Birth Rate is a crude measure of fertility of a population and is a crucial determinant of population growth. It gives the number of live births per thousand population in a given region and year. The Birth Rate at all India level has declined drastically over the last five decades …
The 'shapi' or east Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus schaeferi) is a very rare animal inhabiting the alpine region and considered sacred by the Lepchas. Shapi was discovered by Ernst Schaefer, a German doctor, on an expedition in 1938 in Fimphu. It was sighted after a gap of 39 years in …
Sikkim is known for its orchids. The state is home to about 600 species of orchids, including the famous 'lost orchid' - Paphiopedilum fairaeanum (Asian lady's slipper orchid). There are about 80 species considered important by botanists. These are classified into five groups - Cymbidium, Pleione, Coelogynes and Dendrobium species, …
Unplanned domestic - rather than international - tourism is largely to blame for degradation of the environment, as the case of Sikkim shows. According to observers, while foreign tourists - accounting for only 6-7 per cent of the arrivals - are usually highly environmentally conscious, domestic tourists behave irresponsibly. They …
geographic Information Systems ( gis ), a computer software for mapping geographical data for civic and environmental planning, is now being used in Sikkim and Darjeeling for landslide management and mitigation. One of the major problems in mitigating a disaster is the lack of warning. The advantage of having a …
After having spent Rs14 crore on the Chu hydel project on the Rathong Chu river, the government of the eastern state of Sikkim has decided to scrap it. Pawan Chamling, chief minister of Sikkim, made the announcement at a public meeting attended in the state on August 20. The decision …
YET another instance of mindless destruction of forests: a pine forest, specially grown at a cost of Rs 10 lakh a decade ago, will be razed to make way for a VIP, complex close to the Raj Bhawan in Gangtok, Sikkim. More than 1,150 conifers, which formed a botanical garden …
THE Sikkim Himalaya stands square in the path of long-term ecological desecration today as the spectre of development looms over it. To tackle energy shortage, the Sikkim government has proposed a hydro-electric project across the Rathong Chu river meandering through Yuksam in west Sikkim. Sikkim has been classified as a …
Danny Denzongpa, who acted the villain in countless Hindi films, is playing a hero in real life. He is gathering support for a group called the Concerned Citizens of Sikkim. The group is campaigning against the construction of a 30 MW hydel power project in the Yuksam valley, in west …
The Sikkim government has taken the lead in making the throngs of tourists pay for the "existence value" of the glorious Himalaya and all that nature has to offer in this beautiful mountain state. The state government has decided to charge an environment fee from tourists and levy heavy penalties …
