Rs2,400 crore
What is it? The amount government will spend to promote tourism in Jammu & Kashmir in the next five years.
Why is it important? The planned investment underlines the government’s attempts to bring normalcy to the state by soft measures. Inflow of tourists could potentially improve perception of the state, besides boosting local economy and providing employment. About 13 lakh tourists visited the state last year.
Tell me more: Of the Rs 2,400 crore, Rs 2000 will be spent by the central government, and the rest by the state government.
3 hours
What is it? The time/rest window the Indian Railways will take daily to inspect tracks for defects and their rectification.
Why is it important? The recent spate of train accidents which could have been avoided with better maintenance has led to this decision. But it will be a tall task to implement as 492 of the railways’ 1,219 high density sections (40%) run at 100% or more capacity. It would make halting operations on any track without leading to a dent on performance and revenue challenging.
Tell me more: This order was issued a fortnight after the parliamentary standing committee on railways its safety report.
2
What is it? The number of seats that Shiv Sena, one of Maharashtra’s regional parties, won more than the national Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
Why is it important? The tussle was for India’s richest civic bodies. The two former allies who are now warring might have to call a truce to form the new administration, much like the coalition last time, as the seats won (84 and 82) give none of them a majority.
Tell me more: BJP is being seen as having done well by being just two seats shy of Shiv Sena’s count.
2,500 kgs
What is it? The weight of the cargo delivered by SpaceX capsule to International Space Station.
Why is it important? The success of SpaceX’s mission was critical for Elon Musk run SpaceX, which suffered a setback last year after its rocket Falcon 9 exploded while being fueled for a test fire. Musk’s ambition is to colonise Mars to make humans multi-planetary species.
Tell me more: The cargo delivery was delayed by three days by NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) original calendar. The launch was delayed by a day, after the first attempt was aborted seconds before the firing, and the connection between the craft and Space Station was delayed because of an issue with GPS.
Rs 1,650 crore
What is it? The outstanding spectrum payments of Telenor’s Indian business that Bharti Airtel will be taking over.
Why is it important? The spectrum dues along with other operational contract arrears for phone towers etc. are what Airtel will be paying for the takeover. It will not pay cash for the deal. Telenor’s bumpy Indian ride comes to an end with the sale of a unit which had run up losses of Rs 2,530 crore and was marked down by Rs 5,000 crore last year. It would bolster Airtel in a market sent into a state of flux by Jio’s entry.
Tell me more: Airtel will now have a subscriber base of 307 million, compared to the proposed Vodafone-Idea merger’s 380-390 million.
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