<p>This brochure offers decision-makers in the real estate and energy industries, as well as urban and municipal developers, a broad overview of the topics of decentralised energy generation and supply,
<font face=arial size=3 color=#CE181E><b>•</b></font> Wildlife film-maker, Mike Pandey and India's Central Zoo Authority were among the recipients of the first Proggy Awards given by the Indian branch of the NGO, People for Ethical Treatment To Animals.<br>
Is this the moral of the NBSAP spat?
India hardsells its troubled protected areas abroad
Fiscal incentives for the middle class would help mobilise Indian money for NGOs. They would not have to depend on foreign funds
Linking trade and environment benefits industrialised countries in every way. And they will promote their civil society to create a bigger and bigger fuss about it
Is it not sad that the money given by a British middle class woman to Oxfam has to come to India to help Indian NGOs work with India's poor?
Reportedly, bjp senior leader Arun Jaitley has contemptuously labelled Digvijay Singh s Madhya Pradesh government as ngo style . Why? Because it spends more on social deve lopment education
The Himalayan Policy Campaign Committee, an umbrella organisation of various environmental groups, voluntary organisations and NGOs based in the Himalayan region has requested the Lok Sabha Standing Committee on Rural development to defer the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, 2007 and Resettlement and Rehabilitation Bill, 2007. The committee while giving certain suggestions to be incorporated in the Bills has demanded that specialist NGOs and peoples groups on environmental issues should also be consulted. The governing body of the HPCC in a representation to the Chairman of Standing Committee Mr. Kalyan Singh has demanded that the Land Acquisition Act should be repealed since it leads to a disruption in the eco-systems. And when the ecosystems are damaged, destroyed or altered, it affects not only the communities and their livelihoods in the immediate vicinity but also downstream communities. Corporate rights The HPCC while raising the issue of corporate rights versus community rights said the later should be given preference since it is the community which was dependent on the natural resources and has natural rights on them from the time immemorial. Increasingly governments around the world are treating the notion of objectives of corporations as equal to national interest. This is grossly incorrect, says the HPCC. Any project that is decided on the merit of profit cannot be in national interest but in the interest of shareholders of a corporation. Therefore, national interest should be restricted to only security concerns, demanded the NGO. The HPCC is objecting to rampant construction of hydro electric projects in Himachal Pradesh and other hill States from a long time now.
One Bundelkhand village uses water retention techniques to achieve a good crop in spite of 4 years of drought, with a little help from NGO Parmarth. Uttar Pradesh's Bundelkhand region has been devastated by drought and other adverse weather conditions over the past four years. Madhaiya Anghela village in Madhogarh sub-division of Jalaun district exhibits the typical symptoms. Villagers say the kharif crop this year is only 20 per cent of the normal years. The prospects for the rabi crop are very dim
The NWFP forest department failed in achieving its targets fixed for preservation of forests and new plantation in the province last year due to the increasing militancy, an official said on Friday. "Militancy has destroyed forests in the Frontier. The forest department had planned to plant 12 million saplings in 2007, but it could plant only 9.196 million in various districts of the province,' a source in the forest department said here on Friday. In most parts of the troubled districts, the source said, the department's nurseries badly suffered, either plants were taken away by the people or destroyed by the cattle while a lot of plants died due to lack of water and care. "The officials failed to take effective steps for protection of the forests and valuable trees in various districts,' the source said, adding that precious trees were left at the mercy of the timber mafia. Officials of the forest department were avoiding visiting the forest-covered areas in their respective jurisdictions and there was, so far, no data available about the destruction of the forests, particularly cutting of trees. In the past, the source said, the forest department used to mobilise students and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) during tree plantation campaigns but it had almost become impossible as all government and private educational institutions remained closed due to the ongoing law and order situation. "Unlike the past, even the NGOs did not take any interest to save or grow plant as they are feeling themselves quite insecure in the troubled region,' the source said. The troubled districts, specially Swat, Tank and Hangu, the situation was more serious, and officials were reportedly unable to transport saplings from nurseries to cultivations sites. Suleman Khan, an environmentalist, told Dawn that the situation in the entire region was not so bad but the officials concerned "were using the pretext just to save their faces'. He disagreed with the officials on the point that transportation of saplings was impossible to some areas, saying that they should concentrate on the areas which were comparatively peaceful. NWFP Chief Conservator Mohammad Nazir Khan, when contacted, admitted the negative impacts of militancy on the forests. "Despite the deteriorating law and order situation, staff members of my department were trying to perform their duties.' Giving details about the spring tree plantation during the current year, he said at least 27 million saplings of different species, raised by the NWFP Forest Department in various filed nurseries, would be planted in various districts including the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). He said some 2.809 million saplings would be planted in southern districts, 7.872 million in Fata, 2.738 million in Abbottabad, 8.090 million in watershed areas and 5.491 million in Malakand. He said about 0.401 million saplings would be planted by the security forces, 0.221 million by various educational institutions, 1.939 million by farmers/general public, 1.327 million by non-governmental organisations and 23.112 million by the forest department. He said they had decided to plant 0.290 million saplings on 760 acres in Peshawar, 0.447 million in Mardan, 0.414 million in Kohat, 0.040 million in Banu, 0.205 in D.I. Khan. Over 0.732 million saplings would planted in Khyber Agency, 0.916 million in the Mohmand Agency, 0.476 million in the Bajaur Agency, 1.135 million in Orakzai Agency, 1.434 million in Kurram Agency, 0.993 million in South Waziristan and 1.434 million in North Waziristan agencies.
