Content

1. NITI Aayog Releases Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024
2. Real-Time Stray Cattle Safety Alert on National Highways

NITI Aayog Releases Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024

Why in News ?

• NITI Aayog released Export Preparedness Index (EPI) 2024 on 14 January 2026.
• 4th edition (first in August 2020).
• Aligned with:
  • USD 1 trillion merchandise exports target by 2030.
  • Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
• Emphasises States & districts as drivers of India’s export competitiveness amid global volatility.

Relevance : GS III

• Indian Economy & External Sector: Export competitiveness, GVC integration, MSME-led exports.
• Infrastructure & logistics, cost competitiveness, human capital.
• Industrial policy alignment: PLI, Logistics Policy, Districts as Export Hubs (DEH).

What is Export Preparedness Index (EPI)?

• Composite, evidence-based index assessing export readiness of States & UTs.
• Focus:
  • Strength, resilience & inclusiveness of sub-national export ecosystems.
  • Identification of structural bottlenecks, growth levers, and policy gaps.
• Policy intent:
  • Shift from national export targets → place-based export strategies.
  • Integrate districts, clusters, MSMEs, and GVC linkages.

Framework & Structure (2024)

• 4 Pillars | 13 Sub-pillars | 70 Indicators
• Enhanced analytical depth with new dimensions: macro stability, cost competitiveness, MSME ecosystem.

Pillars & Weightage

• Export Infrastructure – 20%
  • Utilities
  • Logistics
• Business Ecosystem – 40%(highest weight – critical insight)
  • Macroeconomic stability
  • Cost competitiveness
  • Human capital
  • Finance & credit access
  • MSME ecosystem
  • Industrial & innovation environment
• Policy & Governance – 20%
  • State export policy & governance
  • Regulatory environment & compliance
• Export Performance – 20%
  • Export outcomes & trends
  • Promotion & facilitation
  • Diversification & global market access

India’s export challenge is no longer just ports & logistics but costs, skills, finance, and institutional quality.

Methodology & Data (Data-centric)

• Sources
  • Central Ministries
  • State Governments
  • Public institutions & official datasets
• Techniques
  • Indicator normalisation
  • Balanced pillar weightage
  • Inter-State comparability ensured
• 2024 Refinements
  • Greater robustness & policy relevance
  • Improved indicator precision
  • Stronger alignment with district-level export planning

Classification of States & UTs

• Categories:
  • Large States
  • Small States
  • North-East States
  • Union Territories
• Performance Bands:
  • Leaders – High preparedness
  • Challengers – Moderate, improvable
  • Aspirers – Nascent export ecosystems

Governance Signal:

• Enables peer learning, competitive federalism, and targeted reforms.

Top Performers – EPI 2024

Large States (Leaders)

• Maharashtra
• Tamil Nadu
• Gujarat
• Uttar Pradesh
• Andhra Pradesh

Small States / NE / UTs (Leaders)

• Uttarakhand
• Jammu & Kashmir
• Nagaland
• Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
• Goa

Constitutional & Federal Dimension

• Article 246 + Seventh Schedule
  • Trade & commerce: shared Centre-State domain.
• EPI operationalises cooperative federalism through:
  • Evidence-based benchmarking.
  • State-specific reform pathways.
• Strengthens competitive federalism without coercion.

Economic Significance

• Exports → employment multiplier, especially in MSMEs.
• Sub-national preparedness critical for:
  • Global Value Chain (GVC) integration
  • Reducing regional disparities
  • Improving cost competitiveness
• Aligns with:
  • PLI schemes
  • Logistics Policy
  • Districts as Export Hubs (DEH)

Governance & Administrative Insights

• Highlights need for:
  • Predictable & transparent policies.
  • Strong export institutions at State level.
  • Faster regulatory clearances.
• District focus enables:
  • Cluster-based interventions.
  • Tailored skilling & infrastructure.

Social & Ethical Dimension

• Export-led growth:
  • Generates non-farm jobs.
  • Supports women-intensive sectors (textiles, food processing).
• Inclusive exports via:
  • MSME participation.
  • Credit access & skilling.

Technology, Security & Global Context

• Global volatility:
  • Supply chain fragmentation
  • Geopolitical trade realignments
• EPI helps States:
  • Identify new trade opportunities.
  • Move towards quality-centric exports (PM’s emphasis).
• Tech adoption:
  • Digital trade facilitation
  • Data-driven logistics & compliance.

Key Challenges Identified

• Inter-State divergence in preparedness.
• Weak:
  • Cost competitiveness.
  • Human capital alignment.
  • Institutional capacity in Aspirer States.
• MSME constraints:
  • Credit gaps
  • Compliance burden
• Logistics inefficiencies at district level.

Way Forward

• District-centric export planning under DEH.
• Strengthen:
  • State Export Promotion Agencies.
  • Single-window & digital compliance systems.
• Improve:
  • MSME credit flow (SIDBI, fintech).
  • Skill-industry linkage aligned to export clusters.
• Focus on:
  • Product quality & standards.
  • Export diversification & new markets.
• Use EPI as:
  • Annual reform dashboard.
  • Input for Finance Commission & scheme targeting.

Prelims Pointers

• First EPI: August 2020.
• EPI 2024: 4 pillars, 13 sub-pillars, 70 indicators.
• Highest weightage pillar: Business Ecosystem (40%).
• Implemented by: NITI Aayog.
• Objective: Assess State/UT export preparedness (not volume).

Real-Time Stray Cattle Safety Alert on National Highways

Why in News ?

• National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) launched a pilot real-time stray cattle safety alert system.
• Announced on 14 January 2026, during Road Safety Month 2026.
• Objective: Reduce accidents caused by sudden cattle movement, especially during fog & low-visibility conditions.
• Implemented in collaboration with telecom service providers, with Reliance Jio upgrading its platform for nationwide alert capability.

Relevance

GS II

• Public service delivery & e-governance by National Highways Authority of India.
• Inter-agency coordination (NHAI + telecoms); citizen-centric governance.
• Road safety as a public policy priority.

GS III

• Infrastructure & Transport: Highway safety, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
• Science & Technology: Geofencing, location-based alerts, telecom-enabled nudges.
• Internal security (non-traditional): Accident prevention, situational awareness.

Background: Why Stray Cattle is a Road Safety Issue ?

• India faces high road fatality burden:
  • ~1.7 lakh road accident deaths annually (MoRTH trend).
• Animal-related accidents:
  • Disproportionately high on National & State Highways.
  • Peak risk during night, fog, winter months (north-west India).
• Root causes:
  • Stray cattle population near highways.
  • Poor fencing & access control.
  • High-speed traffic corridors.

Road safety is not only an engineering issue but also a governance, behavioural, and technological challenge.

Pilot Project: Key Features

Pilot Corridors

• Jaipur–Agra National Highway
• Jaipur–Rewari National Highway
• Selected due to:
  • High incidence of stray cattle movement.
  • Historical accident data & field-level inputs.

Technology Design

• Location-based, real-time alerts to highway users.
• Alerts triggered ~10 km before cattle-prone stretches.
• Communication format:
  • Flash SMS (Hindi)
    • “आगे आवारा पशु ग्रस्त क्षेत्र है। कृपया धीरे और सावधानी से चलें।”
  • Followed by voice alert with identical message.
• Anti–alert fatigue mechanism:
  • No repeat alert to same user within 30 minutes.

Data & Infrastructure

• Cattle-prone zones mapped using:
  • Historical accident datasets.
  • Ground-level validation.
• Leveraging upgraded telecom infrastructure for:
  • Targeted delivery.
  • Real-time responsiveness.
• Scalability-ready architecture (pan-India potential).

Governance & Administrative Dimension

• NHAI’s shift from:
  • Reactive enforcement → Predictive, preventive safety governance.
• Inter-agency coordination:
  • Highway authority + telecom operators.
• Enhances:
  • User-centric service delivery.
  • Evidence-based policy design.

Technological Dimension

• Use of:
  • Geofencing & location-based services.
  • Telecom-led real-time advisories.
• Complements:
  • Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).
  • Digital India & Smart Mobility vision.
• Low-cost, high-impact behavioural nudge.

Security & Safety Dimension

• Reduces:
  • High-speed collision risk.
  • Secondary accidents during fog.
• Improves:
  • Driver reaction time.
  • Situational awareness.

Technology here acts as a risk anticipator, not merely an information provider.

Social & Ethical Dimension

• Addresses:
  • Human safety without criminalising cattle presence.
• Indirectly flags:
  • Urban-rural interface issues.
  • Stray cattle management gaps (municipal & panchayat level).
• Ethical governance:
  • Focus on prevention, not punishment.

Economic Dimension

• Road accidents impose:
  • ~3–5% of GDP loss (World Bank estimates for India).
• Potential benefits:
  • Reduced fatalities & injuries.
  • Lower insurance & logistics disruption costs.
  • Improved freight reliability on NH corridors.

Key Challenges

• Pilot-limited coverage.
• Dependence on:
  • Accurate zone mapping.
  • Telecom penetration & signal strength.
• Does not directly address:
  • Root cause of stray cattle (urban planning, animal husbandry, local governance).
• Risk of:
  • User desensitisation if alerts over-expand without precision.

Way Forward

• Scale-up after impact evaluation using:
  • Accident reduction metrics.
  • User feedback.
• Integrate with:
  • FASTag / vehicle infotainment systems.
  • Highway variable message signboards.
• Parallel measures:
  • Highway fencing & cattle underpasses.
  • Local body accountability for stray cattle control.
• AI-based enhancements:
  • Camera + sensor-based real-time cattle detection.

Prelims Pointers

• Implementing agency: NHAI
• Nature: Pilot, technology-based road safety initiative
• Alert types: Flash SMS + Voice alert
• Language of alert: Hindi
• Repeat alert gap: 30 minutes
• Pilot corridors: Jaipur–Agra, Jaipur–Rewari NHs