TELANGANA -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched phase-1 of 'Mission Bhagiratha', a flagship project of Telangana government aimed at providing piped drinking water to every household in the state.
Modi unveiled a plaque in Medak district's Komatibanda village under Gajwel constituency, represented in the Assembly by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, and formally turned on a water tap on the premises to mark the occasion.
This is the Prime Minister's maiden visit to Telangana after formation of the state in June 2014.
On the occasion, Modi also unveiled plaques to mark the laying of foundation stone for the 152-km Manoharabad- Kothapalli new railway line (connecting Hyderabad and Karimnagar), NTPC's Telangana Super Thermal Power Project Stage-1 (2x800 MW), Ramagundam, Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences, Warangal and revival of Ramagundam fertiliser plant in Karimnagar district.
He also dedicated to the nation the Singareni Thermal Power Project (2X600 MW) at Jaipur in Adilabad district.
Besides, Governor of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh E S L Narasimhan and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, H N Ananth Kumar, Suresh Prabhu, Piyush Goyal and Bandaru Dattatreya were among those present on the occasion.
Photos: A Last Look At Andaman's Only Swimming Elephant
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Open Image ModalANDAMAN ISLANDS, BAY OF BENGAL - UNSPECIFIED DATE ***EXCLUSIVE***:***STRICTLY NO INTERNET USE***Rajan the elephant walks out of the Bay Of Bengal. Gliding gracefully beneath crystal clear waters this Asian bull elephant cuts a memerising figure. Weighing a hefty 3.5 tons and standing at a whopping four metres tall, Rajan is the last swimming elephant of the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Dive tour operators and underwater photographers Jacqueline Russell and Jake Ziegler spent one week swimming and photographing the mammoth beast, capturing these stunning images. 'It was our first time in the Andaman Islands and to swim with Rajan was an incredible experience,' said Bristol-born Jacqueline. Aged 59, Rajan was originally taken to the islands for logging in the forests before it was banned in 2002. He has now become a tourist attraction on Havelock island and amazes visitors as he exercises in the ocean. Like most mammals, elephants are superb swimmers, able to go for long distances without tiring. Their huge bulk and colossal lungs give them excellent buoyancy. The handy addition of a natural snorkel - their long trunks - lets them swim with their mouths below the surface. Thanks to her meticulous planning, Jacqueline and Jake were able to spend three days submerged with the gentle giant in swimming. 'Rajan does not like to swim every day as he is getting on in years now, so we planned ahead of time to book Rajan for the whole week so he did not get tired or swim with anyone else,' revealed Jacqueline. 'But Rajan was amazing and he gladly obliged and swam with us on all three days. (Photo by Barcroft Media / Getty Images) (credit:Barcroft via Getty Images)
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