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Gingee Fort Nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site

Context

Gingee Fort, located in Tamil Nadu’s Villupuram district, has been officially nominated for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list. This nomination is part of a larger initiative titled the “Maratha Military Landscapes,” which aims to recognize and preserve 12 significant forts that highlight the historical military architecture influenced by the Maratha Empire.

Key Facts Regarding Gingee Fort:

• Gingee Fort is strategically located atop three hillocks: Rajagiri, Krishnagiri, and Chandragiri, making it a prominent fort in Tamil Nadu.

Historical Importance:

• Known as the “Troy of the East”, Gingee Fort is considered one of the most impregnable fortresses in South India.
• Its strong defences, including a 60-foot-wide rampart and an 80-foot-wide moat, made it crucial during the Carnatic Wars between the French and British.

Historical Overview:

• The fort was originally constructed in 1200 CE by Ananta Kon of the Konar Dynasty and named Krishnagiri.
• Significant renovations were made under the Vijayanagar Empire.
• In 1677, the fort was captured by Chhatrapati Shivaji, and it remained under Maratha control until it was taken by the Mughals in 1698.
• The fort served as the last stronghold for the Marathas, led by Rajaram I (Shivaji’s son), in their resistance against the Mughal forces.
• After briefly being ruled by Raja Desingh (Tej Singh), the fort was taken over by the Nawabs of Arcot in 1714 and stayed under their dominion until 1749.
• From 1750 to 1770, the fort was under French control, after which it passed into British hands.

Architectural Features:
The fort complex includes multiple temples and shrines along with significant structures such as a stepped well, Kalyana Mahal, durbar hall, cannon, clock tower, armory, elephant tank, stable, granary, gymnasium, Venkataramana temple, and Sadathtulla mosque.

• Water Supply Systems: The fort is equipped with two advanced water supply systems that ensured water availability even at the fort’s highest points.
• Rajagiri Hill: Rajagiri is the tallest hill at 800 meters, with a citadel and the temple of Ranganatha located on it.
• Krishnagiri Citadel: The Krishnagiri Citadel is noted for its Indo-Islamic architecture, featuring an audience hall with a domed roof.
• Venkataramana Swamy Temple: Situated in the Lower Fort complex, this temple features intricate carvings from Hindu epics.
• Kalyana Mahal: A remarkable eight-storey structure, the Kalyana Mahal was used as the royal ladies’ quarters.

What are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?

• UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as of distinctive cultural or physical importance which is considered of outstanding value to humanity.
• It may be a building, a city, a complex, a desert, a forest, an island, a lake, a monument, or a mountain.
• They have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy as they have a special cultural or physical significance and outstanding universal value to the humanity.
• Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites.
• At present, India has 38 World Heritage Properties. All the sites under the Ministry are conserved as per ASI’s Conservation Policy and are in good shape.

More about selection and protection of World Heritage Sites

• The sites are judged to be important for the collective and preservative interests of humanity.
• To be selected, a WHS must be an already-classified landmark, unique in some respect as a geographically and historically identifiable place having special cultural or physical significance (such as an ancient ruin or historical structure, building, city, complex, desert, forest, island, lake, monument, mountain, or wilderness area).
• It may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet.
• The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored/uncontrolled/unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence.
• The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Program administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 “states parties” that are elected by their General Assembly.

UNESCO World Heritage Committee

• The World Heritage Committee selects the sites to be listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
• It monitors the state of conservation of the World Heritage properties, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.
• It is composed of 21 states parties that are elected by the General Assembly of States Parties for a four-year term.
• India is NOT a member of this Committee.

SPICED Scheme

Context

Recently, the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has approved a Spices Board scheme, ‘Sustainability in spice sector through progressive, innovative and collaborative interventions for export development’ (SPICED) scheme.

About the SPICED Scheme:

• Purpose: The SPICED Scheme is focused on enhancing the export of spices and value-added spice products, improving productivity of cardamoms, and upgrading the post-harvest quality of spices across India for export.
• Implementation: The scheme is being implemented until the end of the 15th Finance Commission term, which runs up to 2025-26.

Key Highlights of the Scheme:

• The scheme aims to promote value addition, foster innovation, and encourage sustainability in the spice sector through various initiatives:
  • Mission Value Addition.
  • Mission Clean and Safe Spices.
  • Promotion of GI spices.
  • Support for entrepreneurship through Spice Incubation Centres.
• Focus Groups:
  • The scheme places emphasis on farmers’ groups, FPOs, farmers’ clusters identified under ODOP and DEH, as well as the SC/ST community, exporters from the Northeast, and SMEs.
• Eligibility:
  • Exporters with a valid Certificate of Registration as Exporter of Spices (CRES) are eligible for assistance.
  • Preference will be given to first-time applicants and SMEs.
• Program Focus:
  • Programs under the scheme aim to improve the productivity of cardamoms and upgrade the post-harvest quality of spices.
  • These initiatives target farmer groups, including Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs), and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in key spice-growing regions.
• Post-Harvest Improvement:
  • The scheme prioritizes post-harvest improvements to create an exportable surplus of spices, ensuring compliance with food safety and quality standards.
• Transparency:
  • Scheme activities will be geo-tagged, and information regarding fund availability, application status, and list of beneficiaries will be available on the Board’s website to ensure transparency.