Tag: Heritage sites

  • Lucknow Diary: Innovation on a dozen wheels

    Innovation on a dozen wheels

    All that innovation needs is a brilliant mind and passion coupled with the patience to apply it. Asad Abdullah, 22, of Azamgarh proved it by developing a 6-seater electric cycle. Asad’s innovation got recognised by none other than Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, who tweeted a small video of the cycle and made the innovation so viral that the video crossed 1 million views since December 1.

    Mahindra tagged the chief design officer of the auto sector of his company asking if this device could find global application. With petrol prices increasing, Abdullah conceptualised the idea of developing an electric cycle in which six people can be accommodated.

    He used scrap material and the motor of an old battery-operated. two-wheeler to develop the cycle in a month’s time at a cost of Rs ₹10,000-12,000. “I want to make it commercial and sell it to others at an affordable price,” says Asad Abdullah, an ITI-trained diploma engineer in electricals.

    Lucknow touches zero covid mark

    After a long span of 32 months, the city of Nawabs touched zero Covid figure mark as the last patient recovered from the ailment and no new case was reported, claim health authorities. The last patient who recovered and was discharged on Tuesday had tested positive last week. “This zero is a precious figure and we are making all efforts to sustain the status in Covid,” said Dr Manoj Agrawal, Lucknow CMO.

    Lucknow has never had a status of zero Covid active cases since the 2020 pandemic. The first case in the state capital was reported in the third week of March 2020. Lucknow’s first Covid-19 patient was a doctor who returned from Canada. The second case reported was also that of a doctor and the third one was of a Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who turned out to be a mass spreader after returning from the UK.

    10 UP heritage sites up for adoption

    UP Archaeological directorate has shortlisted 10 heritage sites up for adoption under the ‘Adopt Heritage Scheme.’ These sites include the Alambagh building of Lucknow, Potrakund in Mathura, Kalpa Devi and Astik Baba temples in Sitapur, Caves of Devgarh of Lalitpur, Raj Mandir Guptar Ghat in Ayodhya, Lakshmi temple in Jhansi, Fort of Tahrauli in Jhansi, Fort of Balabehat in Lalitpur, Digragarhi inJhansi and Shiv temple of Bithoor in Kanpur.

    Those interested in adopting the heritage site would be known as Smarak Mitra who would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the department and work towards the conservation of the site. Smarak Mitras will also be responsible for arranging logistics for the tourists at the site.

    Innovation on a dozen wheels

    All that innovation needs is a brilliant mind and passion coupled with the patience to apply it. Asad Abdullah, 22, of Azamgarh proved it by developing a 6-seater electric cycle. Asad’s innovation got recognised by none other than Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group, who tweeted a small video of the cycle and made the innovation so viral that the video crossed 1 million views since December 1.

    Mahindra tagged the chief design officer of the auto sector of his company asking if this device could find global application. With petrol prices increasing, Abdullah conceptualised the idea of developing an electric cycle in which six people can be accommodated.

    He used scrap material and the motor of an old battery-operated. two-wheeler to develop the cycle in a month’s time at a cost of Rs ₹10,000-12,000. “I want to make it commercial and sell it to others at an affordable price,” says Asad Abdullah, an ITI-trained diploma engineer in electricals.

    Lucknow touches zero covid mark

    After a long span of 32 months, the city of Nawabs touched zero Covid figure mark as the last patient recovered from the ailment and no new case was reported, claim health authorities. The last patient who recovered and was discharged on Tuesday had tested positive last week. “This zero is a precious figure and we are making all efforts to sustain the status in Covid,” said Dr Manoj Agrawal, Lucknow CMO.

    Lucknow has never had a status of zero Covid active cases since the 2020 pandemic. The first case in the state capital was reported in the third week of March 2020. Lucknow’s first Covid-19 patient was a doctor who returned from Canada. The second case reported was also that of a doctor and the third one was of a Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor, who turned out to be a mass spreader after returning from the UK.

    10 UP heritage sites up for adoption

    UP Archaeological directorate has shortlisted 10 heritage sites up for adoption under the ‘Adopt Heritage Scheme.’ These sites include the Alambagh building of Lucknow, Potrakund in Mathura, Kalpa Devi and Astik Baba temples in Sitapur, Caves of Devgarh of Lalitpur, Raj Mandir Guptar Ghat in Ayodhya, Lakshmi temple in Jhansi, Fort of Tahrauli in Jhansi, Fort of Balabehat in Lalitpur, Digragarhi in
    Jhansi and Shiv temple of Bithoor in Kanpur.

    Those interested in adopting the heritage site would be known as Smarak Mitra who would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the department and work towards the conservation of the site. Smarak Mitras will also be responsible for arranging logistics for the tourists at the site.

  • Culture Ministry focuses on promotion of heritage sites on small islands

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Centre government is working on a systematic plan for overall development of heritage sites and monuments located on small islands to promote them to draw more tourists.

    With special focus on Andaman and Nicobar Islands, at least 17 structures including Vivekananda Rock in Kanyakumari, Nagarjunakonda (Guntur), Arnala Fort (Palghar), Janjira Fort (Raigad), Kolaba Fort (Alibaug), and a mosque along with remains in Bandipora are on the priority list.

    The aim is to provide public amenities such as washrooms, free WiFi, and cafeteria and also accelerate conservation and preservation of the protected sites.

    A panel of the culture ministry comprising parliamentarians has been conducting site visits to review the availability of facilities and gives its suggestion for improvement. The panel is likely to visit Port Blair by the end of this week.

    Speaking about the initiatives for monuments on small islands, culture minister G Kishan Reddy said that audits of the protected sites are being conducted and facilities are developed according to the audit report.

    “There are more than 3,600 monuments under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). We keep reviewing the situation to assess shortcomings, security status and maintenance requirements. Our priority is that there should be proper arrangements for potable water, toilets, and a cafeteria for the visitors. Audit of sites is taking place. We will put public amenities in place in better ways,” said Reddy.

    The ministry is already running an ‘Adarsh Smarak’ scheme, launched in December 2016, to enhance public conveniences for the visitors especially for the differently-abled. Based on footfall, historical importance, grandeur, size and feasibility, 100 buildings were identified located in states – Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

    “The country has an immense collection of cultural wealth on small islands. The government wants more tourists to go and see that precious heritage. Hence, efforts are being made to create awareness and augment public facilities for sightseers. There are small issues like poor wifi connectivity at Janjira Fort due to which tourists would face difficulties in ticket booking but that has been addressed,” said an official of ASI.