Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi at Rajghat gets a new look

Those who come to the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, Delhi, will now see it wearing a new look. This samadhi sees more than 10,000 domestic and foreign visitors every day and the renovated samadhi will be inaugurated on Monday, January 30, on the occasion of the 69th death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
This has been reported in thehindu.com dated 30 January 2017.

Till now, the samadhi did not have much to offer visitors except the black stone platform that marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. Now, a 157-word brief profile of the Mahatma and a 131-word description of Gandhi Samadhi have been put on display. Both of these are in Hindi and English and have been placed at all the three gates of the samadhi at Rajghat.
In addition, the existing conventional lights have been replaced by energy efficient LED lights installed on top of 104 aesthetically designed poles - this is expected to save 60,000 KWH annually. Solar panels have also been installed above roof tops and cycle shed at the parking area and, in order to improve security, a total of 27 CCTV cameras have been installed.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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2017 Republic Day Parade will see 23 tableaux on the Rajpath

2017 Republic Day Parade will see 23 tableaux on the Rajpath in Delhi and, 17 of these will display the unique cultural heritage, festivals, rituals and art forms of the states. Remaining six will be from the central ministries showing recent landmark initiatives.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 23 January 2017.

Jammu and Kashmir will showcase the snowy peaks of Gulmarg on its float in an effort to woo tourists for winter sports

Maharashtra is celebrating the 160th anniversary of Lokmanya Tilak - it will depict the landmarks in his life like starting the newspaper Kesari, initiating Ganeshotsav and going to Mandalay jail

Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Karnataka, Punjab, Tripura and Tamil Nadu will be showcasing their traditional dance forms

Haryana will promote Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao - it will have achievements of women like astronaut Kalpana Chawla, Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and paralympic champion Deepa Malik

Gujarat will focus on the art and lifestyle of the Kutch region

Odisha will display Dol Jatra

West Bengal will come with Sharad Utsav

Assam will show the Kamakhya temple

Union territory of Lakshadweep will make a return after 23 years - it will showcase the 'unexplored tourist destination' comprising 36 islands

It will be the first time that a float by National Housing Bank will be shown. It will be the float of Khadi India and it is understood that it will avoid images of both Mahatma Gandhi and PM Narendra Modi. The float will focus on traditional weavers and modern attire made of the hand-woven cloth

The Central Board of Excise and Customs has created its tableau on GST, which is touted as the biggest tax reform since Independence

Tableaux of Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh failed to secure a place this year

Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Odisha determined to make the Swachh Bharat Mission a success

Disappointed at not finding a place in the list of clean cities, Odisha is determined to make the Swachh Bharat Mission a resounding success. Therefore, the state government has asked central public sector units (PSUs) and industrial houses to adopt urban local areas to implement the Swachh Bharat Mission.
This has been reported in telegraphindia.com dated 19 February 2016.

The aim is to reach cleanliness by October 2, 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Towards this, the state government wants the organizations to build latrines to eliminate open defecation while the government would also build public toilets at bus stands, railway stations, markets and other places.
Moreover, the management of municipal solid waste generated in urban local bodies, creation of public awareness about sanitation and linking it to public health in order to avoid epidemics such as malaria, dengue, swine flu and jaundice are also on the anvil.
The government wants Indian Oil Corporation Limited and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited to adopt the Puri Municipality, while NALCO and IDCO should adopt Cuttack and Bhubaneswar and the NTPC to take over Talcher.
The state government has also tapped into the private sector and asked the Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, Odisha Stevedores Limited, JK Paper Mills, Tata Sponge Iron Limited, Paradip Phosphate Limited and other companies to support the initiatives.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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