(DAILY NEWS INDIA)
1. WORLD’S HIGHEST RAIL TRACK SURVEY TO COMMENCE AT LEH
i. Indian Railways will start the final
location survey of the 498 km long Bilaspur-Manali-Leh line at Leh in Jammu and
Kashmir.
ii. The proposed new rail line will
connect all important locations between Bilaspur and Leh namely Sunder Nagar
Mandi, Keylong, Manali, Tandi, Koksar, Darcha, Upshi and Karu.
iii. Coming up at a height of 3,300
metres, the strategically important rail project is touted to become the
highest rail track in the world, overtaking China’s Qinghai–Tibet Railway.
iv. Union Railway Minister Suresh
Prabhu will inaugurate the work for the final location survey at an estimated
cost of Rs 157.77 cr. Survey is funded by the defence ministry and has been
entrusted to RITES, a Railways PSU.
2. 135TH JAGANNATH PURI CHARIOT FESTIVAL BEGINS IN
ODISHA
i. The 135th Jagannath Yatra
starts from June 25 and ends on July 3. The end of Yatra is termed as the
return cart festival or BahudaJatra.
ii. The Jagannath Yatra festival will
be held in Odisha. The Rath Yatra festival is related to Lord Jagannath. According
to Hindu calendar, this yatra is celebrated every year on Ashadh Shukla Dwitiya.
iii. The 5000 year old chariot festival
marks the return of Lord Krishna to Vrindavan with his brother Balabhadra and
sister Subhadra.
iv. This yatra includes three majestic
chariots Nandighosa, Taladwaja and Darpadalan.
v. Sudarsan Pattnaik has carved
beautiful art on RathYatra of Lord Jagannath at the Puri beach in Odisha with
message “Let us all immerse in the
spirit of unity & brotherhood”.