Contents
- Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC)
- Inner Line Permit
- Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
EASTERN DEDICATED FREIGHT CORRIDOR
Focus: GS 3;Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.
Why in News?
PM to inaugurate the New Bhaupur- New Khurja section and the Operation Control Centre of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor on 29 December
About Dedicated Freight Corridor (Eastern and Western)
- Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFC) is a high speed and high capacity railway corridor that is exclusively meant for the transportation of freight or in other words goods and commodities.
- DFC involves the seamless integration of better infrastructure and state of the art technology.
- Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor is a freight specific railway under construction in northern to eastern India by the Indian Railways, the railway will run between Ludhiana in Punjab and Dankuni in West Bengal, the railway is one of the multiple freight corridors, for the railway line, broad gauge will be used.
- World Bank has offered to give financial assistance to the last remaining portion of the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor (EDFC) between Sonnagar and Dankuni, which India is originally slated to construct in the private public-private partnership (PPP) mode.
- The Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is a broad gauge freight corridor under construction in India by Indian Railways, it will connect India’s capital, Delhi, and its economic hub, Mumbai, this corridor will cover a distance of 1483 km and would be electrified with double line operation.
- The western freight project will be funded by a soft loan of $4bn provided by Japan International Cooperation Agency under special terms for economic partnership (STEP).
- The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited is a Public Sector Undertaking corporation run by the Government of India’s Ministry of Railways to undertake planning, development, and mobilization of financial resources and construction, maintenance and operation of the “Dedicated Freight Corridors”.
About Dedicated Freight Corridor Benefits
- Freight Transportation is the fulcrum in the growth of the Indian Economy. A nation like India can benefit in the following areas due to Dedicated Freight Corridors;-
- Logistics costs will be reduced.
- Higher energy efficiency.
- Faster movement of goods
- It is Environment friendly
- Helps in generating more employment.
- Boost for Real Estate Sector.
INNER LINE PERMIT (ILP)
Focus: GS 2;Laws, Institutions & Bodies Constituted For The Vulnerable Sections
Why in News?
The Prime Minister granted Manipur the Inner Line Permit, the biggest achievement of the Central Government since the state of Manipur came into being
About Inner Line Permit (ILP) and its need
- According to the Constitution of India, all Indian citizens are free to live and work in any state of the country, but entry to certain states with a protected status requires authorisation by the concerned state government i.e special permissions are required to visit these areas.
- Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the concerned state government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.
- It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.
- The document is an effort by the government to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India.
- An ILP is usually significantly easier to obtain than the analogous Protected Area Permit (PAP) which is the document required by non-citizens to enter the same areas.
- Such a permit authorizing an Indian citizen to enter a protected area is referred to as an ‘inner line permit’ as it grants entry to areas lying between the international boundary and the so-called “Inner Line” of the country.
- Both the duration of stay and the areas allowed to be accessed for any non native are determined by the ILP.
- The ILP is issued by the concerned state government and can be availed both by applying online or in person.
- Manipur is the most recent state to join three others in the Northeast, that require an Inner Line Permit (ILP) from visitors.
- The ILP is an official travel document required to visit four Northeastern states, namely, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.
- An ILP is only valid for domestic tourists.
- For foreign tourists in Manipur (No permit is required. But, have to register themselves), Mizoram (No permit is required. But, need to register), Nagaland (No permit is required. However, they need to register), Arunachal Pradesh(Tourists need a Protected Area Permit (PAP) or Restricted Area Permit (RAP) from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India)
Background of Inner Line Permit (ILP)
- The Inner Line Permit is an extension of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act 1873.
- The Britishers framed regulations restricting entry in certain designated areas.
- This was done to protect the Crown’s interest in certain states by preventing “British subjects” (Indians) from trading within these regions.
- In 1950, the term ‘British subjects’ was replaced with ‘Citizens of India’.
- Today, all non natives require the permit, this was done to protect the indigenous tribal communities of these states from exploitation, Preservation of indigenous culture and tradition and prevents illegal migrants and encroachment by outsiders.
EK BHARAT SHRESHTHA BHARAT
Focus: GS 1;Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.
Why in News?
Incredible India Installation at the Mall also showcases tourism potential of Odisha, a paired state with Maharashtra under Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
About Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
- “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” was announced by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 31st October, 2015 on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
- Subsequently, the Finance Minister announced the initiative in his Budget Speech for 2016-17.
- Through this innovative measure, the knowledge of the culture, traditions and practices of different States & UTs will lead to an enhanced understanding and bonding between the States, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India.
- All States and UTs will be covered under the programme.
- There will be pairing of States/UTs at national level and these pairings will be in effect for one year, or till the next round of pairings.
- The activity will be very useful to link various States and Districts in annual programmes that will connect people through exchanges in areas of culture, tourism, language, education trade etc. and citizens will be able to experience the cultural diversity of a much larger number of States/UTs while realizing that India is one.
About Objectives of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat
- The broad objectives of the initiative are as follows:-
- To CELEBRATE the Unity in Diversity of our Nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of our Country;
- PROMOTE the spirit of national integration through a deep and structured engagement between all Indian States and Union Territories through a year-long planned engagement between States;
- To SHOWCASE the rich heritage and culture, customs and traditions of either State for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity;
- TO ESTABLISH long-term engagements and
- TO CREATE an environment which promotes learning between States by sharing best practices and experiences.
