Zojila Pass: Asia's longest tunnel inaugurated by Modi - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

Zojila Pass: Asia's longest tunnel inaugurated by Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Rs 6,809 crore Zojila tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Leh, kickstarting the work for Asia’a longest and strategic bi-directional tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.

The project is expected to be finished within five years. "I'm confident that it will be completed during your (Modi's) tenure as prime minister," Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said at the closing ceremony for the birth centenary celebration of the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche.
Addressing a large congregation gathered for the occasion, the prime minister said that the tunnel would help in connecting the region with the rest of the country, a dream of the Buddhist spiritual guru.
Unveiling a plaque for commencing the work for the tunnel, Modi said, "Zojila tunnel is not a mere tunnel but a modern day marvel."
The Zojila pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National highway and remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall, cutting off Ladakh region from Kashmir. Thus, this project aims at the construction of 14.15 km long two-lane bi-directional single tube tunnel with a parallel 14.2 km long egress tunnel. The tunnel would cut down the 3.5 hours of drive through the mountainous Zojila to 15 minutes.
Modi said it would provide connectivity to the region besides employment to the local youths. He said the carbon dioxide would be removed from the tunnel through a tower, seven times higher than the Qutub Minar.
This pass is most strategic for the entire Kargil sector which has seen intrusion and war in the past and thus as Modi said would help the armed forces for round-the-clock supplies.
The project will further increase the employment potential for the local labourers for the project activities. On its completion, it will lead to an enormous boost in employment as local businesses get linked to national market and tourist traffic increases.
Meanwhile, Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who was also present for the inauguration, in his address said that 90 percent of employment would be provided to local youths in the construction of the tunnel.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired Modi had in January, approved the construction of the tunnel. And while Gadkari had given a time of seven years for completion of the tunnel, the prime minister asked him to ensure that it be completed in next five years.
The civil construction cost of the project which is implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRT&H) through the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) is Rs 4,899.42 crore. As per a report in The Indian Express, The total capital cost of the project is Rs 6,808.69 crore and this includes the cost towards land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities as well as maintenance and operation cost of the tunnel for four years.
"The Zojila tunnel has been planned as a smart tunnel. It will have latest safety features like fully transverse ventilation system, uninterrupted power supply (UPS), tunnel emergency lighting, CCTV monitoring, variable message signs (VMS), traffic logging equipment, over height vehicle detection, tunnel radio system, etc," NDTV quoted a spokesperson.


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Zojila Pass: Asia's longest tunnel inaugurated by Modi.

India among top three countries where trust in government remains high - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis

India among top three countries where trust in government remains high

India continues to be among the top three nations where trust in government remains high despite a small slip since last year, according to the Global Trust Index released annually in Davos. The ranking will reassure the Modi government in the wake of tough reforms like demonetisation and goods and services tax.

India is also in the trust zone as far as how the public sees business, media and NGOs. Though its position slipped to number three this year from first last year, its rating remains at 'trust level' with Indonesia and China ahead of it.
The annual Global Trust Index, released by communications marketing firm Edelman in Davos last week, showed that China gained strongly and jumped to the top position whereas the US reported the steepest decline in public trust in its institutions. China's climb could be linked to the view in the country that it has gained at the expense of a US "withdrawal" from the Asia-Pacific in trade and security.
In aggregate, India's trust rating across government, media, NGOs and business fell 13 percentage points, statistically marking one of the sharpest decreases. But in each category it remained in the 60-100 band marking popular 'trust' in institutions. Media was the lowest at 61, dropping five points since 2017.
The index showed that globally, trust in government, media and NGOs was low as 20 out of 28 countries surveyed online during October-November last year came in the categories where general population distrusted those institutions. India, as last year, continued to buck this trend.
The overall high trust rating will come as welcome news to the Modi government, particularly in the wake of his visit to Davos where he gave a major speech pointing to the benefits of tough and painful reforms like demonetisation and implementation of GST. A worry for India was the perception — outside the country — that its businesses could not be fully trusted. It scored low on this parameter, pointing to the need to make contracts and arbitration more reliable. The report showed that companies headquartered in Canada, Switzerland, Sweden and Australia were most trusted. The least trusted country brands were headquartered in Mexico, India, Brazil and China.
The index report — 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer — revealed that trust in the US had suffered the largest-ever-recorded drop in the survey's history among the general population. Trust among the general population fell nine points to 43, placing it in the lower quarter of the 28-country trust index. The collapse of trust in the US was driven by a staggering lack of faith in government, said an Edelman statement. (Source: Times of India).

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India among top three countries where trust in government remains high