1) Chenani-Nashri Tunnel: The longest road tunnel in South Asia
•In the Historic move, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will formally open the longest road tunnel of South Asia- Chenani-Nashri Tunnel on 2nd April 2017.
All you need to know about Chenani-Nashri Tunnel-
•The 9.2 km long road tunnel is built between Chenani in Udhampur District and Nashri in Ramban District of Jammu & Kashmir.
•It is also known as Patnitop Tunnel.
•The tunnel was built at a cost of Rs 3,720 crore in a record time of 5 and a half years by Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS) Ltd.
•It is located at an altitude of 1,200 meters in the heart of the Himalayas.
•With the help of this tunnel, the travel time on National Highway 44 between Jammu and Srinagar will reduce about 2 hours by shortening the distance by 30 km
•The tunnel is constructed on a famous technology named New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).
•Chenani-Nashri Tunnel is the country's first and the world's sixth road tunnel with a Transverse Ventilation System.
•A total of 124 cameras and a linear heat detection system inside the tunnel will alert the Integrated Tunnel Control Room located outside the tunnel to the need for intervention.
•The commuters will also be able to use their mobile phones inside the tunnel. BSNL, Airtel, and Idea have set up facilities inside the tunnel to carry the signal so far.
•The other important road tunnels in Jammu & Kashmir includes Jawahar Tunnel and Nandni Tunnels.
•The 24.5-kilometer long Lærdal Tunnel in Norway is the longest road tunnel in the world.
2) Govt signs deal for Hydrocarbon project in Neduvasal
•The Government of India signed a contract for the Discovered Small Fields (DSF) Bid 2016 with GEM Laboratories for extracting Hydrocarbons at Neduvasal, in Tamil Nadu.
•The contract was one of the many signed for 31 areas under the DSF Bid Round 2016. The estimated total revenue would be approximately Rs 46,400 crore, of which royalty collection and Government's revenue share is expected to be around Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 9,300 crore, respectively. It is also estimated that employment for about 37,500 persons would be generated through these fields.
3) Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal joined UDAY
•Kerala, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh have joined the Centre’s power distribution company debt relief scheme, Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojna (UDAY).
•With this, 26 states have joined the scheme. The government estimates that Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura will gain net benefits of approximately Rs 4,178 crore, Rs 309 crore and Rs 810 crore respectively.
4) SBI launches 'Unnati' credit card
•SBI Card launched a unique credit card ‘SBI Card Unnati’ targeted at all SBI customers, including Jan Dhan account-holders across the country.
•As per the statement of SBI Card CEO, Vijay Jasuja, any SBI customer with a balance of at least Rs 25,000 in his/her savings account with the bank would be eligible for the Unnati credit card without the need for any credit score or credit history.
•The card was launched by Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines.
5) INLCU L51 commissioned into India Navy
•Indian Navy inducts surveillance ship (INLCU) L51, the first of the eight ships of the Landing Craft Utility MK IV Class, was commissioned into the India Navy by Vice Admiral Bimal Varma AVSM, Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman & Nicobar command at a ceremony in Port Blair.
•The commissioning of the ship adds a feather to the glorious chapter in the nation’s ‘Make in India’ initiatives and indigenisation efforts in the field of warship design and construction.
6) World Environmental Education Congress 2017
•The 9th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) will be held in Vancouver, Canada between September 9-15 2017. The theme will be 'Weaving new connections'.
•The International Organizing Committee is the WEEC Permanent Secretariat, based in Italy. The congress is an international meeting point for everyone working with education for environment and sustainable future or who has an interest in the field. WEEC 2017 will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the latest in environmental and sustainability education to discuss with people from all over the world.
