IRCTC signed MoU with KSTDC to improve tourism and run Golden Chariot train:

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited (IRCTC), a tourism arm of Indian Railways, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC). The MoU aimed to market and operate the Golden Chariot train.

The MOU is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s vision to promote tourism in India. It will also execute PM Modi`s call to the countrymen to visit at least fifteen tourism spots in the country.

MoU highlights:

♦ Under the MoU, the KSTDC will hand over the reins of the train to IRCTC soon. 

♦ IRCTC plans to revamp the train itineraries and to add different ideas that KSTDC offers. It can be expected that the new itineraries shall be a mix of history, culture, wildlife, and nature. 

♦ IRCTC has proposed to include Bandipur, Mysore, Halebid, Chikmagalur, Hampi, Bijapur, and Goa in the itinerary. 

♦ IRCTC will carry out an internal refurbishment of the train and begins the operations from March 2020. 

♦ The Golden Chariot train, which started its operations in 2008, is an initiative by the Government of Karnataka in a joint venture with the Ministry of Railways.

CCRAS signed MoU with JNU, ILBS for training in Ayurveda: 

The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS). 

MoU:

♦ Under the MoU, the institutes can cooperate in the field of research and development, training in Ayurveda, and traditional medicine.

♦ This will lead to translational research in Ayurveda through interdisciplinary approaches for global acceptance and understanding of the Indian knowledge system of medicine.

♦ The research collaboration between the institution will generate tangible evidence on fundamental principles of Ayurveda through multi-omics studies, the efficacy of Ayurveda interventions for emerging health challenges like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).