Recently Tamil Nadu CM announced that Vellore district would be trifurcated to create 2 more districts, Ranipet and Tirupattur.
A ‘district’(zila) is an administrative division of an Indian state, there are around 727 Districts in India.
The idea behind creating new districts in any state is, generally to make governance easier, sometimes driven by local demands.
The number and size of districts vary from state to state.
The larger states predicatbly have a higher number of districts, Uttar Pradesh (75), followed by Madhya Pradesh (52).
The smallest state, Goa (2), has the lowest number.
However, the number of districts in a state is not always a function of the area of the state, or of its population.
For example, Andhra Pradesh is the 7th largest state by area but has among the smallest counts of districts at 13.
It has only one district for every 12,000 sq km, the largest average size for a district in any Indian state.
Tripura, being a small state, has only 8 districts.
But it is high, when compared to any other states, in terms of the number of districts per unit area.
It has one district for every 1,300 sq km, the smallest average district size in the country.
An average Andhra Pradesh district is more than 9 times the size of an average Tripura district.
An Andhra Pradesh district has an average population of 38 lakh while a Tripura district has only 4.5 lakh.
Most of the Northeastern states have smaller districts, which means a higher number of districts per unit area.
Tamil Nadu’s 37 districts will be the 4th highest count in the country.
The average size of a Tamil Nadu district will now be around 3,500 sq km, down from 4,000 sq km earlier.
Uttar Pradesh(75), Madhya Pradesh(52), Bihar(38) are the top 3 states with highest number of districts.
Panchamirtham of Palani temple gets GI tag
The renowned ‘Palani Panchamirtham’ which is served as the prasadam in Palani temple was bestowed with the tag recently.
This is the first time a temple ‘prasadam’ from Tamil Nadu has been bestowed with the GI tag.
Panchamirtham finds mention in the ancient Tamil texts and this offering is said to be dating back to the 9th-century AD.
In Tamil, ‘Pancha’ means five and 'amirtham' refers to divine nectar.
It is made by combining in a prescribed proportion 5 natural substances, banana, cow ghee, cardamom, jaggery and honey.
Dates and sugar candies are added to it for extra flavours.
The GI limitation for producing the Panchamirtham is not limited to the temple alone, but to the Palani town.
The Palani panchamirtham is made under the guidance of Mysuru’s Central Food Technological Research Institute, a Government of India undertaking. It is also certified by FSSAI.
It is reportedly made without adding any water, preservatives, artificial ingredients, or any chemical processes.
The whole process of producing panchamirtham is automated to cater to the increasing demand.
‘Tirupati Laddu’ is another temple prasadam which has a GI tag.
Geographical Indications Tag
It is a sign used on products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation of that origin.
It conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness which is attributable to the specific geographical locality.
It is valid for a period of 10 years following which it can be renewed.
Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999 (GI Act) is an act for protection of GI in India.
India, as a member of the WTO enacted the Act to comply with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
Geographical Indications protection is granted through the TRIPS.
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
TFR, defined as the number of children born to a woman until the end of her child-bearing age.
It is a key indicator for population trends.
India is expected to soon overtake China as the world’s most populous country.
The TFR has been falling almost everywhere in India.
The graph is based on TFR data from the Sample Registration System (SRS) undertaken by the Office of the Registrar General.
SRS estimates provide dynamic trends underlying the population growth.
For the four successive years (2013-2016) the TFR stagnated at 2.3 births per woman of child-bearing age.
The latest SRS estimates (2017) show the TFR dropping to 2.2.
This figure is only marginally higher than the fertility rate (2.1) required for replacement of the existing population.
Even the states that have a higher TFR, UP(3.0), Bihar(3.2), MP(2.7), Rajasthan(2.6), Assam(2.3), Jharkhand(2.5) have been witnessing a declining trend in fertility rates.
Gujarat and Haryana, recorded a TFR of 2.2, which is above the replacement rate but is equal to the national average.
These 9 major states account for 52% of the 2011 population.
States with a lower TFR include,
Kerala (1.7),
Tamil Nadu (1.6),
Karnataka (1.7),
Maharashtra (1.7),
Andhra Pradesh (1.6),
Jammu and Kashmir (1.6).
The replacement level in these states is either 2.1 or has gone below it.
Everest climbers set to face new rules
Nepal has proposed to tighten regulations after a deadly season.
It is set to to address deadly human traffic jams on Mount Everest and to weed out inexperienced climbers.
A panel advising Nepal's government has recommended that the applicants,
Should first have to demonstrate that they are experienced mountaineers.
Must already have climbed a Nepali peak of at least 6,500m.
Should provide a certificate of physical fitness, and employ experienced guides.
The committee also proposed a fee of at least $35,000 for Everest and $20,000 for other mountains over 8,000m.
Climbers to Sagarmatha and other 8,000m mountains must undergo basic and high altitude climbing training,
