Tag: mega

AAP govt’s mega project to transform 1,400 kms Delhi roads to kick off from April 1

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New Delhi: Repairing broken pavements, central verges and manholes, resurfacing roads and sprinkling of water on them on a daily basis — these are some of initiatives that will be undertaken as part of the Delhi government’s mega project to transform the city roads that will kick off from April 1.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said about Rs 4,500 crore will be spent on the project in the first year and then Rs 2,000 crore every year.
The Delhi government will also introduce deep scrubbing machines and litter picker machines, he said, adding that it will also hire over 100 mechanised road sweepers, over 150 sprinkler tankers and 250 anti-smog-guns-cum-sprinklers.
The chief minister said they will be transforming a total of 1,400 kms of roads that come under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Public Works Department.
He added that heavy penalties will be imposed on the contractor in case of any shortcoming in the project.
The entire system will be monitored remotely from a dashboard and there will be a centralised complaint system for citizens to reach out to the government, he said.
“The PWD has jurisdiction only on roads wider than 18m (45ft) across the national capital, and we will leave no stone unturned to transform them,” he said.
Kejriwal said all the footpaths and central verges along the roads will be repaired when necessary.

“This means that in contrast to the usual practice of replacing footpaths on the entire stretch as adopted by governments who want to spend away all public funds, in this project, we will take up spot-repairs.
“If one stone is missing, it will be replaced. If two are damaged, they will be repaired. We will not misuse public funds,” he explained.
Outlining the timeline for the project, he said the work orders will be issued by March 20 and the work will commence from April 1.
He said the repair work will be completed within six months and once it is complete, a 10-year maintenance contract will be put in place.
Roads will be resurfaced every five years while regular painting of roads, medians, central verges will be taken every three to six months, he said.
“All roads and footpaths will be washed in a daily basis or thrice a week,” he said.
He asserted that all central verges will be repaired along with damaged manholes, street furniture, railings, precast slabs, signages and electrical poles.
“In all the city subways, the railings and light fittings will be repaired, as will the foot over bridges. Beyond these, civil and electrical repairs, all potholes and cracks on roads will be repaired,” he said.
All railings, trees and plants around the roads will be washed as well, he said.
The government is also introducing deep scrubbing machines to thoroughly clean the roads of all dirt and litter picker machines to pick up all littered material and debris from the roads.
“We will hire over 100 mechanised road sweepers, over 150 sprinkler tankers and 250 anti-smog-guns-cum-sprinklers. There are 250 wards in Delhi and each ward will get one machine. The 150 sprinkler tankers will be deployed on the large PWD roads.
“But the 250 smog guns will be handy in cleaning the smaller roads and lanes in the city. These machines too will be engaged for 10 years. 10,000 kilolitres of water will be needed for this purpose. We will be using the water treated at Delhi Jal Board’s STPs for this purpose, instead of discharging it into the Yamuna,” he said.
The chief minister said all posters, banners and other material stuck on roadsides will be removed on a daily basis, with the government taking up tree plantation on a very large scale on the roadsides and central verges.
“A 10-year contract will be awarded for daily maintenance, washing, trimming, soil upkeep and watering of such plants. This project also needs rigorous monitoring, so we will deploy a third party monitoring system.
“Camera-enabled vehicles will go around Delhi throughout the day and record the live situation of the roads and maintenance work,” he said.
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#AAP #govts #mega #project #transform #kms #Delhi #roads #kick #April
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 28, 2023
NASA’s mega Moon rocket now ready for crewed mission

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Washington: NASA’s mega moon rocket has cleared all performance tests and engineers are now taking a closer look at the Space Launch System (SLS) performance to prepare for the first crewed Artemis missions.
NASA continues to evaluate data and learn more about the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s debut performance during the agency’s Artemis I launch on November 16 this year.
“NASA’s Space Launch System rocket has laid the foundation for the Artemis Generation and the future of spaceflight in deep space,” said John Honeycutt, SLS Programme manager.
“There is engineering and an art to successfully building and launching a rocket, and the analysis on the SLS rocket’s inaugural flight puts NASA and its partners in a good position to power missions for Artemis II and beyond,” he said.
The preliminary post-flight data indicated that all SLS systems performed exceptionally and that the designs are ready to support a crewed flight on Artemis II.
The core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has more than 1,000 sensors and 45 miles of cabling.
The Artemis I flight test was the only way to gather real data on how the rocket performed during events like booster separation.
“The data we got back from Artemis I is critical in building confidence in this rocket to send humanity back to the Moon,” said John Blevins, SLS chief engineer.

The SLS team will use what we learn from this flight test to improve future flights of the rocket, and we are already taking what we’ve learned about operations and assembly and applying it to streamline future missions, he added.
Cameras and sensors also allowed teams to monitor how the rocket performed during its in-space manoeuvres.
Engineers also monitored the extreme temperatures and sounds the rocket experienced just after liftoff.
Througha-Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of colour on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a stepping stone for astronauts on the way to Mars.
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#NASAs #mega #Moon #rocket #ready #crewed #mission
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 28, 2023
‘You are not meant to plan your return..,’ says SRK’s amid Pathaan’s mega success

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Mumbai: No one can beat superstar Shah Rukh Khan in imparting wisdom to young minds.
As the whole nation is celebrating SRK’s return to the silver screen after four years with the blockbuster ‘Pathaan’, the superstar expressed his thoughts on “comebacks.”
Borrowing a quote from American film ‘Gattaca’, Shah Rukh tweeted, “Gattaca movie ‘I never saved anything for the swim back’.. I think life is a bit like that….You aren’t meant to plan your return…U r meant to move forward. Don’t come back…try to finish what u started. Just a 57yr olds’ advice things.”
Gattaca movie “I never saved anything for the swim back” I think life is a bit like that….You aren’t meant to plan your return…U r meant to move forward. Don’t come back…try to finish what u started. Just a 57yr olds’ advice things.
— Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) January 27, 2023
Netizens chimed in the comment section in no time and congratulated the actor on Pathaan’s mega success.
“Thank you always for all the words,” ‘Bigg Boss’ fame Pratik Sehajpal commented.
“Your words are always so inspiring,” a social media user commented.
Speaking of ‘Pathaan’, the film is Siddharth Anand’s directorial. It also stars Deepika Padukone and John Abraham in the lead roles.
The film, which was released on January 25, has created history at the box office. It has collected Rs 219 crore worldwide in just two days.
As per trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Pathaan collected Rs 68 crore mark in national chains on day 2, while dubbed formats earned Rs 2.5 crore.

“ALL #BO RECORDS DEMOLISHED… #Pathaan creates HISTORY on Day 2 as well… FIRST #Hindi film to near Rs 70 cr on a single day… Wed 55 cr, Thu 68 cr [#RepublicDay]. Total: Rs 123 cr. #Hindi version. #India biz. UNIMAGINABLE. UNPRECEDENTED. UNSTOPPABLE. #Pathaan #Tamil + #Telugu: Wed 2 cr, Thu 2.50 cr. Total: Rs 4.50 cr,” Adarsh tweeted.
“‘PATHAAN’: Rs 219.60 CR WORLDWIDE GROSS IN 2 DAYS… #Pathaan #India + #Overseas Gross BOC… Day 1: Rs 106 cr Day 2: Rs 113.60 cr Worldwide GROSS Total: Rs 219.60 cr,” he added.
Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana are also a part of the action-spy film. What made the film more special is Salman Khan’s extended cameo.

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#meant #plan #return. #SRKs #Pathaans #mega #success
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 28, 2023
J&K Govt Approves Rs 39 Cr Mega Project To Boost Commercial Floriculture

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SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Government has approved a mega Rs 39-crore project with an avowed objective of exploring the huge floriculture potential keeping in view the varied agro-climate and ecological conditions in the Union Territory for giving boost to flower production.
“The project is expected to provide direct employment to 2000 besides creation of 330 new enterprises”, Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir has long been known for its rich and diverse agri-ecozones, making it an ideal location for growth of a thriving floriculture industry. Abundantly endowed with natural wealth and scenic splendor, the UT is completely conducive for cultivation of a wide range of flowers. The aesthetic value of flowers, their increasing use in the social events and potential of generating more money are attracting prospective entrepreneurs towards floriculture industry.
Splendid gardens and parks in J&K are being enjoyed by the tourists from across the globe.
However, despite this potential, the sector has not been able to make a significant contribution to the horticulture economy in the region so far. The main reasons for this are the small number of growers and enterprises, lack of aggregation platforms and weak post-harvest and branding efforts. And, to fill up these gaps the J&K government recently approved this ambitious project to boost commercial floriculture in the region.
aromatic flower and bulb/seed production. It also aims to produce over 27 crore ornamental nursery plants and 4000 L of aromatic oils worth Rs 4.8 crore annually (from 5th year) and undertake skilling of 4000 growers in cluster mode. The total outlay of the project is Rs. 39.03 crore.
Overall, the new project represents a major step forward for the floriculture industry in J&K. With a focus on cluster-based area expansion, technology upgrades, post-harvest and marketing efforts, the project has the potential to help establish a sustainable and profitable floriculture industry in the region. It is hoped that this project will help to create new opportunities for growers and entrepreneurs, and will contribute to the overall economic development of J&K.
“Promotion of Commercial Floriculture in UT of J&K” is one among the 29 projects, which were approved by the Jammu and Kashmir administration after being recommended by the UT Level Apex Committee for holistic development of Agriculture and allied sectors in UT of J&K. The prestigious committee is being headed by Dr Mangala Rai, Former DG ICAR and has other luminaries in the field of Agriculture, Planning, Statistics & Administration like Ashok Dalwai, CEO NRAA, Dr. P. K Joshi, Secretary, NAAS, Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner MOA & FW, Dr. H. S Gupta, Former Director, IARI, Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department apart from the Vice Chancellors of the twin Agriculture Universities of the UT.

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#Govt #Approves #Mega #Project #Boost #Commercial #Floriculture
( With inputs from : kashmirlife.net )

January 26, 2023
Dutch PM Rutte wants EU to play it frugal in face of mega US subsidies

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Don’t inject fresh money into the European Union — just reform national policies, says Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
That’s the best way to prevent EU industry from getting wiped out by U.S. companies under Washington’s major new green subsidies scheme, Rutte told a group of journalists at the office of the Dutch embassy to the EU in Brussels on Tuesday.
“There’s so much money at this moment in the system,” Rutte said shortly after meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. He also argued for deeper reforms, stressing how some European countries spend so much on their pension systems — “all money you cannot spend on innovation and green tech.”
Rutte is often viewed as the key leader of the so-called “frugal” group of European countries, comprised of like-minded fiscally conservative nations. The group, which also includes Denmark and Sweden, has been reluctant to increase national contributions to EU coffers — at least until the coronavirus pandemic forced them to partly adjust that line.
The discussion among EU decision-makers on how to preserve the bloc’s industrial base is taking place ahead of a meeting of EU leaders next month as the U.S. moves to roll out a $369 billion industrial subsidy scheme to support green industries under the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.
The U.S. legislation has stoked fears about consequences for European industry and sparked calls to revisit rules on state aid. Another concern is that such subsidies put the EU’s single market at risk by conferring an outsized advantage to countries with larger fiscal capacity, such as Germany, which have more space to financially maneuver.
Rutte, who was recently in Washington to visit U.S. President Joe Biden, said: “There are a number of consequences to this Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) — but unintended.” The IRA “forces us to think about how we organize ourselves” to remain competitive, he added.
On the one hand, he sees U.S. attempts to meet climate targets as a positive development. On the other hand, he pointed to risks to having a level playing field, like with electric mobility. “Companies might shift investments from the EU to the U.S.,” he said, parroting a much-repeated fear.

But EU subsidies should remain unaltered, Rutte argued. Regarding calls to adapt to the IRA by changing EU aid rules, he conceded: “I can accept some changes as long as they are limited.”
Rutte was clear on his belief that no fresh EU money should be put on the table. “I mean, not grants, but even not loans,” he said. “There’s so much still around” — for example loans in the Recovery and Resilience Facility, the centerpiece of the EU’s pandemic recovery plan.
A draft of the text that leaders would seek to agree on at their upcoming European Council meeting hints at opening up new sources of EU funding. The draft, seen by POLITICO, makes calls “to take work forward building notably on the success of the SURE programme,” referring to the EU’s loans-based program to support employment floated by Rome and others.
Rutte stressed that he would not like to see this proposal in the text, which will be discussed by EU ambassadors on Wednesday.
On the question of whether he’d be in favor of a new SURE program, “My answer would be that we have serious doubts,” he said.
Barbara Moens contributed reporting.

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#Dutch #Rutte #play #frugal #face #mega #subsidies
( With inputs from : www.politico.eu )

January 24, 2023