New Delhi [India], August 18 (ANI): On the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Finance sent a proposal for assistance of 160 million euros to the European financing organization KFW for the Integrated Urban Infrastructure Development Project (IUIDP) of the city of Rishikesh with the aim of making Rishikesh a fully equipped city of Dharma and Yoga, said an official statement on Thursday.

Chennai Dec 28 PTI For the differently abled women and men seated on specially designed wheelchairs that could be manoeuvred on sand it was a refreshing experience when waves of water rolled on to their feet at the Marina beach here with a whoosh on a pleasant evening A 200 metre long wooden ramp linking the Marina seashore here with the beach approach road was inaugurated on Tuesday and differently abled men and women all smiles visited the beach using the new facility Such arrangements are needed in all places to recognise the rights of the physically challenged a woman who operated a wheel chair on her own to visit the beach said Municipal Administration Minister K N Nehru Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Minister P K Sekar Babu and Chepakkam-Tiruvallikeni MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin inaugurated the temporary ramp an official release here said Five specially designed wheelchairs that can be used on beach sand has been arranged by the Greater Chennai Corporation and a shamiana pandal and amenities like drinking water and refreshments have been arranged for their use Amenities the ramp and the pandal for the exclusive use of the physically challenged people would be functional till January 3 2022 Nehru accepting the request of differently abled people and their relatives advised civic authorities to allow the use of ramp till January 16 2022 It could not be immediately ascertained if there are proposals to consider making the wooden ramp a permanent feature at the Marina beach and whether such temporary arrangements are being contemplated in other popular beaches of Tamil Nadu The harvest festival of Pongal falls on January 14 and people usually crowd beaches on Kaanum Pongal January 16 a day after the Pongal celebrations PTI VGN BN BN