Enhancing the transport of cargo by Indian Railways

When transporting large amounts of material, the railway is one of the most affordable options. But its share is only about 32%.

Government initiative for increasing bulk cargo in Railways:

• Dedicated Freight Corridor: The 2,343-kilometer North-South Dedicated Freight Corridor (North-South DFC) is a freight railway that links New Delhi and Chennai. It has 43 planned stops along its course. Preliminary Engineering & Traffic Surveys (PETS) for four further corridors, including the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India (DFCCIL), are being carried out by the Ministry of Railways.
• East-West Corridor (Kolkata-Mumbai, 2,330 km)
• East Coast Corridor (Kharagpur-Vijayawada, 1,100 km)
• Southern Corridor (Chennai-Goa, 899 km)
• Rake movement rules have been loosened, allowing for the introduction of private freight terminals (PFTs), micro rakes, and loading from and to numerous sites.
• The goal of the Gati Shakti Terminal (GCT) Policy is to turn all private sidings and PFTs into GCTs. A company-owned railway line that is connected to a railway is known as a private siding.
• Partnership with Private Freight Operators: Indian Railways has pushed private freight operators to purchase wagons, making it easier for privately held wagons carrying specialized cargo, including cars and fly ash, to be introduced.

Prisoner’s dilemma

The notion of the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” was recently brought up by the defense minister to emphasize how crucial it is for nations to cooperate with one another rather than compete with one another in international affairs.

What is the Dilemma of the Prisoner?

• It is a fundamental idea in game theory that shows how logical decisions made by one person could have unfavorable consequences for both parties. It features two suspects, or captives, who can choose to betray one another by admitting to a crime, or they can cooperate by keeping quiet. Among the potential results are:
• If both remain silent (cooperate), they both get a minimal sentence for a lesser offence.
• If both confess (betray), they both receive a moderate sentence.
• If one remains silent while the other confesses, the one who confesses goes free, and the silent one receives a heavy sentence.

Its application in International Relations:

• The idea of the prisoner’s dilemma is frequently used in international affairs to explain circumstances in which nations must make decisions that contradict with their interests. It shows why countries might not always work together for the greatest possible result. For instance, in arms races, two nations may decide to arm themselves (confess) in order to obtain a competitive edge, even though disarmament (staying silent) would benefit the whole population by lowering the likelihood of conflict and conserving resources.

International Competition Network

• The International Competition Network (ICN), a global organization devoted to the enforcement of competition law worldwide, has welcomed the Competition Commission of India (CCI) to its 18-person steering committee.
• With 140 competition agencies, the ICN provides antitrust authorities with an informal forum for regular communication and the resolution of real-world competition issues.
• The members of the ICN are competition authorities from both national and international organizations. They work together in project-oriented working groups to achieve outcomes in the field of competition enforcement.

‘Reference’ fuel

• India has joined a restricted group of countries that generate these premium fuels by starting to create “reference” gasoline and diesel, which are specialist fuels used for testing cars.
• In order to replace imports, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) produced these fuels with better requirements, guaranteeing a consistent supply for testing agencies and vehicle manufacturers at a reduced cost.
• Reference fuels are high-quality fuels used by gasoline and diesel vehicle manufacturers. They are used for:
• Engine development
• Performance assessment
• Ensuring operability across global climatic conditions
• Calibration and testing of vehicles
• Reference fuels are premium products. They have higher octane numbers than normal fuels

Age of Moon

• Based on crystals recovered by Apollo astronauts in 1972, a new study has determined that the Moon is about 40 million years older than previously thought.
• These lunar crystals allowed the researchers to refine their estimate of the Moon’s formation age, which now stands at a minimum of 4.46 billion years.
• These crystals are used as a benchmark for lunar chronology since they are the earliest known solids to form following a major impact.
• The age of the crystals was ascertained by the study using an analytical technique known as atom probe tomography, and it was discovered that the Moon is, in fact, at least 4.46 billion years old.

Significance:

• This knowledge is essential to comprehending how the Moon influences tides and stabilizes Earth’s rotational axis, both of which have an impact on life as we know it.

Subsurface Water Ice Mapping (SWIM) project

• A map of Mars has been produced by the Subsurface Water Ice Mapping Project (SWIM), which shows the locations of subsurface water ice that have been found by NASA missions.
• Scientists can use this map as a useful tool to find possible landing locations for the first humans on Mars.
• Water ice is essential for drinking, rocket fuel, and other uses on Mars because liquid water cannot exist in the planet’s thin atmosphere.
• A NASA-funded initiative called Subsurface Water Ice Mapping (SWIM) seeks to identify areas on Mars where water ice is most likely to exist. Finding the greatest locations to access water ice buried beneath the Martian surface is another goal of the research.
• The Mars Exploration Program of NASA is assisted by the SWIM project in determining the location and kind of possible water resources on Mars. The map can be used by scientists to determine the location of the first astronaut landing.
• The High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) is used by the SWIM project to investigate recently formed impact craters. The sites of possible subsurface water ice on Mars were mapped in detail for the fourth time and made public.

United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF)

At the Forest Research Institute in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change is organizing a Country-Led Initiative (CLI) event in conjunction with the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF).

The initiative’s goal is:

• With an emphasis on topics like forest certification and forest fires, the event seeks to further conversations about Sustainable Forest Management and the UN Strategic Plan for Forests (UNSPF).
• Frameworks and proposals for managing forest fires and forest certification are anticipated to come out of the meeting and be deliberated upon at the 19th UNFF session in May 2024.

Kerala’s Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary

• Attackers posing as Maoists recently attacked forest watchers in Kerala’s Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, which is close to the Chavachi region.
• In and around the Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, these Maoists have been more and more active. They have even broken into nearby homes and started doing things like passing out propaganda. To find the culprits, the Kerala government sent out helicopters and the Kerela Thunderbolts force.

The northernmost wildlife sanctuary in Kerala is located in the Kannur District and is called Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary. Situated on the western side of the Western Ghats, it spans an area of 55 km². It was founded in 1984 and has its main office close to Iritty. The sanctuary, which has Katti Betta as its highest point, borders the woods of Coorg, Karnataka’s Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad-Brahmagiri, and the north slopes of Wayanad.