NITI Aayog has launched the GROW initiative, focusing on transforming India's wastelands through agroforestry. The Greening and Restoration of Wasteland with Agroforestry (GROW) report, analyses the country's environmental and sustainable land use efforts using advanced remote sensing and GIS technologies. The report offers a detailed state-wise and district-wise analysis, providing …
A policy document would be prepared for afforestation on wastelands and developing horticultural saplings with the cooperation of people. The document will be prepared by Environmental Planning and Coordination Organisation (EPCO). This was informed at a meeting of the Housing and Environment Department where Chief Minister Shviraj Singh Chouhan reviewed …
The influence of John Locke’s theory of property on the policies governing India’s landscape is examined in this paper. Locke’s concept of wasteland, as opposed to value-producing land, constituted a founding binary opposition that constructed how landscapes were categorised. The period under study covers the Permanent Settlement (1793), the Ryotwari …
Addressing afforestation The Forest Department will soon take up a slew of greenery projects across the State with the Water Resources, Horticulture, Revenue and Education departments. Addressing a press conference in Bangalore on Monday, Forest Minister C H Vijayashankar said afforestation and greenery programmes will be taken up in urban …
On July 14, two people were killed at Sompeta in Andhra Pradesh’s Srikakulam district when the police opened fire on protesters. The people were incensed at the Andhra Pradesh government allotting a tract of Sompeta’s wetland, or beela, to private firm Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC). The company plans to build …
THE Supreme Court’s Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has cleared the way for Dhamra port in Odisha. It did so by overruling a site inspection report of the eastern regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on August 17. Interpreting a state government notification in favour of the …
The Government of India has announced the Greening India Mission (GIM) under the National Climate Change Action Plan. The Mission aims to restore and afforest about 10 mha over the period 2010–2020 under different sub-missions covering moderately dense and open forests, scrub/ grasslands, mangroves, wetlands, croplands and urban areas. Even …
The issue of declining net sown area (NSA) has been highlighted as a major concern for Indian agriculture in recent years. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, about 59.2 million ha of land had degraded in India by 2003
As a kid, Jonathan Watts had nightmares about China. “If everyone in China jumps at exactly the same time, it will shake the earth off its axis and kill us all,” he thought. The apocalyptic thought came back to him in 2003 when he moved to Beijing as The Guardian’s …
Tejpal Mehta, former sarpanch of village Dighariya, is well known all over Thana Gaji tehsil of Rajasthan’s Alwar district because he is among the rare few who possesses 100 milch animals, both indigenous and crossbred. He also owns eight hectares (ha) of land. But that does not seem enough in …
Ankita Rai New Delhi: The country is losing Rs 28,500 crore, at current price, on account of degraded lands. This comes to about 12% loss as per the total value productivity of these lands. According to a study conducted by Indian Council of Agricultural Research and department of space, degraded …
Farmer Ramanaika of Aladahalli in Birur hobli and his family have converted their four acre wasteland into greenland. Ramanaika, who wanted to contribute to the preservation of environment, did not use chemical fertilisers to make his land green growing sandalwood and Indian gooseberry. He adopted organic farming and used sprinklers …
This new ICAR study finds that the degraded and wastelands in the country cover 120.4 M ha. It provides a new dimension for their rehabilitation and implementation of developmental plans can be streamlined using this study. Sustainable agricultural development and food security will be one of the key challenges for …
Stricter disposal guidelines planned for infectious wastes, penalties to be imposed for violations The Delhi government will announce new, stricter guidelines for disposal of bio-medical waste by hospitals. The decision came after the recent incident of radioactive waste ending up in Mayapuri scrap market that claimed a life, and a …
The biofuel industry is finding it tough to remain in business, with both government pricing and raw material availability working against them. The government, on its part, has launched a massive programme to develop high-yielding varieties of jatropha, a plant that can grow in wastelands across India, to meet the …
Prosopis juliflora, a native of South to Central America, was introduced in India (Rajasthan) to combat desertification of Thar during early 20th century. Presently, this species is a most vigorously spreading plant species in the arid zone covering neutral alkaline and saline soil and has invaded most part of the …
Normal Central Assistance and Additional Central Assistance (ACA) are devolved by the Planning Commission to assist the State Governments in specific areas. The present paper details an incentive mechanism for preventing deforestation and promoting conservation of forest ecosystems. A number of options to provide support to the states with vast …
