18 May 2018: UPSC Exam PIB Summary & Analysis

Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCET)

• In line with Government’s priority to provide connectivity to Northeast region and empowering local industries of this region particularly, Northeast Frontier Railway has started operating one lease Parcel Cargo Express Train (PCET).
• It will be on a fortnightly basis and it will be connecting Northeastern part of the country to the West Coast. 
• The route of this Parcel Cargo Express Train lease is : New Guwahati in Assam to Kalyan in Maharashtra with stoppages at New Jalpaiguri, Kalumna Goods Shed.
• This move would enable farmers to market their products like tea, betal nuts, pineapple, jute, horticulture products, cane furniture etc. at the retail markets in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Pune etc.
• Parcel Cargo Express Train has emerged as a business tool and this has been done without any additional strain on the resources of the railways.
• These leased PCETs will also generate substantial revenue to the Indian Railways in their contractual periods of 6 years each.
• The Unit transportation cost through PCET will be relatively less than the cost of road transportation.
• A single PCET can carry consignment equivalent to 52 nos. of trucks. This will ensure less Carbon Emission which will contribute for Green India & saving of foreign exchange on account of purchasing of fuel.

S&P PLATTS Global Metals Award 2018

• NMDC(National Mineral Development Corporation) Limited has bagged the prestigious S&P Global PLATTS Global Metals Award 2018 in corporate social responsibility (CSR) category held at London.
• S&P Global Platts is the leading independent provider of information, benchmark prices and analytics for the energy and commodities markets. It has been in existence for over 100 years.
• The S&P Global Platts Global Metals Award recognizes top performers – industry leaders and innovators.
• The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award recognizes the organization that best demonstrates leadership, commitment to action and real-world social impact on social responsibility of corporate business entity.
• NMDC is the largest iron ore mining company in India. With iron ore production of around 35 million tonnes per annum, it has a domestic market share of about 25%
  (non-captive category).
• It also extracts diamonds through its mine in Panna, which is the only mechanized diamond mine in Asia.
• NMDC’s CSR engagement has grown over the years which gets reflected in the CSR expenditure which has increased from Rs.86 crore (13.25 million USD) in 2011-12 to an average of Rs.190 crore (30 million USD) during the last three years.
• The company has been supporting initiatives on education, health, skill development, infrastructure creation and drinking water among others with a view to enhance the quality of life and empower the local population.

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