UP Becomes India's Second-Largest Economy

Contribution to the Economy:

• India ranks 6th, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, in terms of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in 2021.

• Travel and tourism contributed 5.8% to GDP, and the sector created 32.1 million jobs, which is equivalent to 6.9% of total jobs in 2021.

• Also, India is currently ranked 54th in World Economic Forum's Travel & Tourism Development Index (2021). 

• According to Global Data, international arrivals to the country are forecast to reach 7.2 million in 2022 and 8.6 million in 2023.

 

Experiencing India's Diverse Tourism Offerings

• Tourism is seen as a major driving force for any economy over the world. It has a multiplier effect on associated industries like hospitality. The spillover of earnings from tourism into other industries does not only improve the economic conditions but also enhances standards of living of the local population.

• But there are several challenges related to the tourism sector in India, like infrastructural deficits, unsustainability, climate change, and pollution.

The significance of the Tourism Sector in India

Economic Benefits:

• Tourism generates revenue through the sale of goods and services to tourists, such as accommodation, transport, and heritage attractions.

• This can stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities in the tourism sector and related industries.

Cultural Exchange:

• Tourism provides an opportunity for cultural exchange, as visitors from different parts of the world can learn about and experience India's diverse cultures and traditions

Challenges Related to the Tourism Sector in India

Safety and security issues:

India has faced challenges with regard to the safety and security of tourists, particularly in certain areas of the country.

• This can deter tourists from visiting certain destinations and can also impact the overall perception of India as a tourist destination.

Lack of Human Resources:

• Since tourism is a labour-intensive industry, practical training is of utmost importance. However, as the tourism sector in India has grown, the availability of trained professionals has not kept pace.

• Due to a lack of multilingually trained guides and an inadequate understanding of the benefits and responsibilities associated with tourism among locals, the sector's growth is restricted.

Sugar industry in India

• The sugar industry is an important agro-based industry that impacts the rural livelihoods of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills.

• In Sugar Season (Oct-Sep) 2021-22, a record 359 Lakh Metric Tons (LMT) sugar was produced by sugar mills.

• With this, India has emerged as the world's largest producer (unseating Brazil) and consumer of sugar as well as the world's 2nd largest exporter of sugar.

Sugar Industries are Located in India

• The base of the sugar industry is sugarcane, which is a bulky and perishable crop.

• Since the sucrose content degrades over time, sugarcane cannot be kept for a long period of time.

• In order to provide a consistent supply of sugarcane and reduce transportation expenses, the sugar mills are situated near to the areas where the sugarcane is grown.

• In India, there are two distinct agro climatic areas where sugarcane is mostly grown

• The states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Pondicherry, and Kerala are included in the tropical sugarcane region.

• UP, Bihar, Haryana, and Punjab are included in the subtropical sugarcane growing region.

• In 2022, Maharashtra overtook UP to retake first place in India for sugar production.

Status of India's Sugarcane Sector

About:

• The sugar industry is an important agro-based industry that impacts the rural livelihood of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and around 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills.

• The sugar industry is the second-largest agro-based industry in India after cotton.

Geographical Conditions for the Growth of Sugar:

• Temperature: Between 21 and 27°C in a hot and humid climate.

• Rainfall: Around 75–100 cm.

• Soil Type: Deep, rich loamy soil.

• Top Sugarcane-Producing States: Maharashtra > Uttar Pradesh > Karnataka

Status of the Sugarcane Sector:

• India is the world's top producer, user, and second-largest exporter of sugar.

• According to the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA), the sugar production in India rose by 3.69% to 12.07 million tonnes during the October–December quarter of 2022.

• In the same period last year, it stood at 11.64 million tonnes.

• Total sugar production, after diversion for ethanol manufacturing, has increased to 193.5 lakh tonnes till January 2023 from 187.1 lakh tonnes in the year-ago period

Context:-

• Recently, the autopsy report for Matthew Perry, stating that the actor's cause of death was the "acute effects of ketamine," which has sparked concerns and questions about the use of this medication.

Ketamine:

• Ketamine, also known as Ketalar, is a medicine that doctors use to make people not feel pain during surgeries.

• It is derived from phencyclidine (PCP), a hallucinogenic drug that works by blocking the NMDA receptor in the brain and spinal cord and increasing the release of a neurotransmitter called glutamate.

Impact on the body

• It is a dissociative anesthetic with psychedelic properties, used under strict medical supervision for anesthesia and to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD, end-of-life distress, chronic pain, drug/alcohol problems, etc.

• Ketamine induces hallucinations and distorts sight and sound perceptions, leading to a sense of disconnection and loss of control, which can lead to unconsciousness and memory loss. 

• It is a Schedule X drug in India, which means it is tightly controlled and even monitored on a case-specific basis by the prescribing doctor.

About European wood bison:

• It is also known as wisent.

• European bison (Bison bonasus) are the largest and heaviest land mammal in Europe.

• There were formerly three subspecies, although only one (Bison bonasus bonasus) remains - the other two are now extinct.

 Habitat: 

• Grassland, deciduous and mixed forests
• The wisent roamed across Europe in large herds at the end of the last ice age.
• It was almost wiped out by 1927 from Europe.
• It serves an important role as an ecosystem engineer, restoring grassland habitat.

Conservation status:

• IUCN: Near Threatened

• Threats: Rapid environmental change and hunting by humans were the main drivers of the wisent's extirpation across Europe.

• The scientists found that hunting caused range loss in the north and east of the wisent's distribution, while land use change was responsible for losses in the west and south.

Context:-

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has chalked out the requirement for different mobile systems to counter threats in different operational scenarios, particularly those from multiple swarm drones.

About Swarm Drones:

• SWARM stands for "Smart War-Fighting Array of Reconfigured Modules."
• A Swarm Drone typically consists of multiple drones working in coordination, communicating with one another, and sharing information to achieve a common objective.
• These drones can be of the same or different types, ranging from small quad copters to larger fixed-wing drones.
• The swarm's strength lies in its ability to function as a collective unit, leveraging swarm intelligence algorithms and advanced software to operate seamlessly and efficiently.
• These drones are equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and can communicate with each other as well as with the control station.
• All the individual drones work in unison to complete tasks using distributed coordination, with each communication sent out by one drone providing the others with up-to-date information about their environment and roles in the mission.