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Odisha approves INR 2,000 crore new projects in varied sectors including tourism and hospitality

The Odisha government approved investments worth over INR 2,000 crore that can provide employment to more than 3,500 people. The Odisha singlewindow clearance authority chaired by Chief Secretary of the state, Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, accorded clearance to these projects. The approved projects are employment-intensive and from sectors such as tourism, hospitality, and food processing and manufacturing, Principal Industry Secretary Hemant Sharma said. The authority gave in-principle approval to 12 projects worth INR 2,071 crore Mohapatra directed the Industrial Promotion and Investment Corporation of Odisha to make a realistic assessment of the land and water requirements on the basis of the benchmark set against different types of industries. The new projects sanctioned include a proposal of a five-star hotel in Khurda district, and a logistics park with cold chain, food court and retail facility, and an entertainment centre in Puri district. Other major investment proposals in the list include an iron-ore beneficiation and pellet-making plant by Shree Metaliks in Keonjhar district with an investment of INR 650 crore, the statement said. The authority also gave a go-ahead to a INR 251-crore grain-based ethanol and power plant in Cuttack district by JK Biotech. With the latest approvals, the chief secretary has cleared a total of 40 projects worth INR 5,841 crore in the last four months that can provide employment to 20,380 people, the statement added.

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Mumbai to get swank world-class aquarium-cum-tourism plaza

Decks have been cleared for an international tourism complex-cum-world class aquarium project, the first of its kind in the country, to come up at Mumbai's Worli, officials said on Monday. The mega-project, spread across 14.55 acre at the Worli Dairy Complex near the Rajiv Gandhi Bandra Worli Sea Link, and costing around INR 1,000 crore is slated for completion by December 2023. Kickstarting the project, the Maharashtra government has issued an official notification for transferring the prime sea-facing chunk of land, currently in the possession of the state Dairy Development Department to the Revenue Department and finally, to the Urban Development Department. With the aquarium project starting soon, the existing Worli Dairy and the office of Dairy Development Commissioner will be shifted to the Aarey Milk Colony in Goregaon in northwest Mumbai, an official said. The new tourism-cum-aquarium complex is one of the major show-piece initiatives of the Maha Vikas Aghadi with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar taking keen interest to boost domestic and international visitors to the state. Presently, Mumbai has the famed DB Taraporevala Aquarium at Marine Drive, which showcases different types of marine life from India and other parts of the world, attracting over 400,000 visitors annually. Built in 1951 and renovated in 2015, it is the oldest aquarium in the country displaying over 2,000 fishes from 400 species of seawater or fresh-water creatures. It is likely to continue undisturbed after the new aquarium project materialises.

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UP's Kushinagar receives first batch of international Buddhist delegations

As regular international flights resumed on Sunday after a coronavirus pandemic-induced hiatus of approximately two years, a high-level Buddhist delegation from Vietnam and Thailand has arrived at Kushinagar International Airport in Uttar Pradesh. The delegation was led by the most venerable Thich Duc Thien, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha through a special Charter flight on March 27. This is the first high profile international visit to the recently inaugurated Kushinagar International Airport since the Government of India relaxed the Covid-19 protocol for international travel. The chartered flight which took off from Vietnam landed in Kushinagar to a warm welcome by the people of the Kushinagar, according to a statement. The legislative member of the region welcomed the revered monks and assured all support during their stay in Kushinagar. The team of visiting Vietnamese and Thai Buddhist monks also gave USD 1000 to the local legislator as their contribution towards the development of the Kushinagar Airport. Most Venerable Thich Duc Thien is an alumni of Indian Council International Relations and has studied Buddhism at Delhi University. He is also a member of the Vietnamese Parliament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Kushinagar International Airport on October 20 last year. The airport aims to facilitate Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world by providing seamless connectivity to various Buddhist sites in the region. The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) is the only government-recognized Buddhist organization in Vietnam. Many of the high ranking monks of VBS have studied from India. The VBS recently co-organized a quiz on Buddhism with the Embassy of India in Hanoi. The winners of the quiz from Vietnam will travel to India and visit the Buddhist sites. Similarly, winners from other countries, including Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan will also be visiting the land of Buddha.

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Delhi International Film Festival to be organised every year

To promote Delhi as a global shooting destination, the AAP government will hold an international film festival every year under its film policy, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Saturday. While presenting the budget for financial year 2022-23 in the Assembly, Sisodia said the Delhi International Film Festival will promote the city's rich culture and diversity. With the introduction of the 'Delhi Film Policy,' the AAP government aims to promote the city as a national and international brand. The government will organise the Delhi International Film Festival every year from this year onwards. "Through this film festival, the rich culture and diversity of Delhi will be showcased. Film fraternity from across the country will be invited to the festival," Sisodia said in his budget speech. The Deputy Chief Minister presented a INR 75,800 crore budget in the Assembly for the financial year 2022-23 on Saturday. Sisodia said the film policy will create an environment for the promotion of tourism by attracting filmmakers from across the globe to Delhi. He said that through the Delhi Film Policy and the film festival, the government will establish new employment and business opportunities related to tourism and art & culture. One of the important aspects of the film policy will be a completely online single window clearance mechanism (e-film clearance) which will fast-track all the approval processes involving 25 stakeholder agencies, he added. "The most important thing about this film policy is that it will bring forth opportunities for the new local talent and skilled youth in Delhi," Sisodia, who also holds the tourism portfolio, said. He further said that the policy will create a highly skilled workforce required for the film sector in Delhi. "This workforce, which will be professionally trained by our government, will provide scholarships to the talented youth of Delhi and will also provide internship opportunities," Sisodia said. Last month, he had made announcement about the initiative and had said that annual scholarship or stipend will be provided to students of Delhi studying at National School of Drama (Delhi), Film and Television Institute of India (Pune), Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (Calcutta), National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad) or any other recognised training institute.

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First chartered flight from Vietnam lands in Gaya airport

With the reopening of Indian skies for international flight operations, the first chartered flight of Pacific Airlines from Vietnam landed at Gaya airport on Sunday. “The chartered flight carrying 161 passengers on board, including devotees and tourists, will return to Vietnam on Thursday,” said Gaya airport director Bangjeet Saha. He added, “Now daily flights to Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai are available from Gaya. Not only people of Magadh region, but Jharkhand too can avail the air travel facility. The IndiGo Airlines has started flight operation between Gaya and Mumbai recently.” After start of international air services, the focus of district administration is now on boosting tourism in Bodh Gaya and enhancing the security of the world heritage Mahabodhi Mahavihara as well. Meanwhile, at the quarterly review meeting of Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) held on Sunday, DM-cum-BTMC chairman Thiyagarajan SM held discussions on how to increase revenue at the Mahavihara through donations. He asked the officials concerned to identify the spots on Mahavihara campus to place donation boxes. He added local men and women should be connected with income-generating activities related to tourism industry. The DM asked BTMC secretary Nangzey Dorjee to prepare a work plan to boost locally-made products. During review of the security of the Mahavihara, based on the report of inspection by security officials earlier, the DM asked officials concerned to install some more CCTV cameras on the campus in addition to the existing ones. He also asked BTMC officials to increase the height of the boundary wall of Bodh Gaya math near the reception hall of Mahavihara.

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Emirates To Reinstate 170 Weekly Frequencies To India From April 1

Emirates will re-introduce pre-pandemic flight frequencies to its destinations in India from 1 April 2022. The airline will be operating 170 weekly flights to nine cities in the country. The move comes on the back of the decision by the Indian government to restore international flights to and from the country in line with established bilateral agreements from the end of March 2022. Emirates will be operating the following flights: Mumbai- 35 weekly flights, New Delhi- 28, Bengaluru – 24, Chennai- 21, Hyderabad- 21, Kochi- 14, Kolkata – 11, Ahmedabad- 9 and Thiruvananthapuram- 7 weekly flights. Emirates has also brought back Airbus A380 on a daily basis between Dubai and Mumbai in March 2022.

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