Forest cover to expand by 10 million hectare
IANS, Nov 19, 2010, 07.33pm
IST
NEW DELHI: India will have
10 million more hectare of land under forest cover within 10 years, and half of
it will be developed as a dense forest, Director General Forests P.J. Dilip
Kumar said Friday. "The benefit of soil and water conservation and
afforestation is that the water level comes up and wells and reservoirs are
recharged. These result in better agriculture, less migration to cities,
children's education and better lifestyle," Kumar said after giving away
the Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra (IPVM) awards here.
The IPVM awards are given in various categories in afforestation and wasteland
development.
India
now has 23 percent of land under forest and is planning to expand it to 33
percent by 2020.
'Law of the land on environmental issue should be
complied'
In 18 months as an
environment minister Jairam Ramesh has brought a new focus on environmental
issues irrespective of whether it had made him unpopular in his own government
or made him hero of civil society. He spoke to Chetan Chauhan on some of the
concerns he has on environment and how his task
is tough.
What do you consider as your achievement in the last
18 months as environment minister?
I came to this ministry with an agenda. It was to bring environment on the
national political platform and I think I have been successful in that. Be it
the issue of clearance to Navi Mumbai airport or Vedanta, I have tried to
ensure that the law of the land on environmental issue is complied. I have to
admit I have not succeeded fully but to a large extent.
Have you been successful in your aim?
I had to take a lot of hard
decisions. But, I want to state that environment is not about me. The media had
tried to portray that I as the focal point of environmental issues. It is a big
frustration …………………………
MoEF
yet to get FAC report on Posco project
BS Reporter / Kolkata/ Bhubaneswar November
20, 2010, 0:14 IST
Certain conditions of
environment clearance not fulfilled for Polavaram project, says Jairam
The fate of the Rs
54,000-crore Posco project, India's
biggest FDI, continues to hang in balance as the Union ministry of environment
and forests (MoEF) is yet to get the report of the Forest Advisory Committee
(FAC).The ministry is expected to take a decision soon on the mega project
after getting the FAC's report."The MoEF is yet to get the reports of FAC
and Expert Appraisal Committee. An integrated and consolidated decision will be
taken after we get the reports. I cannot predict the time frame of the decision
but it is certainly not going to take months to decide on the issue. The FAC is
a statutory body and it has prepared its report independently without the
interference of the ministry”, Union minister for environment and forests
Jairam Ramesh told reporters in New Delhi…………………..
POSCO's proposal under review: Jairam Ramesh
2010-11-19 21:00:00
Minister of State for
Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on Friday said the proposal of South
Korean steel major POSCO is under review from 'environment point of view'.
Ramesh said the POSCO
proposal's review would also end shortly.
"I am operating on the
assumption that the POSCO proposal in Orissa is under review from a forest
point of view, is under review from an environment point of view and CRZ
(Coastal Regulation Zone) point of view," said Ramesh at an event here today.
"I can say anything as
to what the end result of this review…………………
Sale of SUVs dishonourable, says environmentalist
Sunita Narain
The auto industry has behaved
dishonorably by exploiting a legal loophole to boost the sales of potentially
hazardous sport utility vehicles, or SUV’s, leading environmental activist
Sunita Narain, of the Centre for Science and Environment, said on the sidelines
of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Friday.Narain rubbished claims
by the industry of having improved the technology in diesel engines, saying
'they have not. They have gone in for heavier cars, for SUV’s, which the whole
world today is against.'
Narain said the industry is
exploiting a loophole in Indian law by selling SUVs for private use.
"Diesel is reserved for
the public and poor sector and that’s why the price is always kept low,"
Narain told HT ……………….
ONGC joins hand with Wildlife Trust of India
India Infoline News Service / 16:59 , Nov 19, 2010
ONGC has joined hands with
the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to assist the Assam Forest Department
conserve the endangered Eastern Swamp Deer. The joint initiative was launched
on 16th November 2010 in Kaziranga
National Park.
The eastern swamp deer (or ‘Barasingha’)
survives as a single population of around 600 individuals restricted to the
flood-prone Kaziranga National Park in Assam. It is one of the three
recognised sub-species of Swamp Deer, distributed in India,
Bangladesh and Nepal. With
only one viable population in existence today, this...................................
Putin on the prowl to save world's endangered tigers
Representatives of 13
countries are meeting in Russia
to outline plans to double the wild tiger population, currently as low as 3,200.
New Delhi
For centuries, villagers
living in Asia’s forests, mountains and icy
tundra have learned to fear and respect the mighty tiger. But rapid economic
growth and modernization has turned the tables on the tiger, of which as few as
3,200 remain in the wild, mostly in India,
Russia, and Indonesia.
This weekend, representatives
of 13 countries will gather in St.
Petersburg, Russia,
to pledge support for the tiger, a rare example of a summit on behalf of a
single species. The meeting will be hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir
Putin and has been in the works for two years.
Countries will outline plans
to double the wild tiger population by 2022, the year of the tiger inChina,
which is also the largest market for tiger skins and body parts, according to
researchers ………………………….
Paw prints and feces offer new hope for saving tigers
As experts gather in St Petersburg, Russia for next week's Tiger
Summit, fewer than 3,200 tigers survive in the wild worldwide. More than half
live in India,
where they are spread over a vast area (100,000 sq km) of forest.
According to Dr Yadvendradev
Jhala of the Wildlife Institute of India, lead author of the new study:
"Tigers are cryptic, nocturnal and occur at low densities so they are
extremely difficult to monitor. Unless we know how many tigers are left in the
wild, and whether their numbers are increasing or decreasing, we will not be
able to conserve them."
Until now, tiger numbers have
been monitored either by their paw prints (known as pugmarks) or by using
camera traps. Although wildlife agencies ………………….
Environment Ministry to give away ‘Indira
Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Awards’
New Delhi, Nov 19 : The Ministry of Environment and Forests
will give away ‘Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Awards’ 2010 on Friday to recognize the pioneering and
innovative contribution made by individuals and institutions in the field of
afforestation and wasteland development.
The Indira Priyadarshini
Vrikshamitra Awards that were instituted in 1986 were given in 12 different
categories till 2005 having two awardees each.
Since 2006, awards are given
in four categories namely individuals including government servants,
institutions and organizations under Government Joint Forest Management
Committee (JFMC) and Non-Governmental Institutions/Organizations.
Only one award carrying a
cash prize of Rs.2.5 lakhs along with medallion and citation are given for each
category. ………………………………………………..
Tribals in India suffer due to social
exclusion
2010-11-19 16:50:00
Vice President Mohammad Hamid
Ansari on Friday said that tribal population of India is around 70 million and most
of them suffer from geographical and social exclusion, high poverty rates and
lack of access to appropriate administrative and judicial mechanisms.
Addressing the "Eighth
India Today Chief Ministers Conclave" here today, he said: "These
citizens score the lowest in the Human Development Index when compared to other
population groups."
He said that low level of
infrastructural endowments ……………………………….
