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India’s Longest Railway Routes

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Syskool
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Longest Railway Route

Vivek Express

Vivek Express, while running from Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari, covers 4286 km that is the longest railway route in the country. The scheduled running- time of this train is 82 hours and 30 minutes and there are 56 stops on its route. It was introduced in the Rail Budget of 2011-12 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand.

Himsagar Express

It is a weekly express train covering a total distance of 3715 km, from Jammu Tawi to Kanyakumari. The train has 71 stops and has a continuous running of 69 hours 40 minutes. This train covers the second longest railway route of the country.

Navyug Express

The Navyug Express or the “New Era Express” is a weekly train running between Jammu Tawi and Mangalore. The distance between these two points is 3609 km that is the third longest railway route in the country. It takes 68 hours to cover the distance. There are a total of 61 stops which fall on this route.

Dibrugarh Express

It is a weekly running train from Yeswanthpur (Bangalore) to Dibrugarh to reach its destination. It is the fourth longest railway route in the country.  A distance of 3578 km is covered by this train in 68 hours with 70 stations being the stops on the way.

Jammu Express

It is a Bi-weekly express train, running from Tirunelveli to Jammu, covers the distance of 3561 km that is fifth longest railway route in the country.  The train has 70 stoppages.

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Guwahati Express

It is another train which covers one of the longest railway route in the country. The distance covered by this train is 3552 km, which it does in period of 70 hours and rests at 70 stops on this route.

Sup Express

Covering nearly 3459 km in a total of 70 hours, it travels from Dehradun to Kochuveli. The train stops on 70 stations on this route.

Raptisagar express

It is a superfast express train which runs tri-weekly between Ernakulam to Barauni. The distance of 3441 km is covered by this train in a total time of 62 hours, by stopping on 61 stations.

Kerala Sampark Kranti Express

It is a bi-weekly train which runs between Chandigarh and Kochuveli railway station .It covers a total distance of 3415 km in 70 hours and making 70 stops en route.

Guwahati Ernakulam Express

This train runs on one of the longest railway route in the country, measuring 3337 km. The train stops on 43 stations in a journey that lasts 59 hours and 45 minutes.

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Non – Trade Issues at WTO : India Worried Over Lack of Legal Experts

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Syskool
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wto

Recently India suggested that developing nations, consisting of India too, are confronting a double disadvantage at the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Dispute Settlement Body (DSB).

India’s Concerns

These Developing nations are challenged not only by the lack or an adequate pool or trade law experts to represent them effectively at the DSB but also by particular efforts to bring within the body’s range non – trade issues such as labour and environment.

Background

India has been regularly advocating that certain issues, comprising or labour and environment, must be kept out of the WTO’s radar and instead be dealt with by the global bodies such as the International Labour Organisation and United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The developed world, however, is adamant that the WTO addresses, what they say, global trades new challenges, including labour and environment.

Must Read: PM Ujjwala Yojana: an LPG Scheme

About WTO

As an intergovernmental organisation, the World Trade Organisation regulates international trade. Signed by 123 Nations on 15 April, 1994, under the Marrakesh Agreement, the WTO commenced on 1 January 1995. WTO replaced General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) that commenced in 1948.

The WTO handles regulation of trade between participating countries by providing a framework for negotiating trade agreements and a dispute resolution process intended at enforcing participants’ attatchment to World Trade Organisation agreements which are signed by representatives of member Governments and ratified by their Parliaments.

Functions of World Trade Organisation

  • The World Trade Organisation shall make sure the implementation, administration and operation and further the objectives of this Agreement and of the Multilateral Trade Agreements, and shall also cater to the framework for the administration, implementation and operation of the multi lateral Trade Agreements.
  • The World Trade Organisation shall administer the understanding of Rules and procedures Governing the settlement of Disputes.
  • The World Trade Organisation shall administer Trade Policy Review Mechanism.
  • The World Trade Organisation is also a centre of economic research and analysis, WTO cooperates intimately with two other parts of the Betton Woods System, the IMF and the World Bank.

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PM Ujjwala Yojana: an LPG Scheme

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Syskool
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Ujjwala Yojana

On 1 May, at 12:12pm, PM Shri Narendra Modi launched PM Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), in Ballia, Uttar Pradesh. The Yojana intends to cater five crore LPG connections to women belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households, over the next three financial years. This Yojana will cost Rs. 8000 crore, that is going to be partially funded from the savings resulting from LPG users who gave up their as part of the Give up Programme.

Ujjwala Yojana a result of ‘Give It Up’ Scheme

Highlighting the success of the ‘Give It Up’ scheme the PM said that about one crore consumers had given up their subsidy that had led to savings of nearly Rs. 2000 crore per year. He further said, in a way clearly establishing the link between ‘Give It Up’ scheme and ‘Ujjwala Yojana’, that money would be utilized to cater LPG connections to BPL households of rural India.

In his budget speech in February, the Finance Minister of India had also announced an allocation of Rs. 2000 crore in this fiscal to cater LPG connections to at least 1.5 crore women from rural BPL households.

Must Read: Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)

About Ujjwala Yojana

Not only those persons, who voluntarily gave up their LPG connections, but also those, who are earning Rs. 10 lakh of more in a year, have been considered ineligible for the subsidy.

Under the Ujjwala Yojana, the aspirants of new LPG connection do not have to pay any security deposit; and the administrative cost Rs. 1,600, cost of pressure regulator and safety hose is going to be paid by the Government. Consumers have the choice to buy gas stove and refills on Easy Monthly Scheme (EMI).

The selection of BPL households is proposed to be done using the socio-economic caste census data. In India, at present, there are 16.64 crore active LPG consumers for whose requirement about 21 million tones of gas are needed.

Expansion Plans of Ujjwala Yojana

According to the Prime Minister about 10,000 new distributorships and infrastructure expansion plans were in the works to meet the enhanced demand soaring up due to the new connections.

With the expansion in number of consumers and in the consumption of LPG, particularly in rural areas, the incidents causing serious health hazards related with cooking based on fossil fuels are certainly going to decrease: according to an estimation by WHO (World Health Organization), in Indian, nearly 5 lakh deaths happen only due to unclean cooking fuels. Experts have already opined for many times that burning fire (Fossil Fuel) in the open kitchen is like burning 400 cigarettes an hour.

Also Read: Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)

LPG Demand to Double

In the coming years, perhaps in two or three years to be very precise, LPG’s demand in India is expected to touch a double digit level, a Government’s release has said.

In order to meet this challenging demand the Government has taken several steps, as has been claimed by the Government’s spokespersons, to enhance infrastructure.

According to the Government’s release, the three public sector oil marketing companies have supported plans to extend rated LPG bottling capacity from the present over 15,000 thousand metric tone per annum (TMTPA) by nearly 10% at the end of Financial Year 17-18, in order to meet the expected increase in LPG demand.

Also Read: Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)

Iron Deficiency Diseases

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Syskool
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iron deficiency diseases

Iron has been specified as the second most important mineral in our body. Our body contains only 3-5 grams of iron. Though our body needs very little amount of iron, it is absolutely essential for our life and our body works hard to recycle and reuse the iron present in our body. Iron requires lots of hydrochloric acid from the stomach to get properly digested. Iron Deficiency Disease affects one-third of the total world’s population.

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Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA)

Anemia, popularly called deficiency of blood, occurs due to the lack of the mineral iron in the body. Bone Marrow present in our bone needs iron to make haemoglobin, the part of the red blood cells (RBCs) that transport oxygen to our body’s organs. Without adequate iron, the body cannot produce enough haemoglobin for red blood cells. Iron deficiency at critical times of growth can result in premature births, low birth weight babies, delayed normal infant activity and movement, etc. It can also result in poor memory and poor cognitive skills (mental functions). It has long lasting effects on patients suffering from coronary artery disease, heart failure, and pulmonary hypertension.

Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA)

Iron deficiency occurs when our body doesn’t have required amount of iron to produce haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is the part of red blood cells (RBCs) that gives blood its red colour and enables it to transport oxygenated blood throughout the body. Causes of iron deficiency include blood loss from heavy menstruation, pregnancy, frequent or excessive blood donation, digestive tract disease, as well as surgeries and accidents. It can also be caused by certain medications, some dietary supplements or substances that cause bleeding such as pain relievers, toxic chemicals or alcohol abuse.

Read Also: Blood Circulation

Symptoms of Anemia

Anemia occurs when the level of red blood cells (RBCs) in our body is lower than normal and when our body doesn’t have the required amount of iron. The body of persons suffering  from iron deficiency can’t carry enough oxygen to meet the needs of tissues and cells; in that case, heart tries to make up for the lack of oxygen by pumping faster and harder, which may cause skipped beats, a rapid heartbeat or dizziness. These symptoms may be accompanied by a pounding or whooshing sound in the ears. One may also, especially the heart disease patients, experience shortness of breath and chest pain with minimal activity or at rest.

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Because our body requires iron to maintain healthy cells, severe iron deficiency can be noticed in our skin, mouth, hair and nails. The red colour of oxygen-carrying red blood cells affects skin colour, so anemia due to iron deficiency may also cause pale skin, palms, and nails beds. When the iron store present in our body is depleted it may lead to the sore and smooth tongue. One may also experience hair loss and nails may become brittle and spoon-shaped.

Remedies to Overcome Anemia

For borderline problems, the diet should include green leafy vegetables, red cabbage, parsley, beet, spinach, cucumber, fish, coconut which are a great source of iron as well as folic acid. Besides it, Vitamin C helps to improve the absorption of dietary iron and makes it one of the best remedies. To widen the benefit of an iron supplement we need to take digestive enzymes.

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Sagarmala Project for Port-led Industrialization

By
Syskool
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sagarmala project

In order to facilitate the way for port-led industrialization, the Shipping Ministry, in a major developmental initiative, announced (in 2016) that its ambitious Sagarmala Project is going to concentrate on developing furniture clusters near major ports.

Project Sagarmala is a national programme with an aim to accelerate economic development by harnessing the potential of India’s coastline and river network.

In the past 20 years port-led industrialization throughout the world has assisted the manufacturing sector grow and this can be pursued in India too that would, in turn, enable the country to create a significant share in the global furniture market.

It has been pointed out that port and logistics infrastructure has played a decisive role in making China the biggest exporter of furniture by overtaking European Markets, Malaysia is also a furniture exporter having clusters located in close proximity to major ports.

Now Indian Government thinks that the development of port-based furniture clusters will help reduce the overall cost of exports from India and counter the Chinese dominance in the world furniture market as it has been claimed in a draft report on the national perspective plan of Sagarmala Project.

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Background

It was in 2003, that the then Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee first proposed Project Sagarmala. Its features at that time were:

Setup Sagarmala Development Authority (Similar to National Highway Authority of India); will obtain money via Maritime development cabs (5 paise pr kg on cargo); will improve ports, shipping industry, in land water transport, coastel shipping; and PPP and PDI to collect more investment.

In March, 2015, Union Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari, said that the Sagarmala Project, a pet project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would create at least 12 Smart Cities and had the potential to increase India’s GDP by 2 per cent. The 12 Smart Cities, it was estimated in 2015, would cost Rs. 12,000 crore each.

It has to be kept in mind that Sagarmala Project was conceived and initiate to facilitate and promote port-led direct and indirect development and to provide port and evacuation infrastructure to transport goods to end from ports quickly efficiently and cost-effectively.

Sagarmala Target and Initiative

The Sagarmala Project has come out with a target of providing one crore employment. According to the national perspective plan on Sagarmala Port Project, the Port-led development has got potential for direct employment generation for 40 lakh persons and for 60 lakh persons indirectly.

The Sagarmala Project, in its initiative, has sought to develop a string of ports around India’s cost with an objective to promote “Port-led development” along India’s 75,000 km long coastline.

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