The Index of Eight Core Industries or Index of Industrial Production (IIP) is a monthly production index, which is also considered as a lead indicator of the monthly industrial performance.
It is compiled and published monthly by the central statistical organization (CSO).
The current base year of IIP is 2011-2012.
It contains index, production and growth of Eight Core Industries (Electricity, steel, refinery products, crude oil, coal, cement, natural gas and fertilizers)
The level of the IIP is an abstract number, the magnitude of which represents the status of production in the industrial sector for a given period of time as compared to a reference period of time.
Erode Turmeric
Recently Erode’s unique slender turmeric received a GI tag for its distinctive fragrance and colour.
Erode’s turmeric is smaller and more slender when compared with other varieties, and it has a high curcumin content of around 3.9%.
The loamy red and black soil of the Erode region is believed to be the reason behind the distinctive brilliant yellow colour, as well as its characteristic sweet taste and aroma.
Due to these distinctive features erode turmeric is the preferred choice of commercial curry powder manufacturers in India and abroad.
Turmeric Production in India
India is the world’s largest producer of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a perennial herbaceous plant of the ginger family.
The plant’s underground stems or rhizomes have been used as spice, dye, medicine and religious maker since antiquity.
Telangana is the largest grower of turmeric in the country (followed by Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu).
Turmeric is labour and water-intensive crop, so farmers grow it along with onions, tapioca and coconut or sugarcane.
The spice’s colour comes mainly from curcumin, a bright yellow phenolic compound that has been in the news for its ostensible potential to fight cancer.
As a result, the demand for turmeric with high curcumin content has risen from pharmaceutical companies.
Environment Pollution Control Authority
EPCA is Supreme Court mandated body tasked with taking various measures to tackle air pollution in the National Capital Region.
It was notified in 1998 by Environment Ministry under Environment Protection Act, 1986.
The EPCA also assists the apex court in various environment-related matters in the region.
EPCA is also responsible to enforce Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in NCR as per the pollution levels.
GRAP
In 2017 Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to combat air pollution in NCR Delhi.
For this MoEFCC amended laws and formally tasked a Supreme Court-appointed panel with implementing a graded action plan for pollution control.
Graded Response Action Plan defines the measures to take based on air quality on the basis of PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the atmosphere.
Based on the air quality the grades have been classified as Emergency, Severe, Very Poor and Moderate poor.
It will be enforced by the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA).
Ground Water in Mars
According to a recent study, Mars may have an active groundwater system deep below the surface and could be feeding surface streams in some areas on the Red Planet
It is to be noted that the presence of a deep-water lake on Mars under its south polar ice caps was detected in 2017.
A new study determines that groundwater likely exists in a broader geographical area than just the poles of Mars.
There are possibilities for an active system, as deep as 750 meters, from which groundwater comes to the surface through cracks in the specific craters.
AUSINDEX
AUSINDEX is an acronym for Australia India, Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the participating agencies of the exercise.
The exercise aims to strengthen and enhance mutual cooperation and interoperability between both nations, providing opportunities for interaction and exchange of professional views between the personnel of the two navies”.
The exercise underscores India’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and shared objectives of the two countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain.
