Punjabi now third language in Parliament of Canada

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✸ Four years after Punjabi became Canada's third most common language, it has now attained the same status in the country's new Parliament after English and French following the election of 20 Punjabi-speaking candidates to the House of Commans.

✸ Of the 20 who speak Punjabi, 18 are Liberals and two are Conservatives. Among the newly-elected Punjabi-speaking MPs, 14 are males and six are females. Ontario elected 12, British Columbia four, Alberta three and one is from Quebec.

✸ According to Statistics Canada’s 2011 National Household Survey, 430,705 Canadians identified Punjabi as their mother tongue, making it the third most common language after English and French. The 430,705 native Punjabi speakers make up about 1.3 per cent of Canada’s population. The 20 Punjabi-speaking MPs represent almost six per cent of the House of Commons.

Mysuru becomes first visually impaired-friendly railway station

✷ To facilitate visually impaired train passengers and make their journey comfortable Indian Railways has unveiled tactile maps of the railway station and train schedules in Braille thus Mysuru railway station has become the country's first visually challenged friendly station in India.

✷ Along with tactile maps of station describing the location and distance of entrance, platforms, counters, washrooms etc, schedule of trains, showing their arrival and departure time, have also been made friendly. About 400 metal signages in Braille have been put up along the railings of the staircases leading various platforms.

✷ As per the proposed scheme the menu cards at the canteen and food plaza at the station will also be available in Braille. Anuprayaas, an NGO assisted the railways in make Mysuru railway station blind-friendly.