Foundation stone laid for Paryatan Bhawan

Union Minister for Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting, Arun Jaitley laid the foundation stone of the new office complex of the Ministry of Tourism ‘Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Paryatan Bhawan’ at Mandir Marg in New Delhi on the occasion of World Tourism Day. 

The foundation stone was laid in the presence of the Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), Culture (Independent Charge), and Civil Aviation, Dr Mahesh Sharma and Member of Parliament, Meenakshi Lekhi. Tourism Secretary Vinod Zutshi, senior officials of MOT and NDMC Chairman Naresh Kumar were also present at the function. Jaitley said that we need modern airports and maximum inflow of flights for attracting international tourists. Indian Tourism Centres should be opened in those countries from where we receive maximum tourist inflow, he explained. Clean railway stations and a good experience of rail travel is another component along with availability of low and medium budget hotels. Highlighting the role of states, he said that for creating strong tourism infrastructure, it is important to take the help of states. The Finance Minister said that the new Paryatan Bhawan will now provide a base for working on all aspects of tourism and increasing the potential of tourism in India. Sharma said that tourism is the engine of economic growth and we need to increase India’s share in world tourism from 0.68 to 1 % by 2020 to realise the full potential of this sector. Tourism helps in women empowerment and youth employment.

Zutshi said that tourism is an important instrument of economic growth. We must utilize every opportunity to enhance tourism in India which can help in building the economy and generate employment. Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay Paryatan Bhawan is a project of Ministry of Tourism for multilevel car parking cum new office complex. The new building will be structure of G+3 storeys plus 2 basements with stack car parking with area of 23,000 Sq. Meter. Estimated cost for the project is Rs 150 crore approx.

Starwood’s Aloft to debut in Delhi in 2016

ALOFT NEW DELHI AEROCITY - OPENING DECEMBER 1, 2016

Starwood will be launching its first Aloft in New Delhi at Aerocity. Aloft New Delhi Aerocity, which is set to open on December 1, 2016, will have 1,335 square meters of meeting space along with high speed internet access in all the meeting/event facilities. The hotel, which will have 200 guest rooms, has an outfitted tactic with the best A/V set-up, including a 50” flat-panel plasma TV with both laptop hook-up and a DVD player.

ARRIVE & EXPLORE: WHAT'S NEARBY

An easy breezy adventure awaits you in India’s capital city! Aloft New Delhi Aerocity is adjacent to Indira Gandhi International Airport and a quick trip to all of the city’s must-see cultural sites and bustling business districts.

STAY & PLAY: PUBLIC SPACES

Meet & mingle with friends at our w xyz(SM) bar, grab a sweet, savory, or healthy snack from re:fuel by Aloft(SM), our 24/7 pantry, or play in our re:mix(SM) lounge. Plus, you can always stay connected with free hotel-wide wired and wireless High Speed Internet Access!

REST & REFRESH: ALOFT ROOMS

Breeze into one of our Aloft rooms, featuring our ultra-comfortable signature bed, walk-in shower, custom amenities by Bliss® Spa, and more. Our plug & play connectivity station charges all your electronics and links to the 42” LCD TV to maximize work and play.

Japan and Google all set to revamp Indian Railways | Google is planning to set up free WiFi across 400 railway stations in India

Japan is gearing up for a billion dollar investment in Indian Railways Networks and Google is planning to set up free WiFi across 400 railway stations in India. 

 Japan gears up for a billion dollar investment in Indian Railways Networks:

The Indian railways is all set for a complete transformation in the next five years.

Japan the country known for its immense technological strides has set the ball rolling for revamping the Indian Railways network with a whooping 140 billion dollar investment to improvise the existing infrastructure. Nearly 400 stations have been listed in the modernisation project of the Indian public transporter network.

Japan will provide its expertise in solving problems of sanitation including the development of waterless, odourless toilets in trains and stations. Japanese officials have also agreed to assist Indian Railways in the zero-accident mission and development of a legal and regulatory framework on high speed railway.

Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu is in Japan to discuss the modernisation and technology upgrade project with the Japanese Prime Miniter Shinzo Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso. Prabhu also held meetings with heads of leading financial institutions  to highlight the investment prospects in railways in the coming years.Prabhu is on a two-nation visit to Japan and Korea since September 7.

A Japanese delegation will soon visit India to study the opportunities for industries in the railway station development.  The Railways research wing - Research Designs & Standards Organisation (RDSO), will sign an MoU with Railway Technical Research Institute of Japan to carry out research work on acquiring modern technology for the public transporter.

Google to provide free Wifi access to Indian railways

The tech giant Google recently decided to partner with the Indian Railways for 'Project Nilgiri' and is set to bring in free Wifi access across 400 stations in India.

For this service Google Fiber will be making its way to India. The Google Fiber is popularly known to provide fast broadband in the USA. The services aims at providing seamless network connectivity in select railway Stations across India.

In the first phase of the project WiFi hotspots will be set up  across India over a span of 4 months.

Passengers will be able to access the WiFi after a mobile verification and a one-time password sent over SMS. There will be 34 minutes of uninterrupted service after which the speed will reduce but the connectivity will remain.

The future of the Indian railways infrastructure looks rosy with the current plans of technological advancement. For any of this to be a reality we need to be more conscious about indiscriminately littering railway tracks and stations.                                                   (Sources: PTI, telecomtalk.info )

Czech Republic opens VACs (Visa Application Centrer) in Mumbai and Delhi

The Czech Republic has outsourced its visa application process to VFS Global and has opened two Visa Application Centres (VAC) – one each in Mumbai and New Delhi. Milan Hovorka, Ambassador Designate of the Czech Republic to India and Bhutan, was in Mumbai to inaugurate the VFS Global visa centre in Bandra-Kurla Complex. 

He said, “We have been recording a growing number of applications for short-term visas from India. In 2014, we received 9,000 applications, which was a 20 per cent increase from 2013. In the first six months of 2015 alone, we processed 7,500 visas.” 

He revealed that Czech Republic will be part of the annual roadshow that takes place in December. The roadshow is conducted by the European Quartet, comprising countries of the Visegrád Group, namely Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Simplified procedures for minors to get passport

A simplified procedure has been introduced based on large number of representations from parents who are facing difficulties while submitting applications for their children. “The matter has been examined considering all relevant aspects,” says a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs, Govt of India. 

Government of India has given various options with regard to ‘presence of parents while applying for passports for minor children’. The statement says only copies of passport of the parents of the minor has to be submitted.

The genuineness of the passports can be checked at the system. The Ministry has also given out information on the annexures required during the submisison of documents.

A Brief Sojourn to Bandhavgarh

5 hours sleepeth a traveler, 7, a scholar, 8, a merchant and 11 every knave - says an old English proverb. In my city life you can categorize me with the knave as even 11 hours of sleep sometimes seems inadequate. My body clock changes when I am in the jungle though. There I am the traveler and sometimes can even manage with less hours of sleep than him. It is not the excitement of seeing the big mammals but the entire rhapsody, which captivates me. The air, the smell, the rumbling of dry leaves ET all. They say you need to visit the jungle thrice in a year to witness the change of colours and rhythm. Here I was visiting Bandhavgarh for the second time in six months.

Located in the Umaria District of Madhya Pradesh, Bandhavgarh National Park is the most sought after wildlife destinations in India. The Tiger density in this National Park is one of the highest in India.

The unrelenting heat could not hold me back and after generous application of suntan (why are we city dwellers so delicate?), set off for my afternoon drive. Within a few minutes, the Paradise flycatcher welcomed me. What a welcome by this gorgeous bird. The Indian Roller, in its breeding plumage made the woods even more vibrant. After an hour's drive, punctuated with the occasional Golden orioles and a gorgeous pair of Brown fish Owl, we had to stop our vehicle as the other jeeps in the front had spotted 'Him' a few meters away. Let me be honest, it was that kind of a sighting where your eyes do see the stripes but the heart is adamant. It is not convinced. It wants to see more, see again. I kept changing my position to get a better glimpse. Suddenly, on my right, a little uproar and there was a tigress, walking on a stagnant log, heralding towards us. What a walk! She jumped off the log a few feet before its edge and quietly crossed the road right in front of us, completely ignoring all other vehicles and all its astounded occupants.

'There is nothing in the caterpillar that tells us that it will turn into a butterfly'. We hope all secrets in our lives reveal so beautifully. There was nothing special in the air that could forewarn me about the spectacle I was about to witness. Doing justice to the typical Homo sapiens trait was hoping to see something unusual with the tigers. Pushing my luck too far I guess. Just a mere glimpse was not enough. Around 7 a.m. near the ghodadaman tiraha, we first got the smell of the kill. Our experienced guide Ajit told us it seems to be 3-4 days old. At the next bend we saw her, the reigning queen, resting, after a heavy meal. She was trying to sleep along with her three cubs who were five months old! For the first time I saw the cubs suckling. What a sight! I had earlier seen cubs, which were approx. 10-11 months old. It was hard to differentiate for my ignorant eyes between cubs, sub-adult and an actual adult. I had never seen them so small, so adorable yet, fierce. The tigress was trying to get some rest but the cubs kept jumping all over her. It was interesting to note that an adult tigress whose one roar can freeze the blood in your veins was being so docile with her cubs. Is indulgence synonymous with motherhood? I would like to believe it is. An iota of my luck was still floating. After about half an hour near Andhyari jhiria, saw a cub (14months) chase away a chital twenty feet away from my jeep!! He came and stopped near our jeep, giving up the chase, breathing heavily. I understand it was a mere playful exercise and not the dramatic 'hunt'. The entire momentum of the event sent my heart to a complete frenzy. There was nothing else I could ask for.

Bandhavgarh can be approached by rail, road and air transport. It is approx. 37 kms from the Umaria railway station. It takes about 4 hours to reach Bandhavgarh from the Jabalpur Airport. Driving through the Maikal range is a difference experience altogether.

Call/WhatsApp: +91 8287455143

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9147955

Tony Tyler to retire as IATA DG & CEO in June 2016

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has decided that its Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Tony Tyler, will retire in June 2016 after serving five years in the position. “Tony Tyler is a very effective leader of IATA, who is achieving much in his role as Director General and CEO. I regret that he will be leaving the Association, but respect his decision to retire next year after a long and successful career in aviation. The search will now start for a successor to be appointed at the next IATA Annual General Meeting in Dublin in June 2016. In the meantime the Board will continue to guide and support Tony and his team in their mission to deliver a safe, efficient and sustainable airline industry,” said Andrés Conesa, Chief Executive Officer of Aeroméxico and Chairman of the IATA Board of Governors since June this year.

“After five years as Director General and CEO of IATA, I believe it will be time for me to retire and leave the organisation. It is a great privilege and responsibility to lead IATA, and I am proud of what the IATA team is achieving during my term of office. I greatly appreciate the support I receive from the Board of Governors and the membership at large, and from my colleagues. I remain fully committed to leading IATA until my successor is appointed in June next year,” said Tyler.

Before joining IATA in 2011, Tyler was Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong, in which capacity he also served on the IATA Board of Governors including as its Chairman from June 2009 to June 2010.