Local Round-up: Sanjiv Khanna takes Oath as the New CJI, Kashi Balloon and Boat Festival & More!

Local Round-up brings to you what's happening across the country in travel, food, infrastructure, sports, and herein, we have curated the updates from the weekend and the initial of this week for you. So, read these below. 

Justice Sanjiv Khanna takes oath as 51st Chief Justice of India

After his predecessor, Justice DY Chandrachud retired, Justice Sanjiv Khanna took the oath of office as India's 51st Chief Justice on Monday at Rashtrapati Bhavan. At a ceremony that included Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Power Manohar Lal Khattar, former Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and other significant figures, President Droupadi Murmu administered the oath of office to Justice Khanna. 

People of Waghdari village in Maharashtra will get their own polling station for the first time in 77 years

For the first time after India's independence, the Waghdari village in the Nanded district of Maharashtra will get their own polling station. The village which has a population of around 300 people isn't even listed on the land revenue map of India and to date, people had to trek 2 hours to another village to cast their votes. Finally, they will cast their first ballot in the village under the Kinwat constituency in the assembly elections on November 20.

Varanasi to host grand boat race and hot air balloon fest in January

The Uttar Pradesh government plans to host a major three-day boat race event in Varanasi starting on January 17. This event is modelled after Kerala's Vallam Kali. In addition to this, the government will also be hosting hot air ballooning, paramotor gliding, and other comparable adventurous activities to attract tourists. The state tourism department released the logo of the festival titled ‘Kashi Balloon and Boat Festival’. 

Bengaluru Traffic Police to launch new real-time alert super app

The Bengaluru Traffic Police is preparing to introduce ASTraM (Actionable Intelligence for Sustainable Traffic Management), a super-app that will give commuters real-time, practical traffic solutions in order to address the city's infamous traffic problems. The ASTraM app is set to serve as a one-stop platform, bringing together critical traffic information in real-time to enable smoother commutes across Bengaluru.

Darjeeling Zoo's Panda programme among the top 3 finalists for the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Award 

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park was recently shortlisted for a global award for its Red Panda conservation programme. In a first in India, the zoo announced on its Facebook page, “The Darjeeling Zoo is honoured and delighted to announce that our Red Panda Conservation Breeding & Augmentation Program has been shortlisted among the top three finalists by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) for 2024 Conservation Award." 

Gujarat becomes the first state to implement a dedicated semiconductor policy

In alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious vision for a Viksit Bharat, the Gujarat government, led by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, has launched the nation's first 'Gujarat Semiconductor Policy’. An investment of more than Rs. 22,500 crore was made when the foundation stone for Micron's cutting-edge semiconductor ATMP factory was set in Sanand. In the vision of this policy, Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) and Taiwan's PSMC are planning to build India's first commercial artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled semiconductor production facility in Dholera's "Semicon City".

Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath becomes the youngest philanthropist on Hurun India’s list

Nikhil Kamath, co-founder of Zerodha, has become the youngest philanthropist featured in the EdelGive-Hurun India Philanthropy List 2024. Nikhil along with his brother Nitin ranked 15 on the list of Philanthropists, who donated more than Rs.100 crore. According to the report, Kamath’s contributions through the Rainmatter Foundation amount to an impressive Rs.120 crore.