The first-ever India-Hungary Joint Working Group for water management cooperation convened in New Delhi, with representatives from both countries focusing on the critical issues of groundwater over-exploitation and proper water management practices. Six core areas received special attention, including extreme phenomena, groundwater exploration, and mitigation of climate change effects on water resources. To steer this collaboration, a three-year work agreement was developed, formalized by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost technological, scientific, and managerial capacities in water management. A team of Hungarian experts also visited various successful initiatives under India’s National Mission for Clean Ganga.
One Earth One Health – Advantage Healthcare India 2023 Meet
The Prime Minister inaugurated the 6th Edition of One Earth One Health – Advantage Healthcare India 2023 meet, affirming India’s dedication towards making healthcare affordable and accessible worldwide. The conclave highlighted the urgency for a unified, inclusive, and institutional response to global health challenges and brought into focus India’s traditional healthcare systems as solutions to stress-related and lifestyle diseases. Attended by several Health Ministers and other stakeholders, the event aimed to promote collaborations for universal health coverage through value-based healthcare while showcasing India’s prowess in medical value travel.
Northeast Gas Grid Project Achieves Milestone
The Prime Minister applauded the Northeast Gas Grid project for achieving a significant milestone—constructing a 24-inch diameter natural gas pipeline using the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) method under the Brahmaputra River. This achievement ranked as Asia’s longest hydrocarbon pipeline river crossing and the world’s second-longest. Designed to provide clean, affordable energy to India’s northeastern states, the project forms part of India’s strategy to increase natural gas share in its energy mix and develop the National Gas Grid.
“Zero Shadow Day” Phenomenon Observed in Bengaluru
On 25th April 2023, Bengaluru observed a unique phenomenon called Zero Shadow Day. At exactly 12:17 pm, vertical structures like buildings and trees cast no shadows as the sun was directly overhead, causing shadows to fall right beneath the objects. This event occurs twice annually at every location between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, with the next occurrence for Bengaluru due on 18th August 2023. Areas outside these tropics do not experience this. As the earth rotates around the sun, the sun’s rays fall directly perpendicular to the surface, creating a subsolar point, which changes location. This natural event is crucial as it aids in measuring the earth’s axial tilt responsible for the changing seasons.
