Month: April 2021

News & Politics

Road Construction In India Is Now A Guinness World Records

HT News

The Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari said that they made three world records in March. The ministry constructed 13,394 km of highways at a pace of 37 km per day in the fiscal year 2020-21 and this pace is a record in itself.

What were the three records made by the road transport and highways ministry?

The minister said that building a 2.5 km 4-lane concrete road within 24 hours was a Guinness World Records. Also, the ministry completed a 1-lane 25-km bitumen Solapur-Bijapur road within the same time.

Patel Infrastructure Ltd. made a world record for laying the highest quantity of concrete on a four-lane highway in 24 hours. The NHAI contractor laid Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) for a four-lane highway of 2,580 meters within 24 hours. It also laid the highest quantity of concrete (14,613 cubic meters) on the greenfield Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai 8-lane Expressway in 24 hours.

Hyderabad-based construction company IJM India completed a single lane of the four-lane stretch of 25.54 km in a record time of 18 hours. The stretch was being developed between Solapur-Vijapur (NH 52). Nitin Gadkari said that about 500 contractual workers worked hard for that project.

What did the minister for road transport and highways say about this achievement?

The minister said that the achievements made were unprecedented as they were achieved despite restrictions imposed due to the pandemic. He also said that the cumulative cost of the projects had increased by 54% at the end of the fiscal year 2020-21.

Source:-https://bit.ly/3fGTkFs

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International News & Politics

The World Sees Russian Tanks Being Moved To Ukraine Border In Viral Videos

HT News

Russia is sending its military equipment including tanks and other armored vehicles to the Ukraine border and it has employed all trains including those used to transport farming equipment for military purposes even during the farming season.

Viral video of Russian military movement

Several videos of the Russian army moving its armored vehicles towards the Ukraine border are doing round these days. And it is claimed that these videos are made after March 27. The videos show trains carrying a 2S19 Msta-S self-propelled howitzer of 152 millimeters, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicle, and military trucks across a railway bridge connecting Russia with the Crimean Peninsula.

What is the tension between Russia and Ukraine?

Russia has maintained its military presence in Crimea after winning this country in 2014. But it is irritated with the bilateral relations between Ukraine and the US. Recently, the US sent a big consignment of army equipment to Ukraine. But Russia is silent on its latest military adventure on the Ukraine border.

The US asked about the Russian military movement

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that they were trying to get information from Russia over its military movement. General Mark Met, chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff of the US Army, had sought information about the military movement from his Russian counterpart General Valeri Gerasimov. But it isn’t known what was his response to the US. The US army general also contacted Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Army, Ruslan Khomch. But things are still uncertain and the world is feeling threatened by the Russian military.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3fAFynK

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Business News & Politics

A Bihari Farmer Selling His Crop ₹1 Lakh/KG

HT News

If you are of the opinion that farming isn’t a profitable business then this news from Bihar could be an eye-opener for you. A farmer in Bihar cultivated a specific kind of vegetable that sells ₹1 lakh/kg. It is the costliest crop in the world and a humble Indian farmer from a poor state has proved that it could be a game-changer for the farming community.

What is that crop?

It is Hops and popularly known as seed cones or strobiles. Member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants, it is considered the costliest crop because of its uses and health benefits. Would you believe that no part of this plant goes to waste? Everything from fruit, flower to the stem has multiple uses in food and medicines.

What are the uses of Hops flower?

It is used by the beer industry for making alcoholic beverages. Hops flower works as a stability agent in beer making. Also, it is considered a potential remedy for Tuberculosis. Hops plant is rich in antioxidants hence good for your skin. It is also known to bring relief in mental conditions like anxiety, depression, and insomnia.

Who cultivated Hops in Bihar?

Amresh Singh (38), a farmer from Karamnidh Village of Aurangabad district of Bihar, cultivated this risky crop in his field. He bought the seeds of this plant from the Indian Vegetable Research Institute at Varanasi and became the first farmer to cultivate this crop in India. Presently Hops is a rare vegetable in Indian markets.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3dvL3RU

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News & Politics Technology

Now Change Chat Box Color And Adjust Playback Speed Of Voice Messages On WhatsApp

HT News

WhatsApp is working on two important features to take the user experience to the next level. First, the users will be allowed to change the colors of their chat boxes, and second, they could optimize the playback speed of voice messages according to their convenience.

What is color changing feature?

WhatsApp chat box comes in dark color and texts appear in white for visibility. After the color changing feature is introduced, you will be able to change the chat box color where the text on the screen will appear in a darker shade of green. This feature is expected to make text matters more legible.

What is the playback voice message feature?

WhatsApp allows sending voice messages that users can listen to on speaker or headphones. And now they can adjust the playback speed of voice messages for more clarity. Presently users have to replay fast voice messages again and again to understand the messages, but with the new feature, they could adjust the speed of playback messages.

The new playback voice message feature will provide three-speed options – 1x, 1.5x, and 2x. It will be available with WhatsApp version 2.21.60.11 but it is exclusively for iOS users. WhatsApp is beta testing this feature to check its functionality. WhatsApp could make it available for all users in the future.

When would these features be available?

WhatsApp is silent on the release date of both the color changing and playback voice message features as both are under the testing stage. But they could be released anytime.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3dqz8F3

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Cricket IPL News & Politics Sports

Why Players Are Pulling Out Of IPL 2021 Ahead Of Season?

HT News

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will play without Josh Hazlewood this season as the Australian pacer has decided to pull off from IPL 2021 to spend time with his family. He has a very busy season ahead and he wants to spend the coming winter months with his family.

What excuses did Josh Hazlewood give for missing IPL 2021?

He said that it had been a long 10 months into bubbles and quarantine at different times, so he decided to take a rest from cricket and spent some time at home for the next two months. Cricket.com.au quoted Hazlewood as saying that he wanted time to prepare for the upcoming tournaments. Australia will play with the West Indies and Bangladesh T20 tour at the end of the winter season in Australia.

MS Dhoni led CSK has won IPL title in 2010, 2011, and 2018, but it finished seventh in the 2020 season. This year, CSK was quite hopeful of winning the title this year as it has all the top bowlers including Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Lungi Ngidi, Dwayne Bravo, and Josh Hazlewood. But Hazlewood has withdrawn from the IPL 2021.

Other players that pulled out of IPL 2021

Sunrisers Hyderabad announced that it is replacing Mitchell Marsh with Jason Ray as the all-rounder has pulled out of IPL 2021

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) also has to find a replacement for batsman Joshua Philippe that decided to pull out of the season citing personal reasons.

Source:- https://bit.ly/3fw0ZGB

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Business News & Politics

Why Is The Central Government Relying On Small Investments For Funding?

HT News

The central government first announced a steep cut on the interest rates on small savings on the last day of the financial year 2020-21 and then reversed the order today morning citing “orders issued by oversight” as the reason.

What were the interest rate cuts introduced?

The Finance Minister took the entire world by surprise by announcing a reversal of the order of cutting interest rates to schemes including National Savings Certificates (NSC) and Public Provident Fund (PPF) that would have hurt the middle and the lower-middle class hardest had the government allowed their implementation.

The government announced a cut of up to 1.1% in interest rates in the first quarter of 2021-22. It would mean reduction of PPF interest from 7.1% to 6.4%; of NSC from 6.8% to 5.9%; of 5-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme paid quarterly by 0.9%; of Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna from 7.6% to 6.9% and of Kisan Vikas Patra (KVP) by 0.7%.

According to experts, the government is reducing interest on small savings to finance its deficit that has widened due to severe lockdown restrictions and increased borrowings. But it has to withdraw the earlier order fearing strict backlash from the public.

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Football News & Politics Sports

Underperforming England Defeats Poland With 2-1

HT News

England won its World Cup qualifying match with Poland 2-1 but it was a very closely contested match as England could score the winning goal only in the last minutes of the game.

How were the three goals of the match scored?

The first goal came early in the 19th minute when England got a first-half penalty that Harry Kane turned into a goal for England. The second goal was scored in the 58th minute by Jakub Moder. It was an equalizer for Poland. The third goal was the winning stroke at the 85th minute. Harry Maguire played the ball towards the goalpost of Poland.

Here’re the players’ ratings

Nick Pope – 6

The English goalkeeper had three clean sheets before Jordan Moder shot the only goal for Poland but it was more an error of John Stones than Pope.

Kyle Walker – 6

He is the most competent and reliable player for the right-back slot in the English squad. According to experts, Walker is less adventurous at his position but he is relatively untroubled.

John Stones – 5

He is back in the squad after a roller-coaster World Cup career. It seems that his good time has started but his mistake that became an opportunity for Poland reminded his peers about his old failings.

Harry Maguire – 7

A dependable player, Maguire is a certainty in defense and is able to play the ball high up and towards the goal as he displayed in the Wednesday match. Harry Maguire played the winning shot for England.

Source:- https://bit.ly/2PKvOwz

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