Working Group on Tourism in Rann of Kutch

• Gujarat will host the inaugural Tourism Working Group (TWG) conference from February 7–9, 2023, as part of India's G20 Presidency.
• The focus of tourism will be on rural and archaeological travel. The second location for foreign delegates will be Dholavira, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

How Does the G20 Value Interventions in the Travel and Tourism Sector?

There are 5 interrelated priority areas for tourism during India's G20 Presidency. Therefore, emphasis will be placed on these five key areas:

• The sector of Tourism's Greening
• Utilising the benefits of digitization
• Giving young people skills
• Fostering tourism MSMEs and startups
• Reconsidering how destinations are managed strategically.
• Additionally, reaching an agreement on how the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) would be fulfilled by 2030 is one of the G20 platform's top priorities.
• This will include a focus on environmentally friendly tourism, which is crucial for fostering local business growth as well as protecting the environment.
• The various locations selected for the G20 events will have a variety of tastes, such as ecotourism (Khonoma Village, Nagaland), rural tourism (Ladpura Khas village, MP), and Archaeological Tourism (Dholavira).
• In addition, three significant tourism-related events are being planned to make the most of the G20 Presidency. These events include the MICE Convention, the Meeting of the World Tourism CEOs Forum, and the Global Investors Summit in April 2023.

The tourism sector in India:

• India is a diverse country within its own unity in terms of its tribes, cultures, religions, and ways of life, as well as its potential for tourism.

• 9% of the nation’s GDP or so is derived from the tourism industry. It contributes to employment, revenue, and foreign exchange reserves.
• The tourism and hospitality sectors are India's third-largest source of foreign exchange.
• As the country strives for quick economic growth and the creation of employment opportunities, the tourism sector in India is becoming increasingly important as a big economic multiplier.

Importance of tourism:

• Greater protection and preservation are made possible by its recognition of India's historical and cultural landmarks.
• Due to the significant sum of money that visiting tourists spend, tourism has the potential to be a tool for local development.
• It steers regions devoid of industries with growth being more inclusive, and equitable growth, and promotes social equality.
• It increases global awareness of the area and brings attention to its underlying socio-economic problems.
• The service sector is pushed by it. The number of businesses that will profit from the service sector is growing along with the tourism industry.

Challenges:

• Growth rates are slowed because many locations do not earn any money the remainder of the year due to the tourism industry's seasonal dependence.
• Tourism is harmed by the widespread non-acceptance of international payment cards.
• Due to the hefty taxes on travel and tourism, India is a pricey destination for many travellers.
• There aren't enough English-speaking experts, travel companies, or guides.
• Basic amenities like urinals and restrooms that are appropriate for tourists are sometimes absent from locations.
• Traveler delays are exacerbated by paperwork, inner-line permissions, and visa procedures.
• Tourists are concentrated in fewer states, yet there are many attractions in northern India's interior that need more advertising.

Government scheme:

• The Ministry of Tourism works with State Governments to help them build the infrastructure for 13 approved theme-based circuits as part of the Swadesh Darshan Scheme.

• The goals of the Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD program are to encourage growth in niche tourism markets such as wildlife, adventure, wellness, and religious travel.
• To protect and uphold the sacredness of national historic monuments, the Swachh Bharat Movement has launched a sizable cleaning campaign.
• A tourist vehicle operator may apply online for an All India Tourist Authorization/Permit in accordance with the All India Permit Rules 2021.
• Defending the Nation: A webinar series dubbed "12 Months of Adventure Travel" is scheduled to launch on November 28, 2020, with the goal of promoting India as an adventure tourism destination.

Way forward

• The promotion of tourism and preservation of the ecological, social, and cultural ecosystems of the destinations must coexist in harmony. The government should encourage eco-friendly and sustainable tourism in order to address issues with the water crisis, pollution, waste management, and other related issues.

Extended Reality (XR) Startup Program

A program to encourage and accelerate XR technology entrepreneurs across India was unveiled as a Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) effort in partnership with Meta.

More about the News:

• The XR Programs and Research Fund of Meta, a two-year $50 million investment in programs and external research with industrial partners, human rights organizations, governments, nonprofits, and academic institutions, underwrites the XR Startup Program.
• The XR Startup Program's main objective is to develop technical expertise and skills for the metaverse.
• It will assist in forming the ecosystem in the nation for these cutting-edge technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).

About Extended reality (XR):

• All real-and-virtual mixed environments, human-machine interactions, and wearable technology are together referred to as "ER."
• By fusing the virtual and "real" worlds together or by generating a completely immersive experience, all immersive technologies expand the reality we experience.
• Virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality are all included in the term "XR."

Augmented reality (AR):

• In augmented reality, digital data and objects are superimposed on the physical world.
• Through this encounter, digital details like photographs, text, and animation augment the real world. Through TVs, tablets, and smartphones, as well as through AR glasses, one can experience.
• Users can still engage and see what is happening in front of them because they are not cut off from the outside world in this way. The Pokémon GO game, which superimposes digital creatures over the actual world, is one of the most well-known examples of AR.
• Snapchat filters that overlay virtual reality with digital accessories like headgear and spectacles (VR)

Virtual reality (VR):

• Users of virtual reality (VR) are completely submerged in a digital simulation as opposed to augmented reality.
• For a 360-degree view of an artificial world that tricks the brain into thinking the user is, for example, walking on the moon, diving under the ocean, or entering whatever new universe the VR developers built, users must don a VR headset or head-mounted display.
• Early adopters of this technology included the gaming and entertainment sectors, but also businesses in the healthcare, building, engineering, and military sectors.

Mixed reality (MR):

• Real-time interaction between digital and physical items is possible in mixed reality.
• Hybrid reality is a term that has been used to describe this most recent immersive technology.
• It needs far more computing power than VR or AR and an MR headset. A wonderful example is Microsoft's HoloLens, which, among other things, enables you to place digital items into the space in which you are standing and then interact with them in any way you see fit.

Applications:

Health Care:

• Numerous facets of medical treatment, including operations, therapy, diagnosis, patient well-being, and more, have the potential to be transformed by XR.
• Using XR, medical students can conduct procedures in a secure setting while learning anatomy better through images.

Education:

• Education Intense, enjoyable, and engaging learning is made possible by integrating XR into the educational process.

• Students may easily understand complex ideas and retain information for a long time to get high scores with graphical learning and lifelike simulations.

Marketing, Real Estate & e-Commerce:

• XR enables marketers to offer their customers a "try before you buy" experience.

• Customers are more likely to be satisfied when given the opportunity to try things on before making a purchase since it makes the shopping experience more fun and hassle-free.
• Attempting eyeglasses on Lenskart, for instance. Virtual tourism is offered via immersive video games and animations in the entertainment industry.
• Virtual tourism is offered via immersive video games and animations in the entertainment industry.
• In order to properly train individuals with relatively little risk and cheaper expenses, training XR technology enables a safe training environment where one can replicate high-risk events such as flight training, military engagements, fighting fires, responding to accidents, surgeries, etc.

Challenges:

• AVGC Task Force: Headed by the Secretary, Ministry of I & B, the task force called for “National AVGC-XR Mission” to focus on content creation In India,

• Implementing this technology will be expensive because many devices and a high level of sophistication are needed.
• Huge amounts of personal data are collected and processed by these technologies, which must be protected.

Caesium-137

• A previously lost eight-millimeter capsule was recently found in Western Australia.
• It contains radioactive Caesium-137 that was released after the nuclear tragedies at Chernobyl and Fukushima.

Important things about Caesium

• Caesium is a silvery-white, soft, malleable metal that forms bonds with chlorides to produce a crystalline powder with no difficulty.
• The only stable form of cesium that exists naturally in the environment is 133Cs (read as cesium one-thirty-three).
• Two radioactive forms of cesium, 134Cs, and 137Cs, can be created by nuclear explosions or the uranium breakdown in fuel components. The decay of both isotopes produces non-radioactive elements.
• The most prevalent radioactive type of caesium, caesium-137, emits beta and gamma radiation, both of which are dangerous to people.

Environmental and Health Concerns:

Health:

• Caesium-137 can cause severe illness, including burns and acute radiation sickness, when it is touched.
• Because Caesium-137 contains high-energy gamma radiation, exposure to it from the outside can raise one's risk of developing cancer. Long-term exposure may possibly be fatal.
• It is possible for the radioactive material to be disseminated in the soft tissues, particularly muscle tissue, through internal exposure to it through ingesting or inhalation.

Environment:

• Before sinking to the ground or water, cesium in the air can travel over great distances.
• In water, most cesium compounds dissolve.
• The majority of cesium compounds are extremely soluble, and cesium binds tightly to damp soils. Cesium does not penetrate the soil very deeply. It is a radioactive material and can make the soil, and water radioactive on dumping irresponsibly.

Read Also: Extended Reality (XR) Startup Program

Sickle Cell Disease

• The states are receiving assistance from the Indian government in their efforts to treat and prevent Sickle Cell Disease through the National Health Mission.
• The government declared a goal to end Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047 in the Union Budget 2023–24.

What is SCD, or Sickle Cell Disease?

• The devastating systemic illness caused by SCD, a chronic single gene defect, includes chronic anaemia, acute painful episodes, organ infarction, chronic organ damage, and a significantly shortened life expectancy.
• It is an inherited genetic disease where a point mutation in haemoglobin makes it abnormal and prone to structural change. This causes the red blood cells to take an abnormal “sickle” shape, which obstructs blood flow.
• Common symptoms are anaemia, jaundice, and liver and spleen enlargement. In severe cases, patients have debilitating orthopaedic conditions called avascular necrosis of the femur. The disease can be very severe and reduces the quality of life. Patients have very painful conditions called “crisis.” There is no complete cure. The only way we can help the patient is by providing symptomatic treatment and pain management.

Symptoms:

• Sickle Cell Disease symptoms might vary; however, some typical ones are as follows:
• The symptoms of Chronic Anemia include weakness, paleness, and exhaustion.
• Painful episodes, commonly referred to as sickle cell crisis, can cause jolting, excruciating pain in the arms, legs, chest, and back.
• Delayed puberty and growth.

Treatment:

• Blood transfusions: These can treat anaemia and lower your chance of experiencing pain crises.
• Hydroxyurea is a drug that can help lessen the number of painful episodes and stop some of the disease's long-term effects.
• Additionally, bone marrow or stem cell transplantation may be used to treat it.

India’s Disease Burden:

• The disease burden from Sickle Cell Anaemia in India is prevalent in tribal populations, especially in Maharashtra. The disease burden figures may exceed 14 lahks across India, but with intensified screening, the numbers are likely to increase. Tribes like Pawara, Bhil, Madia, Gond, and Pardhan from Maharashtra have a very high prevalence.
• Sickle Cell Anaemia is most prevalent in the central India belt covering states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and parts of Bengal. There are pockets in the south, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Telangana.

Issues :

• There is a lack of screening awareness and inadequate screening centres/facilities in tribal and rural areas.
• Also, failure to access primary healthcare is a concern.
• Sickle Cell anaemia is a genetic disease, and the only prevention lies in a timely diagnosis through cost-effective and large-scale screening camps along with marriage counseling. Prenatal diagnosis can also play an important role.

Initiatives by the Government to Combat SCD:

• In 2016, the Government published technical operational recommendations for the prevention and control of hemoglobinopathies, including Sickle Cell Anaemia.
• In 22 tribal districts, integrated clinics have also been set up for treatment and diagnosis.
• To address the difficulties in screening and treating the condition, Madhya Pradesh developed the State Haemoglobinopathy Mission.