The Central Government is providing an exemption for experimental drone flights for vaccine delivery to enhance the scope of their usage in the country and assist the nation in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have already granted a conditional exemption to the Government of Telangana and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for trial flights for delivery of Covid-19 vaccines. The move is intended to achieve the dual objectives of expediting vaccine delivery and improving primary healthcare access. Aerial delivery of vaccines will also help in limiting exposure of healthcare workers to congested areas and Covid-19 hotspots.
India targeting Rs 15 trillion road construction in next 2 years: Gadkari
Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Nitin Gadkari has said that the Central Government is giving utmost priority to the development of infrastructure and has set a road construction target worth Rs 15 trillion in the next two years. Speaking at the Indo-US Partnership Vision Summit, the minister said that MoRTH would achieve the target of 40 km per day of highway construction in FY2020-21. The minister also said projects like the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP) for 2019-25 would not be instrumental in providing world-class infrastructure to citizens but also improve the quality of their lives.