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Mar 03, 2022
AFRICAN STATES NEED A VISION FOR RELATIONS WITH THE INDO-PACIFIC
2022 sees the 25th anniversary of the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
Indian Ocean Rim Association
Konark Sun Temple
Palm Oil
Highlights of the Report
Economy:
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata
Inland Water Transport in Mizoram
Study Related to Anti-Microbial Resistance
Sagar Parikrama
Indian Ocean Rim Association
- The Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) is a dynamic inter-governmental organization aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and sustainable development within the Indian Ocean region through its 23 Member States and 10 Dialogue Partners.
- Set up to strengthen regional cooperation and sustainable development, the association has grown from 14 member states initially in 1997 to 23 in 2022.
- From its inception with 14 member states, the membership has expanded to 23 countries: Australia, Bangladesh, the Comoros, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. IORA has 9 dialogue partners: China, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Japan, Turkey, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
- It brings together governments, business and academics and researchers across the Indian Ocean Region.
- Australia is a founding IORA member and chaired the organisation between 2013 and 2015.
- IORA became an observer to the UN General Assembly and the African Union in 2015.
- Decisions made within IORA are reached by consensus and commitments are undertaken on a voluntary basis.
- The IORA Secretariat is based in Mauritius. It is headed by a fixed term Secretary-General.
- Maritime safety and security;
- Trade and investment facilitation;
- Fisheries management;
- Disaster risk management;
- Academic, science and technology cooperation; and
- Tourism and cultural exchange.
- The Blue Economy and Women's economic empowerment are two further cross-cutting priority areas.
- It has adopted the ‘Blue Economy’ as a focus area.
- It is also increasingly paying attention to climate change and environmental issues as well as the regulation of fishing and other threats of growing importance to the maritime realm.
- The Indo-Pacific is home to more than half the world’s population and seven out of the 15 biggest economies in the world are located here.
- Economic interaction is crucial, as seen by the Build Back Better World initiative.
- The Indo-Pacific has been at the heart of world trade for centuries. An estimated 80 per cent of the world’s oil is moved across the Indian Ocean.
- Fishing, mineral and energy sources and tourism are drawing up investment as countries realise the potential in ocean and coastal resources.
- In recent years, the organisation’s member states have increasingly been confronted by the geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States in the mega-region, referred to as the Indo-Pacific.
- For the US and its allies, who have largely appropriated the Indo-Pacific concept, the region is first and foremost of geo-economic concern.
- Build Back Better World initiative seems to remain vague on practicalities.
- For China, the Indian Ocean forms an important part of the maritime component of its Belt and Road Initiative. Chinese economic, military and political expansion emphasises economic development over geopolitics.
- Ownership of oceanic and coastal resources may turn contentious. This was illustrated recently in the maritime boundary dispute between Kenya and Somalia.
- Another challenge is increased transnational organised crime. This includes human and drug trafficking, illegal fishing and harvesting and trafficking of wildlife and timber and the illicit trade in electronic waste.
- Relations with external powers outside of the association are mostly bilateral. This is particularly true at the level at which infrastructure projects – including military bases – are negotiated.
- The ‘Quad’ — the informal alliance of the US, Japan, Australia and India — has already developed and formalised individual state strategic perspectives. India and Australia are also big players in the Indian Ocean Rim Association.
- ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Indonesia, France and the European Union all have policy documents relating to the Indo-Pacific.
- Africa has been a long-time supporter of the idea of the Indian Ocean as a ‘zone of peace’. This was first confirmed in a UN resolution in 1971. The African Union’s 2050 Integrated Maritime Strategy could serve as a starting point.
- Using the association for the development of a vision that reflects the African agenda would be ideal. This is because it provides a platform with global reach.
- The Indo-Pacific denotes a vast maritime zone, stretching from the littorals of East Africa and West Asia, across the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, to the littorals of East Asia.
- Nine of the IORA’s member states are African, ranging from Somalia in the north west to South Africa in the south. It also includes islands, such as Mauritius, off the western seaboard.
- The maritime domain is undoubtedly vital for Africa to achieve peace, security, and development.
- In recent years, African countries have begun to realise the economic potential of harnessing water bodies and slowly shed their continental outlook. They are now adopting maritime security policies as part of broader national security strategies.
- For the African countries to truly reflect their developmental ambitions, they need to exercise collective agency by engaging in different multilateral and mini-lateral initiatives.
- Multilateralism matters for small African states as it gives them the best chance to pool resources and ideas to influence global decisions and ensure that their voices are factored in discussions that have a bearing on the continent’s growth and development.
- The year ahead offers an excellent opportunity for states such as South Africa to develop its approach to the Indo-Pacific. It could promote a broader multilateral discussion within the African Union. A developmental agenda remains important, yet there is an increasing realisation that there is no escaping the reality of an increasingly politicised and militarised region.
- But the African countries must determine which specific agendas of the Indo-Pacific—maritime security, marine ecology and resources, capacity building and information sharing, maritime connectivity, and disaster management—to focus on going forward.
- As the third largest ocean woven together by trade routes, commands control of major sea-lanes carrying half of the world’s container ships, one third of the world’s bulk cargo traffic and two thirds of the world’s oil shipments, the Indian Ocean remains an important lifeline to international trade and transport.
- Home to nearly 2.7 billion people, Member States whose shores are washed by the ocean are rich in cultural diversity and richness in languages, religions, traditions, arts and cuisines.
- They vary considerably in terms of their areas, populations and levels of economic development. They may also be divided into a number of sub-regions (Australasia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia and Eastern & Southern Africa), each with their own regional groupings (such as ASEAN, SAARC, GCC and SADC, to name a few). Despite such diversity and differences, these countries are bound together by the Indian Ocean.
Konark Sun Temple
- Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE (year 1250) Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometers (22 mi) northeast from Puri city on the coastline in Puri district, Odisha, India.
- The temple is attributed to king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE.
- Dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot (30 m) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone.
- The structures and elements that have survived are famed for their intricate artwork, iconography, and themes, including erotic kama and mithuna scenes. Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga architecture.
- This temple was called the "Black Pagoda" in European sailor accounts as early as 1676 because it looked like a great tiered tower which appeared black.
- The temple that exists today was partially restored by the conservation efforts of British India-era archaeological teams.
- Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984, it remains a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, who gather here every year for the Chandrabhaga Mela around the month of February.
- Konark Sun Temple is depicted on the reverse side of the Indian currency note of 10 rupees to signify its importance to Indian cultural heritage.
- The sun temple was made from three types of stone.
- Chlorite was used for the door lintel and frames as well as some sculptures.
- Laterite was used for the core of the platform and staircases near the foundation.
- Khondalite was used for other parts of the temple.
- The exterior walls were lavishly decorated with intricate carvings, but the interior walls were plain.
- There was no use of pillars on the porch. Iron girders were used instead to support the roof.
- The shikhara in the Odisha school was known as rekha deul. They were almost vertical roofs which suddenly curved inwards sharply.
- The mandap was known as jagamohan in this region.
- The ground plan of the main temple was square.
- Temples were surrounded by a boundary wall as in Dravidian style of temple architecture.
- Significance of shifting Konark Sun Temple to Solar Energy
- Konark is going to be the first model town in Odisha to shift from grid dependency to green energy.
- Although Odisha has a large deposit of power-grade thermal coal in Talcher and Ib valley, the state is keen to reduce dependency on conventional sources of power generation and shift towards renewable energy.
- By 2022-end, the state has targeted to generate 2,750 megawatts (MW) from renewable energy sources like the sun, wind, biomass, small hydro and waste-to energy (WTE), etc.
- Among these, the state targets to generate 2,200 MW from solar energy and a part of it will be utilised to run the Sun Temple and Konark town on solar energy.
- The OREDA (Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency), a nodal agency of the Government of Odisha, which is executing the project, plans to transform Konark into a zero-emission city by December 2022.
- To reduce emissions, the State plans to introduce 20 battery operated vehicles in the initial stage. The solarisation work will also help reduce electricity consumption as well as financial load.
- The financial benefit from solar energy will help divert spending on other developmental work of the temple.
- The auto drivers’ association of the town is against the introduction of battery-operated autos as a threat to their jobs.
- The state has a 480 km coastline and is prone to regular cyclones. It has so far encountered 10 cyclones including Super Cyclone, Phailin, Hudhud, Titli, Amphan and Fani in 22 years.
- Land acquisition is another major challenge in setting up solar power plants. While coastal areas are cyclone-prone, some parts of Odisha have dense forests whereas land is expensive in densely-populated areas.
- There is less solar insolation, high humid weather conditions and heavy corrosion.
- OREDA has planned to explore reservoirs and waterbodies to set up floating solar power plants to meet these continuous land acquisition challenges. It has identified Hirakud, Indrabati and Rengali as major reservoirs to set up floating solar power plants.
- There are hard-to-reach and remote villages / habitations in the state where grid-connected electricity has not yet reached and to make it feasible will be cost-effective.
- These households are being provided with Solar Photo Voltaic (PV) standalone systems to illuminate their houses under the Soubhagya and DDUGJY (Deen Dayal Upadhayay Grama Jyoti Yojana) schemes of the Government of India.
- The demand of power from grassroots has to be met from solar energy. Solar is not like coal or hydro as it is available everywhere and decentralised in nature. If generation and consumption are decentralised, it will cater to the needs of people in the remotest areas.
Palm Oil
- It is an African tree in the palm family, cultivated as a source of oil. The oil palm is grown extensively in its native West and Central Africa, as well as in Malaysia and Indonesia.
- Plantation of current varieties have an economic lifespan of around 25-30 years and produce fruits around the year.
- Oil palm cultivation is one of the most profitable land uses in the humid tropics.
- Oil palm is a perennial, evergreen tree adapted to cultivation in biodiversity rich equatorial land areas.
- Grown only in the tropics, the oil palm tree produces high-quality oil used primarily for cooking in developing countries.
- Global production of and demand for palm oil is increasing rapidly. Plantations are spreading across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
- Refined Bleached and Deodorised (RBD) Palmolein — the form in which solvents and extractors import it from producing nations is obtained from refining crude oil of which Indonesia is the largest producer and India is the largest importer of edible oil in the world.
- Palm oil is an extremely versatile oil that has many different properties and functions that makes it so useful and so widely used.
- It is semi-solid at room temperature so can keep spreads spreadable; it is resistant to oxidation so can give products a longer shelf-life; it’s stable at high temperatures so helps to give fried products a crispy and crunchy texture; and it’s also odourless and colourless so doesn’t alter the look or smell of food products.
- Palm oil is used for preventing vitamin A deficiency, cancer, brain disease, aging; and treating malaria, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cyanide poisoning.
- Palm oil is used for increasing the body's metabolism.
- It is also used in food products, detergents, cosmetics and, to a small extent, biofuel.
- Palm oil is a very productive crop. It offers a far greater yield at a lower cost of production than other vegetable oils.
- It is a hardy crop and low pest and disease includes.
- Palm oil has been and continues to be a major driver of deforestation of some of the world’s most biodiverse forests, destroying the habitat of already endangered species like the Orangutan, pygmy elephant and Sumatran rhino.
- The forest loss coupled with conversion of carbon rich peat soils are throwing out millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
- There also remains some exploitation of workers and child labour.
- Impact on community ownership of tribal lands, oil palm cultivation is a water-intensive task, monoculture cropping with a long gestation period will be unsuitable for small farmers, endangering wildlife etc.
- Oil palm is an invasive species and its plantation would denude forest cover and destroy the habitat of endangered wildlife.
- Set robust policies to remove deforestation, conversion of other natural ecosystems, such as peatlands, and human rights abuses from their supply chains.
- Buy and use RSPO certified palm oil across their operations globally.
- Be transparent in their use and sourcing of palm oil ensuring they know who they are buying from and where it’s been produced.
- WWF is also working with governments in both palm oil using and palm oil producing countries to make sure that national laws are in place to ensure that any palm oil traded is free of deforestation, conversion and exploitation.
- A new Centrally Sponsored Scheme with a specialfocus on the North east region and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Due to the heavy dependence on imports for edible oils, it is important to make efforts to increase the domestic production of edible oils in which increasing area and productivity of oil palm plays an important part.
- Under this scheme, it is proposed to cover an additional area of 6.5 lakh hectare (ha.) for oil palm till the year 2025-26 and thereby reaching the target of 10 lakh hectares ultimately. The production of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) is expected to go upto 11.20 lakh tonnes by 2025-26 and upto 28 lakh tonnes by 2029-30.
- The scheme will immensely benefit the oil palm farmers, increase capital investment, create employment generation, reduce import dependence and also increase the income of the farmers.
- Since 1991-92, many efforts have been made by the Government of India to increase the production of oilseeds and oil palm. The oilseeds production has increased from 275 lakh tons in 2014-15 to 365.65 lakh tons in 2020-21.
- At present only 3.70 lakh hectares are under Oil Palm cultivation. Oil palm produces 10 to 46 times more oil per hectare compared to other oilseed crops and has yield of around 4 tons oil per ha. Thus, it has enormous potential for cultivation.
- The proposed scheme will subsume the current National Food Security Mission-Oil Palm programme.
- There are two major focus areas of the Scheme.
- The oil palm farmers produce Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) from which oil is extracted by the industry. Presently the prices of these FFBs are linked to the international CPO prices fluctuations.
- For the first time, the Government of India will give a price assurance to the oil palm farmers for the FFBs. This will be known as the Viability Price (VP).
- This will protect the farmers from the fluctuations of the international CPO prices and protect them from volatility.
- A Formula price (FP) will also be fixed which will be 14.3% of CPO and will be fixed on a monthly basis.
- The viability gap funding will be the VP-FP and if the need arises, it would be paid directly to the farmers accounts in the form of DBT.
- The second major focus of the scheme is to substantially increase the assistance of input/interventions.
- A substantial increase has been made for planting material for oil palm and this has increased from Rs 12,000 per ha to Rs.29000 per ha.
- Further substantial increase has been made for maintenance and inter-cropping interventions.
- A special assistance @ Rs 250 per plant is being given to replant old gardens for rejuvenation of old gardens.
- The oil palm farmers produce Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) from which oil is extracted by the industry. Presently the prices of these FFBs are linked to the international CPO prices fluctuations.
Highlights of the Report
Economy:
- The target for the economy is to raise the gross domestic product to nearly $4 trillion by 2022-23.
- But by 2020, the economy has grown only to $2.48 trillion (Rs 18 trillion). In fact, the economy has largely shrunk during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it even more difficult to meet the deadline.
- The target is to increase the female labour force participation rate to at least 30 per cent by 2022-23; it stood at 17.3 per cent in January-March 2020.
- The targets are to construct 29.5 million housing units under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)-Rural and 12 million units under PMAY-Urban; only about 46.8 per cent and 38 per cent respectively of the targets under ‘Housing for All’ have been achieved.
- The target is to provide safe piped drinking water to all by 2022-23; only 45 per cent of the target has been achieved.
- The target is to double farmers’ income by 2022. While the average monthly income of an agricultural household has increased to Rs 10,218 from Rs 6,426, this increase is largely due to an increase in wages and income from farming animals.
- The share of income from crop production in the average monthly income of an agricultural household has, in fact, dropped — to 37.2 per cent in 2018-19, from 48 per cent in 2012-13.
- Another target is to digitise all land records by 2022. While states like Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha have made good progress, states like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Sikkim languish at 5 per cent, 2 per cent and 8.8 per cent digitisation of land records, respectively.
- Overall, the target is unlikely to be met, particularly because 14 states have witnessed deterioration in the quality of land records since 2019-20.
- The target is to bring down PM2.5 levels in Indian cities to less than 50 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3). In 2020, when vehicular movement was restricted due to the pandemic, 23 of the 121 cities monitored for PM2.5 exceeded 50 µg/m3.
- The target is to increase it to 33.3 per cent of the geographical area, as envisaged in the National Forest Policy, 1988. By 2019, 21.67 per cent of India was under forest cover.
- The target is to achieve 175 GW of renewable energy generation capacity by 2022. Only 56 per cent of this target has been achieved thus far.
- The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
- The 17 SDGs are integrated—they recognize that action in one area will affect outcomes in others, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.
- The 17 SDGs are: (1) No Poverty, (2) Zero Hunger, (3) Good Health and Well-being, (4) Quality Education, (5) Gender Equality, (6) Clean Water and Sanitation, (7) Affordable and Clean Energy, (8) Decent Work and Economic Growth, (9) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, (10) Reduced Inequality, (11) Sustainable Cities and Communities, (12) Responsible Consumption and Production, (13) Climate Action, (14) Life Below Water, (15) Life On Land, (16) Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, (17) Partnerships for the Goals.
- Countries have committed to prioritize progress for those who're furthest behind. The SDGs are designed to end poverty, hunger, AIDS, and discrimination against women and girls.
- Creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve SDGs in every context.
- They are included in an UN-GA Resolution called the 2030 Agenda or what is colloquially known as Agenda 2030.
- To facilitate monitoring, a variety of tools exist to track and visualize progress towards the goals. All intention is to make data more available and easily understood.
- There is a great imbalance in poverty levels between states and between urban and rural areas.
- Keeping infrastructure, like housing and sanitation, and employment up with levels of urbanisation is difficult due to financial limitations and the sheer rate of urbanisation.
- Supply chain management and transport infrastructure deficiencies mean that food supplies often do not reach the consumer market.
- At the production stage, climate change poses a huge challenge. Adapting to climate change through new techniques and technology is essential. For small farmers in particular, access to and affording technology and other adaptive measures is restricted.
- Private healthcare can be expensive and varies in quality and costs of services in India. While, public healthcare – though much cheaper – is unreliable.
- Accessibility – particularly in rural areas, healthcare is lacking. State discrepancies, as is the case for most of the SDGs, is also of note.
- Awareness – preventive care, from diet to lifestyle, are often underappreciated.
- Female labour force participation in India is declining and currently stands at 17.5 per cent. The ratio is even worse in high level positions where women can really bring about significant change to gender norms.
- Falling growth rate and a rising fiscal deficit has somewhat restricted the Government’s spending power, while unemployment and low consumption rates are further problems.
- India’s spending on R&D as a percentage of GDP has been stagnant at 0.6 to 0.7 percent in the last two decades, far less than advanced countries.
- Infrastructure standards are low, pricing out more technologically-advanced firms from competing in the market.
- There is lack of awareness and poor participation by marginalized communities (SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities) in planning and implementation of SDGs at the local level.
- Coordination between Central Government and State Governments is necessary, tailoring central plans to state-level conditions and strengths.
- A balance between affordable healthcare and suitable quality is needed; technology can play a key role here.
- Education can play a vital role in improving health outcomes and reducing pressure on healthcare services.
- Improving infrastructure such as road and rail networks can also help to alleviate poverty by attracting investment and creating jobs, enabling transport of goods to work towards zero hunger, and reduce inequalities between areas as connections improve.
- Although NITI Aayog and some States have taken policy initiatives, there are several challenges in addressing the possible bottlenecks in the institutions, processes relating to planning, implementation and monitoring of SDGs and access to benefits.
- The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015. It provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. There are 17 SDGs which are an urgent call for action by all countries -- developed and developing -- in a global partnership.
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata
- Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata was the founder of the entity that went on to become Tata Sons, an Indian conglomerate that now employs more than 7 lakh people and has a total revenue of more than $110 billion.
- Tata was not born with a silver spoon but more than made up for his limited resources with ambition and a big risk appetite.
- He was born in Navsari on 3 March 1839 to parents who belonged to the priestly class but were not very well-off. Navsari, a town near Surat in present day Gujarat, was the hub of Zoroastrian priesthood.
- Tata received his early education there before moving to Bombay at the age of 13 to pursue modern education where he was enrolled in Elphinstone College.
- After his education, he joined his father’s trading business with China which was flourishing in the era of opium trade.
- The firm further flourished as demand for raw cotton from India increased due to a global shortage during the American Civil War that raged between 1861 and 1865. But the end of the civil war saw cotton prices plunging that threw the firm into financial difficulties.
- In 1901 Jamsetji began organizing India’s first large-scale ironworks, and six years later these were incorporated as the Tata Iron and Steel Company (now Tata Steel).
- He had four goals in life:
- setting up an iron and steel company,
- a world-class learning institution that would tutor Indians in the sciences,
- a unique hotel and
- a hydro-electric plant.
- He was an idealist and philanthropist who believed that India’s development depended upon the harnessing of her finest minds, and through disciplined industrialization. Thus, he established the JN Tata Endowment in 1892 which enabled Indian students regardless of caste and creed to pursue higher studies in England.
- One of his visions was realized in the form of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay (Now Mumbai), inaugurated in December 1903. At the time of its inauguration, it was the only hotel in India to have electricity.
- He founded a trading company in 1868 which would eventually evolve into the Tata Group. The next year he bought a bankrupt mill at Chinchpokli and renamed it Alexandra Mill which he sold two years later for a profit.
- He was very much interested in the textile industry and set up a cotton mill at Nagpur in 1874. When Queen Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of India in 1877, he christened the mill “Empress Mill”.
- He also founded mills at Bombay and Coorla (Kurla). He was a humanist and an efficient leader. His enterprises were known not just for their efficiency and profitability, but also for the labor-protection policies.
- In 1898 he donated land for a research institute in Bangalore (Bengaluru), and his sons ultimately established (1911) the Indian Institute of Science there. The Tata family went on to become perhaps the most important private funder of technical education and scientific research in India.
- He drew up a blueprint for the proposed institute and solicited the support of several powerful people like Lord Curzon and Swami Vivekananda to turn it to reality. However, this institution could not come into existence within his lifetime.
- During the early 1900s he made ambitious plans for a hydroelectric power plant and large-scale ironworks. However, he could not realize his dream of establishing these enterprises as he unexpectedly died in 1904.
- Wacha recalls Tata as the “Swadeshi of Swadeshists” for his drive to make India a manufacturing hub of goods like a wide array of clothing material, iron and steel and hydroelectric power.
- Tata set up an endowment fund to encourage young graduates to pursue their dreams of foreign education or join the Indian Civil Service.
- Frank Harris’s biography of Tata, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata: A Chronicle of His Life, quotes one of his friends to explain Tata’s ambition of having a hotel in his beloved city of Bombay that met the best European standards.
Inland Water Transport in Mizoram
- Plans are afoot to develop the inland water transport at Khawthilangtuipui (Karnaphuli)-Tuichawng River stretching up to 23 kms. The total cost of this project is Rs 22.93 crore.
- The PSW Ministry has sanctioned a total of Rs 6.17 crore under the Central Sector Scheme.
- The minister was also appraised about the Hydrographical Survey & Techno Economic Feasibility study conducted covering a stretch of 87.136 kms between River Tiawng at Khamrang village in Mizoram to Gharmura in Assam.
- It has now been decided to conduct Detail Hydrographic Survey and Techno Economic Feasibility Survey on this river from Tupui D to Lomasu stretching up to 138.26 kms. The cost of this survey is budgeted at Rs 82.30 lakhs.
- The vision of Prime Minister is to energise the Northeast region as the new engine of growth in India.
- To achieve this, optimal utilisation of rivers as a means of an economic, swift and ecologically sound means of transport.
- The economic potential of Mizoram as well as that of the Northeast can be unlocked by developing our waterways & strengthening our logistical access to the world market.
- It will connect North-East India with mainstream Indian Society as well as open its gateway to South and South-East Asia.
- It led to enhancement of developmental work in North-East India and help in infrastructural development.
- It will provide optimal mix by converging river transport with other modes.
- It will help create seamless interconnectivity connecting hinterlands along navigable river coasts and coastal routes.
- Inland Waterways hold huge potential for domestic cargo transport, cruise, tourism and passenger traffic.
- It will open gates for versatile employment opportunities.
- Initial investment on river services as well as expenditure on their maintenance is much lesser as compared to road and rail transport.
- These are less capital-intensive, more eco-friendly and require minimum land acquisition.
- In north-east India, road and rail transport is blocked during rains. It is also difficult to construct roads or railways in these areas. Hence, water transport is more suitable in such regions.
- Lack of infrastructure. The lack of development was also reflected in the absence of specialised boats needed for sailing in the Ganges and Brahmaputra.
- It has low speed thus not suitable where time is important factor.
- It has a limited area of operation, depending on the infrastructural premises and depth of the waterways.
- Operational disruptions due to weather creates many problems.
- In most of the rivers of India, floods are caused during rainy season when water current is so torrential that it becomes difficult to ply boats.
- Most of the rivers remain dry during the summer and whatever water becomes available in rivers, it is used for supply of water to the vast canal system during the beginning of winter and summer seasons. Due to use of river water for irrigation, there remains no water for navigation during the summer season.
- As compared to boats, railways are quicker, safer and cheaper means of transport.
- Sometimes rivers also change their way and due to that only a small stream flows on one side and cannot be used for navigation. On the banks of most of the rivers, a thick layer of sand is deposited. Hence, loaded steamers or boats can reach the bank with great difficulty.
- The development of inland water transport (IWT) is in its nascent stages in India and the government envisages making it fully operational, within and across states, by next 10-12 years.
- To realise this target, it is inevitable to revamp the IWT sector through investment in infrastructure development, technology up-gradation and institutional support. Nonetheless, it is imperative to understand its development dynamics through economic, geo-political, social and environmental angles and initiate an inclusive policy discourse.
- The Kaladan multimodal project is a joint project between India and Myanmar. The Kaladan project has been the most ambitious to connect India and Myanmar by sea.
- The project was launched under the “Look East Policy” in 1991, and currently, the Modi government undertook this as “Act East” re-modelled policy. It is named a multimodal project as it uses a wide range of infrastructures like roads, bridges, and floating barrages.
- The Kaladan Road Project is a US$484 million project connecting the eastern Indian seaport of Kolkata with Sittwe seaport in Rakhine State, Myanmar by sea.
- In Myanmar, it will then link Sittwe seaport to Paletwa in Chin State via the Kaladan river boat route, and then from Paletwa by road to Mizoram state in Northeast India.
- All components of the project, including Sittwe port and power, river dredging, Paletwa jetty, have been completed, except the under construction Zorinpui-Paletwa road.
- Originally, the project was scheduled to be completed by 2014, but the end-to-end project is expected to be fully operational only by March 2023 as per March 2021 update.
- The route of the project around Paletwa and along the Kaladan river is troubled with Chin conflict, Rohingya conflict and militant groups such as Arakan Army and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
- This project will reduce distance from Kolkata to Sittwe by approximately 1,328 km (825 mi) and will reduce the need to transport goods through the narrow Siliguri corridor, also known as Chicken's Neck.
- The project is being piloted and funded by the Ministry of External Affairs (India).
Study Related to Anti-Microbial Resistance
- In 2014, economist Jim O’ Neill estimated that 10 million annual deaths from AMR could occur by 2050. Studies such as the ones conducted by him paved the way for the consolidation of the Global Action Plan in 2015 and the UN Resolution on AMR in 2016.
- The “Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 204 countries and territories in 2019 (GRAM)” report, provides the most comprehensive estimate of the global impact of antibiotic resistance to date. According to the report, 4.95 million people died from drug-resistant bacterial infections in 2019, with 3,89,000 deaths in South Asia alone. AMR directly caused at least 1.27 million of those deaths.
- India has been reporting high levels of resistance to fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins and carbapenems across the Gram-negative pathogens that cause almost 70 per cent of infections in communities and hospitals.
- Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from the effects of antimicrobials. Antibiotic resistance is a subset of AMR, that applies specifically to bacteria that become resistant to antibiotics.
- The WHO defines antimicrobial resistance as a microorganism's resistance to an antimicrobial drug that was once able to treat an infection by that microorganism. A person cannot become resistant to antibiotics. Resistance is a property of the microbe, not a person or other organism infected by a microbe.
- Infections due to AMR cause millions of deaths each year. Infections caused by resistant microbes are more difficult to treat, requiring higher doses of antimicrobial drugs, or alternative medications which may prove more toxic. These approaches may also be more expensive. Microbes resistant to multiple antimicrobials are called multidrug resistant (MDR).
- Antimicrobial resistance can evolve naturally due to continued exposure to antimicrobials. Natural selection means that organisms that are able to adapt to their environment, survive, and continue to produce offspring.
- Self-medication by consumers is defined as "the taking of medicines on one's own initiative or on another person's suggestion, who is not a certified medical professional", and it has been identified as one of the primary reasons for the evolution of antimicrobial resistance.
- Clinical misuse by healthcare professionals is another cause leading to increased antimicrobial resistance. Studies done by the CDC show that the indication for treatment of antibiotics, choice of the agent used, and the duration of therapy was incorrect in up to 50% of the cases studied.
- Increased antibiotic use during the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate this global health challenge. Moreover, pandemic burdens on some healthcare systems may contribute to antibiotic-resistant infections.
- Untreated effluents from pharmaceutical manufacturing industries, hospitals and clinics, and inappropriate disposal of unused or expired medication can expose microbes in the environment to antibiotics and trigger the evolution of resistance.
- Antibiotics are fed to livestock to act as growth supplements, and a preventative measure to decrease the likelihood of infections. This results in the transfer of resistant bacterial strains into the food that humans eat, causing potentially fatal transfer of disease.
- Most pesticides protect crops against insects and plants, but in some cases antimicrobial pesticides are used to protect against various microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, and protozoa. The overuse of many pesticides in an effort to have a higher yield of crops has resulted in many of these microbes evolving a tolerance against these antimicrobial agents.
- The major impediment to AMR containment is that the most affected countries have the least data on the burden posed by this malaise.
- Too many players, missing governance mechanisms and absence of funding have been recognised as key impediments to the effective rollout of action plans.
- Growing resistance has also been linked to releasing inadequately treated effluents from the pharmaceutical industry, especially in countries where bulk drugs are manufactured.
- Antibiotics increase selective pressure in bacterial populations, causing vulnerable bacteria to die; this increases the percentage of resistant bacteria which continue growing. Even at very low levels of antibiotic, resistant bacteria can have a growth advantage and grow faster than vulnerable bacteria.
- Antimicrobial resistance is increasing globally due to increased prescription and dispensing of antibiotic drugs in developing countries.
- Antibiotic treatment duration should be based on the infection and other health problems a person may have.
- Antibiotic stewardship programmes appear useful in reducing rates of antibiotic resistance. The antibiotic stewardship program will also provide pharmacists with the knowledge to educate patients that antibiotics will not work for a virus.
- Infectious disease control through improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure needs to be included in the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) agenda.
- Manufacturers of antimicrobials need to improve the treatment of their wastewater (by using industrial wastewater treatment processes) to reduce the release of residues into the environment.
- Improved infection control in communities and hospitals, availability and utilisation of quality diagnostics and laboratories and educating people about antimicrobials have proved effective in reducing antimicrobial pressure — a precursor to resistance.
- Requirement of a comprehensive plan, driven by a designated coordinating agency backed with suitable funding is the need of the hour.
- There should be effective AMR containment plans by fixing responsibility and monitoring progress at the highest levels.
- The prevention of antibiotic misuse, which can lead to antibiotic resistance, includes taking antibiotics only when prescribed.
- There are public calls for global collective action to address the threat that includes proposals for international treaties on antimicrobial resistance.
- Addressing AMR requires a multipronged and multisectoral approach. There is enough evidence that interventions like infection control, improved diagnosis and antimicrobial stewardship are effective in the containment of AMR.
- The World Health Organization has promoted the first World Antibiotic Awareness Week running from 16 to 22 November 2015. The aim of the week is to increase global awareness of antibiotic resistance. It also wants to promote the correct usage of antibiotics across all fields in order to prevent further instances of antibiotic resistance.
Sagar Parikrama
- Sagar Parikrama program is proposed to be celebrated in all coastal states/UTs through a pre-decided sea route down right from Gujarat, Diu, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands to have interaction programme with fishermen, fisher communities and stakeholders in these locations and districts as a part of 75th “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsava” in order to know the problems of Coastal Fisher folk.
- It’s one of the significant initiatives of Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the Government of India to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence and the glorious history of its people, culture and achievements.
- An evolutionary journey is envisaged in the sea across the coastal belt demonstrating solidarity with all fisher folk, fish farmers and concerned stakeholders as a spirit of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
- The journey of “Sagar Parikrama” will start with Gujarat State. The Bardoli Satyagraha, in the state of Gujarat, India during the British Raj, was a major episode of civil disobedience and revolt in the Indian Independence Movement on 12 June 1928.
- The movement was eventually led by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and its success gave rise to Patel becoming one of the main leaders of the independence movement, especially resolving farmers issues.
- Gujarat has a coastal length of 1214 km, covering 16 coastal districts having a huge diversity of marine based ecosystems and development opportunities.
- Fisher folk, vendors and industries have a direct stake in the development of the fisheries sector in economic value, especially exports.
- The entire distance will be covered from the coastline of Mandvi on the coast of the Arabian Sea in the Kutch district of Gujarat, situated at the estuary where the river Rukmavati meets the Gulf of Kutch.
- The programme shall be celebrated similarly in other districts of Gujarat and other State/UTs in subsequent phases.
- The journey shall be accompanied by the State Fisheries officials, Fishermen representatives, Fish-Farmers entrepreneurs, stakeholders, professionals, officials and Scientists from across the nation.
- During the event, certificates /sanctions related to Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampadha scheme, KCC & State Scheme shall be awarded to the progressive fishermen, especially costal fishermen, fishers and fish farmers, young fishery entrepreneurs etc.
- Literature on PMMSY scheme, State schemes, FIDF, KCC etc. shall be popularized through print media, electronic media, videos, digital campaign through jingles to popularize among fishers for wide publicity of schemes.
- Government of India is in the forefront in transforming the fisheries sector and to formulate fisheries management plans along with regulatory framework towards effective fisheries governance to ensure sustainable and responsible development through an ecosystem approach.
- The journey of Sagar Parikrama shall focus on sustainable balance between the utilization of marine fisheries resources for food security of nation and livelihoods of coastal fisher communities and protection of marine ecosystems.
- The Country has a coastline of 8118km, covering 9 maritime States/4UTs and providing livelihood support to millions of coastal fisher folk.
- Apart from being an important sector of food production providing nutritional security, fisheries give employment to 14 million Indians and save the bio-diversity of the country.
- The fishery resources in India are mainly composed of inland and marine. Inland fisheries are mainly composed of major rivers and their tributaries, ponds, reservoirs, lakes, canals, etc.
- With high growth rates, the different facets, viz., marine fisheries, coastal aquaculture, inland fisheries, freshwater aquaculture, and cold-water fisheries are contributing to the food basket, health, economy, exports, employment and tourism of the country.
- Development of Fishery sector helps in booming Blue Economy.
- It helps in earning foreign exchange from the export of marine products.
- It will help improving socio-economic conditions of traditional fisherman.
- Globally 80% of marine pollution is based on land and human based activities from plastic bags to pesticides. Solid garbage reaches the sea and by mistake sea animals are taken as food, it causes saviour damage to marine animals and ocean.
- Oil spills every year around 12% of oil entering into the sea and it cause much damage to marine.
- Sewage disposal most of untreated and under treated sewage waste comes from many parts of the world, causes saviour human diseases and puts negative impact on marine ecosystem.
- The sector suffers from low-scale, stagnating yields of inland and freshwater aquaculture, and poor infrastructure such as cold storage facilities, leading to an estimated 15-20% post-harvest loss.
- The access to quality seed and feed for fish farming coupled with inadequate availability of credit makes the poor fisher communities not invest in fish farming.
- For inland harvesting of fish there is no code of conduct for leasing of water bodies and no separate provision for drought affecting this sector.
- Loss of habitat and indiscriminate fishing, marine fishing has declined due to depleting resources, energy crisis and resultant high cost of fishing.
- Enhanced human activities in aquatic areas create the frequent occurrence of dead zone/hypoxic zones leading to shifting or permanent loss of fishing zone.
- With the increased use of Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP), and poor-quality boats have amplified leading to ill-effects on marine culture.
- Enhance production and productivity of the existing water bodies by developing technologies for intensive culture, integrated aquaculture, brood bank development, creating new hatcheries, nurseries, feed mills, diagnostic laboratories etc.
- Tap the marine resources in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and high seas in a sustainable manner.
- Create adequate post-harvest infrastructure.
- To treat aquaculture at par with agriculture.
- Establish schemes for processing fish hygienically to produce consumer friendly fish/ fish products.
- All organizations dealing with fish and fisheries should be brought under a single umbrella.
- Adoption of culture-based capture fisheries in reservoirs and under- utilized larger water bodies.
- Diversification of marine fishing activities to tap the deep sea and underutilized resources, multiday fishing, species-specific fisheries, utilization of by catch etc.
- Comprehensive policies for treating Aquaculture at par with Agriculture, and enactment of Marine and Inland Bills.
- Revamping of FFDAs and involvement of Cooperative Societies and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and ensuring the Socio-economic welfare of fisher folk.
- Post-harvest, value addition and marketing infrastructure.
- India is the second largest producer of fish in the world contributing to 5.43% of global fish production. India is also a major producer of fish through aquaculture and ranks second in the world after China.
- The fisheries sector occupies a very important place in the socio-economic development of the country. It has been recognized as a powerful income and employment generator as it stimulates growth of a number of subsidiary industries. Thus, the challenges must be eradicated through enhanced awareness and technological advancement.
- The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India is implementing Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana – A scheme to bring about Blue Revolution through sustainable and responsible development of fisheries sector in India at an estimated investment of Rs. 20050 crores for holistic development of fisheries sector including welfare of fishers.
- PMMSY is being implemented in all the States and Union Territories for a period of 5 years from FY 2020-21 to FY 2024-25.
- PMMSY is designed to address critical gaps in the fisheries value chain from fish production, productivity and quality to technology, post-harvest infrastructure and marketing.
- It aims to modernize and strengthen the value chain, enhance traceability and establish a robust fisheries management framework while simultaneously ensuring the socio-economic welfare of fishers and fish farmers.
- The PMMSY is an umbrella scheme with two separate Components namely (a) Central Sector Scheme (CS) and (b) Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS).
- The Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Component is further segregated into non-beneficiary oriented and beneficiary orientated subcomponents/activities under the following three broad heads:
- Enhancement of Production and Productivity
- Infrastructure and Post-harvest Management
- Fisheries Management and Regulatory Framework
- The Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) Component is further segregated into non-beneficiary oriented and beneficiary orientated subcomponents/activities under the following three broad heads:
POSTED ON 03-03-2022 BY ADMIN
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