Rare sighting: Brown bears return to Kargil

Rare sighting: Brown bears return to Kargil

Wildlife officials spot ursine family in sector where their natural habitat was damaged by 1999 war.

The J&K Wildlife Department has recorded its first ever sighting of a group of eight Himalayan brown bears in Kargil’s Drass Sector, where the 1999 war had wreaked havoc with their habitats.

“The sighting of eight brown bears, including three adult females and five grown-up cubs, is a rare record. No such sighting has ever been reported from J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, where these animals are distributed,” Kargil Wildlife Warden Intesar Suhail told The Hindu over phone from Kargil, 200 km away from Srinagar.

A Wildlife Department team, headed by Mr. Suhail, spotted the rare Himalayan brown bears, in Ladakh’s Drass area with mountain ranges of 16,000 to 21,000 feet, just before the sunrise on May 12.

“We trekked for two-and-a-half hours and spotted these animals. Otherwise sightings are only reported during the night, that too of a solitary bear or with a cub. Besides these eight, we expect at least three male bears to active the area,” he said.

Den nearby
Two days later, the team spotted a brown bear and a cub in the afternoon, again a rare sighting. “It seems there is a den. It is a memorable sight for me as wildlife researcher,” said Mr. Suhail.

The sighting of such relatively large numbers of Himalayan brown bears in just one wildlife zone out of four major areas of Suru, Zanskar, Drass and Kargil in the Ladakh region is a positive indication.

A brown bear requires about 100 square kilometer as its territory to survive and any human intervention disturbs its ecology. “However, in Drass, people have made videos of brown bears in different far-off areas. Besides, the Wildlife Department recorded 25 raids on cattle sheds by brown bears in the past six months in Kargil, reflecting growing numbers,” said Mr. Suhail, whose department is working on a brown bear census.

The Wildlife Department is upbeat as the increasing numbers are testimony to the fact that the negative impact of the 1999 Kargil war, with heavy artillery shelling for almost three months that devastated the bear habitat, seems to be waning.

“The Tiger Hill, one of the battle fields, was a prominent brown bear habitat. The war and the movement of troops did impact the animal’s behavior and ecology,” said Mr. Suhail.

In 2010, an extensive survey, ‘Carnivore-human conflict in Kargil and Drass’, carried by the Rufford Small Grant and the State Wildlife Department in the district did not record a single Himalayan brown bear sighting.

Only 11 indirect sightings, based on scat, scrape and pug-marks, were reported.

Sightings of brown bear, which is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources' list of vulnerable animals, has come down significantly in Kashmir Valley too in the past few decades.

Renewables are not enough

Renewables are not enough
The challenge is to find a path that enables emerging economies while ensuring that the world meets its climate objectives
At the United Nations in New York on 22 April, world leaders ratified the global climate agreement reached in Paris last December. One hundred and ninety-five countries, ranging from richest to poorest, have now agreed to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, with the goal of not exceeding 1.5°C. They have also committed to “intended nationally determined contributions” (INDCs) to limit or reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 2030. This is a major achievement, but it is far from sufficient.

In fact, even if all INDC targets were achieved, the world would still be heading towards eventual warming of some 2.7-3.4°C above pre-industrial levels. To keep warming well below 2°C, emissions in 2030 must be more than 30% below those envisaged in the INDCs.

This will be an enormous challenge, given the need for major strides in economic development over the same period. That will require a huge increase in energy consumption. The average African, for example, today uses about one-tenth of the energy used by the average European. But by 2050, we must reduce energy-related emissions by 70% from 2010 levels, with further cuts needed to achieve net zero emissions by 2060.

Meeting those objectives will require both an improvement in energy productivity (the amount of income produced per unit of energy consumed) of at least 3% per year and the rapid decarbonization of energy supply, with the share of zero-carbon energy increasing by at least one percentage point each year.

This implies a massive acceleration of national efforts. Over the past decade, energy productivity has grown by only 0.7% annually, and the share of zero-carbon energy rose by only 0.1 percentage point per year. Moreover, even if the INDCs were fully implemented, these annual growth rates would reach only 1.8% and 0.4 percentage points, respectively.

Impressive progress is already being made in one crucial area: electricity generation. Solar power costs have fallen 80% since 2008. In some places, new supply contracts have set prices as low as $0.06 per kilowatt hour, making solar power fully competitive with coal and natural gas.

Between now and 2030, the INDCs indicate that renewable-power capacity will grow four times faster than fossil-fuel capacity, with 70% of this new renewables investment in emerging and developing economies. That investment needs to be matched by accelerated progress in battery technology, or by other tools to match electricity demand to intermittent supply. But there is no doubt that, by mid-century, the world can build a cost-effective zero-carbon electricity system.

And yet zero-carbon power, though hugely important, is insufficient, because electricity currently accounts for only 20% of global energy consumption. Broader changes to the global energy system are needed.

Road transport and aviation, which currently rely almost entirely on liquid fossil fuels, account for 30% of total energy consumption. Decarbonization of these activities will require electrification or the use of hydrogen or biofuels.

Heating buildings is another area where major changes are needed. Here, the more widespread use of zero-carbon electricity, instead of fossil-fuel-based energy, could have a major impact. But there are also important opportunities to design and construct buildings and cities that are substantially more energy-efficient.

Energy use by heavy industry presents challenges that are often ignored. Metals, chemicals, cement and plastics are vital building blocks of the modern economy, and involve processes that cannot be easily electrified. Decarbonization may instead require the application of carbon capture and storage technologies, while newly designed building materials could reduce demand for carbon-intensive inputs.

Given these challenges, fossil fuels will undoubtedly play a role in transport and heavy industry for some time to come, even as their role in electricity generation declines. And, even in electricity generation, emerging economies’ INDCs imply significant new investments in coal or gas capacity. Taken together, the INDCs suggest that coal could still account for 35% of global electricity generation in 2030. But that level of coal generation is likely to be incompatible with the below-2°C target.

The challenge now is to find an economically sensible path that enables emerging economies to fulfil their growing energy needs, while ensuring that the world meets its climate objectives. It is technologically possible. But it will require action by many very different actors.

Governments have a vital role to play, but so, too, do incumbent fossil-fuel-based energy companies and new-entrant companies deploying or developing new technologies. NGOs can help to identify required policies and hold governments and companies to account. Individual consumers are also important, because their behaviour shapes energy demand.

Despite their varied backgrounds, economic interests and points of view, all of these actors must engage in an informed debate that recognizes all of the complexities of the challenge ahead.

The shared objective is clear: to build a low-carbon economy that can keep global temperatures well within 2°C of pre-industrial levels, while delivering prosperity for a world of 10 billion people or more.

Niti Aayog to replace 5-year plans with 15-year vision document

Niti Aayog to replace 5-year plans with 15-year vision document
The first 15-year vision document will come into effect from 2017-18, according to a senior official from the Niti Aayog
Abandoning the ancient concept of five-year plans that India has been following since 1951, the National Institution for Transforming India (Niti) Aayog has decided to come up with a 15-year vision document in tandem with global trends and economic growth.

The news was first reported by The Economic Times and The Times of India.

The long-term vision document will formulate various ways through which India can achieve its broader social objectives to meet the UNDP’s 2030 sustainable goals and will be a roadmap on transformation required in the planning system to sync it with the 14th Finance Commission recommendations. The 14th Finance Commission favoured giving states more untied funds along with greater fiscal responsibility in implementing centrally-sponsored schemes. To this effect, it increased the states’ share in central taxes from 32% to 42%.

Interestingly, the move comes just three months after finance minister Arun Jaitley hinted in his budget speech that the government will abandon the plan and non-plan distinction from 2017-18, indicating that the five-year plan process will end with the 12th five-year plan.

A senior official from the Niti Aayog said, on condition of anonymity, that the first 15-year vision document will come into effect from 2017-18, along with a seven-year National Development Agenda which will lay down the schemes, programmes and strategies to achieve the long-term vision. The Aayog will also create a dashboard for monitoring, evaluation and review. We will fix outcome targets for all major schemes, especially in infrastructure and social sectors.

Interestingly, the 15-year vision document will also include internal security and defence that have not been a part of five-year plans. The official quoted above added that the prime minister has already approved it and a draft is expected to be submitted to him by May-end.

N.C. Saxena, former member of the planning commission, said the government had to prepare a 15-year agenda to meet sustainable development goals by 2030.

“India has to achieve 16 goals which has 169 sub-targets by 2030. These are not only sustainable goals but have a larger focus. So there has to be a vision or plan in place to see how these targets will be met and how much resources will be required to achieve this. So to a certain extent, there is a mandatory part to the Niti Aayog’s 15-year development plan,” he said.

“On the other hand, since the planning commission was abolished, there was no longer any need for 5-year plans given that every department finalizes its budget and the finance ministry takes a final call on the allocations required,” he added.

Uttarakhand Burns: Road ahead for the state

Uttarakhand Burns: Road ahead for the state
The recent forest fires in Uttarakhand torched more than 2,000 hectares. In the last of a three-part series, Business Standard looks at how community engagement is crucial in fighting forest fires
On a drizzly Sunday morning, around a hundred students and teachers gathered at the gates of All Saints' School in Nainital. Led by environmental activist Ajay Rawat, they came to pick up all the flammable organic matter on the forest floor and put it in composting pits, to prevent a fire.

"Pine needles and twigs had become so dry that they were an inferno waiting to happen," said Rawat.

During the exercise, students discussed ways to prevent forest fires. "We should know what to do, for we live here and want to save our forests," said one of the students.

Uttarakhand government could learn a crucial lesson from these students. Across the world, governments involve, train and empower local communities to put off forest fires before they spread. In Uttarakhand, however, the community has been excluded from this exercise altogether.

"The focus of the forest department has remained the same since it was established by the British, i.e. revenue generation - not conservation, afforestation and community participation," said Mukti Dutta, Binsar-based environmentalist. "If the government engages local villagers to clear fire lines, plant local trees and create seedling nurseries, they would feel more like they have a stake in the well-being of the forests."

Instead, many observers have noted, the friction between the forest department and villagers has been growing, mainly because villagers are restricted from using forests resources. "A massive snowfall in December 2014 caused a lot of trees and branches to fall in Binsar. Even though allowing locals to clear the debris of fallen trees inside the buffer zone of the sanctuary would have given them access to timber and kept the forest floor free from flammable organic matter - the forest department didn't allow them. The result is that today, because of huge buildup of dry organic matter, 80 per cent of Binsar forest has been burnt…" said Dutta.

The growing distance between local communities and the forests is worrying. "Most of the fires today are caused by sheer negligence, or worse, on purpose, because of discontentment with the way forests are being managed," said KC Suyal, joint secretary, Forest Rangers Association, Uttarakhand.

The other procedural failure is that forest fires are not recognised as National Disasters. This might be because of the erroneous but popular belief that fires are a natural aspect of the forest ecology. This is one reason why the government responded to the emergency in Uttarakhand very late.

"By recognising forest fires as National Disasters, the government will acknowledge that they are not natural," said Rawat. Further, such a move would create awareness among local communities to engage in fire-safety practices, not throw smouldering cigarette/beedi butts in the forest or burn crop waste close to the forests," he added. Most importantly, the government will be compelled to take timely action with involvement of the army or Indo Tibetan Border Police Force, when needed.

Increasing community participation and recognising forest fires as national disasters will both require policy changes. The destruction caused by recent fires should push all stakeholders to do everything possible to save what is left of the great Himalayan forests.

Deterioration in Indian political discourse

Deterioration in Indian political discourse
Both the selection of issues and the choice of language are deeply worrying
Woody Allen once said, “In Beverly Hills, they don’t throw their garbage away. They make it into television shows.” While this quote is especially applicable to 24x7 news channels in India, it is difficult to claim that the political discourse in the country even outside the television studios is top-notch. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), to put it mildly, have not helped. Kejriwal’s claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has faked his educational qualifications and forged his degrees is just the latest example. That the Delhi University has contradicted his claims has had little effect on AAP’s histrionics.

The controversy has thrown up two worrying features of the Indian political discourse. The first is the very shallow nature of the discourse itself. The prime minister’s educational qualification is the last concern on the minds of people after two consecutive years of drought have taken a toll on rural, and consequently national, purchasing power. Alleged corruption in the purchase of helicopters from an Italy-based firm is another area of concern. And there are innumerable other relevant issues if one were to scan the length and breadth of this country.

The second is the kind of language in use. Victims of unsavoury language themselves during the Delhi election campaign of 2015, AAP leaders have been quick to fall for the same cheap political thrill. Cabinet ministers of Delhi have used Twitter to ridicule Modi with “‪#‎12thPassModi‬” and accuse him of being an agent of Inter-Services Intelligence, the rogue intelligence agency of Pakistan. To be fair, AAP has no monopoly on crass language and third-rate political rhetoric. Many specimens in other established parties, including the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (think Yogi Adityanath, Giriraj Singh, etc.), behave similarly. The combatants in AAP, however, are led from the very top. Kejriwal has himself, at an earlier instance, called Modi “a coward and a psycopath [sic].”

Top leaders of other parties have also, at various instances, made avoidable comments. At a recent election rally in Kerala, Modi made insinuations about the role of Sonia Gandhi in the helicopter scam on the basis of her Italian origins. While campaigning for the 2007 Gujarat assembly elections, Gandhi had infamously used the phrase “merchants of death” for Modi and his administration. Condemnable as such utterances are, they perhaps can be explained to an extent by the charged atmosphere elections in India generate. However, no explanation can be conceived for a chief minister of an Indian state calling the prime minister of the Union a psychopath.

It is not at all inevitable that political and ideological differences translate into an abject lowering of the discourse and disappearance of interpersonal courtesies. The obituary C. Rajagopalachari wrote weeks after Jawaharlal Nehru’s demise is instructive in this regard. He wrote in Swarajya: “Eleven years younger than me, eleven times more important to the nation, eleven hundred times more beloved of the nation, Sri Nehru has suddenly departed from our midst... I have been fighting Sri Nehru all these ten years over what I consider faults in public policies. But I knew all along that he alone could get them corrected.”

Even today, the grand old men of Indian politics such as Mulayam Singh Yadav, Somnath Chatterjee and Sharad Pawar are good examples in how not to concede an inch politically to the BJP without resorting to foul language. Even Nitish Kumar, whose ego battles with Modi are well-known, has refused to be drawn into the degree controversy, declaring it to be a “non-issue”. But to learn from them would require Kejriwal to shed the illusion that his politics is superior to that of others in India. It simply is not.

An anecdote from the unpublished memoirs of the late filmmaker J.B.H. Wadia is a fitting note to end on. One particular morning in 1938, Wadia and his wife were surprised to find M.N. Roy, a founding member of Communist Party of India and someone Wadia admired immensely, dressed in “a long flowing dhoti in Bengali style, a kurta and shawl and a cap”. Roy cleared the air: “I am going to pay my respects to Veer Savarkar and I thought I should do it in the fittest manner possible. I am sure the old man will be pleased to see me dressed as a full-fledged Indian rather than a Westernised revolutionary.” Savarkar and Roy were ideologically poles apart. Yet, Wadia suspected that Roy “must have touched [Savarkar’s] feet in the traditional Indian way”.

Should political rivals resort to unseemly language just to score brownie points?

Proud of uttarakhand :gajal bhardwas

सेकेंड IAS टॉपर कश्मीर के अतहर के ये हैं सफलता के मंत्र

सेकेंड IAS टॉपर कश्मीर के अतहर के ये हैं सफलता के मंत्र
जम्मू-कश्मीर के अनंतनाग जिले से ताल्लुक रखने वाले 23 वर्षीय अतहर ने लोकसेवा परीक्षा में दूसरा स्थान हासिल किया है। यह उनका दूसरा प्रयास है। साल 2014 के अपने पहले प्रयास में उन्होंने भारतीय रेल यातायात सेवा (आईआरटीएस) हासिल किया था और वे फिलहाल लखनऊ में भारतीय रेल परिवहन प्रबंधन संस्थान में प्रशिक्षण ले रहे हैं।
अतहर ने कहा, मैंने जम्मू-कश्मीर कैडर का चुनाव भी किया है। मुझे वहां काम करने का मौका मिला तो खुशी होगी। मुझे लगता है कि मेरे राज्य के लोगों की आकांक्षाओं को पूरा करने की बहुत गुंजाइश है।
अतहर ने पहले 2014 में यूपीएससी की परीक्षा दी थी तब उनकी 570 रैंक आई लेकिन अतहर इससे खुश नहीं थे। अतहर ने आईआईटी मंडी हिमाचल प्रदेश से ग्रेजुएशन की है। इसके बाद 22 साल में पहला सिविल सर्विस एग्जाम क्रैक करने के साथ ही अतहर ने बीटेक पूरी की। हालांकि अतहर के पास कई एमएनसी कंपनी के ऑफर आए लेकिन अतहर ने आईएएस को चुना।
कुछ समय पहले हिन्दुस्तान टाइम्स से हुई बातचीत में उन्होंने अपने सफलता के मंत्र दिए थे।
मेरी प्रेरणा मेरे दादा
मेरी सबसे बड़ी प्रेरणा मेरे दादा हैं। उनकी कठिन मेहनत, किसी काम को करने का उनका नजरिया और पैशन से मुझे काफी कुछ सीखने को मिला।
कठिन परिश्रम और परिवार का साथ
उन्होंने मेरा कठिन परिश्रम और मेरे परिवार साथ ही मुझे यहां तक लाया है। मेरी मां एक गृहणी और पिता एक लोक्चरार हैं। मैं अपने दोस्तों अध्यापकों का आभारी रहूंगा, जिन्होंने मुझे मार्गदर्शन दिया।
Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan, a 23 year years old youth from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district stood second in Civil Services Examinations, the results of which were declared today while seven other youths from the State passed the exams.
Besides Athar, seven others, who qualified the Civil Services Examinations, included Sheema Qasba Wani, Baseer-ul-Haq, Ruveda Salam, Afaq Giri, Deeba Farhat, Choudhary Yaseen and Ankit Koul.
Sheema is the daughter of former Commissioner of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) while Choudhary Yaseen is nephew of CAPD Minister and PDP leader Choudhary Zulfikar.
Interestingly, all these Civil Services exam crackers excepting Sheema Qasba, had passed the prestigious exam last year also. This year, they had given the exam for upgradation.
Meanwhile, in a proud achievement, Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan, 23, from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, emerged as second topper in 2015 Indian Administrative Services (IAS) examinations, results of which were declared today. Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has congratulated Aamir for his brilliant achievement.
Athar Khan, who was among seven qualifiers of IAS 2014 examination from Kashmir, secured the second place in the prestigious examinations. A total of 1,078 candidates cleared the UPSC exam — 499 from the general category, 314 from the other backward classes, 176 from the Scheduled Castes and 89 from the Scheduled Tribes. Delhi-based Tina Dabi topped the test, followed by Athar and and Delhi’s Jasmeet Singh Sandhu.
Hailing from a modest family of Siknar, a remote village, in Devipora hamlet of Mattan area of Anantnag district, Athar completed his earlier schooling from his native village and later was admitted in Iqbal Memorial Institute (IMI) Anantnag from where he qualified 10th examinations. He then joined prestigious Biscoe Memorial School Srinagar and passed his secondary examinations.
Son of a senior lecturer, Mohammad Shafi Khan, Athar cracked almost all major professional entrance examinations in 2009-10 and finally joined IIT Roorkee and completed his Engineering from IIT Himachal Pradesh in July 2014. Athar had up to 2010 passed CET, AIEEE and BITSAT but IITJEE eluded him. He even joined Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu but continued to pursue his IIT dream. As Athar was studying BTech, at the same time, he prepared for civil services and qualified IAS for the first time in 2015. After completing his degree in July 2014, he joined a coaching academy in National Capital.
Athar, who is putting up in Delhi as he after cracking IAS exams for the first time was offered Indian Railway Traffic Services (IRTS), said that he wasn’t expecting second rank but good results compared to last year. The second topper was inspired by 2009 IAS topper, Dr Shah Faesal, who now is Director School Education Kashmir.
In his Anantnag home, his family’s joy has no limits and they want him to serve people of the Kashmir. “I am extremely happy. I want him to serve my own people and work for their welfare. I, from the day one, urged him to work hard and today all this is because of Athar’s hard work. He has made us and entire Valley proud by this achievement,” said his father Amir-ul-Shafi Khan.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti congratulated Athar for having secured the second position in the prestigious IAS 2015 exams. She also lauded the performance of all those who cracked the country’s premier civil services examination from the State.
Admiring Khan for his amazing success, the Chief Minister said she is sure that his feat will inspire many other youngsters to follow suit. “There is no dearth of talent in our State which Athar has proved today. Many congratulations for having successfully cleared the exams with flying colours and my best wishes as you start your journey to serve the people,” she said in her congratulatory message.
Athar’s grandfather, Ghulam Qadir Khan, wants him to be posted as Deputy Commissioner Anantnag “so that he serves his people first”. “Today Athar has made us, our village and our State proud by securing second position in prestigious IAS,” he said. Khan remembers a taunt of one of the village elder’s decade ago for being illiterate but today he is feeling proud as his grandson has achieved major feet. “First time, I answered that taunt when my son became lecturer,” he says proudly.
The 120-year old grandmother of Athar is eager to see her grandson. “There is no trust on life. I want him to come back as soon as possible,” she says as Athar’s house is abuzz with guests and congratulatory phone calls from relatives, friends, politicians and others.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh has congratulated the three toppers of the IAS/ Civil Services Exam 2015,the result of which was declared here today.
In a message to Tina Dabi, Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan and Jasmeet Singh Sandhu who stood first, second and third respectively, Dr Jitendra Singh said, in his capacity as a Minister dealing with the Department of Personnel & Training as well as the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, it gives him a special sense of pride to note that all the three toppers represent the hitherto lesser represented sections of society in Civil services, which is an indication that the IAS and Civil Services have finally moved away from being “elite services” as they were generally described earlier.
With Tina hailng from weaker section of society, Aamir hailing from Jammu & Kashmir and Jasmeet Singh belonging to minority community, he said, the top brass of future civil services servants will truly represent the aspirations of the average common man of this country. This will also go a long way in achieving Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to provide citizen centric governance through civil servants who actually represent the common citizen of India, he added.
Working president National Conference and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has also felicitated the candidates from Jammu and Kashmir for their phenomenal success in Civil Services Examination.
“I am particularly delighted over the phenomenal success of Athar Aamir Ul Shafi Khan, who has got second rank in the results declared today”, Omar said while conveying his good wishes to Athar and others.
He hoped that success of candidates from Jammu and Kashmir will inspire others to participate in such coveted exams in a big way and make their mark.

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