- Indian Heritage
- Culture
Kashi Tamil Sangamam
The promotion of the idea of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ has been one of the major focus areas of the government guided by the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi. In his speech on 19th November 2022 at Varanasi in the last month-long event of Kashi Tamil Sangamam-2022. He reiterated that “Our resolutions in ‘Amrit Kaal’ will be fulfilled by the unity and collective efforts of the whole country. India is the nation which has lived a natural culture for thousands of years by respecting mantra of “sam vo manasi jaanatham” (understanding each other’s mind). In our country, there is a tradition of remembering 12 Jyotirlingas from “Saurashtre Somanatham to ‘Setubande tu Ramesham’ after waking up in the morning. He recalled that we start our day by remembering the spiritual unity of the country. We recite mantras while taking bath and worshipping – ‘Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari and Kaveri reside in our waters! That is, we feel like bathing in all the rivers of India. We had strengthen this tradition and heritage of thousands of years of independence and make it the unity thread of the country. This will make us realise our duties, and being a source of energy to strengthen national unity. He wished the nectar that comes out of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam should be taken forward through research for the youth. These seeds should further become banyan tree of national unity. He said that the mantra ‘Nattu Nalane Namadu Nalan’ (National Interest is our Interest) should become the life mantra of our countrymen and in reality, it was a celebration of India’s might and characteristics, thus made the Kashi Tamil Sangamam unique.
There is no country like India, quite as diverse, multi-lingual and multi- cultural, yet bound together by the ancient bonds of shared traditions, culture and values. Such bonds need to be strengthened through enhanced & continuous mutual interaction between people of varied regions and ways of life so that it encourages reciprocity & secures an enriched value system of unity amongst people of different States in a culturally special country like India.
- Modern Indian history
- The Freedom Struggle
- Post-independence
- Indian Society
A. population and associated issues
B. poverty and developmental issues
C.urbanization
7. Geographical features
8.Indian Constitution
9. Polity
10. Governance
A. institutions
B. regulatory
C. Government policies
D. role of NGOs
E. measures
West Asia Policy
India’s relations with West Asia have evolved through various phases. It began with a solidarity cause with the Arab World, but with time various challenges and opportunities set the trajectory of India’s West Asia policy. Against this backdrop, the following study aims to trace how India arrived at multialignment in the post-Cold War period, whether the delicate balancing act between the Palestinian cause and growing relations with Israel at one level and ties with Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia at another level has worked. The paper argues that India’s delicate bilateralism has been unsustainable in West Asia, and that New Delhi has come to follow selected preferences.
11. Social Justice
A. Welfare schemes
PMGSY
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched at the fag end of 2000-01. The primary objective of this Yojana is to provide connectivity, by way of all weather road (with necessary culverts and cross drainage structures which is operable throughout the year), to the unconnected habitations in the rural areas, in such a way that habitations with a population of 1000 persons and above are covered in 3 years (2000-03) and all unconnected habitations with a population of 500 persons and above by the end of 10th Plan period (2007). In respect of hill areas, the objective would be to connect habitations with a population of 250 persons and above. The PMGSY will permit the upgradation of the existing roads in those districts where all the habitations of the above population size have been provided all weather road connectivity. However, the spirit and objective is to provide good all weather road connectivity to the unconnected habitations and as such it is required to be ensured that the provision of new connectivity is given precedence in keeping with the objectives of the programme.
New connectivity implies construction of roads from the earthwork stage to the desired specifications (Rural Roads Manual – IRC SP: 20:2002) and would, therefore, invariably involve some earth work. Existing gravel or WBM roads will not qualify to be treated as works of new connectivity even where they involve some earth work by way of widening of the carriage way or road formation. Work on a road which only has earthwork (and not a gravel road) will be treated as a case of new connectivity. The primary focus of the PMGSY is to provide all weather road connectivity to the unconnected habitations and all weather road is one which is negotiable during all weathers. This implies that the road bed is drained effectively by adequate cross drainage structures such as culverts, minor bridges and cause ways. The pavement should be negotiable during all weathers but this does not necessarily imply that it should be paved or surfaced or black topped.
The unit of this programme is a habitation and not a revenue village or a Panchayat. A habitation is a cluster of population living in a area the location of which does not change over time.
The PMGSY shall cover only the rural roads. Urban roads are excluded from the purview of this programme. Even in the rural areas, PMGSY covers only the rural roads i.e. roads that were formerly classified as “Other District Roads” (ODR) ad “Village Roads” (VR). Other District Roads are roads serving rural areas of production and providing them with outlet to market centers, block headquarters etc. Major District Roads viz. State High Ways, National High Ways cannot be covered under PMGSY even if they happen to be in rural areas. This implies to new connectivity roads as well as upgradation works.
The PMGSY envisages only single road connectivity to be provided. If a habitation is already connected to another connected habitations by way of all weather roads, then no further work can be taken up under the PMGSY at that habitation.
B Health
C. Education
D. Human Resources
E. poverty and hunger
12. International relations
A. India and its neighbourhood
B. groupings and agreements
C.Indian diaspora
13. Economic Development
A. Government Budgeting
B. industrial
Logistics Ease Across Different State (LEADS
Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and Textiles, Sh. Piyush Goyal released the “Logistics Ease Across Different State (LEADS) 2023” report in New Delhi on 16th December 2023, in the presence of Smt. Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT, Mr. Sajiv Puri, President-Designate of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) & MD ITC, and Mr. Mihir Shah, Partner, Ernst & Young.
Speaking on the occasion, Sh. Piyush Goyal said that LEADS is giving insights to States and UTs for further revolutionary reform in logistics sector, taking us towards our vision of Viksit Bharat. The report serves as a guide for stakeholders in the Logistics Sector by providing strategic insights, he added. He hoped that it will play a pivotal role in instilling healthy competition among States/UTs to enhance logistics performance. It also underscores notable initiatives like planning infrastructure on PM GatiShakti, ‘industry’ status for logistics, multimodal connectivity, digital initiatives in logistics, City Logistics Plans, Multimodal Logistics Parks, etc, he said, adding that States/UTs need to emphasise skill development, capacity building, and the formalization of logistics policies, implementation of monitoring frameworks, and the promotion of green logistics. He said that Logistics sector will be a cornerstone in our endeavour to take India to a 10 fold growth from a USD 3.5 trillion to USD 35 trillion by 2047.
Sh. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary. DPIIT stated that leveraging digitization will lead to significant reduction in logistics cost. In the last nine years, significant interventions in critical areas like logistics received the much-needed focus, thereby leading to the growth in the logistics sector. Secretary highlighted reforms in Ease of Doing Business, reduction in compliance burden and ongoing work on reducing cost of regulation.
Senior officials from the Central and State/UT governments and representatives from the industry were present at the launch to share their insights and engage in constructive dialogues during various sessions in the day.
LEADS was conceived on the lines of Logistics Performance Index of World Bank in 2018 and has evolved over time. While the LPI relies entirely on perception-based surveys, LEADS incorporates both perception as well as objectivity thereby enhancing the robustness and comprehensiveness of this exercise.
The 5th edition of the LEADS annual exercise – LEADS 2023 report, provides insights into improvement of logistics performance at State/UT level. It highlights an enhanced overall stakeholder perception and impact of various reforms, across States and UTs. This report, signalling a positive shift in States’ performance across the key pillars – Logistics Infrastructure, Logistics Services and Operating and Regulatory Environment, empowers the State/UT Governments by providing region specific insights for informed decision making and comprehensive growth.
This report is based on a pan-India primary survey, conducted between May and July 2023, covering over 7,300 responses across 36 States/UTs. Additionally, over 750 stakeholder consultations, facilitated by National, Regional, and State Associations, significantly contributed to this comprehensive evaluation.
Performance Highlights from LEADS 2023:
Coastal Group
- Achievers: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu
- Fast Movers: Kerala, Maharashtra
- Aspirers: Goa, Odisha, West Bengal
Landlocked Group
- Achievers: Haryana, Punjab, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh
- Fast Movers: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand
- Aspirers: Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand
North-East Group
- Achievers: Assam, Sikkim, Tripura
- Fast Movers: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland
- Aspirers: Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram
Union Territories
- Achievers: Chandigarh, Delhi
- Fast Movers: Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Puducherry
- Aspirers: Daman & Diu/ Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh
Ms. Sumita Dawra, Special Secretary (Logistics), DPIIT highlighted that the 5th edition of the LEADS report launched today has been developed in a collaborative and consultative manner. It has brought objectivity in assessment of infrastructure development and process-related reforms. 23 States/UTs have also notified their State Logistics Polices to align with the National Logistics Policy. Further, 16 States/UTs have given industry status to logistics. Digital reform such as PM GatiShakti, Logistics Data Bank, Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), GST are propelling India’s improved ranking at global level.
During the event two sessions were held: (i) Leveraging Data and technologies to Ease Logistics; (ii) Green and sustainable Logistics.
E.issues
14. Technology
15. Environment
As fireworks light up night sky, air pollution spikes to 120 times WHO limit
16. Security
17. Disaster Management