SLDE, GHG Calculator "EMPOWER IAS"

In news:

• With an aim to further improve ease of doing business, Centre today launched the “Secured Logistics Document Exchange” along with a Calculator for Green House Gas Emissions.

 

About Secured Logistics Document Exchange(SLDE) Initiative

• SLDE platform is a solution that aims to replace the present manual process of generation, exchange and compliance of logistics documents with a digitized, secure and seamless document exchange system.
• The platform will enable generation, storage and interchange of logistics-related documents digitally using Aadhaar and blockchain based technology.
• Developed by: The platform has been developed and executed with banks (ICICI, Axis Bank, State Bank of India and HDFC Bank) and stakeholders including freight forwarders, exporters, importers and vessel operators.

• Benefits of the Platform: The platform will provide a
  • complete audit trail of document transfer
  • faster execution of transaction
  • lower cost of shipping and overall carbon footprint
  • easy verification of authenticity of documents
  • lowered risk of fraud, etc.

 

About Greenhouse Gas(GHG) Emission calculator Initiative:

• The GHG Calculator is an efficient, user-friendly tool that provides for calculating and comparing GHG emissions across different modes.
• The calculator allows for commodity-wise comparison of GHG emissions and total cost of transportation, including their environmental cost, between movement by road and rail.

 

Green House Gases (GHGs)

• A greenhouse gas (GHG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect.
• The primary greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere are water vapor (H 2O), carbon dioxide (CO 2), methane (CH 4), nitrous oxide (N 2O), and ozone (O3).
• Without greenhouse gases, the average temperature of Earth’s surface would be about −18 °C (0 °F), rather than the present average of 15 °C (59 °F).
• The atmospheres of Venus, Mars, and Titan also contain greenhouse gases.

 

Benefits:
 

Improved Efficiency:

• Initiatives will improve logistics efficiency, reduce logistics cost, and promote multi-modality and sustainability in a big way, also help fill the gap areas where no action has yet been taken either by private players or any of the line ministries.

 

Achieving Targets:

• •  
• It will help achieve the targets of improved India’s ranking in Logistics Performance Index (LPI), reduction in logistics cost and establishment of indigenous India-specific metrics for continual improvement in logistics.
• India ranked 44^th on the LPI in 2018.

 

 

Related Initiatives:

• Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC):
  • It is a high speed and high capacity railway corridor that is exclusively meant for the transportation of freight, or in other words, goods and commodities.
• National Logistics Law 2020:
  • It aims to streamline the logistics ecosystem in the country, with a view to promote growth of the sector and also to add impetus to enhance export competitiveness and ranking in LPI.
• Logix India 2019:
  • It was organized by the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) as an initiative to improve logistics cost effectiveness and operational efficiencies for India’s global trade.
• Multimodal Logistics Park:
  • The park will reduce trade cost by 10% and have cargo capacity of 13 million metric tons (MMT) per year.
• Fast Tracking Freight in India:
  • Recently it was launched to make goods transport cost-effective and to reduce India’s logistics cost.
• Port Community System ‘PCS1x’:
  • The platform has the potential to revolutionize maritime trade in India and bring it at par with global best practices and pave the way to improve the Ease of Doing Business world ranking and LPI ranks.