India’s Second Longest Cable Stayed Bridge

• Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated India’s second longest cable-stayed bridge, the Sigandur Bridge, built across the Sharavathi backwaters in Sagar taluk, Shivamogga district, Karnataka. 
• The bridge connects Sagara to Marakutika, significantly reducing travel time and enhancing access to nearby villages and religious sites. 

Sigandur Bridge 

Kalinga Ratna Award 2024

• On the 600th birth anniversary of 15th-century Odia poet Sarala Das, President Droupadi Murmu paid tribute at an event organized by Sarala Sahitya Sansad in Cuttack.  
• She praised his contribution to Indian literature, especially for composing the Mahabharata in Odia.  
• The President emphasized mother tongue-based education under NEP 2020 for preserving cultural roots.  
• President Murmu conferred the Kalinga Ratna Award 2024 to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and congratulated Bijaya Nayak for receiving the Sarala Samman.