J'khand's 2nd Vande Bharat Express to be flagged off on Sunday
Ranchi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually flag-off Jharkhand's second Vande Bharat Express between Ranchi and Howrah on Sunday, a railway official said on Friday.
The regular run of the Ranchi-Howrah-Ranchi Vande Bharat Express will commence from September 27, he said.
On the inaugural day, an official function will be organised at Ranchi station at 10.45am. Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan and other dignitaries will be present on the occasion, chief public relation officer (CPRO) of Ranchi railway division under South Eastern Railway Nishant Kumar told PTI.
The first Vande Bharat Express for both Jharkhand and Bihar was launched on June 27.
The first trial run of the Ranchi-Howrah Vande Bharat was successfully conducted by the Ranchi railway division on Thursday. The Express will run six days a week.
According to the official communiqu by the railways on Friday, the train will depart from Ranchi at 5.15am and reach Howrah at 12.20pm. While returning, the train will leave Howrah at 3.45pm and reach Ranchi at 10.50pm.
The train will have stoppages at Muri, Kotshila, Purulia, Chandil, Tatanagar and Kharagpur, it said.
"The indigenously designed train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities. It will provide more comfort to rail users. The train will be immensely beneficial for students, businessmen, tourists and entrepreneurs. Enhanced connectivity will also provide a boost to socio-economic development in the region," the release said.
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Dhyan Chand lifetime award to be replaced by Arjuna lifetime
New Delhi, Oct 24: The sports ministry on Thursday announced the discontinuation of the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement from this year onwards and the introduction of the Arjuna Award Lifetime in its place in a bid to "rationalise" the various sporting honours of the country.
Instituted in 2002, the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award, named after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand, is given to individuals in disciplines that are part of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, among others.
In 2023, the award was given to former shuttler Manjusha Kanwar, ex-hockey exponent Vineet Kumar and kabaddi player Kavitha Selvaraj.
"The various schemes for sports awards have been rationalised wherein Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced in place of Dhyan Chand Award. To recognise the efforts of coaches at grassroots/development level, they are now eligible for the Dronacharya Award," said a ministry statement.
"The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced and will be given for life time contribution to sports development.
"Further, to recognize the Khelo India scheme, the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy will be given to the University for Overall Top Performance in Khelo India University Games," it added.
The last date for applying for the national sports awards for 2024 is November 14.
