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By admin: Jan. 8, 2023

International Kite Festival kicked off in Ahmedabad

Tags: Festivals

The International Kite Festival 2023 began on 8 January in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

An overview of the news

• The festival, which is being organised after a gap of two years, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

• The previous edition was held in 2020 with 153 participants from 43 countries.

• The festival is being organised by Gujarat Tourism on the G20 theme of 'One Earth, One Family, One Future'.

• Apart from Ahmedabad, the International Kite Festival will also be organised in Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Dwarka, Somnath, Dhordo and Kevadia.

• After a gap of 2 years, the sky above the Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad will be decorated with colourful unique kites.

• More than 800 kite flyers from across India and the world will participate in the festival and display their unique creations.

• This year kite lovers from different countries will attempt to create a Guinness World Record for the maximum number of kite flyers at the same time.

• The 68 countries participating in the event include Australia, Canada, France, Russia, Germany, Greece, Israel, Egypt, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, Belgium, Bahrain, Iraq and Malaysia.

The International Kite festival

• The International Kite festival has many names, it is also known as Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti in Gujarat. 

• This festival has been celebrated every year on January 14 since 1989.

• The kite flying is led from Ahmedabad.

• It is regarded as one of the biggest festivals of Gujarat.

• It is believed that this is the day when the Gods wake up from their long sleep and the gates of heaven open.

Luxury Cruise Ganga Vilas carrying Swiss tourists reaches Ghazipur in UP

Tags: National News

The luxury Cruise Ganga Vilas carrying Swiss tourists on 7 January reached Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh.

An overview of the news

• The tourists visited the famous places of Ghazipur including the tomb of Lord Cornwallis. The cruise reached Varanasi on 8 January.

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off Ganga Vilas, the world's longest river cruise, on January 13.

• The cruise will start from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and end at Dibrugarh in Assam.

• The journey will cover a distance of 3,200 km in 50 days and pass through 27 river systems in India and Bangladesh.

• The cruise will also pass through national parks and sanctuaries including Sundarbans Delta and Kaziranga National Park.

World’s longest river cruise  Ganga Vilas

• The length of the Ganga Vilas vessel is 62 metres and the width is 12 metres.

• It has three decks, 18 suites on board with a capacity of 36 passengers, with all facilities for tourists.

• It is equipped with pollution free mechanisms and noise control technologies.

• The itinerary of Ganga Vilas has been conceptualised to showcase the rich heritage of India with stops at places of historical, cultural and religious importance.

• Ganga Vilas Cruises is the first cruise service of its kind.

• With the support of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under the Ministry of Shipping, Ports and Waterways, efforts are on to make this service a success in other parts.

The global River cruise market

• The global river cruise market has grown at a rate of ~5% over the past few years and is expected to account for ~37% by 2027.

• Europe is the fastest growing with about 60% of river cruise ships in the world.

• In India, 8 river cruise ships operate between Kolkata and Varanasi, while cruise movement also operates on National Waterway 2 (Brahmaputra).

• 10 passenger terminals are under construction on NW2 which will further enhance the potential for river cruises.

India overtakes Japan to become third largest auto market globally

Tags: Economics/Business National News

According to the latest Nikkei Asia industry data, India has overtaken Japan to become the third largest auto market for the first time.

An overview of the news

• India’s new vehicle sales were at least 4.25 million units, ahead of the 4.2 million sold in Japan, based on preliminary results. 

• New vehicles delivered in India between January and November 2022 totaled 4.13 million. 

• In December 2022 sales volume the total comes to around 4.25 million units.

• India sales volumes are expected to increase further with the inclusion of pending sales figures for the fourth quarter for commercial vehicles.

• Most of the new autos sold in India last year consisted of vehicles powered by gasoline, including hybrid vehicles.

• Along with Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors and other Indian automakers have seen sales growth during the last year.

• According to British research firm Euromonitor, only 8.5 per cent of Indian households own a passenger vehicle in 2021, which means there is considerable scope for growth in sales.

• According to data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association, 4,201,321 vehicles were sold in Japan last year, down 5.6 percent from 2021.

World's largest auto market

• In 2021, China topped the global auto market with sales of 26.27 million vehicles.

• The US stood second with 15.4 million vehicles sold, followed by Japan with 4.44 million units.

• According to Nikkei Asia, China overtook Japan to become the second largest auto market in 2006.

• In 2009, China overtook the US to become the world's largest auto market.

Talon Grikspoor of the Netherlands won the singles title at the Maharashtra Open tennis tournament in Pune

Tags: Sports Sports News

The Netherlands' Tallon Griekspoor prevailed in three-set final against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi to win his maiden ATP World Tour title as the first-time finalists dished out a gripping game of tennis in Pune on 7 January.

An overview of the news

• Grikspoor (World No. 95) won a thrilling 4-6 7-5 6-3 title against his French opponent in two hours and 16 minutes to clinch the fifth edition of Tata Open Maharashtra title.

• Both the players put on a scintillating performance in front of a packed Center Court crowd at the Balewadi Stadium and enthralled the fans with their breathtaking shot-making and tenacity.

• The two had played a lot of junior tennis together, and in the 2021 season, were on a winning spree of Challengers, with Grikspur winning eight of those titles, Bonzi winning six.

• It has been almost a decade since the Netherlands won a singles title on Tour.

• South Asia's only ATP 250 was organised by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in association with the Government of Maharashtra for the fifth year in Pune.

• Earlier, the Indian pair of N Sriram Balaji and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan finished runners-up in doubles after going down 4-6, 4-6 against fourth seeded pair of Sander Gille and Joran Willijn in the final.

• Gille and Vliegen secured their sixth ATP Tour title.