BJP MPs to observe day-long protest fasts against Parliament's disruption
New Delhi, April 6: Blaming the Congress for Parliamentary disruptions, Union Minister Ananth Kumar on Friday said ruling BJP MPs will sit on day-long fasts in their respective constituencies on April 12 to protest the washout of the second half of the budget session.
The Parliamentary Affairs Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said it was for the first time that MPs of any party have foregone their salaries along with allowances because the two houses did not function.
"It is for the first time that both salaries and allowance have been foregone... but this is not the first time that Parliament has been disrupted... we have tried to raise the moral standard," he said.
The National Democratic Alliance MPs had announced they would forego salaries for 23 days due to the washout of the second half of the budget session due to opposition protests.
The budget session of Parliament started on January 29 and went into a break on February 9. The two houses met for the second half of the session on March 5, which concluded on Friday.
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China unveils world's fastest high-speed train prototype, to travel at 450 kmph
Beijing, Dec 29: China on Sunday unveiled an updated model of its high-speed bullet train which its manufacturer claims reached speeds of 450 kmph during the test runs, making it the world’s fastest high-speed train.
According to the China State Railway Group Co (China Railway), the new model, known as the CR450 prototype, will further shorten travel time and improve connectivity, making travel more convenient and efficient for the country's vast passengers.
The CR450 prototype reached a test speed of 450 kmph, with key performance indicators — operational speed, energy consumption, interior noise, and braking distance — setting a new international benchmark, official media here reported.
It is significantly faster than the CR400 Fuxing high-speed rail (HSR) currently in service, which operates at speeds of 350 kmph, a report by state-run Xinhua said.
China Railway will arrange a series of line tests for the prototypes and optimise technical indicators to ensure the CR450 enters commercial service as soon as possible, it said.
According to the latest official figures, China's operational HSR tracks have reached about 47,000 kms, connecting major cities in the country.
Though not profitable, China says the HSR network expansion has played a crucial role in the nation's economic and social development, reducing travel times and boosting industrial development along railway routes.
According to internal surveys, the Beijing-Shanghai train service was the most profitable, while the networks in other cities have yet to turn lucrative.
In recent years, China’s HSR exported its network in Thailand and Indonesia, and built the Belgrade-Novi Sad HSR in Serbia.
China’s Big Move!
— Shen Shiwei 沈诗伟 (@shen_shiwei) December 29, 2024
The world’s fastest and China’s new-generation high-speed train CR450 for commercial operation officially debut in Beijing.
The luxury and intelligent high-speed train will operate at a speed of 400km/h, faster than the current Fuxing which runs at 350km/h. pic.twitter.com/4i4BvUFF8E
