Uttarakhand

• 20 Jun 2024

Mines Surveillance System

Why in News?

Recently, The Uttarakhand government approved a Rs 93-crore proposal for the installation of Mining Digital Transformation and Surveillance System (MDTSS), across the state to curb illegal mining.

Key Points

• The systems will be installed at 40 check gates across Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar.
• The new system equipped with bullet cameras, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) radars, and Light Emitting Diodes (LED) floodlights will not only help monitor illegal mining activities but also boost the state government's revenue.
• A Mining State Control Centre (MSCC) will be set up in Dehradun, along with mini command centres at district headquarters in Dehradun, Haridwar, Nainital, and Udham Singh Nagar.

Illegal Mining

• About:
  • Illegal mining is the extraction of minerals, ores, or other valuable resources from land or water bodies without the necessary permits, licenses, or regulatory approvals from government authorities.
  • It can also involve the violation of environmental, labor, and safety standards.
• Issues:
  • Environmental Degradation:
    • It can lead to deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution and can result in the destruction of habitats for wildlife, which can have serious ecological consequences.
  • Hazards:
    • Illegal mining often involves the use of hazardous chemicals such as mercury and cyanide, which can pose serious health risks to miners and nearby communities.
  • Loss of Revenue:
    • It can lead to a loss of revenue for governments as miners may not pay appropriate taxes and royalties.
    • This can have significant economic impacts, particularly in countries where natural resources are a major source of revenue.
  • Human Rights Violations:
    • Illegal mining can also result in human rights violations, including forced labor, child labor, and exploitation of vulnerable populations.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) radars

• RFID is a type of passive wireless technology that allows for tracking or matching of an item or individual.
• The system has two basic parts: Tags and Readers.
  • The reader gives off radio waves and gets signals back from the RFID tag, while the tag uses radio waves to communicate its identity and other information.
  • A tag can be read from up to several feet away and does not need to be within the direct line-of-sight of the reader to be tracked.
• The technology has been approved since before the 1970s but has become much more prevalent in recent years due to its usages in things like global supply chain management and pet microchipping.

Special Tourist Train

Why in News?

According to the sources, The Uttarakhand Tourism Department has partnered with Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) to operate a dedicated tourist train bound for south India.

Key Points

• The unique train approved by the Central government, called Kedar Badri Kartik (Murugan) Koil Yathirai, will commence its inaugural journey with 165 travelers from Madurai in Tamil Nadu to Rishikesh.
• All 165 passengers boarding the train have been given special tour packages for 12 days and nights.
  • It includes visits to the newly found tourist place Kartik Swami Temple in Rudraprayag, Badrinath, and Kedarnath.
  • The tour package includes complete lodging and boarding facilities for the tourists.
• The Uttarakhand Tourism aims at attracting more pilgrims from the south, especially Chennai, to associate them with Kartik Swami Temple, a newly developed important tourist destination in Rudraprayag district.
  • According to the belief lord Kartikeya, son of Shiva, came here with his parents and handed out his bones to the father and flesh to the mother.
  • It’s said these bones are present in the temple. In north India, this is the lone temple of lord Kartikeya, known as the deity Murugan in South India.
• The Uttarakhand Tourism Department has collaborated with IRCTC to operate special trains from various regions of India, particularly Western and South India.
  • Two such special trains called Manaskhand Express were launched from Pune in March and April, 2024 to attract tourists from Maharashtra and other states in the west to the Kumaon regions.

Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)

• It is a Mini Ratna Category-I (conferred in 2008) Central Public Sector Enterprise that is wholly-owned by and is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Railways.
• It is a registered enterprise and its corporate office is situated at New Delhi.
• IRCTC was incorporated in September 1999 as an extended arm of the Indian Railways to upgrade, professionalize and manage the catering and hospitality services at stations, on trains and other locations.
• The firm currently operates in 4 business segments namely, Internet ticketing, Catering, Packaging Drinking Water, and Travel and Tourism.
• It is the only entity that is authorized by Indian Railways to provide catering services to railways, online railway tickets and packaged drinking water at railway stations and trains in the country.
  • This gives it advantages in increasing market share in e-ticketing, packaged drinking water, and in e-catering.