Why in News?

The Coal Controller Organisation (CCO) under the Ministry of Coal has developed SUVIKALP, a digital decision-support tool to identify the best post-mining uses for closed and abandoned coal mines.

About SUVIKALP

• Ministry: Ministry of Coal, Government of India.
• Developed by: The Coal Controller Organisation (CCO).
• What it is: A digital decision-support platform aligned with the Mining Plan Guidelines for Coal and Lignite Mines, 2025. It sets a scientific, transparent and standardised framework to choose post-mining land uses, instead of fragmented assessments.
• How it works: Users enter mine-specific information, such as geo-mining features, environment, infrastructure, resources, finances and socio-economic factors, to build a site profile. Repurposing options are then ranked using a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) method called TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution).
• Steps: Factor selection, generation of options, inclusion of community priorities, suitability assessment and final ranking.

Key Points

• RECLAIM: A community engagement framework built into SUVIKALP, so local needs such as jobs and livelihoods are weighed along with technical and economic feasibility.
• PRISM: Goes beyond ranking projects to implementation, covering investment, structuring and monitoring, with a knowledge repository of case studies and sample tender documents.

Why in News?

At a Consultative Committee meeting in Puri, Odisha, the Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister said the government aims to double the share of coastal and inland waterway shipping in freight from 6% to 12% by 2047, and attract 1 million sea cruise passengers by 2029. A ₹1,500 crore Puri International Cruise Terminal will be developed.

About the Scheme

• Ministry: Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
• Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme: Announced in the Union Budget 2026-27.
• Aim: Shift freight from road and rail to waterways, raising the share of coastal and inland waterway shipping from 6% to 12% by 2047.
• Incentives: For cargo owners, coastal vessel operators and multimodal transport operators, who move cargo by more than one means, such as ship, rail and road.
• Cruise Bharat Mission: Launched in September 2024, with targets of 1 million sea cruise passengers and 400,000 jobs by March 2029.
• Combined impact: More than 5.6 lakh jobs and about 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide saved.
• National Waterway-5 (Odisha): Estimated at over ₹13,000 crore, it will link industrial and mining centres like Talcher and Kalinganagar with east coast ports.

Background

• National Waterways Act, 2016: Declared 111 waterways as National Waterways. The Budget 2026-27 announced 20 new waterways in five years, starting with NW-5 on the Mahanadi system, which connects the Talcher-Angul mineral belt with the ports of Paradip and Dhamra.
• Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047: India’s long-term plan for the maritime sector.
• Why modal shift matters: Water transport is cheaper and cleaner than road, so shifting cargo lowers logistics cost and emissions. India has a coastline of over 11,000 km.
• Paradip Port: A major port in Odisha, run by the Paradip Port Authority.

Why in News?

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is launching the Vayo Samman Rashtriya Abhiyan, a National Intergenerational Bonding Campaign, under the Atal Vayo Abhyuday Yojana (AVYAY) on 4 November 2026.

About the Campaign

• Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• Aim: To build lasting engagement between senior citizens and younger generations, and to see seniors as contributors and mentors, not only recipients of welfare.
• The 5C model: Connect, Converse, Co-create, Contribute and Continue.
• Twelve themes: Including “30 Minutes Together”, “Teach Me, I’ll Teach You”, “Digital Dada-Dadi / Digital Saathi” and “Silver Skills: Seniors as Mentors”. Young people will also help seniors use digital services and spot cyber fraud.

About AVYAY

• Ministry: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
• What it is: A Centrally Sponsored umbrella scheme launched in 2021, succeeding the National Action Plan for Senior Citizens (NAPSrC).
• Components: The Integrated Programme for Senior Citizens (senior citizen homes and care), Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana (aids and assisted-living devices for seniors below the poverty line), State Action Plans and Elderline (14567).

Background

• Article 41: A Directive Principle on public assistance in old age.
• Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007: Makes children and relatives responsible for maintaining senior citizens, with tribunals and old age homes.