Kerala's Forest Dept deploys technology for safety of Sabarimala pilgrims
Author: BI Bureau
Kochi: With the commencement of the Sabarimala pilgrimage season on November 17, the Kerala's Forest Department has initiated real-time monitoring along the 12 km-long Sathram-Pulmedu-Sannidhanam route.
The main objective of this technology intervention is to track the movement of wild animals and ensure the safety of pilgrims on trekking routes.
A control room facility at Peerumade has been set up to promptly alert authorities about the presence of wild animals, facilitating Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) to swiftly address any potential threats and secure the passage of pilgrims. A similar monitoring facility was successfully introduced on the Azhutha-Karimala-Sabarimala route last year, contributing to a pilgrimage season without any untoward incidents.
Azhutha Forest Range Officer Jyothish J Ozhakkal said strategically Pan-Tilt-and-Zoom (PTZ) cameras have been installed at Uppupara and Zero Point on the Pulmedu route and additional cameras at Seethakulam would be fixed within a week.
"Multiple surveillance cameras have also been set up to monitor the movement of wild animals in the grasslands. If a herd is detected in a specific area, the RRT will be immediately alerted to ensure the safety of pilgrims," said Ozhakkal.
The idea for this monitoring facility was drawn from the network developed by the Periyar East Division six years ago. This network not only tracked the movement of wild animals but also played a crucial role in forest fire prevention, monitoring human activities such as sandalwood theft and poaching, and overseeing the inter-state forest boundary.
Periyar Assistant Field Director PJ Shuhaib highlighted the success of the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) monitoring system, which covers 925 sq km and employs towers, transmitters and receptors inside the forest. This system, implemented in three phases, stands as the country's sole forest division with an in-house real-time monitoring facility. The first two phases cost Rs 4.75 lakh and Rs 26 lakh, respectively, with plans for the third phase dependent on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding.
In addition to these monitoring efforts, Forest Minister A K Saseendran recently launched the Ayyan App, designed to assist and monitor Sabarimala pilgrims. The App provides information on the Periyar Tiger Reserve, pilgrimage trek routes, and guidelines for devotees. Pilgrims can scan QR codes at entry points to receive information on their route, distance and estimated travel time. The App also includes emergency contact numbers and facilitates real-time communication for alerts, such as the presence of wild animals. It serves as a comprehensive tool for pilgrims, offering details on pooja timings, temple opening days and identifying eateries along the route.
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The exports of agricultural commodities from March to June 2020 shot up by 23.24 percent on-year to Rs 25,552.7 crores.
As the economy comes to a standstill amid the coronavirus-led lockdown, India’s agriculture sector has taken the baton of economic growth in its hands. The exports of agricultural commodities from March to June 2020 shot up by 23.24 percent on-year to Rs 25,552.7 crores, according to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. The government said that self-reliant agriculture is critical for the goal of an Atmanirbhar Bharat and for this, agricultural export is extremely important as besides earning foreign exchange for the country, the exports help farmers, producers, and exporters to take advantage of the wider international market and increase their income.
The surge in exports has also resulted in increased production in the farm sector by increasing coverage area and productivity. The share of India’s agricultural exports and imports in the world agriculture trade in 2017 was 2.27 percent and 1.90 percent, respectively. Even during the difficult time of pandemic lockdown, India took care not to disturb the world food supply chain and continued to export, the government said.
Ministry of Agriculture has prepared a comprehensive action plan for the promotion of Agri trade; the twofold approach focuses on boosting Agri Export with emphasis on value addition and action plan for Import Substitution. Recently, the Agriculture sector has witnessed a series of reforms, giving more choices to the farmers to sell their produce at competitive rates.
To mention a few, the Export strategy focuses on the export promotion of fast-evolving niche markets of Wellness food/ Health-conscious food/nutraceuticals, Development of “Brand India” in campaign mode to help penetration into new foreign markets and of new products which automatically translates into higher value realization, Gulf countries have been identified as focus destination to increase the market share which is a strong market for India though presently India caters to only 10-12% share of their total imports. A product-market matrix has been made containing a list of products of strength that could be expanded in new geographies and a list of known markets which can be introduced with newer products.
At the behest of the Department of Agricultural Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, product-specific Export Promotion Forums have been created to lead Agri exports to new heights. Each Export Promotion Forum shall be having exporters of the related commodity as its members along with official members representing concerned Ministries/Departments of the Central and State Governments. Chairman APEDA shall be the chairman of each of these forums. The forums will meet at least once every two months, to discuss recommendations on issues pertaining to the export.
The recommendations of the forum will be placed in the product committee / Authority of APEDA. The Forum will keep in close contact with the concerned organization of the Ministry of Agriculture such as MIDH, Extension, NPPO, etc., DGFT, Ministry of Civil Aviation, MoFPI, etc. to further the interest of agricultural export.
