Mysore tops Swachh Bharat rankings for 476 cities ; 4 cities from Karnataka in top 10 West Bengal does well with 25 cities in top 100 ; 39 cities from South in top 100;

Mysore tops Swachh Bharat rankings for 476 cities ; 4 cities from Karnataka in top 10 West Bengal does well with 25 cities in top 100 ; 39 cities from South in top 100;

12 from North 74 cities from North in bottom 100; 21 from East; 3 from West and 2 from South Delhi Cantonment ranked 15; NDMC -16 and MCD at 398

                Mysore city in Karnataka has topped the Swachh Bharat Rankings of 476 cities in the country with three more from the State figuring in the top 10. West Bengal does well with 25 cities/towns from the State finding a place in the top 100 cities. These rankings are based on the extent of open defecation and solid waste management practices in these cities. The city of Mysore leads the cities with minimal open defecation and extensive adoption of solid waste management practices.

                39 cities from the Southern states are among the top 100 followed by 27 from the East, 15 from the West, 12 from the North and 7 from the North-Eastern States.

                15 of the 27 capital cities surveyed figured among the top 100 performers while five were ranked beyond 300. Bengaluru leads the list of capitals at 7^th rank while Patna came at the bottom at 429.

                Among the bottom 100 cities, 74 are from the North, 21 from the East, 3 from the West and 2 from the South.

                The top 10 ranked cities being : Mysore, Thiruchirapalli (Tamil Nadu), Navi Mumbai, Kochi (Kerala), Hassan, Mandya and Bengaluru from Karnataka, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Halisahar (West Bengal) and Gangtok (Sikkim) in that order.

                Damoh (Madhya Pradesh) came at the bottom of 476, preceded by Bhind(MP), Palwal and Bhiwani, both in Haryana, Chittaurgarh (Rajasthan), Bulandshahar (UP), Neemuch (MP), Rewari(Haryana), Hindaun (Rajasthan) and Sambalpur in Odisha at 467^th rank.

                All the 476 Class-1 cities in 31 States and Union Territories, each  with a population of above one lakh were surveyed for assessing  total sanitation practices covering a set of parameters including the extent of open defecation, solid waste management, septage management, waste water treatment, drinking water quality, surface water quality of water bodies and mortality due to water born diseases etc.

                The survey conducted during 2014-15 was commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development as required under the National Sanitation Policy of 2008.

                Since the Swachh Bharat Mission is being implemented in urban areas with focus on construction of individual household, community and public toilets to eradicate open defecation and ensure door-to-door collection and disposal of municipal solid waste, all the 476 Class-1 cities have been ranked based on the data pertaining to these elements from out of the date generated in the survey. This helps in assessing the present situation in these cities so that they can undertake necessary interventions to  meet Swachh Bharat Mission targets in urban areas.

                Over all sanitation rankings of these cities based on a total of 100 marks assigned to different parameters covering all aspects would be announced later. The Swachh Bharat rankings are based on a total of 42 marks including 20 for open defecation indicators and 22 for solid waste management indicators.

Swachh Bharat ranking of capital cities :

S.No	Capital city	Swachh Bharat Rank
1	Bengaluru	7
2	Trivendrum	8
3	Gangtok	10
4	New Delhi Municipal Council	16
5	Chandigarh	21
6	Puducherry	23
7	Agartala	32
8	Port Blair	34
9	Aizawl	35
10	Guwahaty	51
11	Kolkata	56
12	Chennai	61
13	Dimapur	76
14	Imphal	83
15	Shimla	90
16	Bhopal	106
17	Shillong	120
18	Greater Mumbai	140
19	Srinagar	152
20	Lucknow	220
21	Ranchi	223
22	Hyderabad	275
24	Raipur	293
24	Gandhinagar	310
25	Bhubaneswar	331
26	Dehradun	360
27	Jaipur	370
28	Patna	429

Swachh Bharat ranking of other major cities :

S.no	City	Swachh Bharat Rank
1	Mangalore	11
2	Madurai	20
3	Jalandhar	28
4	Pune	31
5	Kozhikode	41
6	Surat	63
7	Ahmedabad	79
8	Jamshedpur	109
9	Anantnag	115
10	Darjeeling	129
11	Tirupati	137
12	Agra	145
13	Secunderabad	191
14	Coimbattore	196
15	Visakhapatnam	205
16	Raibareilly	240
17	Kanpur	241
18	Nagpur	256
19	Vijayawada	266
20	Cuttack	296
21	Puri	298
22	Ujjain	355
23	Ludhiana	381
24	Allahabad	383
25	Gwalior	400
26	Ajmer	401
27	Udaipur	417
28	Varanasi	418
29	Jammu	427
30	Amritsar	430

                Number of cities surveyed in major States include : UP (61), West Bengal (60), Mharashtra (43), MP(32), Gujarat (30), AP(30), Tamil Nadu(29), Rajasthan(28), Bihar (27), Karnataka (26), Haryana(20), Punjab(16), Telangana (11), Odisha (10), Jharkhand(10), Chattisgarh(9) and 6 each from Kerala, Uttarakhand and North-Eastern states.

Menace of E-Waste

Menace of E-Waste

A report from Central Pollution Control Board inticated the quantum of E-waste generation in the country in 2005 to the tune of 1.46 lakh Metric Ton (MT) which was projected to increase to 8 lakh MT by the year 2012.

The guideline for ‘Implementation of E-Waste Rules 2011’ provide for detailed operational modalities which inter-alia include norms for safety of workers in recycling units of E-waste. These safety norms mandate safety gears for workers including personal protective equipment, employment of skilled manpower in specific sector having adequate tools etc.

Un-scientific dismantling and recycling of E-waste generates hazardous wastes such as spent acids, metallic residues, ash residues etc., which if disposed-off on land results into contamination of soils as well as groundwater. E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011 have been notified for effective management of E-waste. These Rules provides for ‘Extended Producer Responsibility’ under which producers will be responsible for collection and channelization of E-waste generated from the ‘end of life’ of their products to registered dismantler or recycler. State Pollution Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees are the designated authorities for monitoring and compliance under these rules. To ensure better implementation of management of electronic waste, Ministry has published draft E-Waste Management Rules, 2015 inviting public comments and suggestions. The provisions of this Draft Rule include expanding producers’ responsibility, setting up of Producers’ Responsibility Organizations, and E-waste Exchange, assigning specific responsibility to bulk consumers of electronic products for safe disposal, providing for economic incentives for collection of electronic waste, providing for logo-based identification of E-waste Rules compliant companies, providing for restriction on Government procurement of electronic products only from the companies who are compliant with E-waste Rules, and other measures to include dedicated responsibility of electronic and electrical product manufacturers for collection and channelizing of electronic waste. 

Government Has Taken Several Measures to Minimise the Impact of Air Pollution:

Government Has Taken Several Measures to Minimise the Impact of Air Pollution: Javadekar

Environmental pollution on account of air pollution causes respiratory diseases in children.  Air Pollution in general causes respiratory ailments and also may affect lung function.  Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, chronic bronchitis etc. are the diseases caused by exposure to increasing air pollution. Air pollution is known to be one of the aggravating factors for many respiratory ailments and cardiovascular diseases.Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had conducted an epidemiological study on ambient air quality, respiratory systems and lung functions of children in association with the Chittranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata.

          To minimize the impact of environmental pollution particularly air pollution, the Government has inter alia taken the following actions:

·      Notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards 2009, envisaging 12 pollutants;

·      Formulation of regulations/statutes;

·      Setting up of monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality;

·      Introduction of cleaner/alternate fuel like CNG, LPG etc. and promotion of public transport network including Metro;

·      Creation of infrastructure for industrial pollution control incorporating cleaner production processes, setting up of common pollution control facilities;

           The Government after realizing the gravity of pollution, have also taken the following measures:

·      Clean India Mission (Swatch Bharat Abhiyan) has been launched;

·      Draft Rules for handing and management of municipal waste have been notified for comments of stakeholders.

·         Standards for sewage treatment plants have been notified for comments of stakeholders.

·         Implementation of Bharat Stage IV norms in the 63 selected cities and Bharat Stage III norms in rest of the country;

·         National Air Quality index was launched by the Prime Minister in April, 2015 starting with 10 cities;

·         Banning of burning of leaves/ biomass;

·         Relevant draft rules, including those pertaining to construction and demolition waste have been notified;

·         Regular co-ordination meetings are being held at official and ministerial level with Delhi and other State Governments within the National Capital Region (NCR) on 6^th April, 13^th April and 24^thJuly, 2015 to control environmental pollution in NCR adopting air-shed approach;

·         Short-term plan has been reviewed  and long-term plans have been formulated to mitigate pollution in NCR;

·         Stringent industrial standards have been formulated and notified for public/stakeholder’s comments;

·         Government is giving high priority for public partnership in lane discipline, car pooling, vehicle maintenance, pollution under control certification etc.

·         Out of 2800 major industries, 920 industries have installed on-line continuous (24X7) monitoring devices.

Mean Temperature in India has Risen by Nearly Around 0.6 Degree Celsius in more than One Hundred Years

Mean Temperature in India has Risen by Nearly Around 0.6 Degree Celsius in more than One Hundred Years: Javadekar

Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published in 2014 highlights that mean surface temperature of the globe has risen by 0.85 degree Celsius over the period 1880 to 2012. In line with rising temperature across the globe, all India mean temperature has risen by nearly around 0.6 degree Celsius over the last 110 years. Further, a report entitled ‘Climate Change: A Risk Assessment’ released by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office states that the probability of exposed individuals experiencing such conditions in a given year starts to become significant for a global temperature rise of around 5 degree Celsius, and could exceed 50% for a global temperature rise of around 7 degree Celsius in hot areas such as northern India, southeastern China and south-eastern USA.

A scientific study to assess the impact of climate change has been undertaken and a report titled “Climate Change and India: 4X4 Assessment - A Sectoral and Regional Analysis for 2030s” was published in 2010 by the Government of India. The report has assessed impacts of climate change on four key sectors of Indian economy, namely Agriculture, Water, Natural Ecosystems & Biodiversity and Health in four climate sensitive regions of India, namely, the Himalayan region, the Western Ghats, the Coastal Area and the North-East Region. As per the Report, the annual mean surface air temperature is projected to rise by 1.7 degree Celsius and 2 degree Celsius in 2030s.

Government has released the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which has eight national missions. National Water Mission, National Mission for Sustaining the Himalayan Ecosystem, Green India Mission, National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture focus on adaptation measures for reducing and managing the risk of climate change, including rise in temperatures. State Governments have also prepared State Action Plans on Climate Change in line with the objectives of NAPCC and state specific issues. 

Establishment of Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia and Pacific Region at Wildlife Institute of India,

Establishment of Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for Asia and Pacific Region at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in association with UNESCO, is establishing a Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for the Asia and Pacific Region as a UNESCO Category 2 Centre at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun. The Centre will be established by signing an agreement with UNESCO very soon, as all the procedures are completed. This is for the first time that an existing institute has been accorded the recognition of Category 2 Centre (C2C) by the UNESCO and is also the first centre to be established for management and training in the field of natural heritage in the world.

Minister of State (Independent Charge), Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, said that this is a recognition of the excellent work done by the institute in the field of World Heritage management in natural heritage and this experience will be useful for all the countries of Asia and Pacific Region for identification of potential natural heritage sites, their inscription and management in line with the objectives of World Heritage Convention.

The C2C will function as an integral part of the Wildlife Institute of India by sharing its campus, management and human resources. The Governing Council will have participation of UNESCO, which will also provide advice from global experts. As the centre will cater to capacity building needs of Asia Pacific, it will also be able to provide additional incentive to WII for providing its services in identification, capacity building for management and monitoring of natural heritage for all the countries in the Region.

Asia Pacific already has 227 world heritage properties, out of which 59 are natural sites. Among these, 32 properties are in India, including seven natural heritages. These are – Kaziranga National Park, Keoladeo National Park, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, Sunderban National Park, Nanda Devi and Valley of Flowers National Park, Western Ghats (39 sites comprising forests, national parks and sanctuaries) and Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area.

Proposal for Khangchendzonga National Park is under evaluation for inscription. 

Third stage of nuclear programme

Third stage of nuclear programme

The Government is committed to implement the third stage of Indian Nuclear Power Programme, after an adequate nuclear installed capacity has been reached based on Fast Breeder Reactors to be set up in the second stage. On account of non-existence of any fissile isotope in naturally occurring Thorium (unlike that existing in Uranium), commercial utilisation of Thorium, on a significant scale, can begin only when abundant supply of either Uranium or Plutonium resources are available. Upon the launch, followed by a significant growth of a thorium based nuclear programme in this manner, it could be possible to maintain the achieved level (without much further growth) of nuclear power programme with thorium alone, without additional demands on uranium or plutonium resources. Therefore, considering the meager domestic uranium resources in the country, it is feasible to start a significant commercial level Thorium based reactor programme in our country only after an adequate inventory of Plutonium becomes available from our Fast Breeder Reactors, comprising the second stage of Indian nuclear programme. Accordingly, the utilisation of Thorium as a practically inexhaustible energy source has been contemplated during the third stage of the Indian nuclear programme, which can be reached after a few decades.

Substantial work has been carried out in the areas of research on technologies for utilisation of thorium in nuclear fuel cycle, and on the development of an Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR), to serve as a technology demonstrator for use of thorium based fuel on a large scale.

The details of Projects initiated in the last five years along with amount  

 earmarked and estimated power production are given below:

Project	Location	Capacity (MW)	Completion cost (Rs.crore)
Kakrapar Atomic Power Project Units 3&4 (KAPP 3&4)	Kakrapar, Gujarat	2 X 700	11459
Rajasthan Atomic Power Project Units 7&8 (RAPP 7&8)	Rawatbhata, Rajasthan	2 X 700	12320

The details of projects accorded financial sanction and being readied for launch are :

Project	Location	Capacity (MW)	Completion cost (Rs.Crore
Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana (GHAVP 1&2)	Gorakhpur, Haryana	2 x 700	20594
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP 3&4)	Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu	2 x 1000	39849

This information was given by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in reply to unstarred question in Rajya Sabha today. 

Cost of nuclear power generation

Cost of nuclear power generation

There are 21 nuclear power reactors in the country with a total installed capacity of 5780 MW. Of this, a capacity of 3380 MW comprising 13 reactors, is under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Of the reactors under safeguards, one reactor, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit-1 (RAPS–1) (100 MW) at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan is currently under extended shutdown for techno-economic assessment for continued operation. The Reactors under IAEA safeguards are fuelled with imported fuel, obtained as a result of nuclear cooperation agreements. The remaining reactors are fuelled with indigenous fuel.

The current tariff of nuclear power, both from indigenous reactors and from reactors set up with foreign technical cooperation is comparable with that of other contemporary base-load electricity generating technologies like coal based thermal power stations in the region.

The international cooperation agreements have opened up the possibilities of import of fuel for reactors under IAEA Safeguards and setting up large capacity nuclear power reactors in technical cooperation with foreign countries. In this regard the Government has accorded ‘in principle’ approval of the following sites, to set up Nuclear Power Plants in a phase-wise manner:

Site & Location	In Cooperation with	Capacity (MW)
Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu	Russian Federation	4 x 1000
Haripur, West Bengal		6 x 1000
Jaitapur, Maharashtra	France	6 x 1650
Kovvada, Andhra Pradesh	United States of America	6 x 1000*
Chhaya Mithi Virdi, Gujarat		6 x 1000*

*Nominal Capacity

           The actual percentage increase in power generation, on completion of these projects, would depend on the generation of electricity from other sources at that point of time.

This information was given by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in reply to unstarred question in Rajya Sabha today.