06.04.23 Daily [Uttar Pradesh] UPPSC Current Affairs

Uttar Pradesh is turning into an export state of India as among the 43 Centers of Export Excellence selected by the Central government, 12 are from Uttar Pradesh.

The Central government, while releasing the countrys Policy-2023 recently, declared four more places, including three in Uttar Pradesh Varanasi, Moradabad and Mirzapur as Centres of Export Excellence, which speaks volumes about the development being witnessed in the state. Mirzapur is known for its handmade carpets, Moradabad for carpets and Varanasi for handloom and handicrafts.

The other nine cities of UP, which are already on this list, include Kekhra (for handloom), Malihabad (for Horticulture), Kanpur (for leather products), Agra (for leather products), Firozabad (for bangles-glass items), Saharanpur (for handicrafts), Bhadohi (for carpets) and Noida (for apparel products).

Being included in this list means that these cities will have priority access to the Export Promotion Fund and all these cities will be able to get common service provider benefits for fulfillment of exports under the Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) scheme.

Uttar Pradesh, despite being a landlocked state, has seen a remarkable Growth in its exports in the last six years of the Yogi government going up from Rs 88,967 crore to Rs 1.57 lakh crore. As per the intention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is laying special emphasis on exporting traditional products of Uttar Pradesh along with ensuring Ease of Doing Business in the state. With the establishment of dry Ports and opening of a water route between Varanasi to Haldia, the State Government has opened new doors of possibilities for entrepreneurs investing in UP.

In this context, the government is focusing on taking the exports further from Rs 1.57 lakh crore to Rs 2 lakh crore at the earliest. Various facilities are being provided to investors as well as to entrepreneurs from the state.

The government has also introduced 25 sectoral policies to boost industrial growth in diverse sectors. A framework is being prepared to implement Investment proposals worth Rs 35 lakh crore received through the Global Investors Summit (UP GIS-2023).

The Yogi government has introduced the concept of dry ports through the UP Warehousing and Logistics Policy-2022 to facilitate transportation of export cargo to sea ports and many entrepreneurs are investing in it.

As Uttar Pradesh is a landlocked state with various export clusters, emphasis is being laid on development of dry ports in the state. An inland port is made under dry ports, where the customs formalities between the exporter and the importer are completed. After this the containers are sent to the port

The dry ports operating currently are Moradabad Rail Linked Joint Domestic and Exim Terminal, Rail Linked Private Freight Terminal and Inland Container Depot (ICD) in Kanpur, and ICD at Dadri Terminal.

The Ministry of New and has granted Miniratna Category-I Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) status to the state-owned Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd (SECI), according to a statement. SECI, which was established in 2011, is the primary implementing agency for renewable energy schemes/projects of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy aimed at fulfilling Indias international commitments. SECI has played a Central role in the rapid increase of RE generation capacity in the country and has contributed towards the nations Climate commitments, Carbon Emission reduction strategies and sustainable energy transition

SECI has awarded more than 56 GW of Renewable Energy (RE) project capacities to date. It also plays an active role in establishing projects through its own investments and as a Project Management Consultant (PMC) for other public sector entities. SECI has received a top credit rating of AAA from the domestic rating agency ICRA

Of the 200 tigers added to the 2,967 estimated in 2018, taking the count to 3,167 as per the latest Status of Tiger Report, 128 are from the Central India Landscape (CIL). This makes it clear that Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh (MP) have played a big role in increasing the tiger numbers in the country.

This means, Central India has largest Population of tigers in the world, said Bilal Habib, Wildlife Institute of India scientist. As per the 2018 estimates, there were 1,033 tigers in Central India and the Eastern Ghats Landscape, which comprises in Maharashtra, MP, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha andRajasthan. However, the latest report estimates 1,161 tigers, an increase of 128.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) officials say the addition to the national figure of 3,167 tigers must be from Maharashtra and MP and Shivalik Landscape, which have done well.

Tiger signs were detected in 1,049 grids and 1,161 unique tigers were photo-captured. As per the distribution of tigers in Central India and Eastern Ghats Landscape, the big cats have occupied several territorial areas of MP and Maharashtra that were not occupied in 2018, the report states.

The Rajya Sabha approved the Competition Amendment Bill, 2023, aimed at modernizing the two-decade-old anti-trust law to align with changes in the economy. The Competition Amendment Bill, 2023 aims to modify the Competition Act, 2002, which authorizes the Competition Commission Of India (CCI) to prevent practices that adversely impact competition and consumer interests.

Under the new bill, mergers and acquisitions exceeding Rs. 2,000 crores in value must be notified to the Competition Commission of India (CCI), provided that the party being acquired has substantial business operations in India.

The Asian Confluence, a think tank from Northeast India, will organize the event in collaboration with Indias Ministry of External Affairs. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam will represent Bangladesh, while Indias deputy foreign minister and the Japanese ambassador to India will also attend

The Asian Confluence, a think tank from Northeast India, will organize the event in collaboration with Indias Ministry of External Affairs. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam will represent Bangladesh, while Indias deputy foreign minister and the Japanese ambassador to India will also attend.

A recent study conducted by the Asian Confluence recommended scaling up multi-modal connectivity between Northeast Indiaand Bangladesh to enhance competitiveness and narrow the development gaps in the region