Governance/Infrastructure Development
Industrial Park Rating System Report 2.0

Relevance IN - Prelims ( IPRS report highlights + role of IILB) + Mains ( GS II governance - transparency and accountability + GS III infrastructure development)
What's the NEWS

• 41 Industrial Parks have been assessed as "Leaders" in the Industrial Park Ratings System Report released by DPIIT
• 90 Industrial Parks have been rated as under Challenger category while 185 have been rated as under "Aspirers".
• These ratings are assigned on the basis of key existing parameters and infrastructure facilities etc.

Industrial Park Rating System (IPRS) Report

• The 2nd edition of the Industrial Park Rating System (IPRS) Report was launched by the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry
• The IPRS 2.0 Report will enhance India's industrial competitiveness and attract investment.
• The Report is an extension of the India Industrial Land Bank which features more than 4,400 industrial parks in a GIS-enabled database to help investors identify their preferred location for investment.
• The portal is currently integrated with industry-based GIS system of 21 States and UTs and plot-wise information in these are updated on a real-time basis (PAN India integration by December 2021)
• With this system, the investors can even remotely refer to this report to identify the suitable investable land area, as per the various parameters of infrastructure, connectivity, business support services and environment and safety standards and make informed investment decisions.

India Industrial Land Bank (IILB)

• The India Industrial Land Bank (IILB) provides details of more than 5.6 lakh hectares on the click of a button and prospective entrepreneurs can apply sitting from anywhere across the world.
• The GIS-enabled IILB acts as a one-stop source of information on Industrial Infrastructure.
• The IPRS pilot exercise was launched in 2018, with an objective of enhancing industrial infrastructure competitiveness and supporting policy development for enabling industrialization
• The Government started the IPRS 2.0 in 2020. All the States of India and 51 SEZs, including 29 Private, have participated the IPRS 2.0 Report.
• 24 Private Sector Industrial Parks have also been nominated. Ratings have been undertaken for 449 out of 478 nominations received. The feedback survey involved responses from 5,700 tenants.

Some of the recent initiatives include
Several initiatives have been undertaken by the Commerce & Industry Ministry to promote industry and boost exports.

• One District One Product (ODOP) Initiative
• Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) Schemes
• National Single Window System (NSWS)
• 15,000 unnecessary compliances have been reduced by rationalising, eliminating, and automating processes
• Project Development Cells (PDC), that have been constituted in Ministries/Departments to create a shelf of readily investible projects. PDCs will handhold investors and aim to improve Ease of Doing Business to spur sectoral and economic growth.

Social Issues
State of the World's Children report 2021

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the report highlights)
What's the NEWS

• Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare released UNICEF's global flagship publication - "The State of the World's Children 2021; On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children's mental health"
• The report details the significant impact of COVID-19 pandemic on children's mental health.
• The State of the World's Children 2021 has found that around 14 percent of 15 to 24-year-olds in India, or 1 in 7, reported often feeling depressed or having little interest in doing things.
• Children have not only been living an emotional tragedy, many are also at a higher risk of neglect and abuse

Prelims Factoids
India - Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise, JIMEX

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about JIMEX)
What's the NEWS

• The fifth edition of India - Japan Maritime Bilateral Exercise, JIMEX, between the Indian Navy (IN) and the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF), will be held in Arabian Sea from 06 to 08 October 2021.
• JIMEX series of exercises commenced in January 2012 with special focus on maritime security cooperation.
• The last edition of JIMEX was conducted in September 2020.
• JIMEX-21 aims to develop common understanding of operational procedures and enhance inter-operability through conduct of a multitude of advanced exercises, across the entire spectrum of maritime operations.
• JIMEX-21 will further enhance the cooperation and mutual confidence between the two navies and fortify the long-standing bond of friendship between the two countries.

Environment
30th anniversary of the signing of the Protocol on Environmental Protection (Madrid protocol) of the Antarctic Treaty

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Antarctica treaty)+ Mains ( GS III Environment conservation)
What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Science & Technology addressed the International Conference commemorating the signing of the Madrid Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.

Know! about Antarctica treaty and India's expeditions to Antarctica

• The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed in Madrid on October 4, 1991 and entered into force in 1998.
• It designates Antarctica as a "natural reserve, devoted to peace and science".
• India signed the Antarctic Treaty on 19th August 1983 and soon thereafter received consultative status on 12^th September 1983.
• The Madrid Protocol was signed by India which came into force on 14th January, 1998.
• India is one of the 29 Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty.
• India is also a member of Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programme (COMNAP) and Scientific Committee of Antarctica Research (SCAR).
• All these representations show the significant position that India holds among the nations involved in Antarctic research.
• India has two active research stations; Maitri (commissioned in 1989) at Schirmacher Hills, and Bharati (commissioned in 2012) at Larsemann Hills in Antarctica.
• India has successfully launched 40 annual scientific expeditions to Antarctica till date.
• With Himadri station in Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, Arctic, India now belongs to the elite group of nations that have multiple research stations within the Polar Regions.

Government Schemes
Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about CHCDS) + Mains ( GS II government policies and interventions)
What's the NEWS

• Ministry of Textiles has approved continuation of Comprehensive Handicrafts Cluster Development Scheme ( CHCDS) with a total outlay of Rs 160 crore.
• The scheme will continue up to March 2026. Infrastructural support, market access, design and technology up-gradation support etc will be provided to handicrafts artisans under this scheme.

Know! about CHCDS

• CHCDS aims to create world-class infrastructure that caters to the business needs of the local artisans & SMEs to boost production and export.
• In brief, the main objective of setting up these clusters is to assist the artisans & entrepreneurs to set up world-class units with modern infrastructure, latest technology, and adequate training and human resource development inputs, coupled with market linkages and production diversification.
• Under CHCDS, soft interventions like Baseline Survey and Activity Mapping, Skill Training, Improved Tool Kits, Marketing events, Seminars, Publicity, Design workshops, Capacity Building, etc will be provided.
• Hard interventions like Common Facility Centers, Emporiums, Raw Material Banks, Trade Facilitation Centers, Common Production Centers, Design and Resource Centers will also be granted.
• The focus will be on integration of scattered artisans, building their grass root level enterprises and linking them to SMEs in the handicrafts sector to ensure economies of scale.
• The mega handicraft clusters having more than 10,000 artisans will be selected for overall development under this scheme.

Science and Technology
Heli-borne survey technology for ground water management launched

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about Heli-borne survey technology)
What's the NEWS

• Union Minister of Earth Sciences launched state-of-the-art Heli-borne survey technology for ground water management, developed by CSIR-NGRI Hyderabad.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with CSIR-NGRI for executing a very important project "High Resolution Aquifer Mapping & Management in Arid Regions of North Western India
• To start with, the States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana are being taken up for this latest heli-borne survey and the beginning was made from Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

Know! about the Heli-borne survey technology

• The latest state-of-the-art technology is being employed by Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) for mapping groundwater sources in arid regions and thus help utilize groundwater for drinking purposes.
• CSIR, along with National Geophysical Research Institute NGRI, have undertaken High Resolution Aquifer Mapping & Management in Arid Regions of North Western India to augment the groundwater resources.
• The Heli-borne geophysical mapping technique of CSIR-NGRI provides a high resolution 3D image of the sub-surface up to a depth of 500 meters below the ground.
• The Ministry of Jal Shakti is trying to use this technology for providing ground water solutions in the arid and semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana states
• The project is aimed at mapping potential groundwater sources and its management for providing safe drinking water to millions of people living in the water scarce arid regions of our country.
• This is a mega project of Rs. 150 crores to be implemented in two phases in collaboration with the Ministry of Jal Shakti as a part of National Aquifer Mapping Project.
• This project is expected to bring high visibility to CSIR in implementing the Government of India`s most ambitious project Jal Jeevan Mission.

Know! about the arid areas of India

• Arid areas in north western India spread over parts of States of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab cover nearly 12% of the total geographical area of the country and are home to more than 8 crore people.
• With an annual rainfall in the range of less than 100 to 400 mm, this area faces an acute shortage of water throughout the year and it is proposed to take up high-resolution aquifer mapping and management to augment the groundwater resources.

Prelims Factoids
Bharat Darshan Park

Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the Bharat Darshan Park and replica of monuments
What's the NEWS

• The Bharat Darshan Park - a mega-city park that has replicas of 17 monuments built from scrap - is likely to be inaugurated next month
• The park in Punjabi Bagh, Delhi spread over 8.5 acres has replicas of monuments from across the country, including Mysore Palace, Charminar and Khajuraho Temple, Gateway of India, Konark Temple, Nalanda ruins, Meenakshi Temple, Hawa Mahal, Hampi ruins, Victoria Memorial, Sanchi Stupa, Gol Gumbaz, Ajanta and Ellora Caves and Junagarh Fort.

Know! about some of the monuments
Ajanta Caves

• Inventors: John Smith and William Esirken
• It is situated on the banks of the river Baghor in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.
• There are a total of 29 caves in it.
• All the caves are related to Buddhism only.
• There is evidence of development from the Satavahana dynasty to the Chalukya period.
• In these, the stories of Buddha's previous births have been depicted through Jataka stories.
• A picture of a dying princess is found from Ajanta's Cave No. 16.
• It's paintings are mainly made by fresco technical methods.

Ellora Cave

• Ellora Caves is located in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
• It is related to all three religions Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism.
• Along with religious paintings, pictures of natural subjects and folk life have also been painted here.
• In the Ellora cave, under the theme of Hindu religion, there are pictures of Lakshmi Narayan riding on Shiva and Nataraja, the incarnation of Vishnu, Garuna.
• In Ellora, everyday life, common men and women also have a place. The number of Ellora caves is 34.

Sanchi-Stupa

• Sanchi is a small village situated on the banks of Betwa river in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh state.
• The great main stupa of Sanchi, originally built by Emperor Ashoka the Great in the third century, BC. was built in
• Later, Emperor Agnimitra Shung renovated this Sanchi stupa and made it bigger and bigger.
• In its center was a hemispherical brick structure, in which some relics of Lord Buddha were kept.
• On its summit was an umbrella as a symbol of the high respect given to the monument.

Polity
Symbols of Political Parties
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the types and symbols of political parties)
What's the NEWS

• Recently, the Election Commission of India banned the official election symbol of Lok Janshakti Party.
• The Election Commission allotted the name 'Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) with election symbol 'helicopter' to the Chirag Paswan faction of the Lok Janshakti Party.
• The Pashupati Kumar Paras faction of the party has been allotted the name 'Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party with 'sewing machine' as the election symbol by the EC.

Know! about the types of symbol
The symbols of political parties are of the following two types:

1. Reserved
2. Free

• Eight National Parties and 64 State Parties have been provided with 'Reserved' symbols across the country.
• The Election Commission uses a corpus of about 200 'independent' symbols which are normally allocated to unrecognized regional parties before elections.

Symbols of Political Parties and Powers of Election Commission

• Under the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, the Election Commission is empowered to recognize and allot symbols to political parties.
• At the time of filing nomination papers, the political party or candidate is provided with any three symbols from the list of symbols of the Election Commission.
• The political party or candidate is allotted any one of those three election symbols on a first-come-first-served basis.
• The Election Commission is also the sole authority to decide on any dispute or merger of political parties.
• Under Article 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968, the Election Commission may decide matters relating to claims of party name and symbol by rival groups or factions of a recognized political party.
• In case of split of a recognized political party, the symbol/ symbol allotted to the party is decided by the Election Commission.

Prelims Factoids
Geographical Identification (GI) tagged products of West Bengal in NEWS
Relevance IN - Prelims ( about the GI tagged products of West Bengal)
What's the NEWS

• In an effort to promote indigenous & Geographical Identification (GI) tagged products, first consignment of GI tagged sweet dish Mihidana sourced from Bardhaman, West Bengal has been exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain.
• Recently, to commemorate the historical legacy of a century old sweet delicacy & GI certified - Jaynagarer Moa, prepared from popped-rice ball & fresh date-palm jaggery, in Jaynagar, West Bengal, India Post in collaboration with APEDA released a specially designed envelope.
• In January, 2021, a consignment of Jaynagar Moa was exported to the Kingdom of Bahrain, by APEDA
• APEDA has been focusing on increasing lesser known, indigenous and GI tagged food products from the country.
• In August, 2021, India Post released a special cover on West Bengal''s sweetmeats Mihidana and Sitabhog.
• West Bengal's Bardhaman got the GI tag for the century-old sweetmeats in 2017.
• A GI tag is a sign denoting a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin.

Know! about GI tag

• GI is a form of intellectual property right (IPR), is distinct from other forms of IPR, as it ascribes the exclusivity to the community in a defined geography, rather than to an individual, as is in the case of trademarks and patents.
• A GI tag can be issued for agricultural, natural or manufactured goods that have a unique quality, reputation or other characteristics attributable to its geographical origin.
• Darjeeling tea, Basmati rice, Kanchipuram Silk, Mysore Silk, Hyderabadi haleem, Nagaland chilli products, etc, sold with the GI tag have premium pricing.

KEEP Learning KEEP Evolving
TEAM CL IAS