Jaipur Diary

Express News Service

Good news for cricket lovers in JaipurThe 8 year-long-wait for cricket lovers of Rajasthan to see international matches is all set to end. Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh stadium will host two international matches in the upcoming cricket season when teams from New Zealand and West Indies will compete with India.  In November, the Kiwis will play a T-20 series along with two Test matches. The first T-20 will be held in Jaipur on November 17. In February next year, the West Indies will play second ODI against India in Jaipur. The Pink City had last hosted an international match in October 2013 when India clashed with the mighty team from Australia in an ODI game at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Grading system for government, private schoolsIn Rajasthan, a grading system will soon be implemented in government and private schools. Under this system, information about the infrastructure in schools and the number of teachers will be given to parents. All government and private schools will be put under three grades —A, B and C. Parents will have the freedom to choose schools according to their grades. According to Secondary Education director Saurabh Swami, “a software is being made by the Education Department whereby grading of schools will be done on the basis of over 2 dozen factors. They will cover key points such as infrastructure, teachers, sports activities as well as fee structure.”  Experts say that once the grading system is implemented, parents will be able to compare all government and private schools across the state.

Parched state gets full quota of rainfallIt is raining heavily in the last phase of the monsoon in Rajasthan whereby the ‘rain quota’ has been met for the sixth time in the last 11 years. The state has received 540 mm of rain this year against the average 530 mm of rain. Of the total 33 districts, so far 10 districts have received more than normal rainfall, 20 got normal rains and only three districts got less than normal rainfall. Luckily, the monsoon will be active in east Rajasthan for another one week. In Jodhpur and Bikaner divisions, it will rain for just a few days more. As a result, water levels in dams across the state have risen greatly. 

Udaipur railway station to get makeoverThe railway station in Udaipur will soon get a major facelift. To improve travel experience of passengers, ultra-modern facilities will be provided at the railway station in line with those available at international airports. Similar, state-of-the-art amenities will be given for tourists coming to the Lake City, which is one of India’s top attractions for tourists from all over the world. The railway station will be renovated to meet global standards. This will help in promoting better connectivity, and multi-modal transport integration. The estimated cost for this ‘redevelopment’ is around Rs 132 crore. Founded by Maharana Udai Singh II in 1559, Udaipur is known for artificial lakes. 

.Rajesh AsnaniOur correspondent in Jaipur rajesh.asnani@ newindianexpress.com