FOLLOW UP
Forest brigand Veerapan has made four fresh demands to release Kannada superstar Raj Kumar and three others held hostage by him. He has also declared himself a Tamil extremist. "My earlier struggle
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Karnataka begins building Kalasa Bandurinala irrigation project
karanataka is constructing a canal as part of the Kalasa-Bandurinala irrigation project on Mahdei river without waiting for the Centre's clearance. This has brought about a lot of controversy.
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FOLLOW UP
To mark World Environment Day, Greenpeace launched a campaign to save the Amazon rainforest with the cooperation of the government of Brazil ( Down To Earth , Vol 8, No 2). Thilo Bode, executive
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Farm pacts
in a bid to promote crop diversification, the Punjab government is venturing into contract farming of basmati rice, oilseeds and durum wheat (see: Down To Earth, February 15, 2003). The state-run
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Fishing jobs
Fishing ban in Tawa reservoir leaves villagers with no work
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No progress
UNEP meet inconclusive
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Green facade
The Australian government is painting a rosy picture about how it has allocated a record us $1.6 billion towards environmental funding in the country's budget for 2004-2005. Authorities say the
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Not a good career option
As governments keep assigning functions to the panchayats, the pressure is showing in the performance of the elected representatives. "When I got elected as sarpanch, I thought I would do a lot for
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Sri Lanka regulates GM food import
the Sri Lankan government gazetted regulations for the import of genetically modified (gm) food on August 3, 2006, making labelling and pre-import approvals mandatory. The rules will be enforced
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South Asia
Polluted fabric: Most textile factories in and around Bangladesh's capital Dhaka do not comply with environmental laws and cause severe pollution, the Bangladesh government's Directorate of
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Unhealthy system
Whatever the disagreements about the respective roles of the public and private sector in providing medical education, it is clear that the way the system works at present does not help address the health care needs of the majority of the people. This point is important: blaming individual doctors for not performing social service is pointless.
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Ample financial resources allocated for forestation: Musharraf
Ample financial resources have been allocated to increase the forest cover from 5.01-6 percent by 2015, said President Parvez Musharaf in a message on the occasion of National Spring Tree Plantation that would be observed on Friday, February 15. He said that under the Mid-Term Development fund (MTDF) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), huge resources have been allocated. In addition to mega forestry sector projects, an amount of Rs 12 billion has been approved by the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) which will be implemented by all the provincial governments, as well as AJK and the Northern Areas. He further said that our entire rural population depends upon wood and biomass as a primary source of energy. Despite their indirect contribution to other production sectors, economic values of forests are usually underestimated in natural accounts and the GDP. President directed the provincial governments to implement these projects with the involvement of all stakeholders including farmers, local communities, forest owners and right holders, civil organisations, the private sector and students. The president reiterated that Pakistan, as a member of various international and regional forums on forests is committed to undertake forestry development programme with international support. He said that the government will ensure transfer of technologies, training and upgrading of departmental infrastructure to facilitate the provinces in implementing their strategies and programmes of forestry sector. He urged all the citizens to participate in the national efforts to cover barren land of the country with trees. Syed Wajid Hussain Bokhari, Federal Environment Minister, said that President will inaugurate the National Spring Tree Planting campaign on Friday. More than 86.5 million saplings will be planted all over the country during the campaign. He further said that the spring tree plantation campaign target includes planting 22 million saplings in Punjab, 1.2 million in Sindh, 27 million in NWFP, 1.5 million in Balochistan, 16 million in AJK, 4 million in Northern Areas and 4 million saplings by other departments including Capital Development Authority (CDA). Copyright Business Recorder, 2008
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J&K to conduct scientific census on hangul, black bear, leopard
From pugmarks to high-tech equipment like satellite imagery and camera-traps. That's how census on wild animals in Jammu and Kashmir is graduating. Come March, and the state Government will undertake two scientific censuses on three wild animals: the highly-endangered hangul, also called the Kashmir stag, the common leopard and the Asiatic black bear, also known as Himalayan black bear. To be conducted in collaboration with the Central Government, the censuses will also get expert help from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. J&K Chief Wildlife Warden A K Srivastava says, "While one census will be on the endangered hangul, found only in Kashmir, the other will focus on the common leopard and the Asiatic black bear.' The Kashmir stag census will be utilised to protect the endangered animal, and the other will be used to deal with the increasing incidents of the man-animal conflicts in the state. Srivastava says the earlier censuses conducted by the state Government were not accurate as these were carried out "on the basis of their pugmarks'. "But the new censuses will be carried out, using the most high-tech equipment like satellite imagery and camera-traps,' he adds. Cameras will be put on trees in the forest areas, which will trap the movement of wild animals, recording their actual number with the help of satellite imagery. The Centre has agreed in principle to fund the census projects. "In Jammu, experts from the Wildlife Institute of India will hold a three-day training workshop for divisional forest officers and range officers of the state forest and wildlife departments,' adds Srivastava. While the hangul is not harmful, the other two have caused man-animal conflicts in the state over the past two years, killing over three dozen and injuring more than 200 people. While the hangul census will mainly focus on the Kashmir valley, the other one will cover various areas
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Unions oppose land acquisition
The unions of public sector units are opposed to entrusting land belonging to AP Steel Factory to private agencies for developing it. The land is located in Paloncha town and several private companies vied for it. It is valued at over Rs 100 crore. The workers union of Sponge Iron India Limited has been demanding that the government allocate the land for the expansion of Sponge Iron India Limited. Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation acquired the land in survey numbers 442, 443, 444 in Paloncha to set up a steel factory when Jalagam Vengala Rao was the chief minister. SIIL Officers Union leader K. Gopi Krishna said that the Central government is making efforts to merge the SIIL with National Mineral Development Corporation. He said additional land would be needed for the expansion of SIIL after merging it with NMDC. "Thousands of jobs would be created with the expansion,' he said. SIIL has sent proposals for setting up another sponge iron unit with a capacity of two lakh tonnes at a cost of Rs 320 crore, a captive power plant with a capacity of 45mw, induction furnace and casting machine to the government for ratification. SIIL was incurring losses till 2002 and has been earning profits for the last four years. Because of the development, NMDC planned to merge it and expand it. The increasing demand for sponge iron is also one of the reasons for the expansion of SIIL. SIIL Supervisors Association president D. Chennamallu said, "The workers wanted to shape Paloncha into a steel town by expanding SIIL.' He said the unions would oppose any gesture of handing over the land to real estate companies. Indian National Trade Union Congress leader Shaik Jaleel said the unions decided to submit a memorandum on the issue to the Chief Minister soon in Hyderabad. "The SIIL would get a boost if the land is given for expansion,' he said.
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Waiver not enough
Raise farm productivity THE Rs 60,000-crore agricultural loan waiver and one-time settlement announced in the budget for 2008-09, welcome as it is, will not be enough to mitigate distress among farmers. According to the C. Rangarajan Committee, only 27 per cent of the farm households take loans from formal sources. Most others borrow from private moneylenders, who charge heavy interest rates and also force the borrowers to sell their crops to or through them at lower-than-market prices. Haryana has passed the Rural Indebtedness Act to check exploitation of small farmers by moneylenders. Punjab only toyed with the idea and then dropped it. Debt is only one part of the problem that has got highlighted due to suicides by farmers. Irrigation is another. There are farmers, particularly in arid and other areas where irrigation facilities are absent or inadequate, who own more than two hectares but are poor because of low productivity or frequent crop failures. They will not benefit from the loan waiver. Though the budget provides more funds for irrigation, it is the states that have to take steps to conserve water resources and meet the irrigation needs of farmers. Farm productivity in India is below global standards. There is need to use biotechnology to improve the quality of seeds as has been done in the case of cotton and strengthen extension services to provide expert advice to farmers on what to grow and how. If farmers are to be rescued from relapsing into a debt trap and agriculture has to be made remunerative, the practice of artificially suppressing farm prices will have to be given up. While the government must ensure payment of the minimum support prices, if global prices are higher the growers must not be denied the added benefit. Last year the government paid much more for imported wheat than what was paid to local farmers. The government burden can be contained if the food, power and fertiliser subsidies are limited to the needy. The M.S. Swaminathan panel has laid the road map for rejuvenating agriculture and this merits closer attention.
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Gehlot challenges Vasundhara's allegation
Congress general secretary Ashok Gehlot has challenged Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje's allegation of the Centre discriminating against the State. The Central allocation to Rajasthan during the past four years had been more than at any time in the past, he said. "The State never had it so good,' Mr. Gehlot said reacting to reports that the Centre had rejected Ms. Raje's appeal to include frost and other cold weather conditions for compensation under the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF). "In fact, her approaching Home Minister Shivraj Patil with the demand was meaningless as the Finance Commission sets the norms for CRF,' he added. Local newspapers here had reported the Centre rejecting a demand from Ms. Raje for changes in the CRF norms with a suggestion that the State could place the matter before the 13th Finance Commission. The Chief Minister had made the demand in a letter written to Mr. Patil saying that farmers in 22 districts of the State had suffered a total loss of Rs.1,000 crore due to frost and extreme weather conditions. The treasury benches had also passed a resolution in the Assembly on the issue. "It is not due to dearth of money that relief is not reaching the affected farmers. The available funds are not utilised properly,' Mr. Gehlot said. Comparing the funds made available by the National Democratic Alliance government to the previous government headed by him , Mr. Gehlot said against a Central allocation of Rs.3,000 crore under rural development during the first four years, this government got Rs.9,000 crores under the same head so far. As for the CRF norms, Mr. Gehlot said there were clear-cut guidelines regarding the use of CRF and NCCF and there was no scope for any confusion.
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The coke and diesel men
It would help Indian CEOs to understand that public concern over environmental issues should be dealt with care and caution
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Ecologists fear growth of polluting industry
Environmentalists fear India's liberalisation policies will lead to the growth of the small scale dyestuff industry, which is a heavy polluter.
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Selling children to save them
Although 16 cases of children being sold have been reported, the Orissa government refuses to even acknowledge the problem.
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Should customs concessions be withdrawn?
Proposal by manufacturers to withdraw import concessions on certain pesticides is resented by farmers who fear that it will result in major price hikes.