Integrated steel hub
Relevance: Mains: G.s paper III: Economy
- The union steel minister is set to inaugurate an integrated steel hub encompassing Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Northern Andhra Pradesh
Key highlights:
- It aims to attract investment of nearly $70 billion in the steel sector and spur economic growth across eastern India.
- It has been a part of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Purvodaya’ initiative.
- The aim is to focus development of eastern states.
- The project will essentially focus on three key elements. This include, capacity addition through easing the setup of greenfield steel plants; development of steel clusters near integrated steel plants as well as demand centres and transformation of logistics and utilities infrastructure in the eastern region.
- Government estimates suggest capacity addition in the steel hub would entail capital investments of over $70 billion and lead to an incremental Gross State Domestic Product of over $35 billion through steel alone, besides creating over 2.5 million jobs across the steel value chain in the region, an official statement from the steel ministry said.
Natural resources stock:
- The eastern states are rich in natural resources and collectively hold nearly 80% of the country’s iron ore, most of domestic coking coal reserves and significant portion of chromite, bauxite and dolomite reserves.
- As per projections, the eastern belt has the potential to add more than 75% of the country’s incremental steel capacity envisioned by the National Steel Policy.
- Out of the 300 mt steel capacity by 2030-31, the region alone is capable of contributing over 200 mt.
- The steel ministry feels the steel hub which will serve as a catalyst in the transformation of the eastern region following the Rs 100 lakh crore infrastructure investment announced by the government in the next 5 years.
Steps taken by government:
- The ministry has already taken various steps to make this hub a reality like framing a policy facilitating creation and upgradation of steel clusters with Kalinganagar and Bokaro have being identified as pilot locations for steel clusters around integrated steel plants.
- Task Forces and Working Groups, with the support of the respective State Governments, have also been created.
- To ease capacity addition through greenfield route, a framework policy is being created to address the challenges faced in land acquisition, raw material linkage and obtaining timely clearances.
- Critical logistics and infrastructure projects are also being identified for expedition across the 12 major steel zones identified in the region (Kalinganagar, Angul, Rourkela, Jharsuguda, Nagarnar, Bhilai, Raipur, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Durgapur, Kolkata, Vizag).
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/indl-goods/svs/steel/dharmendra-pradhan-to-inaugurate-an-integrated-steel-hub/articlesho
The laws being used to suspend Internet
Relevance: Mains: G.S paper II: Polity
Why in news?
- The Supreme Court declared that the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression and the right to carry on trade or business using the Internet are constitutionally protected. This came in the backdrop of the five-month-long Internet shutdown in Kashmir.
Background:
- The Information Technology Act, 2000, the Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973 and the Telegraph Act, 1885 are the three laws that deal with suspension of Internet services.
- In 2017, the central government notified the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Service) Rules under the Telegraph Act to govern suspension of Internet. These Rules derive their powers from Section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act.
Recent verdict:
spended, and what rights and legal recourses a citizen has when it is suspended.
- Although the court stopped short of ruling that access to Internet is a fundamental right, it said that the Internet as a medium is used to exercise other fundamental rights.
- The court recognised that the 2017 Rules are the only procedure to be followed to suspend Internet services in the occurrence of a “public emergency” or for it to be “in the interest of public safety”.
- The verdict reiterated that the competent authority to issue an order under the Suspension Rules, in ordinary circumstances, would be the Secretary to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- The Rules also say that in case the confirmation does not come from a competent authority, the orders shall cease to exist within a period of 24 hours.
Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre
Relevance: Mains: G.S paper III: Security
Why in news?
- Union Minister for Home Affairs inaugurated the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C).
Key highlights:
- The scheme to setup I4C was approved in October 2018 to deal with all types of cybercrimes in a comprehensive and coordinated manner.
- I4C is located in New Delhi.
- It has seven components viz., National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit, National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal, National Cyber Crime Training Centre, Cyber Crime Ecosystem Management Unit, National Cyber Crime Research and Innovation Centre, National Cyber Crime Forensic Laboratory Ecosystem and Platform for Joint Cyber Crime Investigation Team.
- At the initiative of Union Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA), 15 States and UTs have given their consent to set up Regional Cyber Crime Coordination Centres at respective States/UTs.