Content
- NITI Aayog Releases Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024
- Real-Time Stray Cattle Safety Alert on National Highways
NITI Aayog Releases Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024
Why in News ?
- NITI Aayog released Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024 on 14 January 2026.
- 4th edition (first in August 2020).
- Aligned with:
- USD 1 trillion merchandise exports target by 2030.
- Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
- Emphasises States & districts as drivers of India’s export competitiveness amid global volatility.
Relevance : GS III
- Indian Economy & External Sector: Export competitiveness, GVC integration, MSME-led exports.
- Infrastructure & logistics, cost competitiveness, human capital.
- Industrial policy alignment: PLI, Logistics Policy, Districts as Export Hubs (DEH).
What is Export Preparedness Index (EPI)?
- Composite, evidence-based index assessing export readiness of States & UTs.
- Focus:
- Strength, resilience & inclusiveness of sub-national export ecosystems.
- Identification of structural bottlenecks, growth levers, and policy gaps.
- Policy intent:
- Shift from national export targets → place-based export strategies.
- Integrate districts, clusters, MSMEs, and GVC linkages.
Framework & Structure (2024)
- 4 Pillars | 13 Sub-pillars | 70 Indicators
- Enhanced analytical depth with new dimensions: macro stability, cost competitiveness, MSME ecosystem.
Pillars & Weightage
- Export Infrastructure – 20%
- Utilities
- Logistics
- Business Ecosystem – 40%(highest weight – critical insight)
- Macroeconomic stability
- Cost competitiveness
- Human capital
- Finance & credit access
- MSME ecosystem
- Industrial & innovation environment
- Policy & Governance – 20%
- State export policy & governance
- Regulatory environment & compliance
- Export Performance – 20%
- Export outcomes & trends
- Promotion & facilitation
- Diversification & global market access
India’s export challenge is no longer just ports & logistics but costs, skills, finance, and institutional quality.
Methodology & Data (Data-centric)
- Sources
- Central Ministries
- State Governments
- Public institutions & official datasets
- Techniques
- Indicator normalisation
- Balanced pillar weightage
- Inter-State comparability ensured
- 2024 Refinements
- Greater robustness & policy relevance
- Improved indicator precision
- Stronger alignment with district-level export planning
Classification of States & UTs
- Categories:
- Large States
- Small States
- North-East States
- Union Territories
- Performance Bands:
- Leaders – High preparedness
- Challengers – Moderate, improvable
- Aspirers – Nascent export ecosystems
Governance Signal:
- Enables peer learning, competitive federalism, and targeted reforms.
Top Performers – EPI 2024
Large States (Leaders)
- Maharashtra
- Tamil Nadu
- Gujarat
- Uttar Pradesh
- Andhra Pradesh
Small States / NE / UTs (Leaders)
- Uttarakhand
- Jammu & Kashmir
- Nagaland
- Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
- Goa
Constitutional & Federal Dimension
- Article 246 + Seventh Schedule
- Trade & commerce: shared Centre-State domain.
- EPI operationalises cooperative federalism through:
- Evidence-based benchmarking.
- State-specific reform pathways.
- Strengthens competitive federalism without coercion.
Economic Significance
- Exports → employment multiplier, especially in MSMEs.
- Sub-national preparedness critical for:
- Global Value Chain (GVC) integration
- Reducing regional disparities
- Improving cost competitiveness
- Aligns with:
- PLI schemes
- Logistics Policy
- Districts as Export Hubs (DEH)
Governance & Administrative Insights
- Highlights need for:
- Predictable & transparent policies.
- Strong export institutions at State level.
- Faster regulatory clearances.
- District focus enables:
- Cluster-based interventions.
- Tailored skilling & infrastructure.
Social & Ethical Dimension
- Export-led growth:
- Generates non-farm jobs.
- Supports women-intensive sectors (textiles, food processing).
- Inclusive exports via:
- MSME participation.
- Credit access & skilling.
Technology, Security & Global Context
- Global volatility:
- Supply chain fragmentation
- Geopolitical trade realignments
- EPI helps States:
- Identify new trade opportunities.
- Move towards quality-centric exports (PM’s emphasis).
- Tech adoption:
- Digital trade facilitation
- Data-driven logistics & compliance.
Key Challenges Identified
- Inter-State divergence in preparedness.
- Weak:
- Cost competitiveness.
- Human capital alignment.
- Institutional capacity in Aspirer States.
- MSME constraints:
- Credit gaps
- Compliance burden
- Logistics inefficiencies at district level.
Way Forward
- District-centric export planning under DEH.
- Strengthen:
- State Export Promotion Agencies.
- Single-window & digital compliance systems.
- Improve:
- MSME credit flow (SIDBI, fintech).
- Skill-industry linkage aligned to export clusters.
- Focus on:
- Product quality & standards.
- Export diversification & new markets.
- Use EPI as:
- Annual reform dashboard.
- Input for Finance Commission & scheme targeting.
Prelims Pointers
- First EPI: August 2020.
- EPI 2024: 4 pillars, 13 sub-pillars, 70 indicators.
- Highest weightage pillar: Business Ecosystem (40%).
- Implemented by: NITI Aayog.
- Objective: Assess State/UT export preparedness (not volume).
Real-Time Stray Cattle Safety Alert on National Highways
Why in News ?
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched a pilot real-time stray cattle safety alert system.
- Announced on 14 January 2026, during Road Safety Month 2026.
- Objective: Reduce accidents caused by sudden cattle movement, especially during fog & low-visibility conditions.
- Implemented in collaboration with telecom service providers, with Reliance Jio upgrading its platform for nationwide alert capability.
Relevance
GS II
- Public service delivery & e-governance by National Highways Authority of India.
- Inter-agency coordination (NHAI + telecoms); citizen-centric governance.
- Road safety as a public policy priority.
GS III
- Infrastructure & Transport: Highway safety, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
- Science & Technology: Geofencing, location-based alerts, telecom-enabled nudges.
- Internal security (non-traditional): Accident prevention, situational awareness.
Background: Why Stray Cattle is a Road Safety Issue ?
- India faces high road fatality burden:
- ~1.7 lakh road accident deaths annually (MoRTH trend).
- Animal-related accidents:
- Disproportionately high on National & State Highways.
- Peak risk during night, fog, winter months (north-west India).
- Root causes:
- Stray cattle population near highways.
- Poor fencing & access control.
- High-speed traffic corridors.
Road safety is not only an engineering issue but also a governance, behavioural, and technological challenge.
Pilot Project: Key Features
Pilot Corridors
- Jaipur–Agra National Highway
- Jaipur–Rewari National Highway
- Selected due to:
- High incidence of stray cattle movement.
- Historical accident data & field-level inputs.
Technology Design
- Location-based, real-time alerts to highway users.
- Alerts triggered ~10 km before cattle-prone stretches.
- Communication format:
- Flash SMS (Hindi)
- “आगे आवारा पशु ग्रस्त क्षेत्र है। कृपया धीरे और सावधानी से चलें।”
- Followed by voice alert with identical message.
- Flash SMS (Hindi)
- Anti–alert fatigue mechanism:
- No repeat alert to same user within 30 minutes.
Data & Infrastructure
- Cattle-prone zones mapped using:
- Historical accident datasets.
- Ground-level validation.
- Leveraging upgraded telecom infrastructure for:
- Targeted delivery.
- Real-time responsiveness.
- Scalability-ready architecture (pan-India potential).
Governance & Administrative Dimension
- NHAI’s shift from:
- Reactive enforcement → Predictive, preventive safety governance.
- Inter-agency coordination:
- Highway authority + telecom operators.
- Enhances:
- User-centric service delivery.
- Evidence-based policy design.
Technological Dimension
- Use of:
- Geofencing & location-based services.
- Telecom-led real-time advisories.
- Complements:
- Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
- Digital India & Smart Mobility vision.
- Low-cost, high-impact behavioural nudge.
Security & Safety Dimension
- Reduces:
- High-speed collision risk.
- Secondary accidents during fog.
- Improves:
- Driver reaction time.
- Situational awareness.
Technology here acts as a risk anticipator, not merely an information provider.
Social & Ethical Dimension
- Addresses:
- Human safety without criminalising cattle presence.
- Indirectly flags:
- Urban-rural interface issues.
- Stray cattle management gaps (municipal & panchayat level).
- Ethical governance:
- Focus on prevention, not punishment.
Economic Dimension
- Road accidents impose:
- ~3–5% of GDP loss (World Bank estimates for India).
- Potential benefits:
- Reduced fatalities & injuries.
- Lower insurance & logistics disruption costs.
- Improved freight reliability on NH corridors.
Key Challenges
- Pilot-limited coverage.
- Dependence on:
- Accurate zone mapping.
- Telecom penetration & signal strength.
- Does not directly address:
- Root cause of stray cattle (urban planning, animal husbandry, local governance).
- Risk of:
- User desensitisation if alerts over-expand without precision.
Way Forward
- Scale-up after impact evaluation using:
- Accident reduction metrics.
- User feedback.
- Integrate with:
- FASTag / vehicle infotainment systems.
- Highway variable message signboards.
- Parallel measures:
- Highway fencing & cattle underpasses.
- Local body accountability for stray cattle control.
- AI-based enhancements:
- Camera + sensor-based real-time cattle detection.
Prelims Pointers
- Implementing agency: NHAI
- Nature: Pilot, technology-based road safety initiative
- Alert types: Flash SMS + Voice alert
- Language of alert: Hindi
- Repeat alert gap: 30 minutes
- Pilot corridors: Jaipur–Agra, Jaipur–Rewari NHs
