Industrial Corridors

Why in News

Government has approved the development of the five industrial corridor projects which will be implemented through National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT).

• NICDIT is an apex body under the administrative control of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry for coordinated and unified development of the 5 Industrial Corridors in India.
• In 2017, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Project Implementation Trust Fund (DMIC-PITF) was re-designated as National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT).
• NICDIT supports project development activities and appraisal, approval and sanction of projects. It also coordinates and monitors all central efforts for the development of Industrial Corridor projects.

The Five Industrial Corridors

S.No.	Industrial Corridor	States
1.	Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC)	Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra
2.	Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC)	Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal
3.	Chennai Bengaluru Industrial Corridor (CBIC)	Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala
4.	East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC) with Vizag Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) as Phase-1	West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu
5.	Bengaluru Mumbai Industrial Corridor (BMIC)	Karnataka, Maharashtra

Industrial Corridors

• Industrial corridors offer effective integration between industry and infrastructure, leading to overall economic and social development. Industrial corridors constitute:
  
  • High-speed transportation network – rail and road
  • Ports with state-of-the-art cargo handling equipment
  • Modern airports
  • Special economic regions/industrial areas
  • Logistic parks/transhipment hubs
  • Knowledge parks focused on catering to industrial needs
  • Complementary infrastructure such as townships/real estate
  • Other urban infrastructure along with enabling policy framework
• The 5 industrial corridors are spread across India, with a strategic focus on inclusive development to boost industrialization and planned urbanization.
• Manufacturing is a key economic driver in each of these projects. Industrial Corridors are expected to play a critical role in raising the share of contribution of the manufacturing sector from approximately 16%2 to 25% by 2025.
• Smart cities are being developed along these corridors. These cities, with state-of-the-art infrastructure, will house the new workforce that is required to power manufacturing, in turn leading to planned urbanization.

World Conference on Access to Medical Products

Why in News

The 2019 World Conference on Access to Medical Products: Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 was convened from 19^th-21^st November in New Delhi.

Background

• It was jointly organized by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the World Health Organization in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), and Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI).
• The 2019 Conference was the third such gathering after the 2017 and 2018 World Conference on Access to Medical Products organized in November 2017 and October 2018 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Key Points

• It sought to take forward the international and national agenda on access to medical products.
• The objectives of the conference were:
  
  • UHC and Innovation: Explore new approaches in the innovation landscape in medical products for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the SDG 2030 goals.
  • Regulation of medical products and access: Identify regulatory mechanisms for improved access to quality and safe medical products.
  • Legal landscape and trade-related aspects: Discuss the role of intellectual property and current trade agreements to promote access to medical products.
  • To track the progress of recommendations from the 2018 World Conference on Access to Medical Products for achieving UHC in the context of SDGs.

Source: PIB

World Children’s Day

World Children’s Day is celebrated on 20^th November each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide, and improve children's welfare.

• 20^th November is an important date as:
  
  • The United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959.
  • The UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989.
• To commemorate the 30^th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF) undertook the 'Go Blue' campaign wherein landmark buildings around the world lit up blue on 20^th November 2019 to show support for child rights.
  
  • Indian Parliament was also part of the same.

Initiatives Taken by India

• India celebrates Children’s Day on 14^th November every year.
• India ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992.
• The under-5 mortality rate has fallen significantly from the 1990 level of 117 per 1000 live births to 39 in 2016.
• The number of children having access to drinking water has increased from 62% in 1992 to 92% in 2019.
• The National Policy for Children, 2013 was adopted to affirm the Government’s commitment to a rights based approach in addressing the continuing and emerging challenges in the situation of children.
• The Right to Education Act 2009, has increased primary school attendance rates for girls from 61% to near universal in the same period.
• Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 saw prevalence of child marriage declining from 47% girls married before age 18 in 2005-2006, to 27% in 2015-2016.
• With novel programmes and approaches like Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao, child friendly schools, child budgets and POSHAN Abhiyan, the States and the Union government are ensuring that children have adequate protection and opportunities for growth and development.

Way Forward

• The Government needs to focus on the nutrition of children as presently 21% of children under age five years are wasted and 36% of children under age five years are underweight.
• The Government also needs to ensure inclusive education by placing special focus on securing education to the more vulnerable differently abled children.

Source: PIB

Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards 2019

Why in News

Recently, the Swachh Survekshan Grameen Awards 2019 were conferred upon top-ranked states, Union Territories (UTs), and districts in the various categories by the Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi.

• It marked the occasion of World Toilet Day, which is observed every year on November 19.

Background

• The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti had commissioned Swachh Survekshan Grameen-2019 (SSG 2019) through an independent survey agency.
• It aimed to develop rankings of all districts of India on the basis of quantitative and qualitative sanitation (Swachhta) parameters.

Rankings

• Top 3 States– 1) Tamil Nadu, 2) Haryana, 3) Gujarat
• Top 3 Districts– 1) Peddapalli (Telangana), 2) Faridabad (Haryana), 3) Rewari (Haryana)
• State with Maximum Citizen Participation– Uttar Pradesh
• Corporates Felicitated: Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA), Hindustan Unilever Limited and AMUL for their contribution under the Swachhta Hi Seva campaign-2019 towards effective plastic waste management.

Key Points

• According to SSG 2019 survey findings,
  
  • 97.5% of people surveyed were aware of SSG 2019,
  • 81.3% of respondents credited Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen (SBM-G) for the substantial improvement in cleanliness level,
  • Respondents reported sufficient arrangements in their village to manage liquid waste (83%), and solid waste (84.1%).
• The rankings were done based on a comprehensive set of parameters including surveys of public places like schools, Anganwadis, Haat/Bazaars, Panchayat, and citizen’s perception of Swachhta.
• The survey agency used maps and simple handheld device/recording formats to record their observations and findings along with photographs/videos, wherever necessary.

Source: PIB

Hong Kong Convention for Ship Recycling

Why in News

The Union Cabinet has approved accession to the Hong Kong International Convention for Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009.

• The Convention was adopted at a diplomatic conference held in Hong Kong, China, from 11^th-15^th May 2009.
• Aim: To ensure that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health and safety and the environment.
• Objectives
  
  • It intends to address all the issues around ship recycling, including the probable presence of environmentally hazardous substances such as asbestos, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, ozone depleting substances and others.
  • It aims to address concerns about working and environmental conditions in many of the world's ship recycling facilities.
• Scope
  
  • It covers the design, construction, operation and preparation of ships so as to facilitate safe and environmentally sound recycling, without compromising the safety and operational efficiency of ships.
  • The operation of ship recycling facilities in a safe and environmentally sound manner.
  • The establishment of an appropriate enforcement mechanism for ship recycling, incorporating certification and reporting requirements.

India and Ship Recycling

• India is the leader in the global ship recycling industry, with a share of over 30% of the market.
• The Union Cabinet has recently approved the proposal for enactment of Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019.
  
  • The Bill restricts and prohibits the use or installation of hazardous material, which applies irrespective of whether a ship is meant for recycling or not.
  • However, restriction or prohibition on the use of hazardous material would not be applied to warships and non-commercial ships operated by the Government.
  • The Provisions of the Hong Kong Convention will be implemented under the provisions of the Recycling of Ships Bill, 2019 and rules and regulations framed there under.

Source: PIB

National Institute for Sowa Rigpa

Why in News

The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa (NISR) at Leh, Union Territory of Ladakh.

• It will be an autonomous national institute under the Ministry of AYUSH with the mandate to undertake interdisciplinary education and research programmes in Sowa-Rigpa in collaboration with national and international institutes.
• NISR will act as an apex institute for Sowa-Rigpa system. It will develop synergy among the existing Sowa Rigpa institutions namely, Central University of Tibetan Studies, Varanasi and Central Institute of Buddhist Studies, Leh.
  
  • The existing Sowa-Rigpa institutions work under the Ministry of Culture.
• It will also help to revive Sowa-Rigpa in the Indian sub-continent and also link the traditional wisdom of Sowa-Rigpa with modern science, tools, and technology.

Sowa-Rigpa

• Sowa-Rigpa (the science of healing) is a traditional system of medicine practised in the Himalayan belt of India.
• It originated in Tibet and popularly practiced in countries namely, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, and Russia.
• Yuthog Yonten Gonpo from Tibet is believed to be the father of Sowa Rigpa.
• In India, it is widely practised in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal's Darjeeling, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh.
• The majority of theory and practice of Sowa-Rigpa is similar to “Ayurveda”.

Source: PIB

Monitoring Aerosol Optical Depth

The imager payload onboard ISRO’s weather satellites INSAT-3D & 3DR, is being used to monitor Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD).

• AOD is an indicator of particles and smoke from biomass burning affecting visibility and increase of PM2.5 and PM10 concentration in the atmosphere.
• It has been found that AOD, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations are higher over Indo-Gangetic Plain covering parts of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during October and November.
• High concentration of these pollutants originate from parts of Punjab and Haryana during stubble burning.
• Fire occurrences have increased by 4% over Punjab and Haryana region during October- November between 2003 and 2017.
• ISRO has been using satellite data since 2015 to monitor stubble burning and to generate the maps of stubble burned area in Kharif season.

INSAT-3D & 3DR satellites

• India gets weather updates every 15 minutes through INSAT-3D & 3DR weather satellites.
• INSAT 3DR was launched in 2016 as a follow up on INSAT-3D which was launched in 2013.

UDAN 4.0

Why in News

Recently, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation has announced that UDAN 4.0 will be launched.

• UDAN 4.0 seeks to offer priority routes connecting Bilaspur and Ambikapur airports in Chhattisgarh.

Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik

• Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) was launched as a regional connectivity scheme under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016.
• It is an innovative scheme to develop the regional aviation market.
• The objective of scheme is to create affordable yet economically viable and profitable flights on regional routes so that flying becomes affordable to the common man even in small towns.
• The scheme envisages providing connectivity to un-served and underserved airports of the country through the revival of existing air-strips and airports. The scheme is operational for a period of 10 years.
  
  • Under-served airports are those which do not have more than one flight a day, while unserved airports are those where there are no operations.

UDAN 1.0

• Under this phase, 5 airlines companies were awarded 128 flight routes to 70 airports (including 36 newly made operational airports)

UDAN 2.0

• In 2018, the Ministry of Civil Aviation announced 73 underserved and unserved airports.
• For the first time, helipads were also connected under phase 2 of UDAN scheme.

UDAN 3.0

• Key Features of UDAN 3 included:
  
  • Inclusion of Tourism Routes under UDAN 3 in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism.
  • Inclusion of Seaplanes for connecting Water Aerodromes.
  • Bringing in a number of routes in the North-East Region under the ambit of UDAN.

Source: PIB

Amnesty International

Why in News

According to Amnesty International, the protests over rising fuel prices and a subsequent government crackdown have cost many people their lives across Iran.

• The U.S.economic sanctions on Iran and the rise in gasoline prices in the country have resulted in a collapse of Iranian currency (Rial).

Amnesty International

• Amnesty International is a London based Non-Governmental Organisation founded in 1961.
• The organization aims to create a world where every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.
  
  • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in 1948. It recognized the fundamental human rights universally for the first time.
• It also conducts research, generates action to prevent grave abuses of human rights and demands justice for those whose rights have been violated.
• The organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its “Defence of human dignity against torture” and the United Nations Prize in the field of Human Rights in 1978.

Source: TH

World Fisheries Day

The World Fisheries Day is observed on the 21^st November every year.

• On 21st November 1997, the working fishermen and women representing World Forum of Fish Harvesters & Fish Workers from 18 countries met at New Delhi and established the World Fisheries Forum (WFF) advocating for a global mandate of sustainable fishing practices and policies.

Fisheries in India

• India is the second-largest producer and 4^th largest exporter of fish in the world.
• Fish constituted about 10% of total exports from India and almost 20% of agriculture exports in 2017-18.
• The fisheries and aquaculture production contribute around 1% to India’s GDP and over 5% to the agricultural GDP.
• The focus of the Blue Revolution 2.0 is on development and management of fisheries.

Source: ToI

MK-45 Naval Guns

Why in News

The United States of America has approved the sale of thirteen MK-45 naval guns and related equipment to India.

• The MK-45 (MOD 4) naval gun system will provide the capability to conduct surface warfare and air defence missions while enhancing interoperability with the US and other allied forces.
  
  • It can also be used to protect and support ground forces and control inland areas.
• It has a range of more than 20 nautical miles or 36 km.
• India has become one of the few countries that the US decided to sell the latest version (MOD 4) of its naval guns.
  
  • The other countries are Australia, Japan, Thailand, and South Korea.
• It can be noted that the USA has recently signed a number of defence related pacts with India, namely:
  
  • General Security Of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA)
    
    • It allows militaries of both the countries to share the intelligence gathered by them.
  • Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA)
    
    • It allows both countries to have access to each other’s designated military facilities for refuelling and replenishment.
  • Communications and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA)
    
    • It aims to provide a legal framework for the transfer of highly sensitive communication security equipment from the US to India.
  • Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA)
    
    • BECA will allow India and US to share geospatial and satellite data with each other.

Source:TH