Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<keyword id="6362858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala-Tourism">Kerala Tourism</keyword> is targeting a healthy 10-12 per cent growth in both arrivals as well as in earnings in the year to March 2020 as the state has returned to normalcy after the worst deluge in a century had ravaged the entire state last year, a senior official has said. Despite the killer floods, the state had recorded a 6 per cent increase in both footfalls and revenue in 2018. It can be noted that tourism was one of the worst affected business sectors of the state's economy that was impacted by the worst deluge in a century that ravaged the entire state in August-September of 2018. The tourism hot-spot <keyword id="30469" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kochi">Kochi</keyword> and the surrounding areas and the Alappuzha, known for its famed boat-houses and backwaters, bore the brunt of the floods bringing the industry to a complete standstill. Apart from remittances, tourism is the mainstay of the Kerala economy with 12 per cent of the state GDP is contributed by this. "After the worst floods last year, tourism has recovered fully from January 2019. We saw 8.07 per cent growth in arrivals in the first quarter at 41,90,468 against 38,77,712 during the same period last year. Looking at the current trends we expect 10-12 per cent growth in both arrivals as well as in earnings this fiscal year," Kerala Tourism information officer Suraj PK told PTI. Despite the floods, Kerala closed 2018 with total footfalls of 16.7 million, up 6 per cent over 2017 while the earnings were over Rs 36,520 crore, up from Rs 28,740 crore, he added. In 2017, the footfalls were 15.67 million, recording an increase of 5.93 per cent. Of the total footfalls, 1.09 million were foreign tourists. The share of revenue from foreign visitors touched Rs 8,764.46 crore. Domestic tourism sector also gained during the period with visitors exceeding 15.6 million, showing an increase of 6.35 per cent, according to the numbers shared by the department. Buoyed by a healthy surge in domestic tourist arrivals, Kerala Tourism is all set to kick-start a new aggressive marketing campaign with a string of partnership meets across 10 cities, showcasing a combination of the state's traditional art forms and its attractive products of touristy appeal. Suraj said tourism will also get a boost from the very first edition of the Kerala's Champions Boat League (CBL), which began from late August. The boat league is conceived in the IPL format. "Every weekend any tourist who comes to Kerala will be able to witness one 'Champions Boat Race' in any of the major backwaters. It will end with the President's Trophy Boat Race in <keyword id="6357351" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="kollam">Kollam</keyword> on November 23, holding 12 races during the intervening weekends. It will be a world-class experience for the guests," he added. To attract tourists, the state has also added an array of new destinations and experiences that will make Kerala a 365-day destination for leisure travel. "A special attraction would be the <keyword id="61688" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jatayu">Jatayu</keyword> Earth Centre, an hour drive north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, which houses a giant statue of Jatayu, he said. The statue is 200-feet long, 150 feet wide and 70 feet in height, making it the largest functional bird sculpture in the world, Suraj added. Another new attraction is the country's first biodiversity museum, which is tucked away on the outskirts of the capital city. This museum, once a boathouse, is now home to the state's first-ever science-on-sphere system. Another first is the <keyword id="489015" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Muziris">Muziris</keyword> Heritage Project, expected to be completed this year, is the largest heritage conservation project in the country. The remains of a once-thriving port frequented by the Arabs, the Romans and the Egyptians during the first century BC is preserved across 25 museums. Another offering in the historical space is the Spice Route Project that rekindles the 2,000-year-old ancient sea links and the shared cultural and culinary legacies with 30 countries. Kerala is keen to figure prominently in the meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) tourism destinations as well, Suraj said.

Kerala wants to bounce back after floods, eyes 10-12% growth in tourism

God’s own country, Kerala, which is famous for its backwaters, sunset and hills, is going to add yet another attraction to its land-the sprawling <keyword id="3715825" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="jatayu-nature-park">Jatayu Nature Park</keyword>. 
 
As it suggests, Jatayu Nature Park is named after mythological bird ‘Jatayu’ who died while saving Sita from Ravana in the epic Ramayana. This Nature Park will have the world’s largest bird sculpture. 
 
The Jatayu Nature Park, sprawling over 65 acres of land, set in a picturesque background, will enthral the visitors as it will have a plethora of things to offer on its platter such as adventure, wellness and mythological stories, that too, in an interesting manner. 
 
To enhance tourism in the state, this is for the first time that the Kerala Government has tied up with a private player to build this Nature Park, which will also have a 6D theatre and an audio-visual based digital museum. 
 
Here are the other details of the Park that make it a huge attraction:

This Jatayu Nature Park in Kerala has world’s largest bird sculpture and is going to be a major tourist attraction

<keyword id="64143" type="General" weightage="70" keywordseo="jonas-brothers" source="Orion">Jonas Brothers</keyword>, <keyword id="6354551" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sting" source="Orion">Sting</keyword>, Halsey and OneRepublic and Anoushka Shankar are all set to perform in Mumbai at the multi-genre music festival <keyword id="14566742" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="lollapalooza-india" source="Orion">Lollapalooza India</keyword> in January. After the successful first Indian edition, the music festival is returning to the country with a blend of diverse and exciting flavours from the world of music and culture. The music festival will be held on January 27 and 28 at Mahalaxmi Race Course. The festival will feature four stages and over 20 hours of live music. Other performers at the festival include Lauv, Jungle, Royal Blood, rapper JPEGMAFIA, Meduza, DJ Malaa, Caribou, The Rose, Eric Nam, Fatoumata Diawara, DJ Kenny Beats,The Raghu Dixit Project, When Chai Met Toast and Garden City Movement. Indian artistes at the festival are The Karan Kanchan Experience, Parvaaz, Prabh Deep, Dualist Inquiry, Komorebi, Parekh &amp; Singh, Skrat, Kamakshi Khanna, JBABE, Chrms, Dewdrops, Shashwat Bulusu, Jatayu, Monophonik, Sublime Sound, Stalvart John, Long Distances and Megan Murray. The first edition of Lollapalooza India saw over 60,000 fans engaging with the electrifying performances, stage production and immersive festival experiences with genres like pop, rock, hip-hop, indie, Electronic Dance Music (EDM), techno and a host of new Indian sounds discovered by the festival goers. In addition, the festival will also bring along the much-appreciated Lolla Food Park, several experiential zones such as festival-look glam stations and customised tailor shops and art installations for infinite Instagram worthy grabs. BookMyShow Live is the promoter and co-producer of Lollapalooza India.

Jonas Brothers, Sting, Halsey, OneRepublic to headline 2nd edition of Lollapalooza India

Prime Minister Shri <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword> participated in the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Shri Ramlalla in the newly-built Shri <keyword id="412432" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ram-Janmbhoomi" source="Orion">Ram Janmbhoomi</keyword> Mandir in <keyword id="6354931" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ayodhya" source="Orion">Ayodhya</keyword> on Monday. The Prime Minister reached Ayodhya earlier in the day to take part in the auspicious ceremony. "The divine moment of Pran Prathishta of Shri Ram Lala in Ayodhya Dham is an emotional moment for everyone. It is my good fortune to be part of this unique programme. Jai Siyaram," PM Modi said in a tweet. RSS Chief <keyword id="42702" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mohan-Bhagwat" source="Orion">Mohan Bhagwat</keyword>, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and state Chief Minister <keyword id="19898780" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="yogi-adityanath" source="keywords">Yogi Adityanath</keyword> are also attending the ceremony being held at the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. Over 8,000 guests have been invited for the ceremony at the grand temple. Representatives of all major spiritual and religious sects of the country are attending the historic Pran Pratishtha ceremony. People from all walks of life including representatives of various tribal communities are also attending the ceremony. Prime Minister will address this distinguished gathering on the occasion. Prime Minister will interact with shramjeevis associated with the construction of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir. He will also visit the Kuber Tila, where the ancient Mandir of Bhagwan Shiv has been restored. The magnificent Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Mandir is constructed in traditional Nagara style. Its length (east-west) is 380 feet; width 250 feet and height is 161 feet; and is supported by a total of 392 pillars and 44 doors. The pillars and walls of the temple showcase intricately sculpted depictions of Hindu deities, gods, and goddesses. In the main sanctum sanctorum at ground floor, the childhood form of Bhagwan Shri Ram (the idol of Shri Ramlalla) has been placed. The main entrance to the Mandir is situated on the eastern side, which can be approached by ascending 32 stairs through the Singh Dwar. There are a total of five Mandaps (Halls) in the Mandir - Nritya Mandap, Rang Mandap, Sabha Mandap, Prathana Mandap and Kirtan Mandap. Near the Mandir is a historic Well (Sita koop), dating back to the ancient era. In the southwestern part of the Mandir complex, at Kuber Tila, the ancient Mandir of Bhagwan Shiv has been restored, along with the installation of a statue of Jatayu. The foundation of the Mandir has been constructed with a 14-meter- thick layer of roller-compacted concrete (RCC), giving it the appearance of artificial rock. No iron is used anywhere in the Mandir. For protection against ground moisture, a 21-foot-high plinth has been constructed using granite. The Mandir complex has a sewage treatment plant, water treatment plant, water supply for fire safety and an independent power station. The Mandir has been constructed employing the country's traditional and indigenous technology.

PM Modi participates in Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodhya

NEW DELHI: When the <keyword id="6376012" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Tejas">Tejas</keyword> light combat aircraft tears into the sky over Bangalore on Friday, its sonic boom will finally herald a major milestone in the long, tortuous developmental saga of the homegrown supersonic fighter. 
 Having clocked almost 2,420 flight tests since its prototype first flew in January 2011, the lightweight multirole Tejas fighter will finally zoom past the initial operational clearance (<keyword id="6354733" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="IOC">IOC</keyword>) mark on Friday. For long wary of <keyword id="508910" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="The-Fighter">the fighter</keyword> being prematurely thrust down its throat, even the IAF will clap this time. 
 "This Tejas Mark-I is much better than a MiG-21 'Bison' on several counts, including weapon-carrying capability and range. But the fighter's full capabilities will emerge only in the Tejas Mark-II version, with a more powerful engine, radar and weapons, which is slated to be ready by December 2018," said a top <keyword id="194542" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="IAF-officer">IAF officer</keyword>. 
 But that is in the future. Friday will mark the actual IOC - which basically signifies the fighter is fully airworthy in different conditions, from extremely low temperatures of high-altitude areas to the searing heat of deserts - of the Tejas Mark-I. It will not be the specious one that the combine of Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), <keyword id="139969" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Aeronautical-Development-Agency">Aeronautical Development Agency</keyword> (ADA) and <keyword id="139970" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Hindustan-Aeronautics-Ltd">Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd</keyword> (HAL) passed off as IOC-I in January 2011. 
 
 
 
The Tejas Mark-I fighter, however, will be ready to go to battle only in 2015 once it gets the final operational clearance (FOC), after integration of all weapons and other systems to ensure it can fi re 23mm guns, rockets and BVR (beyond visual range) missiles as well as undergo air-to-air refuelling. As of now, the Tejas can let loose only close-range R-73 air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground laser and unguided bombs. 
 It's a no-brainer that India needs to have its own <keyword id="6500558" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="40" keywordseo="Indigenous">indigenous</keyword> fighter in an era where the supremacy of airpower in shaping modern-day battles is unquestioned, and foreign imports can be choked in times of emergencies. 
 But the way the LCA project has meandered over the years, since it was fi rst approved in August 1983 at a paltry cost of Rs 560 crore to replace the ageing MiG-21s, has tested everyone's patience. So much so that TOI in April 2003, just before then PM <keyword id="47100" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Atal-Bihari-Vajpayee">Atal Bihari Vajpayee</keyword> named it "Tejas", had suggested it be christened "Jet-Ayu" - 'Ayu' being the Hindi word for age, and 'Jatayu', the bird king who fought Ravana in vain to prevent him from abducting Sita. 
 
Down to just 34 fighter squadrons, IAF is of course still fl ying the obsolete MiG-21s. Due to the huge delay in the LCA project, it still has around 250 MiG-21s in its combat fleet, having further staggered their already long-delayed retirement by at least another five years. Not only has the LCA been in the making for 30 years, with deadlines being missed time and again, its overall developmental cost has also zoomed up to Rs 17,269 crore. This includes the Kaveri aero engine, sanctioned in 1989 at a cost of Rs 2,839 crore, which flopped miserably. 
 Consequently, while the first lot of Tejas will be powered by the American <keyword id="45528" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="GE">GE</keyword>-404 engines, the Mark-II ones will have the more powerful GE F-414 engines. Over and above the developmental cost, each Tejas will cost around Rs 210-250 crore. So, the induction of 160 Tejas - 120 for IAF, 40 for Navy - will cost another Rs 35,000 crore. 
 
However, defence scientists pooh-pooh all this talk of high costs. 
 "A fourth-generation-plus fighter, Tejas will still be among the cheapest fighters in its class in the world. It's not easy to develop a digital fl y-by-wire supersonic fighter from scratch, especially when India faced international sanctions for several years after the Pokhran-II nuclear tests," said a <keyword id="9662" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Scientist">scientist</keyword>. 
 Though late in coming, the Tejas is certainly critical for the IAF to meet its lightweight fighter requirements. While the heavyweight fighter category is taken care of by the Sukhoi-30MKIs, the medium range is to be met by the proposed almost $20 billion MMRCA (medium multirole combat aircraft) project to acquire 126 <keyword id="6381048" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Rafale">Rafale</keyword> fighters. 
 "The MMRCA and Tejas squadrons are very critical for us to maintain our deterrence capability. Otherwise, our force levels will go down rapidly," says <keyword id="483998" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="IAF-Chief-Air-Chief-Marshal">IAF chief Air Chief Marshal</keyword> NAK Browne.

You Searched For "jatayu" and got 5 results

Kerala wants to bounce back after floods, eyes 10-12% growth in tourism

PTI

This Jatayu Nature Park in Kerala has world’s largest bird sculpture and is going to be a major tourist attraction

Akanksha Jain

Jonas Brothers, Sting, Halsey, OneRepublic to headline 2nd edition of Lollapalooza India

IANS

PM Modi participates in Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ram Temple in Ayodhya

ANI

Tejas: A Rs 50,000 crore bird for India

Times Of India

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides