Rajasthan State PCS

• 26 Sep 2023

Inauguration of Marwar International Centre

Why In News?

On September 25, 2023, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated the Marwar International Centre in Jodhpur.

Key Points:

• Marwar International Centre will play an important role in taking forward the process of cultural and ideological exchange.
• Marwar International Centre, along with establishing golden dimensions in the direction of preservation and promotion of art, culture and traditions, will prove to give pride to Jodhpur in the country and the world through national and international events.
• Built on 65000 square meter land, this auditorium will have a seating capacity of 1350 persons (1036 persons on ground floor and 314 on balcony). Two dormitories for artists and two green rooms of 25 capacity each and two banquet lawns and exhibition center (each area 5820 square meters), two seminar halls for organizing national and international level seminars and conferences (each capacity 64 persons). And there are also two conference halls.
• A cultural center has also been built in it, which houses art, photography gallery, library, painting studio and a VIP lodge etc. There is a parking arrangement for a total of 582 cars, 505 two-wheelers and 8 buses in the basement and open space of the auditorium.
• Provision for the construction of two restaurants (each with a capacity of 72 persons) for visitors has also been made near the Cultural Centre. Along with this, 14 guest rooms are also being constructed for the visitors.

The Chief Minister Inaugurated and Laid the Foundation Stone of Development Works Worth about Rs 837 Crore.

Why In News?

On September 25, 2023, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of various development works worth about Rs 837 crore in Jodhpur city and Jodhpur rural at the inauguration ceremony of the state-level Rajiv Gandhi Rural and Urban Olympic Games.

Key Points:

• Various development works were inaugurated by the Chief Minister, prominent among which are-
• Inauguration of Surpura Amusement Park located at Jaswant Sagar Mandore in Jodhpur. This park has been developed by Jodhpur Development Authority.
• Also, the inauguration of Surpura Safari Park in Jodhpur.
• Inauguration of RTO Aarobi in Jodhpur, unveiling of the statue of Leela Devi Tank installed in the Ayurvedic Nursing College located at Magra Punjala and inauguration of the newly constructed hall in the college campus.
• Inauguration of Rajasthan State Sports Institute Jodhpur Sports School (Residential) 250 bedded hostel costing Rs 12.30 crore in Jodhpur City Assembly constituency.
• Inauguration of the new campus of Agriculture College, Jodhpur worth Rs 16 crore.
• The foundation stone of various development works was laid by the Chief Minister, prominent among which are-
• Laying the foundation stone of Mahatma Gandhi Divyang University in Luni assembly constituency.
• Laying the foundation stone of Marwar Medical Sciences University worth Rs 499.86 crore in Bhopalgarh/Bilara assembly constituency.
• Laying the foundation stone of construction work of single lane to double lane road from RTO Office Saran Nagar Overbridge to 80 feet road Bhadwasiya road at a cost of Rs 27.51 crore.
• The foundation stone of the work of Center of Excellence on Pearl Millets in the Agricultural University at a cost of Rs 1.65 crore was laid.

Prime Minister Flags off Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express Train

Why In News?

On September 24, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off nine Vande Bharat trains through video conferencing. These also include Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express running in Rajasthan.

Key Points:

• These nine trains will boost connectivity in 11 states – Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat.
• These new Vande Bharat trains are a step towards realizing the Prime Minister's vision of improving connectivity across the country and providing world-class facilities to rail passengers. The new trains that were flagged off are:
• Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express
• Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express
• Hyderabad-Bangalore Vande Bharat Express
• Vijayawada-Chennai (via Renigunta) Vande Bharat Express
• Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat Express
• Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express
• Rourkela-Bhubaneswar-Puri Vande Bharat Express
• Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat Express
• Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express
• These Vande Bharat trains will run at the fastest speed on their operational routes and will save a lot of time for passengers.
• Compared to the current fastest train on the route, the Rourkela-Bhubaneswar-Puri Vande Bharat Express and Kasaragod-Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express will travel approximately three hours faster; Hyderabad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express to save over 2.5 hours; Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express will save more than 2 hours; Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Patna-Howrah Vande Bharat Express and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express will save time of about one hour and Udaipur-Jaipur Vande Bharat Express will travel faster by about half an hour.
• In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of improving connectivity of important religious places in the country, the Rourkela Bhubaneswar-Puri Vande Bharat Express and Tirunelveli-Madurai-Chennai Vande Bharat Express will connect the important religious cities of Puri and Madurai. Additionally, the Vijayawada-Chennai Vande Bharat Express will operate on Renigunta route and provide connectivity to Tirupati pilgrimage centre.
• The introduction of these Vande Bharat trains will mark the beginning of a new standard of rail service in the country. Equipped with world-class amenities and advanced safety features including armor technology, these trains will be a significant step towards providing modern, quick and comfortable means of travel to the common people, professionals, businessmen, students and tourists.