC-I class is Rs 2800. Moreover, the distance would be covered in two hours against eight hours as at present. This has been reported in indianexpress.com dated 3 June 2015.

The fare charged by Japan’s Tohoku Shinkansen (Hayabusa trains) for a 713-Km journey on the Tokyo-Shin-Aomori sector is about Rs 8,000. And, a second class ticket on China’s Jinghu High Speed Railway for the Beijing-Shanghai route comes to over Rs 5,000.
The feasibility report would probably be submitted to the Railways Ministry in July. On initial estimates, about 40,000 people would be using the corridor every day by 2023.
It is of interest to note that this corridor, along with 5 other corridors, had been introduced for feasibility study in the 2009–2010 Rail Budget by then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav. An impression is gaining ground that it is being done at the initiative of the Modi government.
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This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 4 June 2015.

His remarks on the slit-eyed Ganesha was made during his address in a seminar on "Design and Make in India (Electronics)", organized by Vivekananda International Foundation.
He stressed on the thrust of the Modi government's 'Make in India' policy and commented that India would have to kick off the Make in India program right from Diwali gifts to our own gods.
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It may be recalled that Parrikar has already made several remarks on different subjects like terrorism and Pakistan, and Somali pirates that have ruffled feathers and have embarrassed the government. He holds an important portfolio and must weigh his words carefully. Moreover, it has been observed that he, at times, turns up at solemn military functions in half-tucked shirts and floaters.
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The Modi government is swearing by its tag line of ‘achhe din’ and while everyone is stung by the bug of high prices, one really wonders when the common man will see the first light of the so-called ‘achhe din’ – for those who do not know the meaning of ‘achhe din’, it translates into ‘good days’.
However, if a newspaper report is to be believed, it seems one section of people has already entered the zone of ‘achhe din’ – they are the gold smugglers. For the first time in the history of gold smuggling in India, the seizure of the yellow metal has gone beyond the Rs 1,000 crore mark in one financial year.

It has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimesofindia.com dated 27 May 2015 that customs, police and revenue agencies have seized in excess of 3,500 kg of gold in 2014-15. By contrast, the corresponding figures of 2012-13, were hardly Rs 100 crore with just about 350 kg gold seized. Obviously, thanks to Modi government, gold smuggling has increased by 900% within one year.
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By the year 2025 India would face water scarcity due to a mismatch between demand and supply and, as a result, the water sector could witness foreign investment of nearly USD 13 billion within the next few years. This has been reported in zeenews.com dated 24 May 2015.
In India, nearly 70 per cent of requirements for irrigation and 80 per cent of domestic water depends on the groundwater, which is rapidly getting depleted.

Therefore India provides tremendous opportunities for development of infrastructure in the fields of water supply and wastewater management. Similarly, there would emerge more opportunities in the industrial market till 2020. There would be growth in wastewater recycling and industrial water treatment.
The Modi government has taken up several ambitious programs on investments in the water sector. Some of these are the Ganga River Cleaning project, the Smart Cities initiative and the Swachh Bharat campaign. Therefore, the industry is upbeat of creating over 1 million jobs.
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Uma Bharti takes stock of Namaami Gange (Ganga Clean-up) on a motorcycle

#namaamigange #ganga #UmaBharti #Haridwar Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti has taken a decision to stay of the banks of the Ganga for 3 to 4 days in a week in order to keep a tab on the drains that empty their wastes into the waters of the river.
She has, apparently, taken a tour of the city of Haridwar on a motorbike to acquaint herself with the existing sewage system.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 20 May 2015.

Obviously, she has formed certain ideas on how best to tackle this problem that is unique in the Indian context because the river is a holy river and everyone believes that its waters ae pure irrespective of its level of pollution.
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This work, in her estimate, will go on till October 2016. During this time, she would be checking the drains on the banks of the river to see what flows into the Ganga to make it dirty.
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Today is April Fool’s Day, and from today we must pay more for eating out

#modigovernment #aprilfoolsday #platformticket #tigerreserve The Modi government had come to power with promises that acche din aane waley hai – or good days will come. But, we have now realized that we have been made fools because with effect from today, April Fool’s Day, we will have to shell out more for practically every item under the sun from fast foods to air travel to movie tickets.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 1 April 2015.

Eating out will also become costlier and the cost of a railway platform ticket will become double from Rs 5 to Rs 10 and rail freight rates of various commodities, including pulses and urea, will go up by up to 10 percent. Of course, this would have a cascading effect on prices but who cares. It has happened in the past under non-NDA government, so we have to grin and bear it.
Of course, there is a bright side – cost of entry tickets to museums, zoo and tiger reserves would become cheaper. The message – forget your worries by strolling in the corridors of museums or watch the animals lazing in the shades.
Neither the ancient artefacts in museums nor the animals in the zoo need to go to the movies or restaurants.
As to visiting tiger reserves, the states where these are located would benefit, they would earn more through entry fees and see more footfalls.

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Trip to Nashik should take in Shirdi and the Ajanta and Ellora caves

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Nashik, a tourist center with links to the Mahabharata

Kumbhmela 2015 in Nashik – guided tours to wineries and vineyards

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