• India
  • Sep 19

Short Takes / September 19, 2020

PM inaugurates Kosi Rail Mahasetu in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kosi Rail Mahasetu and a slew of other rail projects worth about Rs 3,000 crore for Bihar.

Features of Kosi Rail Mahasetu:

In 1887, a metre-gauge link was built in between Nirmali and Bhaptiahi (Saraigarh). Following heavy floods and earthquake in 1934, the rail link was washed away. 

Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had laid the foundation stone of the Kosi rail mega bridge project on June 6, 2003.

It is 1.9-km long and its construction cost is about Rs 516 crore. 

The bridge connects the Mithila and Kosi region. 

This bridge is of strategic importance along the India-Nepal border.

PM also inaugurated other rail projects: 

• Train service from Saharsa to Asanpur Kupha: Total length of 64 km will benefit people of Supaul, Araria, Saharsa and Madhubani districts. It would also help in travel to Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai.

• Re-established rail line between Madhubani and Supaul district.

• Karnauti-Bakhtiyarpur link bypass and third line between Barh-Bakhtiyarpur: It will enhance coal transportation to NTPC Barh from Banadag siding in Jharkhand and decongest Delhi-Howrah trunk route.

• Hajipur-Ghoswar-Vaishali and Islampur-Natesar new line projects.

• A new railway bridge on the Kiul River.

• New electric locomotive shed at Barauni.

• Five electrification projects: Muzaffarpur–Sitamarhi, Katihar–New Jalpaiguri, Samastipur-Darbhanga-Jaynagar, Samastipur-Khagaria and Bhagalpur-Shivnarayanpur sections.

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G20 launches initiative to reduce land degradation

The G20 Environment Ministers held a virtual meet to strengthen policy cooperation towards the reduction of land degradation and habitat loss, and the conservation of coral reefs to safeguard the planet’s ecosystems and biodiversity.

Highlights of the meeting:

Stressing the importance of preserving the environment and building a more sustainable future, the G20 members discussed issues related to conservation of the earth’s environment including land, oceans and natural resources. 

They addressed protecting marine and terrestrial environments and working towards reducing marine pollution, especially marine plastic littering.

Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable ecosystems on Earth, but are under threat from pollution, disease, and habitat destruction. 

The ministers examined how best to conserve coral reefs and ocean ecosystems to ensure the protection of a habitat that 25-50 per cent of marine life depends on and helps protect communities from flooding.

The Global Coral Reef R&D Accelerator Platform is an innovative action-oriented initiative aimed at creating a global research and development (R&D) programme to advance research, innovation and capacity building in all facets of coral reef conservation, restoration and adaptation. It will strengthen ongoing efforts and commitments made to enhance coral reefs conservation.

G20 ministers also discussed how best to reduce land degradation and conserve biodiversity. 

Around 12 million hectares of land are lost annually due to land degradation, causing significant environmental and socio-economic damage, impacting more than three billion people.

The global initiative on reducing land degradation aims to strengthen the implementation of existing frameworks to prevent, halt and reverse land degradation within G20 member states and globally, taking into account possible implications on the achievement of other sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said India is committed to working with G20 nations and applauded the launch of global initiatives to reduce land degradation and protect coral reefs.

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Trailblazing US Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg dies

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a stalwart liberal on the US Supreme Court since 1993, passed away at age 87. She was feminist icon and a champion of women’s rights and social justice. 

Ginsburg was the oldest member of the court and the second-longest serving among its current justices, behind Clarence Thomas. She was the second woman ever named to the nation’s highest court, after Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed in 1981.

She provided key votes in landmark rulings securing equal rights for women, expanding gay rights and safeguarding abortion rights.

She published a collection of her speeches and writings in the book titled ‘My Own Words’. 

Ginsburg’s death could dramatically alter the ideological balance of the court, which currently has a 5-4 conservative majority. Supreme Court justices play an enormous role in shaping US policies on hot-button issues like abortion, LGBT rights, gun rights, religious liberty, the death penalty and presidential powers.

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