PM Modi inaugurates Atal Tunnel in Rohtang, in Himachal

NATIONAL NEWS

Tribes India E-Marketplace launched for handicrafts, organic products

• Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda has virtually launched India’s largest handicraft and organic products marketplace - Tribes India E-Marketplace.
• This initiative of TRIFED will display the produce and handicrafts of tribal enterprises from across the country.
• These include the inauguration of Tribes India’s 123rd and 124th outlets in Rishikesh and Kolkata, inclusion of new tribal product ranges from the states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh and partnership of TRIFED and Tribes India with Amazon in their Seller Flex programme.
• The Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED) aims to on board five lakh tribal producers for sourcing of various handicraft, handloom, and natural food products across the country.

Fact: Minister of State for Tribal Affairs - Renuka Singh

PM Modi inaugurates Atal Tunnel in Rohtang, in Himachal

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated Atal Tunnel in Rohtang today, which is the highest altitude tunnel in the world and has strategic significance.
• The decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 3, 2000 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.
• The strategically important, all-weather Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh will connects Manali to the Lahaul-Spiti valley and reduces travel time to Leh (in the Union Territory of Ladakh) by up to five hours.
• Described as the longest highway construction of its kind in the world (above 10,000 feet), the 9.02 km-long Atal Tunnel is built to "ultra-modern specifications" at an altitude of 3,000 metres in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas.
• Atal Tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3000 cars per day and 1,500 trucks per day with max speed of 80 km/hr.
• The tunnel was constructed using drill and blast NATM (New Austria Tunnelling Method) techniques.

Jal Shakti Minister launches 100-day campaign to provide potable-piped water in Schools and Anganwadi Centres

• Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has launched a 100-day campaign to provide potable-piped water supply in Schools and Anganwadi Centres.
• This mission comes in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Margdarshika’ release for Gram Panchayats and Paani Samitis for implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Under the Jal Jeevan Mission States and Union Territories are to  ensure that during the campaign, Gram Sabhas are convened at the earliest to pass a resolution for providing safe water in all schools, anganwadi centres and other public institutions in the village in the next 100 days.
• Jal Jeevan Mission aims at the universal coverage of provision of tap water connection to every rural home by 2024.

Fact: Minister of state for Jal Shakti - Rattan Lal Kataria

CCS approves proposal for establishment of ASCON Phase IV Network

• The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had approved the proposal for establishment of Army Static Switched Communication Network, ASCON Phase IV Network.
• It will be implemented by M/s ITI, a Public Sector Undertaking, at an estimated cost of over 7 thousand 7 hundred 96 crore rupees with an implementation schedule of 36 months.
• The project is a strategic and theatre area communication network, which will upgrade the existing Asynchronous Transfer Mode Technology to Internet Protocol, Multi-Protocol Label Switching Technology.
• The project will provide better survivability, responsiveness and high bandwidth in any operational scenario and enhance the communication coverage of network closer to International Border, Line of Control and Line of Actual Control.

NABARD launches sanitation literacy campaign in Karnataka

• National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development, NABARD regional office in Karnataka launched the Sanitation Literacy Campaign to promote literacy on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, (WASH) under Swach Bharath Mission.
• The campaign which will be ending on 26th of January, next year will provide special refinance facility of 800 crore rupees across the country to Commercial banks, regional rural banks, Cooperatives and non-banking financial institutions at the rate of 6.65 percent.
• The Karnataka regional office of NABARD also launched a special refinance facility for the watershed and Wadi areas in the state at a concessional rate of 3 percent.