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PM to inaugurate India’s first underwater Metro section in Kolkata on Wednesday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro’s East-West corridor on Wednesday, heralding India’s first venture into underwater metro services, which is deemed as a marvel of engineering prowess.The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section, a groundbreaking addition to the metropolis’s transportation network and touted to be the first transportation tunnel under any mighty river in India, will have the deepest metro station in the country — the Howrah Metro station.Nestled under the River Hooghly, which separates the twin cities of Kolkata and Howrah on its east and west banks respectively, this feat stands as a testament to engineering ingenuity.Kolkata Metro touched a milestone in April 2023, as its rakes completed a trial journey under the bed of Hooghly through a tunnel 32 metres below the water level for the first time in India.
President Murmu to confer Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for 2022, 2023 on Wednesday
President Droupadi Murmu will confer the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for the years 2022 and 2023 on 94 eminent artistes in the field of performing arts on Wednesday, the Ministry of Culture said.Besides, she will also bestow the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (Akademi Ratna) on seven eminent artists (one joint fellowship) during a ceremony to be held at Vigyan Bhawan, it said.The Akademi Awards have been conferred since 1952. These honours not only symbolise the highest standard of excellence and achievement but also recognise sustained individual work and contribution.The honour of Akademi Fellow carries a purse money of Rs 3 lakh while the Akademi Award carries a purse money of Rs 1 lakh, besides a tamrapatra and an angavastram, it said.Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice (Independent Charge) and Parliamentary Affairs and Culture, Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan and Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi Sandhya Purecha will attend the award investiture ceremony, officials said.
