Daily Current Capsules

06-07 May 2023

Infrastructure Development

India’s First International Multimodal Logistics Park at Jogighopa, Assam

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about MMLP – location and other facts like associated river ) + Mains ( GS III infrastructure development)

What’s the NEWS

·         Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways visited the construction site of India’s first International Multi Modal Logistics park in Jogighopa, Assam to review the progress

Know! about the first International Multi Modal Logistics park(MMLP)

·         The park is being developed under the ambitious Bharatmala Pariyojana of the Government .

·         First such MMLP, it is being made by NHIDCL in Jogighopa of Assam.

·         The park will be connected to road, rail, air and waterways.

·         This is being developed in 317-acre land along the Brahmaputra.

·         The distance of 154 km between Jogighopa and Guwahati will be covered by making a 4-lane road on this stretch, a 3-km rail line will connect Jogighopa station to the MMLP, another 3-km rail link will connect it to the IWT, and the road to newly developed Rupsi airport will be upgraded to 4-lanes for easier connectivity.

Associated Organisations

National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL)

• The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited
  

  (NHIDCL) is a fully owned company of the Government of India, set up in 2014 and is responsible for the management of a network of over 5,500 km of National Highways out of 1,15,000 km in India.

• It is a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.

Bharatmala Pariyojna

• It is an ecosystem of road development which includes the development of tunnels, bridges, elevated corridors, flyovers, overpasses, interchanges, bypasses, ring roads etc. to provide the shortest, jam-free & optimized connectivity to multiple places
• It is a centrally-sponsored and funded Road and Highways project of the Government of India.
• Bharatmala is mainly focused on connecting remote areas and satellite cities

PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan

• The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan has been conceived to revive and rejuvenate transportation to become an efficient & effective agent of change.
• In order to ensure trickle-down economic prosperity, the PM Gati Shakti NMP aims at strengthening the coastal regions of both sea and rivers.

Bilateral Relations

MV-ITT LION (V-273)

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP + Sittwe Port) + Mains ( GS II Bilateral Relations + GS III infrastructure development)

What’s the NEWS

• Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, flagged off MV-ITT LION (V-273) from Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata as the inaugural shipment to operationalize the Sittwe Port in Rakhine State of Myanmar. 
• The Port has been built under grant assistance from the Government of India as part of the Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project (KMTTP).
• The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), as a project Development Consultant for the implementation of Port and IWT components of the work, has successfully completed the work.
• MV-ITT LION (V-273) carrying 20,000 bags containing 1,000 metric tonnes of cement will reach Sittwe Port on May 9, 2023.

Know! about Sittwe Port

• Sittwe Port has been developed under a framework agreement between India and Myanmar for the construction and operation of a Multimodal Transit Transport Facility on the Kaladan River connecting the Sittwe Port in Myanmar with the state of Mizoram in India.
• The port connects to Paletwa in Myanmar through an inland waterway and from Paletwa to Zorinpui in Mizoram through a road component.
• Once fully operationalized, KMTTP will provide alternate connectivity from Eastern coast of India to the North-eastern states through the Sittwe port.
• The Port will open up new opportunities for trade and transit from and to Myanmar, particularly the Rakhine State, and further enhance trade and commerce between the two countries and the wider region.

Know! about Kaladan Project

• The Kaladan Multimodal project connects Kolkata port with Myanmar’s Sittwe Port by sea, Sittwe to Paletwa via river Kaladan, Paletwa to the border of India, and Myanmar via road and further ahead to Lawngtlai, Mizoram by road.
• The Kaladan Project is a live example of the cooperation and commitments between India and Myanmar.
• The start of operation of Sittwe port will pave a new avenue for Sittwe to become a maritime hub for Myanmar and enhance the regional connectivity
• This strategic and important route will further enhance trade, commerce, and economic ties with Myanmar, our North-Eastern States, and South Asian Countries.’

Associated authorities

Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI)

• It is the statutory authority in charge of the waterways in India.
• It was constituted under IWAI Act-1985 by the Parliament of India.
• India has an extensive network of inland waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters, and creeks.
• The total navigable length is 14,500 km, out of which about 5200 km of the river and 4000 km of canals can be used by mechanized crafts.
• IWAI made 13 standardized state-of-art design public for the transportation of cargo and passengers keeping in mind Gange’s complex river morphology, hydraulics, acute bends, currents, etc. in National Waterway 1.
• The first implementation will be between Varanasi-Haldia’s stretch in assistance and investment from the World Bank.

Status of Waterways Transportation in India

• Freight transportation by waterways is highly under-utilized in India compared to other large countries and geographic areas like the United States, China, and the European Union.
• The total cargo moved (in tonne-kilometers) by the inland waterway was just 0.1% of the total inland traffic in India, compared to the 21% figure for the United States.
• Cargo transportation in an organized manner is confined to a few waterways in Goa, West Bengal, Assam, and Kerala.

Defence Indigenisation

India’s amphibious assault ship INS Magar sails into the sunset after 36 yrs of service

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about INS Magar) + Mains (GS III – can be used as fodder in questions related to defense indigenization)

What’s the NEWS

• After 36 years of service, INS Magar, the oldest landing ship of the Indian Navy was decommissioned in Kochi recently.

Know! about INS Magar

• INS Magar was launched on November 16, 1984, by Meera Tahiliani and commissioned on July 18, 1987, at Garden Reach Shipyard and Engineers Limited, Kolkata
• It was the first indigenously built ship with more than 5000 gross register tonnage(referring to the ship’s internal volume) and the first of the Landing Ship Tank (Large) class.

Role of INS Magar

• An Amphibious Assault ship of the Indian Navy, INS Magar’s primary role has been that of an expeditionary warfare unit, which can carry eleven battle tanks, thirteen BMP infantry fighting vehicles, ten trucks, eight heavy motor vehicles, and more than 200 troops in various configurations.
• The ship also carries an integral Seaking Helicopter for airborne operations and four Landing Craft assaults (LCA) for launching amphibious assaults.
• During its service, Magar has participated in numerous operations, amphibious exercises, and humanitarian missions, noteworthy of them being Operation Samudra Setu wherein over 4,000 Indian nationals were repatriated from various corners of the world during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The ship was also instrumental in the evacuation of over 1,300 survivors post the tsunami in 2004 and had been part of several joint military exercises with the Indian Army.

Art and Culture

2,000-year-old Relics of ‘Modern Society’ Found in MP’s Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about the new exploration and discoveries + about Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve)

What’s the NEWS

• New archaeological explorations in Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh National Park have unearthed relics of a “modern society” that likely used the present-day tiger habitat as an old trade route — some two millennia ago.
• This trade route traverses through what we now call the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve — a treasure trove of historical finds where a 1,500-year-old rock painting and a 2,000-year-old man-made waterbody were recently discovered.
• Bandhavgarh was most likely part of an old trade route, with passing traders using rock-cut caves as shelters.

About the discoveries

• For the first time, a rock painting estimated to be around 1,500 years old was discovered inside the Tala range of Bandhavgarh.
• Rock painting has been found for the first time in the area. It is not a historic-era painting but could be roughly 1,500 years old. The painting is still being studied. It possibly depicts an animal
• The painting was found in a rock-cut cave and not in a natural cave or overhang.
• Another remarkable discovery is man-made waterbodies
• The presence of numerous (man-made) waterbodies suggests a modern society.
• The waterbodies found this time was made at a height and used for collecting rainwater.
• They could be roughly 1,800-2,000 years old. Evidence suggests some sort of renovation around 1,000 years ago

Know! about Bandhavgarh National Park

• It is located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh.
• Bandhavgarh National Park is spread over the Vindhya hills in Madhya Pradesh.
• Bandhavgarh National Park is known for the Royal Bengal Tigers.
• The density of the tiger population at Bandhavgarh is the highest known in India as well as in the world.
• The national park was the former hunting preserve of the Maharaja of Rewa and at present is a famous natural hub for White Tigers.
• It is also believed that all the white tigers across the globe trace their roots to
• It was declared a national park in 1968 and then became Tiger Reserve in 1993.

Highlights of the first exploration phase – ASI survey in 2022

• In 2022 too, the ASI, during a survey, found several structures and caves in Bandhavgarh, dating back thousands of years.
• In May-June 2022, during the first exploration phase, the ASI discovered 26 temples/relics and as many Buddhist caves, alongside monasteries, stupas, dozens of artifacts, and waterworks of the era.
• Caves found at the site in Umaria, MP, were likely built between the 2nd and 5th century BCE, and their varied sizes are indicative of some kind of social hierarchy among their inhabitants.
• The relics discovered in 2022 included many ancient sculptures, including large monolithic ones of various avatars of Lord Vishnu like ‘Varaha’ and ‘Matsya’, and “board games made in natural caves”.
• They also found the mention of ancient cities like Mathura and Kaushambi, Pavata (Parvata), Vejabharada, and Sepatanaairikaa in the inscription on the caves in Brahmi script.
• A total of twenty-four Brahmi inscriptions dating from the 2nd-5th century AD were documented in 2022.
• The archaeological exploration in 2022 was the first such exercise carried out in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, located about 500 km from Bhopal, in over 80 years.

Prelims Factoids

Kali Tiger Reserve

Relevance IN – Prelims ( about Kali Tiger Reserve)

What’s the NEWS

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has written to the Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka to furnish a status report on an illegal resort in Anmod village in the Castle Rock Wildlife Range of the Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR).

Know! about Kali Tiger Reserve

• Kali Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve is located in Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka State.
• This belt of Uttara Kannada district is a part of the Western Ghats.
• The Tiger Reserve comprises two important protected areas of the region viz., Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park.
• Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (475.018 sq km) and Anshi National Park (339.866 sq km) are contiguous to each other and form a single tract of protected area located in biologically sensitive Western Ghats.
• Kali River, which forms the major source of water for Uttara Kannada, flows through the tiger reserve and hence the name.
• Forests are primarily moist deciduous and semi-evergreen, with excellent patches of evergreen forests in the westernmost parts as well as in deep valleys.

Know! about NTCA

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has been constituted under section 38 L (1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• NTCA was established in December 2005, following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganized management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India
• The authority derives its power from section 38 O (1) of WLPA, 1972, and functions under the guidance of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and members.
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority is set up under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Environment and Forests

Objectives of NTCA

• Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance with its directives becomes legal.
• Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.

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