October 11th, 2020 PIB:- Download PDF Here

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Blue Flag Certification
2. Bharatmala Pariyojana

1. Blue Flag Certification

Context:

All 8 beaches recommended by the government get International Blue Flag Certification.

Details:

• Eight beaches of India spread across five states and two union territories, have been awarded the “BLUE FLAG” by an International Jury comprising of eminent members from UNEP, UNWTO, FEE, IUCN.
• The following beaches have been awarded the “Blue Flag”:
  • Shivrajpur (Dwarka-Gujarat)
  • Ghoghla (Diu)
  • Kasarkod (Karnataka)
  • Padubidri (Karnataka)
  • Kappad (Kerala)
  • Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh)
  • Golden (Puri-Odisha)
  • Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
• India has also been awarded the 3^rd prize by the International Jury under the “International Best Practices” for pollution control in coastal regions.
• India is also the first country in the “Asia-Pacific” region that has achieved this feat in just about 2 years’ time.
• Japan, South Korea and the UAE are the only other Asian nations that have been conferred with a couple of Blue Flag beaches, however, in a time frame of about 5 to 6 years.
• India is now in the league of 50 “BLUE FLAG” countries.

Background:

• It was in 2018 that the first set of pilot beaches were selected for development. In 2020, 8 beaches were presented for the certification.
• SICOM (under the Environment Ministry) in its pursuit of “Sustainable Development” of the coastal regions of India embarked upon its flagship program “BEAMS” (Beach Environment & Aesthetics Management Services) under its ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management)
  • The Environment Ministry launched the ICZM activities in India with a view to protect and conserve the coastal and marine ecosystems and the environment through holistic coastal management.
  • The project promotes the sustainable development & management of coastal zones through its own wing SICOM.
  • The concept of ICZM was introduced in 1992 during the Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro and most of the coastal countries in the world have been adopting ICZM principles for managing their coastal zones.
• This project was aimed at striving for the coveted International eco-label “Blue flag”, accorded by the Foundation of Environment Education, FEE Denmark.
• BEAMS is India’s own eco-label:
  • It was launched by SICOM (Society of Integrated Coastal Management).
  • It is one of the several other projects of ICZM that the government is undertaking for the sustainable development of coastal regions striving for the globally recognized and coveted eco-label Blue Flag.
  • The objective of BEAMS is to abate pollution in coastal waters, promote sustainable development of beach facilities, protect & conserve coastal ecosystems & natural resources, and seriously challenge local authorities & stakeholders to strive and maintain high standards of cleanliness, hygiene & safety for beachgoers in accordance with coastal environment & regulations.
  • This program promotes beach recreation in absolute harmony with nature.

Read more about the Blue Flag Certification in the linked article.

2. Bharatmala Pariyojana

Know more about the Bharatmala Pariyojana, an umbrella programme for the highways sector, in the linked article.

Context:

2921 km roads constructed under Bharatmala Pariyojana; 322 projects of 12,413 km awarded.

Read previous PIB here.

October 11th, 2020, PIB:- Download PDF Here