Construction of museum on PMs by March, 2020
New Delhi: The Central Public Works Department (CPWD) has set a target of March next year for constructing the “Museum on Prime Ministers of India” in the Teen Murti Bhavan complex here, which houses the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML), officials said. According to a senior official, the CPWD has chosen an agency for the facade works of the museum, civil finishing, installation of lifts, escalators, CCTVs and sewage treatment plants (STPs) among others. The iconic Teen Murti Bhavan was the official residence of Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister, and the NMML was set up on its premises in his memory as an autonomous institution under the Union Ministry of Culture. “The construction work of the museum building is underway. At a recent meeting of the CPWD’s central works board, a private agency was chosen to execute the works of facade, civil finishing, lifts, escalators, CCTV cameras, STPs and security system among others,” the official said. He added that these works would be carried out at a cost of around Rs 66 crore. “We have set the target of March, 2020 to construct the Museum on Prime Ministers of India. Once it is completed, the building will be handed over to the Union Culture Ministry to shape other works required for museum,” he said. (PTI)
Amarnath Yatra resumes
Jammu: The Amarnath Yatra resumed from Jammu on Sunday after a day-long suspension as a precautionary measure in view of a separatists-backed strike called on “Martyrs’ Day” in the Kashmir valley, officials said. Since its commencement on June 28, the pilgrimage was suspended from here for the fifth time on Saturday owing to the strike called by separatist groups. On July 8, it was suspended as a precautionary measure in view of the third death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani. The 13th batch of 7,993 pilgrims, the biggest so far, left Jammu for the twin base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam in Kashmir, the officials said. The pilgrims left in two convoys comprising 310 vehicles from the Bhagwati Nagar base camp under tight security arrangements early in the morning and were expected to reach their destinations in the valley later in the day, they added. The officials said while 5,270 pilgrims opted for the traditional 36-km Pahalgam route in Anantnag district, 2,723 would take the shorter 12-km Baltal track in Ganderbal district. Over 1.75 lakh pilgrims have so far registered themselves for the 46-day long pilgrimage. (PTI)
Ban TikTok: RSS affiliate
New Delhi: A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliate requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday to ban TikTok and Helo, claiming that these two Chinese social media applications had become a hub for “anti-national” content. In a letter written to Modi, Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) co-convener Ashwani Mahajan highlighted the organisation’s concerns over the two platforms, which he alleged were exposing India’s youth to being influenced by “vested interests”. “In recent weeks, TikTok has become a hub for anti-national content that is being shared extensively on the application and which can rupture the fabric of our society,” Mahajan said. Talking about Helo, the SJM leader alleged that the app was found paying Rs 7 crore for over 11,000 morphed political ads on other social media platforms. “Some of these ads were using morphed pictures of senior Indian political leaders. Functionaries of the BJP themselves wrote to the EC during the last general election raising these concerns,” he said. Mahajan demanded that the Ministry of Home Affairs ban all the Chinese apps, including TikTok and Helo, in the country. “As some segments of the Chinese establishment have negative intentions with regard to the sovereignty and integrity of India,” he said. (PTI)