Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Tourism Sector and Economic Growth
Central Idea
- India’s travel and tourism sector is one of the fastest-emerging tourist destinations in the world, and it is poised to be the key axis of development in the coming years. Budget 2023, which marks the beginning of Amrit Kaal, the period of intense robust growth, has outlined the path to developing tourism in mission mode.
Vision to develop 50 destinations
- G20 provided Economic Boost: India’s presidency of the G20 and Prime Minister’s vision to develop 50 tourist destinations across the country have provided a significant boost to the tourism sector.
- Global ranking: This initiative is expected to improve India’s global ranking on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index.
- Employment opportunities: The development of these destinations will create more employment opportunities and contribute to the overall GDP growth of the country.
The central government’s push on tourism
- Various policies and initiatives: The central government is committed to supporting the travel and tourism sector by implementing various policies and initiatives.
- Six themes for the development in Union budget: The Union budget has identified six themes for the development of the sector, including convergence, public-private participation, creativity, innovation, digitization, and development of destinations.
- Collaboration is essential: Collaboration between the government, private sector, and local communities is essential for the development and promotion of tourism in India. This collaborative approach stimulates creativity, enhances competitiveness, and achieves visionary results.
- For example: The Prime Minister has cited examples of successful collaborations, such as Kashi, Kedarnath, the Statue of Unity, and Pavagadh, to demonstrate how a unified approach can boost tourism in a region.
Role of Technology in Tourism
- Interdependence: Technology and tourism are becoming increasingly interdependent, and a coordinated approach that adopts technology can boost the tourism sector in India.
- Employing Augmented and virtual reality: Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) can provide travellers with virtual tours and simulations of famous landmarks and cultural experiences.
- Artificial intelligence: Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots and digital assistants can assist travellers in planning their trips and provide real-time assistance while travelling.
“6P” approach to unlocking India’s tourism potential
- 6P: Planning, Place, People, Policy, Process, and Promotion
- Unlocking India’s tourism potential requires a comprehensive strategy that addresses the six key pillars 6Ps.
- The government’s Budget Session addressed all these 6Ps effectively by covering destination planning and management, infrastructure development, sustainability and safety, development of human capital, policy and process interventions to align the Centre and states as well as promoting the narrative of Indian tourism.
Tourism: A state subject
- Tourism is constitutionally a state subject, and the central tourism department has been advocating for it to be moved to the Concurrent List to allow policy-making at both the central and state levels.
- Granting tourism infrastructure status will provide further impetus to the growth of the sector.
- The government is also considering the establishment of a National Tourism Board.
Conclusion
- With the right policies and initiatives in place, it’s the ideal time for India to turbo-charge efforts to be among the top three travel and tourism economies globally.
Mains Question
Q. What are the six themes identified by the Union Budget for the development of India’s travel and tourism sector? How India can boost its economic growth through robust tourism sector? Discuss
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Cheetah- characteristics and conservation status
Mains level: Reintroduction of species and Its Overall Impact
Central Idea
- India has embarked on a conservation plan to reintroduce the cheetah into the country, with the aim of establishing a self-sustaining population at Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park. The initiative has translocated eight African cheetahs from Namibia and 12 from South Africa since September 2022. Can this initiative succeed in helping India’s grasslands?
Know about Cheetahs
- Appearance: Cheetahs have a distinctive appearance, with a slender, muscular body, long legs, and a spotted coat. They have black tear marks on their faces that help to protect their eyes from the sun’s glare.
- Speed: Cheetahs are the fastest land animals in the world, capable of reaching speeds of up to 70 miles per hour in short bursts.
- Diet: Cheetahs are obligate carnivores and typically hunt during the day.
- Conservation status: Cheetahs are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an estimated population of less than 7,000 individuals in the wild. Their numbers have declined due to habitat loss, hunting, and other threats, and they are at risk of extinction in many parts of their range.
- Reproduction: Cheetahs have a relatively low genetic diversity, which makes them more vulnerable to disease and other threats.
- The plan is to introduce roughly 20 cheetahs annually for the next 8-10 years, and the goal is to establish a population of 21 adults in Kuno National Park in 15 years.
- The larger habitat of 3,000-5,000 sq km, which is larger than the 748 sq km where the cheetahs are based, could accommodate up to 40 cheetahs.
The impact of cheetahs on India’s grasslands: Illustration
- Regulate herbivore populations: Cheetahs are predators that primarily hunt herbivores such as antelopes, gazelles, and other small to medium-sized ungulates. By preying on these herbivores, cheetahs can help regulate their populations, preventing them from overgrazing and causing damage to the grasslands.
- Increase biodiversity: The presence of cheetahs in the grasslands is expected to increase biodiversity by creating a more balanced ecosystem. By regulating the populations of herbivores, cheetahs can prevent certain species from dominating the ecosystem, allowing other species to thrive.
- Promote grassland health: Overgrazing by herbivores can damage the grasslands, leading to soil erosion and other ecological problems. By regulating herbivore populations, cheetahs can help maintain the health of the grasslands, ensuring that they continue to provide important ecosystem services.
- Ecotourism: The presence of cheetahs in India’s grasslands could also boost ecotourism in the region, providing economic benefits to local communities.
- Challenges: However, there are also potential challenges associated with the reintroduction of cheetahs to India’s grasslands, such as competition with other predators and potential conflicts with human activities.
The impact of cheetahs on India’s grasslands: Opinion
- Reintroduction programme can improve India’s grasslands: Cheetahs indicate the overall wellness of open areas, meadows, and grasslands because they need these habitats to survive. The health of the cheetah population can, therefore, be an indicator of the health of the grasslands.
- Opinion in contrast: Some expert disagrees and argues that restoring open natural ecosystems, including grasslands, should begin by addressing the problems that led to their degradation and decline. The arrival of the cheetahs will not save India’s grasslands, and there are already issues, such as large tracts of open natural ecosystems being categorised as wasteland and granted to renewable energy projects, including solar panels.
Example: Reintroduction of species contributing to the development of a larger ecosystem:
- Project Tiger in India: The project started with nine reserves and now has 53 reserves making up 2.3% of the country’s geographical area. Scientists worked to establish source and sink dynamics and the concept of how exclusively investing in an umbrella can bring in a compelling, inclusive engagement with people and areas beyond.
- Wolves in Yellowstone national park, US: The reintroduction of wolves and beavers in the Yellowstone ecosystem in the US as a global example based on solid science. The presence of wolves helped to control the population of elk, which had been overgrazing and damaging the park’s vegetation. As a result, the vegetation began to recover, which in turn led to increases in other species such as beavers, songbirds, and fish.
FYI: Impact of the Project Tiger
- Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India in 1973, has made a significant impact on tiger conservation and the ecosystem in India.
- Increase in tiger population: Project Tiger has been successful in increasing the tiger population in India. The latest tiger census conducted in 2018 estimated that there were around 2,967 tigers in India, an increase from the previous census in 2014 which estimated the population to be around 2,226.
- Restoration of degraded ecosystems: The conservation efforts under Project Tiger have also helped to restore degraded ecosystems. For example, in the Sariska Tiger Reserve, efforts have been made to restore degraded grasslands and create water sources, which has resulted in the return of several species that were previously absent.
- Expansion of tiger habitat: The project has also helped to expand the habitat available to tigers in India. The creation of new protected areas and improved management of existing ones has resulted in an increase in the area of tiger reserves from 9 to 51, covering an area of more than 71,000 square kilometers.
- Protection of other species: The conservation efforts under Project Tiger have had a positive impact on other species in the ecosystem as well. The protection of tiger habitats has helped to conserve a wide range of flora and fauna, including elephants, leopards, and various bird species.
- Reduction in human-wildlife conflict: The conservation efforts under Project Tiger have helped to reduce human-wildlife conflict by providing alternative livelihoods and increasing awareness about conservation among local communities. This has helped to reduce retaliatory killings of tigers and other wildlife
- Challenges: Despite the success of Project Tiger, there are still several challenges that need to be addressed. Poaching, habitat loss, and human-tiger conflict remain significant threats to tiger populations in India.
Remarks: The success of the translocation exercise
- According to the experts it took two and a half to three years for tigers to acclimate to Indian conditions in Sariska.
- In cheetah project, they expect it to take longer since cheetahs are coursers that require large tracts of terrain.
- While others believes that a clear picture of success will emerge when the animals not only survive but start reproducing, leading to a self-sustaining population.
Conclusion
- The reintroduction of cheetahs to India can help establish a self-sustaining population and contribute to the global survival of the species. However, it remains to be seen if they can successfully acclimate to Indian conditions and if they will have a significant impact on India’s grasslands. Nevertheless, the initiative highlights the importance of conservation efforts and the need to address the root causes of environmental degradation.
Mains Question
Q. What is the significance of India’s cheetah reintroduction plan, and can it help improve the country’s grasslands? Illustrate
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: PM Gati Shakti
Mains level: PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan, Challenges and solutions for hustle free logistics transport
“Efficient logistics is the backbone of a successful economy, enabling businesses to access markets, reduce costs, and increase productivity, ultimately leading to sustainable economic growth.” – Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways.
Central Idea
- The Union Budget 2023 has increased the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan’s budget from ₹5,000 crore to ₹10,000 crore and allocated ₹2.4 lakh crore to the Indian Railways. This plan aims to improve India’s logistics competitiveness by increasing the railways’ share in freight movement from 27% to 45% and addressing infrastructural challenges. However, several challenges such as operational and connectivity issues, infrastructural challenges, and lack of integration need to be addressed to achieve these targets.
What is PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan?
- Comprehensive development: It is a comprehensive infrastructure development plan announced by the Government of India in November 2021.
- Aim: The plan aims to improve economic growth and sustainable development by focusing on infrastructure such as roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transport, waterways, and logistics.
- Increased Budget: The Union Budget 2023 has increased the budget for the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan
- The plan includes the development of five main corridors:
- East-West Corridor: It will connect the east and west coasts of India, stretching from Silchar in Assam to Porbandar in Gujarat.
- North-South Corridor: It will connect the northern and southern parts of India, stretching from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
- North-East Corridor: It will connect the northeastern states to the rest of India, stretching from Imphal in Manipur to Kohima in Nagaland.
- South-West Corridor: It will connect the southwestern states to the rest of India, stretching from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
- East Coast Corridor: It will connect the east coast states to the rest of India, stretching from Kolkata in West Bengal to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
- The railways have a pan-India network and offer an efficient and economic mode of logistics movement, making them an essential component of the plan.
The Freight Movement at Present
- Freight movement Impact: Currently, 65% of freight movement is done by road transport, leading to congestion, pollution, and increased logistics costs.
- convenience over cost: Although the cost of rail transportation is less than road transportation, convenience has taken precedence over cost, and the railways have lost their share in freight movement to more flexible modes.
- For instance: In 2020-21, coal constituted 44% of the total freight movement of 1.2 billion tonnes, followed by iron ore (13%), cement (10%), food grains (5%), fertilizers (4%), iron and steel (4%), etc.
- Non-bulk commodities: Transportation of non-bulk commodities accounts for a very small share in the rail freight movement
- Rise in Container Traffic: The convenience of moving non-bulk commodities in containers has led to an increase in containerized traffic. Globally, railway systems are heavily investing in advanced rail infrastructure for quick and low-cost container movement.
- The national transporter faces several challenges, leading to a shift of freight traffic to roads.
- Infrastructure: Increased transit time by rail, pre-movement and post-movement procedural delays, lack of necessary terminal infrastructure, maintenance of good sheds and warehouses, and uncertain supply of wagons are some of the infrastructural challenges that customers face.
- Connectivity: The lack of integrated first and last-mile connectivity by rail increases the chances of damage due to multiple handling and also increases the inventory holding cost.
Strategies to Improve Efficiency in Rail Cargo Movement in India
- Overall improvement: The Indian Railways need to improve infrastructure and encourage private participation in the operation and management of terminals, containers, and warehouses to efficiently utilize resources.
- Special Entity Needed: Establishing a special entity under the railways to handle intermodal logistics in partnership with the private sector could address the first and last-mile issue faced by the railways.
- For instance: An integrated logistics infrastructure with first and last-mile connectivity is essential to make rail movement competitive with roads, and facilitate exports by rail to neighbouring countries such as Nepal and Bangladesh.
- An Uber like model: An Uber-like model for one of the two cargo wagons, wherein the customer can book the wagon using an online application, could help in increasing the utilization rate of these wagons.
Way ahead
- The adoption of railways for cargo movement is crucial to improve India’s logistics competitiveness.
- The Indian Railways are upgrading their infrastructure with PM Gati Shakti, but a continuous monitoring of existing projects and identification of new priority areas are required to achieve the targets of rail freight movement.
Conclusion
- The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan has the potential to transform India’s logistics infrastructure and increase the railways’ share in freight movement. However, several challenges such as operational and connectivity issues, infrastructural challenges, and lack of integration need to be addressed. The upcoming Dedicated Freight Corridors, multimodal logistics parks, and establishment of a special entity under the railways could address these challenges.
Mains Question
Q. Explain the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan and its significance in improving India’s logistics competitiveness.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: NA
Mains level: Digital India Act, 2003
The Union government has formally outlined the Digital India Act, 2023 which is a broad overhaul of the decades-old Information Technology Act, 2000.
Central idea: Reconsideration of Safe Harbour
- The government is reconsidering a key aspect of cyberspace — ‘safe harbour’.
- Safe harbour is the principle that so-called ‘intermediaries’ on the internet are not responsible for what third parties post on their website.
- This is the principle that allows social media platforms to avoid liability for posts made by users.
- Safe harbour has been reined in in recent years by regulations like the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which require platforms to take down posts when ordered to do so by the government, or when required by law.
What is the Digital India Act, 2023?
- The act is a new legislation that aims to overhaul the decades-old Information Technology Act, 2000.
- The Act covers a range of topics such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybercrime, data protection, deepfakes, competition issues among internet platforms, and online safety.
- The Act also aims to address “new complex forms of user harms” that have emerged in the years since the IT Act’s enactment, such as catfishing, doxxing, trolling, and phishing.
Why was this act enacted?
- Data privacy: The Digital India Act will be implemented alongside the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2022, which focuses solely on processing personal data in India.
- Lawful use of data: It seeks to address the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognizes both the right of the individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process personal data for lawful purposes.
- Comprehensive regulation: This Act and the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill will work in tandem with each other.
Key features of the Digital India Act
- Creating new regulations around newer technology, including 5G, IoT devices, cloud computing, metaverse, blockchain, and cryptocurrency.
- Reclassifying online intermediaries to separate categories instead of one general intermediary label, each one with its own set of regulations.
- Removing “safe harbour” immunity for online intermediaries for purposeful misinformation or other content violations from third parties.
- Creating digital standards and laws regarding artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology.
- Criminalizing cyberbullying, identity theft, and unauthorized sharing of personal information without consent.
Significance
- The Digital India Act provides a legal framework for promoting the growth of the digital economy in India.
- It aims to create a conducive environment for the development and deployment of digital technologies across different sectors.
- The Act also addresses various challenges associated with cybersecurity and data privacy, which are critical issues in the digital age.
Conclusion
- The Digital India Act is expected to promote digital literacy and increase access to digital services for all citizens.
- It will help in creating a digital infrastructure that is secure, reliable, and accessible to everyone.
- The Act will also encourage the adoption of digital technologies in various sectors such as healthcare, education, and agriculture, leading to increased efficiency and productivity
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IBEX
Mains level: Not much
NASA has announced that its Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft is fully operational after the mission team successfully reset it.
Edge of Solar System: Heliopause
The edge of the Solar System, also known as the heliopause, is the point where the solar wind from the Sun meets the interstellar medium. Here are some key points about the edge of the Solar System:
- The heliopause is the boundary where the Sun’s solar wind is stopped by the interstellar medium.
- The Voyager 1 spacecraft crossed the heliopause in 2012, becoming the first man-made object to leave the Solar System.
- The exact location of the heliopause is not well defined and varies based on the strength of the solar wind and the density of the interstellar medium.
- The interstellar medium beyond the heliopause is composed of plasma, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays from other stars in the Milky Way galaxy.
- The edge of the Solar System is being studied by NASA’s Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission, which is mapping the boundary region where the solar wind meets the interstellar medium.
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Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX)
- IBEX is a small NASA spacecraft designed to map the boundary where winds from the Sun interact with winds from other stars.
- The spacecraft is about the size of a bus tire and its instruments look towards the interstellar boundary while it is on its nine-day orbit around our planet.
- It was launched in 2008 and has spent nearly 15 years in space already.
Purpose
- The purpose of IBEX is to study the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium and to map the boundary of the solar system.
Technology
- IBEX uses two neutral atom imaging cameras to detect energetic neutral atoms that are created at the boundary of the heliosphere.
- The cameras are mounted on a spinning spacecraft, allowing them to scan the sky and build up a map of the boundary.
Discoveries
Since its launch, IBEX has made several important discoveries, including:
- The first direct measurements of the interstellar wind, which flows into the solar system from the direction of the constellation Scorpius.
- The discovery of a “ribbon” of energetic neutral atoms that stretches across the sky, which may be caused by the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium.
Current Status
- IBEX is still in operation and continues to gather data about the interstellar boundary.
- Its mission has been extended several times, with the most recent extension running until 2023.
Significance
- IBEX’s findings have increased our understanding of the interaction between the solar wind and the interstellar medium.
- It has helped to refine models of the heliosphere and the solar system’s place in the galaxy.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Kodaikanal solar observatory
Mains level: NA
The Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO) has been observing the Sun for over a century.
Why in news?
- Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KoSO) has been observing the Sun for over a century
- KoSO has captured images of sunspots and recorded changes in the Sun’s behavior
- Solar physicists at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) and Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) have digitized 1.48 lakh solar images captured since 1904
A Brief History of Kodaikanal Solar Observatory
- KoSO is one of the world’s oldest observatories studying the Sun.
- Norman Pogson, astronomer and Government Astronomer of the Madras Observatory, proposed the idea of taking pictures of the Sun using a 20-inch telescope.
- The Madras Observatory was set up as the private effort of an official of the British East India Company in 1786.
- The decision to establish a solar observatory was taken in 1893, and Kodaikanal in present-day Tamil Nadu was chosen for its high altitude and dust-free environment.
- The Solar Physics Observatory opened on April 1, 1899, and was later named KoSO.
- The Bhavnagar Telescope, named after the Maharaja of Bhavnagar, was one of the more famous instruments at KoSO during the early decades of its operation.
- A 15cm telescope was used to capture solar images onto a photographic film or plate.
- Solar magnetic plages and prominences were recorded since 1911, taken on photographic films and plates.
Solar Observations, One Every Day: How They Are Taken
- White light images of the Sun have been captured every day since 1904 using a 6-inch telescope
- Visible light images reveal sunspots on the surface of the Sun.
- One image is taken daily around 8 am, which has been a fixed routine for over a century now
- Each observation accompanies the corresponding date and time, which is key for calibration purposes later.
- These plates or films are sent to the darkroom and developed either the same day or the next day
- Once the film has been developed, the date and time of observation are written on the plate and entered in the logbook.
- These plates or films are kept in an envelope with the handwritten date and time of observation and stored carefully in humidity-controlled rooms.
Arrival of New Technology and the Process of Digitization
- Between 1904 and 2017, all solar observations were traced onto photographic films and plates
- A new telescope mounted with CCD cameras has taken over and, since 2017, continued to observe the Sun.
- Digitization of the records was initiated in 1984 by Prof J C Bhattacharyya, and others continued the effort.
- In 2018, digitized solar observations for the period 1921-2011 were made available to the scientific community.
- Raw and calibrated data for the period of 1904 to 2017 were added, and the digitization process is nearly complete.
- KoSO is now home to a digital repository of a whopping 1.48 lakh solar images adding up to 10 terabyte of data.
- These include 33,500 white-light images (showing sunspots), 45,000 images of the Ca II K spectral line (which reveals plages), and 70,000 H-alpha photographic plates that show prominences.
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Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Yaoshang Festival
Mains level: NA
The Yaoshang festival, which is Manipur’s version of Holi, has begun.
Yaoshang Festival
- Yaoshang festival is celebrated every year on the full moon of Lamta (February-March) of the Meitei lunar calendar.
- It begins just after sunset followed by Yaosang Mei thaba, also known as Burning of the Straw Hut.
- Children visit neighbours to ask for monetary donations, called nakatheng.
- Yaoshang, unlike Holi, is celebrated with a traditional twist in Manipur.
- During these five days, Manipur comes alive with sporting events during the day and traditional “thabal chongba” dance in the night.
Key feature: Thabal Chongba Dance
- The thabal chongba is a traditional dance of the Meitei, where boys and girls gathered in an open ground and dance in a circle.
- But these days thabal chongba is performed throughout the month of Lamta.
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