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Modi Flags Off Vande Bharat Trains For 10 Different Routes From Ahmedabad

By LokMarg 12th March 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off 10 high-speed Vande Bharat trains across the country from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

In a major boost to the Railway infrastructure, connectivity and the petrochemicals sector, the Prime Minister visited DFC’s Operation Control Centre in Ahmedabad laid the foundation stone and dedicated a slew of railway and Petrochemicals projects worth over Rs 1,06,000 crores.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of Railway Workshops, Loco Sheds, Pit lines/ Coaching Depots; the Phaltan – Baramati New line; Electric Traction System upgradation work and dedicated to the nation two new sections of the Dedicated Freight Corridor between New Khurja to Sahnewal (401 Rkm) section of Eastern DFC and New Makarpura to New Gholvad section (244 Rkm) of Western DFC; Western DFC’s Operation Control Center (OCC), Ahmedabad.

PM Modi also flagged off ten new Vande Bharat trains between Ahmedabad-Mumbai Central, Secunderabad-Visakhapatnam, Mysuru- Dr MGR Central (Chennai), Patna- Lucknow, New Jalpaiguri-Patna, Puri-Visakhapatnam, Lucknow – Dehradun, Kalaburagi – Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminal Bengaluru, Ranchi-Varanasi, Khajuraho- Delhi (Nizamuddin).

The Prime Minister flagged off the extension of four Vande Bharat trains. Ahmedabad-Jamnagar Vande Bharat is being extended till Dwarka, Ajmer- Delhi Sarai Rohilla Vande Bharat is being extended till Chandigarh, Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat is being extended till Prayagraj and Thiruvananthapuram- Kasargod Vande Bharat is being extended till Mangaluru; and two new passenger trains between Asansol and Hatia and Tirupati and Kollam stations.

He also flagged off freight trains on the Dedicated Freight Corridor from various locations – New Khurja Jn, Sahnewal, New Rewari, New Kishangarh, New Gholvad, and New Makarpura.

He dedicated to the Nation 50 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras at Railway Stations. These Jan Aushadi Kendras will offer affordable and quality generic medicines to the people.

The Prime Minister also dedicated 51 Gati Shakti Multi-Modal Cargo Terminals to the Nation. These terminals will promote seamless movement of goods between different modes of transportation.

Prime Minister Modi dedicated to the nation 1045 Rkm of Automatic Signaling in 80 sections. This upgrade will enhance the safety and efficiency of train operations.

Prime Minister dedicated to the nation’s Digital Controlling of Railway stations at 2646 stations. This will improve the operational efficiency and safety of the trains.

The Prime Minister dedicated 35 Rail Coach Restaurants to the nation. The Rail Coach restaurant aims to cater to the needs of passengers and the public apart from generating non-fare revenue for railways.

Prime Minister dedicated more than 1500 One Station One Product Stalls to the nation spread across the country. These stalls will promote local products and generate income for local artisans and businesses.

The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation Solar Powered Stations/buildings at 975 locations. This initiative will contribute to India’s renewable energy goals and reduce the railways’ carbon footprint.

He laid the foundation stone of the Petrochemicals complex of Petronet LNG including Ethane and Propane handling facilities worth over Rs. 20,600 crores at Dahej, Gujarat. Setting up the Petrochemicals complex in proximity to the existing LNG regasification terminal would result in significant savings in the capex and the opex cost of the project.

Implementation of the project is likely to create an opportunity for direct and indirect employment to the tune of 50,000 persons during the execution phase and an opportunity of employment of over 20,000 persons during its operational phase ushering in huge socio-economic benefits in the region.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for Ekta Malls in two states; Gujarat and Maharashtra worth around Rs 400 crores.

Meanwhile, Ekta malls celebrate and support the rich and diverse heritage of Indian handlooms, handicrafts, traditional products and ODOP products. Ekta malls are a symbol of the unity and diversity of India, as well as a catalyst for the development and empowerment of our traditional skills and sectors. (ANI)

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Vivek With Son Arrives In Ahmedabad Ahead Of IND vs AUS WC Final

By LokMarg 18th November 2023

Excited cricket fan and actor Vivek Oberoi arrived in Ahmedabad ahead of the ICC World Cup final match with his son Vivaan.

During the media interaction, Vivek shared his excitement and said, “I just have two words, India, India. We will win, Bharat will win. Vivaan and I are very excited.”

The actor said he wanted his son to enjoy the match to the fullest.

Vivek is always seen accompanied by his son whether watching the match at home or stadium.

Vivek earlier surprised his son Vivaan by making him meet former Indian cricketer Syed Kirmani at IPL 2023 in Ahmedabad.

Taking to Instagram, Vivek posted a picture of himself, his son and Syed Kirmani.

Sharing the picture, he wrote, “Surprised my son by taking him to meet the 1983 cricket star @syedkirmaniofficial at IPL 2023’s pre-match conversation. Turns out our pre-match predictions were right, at the end of it the heart always win.”

Vivek married Priyanka Alva. The couple tied the knot on October 29, 2010, and are doting parents to a son and a daughter.

Coming to India’s match, the ‘Men in Blue will lock horns with Australia on Sunday in Ahmedabad.

This will be a 20-year-old repeat clash of the 2003 World Cup Final when the two cricket-enthusiast nations faced each other and India will be aiming to reverse the result of the last encounter, which India lost by 120 runs.

India stormed into the finals after registering a comprehensive 70-run victory over New Zealand on Wednesday. After Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill’s explosive start, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer scored a ton each to put India on course of a massive target.

KL Rahul arrived to apply the finishing touches to power India to a score of 397/4. Mohammed Shami’s spell saw him clinch a seven-wicket haul to derail the Kiwis and seal India’s trip to Ahmedabad.

In the second semifinal, South Africa made Australia sweat to reach the humble target of 213. The five-time champions slipped in their chase of the paltry target but recovered just in time to cross the finish line.

Australia skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc held their nerves to take the five-time champions to the final against India.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced the list of celebrities who will perform ahead of the ODI World Cup final.

BCCI posted from its official handle on X, “It doesn’t get any bigger than this The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Final is filled with stellar performances and an experience of a lifetime.”

According to the official release by the cricket board, the Surya Kiran acrobatic team of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will put up a dazzling air show before the match gets underway.

The airshow is scheduled to be staged between 1.30 pm and 1.50 pm.

During the 1st Innings drinks break Gujarati singer Aditya Gadhvi will perform at the grand event.

During the Innings break, the full house at the Narendra Modi Stadium will be treated to live performances by music composer Pritam, and singers Jonita Gandhi, Nakash Aziz, Amit Mishra, Akasa Singh and Tushar Joshi.

A special laser and light show will be performed during the drinks break in the second innings.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Vivek will be seen in Rohit Shetty’s debut web series ‘Indian Police Force’.

Vivek and Sidharth Malhotra will be portraying the lead roles in the series, which will stream exclusively on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video. (ANI)

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IMD Predicts Clear Sky In Ahmedabad During IND VS PAK Clash

By LokMarg 13th October 2023

The much-awaited encounter between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is all set for action as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) indicated that there are no signs of rainfall on Saturday in Ahmedabad.

Earlier, there were predictions of drizzling in the southern parts of Ahmedabad, however, the latest statement of IMD said that the sky will be clear and no possibility of rain in the next 48 hours.

The rivalry between India and Pakistan in cricket is one of the most fierce in the world, with matches between the two countries receiving significant global viewership.

After registering two back-to-back wins, India riding on high confidence will face traditional rival Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday.

The India-Pakistan match will take place at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday. This match comes after India’s two matches against the arch-rivals during a winning Asia Cup campaign. One match, held in the group stage was abandoned due to rain while India registered a thumping win in the next clash during the Super Four stage.

India began their World Cup campaign with a victory over Australia, while Pakistan has two victories in two matches to build momentum ahead of the major encounter.

Fans will be hoping that megastars of Men in Blue, such as Virat Kohli, skipper Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj keep up with their consistent performances to continue the country’s winning streak with Pakistan in 50-over World Cups and come out with 8-0 win against the arch-rivals in the World Cup.

India has dominated the head-to-head record in ODI World Cup matches with ‘Men in Blue’ winning all seven games against the arch-rival, boasting a 100 per cent win record till now.

India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.

Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim. (ANI)

India vs Pak World Cup Match To Be Rescheduled

By LokMarg 26th July 2023

The ICC Cricket World Cup match between India and Pakistan is likely to be rescheduled and advanced by a day to October 14, BCCI sources said.

They said that security agencies have advised the BCCI to reschedule the match to October 14 as October 15 is the first day of ‘Navratri’.
The schedule for ICC 2023 Cricket World Cup was released last month by International Cricket Council (ICC).

The clash between traditional rivals India and Pakistan has been scheduled for October 15 at . Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

“Security agencies have advised BCCI to reschedule the match date to October 14 from October 15,” a BCCI source said.

BCCI Secretary Jay Shah has called a meeting on July 27 which will have members from hosting venues and decision to reschedule the date of the match is likely to be taken, sources said. (ANI)

ICC World Cup 2023: India, Pak To Face-Off This October

By LokMarg 27th June 2023

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will square off at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 this October at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The opening game of the World Cup is scheduled to place at the same venue on October 5 with a match between defending champions England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad, the ICC announced on Tuesday.
The final will also be held at the same venue on November 19,

The first semi-final of the World Cup will be held on November 15 in Mumbai while the second semi-final will be played on November 16 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

India will open their campaign on October 8 against Australia at Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. They will be playing a total of eight matches in the league stage.

The much-awaited encounter between India and Pakistan will be the eighth meeting between the two sides at a men’s World Cup.

With their jinx broken in the T20 World Cup, Pakistan will be looking to emulate the same in the 50-over format on October 15.

India and Pakistan have faced each other seven times previously – in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2011, 2015 and 2019.

The only time the two sides did not meet since that first match in 1992 was in 2007, which was a disastrous campaign for both teams as they crashed out of the tournament in the opening round

India have won all of the previous seven encounters, a record they extended to the T20 World Cups as well until recently.

That streak was broken in 2021, only for India to reclaim bragging rights with a memorable victory in the 2022 edition with a dramatic chase at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on the back of an unforgettable knock from former India captain Virat Kohli.

The last time these teams met in the 50-over World Cup was in 2019 at Old Trafford with India posting a massive 336/5 on the back of a fantastic 113-ball 140 by India captain Rohit Sharma.

A smart bowling performance then helped restrict Pakistan to just 212/6 in a rain-marred match that India won by 89 runs (DLS method).

Even more memorable is perhaps the game in 2011, another India home World Cup, which resulted in a thrilling semi-final clash in Mohali. Sachin Tendulkar starred for the hosts with 85 and their bowlers put up a united front to bowl out Pakistan and gain a 29-run victory. (ANI)

Gujarat CM Flags Off 145th Rath Yatra Of Lord Jagannath In Ahmedabad

By LokMarg 20th June 2023

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel performed ‘Pahind Vidhi’ at Jagannath temple in Ahmedabad on Tuesday ahead of flagging off the 146th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath on Tuesday morning in Gujarat’s capital city.

As per tradition, every year during Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra the Chief Minister performs the ‘Pahind Vidhi’, a symbolic ritual of cleaning the way for the chariots using a golden broom and flags off the Rath Yatra. Bhupendra Patel continued the tradition and for the first time flagged off the 145th Rath Yatra as the Chief Minister.
Chief Minister Patel also cleansed the chariot of God with a gold broom thereby performing the traditional Ashadhi Beej Rath Yatra’s Pahind ritual according to a statement by the chief minister’s office.

On the occasion of Rath Yatra, Chief Minister Patel wished people and also prayed that Jagannathji shower blessings on all and give them good health, well-being, prosperity and happiness to all in their lives, the statement read.

Minister of State for Home Department Harsh Sanghvi and Minister of State for Industries Department Jagdish Vishwakarma also participated in this ceremony.

Tight security was deployed as lakhs of devotees flocked the 18-km route of the procession to catch a glimpse of the deities.

State Home Minister Sanghvi, referring to the security arrangements regarding the Rath Yatra, said that all arrangements have been made by Gujarat Police for this Rath Yatra. Apart from this, Gujarat Police have been stationed to go through the entire route. About 25,000 police personnel will be stationed along the route.

Idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra were installed on the chariot to ahead of the start of the ceremonial Rath Yatra that commenced from the 400-year-old Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad today.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah who is on a day-long visit to Gujarat, took part in the ‘Mangla Aarti’ (part of worship) at Jagannath temple ahead of the Rath Yatra in Jamalpur.

The ‘Rath Yatra’ Festival celebrated in Ahmedabad, Gujarat is considered to be the second biggest Rath Yatra in the country after the Puri Jagannath Rath Yatra on Oidhsa.

Rath Yatra is celebrated on the second day of the two-week-long Ashadha month of the Hindu calendar and this year, it takes place on June 20.

Rath Yatra is one of the famous Hindu festivals celebrated across the world. The Yatra is associated with Lord Jagannath at Shri Kshetra Puri Dham in the state of Odisha.

Its history is also depicted in Hindu scriptures like Brahma Purana, Padma Purana, Skanda Purana and Kapila Samhita. (ANI)

Ahmedabad To Host India-Pakistan World Cup Cricket Match

By LokMarg 12th June 2023

The blockbuster India-Pakistan match during the ODI World Cup later this year is set to be played in Ahmedabad on October 15, ESPNcricifo reported citing draft schedule of the tournament shared by BCCI with ICC.

The report said India will play their campaign opener against Australia in Chennai. The 2019 World Cup finalists England and New Zealand are set to face off in the tournament opener on October 5.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared the draft schedule with the ICC and the draft was sent to the participating countries for feedback before a final schedule is put out early next week.

The draft schedule does not mention the venues for the semi-finals likely to be played on November 15 and 16.

The final is likely to be played on November 19 in Ahmedabad.

According to the report, India are scheduled to play their league matches across nine venues.

India will play their campaign on October 8 against Australia followed by a match against Afghanistan in Delhi on October 11. After the game with Pakistan in Ahmedabad on October 15, the fourth game will be against New Zealand in Dharamshala on October 22 followed by that against England on October 29, the report said, citing the draft schedule.

The final two teams of the World Cup 2023 will be decided on the basis of Qualifier tournament to be played in Zimbabwe from June 18 to July 9.

India’s seventh and ninth opponent is yet to be decided and the matches are slated for November 2 in Delhi and November 11 in Bengaluru respectively, according to the draft schedule. India are slated to play South Africa on November 5.

The report also mentioned Pakistan fixtures and said these will be held across five venues during the league phase. (ANI)

Modi, Australian PM At Gujarat Stadium For India-Australia Test

By LokMarg 9th March 2023

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, on Thursday arrived at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to watch the first day of the final Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023.

PM Modi welcomed his Australian counterpart at the venue, the largest stadium in the world.
Albanese will watch the first hour’s play between India and Australia in the company of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Australia captain Steve Smith won the toss and opted to bat versus India at the toss for the fourth and final Test for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

Both the Prime Ministers were greeted with loud cheers as they did a lap of honour at the stadium prior to the match.

Earlier, PM Modi arrived at the venue and was received by Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, and state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi. BCCI president Roger Binny and BCCI secretary Jay Shah were also present at the felicitation.

The Australian PM who arrived in India on Wednesday. Banners of Prime Minister Modi and his Australian counterpart went up at the Narendra Modi stadium ahead of the final Test.

India is currently leading the series 2-1. However, the hosts need to secure an outright victory in the final Test to qualify for the final of the ICC World Test Championship where they will be facing Australia in London from June 7 onwards.

“One of the things that bind both countries is cricket and it will be great to see the leaders of India and Australia on day one of the matches in Ahmedabad,” Australian High Commissioner Barry O’Farrell said.

Yesterday, Albanese participated in Holi celebrations along with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhawan in the state capital Gandhinagar.

“Honoured to celebrate Holi in Ahmedabad, India. Holi’s message of renewal through the triumph of good over evil is an enduring reminder for all of us”, tweeted Australian PM Anthony Albanese with colourful pictures of Holi celebrations with flowers and colours.

The Australian Prime Minister on the same day visited the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad and paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel accompanied the Australian PM on his visit to the Ashram. During the visit, Albanese took a complete tour of the Ashram.

The Australian PM, upon his arrival in India, tweeted: “An incredible welcome to Ahmedabad, India. The beginning of an important trip for Australia-India relations.” (ANI)

Australian PM Albanese Arrives In India With 25 Biz Leaders

By LokMarg 8th March 2023

The Australian Prime Minister arrived in Ahmedabad, India on the evening of Wednesday where Albanese, along with PM Modi will watch day 1 of the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Ahmedabad.

In a joyful interview with Nova 937 radio, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that as many as 25 business heads would accompany him to India as the country is a massive market.

25 leading business people are going, the CEO of Wesfarmers, Fortescue and the chair of BHP, Rio Tinto, they’re all on their way, he said in an interview with Nova 937.

“Off to India. And 25 leading business people are going. The CEO of Wesfarmers from here, and Fortescue and the chair of BHP, Rio Tinto, they’re all on their way,” the Australian Prime Minister said in the interview.

During the interview, he was asked if he would enjoy spicy food in India.

To which the Prime Minister replied that the great thing about being an Australian is they eat all sorts of food. “We eat spicy food. I like hot food,” he added.

He recalled the days when he spent six weeks backpacking around India in 1991.

He shared how he stayed in cheaper places and caught trains and went hitching.

India is friendly and India has a very different culture, he said.

He also recalled his 2018 visit to India when he had arrived as a part of a parliamentary delegation.

He said that the previous two experiences, 1991 and 2018, were different and this time also it would be different.

“I don’t think I’ll be wandering around in Connaught Place in the middle of New Delhi, being harassed to buy stuff. I think it’ll be a little bit more protected,” he said jokingly.

Regarding International Women’s Day, he named Penny Wong (Australian Foreign Minister) and Katy Gallagher (Australian Finance Minister) and other women in his cabinet and said that all of them are fantastic women.

“Well, I’m taking Madeleine King (Minister for Resources of Australia) with me to India, as the Resources Minister, but it is so good that we have a Government that’s actually representative of the population,” he added.

According to an official release, the first in-person India-Australia Annual Summit will take place during Albanese’s visit.

At the Annual Summit, leaders take stock of progress made on various initiatives under the India-Australia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The summit lays the way forward on new initiatives and enhanced cooperation in a diverse range of sectors between India and Australia. The Summit was first held virtually on June 4, 2020, the release said.

The visit comes after a series of high-level engagements and an exchange of ministerial visits between the two sides in 2022 and in 2023. The last visit by an Australian PM (Malcolm Turnbull) to India was in 2017. (ANI)

Temp Dips Below Freezing Point At Mount Abu On the First Day Of 2023

By LokMarg 1st January 2023

The temperature dropped to a below-freezing point at Mount Abu in Rajasthan on the first day of the new year as tourist flock to the only hill station of Rajasthan.

Tourists who had come here to enjoy snowfall were seen draped in blankets to keep it warm. At Mount Abu face-covered students were seen huddled around a bonfire to beat the cold.
‘There is a zero-degree temperature here. Ice (frost) had accumulated on the top of buses, and on the Shikaras (Houseboat). The weather is pleasant here. Kota is very hot. The adventure of Mount abu is very good. There is a lot of cold here,” said a tourist who had come to Mount abu for the first time.

“I celebrated the new year on Saturday night during a party held at polo Ground. We celebrated the new year in a good way,” he added.

“It was very cold when we came here in the morning. Now sunlight has come out. It gives a good feeling to shift from severe cold to moderate temperature. We are feeling better now. We have not enjoyed yet,” a tourist from Uttar Pradesh said.

“It makes us feel good to see ice here in Rajasthan. I work in Ahmedabad. So I planned to come here,” he added.

Another tourist who had come with his family to celebrate the new year said they got to see the snowfall here.

“We saw a lot of ice which had accumulated on the rooftops of buses and on top of Houseboats. This is a top-class hill station at arm’s length. We have an entire day left. We have to see a lot of places,” a tourist who had come from Madhya Pradesh said. (ANI)