Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled a 70-feet tall statue of Lord Buddha at Rajgir in Nalanda district on November 25, 2018. The statue has been installed above a 16 metre radius pedestal in the middle of the lake Ghora Katora and has been made from 45,000 cubic foot pink sand stone.

The 12th World Congress on Mountain Medicine 2018 has started in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal on November 21. The theme of 4 day congress is “Mountain Medicine in the Heart of the Himalayas”. The biennial event mainly focuses on science and research aspects of high altitude medicine. It will also include practical workshops related to trekking, expedition medicine and clinical education.

In Kenya, the first-ever Sustainable Blue Economy Conference 2018 was held in Nairobi from November 26 to 28 with theme ‘The Blue Economy and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. The global conference was organized by Kenya, with Canada and Japan as co-hosts. Over 4,000 participants from around the world participated in it. From India, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari addressed the conference. In it, Gadkari said India has a strategic location in the Indian Ocean region, and on this basis, it endorses the growth of the Blue Economy in a sustainable, inclusive and people centred manner through the framework of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). The Blue Economy refers to sustainable use of ocean resources for growth, jobs and improved living standards, while preserving the ecosystem. It encompasses areas like maritime transport, fisheries, renewable energy, waste management and tourism.