Page 6 - NIS English 16-31 August 2023

News Briefs

been received by many dignitaries including Dr.
Shankar Dayal Sharma, Pranab Mukherjee, Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, Indira Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan
Singh. After receiving the honour, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi said, “Having received the honor in
Pune is an unforgettable occasion of my life. I have
decided to donate the amount given to me along
with the award for the Namami Gange project.
Lokmanya Tilak is the 'Tilak' on the forehead of our
independence history. If the name of the award is

PM MODI HONOURED WITH LOKMANYA associated with Lokmanya Tilak, then the sense
of responsibility increases manifold. I dedicate
TILAK AWARD; AWARDED MONEY the award to 140 crore countrymen. I also assure
CONTRIBUTED TO NAMAMI GANGE the countrymen that I will leave no stone unturned
to serve them, fulfill their wishes and aspirations.
he Lokmanya Tilak National Award, given by Earlier in the year 2019, Prime Minister Narendra
Tthe Tilak Smarak Mandir Trust on the death Modi had also dedicated an amount of Rs 1.30 crore,
anniversary of freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak, received at the Seoul Peace Prize in South Korea
was given to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for for international cooperation, to the Namami Gange
doing remarkable and extraordinary work for the project. The proceeds from the auction
progress and development of the nation. On August of the gifts that PM Modi receives in the
1 in Pune, Chief Trustee Deepak Tilak presented country and abroad is also handed over to
the 41st award to PM Modi. Earlier this award has the Namami Gange project.

STEEL SLAG ROADS STRENGTHENING THE INDIA IMPROVES

MANTRA OF ''KACHRE SE KANCHAN' RANKING IN PASSPORT
STRENGTH

ndia has developed the world's latest steel road technology
I(Steel Slag Road) which is giving strength to Prime Minister ndia's passport has become
Narendra Modi's waste to wealth mantra. This road is not only Istronger globally. As per the latest
suitable for India but also 30 per cent cheaper and lasts three report of Henley Passport Index,
times longer. the ranking of Indian passports has
Union Minister of State for Science & Technology (Independent improved by 5 points from 2022.
Charge) Dr. Jitendra Singh announced in New Delhi on 17 July India ranks 80th in the Henley
that India has developed the world's latest steel road technology. Passport Index 2023. With this
The development of this technology has been pioneered by CSIR- passport, 57 countries of the world
CRRI which will facilitate large scale utilization of waste steel either give visa free access or the
slag of steel plants in road construction. For the first time a road option of visa on arrival is given.
was made of steel slag in Surat, Gujarat, while the Border Roads In Visa on Arrival, passengers
Organization has used steel slag in a heavy duty road in Arunachal are given an immediate visa at
Pradesh. This technology has been successfully tested in Gujarat, the airport after reaching the
Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh. respective country and its process
is also easy. Indian passport
n India is the second largest steel producer in the world.
holders need a visa to travel to 177
n 200 kg of steel slag is generated per tonne of steel production. countries in the world, including
n Present steel slag in the country is 1.9 crore tonnes annually, the US, China, Japan, Russia, and
which is likely to reach 6 crore tonnes by 2030. European Union countries.

4 New India Samachar August 16-31, 2023