World's oldest person, Kane Tanaka, dies in Japan at 119
Tokyo, Apr 25: The world's oldest person from the southwestern Japanese city of Fukuoka died at the age of 119 on April 19, the government said on Monday.
Kane Tanaka was born on January 2 in 1903, the year Wright Brothers -- Wilbur and Orville Wright -- made the world's first successful flight of powered aircraft, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported.
Famous people born in 1903 included British novelist George Orwell, film director Yasujiro Ozu and Japanese poet Misuzu Kaneko.
According to the report, Tanaka, whose life spanned several Japanese imperial eras -- Meiji, Taisho, Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa, was born just a year before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in 1904.
She was recognised by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest person in March 2019 at the age of 116.
Tanaka also became the oldest person ever on record in Japan after turning 117 years and 261 days old in September 2020.
Apart from being the oldest verified Japanese person ever, Tanaka was also the second oldest verified person ever in the world.
The seventh of nine siblings, Tanaka married when she was 19 and later ran a noodle shop when her husband Hideo and their eldest son went to fight in the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. The couple ran a rice cake store after the war.
Tanaka ascribed her longevity to "eating delicious food", including soda and chocolate, as well as "learning" new things.
She was also fond of calligraphy and liked to solve arithmetic problems.
She spent her later years in a Fukuoka nursing home, where she enjoyed playing the board game Reversi, among other activities.
With Tanaka's death, the world's oldest person now is Lucile Randon, a French woman who is 118 years and 73 days, according to the Gerontology Research Group, which tracks super-centenarians globally.
Japan's oldest person is now Fusa Tatsumi, a 115-year-old woman living in Osaka prefecture, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare said.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
