Local Round-up: New Routes of Vande Bharat, Bastar Olympics and more

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

Bastar in Chhatisgarh to organise "Bastar Olympics" for the first time

The Chhattisgarh government has decided on the "Bastar Olympics" starting on November 1 in an effort to encourage local youngsters to participate in sports and involve them in extracurricular activities outside academics. Four subcategories of younger and senior groups - students, adults, victims of Maoist violence or IED explosions, and surrendered cadres - will compete in the Olympics.

PM Modi inaugurated Vande Bharat trains on six new routes

In a ceremony, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Vande Bharat trains on six different routes in the country. According to a release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Modi flagged off the Tatanagar-Patna Vande Bharat train at Tatanagar Junction Railway Station at approximately 10 am. The remaining trains for routes; Brahmapur-Tatanagar, Rourkela-Howrah, Deoghar-Varanasi, Bhagalpur-Howrah and Gaya-Howrah were given the green signal via video conference.

Two female Indian Navy officers to begin the "around-the-world" voyage

Two female officers from the Indian Navy are set to embark on a global sea expedition, the Navy announced on Sunday. Lieutenant Commanders Roopa A and Dilna K will shortly set out on the "extraordinary expedition" as part of the INSV Tarini's second Navika Sagar Parikrama, according to a Navy announcement. Both officers are being trained under the mentorship of ace circumnavigator and Golden Globe Race winner, Commodore Abhilash Tomy (Retired).

Ford reopens its plant in Chennai after 2 years

Ford Motor announced on Friday that it intends to reopen an export-oriented manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, perhaps reentering a market that it left three years ago. Two days after Tamil Nadu's chief minister announced that the two were in talks to resume manufacturing in the state for exports, Ford announced that it had sent a letter of intent to the state government. Ford stopped producing cars in India for domestic sale in 2021 after struggling to boost volumes and pulled the plug on exports in 2022. 

New PM E-DRIVE scheme to offer subsidies for EVs

The PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) is a new electric vehicle (EV) subsidy program that offers Rs. 50,000 for electric 3-wheelers and Rs.10,000 for each electric 2-wheeler sold till March 2025.

Ayodhya becomes top tourist destination in Uttar Pradesh 

Ayodhya has outnumbered Varanasi to emerge as the top tourist attraction in the state of Uttar Pradesh. 11 crore domestic and international tourists visited the temple town in the first six months of this year as compared to 4.61 crore visiting Varanasi. “The surge is evident when compared with the first six months of last year which saw 19,60,34,967 tourists. This shows an increase of over 13 crore visitors this year,” said Jaiveer Singh, UP tourism and culture minister.