CONTENTS
- Ambedkar circuit
- JALDOOT App
Ambedkar Circuit
Focus: Facts for Prelims
Why in News?
Recently, the Central government announced a special tourist circuit named Ambedkar circuit, which encompasses five key sites associated with Dr B.R. Ambedkar.
About Ambedkar Circuit:
- The government had first proposed the Ambedkar Circuit, or Panchteerth, in 2016, but the conceptualisation of the plan could be held recently.
- The five cities in the tourist circuit as announced by the government are:
- Janma Bhoomi- Ambedkar’s birthplace in Madhya Pradesh’s Mhow.
- Shiksha Bhoomi– the place in London where he stayed while studying in the UK.
- Deeksha Bhoomi– the place in Nagpur where he embraced Buddhism.
- Mahaparinirvan Bhoomi- the place of his demise in Delhi.
- Chaitya Bhoomi– the place of his cremation is in Mumbai.
Significance:
- The idea is to attract tourists beyond the Dalit community, who mostly visit these places as a pilgrimage.
- The journey will include meals, ground transportation, and entry to the site.
- The creation of special circuits allows the government to focus better on the comprehensive development of all sites related to the theme, including infrastructure, road and rail connectivity, and visitor facilities.
JALDOOT App
Focus: Facts for Prelims
Why in News?
Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, will launch the “JALDOOT App”.
About JALDOOT App
- Ministry of Rural Development has developed “JALDOOT App” that will be used across the country to capture the water level of selected wells in a village.
- The Jaldoot app will enable Gram Rojgar Sahayak (GRS) to measure the water level of selected wells twice a year (pre-monsoon and post-monsoon).
- In every village, adequate number of measurement locations (2-3) shall need to be selected. These will be representative of the ground water level in that village.
- The app will facilitate panchayats with robust data, which can be further used for better planning of works.
- The ground water data could be utilised as part of the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) and Mahatma Gandhi NREGA planning exercises. Further, the data can also be used for different kinds of research and other purposes.
Need for JALDOOT App:
- The country has taken many steps for improvement of water management both in the rural and urban areas, through watershed development, afforestation, water body development and renovation, rainwater harvesting and so on.
- However, withdrawal of ground water, as also utilization of surface water sources has reached critical levels in many parts of the country, resulting in significant depletion of water levels causing distress to the community, including farmers.
- Therefore measurement and observation of the levels of water tables across the country has become necessary.
