26
2017
what is new ?
THE CLEANEST CITIES
Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu
has announced the Cleanest Cities in the Country and
the fastest moving cities on sanitation ladder under
Swachh Sarvekshan-2017. Indore has been adjudged
as the cleanest city in India while Gonda in Uttar
Pradesh has been ranked as the dirtiest city among
surveyed. In total, 434 cities and towns with a popula-
tion of one lakh and above were surveyed. Last year
survey had surveyed only 73 cities with a population
of 10 lakh and above. Cities and towns in West Bengal
did not take part in the survey as the Mamata Banerjee
government did not participate in the Swachh
Survekshan.
The criteria for selecting the cities for ranking for this
year included 45% marks for cities becoming open def-
ecation-free; solid waste management like sweeping,
collection, transportation and processing of garbage;
education and capacity building. 25% marks were given
for field inspection and another 30% marks were given
for citizen feedback. In total, feedback from at least 18
lakh citizens across the surveyed cities about the sani-
tation were received.
Best Performing Cities
The top ten highly ranked cities are: Indore (1st), Bhopal
(2nd), Visakhapatnam (3rd), Surat (4th), Mysuru
(5th), Tiruchirapally of Tamil Nadu (6th), New Delhi
Municipal Council (7th), Navi Mumbai (8th), Tirupati
of Andhra Pradesh (9th), Vadodara (10th). Overall,
Jharkhand and Chattisgarh have emerged as the
best performing states in Swachh Survekshan,
2017. States like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and
Andhra Pradesh have performed well in sanitation
rankings
Worst Performing Cities
As per the survey, four among the dirtiest cities are
from UP, two each from Bihar and Punjab and one
each from Uttarakhand and Maharashtra. Overall,
UP and Bihar remains the biggest concerns. In UP,
50 of the 62 cities/towns surveyed have been ranked
beyond 305. In Bihar, 19 of 27 cities/towns surveyed
have been ranked beyond 300. The worst perform-
ing cities are: Gonda of Uttar Pradesh (434th),
Bhusawal of Maharashtra (433rd), Bagaha of Bihar
(432nd), Hardoi of Uttar Pradesh (431st), Katihar of
Bihar (430th), Bahraich of Uttar Pradesh (429th),
Muktsar of Punjab (428th), Abohar of Punjab (427th),
Shahjahanpur of Uttar Pradesh (426th), Khurja of
Uttar Pradesh (425th).
BANGANAPALLE MANGO GETS GI TAG
The Registrar of Geographical Indications Registry, Chennai, has accorded GI
Tag for the much famed Banganapalle Mango of Andhra Pradesh. Henceforth,
Andhra Pradesh government will be the registered proprietor of the GI tag for
Banganapalle mangoes. A GI tag specifies that the product comes from a specific
region. Geographical Indications of Goods are defined as that aspect of industrial
property which refers to the geographical indication referring to a country or to a
place situated therein as being the country or place of origin of that product. Typi-
cally, such a name conveys an assurance of quality and distinctiveness. Under
Articles 1 (2) and 10 of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, geographical indications are
covered as an element of IPRs. They are also covered under Articles 22 to 24 of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellec-
tual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement. A Geographical Indications Registry with all India jurisdiction operates in
Chennai, as per the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act 1999.
Banganapalle mango is known for its sweetness and is known as “the King of fruits.” Banganapalle mangoes can retain their
quality under cold storage even up to three months and have been growing in Andhra Pradesh for over 100 years. The
primary centre of origin of the fruit is Kurnool district. Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra are the secondary centres of origin.
Khammam, Mahabubnagar, Rangareddy, Medak and Adilabad districts in Telangana also form as secondary centres of
origin. India exports around 5,500 tonnes of Banganappalle variety of mangoes to countries like the US and UK.