Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) is the most comprehensive way to measure the economic importance of tourism in national as well as sub-national economies. It is based on the recommended framework laid down by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) in their publication “Tourism Satellite Account: Recommended Methodological Framework 2008 (TSA: RMF 2008)”. Under the UNWTO framework, TSA comprises a set of descriptive tables that help in assessing the size and contribution of tourism to the economy. The framework provides accounts and tables and macroeconomic aggregates, principal among them being the gross value added of tourism industry (GVATI), tourism direct gross value added (TDGVA), and tourism direct gross domestic product (TDGDP). The latest TSA, which is the third for India, has been prepared for the reference year 2015-16.
Before making any policy intervention, it is important to estimate the overall logistics costs, including the various associated components/elements in order to understand and identify the problem areas and arrive at meaningful solutions. This NCAER report symbolises a major step in the direction of quantification of logistics costs. Such an exercise, in fact, needs to be conducted at regular intervals for estimating and monitoring the performance indicators and accordingly identifying the areas that need intervention. Hitherto, no serious attempt had been made to carry out research using a proper methodological framework for quantifying the logistics costs being incurred in India. Albeit, some estimates of the logistics costs incurred in the country are available in the public domain. However, these costs cannot be validated due to the non-availability of a framework for their estimation procedures. This also necessitates more comprehensive research in the area of estimation of logistics costs in India. In this context, the Logistics Division, Ministry of Commerce, commissioned NCAER to undertake interlinked studies for addressing the following issues related to the logistics ecosystem of India: (a) Route Study: Time and cost analysis of cargo movement along major routes in the country; (b) Estimation of overall logistics costs in India; and (c) Organisation of a Policy Roundtable among stakeholders to identify and tackle the challenges being faced by this sector.
The Ganga River basin spreaded across multiple states of India is the world’s most populous river basin. But, the pressure of industrialization and urbanisation makes the basin vulnerable to incessant outpouring of sewage and large volumes of solid and industrial wastes. While there are studies to show the effect of drinking water on human health, there is a need to address the issue of socio-economic indicators’ correlations with surface water pollution and study the causality therein. The primary aim of the project is to study the socio-economic and livelihood implications of Ganga river water pollution by correlating the real time pollution parameters with self-reported livelihood measures. The two groups chosen for survey are fisherman and households in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh respectively. The specific objectives of the study are: 1. To understand the effect of water pollution on the livelihood of fishermen. 2. To calculate the direct and indirect health costs of households associated with Ganga river water usage.
According to a recently published report of the Indian Council of Medical Research, air pollution accounted for 12.4 lakhs deaths in India in 2017 which included 6.7 lakhs deaths due to outdoor air pollution. The report also stated that average life expectancy in India would have been 1.7 years higher if air pollution levels were within permissible limits. In India, special efforts thus have been made by Government of India to reduce ground level air pollution (transport sector) by leapfrogging with implementation of BS IV to BS VI from 2020. The aim is to reduce the adverse impacts of fuel related particulate matter (PM) from the city of Delhi. The project in partnership with the Maulana Azad Medical College and Indian Oil Corporation Limited, R&D Centre have the specific objectives: a) To generate data on air borne pollutants by deploying air quality monitoring van. ; b) To collect clinical and biometric information of individuals exposed to air pollution. ; c) To study the effect and severity of pollutants on human health.
High Logistics Costs in India compared to countries with similar environment & state of development are matter of concern for manufacturing growth and comprehensive development of the country. Several reasons are often cited for high logistics costs namely, unfavourable policy regime, lack of multimodal transport system (heavy reliance on road transport), fragmented Storage infrastructure, presence of multiple stakeholders in the entire transport and storage value chain, poor quality of road and port infrastructure, and the absence of technology intervention at storage/transportation and distribution activities. The high cost of logistics affects the country’s competiveness in export and domestic markets. It is important to estimate overall logistics costs, including its various components/elements, so as to understand where problem are and the corresponding solutions. To meet the overall objective of understanding the cost of undertaking logistics in India, Logistics Division, Ministry of Commerce, has commissioned NCAER to undertake interlinked studies with the following objectives: (a) Cost analysis of cargo movement on major routes (Route Study); (b) Estimation of Macroeconomic logistics cost; and (c) A Policy Roundtable among stake-holders
