Day: May 5, 2023

Social Sector Ministries/ Departments being onboarded on PM GatiShakti National Master Plan

 In line with the vision of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi of expanding the outreach of the NMP platform for socio-economic development, Social Sector Ministries are being onboarded on mission mode through a series of meetings. During a high-level meeting on the adoption of PM Gati Shakti NMP by Social Sector Ministries/Departments held yesterday in New Delhi, Special Secretary, Logistics Division, DPIIT, Smt. Sumita Dawra highlighted that there is immeasurable potential for the adoption and augmentation of NMP in social sector planning.

As of date, 14 Social Sector Ministries/ Departments have been onboarded, namely Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Post, Department of School Education and Literacy, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Department of Youth Affairs, Department of Sports, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Ministry of AYUSH. Individual portals of these Ministries/Departments have been developed, which are integrated at the backend with the NMP.

61 data layers of Social Sector Ministries related to infrastructure assets, such as primary and secondary schools, colleges, primary health centres, district hospitals, health sub-centres, public toilets, dump sites, Anganwadi centres, fair price shops, Amrit samovars, and dairy locations, etc., have been mapped on NMP.

Smt. Dawra stated that for wider adoption of PM GatiShakti NMP, a comprehensive area approach planning should be focused upon. It was further emphasized that Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are to be developed by each social sector Ministry to serve as guidelines for data management, which may be replicated by States.

The focus of the discussion in the meeting was on reviewing the status of the adoption of NMP for social sector planning and also on the measures to be taken for data management, i.e., improving the data quality, data uploading, and validation of data. The meeting saw the participation of 34 officers from all 14 Ministries/ Departments.

Ministries like the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Department of School Education and Literacy, and the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship showcased the use cases for the adoption of NMP.

Ministry of Women and Child Development has developed a mobile application viz., Poshan Tracker for the collection of data regarding Anganwadi Centres (AWC) under the Mission Poshan 2.0. The collected data is geo-tagged and integrated with the NMP platform through API integration. So far, 9.27 lakh Anganwadi Centres have been captured and integrated on NMP through this application. Hence, this has resulted in real-time data enrichment on the platform for infrastructure planning.

Further, after the mapping of the existing Anganwadi centres on the NMP platform, new areas were identified in terms for establishment of new Anganwadi Centres (AWC), basis the parameters like local population, habitat clusters, distance between institutions, and using the site suitability tool on the NMP.

Department of School Education and Literacy are using the NMP platform by identifying suitable sites for the opening of new schools through the use of the site suitability tool and mapping of existing data layers, i.e., road and rail network, population census data, and demographic layer for identifications of gaps and finalising the locations for opening new schools.

Other social sector Ministries, like the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Culture, and Ministry of Tribal Affairs are also in the process of identifying assets essential for social sector planning, to be uploaded on NMP.

Individual portals for 22 infrastructure and user economic ministries and all 36 States/UTs have been created and integrated with the NMP at the backend. At present, 1460 data layers have been integrated into NMP, belonging to Central Ministries/ Departments (585) and States/ UTs (875).

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Media and entertainment industry to make a matchless mark

 Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Textiles and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal said that the media and entertainment industry will make a mark that will be matchless in the Amrit Kaal poised to be the defining moments for India. During his address at the FICCI Frames 2023, the Minister lauded the industry for its commitment to take Indian cinema on the global map.

The Minister said that the government under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi is supportive to all the efforts by the media and entertainment industry to expand the frontiers of the sector globally and reach the remotest corners of the world. Shri Goyal said that the media and entertainment industry can disseminate the message to the world that India is on the pathway to become a developed nation by 2047. He also said that India as the fastest growing economy of the world along with an unparalleled talent and skill base at a very competitive price offers unmatched opportunities for economic development and business growth to the world.

The Minister appreciated the industry for efficiently adopting modern technologies and cited the example of widespread use of smartphones as cameras. Shri Goyal said that the media and entertainment industry will grow by leaps and bounds with the emergence of digital platforms. Shri Piyush Goyal lauded the Indian VFX companies involved in Hollywood movies like Avatar. He said that startups are contributing to the growth of this sector significantly.

The Minister noted that the media and entertainment industry can showcase to the world, the New India of today and boost the economy, helping the country reach a new audience, influencing opinions, and spreading positivity. He said that this positivity encourages people, government and businesses to be more aspirational and look at the future with greater hope demanding better lifestyles and better business opportunities.

Shri Goyal said that the media and entertainment industry are the cultural ambassadors of India and have given a unique identity to India. He highlighted that the media and entertainment industry has a huge potential to connect people, businesses and nations leading to a better understanding and appreciation of different cultures and conditions across the world.

The Minister said that the world is also appreciating Indian art and culture and the recent Oscar Awards for the ‘Naatu-Naatu’ song and the ‘Elephant Whisperers’ showcase this global appreciation. Shri Goyal said that these Awards helped India convey a social message that sustainability is at the core of Indian culture and tradition. He said that the message of Naari Shakti was also effectively conveyed as the Awards highlighted that Indian women of substance are defining the New India. Shri Goyal said that these achievements are boosting the morale of billions of people.

Shri Piyush Goyal noted that the theme ‘inspire, innovate and immerse’, is relevant to the current times as it reflects the vibrancy demonstrated by the media and entertainment industry. He said that the theme also resonates with the belief that creativity can indeed enhance commerce. He said that the industry acts as a key pillar of India’s cultural identity and cultural heritage. The Minister noted that FICCI Frames has now become an established platform in the media and entertainment sector showcasing to the world what India truly represents.

The Minister said that every artist can dream and every dreamer can succeed in New India and urged the media and entertainment industry to build an industry which entertains, empowers, enlightens and inspires the whole nation, in this journey of progress and prosperity.

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CEPA is the growth engine for India-UAE bilateral trade

 On the occasion of the first anniversary of the implementation of the India-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) today, Commerce Secretary Shri Sunil Barthwal congratulated the people of India and the UAE on the milestone and talked about CEPA’s role as a growth engine for India-UAE bilateral trade over the past 11 months. CEPA is a full and deep Agreement signed on 18 February 2022, during a virtual summit between the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi and His Excellency the President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. CEPA entered into force from 01 May 2022.

The Commerce Secretary said that both sides are continuing to work together to further improve Ease of Doing Business between the two countries. Representatives from Industry mentioned about the experience of leveraging upon the CEPA to register significant growth in their respective sectors.

During the past one year, CEPA has made a significant impact on India’s Bilateral Trade with the UAE and particularly India’s Exports to the UAE (Oil and Non-Oil). The Bilateral Trade between India and the UAE has touched historic highs during FY 2022-23. Trade has increased from US$ 72.9 billion (Apr 21-Mar 2022) to US$ 84.5 billion (Apr 22-Mar 2023) registering a year-on-year increase of 16%. During the CEPA Implementation period (from May 22 to Mar 23), bilateral trade increased from US$ 67.5 billion (May 21-Mar 2022) to US$ 76.9 billion (May 22-Mar 2023) – an annual increase of 14%.

Exports from India to the UAE have also registered a multiyear high. During April-March period, Indian exports to the UAE increased from US$ 28 bn to US$ 31.3 bn; an increase of around US$ 3.3 billion; or 11.8% year-on-year growth in percentage terms. During the same period, growth in India’s global exports was 5.3%, excluding the UAE, India’s global exports grew at 4.8%.

During the CEPA Implementation period (May 22 – March 23), India’s exports to the UAE increased from 26.2 billion (May 21 – March 22) to 28.5 billion (May 22 – March 23); an 8.5% y-o-y growth. During the same period, India’s global exports, excluding the UAE, grew at 3.1%. India’s Imports from the UAE have grown to USD 53.2 billion (an annual increase of 18.8%) during Apr 22 to Mar 23. Non-oil imports during the same period grew by 4.1%.

Some of the key sectors, including labour-intensive sectors, that have witnessed significant export growth on account of the CEPA include: Mineral Fuels; Electrical Machinery (particularly telephone equipment); Gems & Jewellery; Automobiles (Transport vehicles segment); Essential Oils/Perfumes/Cosmetics (Beauty/Skin care products); Other Machinery; Cereals (Rice); Coffee/Tea/Spices; Other Agri Products; and Chemical Products

Utilization of the India-UAE CEPA has been increasing steadily on a month-on-month basis. Number of Preferential Certificates of Origin (COOs) issued under the CEPA increased from 415 in May 2022 to 8440 in March 2023. Over 54,000 COOs issued under the CEPA during the 11-month (May 22 – March 23) period.

Under the India-UAE CEPA in the Goods Domain, the UAE eliminated duties on 97.4% of its tariff lines corresponding to 99% of imports from India. India has obtained immediate duty elimination on over 80% of its tariff lines corresponding to 90% of India’s exports in value terms. Most of these tariff lines correspond to the labour-intensive industries/sectors such as oil seeds & oils, beverages, cotton, fish & fish products, textiles, clothing, gems and jewellery, leather, footwear, pharmaceuticals and many engineering products.

In the Services Domain, broader and deeper commitments have been taken across all the sectors and modes of supply. Out of the 160 services subsectors, India has offered 100 sub-sectors to the UAE and the UAE has offered 111 sub-sectors to India.

Given the significant increase in bilateral trade, particularly in exports of Indian goods and services, CEPA would have had a concomitant positive impact on other key macroeconomic variables such as GDP and Employment.


Top Ten Monuments of India

India is home to numerous ancient and modern architectural marvels that attract tourists from all over the world. Here are the top ten monuments of India:

Top Ten Monuments of India

Taj Mahal – A mausoleum in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Red Fort – A historic fort in Delhi, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, featuring intricate architecture and beautiful gardens.

Qutub Minar – A 73-meter-high tower in Delhi, built in the 13th century, featuring intricate carvings and inscriptions.

Hawa Mahal – A palace in Jaipur, Rajasthan, known for its distinctive honeycomb architecture and 953 small windows.

Ajanta and Ellora Caves – A group of Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu caves in Maharashtra, featuring some of the most exquisite rock-cut sculptures and paintings.

Gateway of India – An arch monument in Mumbai, built in the early 20th century to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary.

Charminar – A mosque and monument in Hyderabad, Telangana, built in the 16th century, featuring four minarets and intricate Islamic architecture.

India Gate – A war memorial in Delhi, built in the early 20th century, featuring a towering gate and sprawling lawns.

Victoria Memorial – A museum and monument in Kolkata, West Bengal, built in the early 20th century, featuring stunning architecture and lush gardens.

Lotus Temple – A Bahai temple in Delhi, known for its unique lotus-shaped design and serene atmosphere.

These monuments not only showcase India’s rich history and culture but also represent the country’s architectural diversity and innovation. They are essential cultural and tourism assets that attract millions of visitors every year, making them an integral part of India’s tourism industry.

Top Ten Heritage of India

India is a country with a rich and diverse cultural heritage, and there are numerous heritage sites that showcase this rich cultural legacy. Here are the top ten heritage sites of India:

Top Ten Heritage of India

Taj Mahal – A mausoleum in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Khajuraho – A group of Hindu and Jain temples in Madhya Pradesh, known for their intricate carvings and sculptures.

Hampi – An ancient city in Karnataka, once the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, famous for its ruins and temples.

Ajanta and Ellora Caves – A group of Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu caves in Maharashtra, featuring some of the most exquisite rock-cut sculptures and paintings.

Konark Sun Temple – A 13th-century temple in Odisha, built in the form of a chariot, with intricate carvings depicting Hindu mythology.

Mahabodhi Temple – A Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, believed to be the site where Buddha attained enlightenment.

Fatehpur Sikri – A deserted city in Uttar Pradesh, built by Mughal Emperor Akbar, featuring several palaces, mosques, and other structures.

Qutub Minar – A 73-meter-high tower in Delhi, built in the 13th century, featuring intricate carvings and inscriptions.

Amer Fort – A hilltop fort in Rajasthan, known for its grand architecture, ornate carvings, and stunning views.

Sanchi Stupa – A Buddhist monument in Madhya Pradesh, dating back to the 3rd century BCE, featuring intricate carvings and sculptures depicting the life of Buddha.

These heritage sites not only showcase India’s rich cultural heritage but also attract tourists from all over the world, making them an essential part of India’s tourism industry.