Current Affair 1:

National Logistics Policy

 

In a general business sense, logistics is the management of the flow of things between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of customers or corporations.

Introduction:

The need for a national logistics policy was felt since the logistics cost in India is high as compared to other developed economies. It is imperative to reduce the logistics cost in India for improving the competitiveness of Indian goods both in domestic as well as export markets. Reduced logistics cost improves efficiency cutting across various sectors of the economy, encouraging value addition and enterprise.

Since 2014, the government has put significant emphasis on improving both, Ease of Doing Business and Ease of Living. National Logistics Policy, a comprehensive effort to address issues of high cost and inefficiency by laying down an overarching interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and multi-jurisdictional framework for the development of the entire logistics ecosystem, is yet another step in this direction.

The PM GatiShakti - National Master Plan for muti-modal connectivity - launched by the Prime Minister last year, was a pioneering step in this direction. PM GatiShakti will get further boost and complementarity with the launch of the National Logistics Policy.

Steps taken by Government:

1. The Prime Minister reiterated that schemes like Sagarmala, Bharatmala, expedited the work of Dedicated Freight Corridors to improve logistics connectivity for systematic infrastructure development.
2. Shri Modi pointed out that the total capacity of Indian ports has increased significantly and the average turn-around time of container vessels has come down from 44 hours to 26 hours.
3. For promoting export, 40 air cargo terminals have been constructed. 30 airports have been provided cold-storage facilities. 35 multimodal hubs are coming up in the country.
4. “Through waterways, we can do eco-friendly and cost-effective transportation, for this many new waterways are also being built in the country”, the Prime Minister added.
5. He also mentioned Kisan Rail and Kisan Udan experiments during the Corona time. Today 60 airports have the facility of Krishi Udan.

What is the Vision of Policy?

The vision of the proposed policy is to drive economic growth and the business competitiveness of the country through an integrated, seamless, efficient, reliable, green, sustainable, and cost-effective logistics network leveraging best-in-class technology, processes, and skilled manpower.

How is helpful for Export or Import?

By simplifying documentation for exports and imports through  digitization, the Department of Revenue, and CBIC have taken several initiatives like:

1. SWIFT ( Single Window Interface for Trade )
2. (Adoption of Digital Signature
3. (24×7 Customs Clearance – for facilitated Bills of Entry and factory stuffed containers and goods exported under free Shipping Bills at select  ports
4. Import Data Processing and Management System (IDPMS) – jointly launched with RBI to facilitate efficient data processing for payment of imports and effective monitoring
5.  E-Sanchit
6. Two new IT  Modules ICEDASH (Ease of doing business monitoring dashboard) and ATITHI app for electronic filing by passengers for baggage

Though there is no official estimation of logistics cost for India, some private institutions have estimated the logistics cost to be 13 to 14 percent of the GDP. The proposed policy aims to reduce this to 9 -10 percent of the GDP.

Current Affair 2:

East Asia Summit (EAS)

 

The East Asia Summit (EAS) process was initiated in 2005 with the convening of the 1st East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

At its inception, the East Asia Summit comprised 16 participating countries, namely ASEAN Member States, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, and the Republic of Korea. The United States and Russian Federation joined at the 6th East Asia Summit in Bali, Indonesia on 19 November 2011.

Objectives and Principles

Till now, there is no Annual Summits in India.

Current Affair 3:

Iodine drives substantial ground-level ozone loss in Arctic

 

News:

Climate change is causing the Arctic Ocean to release significant amounts of iodine into the atmosphere, substantially destroying ground-level ozone. Iodine is one of the most potent ozone destruction agents.

About ground level ozone

Tropospheric, or ground level ozone, is not emitted directly into the air, but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). This happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight.

The Arctic Sea ice is melting in response to high temperatures, exposing the ocean. As a result, ozone from anthropogenic emissions gets deposited in the water, releasing iodine from seawater into the atmosphere.

 

Current Affair 4:

Asiatic caracal

 

News:

The Asiatic caracal (Caracal caracal schmitzi) is an elusive medium-sized and locally threatened felid (cat) species, which has been widely reported to be on the brink of extinction in India.

The reasons are large-scale hunting, illegal trading and loss of natural habitats are considered significant threats to the species.

The caracal is currently included in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and the Near Threatened category by the Conservation Assessment and Management Plan and International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list assessment in India

A team of researchers have now mapped out the most suitable areas for the species to survive in India.

The researchers found the most significant potential habitat for caracals in Rajasthan, with an area of 25,221.38 square kilometres, followed by Gujarat (16,652.1 sq km), Madhya Pradesh (6416.01 sq km), Haryana (191.36 sq km), Uttar Pradesh (131.11 sq km), and Maharashtra (34.17 sq km).

The most suitable areas for caracals on the district level were found to be in the Kutch district of Gujarat.

 

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