524 people of Tata Steel Adventure Foundation's (TSAF) to trek in the Garhwal Hills this summer

This year there would be a record number of adventure junkies (524 men and women) who have reserved their berths for trekking in the cooler climes of Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand. They will be in 14 groups and will be joining Tata Steel Adventure Foundation's (TSAF) annual leadership program to be organized between March 10 and June 6.
This has been reported in telegrahindia.com dated 6 March 2016.

The number of entries this year is up by 41 this time which means that the craze for the summer program is catching up with thrill enthusiasts because the trips are organized in a safe and hassle-free manner and participants have opportunities to learn a lot in the course of the trek amid nature. The participants are mostly trade apprentices, junior engineers and experienced professionals and those who have worked elsewhere before joining the steel major. Brief details are - the thrill junkies would stay anchored at a revamped base camp at Kaflo along Gangotri highway for five days and then undertake the trek to 13,500ft Sayari Top. The participants would get acclimatized at Kaflo by trekking small hills nearby.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Hyderabad wants to convert ancient water tanks to tourist hubs

In order to boost tourism in the state, the Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) has drawn up plans to convert ancient water tanks into major tourist destinations and have identified as many as 100 such water tanks, which are either out of use or semi-functional.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 29 February 2016.

Work has already been taken up at the Komati Cheruvu in Siddipet, Medak district with de-silting, planting of water-retaining plants and beautification. The water body will soon have an amusement park, a restaurant and a guest house, among other tourism amenities.
Similar work has been initiated at Pedda Cheruvu in Mahbubnagar district.
Adventure sports lovers can also hope to go for rappelling and trekking on the scenic hills and hillocks near these identified lakes which can serve as a very good training ground for trekking and rappelling. Many of the hillocks near to tanks have unique angles that are helpful in trekking.
AS indicated by officials, the work at the 100 identified water tanks is expected to be competed in 16 months.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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After yoga, central government promotes outdoor sports like jungle safari, rafting

After yoga, the central government is keen to inculcate the habit of healthy living among its employees. Therefore, it is now promoting outdoor activities among its employees. These outdoor activities include trekking, mountaineering, rock-climbing, cycling in a difficult terrain, skiing, surfing, boat sailing, snorkeling, rafting, parasailing ballooning, paragliding, jungle safari, desert safari, beach trekking and environmental awareness camps.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com date 4 October 2015.

There are about 50 lakh central government employees and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) will be making available financial assistance of up to Rs 20,000 and special casual leave to the employees so that they can participate in such activities.
Six institutes have been approved for this purpose by the government. These are – 1 Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Mountaineering and Allied Sports, Manali, Himachal Pradesh. 2 Indian Institute of Skiing and Mountaineering, Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir 3 National Institute of Water Sports, Vasco da Gama, Goa 4 Nehru Institute of Mountaineering, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand 5 Swami Vivekanand Institute of Mountaineering, Mount Abu, Rajasthan 6 Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd, Dehradun, Uttarakhand

Moreover, a decision has also been taken to open gyms at workplaces – these would help the employees increase their productivity and lead to "decreased absenteeism and reduced usage of sick leave".
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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