India Awarded Certificate of Commendation for Its Effort to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trade

India Awarded Certificate of Commendation for Its Effort to Combat Illegal Wildlife Trade”: Dr Harsh Vardhan

Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has said that India has been awarded with the Certificate of Commendation for its exemplary enforcement action in its regional and global effort to combat illegal wildlife trade. “The award was given to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau yesterday by the Secretary General of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) at Geneva, Switzerland”, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said in New Delhi today.

The Environment Minister said that the award has been presented to WCCB under the Ministry for its efforts in conducting and coordinating a species specific wildlife enforcement Operation, codenamed “Operation Save Kurma”. Dr. Harsh Vardhan said that India is the only recipient of the Certificate of Commendation at the 69th Standing Committee meeting of CITES at Geneva. He added that “Operation Save Kurma” was conducted in the country by the WCCB to combat the proliferating illegal trade in live turtles and its parts from the country to destinations abroad. The Minister pointed out that the operation was also aimed to invite attention of the enforcement agencies towards such illegal trade.

Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated that during the ‘Operation Save Kurma’ conducted from December 15, 2016 to January 30, 2017, approximately 16, 000 live turtles/tortoises were seized and released back into the wild. He said that 55 suspects involved in the illegal trade were also arrested.

WCCB worked in close collaboration with regional law enforcement agencies, including West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department, State Police and Forest Department, the Special Task Force of Uttar Pradesh Police, Karnataka Forest and Police departments and Maharashtra and Rajasthan Forest Departments.

A message from Dr. Harsh Vardhan was conveyed to all the participants of the 69th Standing Committee of CITES at Geneva.

Presently, 183 countries across the world are signatory to the Convention.

Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme

Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme is being implemented by the Government of India to promote the use of alternative and environment friendly fuels. This intervention is also sought to reduce import dependency for energy requirements and provide necessary boost to the agriculture sector.

To support the aforesaid programme, Oil PSUs have decided to set up 12 Second Generation (2G) Ethanol bio-refineries in 11 States of the Country as an effective tool for development of rural economy. One such plant is being set up by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL) in village Baulsingha, Tehsil- Bhatli, District Bargarh (Odisha) with a proposed investment of Rs. 750 crores. BPCL has already appointed Project Management Consultant for early commencement of developmental activities at the site.

BPCL has requested the State Government of Odisha through Industrial Promotion & Investment Corporation of Odisha (IPICOL) for allocation of land during November, 2016. Even after elapse of almost of one year, land allotment for the project has not been done. This is adversely affecting the project which is being pursued in the interest of the people of Odisha. In this regard, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Petroleum & Natural gas; Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India has written a letter to Shri Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister of Odisha, seeking his intervention for immediate handing over of the land so that work on the project could be started at the earliest.

With the setting up of this bio-refinery, there will be an increase in the overall economic activity in the surrounding area. This bio-refinery will also necessitate setting up of around 10 decentralized biomass collection depots in a radius of 50km. There will be quantum jump in the labour and transportation activities from the agricultural fields to the biomass collection depots to the bio-refinery and movement of finished product. The demand for equipment such as bailers, compacters, loaders, tractor trolleys will also rise. During the construction of the bio-refinery, employment opportunities will also be created for the locals.

Feedstock for the plant will be agricultural waste, crop, residues from the adjoining area which will be converted into ethanol and bio-manure. While ethanol produced from this bio-refinery will supplement the EBP Programme promoted by Government of India, bio-manure will get consumed in the nearby areas thereby improving the soil fertility. The estimated feedstock consumption for this plant is 1,30,000 MT per annum. This is expected to generate a value of Rs. 8 crore per annum for the adjoining farmers for their agricultural waste which otherwise requires spending by the farmer for its disposal. Additionally, this venture will provide opportunity for rural entrepreneurs to generate direct and indirect employment for 800- 1000 persons thereby generating additional income of Rs. 10- 12 crores per annum.

Resource Efficiency- the key to a sustainable future

Resource Efficiency- the key to a sustainable future

NITI Aayog and EU Delegation to India release the First ever Resource Efficiency (RE) Strategy for India

Using the resources efficiently to produce more while utilizing less has been one of the tested and trusted ways for a sustainable future. It not only ensures the security of the resources but also minimizes the environment impact. In order to ensure that the two ends meet, NITI Aayog in collaboration with the European Union delegation to India and the Confederation of Indian Industries, CII has released the first ever Strategy on Resource Efficiency for India which also includes an action plan for promoting resource efficiency in India. The strategy paper was unveiled by the Principal Adviser to NITI Aayog, Ratan P.Watal, Indian resource panel member Dr. Tishyarakshit Chatterjee, Ms. Henriette Faergemann, EU Counsellor, Environment, Energy & Climate change and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Jigmet Takpa at a function in the capital on Thursday,30th November. A large number of experts, academicians and delegates attended the event

In the Keynote address, Principal Advisor, NITI Aayog, Ratan P. Watal said that that Resource efficiency very simply put is making more with fewer materials. In practice, through a life-cycle approach, it leads to minimizing impact on environment & the associated societal burdens, transforming ‘waste’ into ‘resources’ fostering circular economy, and strengthening resource security. Ms. Henriette Faergemann, EU Counsellor, Environment, Energy & Climate change mentioned that the RE agenda has gained priority in India-EU context and EU will support the Government of India in its implementation. Mr. Jigmet Takpa, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said that the Ministry intends to launch a Resource Efficiency (RE) Cell at MoEFCC to support in the implementation of RE strategy. Dr. Tishyarakshit Chatterjee, Indian Resource Panel member highlighted that this strategy is the first policy document to emphasize resource productivity in the country. Mr. Sachin Joshi, COO of CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, said that the RE Strategy emphasizes on Sustainable Public Procurement (SSP) as an action agenda which will be the market transformation tool to transform to a resource efficient economy.

Highlights of the RE Strategy:
The Resource Efficiency Strategy includes the core-action plan for the period 2017-2018 and medium term action plan for 2017 – 2020 with the following key elements:

· Institutional development including setting up an inter-departmental committee and Task force of experts,
· Capacity development at various levels for strengthening of capacities and sharing of best practices,
· Development of an indicator monitoring framework for baseline analysis
· Launch of Short term course on RE under the MHRD GIAN Programme
· Promotional and regulatory tools in selected sectors (automotive and construction) such as Ecolabeling for Secondary Raw Material (SRM) products, recycling standards, R&D and Technology Development, Sustainable Public Procurement, development of Industrial clusters and waste-exchange platform, information sharing & awareness generation along with development of sectoral action plans.

It is expected that the strategy will pave the way forward in taking the agenda towards resource security and minimizing environment impact by setting up a framework. The strategy implementation would also identify need for setting up a Bureau for Resource Efficiency (BRE) which creates a prominence and enabling platform for this topic like the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) in India.

Background:

Resource efficiency is a strategy to achieve the maximum possible benefit with least possible resource input. Fostering resource efficiency aims at governing and intensifying resource utilisation in a purposeful and effective way. Such judicious resource use brings about multiple benefits along the three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental.

UKPCS 2016 MAINS PAPER 03:INDIAN POLITY,SOCIAL JUSTICE AND IR

UKPCS 2016 MAINS PAPER 03:INDIAN POLITY,SOCIAL JUSTICE AND IR
#UKPCS2016MAINSPAPER

WE CAN NOT EXPECT THAT QUESTIONS ASKED IN TEST SERIES SHOULD BE REPEATED IN EXAM BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS GIVE IMMENSE PLEASURE.

EXPLAINING HOW HUNGER INDEX IS CALCULATED AND WHAT ABOUT INDIA

EXPLAINING HOW HUNGER INDEX IS CALCULATED AND WHAT ABOUT INDIA
#HUNGERINDEX
In its calculations, the Global Hunger Index assigns a disproportionate value to child undernourishment

Per capita food production in India has increased by 26% (2004-05 to 2013-14), while it has doubled in the last 50 years. While this kind of growth rate in food production is expected to reduce hunger significantly over time, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), shows India’s hunger level in very poor light.

A closer look

The 2017 GHI score has India ranked 100 out of the 119 countries listed. While a casual reading would create the impression of India being among the worst performers and underachievers in addressing food and nutrition security, closer scrutiny shows that it should not be taken at face value as it is neither appropriate nor representative of hunger prevalent in a country. However, despite improvements, India still faces a problem of undernourishment and poor child health.

The GHI for 2017 is calculated as a weighted average of four standardised indicators, i.e. the percentage of population that is undernourished; percentage of children under five years who suffer from wasting; percentage of children under five who suffer from stunting, and child mortality. Undernourishment and child mortality each make up a third of the GHI score, while child stunting and child wasting make up a sixth of the score, and together make up a third of the score. Three of the four indicators, refer only to children below five who constitute only 11.5% of India’s population. Further, the percentage of the undernourished population is inclusive of undernutrition among children. This way, the GHI assigns 70.5% weightage to children below five who constitute only a minor population share and 29.5% weightage to the population above five, which constitutes 81.5% of the total population. Therefore, the term “Hunger Index” is highly biased towards undernutrition of children rather than representing the status of hunger in the overall population. It would be more appropriate to term the conceptualisation and composition of this composite index as a “Global Hunger and Child Health Index” than as a “Global Hunger Index”.

Evidence shows that weight and height of children are not solely determined by food intake but are an outcome of a complex interaction of factors related to genetics, the environment, sanitation and utilisation of food intake. The IFPRI acknowledges that only 45% of child mortality is due to hunger or undernutrition.

Without undermining the need for improvement in reducing wasting, stunting and mortality of children, our calculations show that if child health indicators are not included in the GHI, India will move to the 77th spot. India’s ranking in terms of child mortality, child stunting and child wasting is 80, 106 and 117, respectively.

Calculating hunger

The incidence of hunger is taken as the proportion of the population whose food intake provides less than its minimum energy requirements. The figure of the incidence of hunger depends on energy norms and the methodological approach used in its estimation.

There is still inconclusive debate on the cut-off for minimum energy requirement calculation. At a global level, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) has an average norm of 1,800 kcal, while the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) specified average norm of 2,400 kcal for rural areas and 2,100 kcal for urban areas in India, varies across age, gender and activity-level. There is a strong case to revise the ICMR-NIN norms as the actual requirement of energy is decreasing due to a shift towards mechanisation and more congenial work conditions and environment.

There is a large difference in the incidence of undernourishment (hunger) reported by the FAO and estimates prepared by various experts. It follows from the large variation in the choice of norm and methodology and data used for such an estimation. The unit-level National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data on Household Consumption Expenditure for the latest year (2011-12) indicate that 72% of India’s population consumed less food than required to meet the calorie norm specified by ICMR-NIN. Applying the ICMR-NIN norm, a significant percentage of the population even in rich income households is undernourished. This shows that either the ICMR-NIN norm is on the higher side or these people voluntarily chose to eat less than what the ICMR-NIN considers normative. If we apply the FAO norm to the household consumption data of the NSSO, the proportion of the population with calorific deficit was 37.32% in 2004-05 and 29.55% in 2011-12. On the other hand, the FAO’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report has placed the incidence of undernourishment in India at 20.9% for 2004-06 and 17.5% for 2010-12. The much lower estimate here is because it overestimates the proportion of food crops used as food and underestimates the share going for non-food uses such as feed and industrial use. The FAO approach underestimates hunger and undernutrition in those countries where exact and up-to-date estimates of food output diverted to non-food uses are not available.

The FAO norm applied to NSSO data on Household Consumer Expenditure indicates that in 2011-12, about 30% of India was undernourished or suffered from hunger, as per the UN definition of hunger.

To avoid confusion about the status of hunger and undernourishment, India should regularly prepare and publish official estimates of hunger, like that of poverty. It will also help in tackling hunger.

Prof. Ramesh Chand is Member, NITI Aayog and Shivendra Kumar Srivastava is Agricultural Economist, NITI Aayog.

ISA to become a Treaty-based International Intergovernmental organization

ISA to become a Treaty-based International Intergovernmental organization tomorrow

46 countries sign and 19 ratify the Framework Agreement of ISA

In terms of its Framework Agreement, with ratification by Guinea as the 15th country on 6th November 2017, the International Solar Alliance (ISA) will become a treaty-based international intergovernmental organization tomorrow on 6th December 2017. The ISA, headquartered in India, has its Secretariat located in the campus of National Institute of Solar Energy, Gwalpahari, Gurgaon, Haryana.

The ISA is an Indian initiative, jointly launched by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi and the President of France on 30th November 2015 in Paris, on the sidelines of COP-21, the UN Climate Conference. It aims at addressing obstacles to deployment at scale of solar energy through better harmonization and aggregation of demand from solar rich countries lying fully or partially between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. As of date, 46 countries have signed and 19 countries have ratified the Framework Agreement of ISA.

Signatory Countries (46)
Australia, Bangladesh. Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guiana, Fiji, France, Gabonese Republic, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, India, Kiribati, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Nauru, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tonga, Togolese Republic, Tuvalu, UAE, Vanuatu, and Venezuela

Ratifying Countries (19)
India, France, Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Cuba, Fiji, Guinea, Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Nauru, Niger, Peru, Seychelles, Somalia, South Sudan, and Tuvalu

ISA Interim Secretariat has been operational as a de-facto organization since 25th January, 2016. Three programmes - Scaling Solar Applications for Agriculture Use, Affordable Finance at Scale, and Scaling Solar Mini-grids - have been launched. These programmes will help in achieving the overall goal of increasing solar energy deployment in the ISA member countries for achieving universal energy access and speeding up economic development. In addition to the existing 3 programmes, ISA has initiated plans to launch two more programmes: Scaling Solar Rooftops and Scaling Solar E-mobility and Storage.

Further, ISA has also been developing a Common Risk Mitigating Mechanism (CRMM) for de-risking and reducing the financial cost of solar projects in the ISA member countries. The instrument will help diversify and pool risks on mutual public resources and unlock significant investments. An international expert group has been working on the blue print of the mechanism and it will be rolled out by December 2018.

Another major initiative is establishment of Digital Infopedia which will serve as a platform to enable policy makers, Ministers and corporate leaders from ISA countries to interact, connect, communicate and collaborate with one another. The interactive platform was operationalized on 18th May 2017. Digital Infopedia will have three heads: (a) Member countries counter for investment opportunities; (b) at least 1000 best practices on solar energy (audio/visual), and (c) Member countries of ISA and the ISA Secretariat audio and visual interaction.

The Paris Declaration establishing ISA states that the countries share the collective ambition to undertake innovative and concerted efforts for reducing the cost of finance and cost of technology for immediate deployment solar generation assets. This will help pave the way for future solar generation, storage and good technologies for each prospective member countries’ individual needs, by effectively mobilizing more than US$1000 billion in investments that will be required by 2030.

India has offered to meet ISA Secretariat expenses for initial five years. In addition, the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India has set aside US$2 billion for solar projects in Africa out of Government of India's US$10 billion concessional Line of Credit (LOC) for Africa. Government of France has also earmarked Euro 300 million soft loan for solar related projects in ISA member countries.

India ‘dream’ plan to cut freight times to 14 hours from 14 days

India ‘dream’ plan to cut freight times to 14 hours from 14 days
A $7.1 billion rail corridor in Rajasthan that’s set to cut freight times between New Delhi and Mumbai to 14 hours from 14 days is finally showing signs of progress

A $7.1 billion rail corridor in Rajasthan that’s set to cut freight times between India’s capital New Delhi and the business hub of Mumbai to 14 hours from 14 days is finally showing signs of progress.

About 800km away in Gujarat, a 920-square-km industrial area is taking shape near the village of Dholera, with hundreds of workers fusing concrete sections of a sewerage system on a recent visit. Summing up the massive project’s ambition, a sign for a yet-to-be-built housing development reads: “Dream City.”

Plagued by delays, red tape and disputes over land acquisition, for years it seemed the $100 billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) would remain just that—a dream. First proposed more than a decade ago, the sprawling assortment of smart cities and industrial parks on both sides of the freight railway could cut logistics charges that amount to roughly 14% of total costs by bypassing the country’s infamously chaotic major cities.

“It’s not merely a pie-in-the-sky project,” said Michael Kugelman, senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington. “It’s a very real initiative that’s gotten off the ground. If it can get over some significant humps, it could make some very real progress.”

Japan, seeking to boost ties with India as a counterweight to China, is partly financing the DMIC project and holds a 26% stake. Indeed, Japan’s Tokyo-Osaka industrial corridor is an inspiration. NEC Corp. has invested in a joint-venture project with the Indian government that is already providing logistics support along the route.

“In the last couple of years, we’ve seen that the pace of construction has quickened considerably,” said Piyush Sinha, who heads the joint venture as NEC’s India director.

For others, initial pledges remain contingent on the project’s progress. Airbus SE signed an agreement to assist in planning an “aerospace and defence manufacturing cluster” in Dholera, but pending an order of military helicopters from the Indian government, the French aviation giant hasn’t made any firm plans to invest there yet.

“We are in touch with several states to identify the right location for setting up the final assembly line and certainly we are looking at Dholera,” said Ashish Saraf, a vice-president at Airbus India, in an email.

Workers in Dholera are laying infrastructure over a 22.5 sq. km area in plots that are mostly owned by the government. Officials say this will be completed by the end of 2019, and they can then sell plots to factories. In three decades, they envision a city larger than Berlin.

The goal is to set up a “plug and play” environment for investors, says Jai Prakash Shivahare, managing director of the Dholera Industrial City Development. “We are looking to tie up with anchor investors so that they can also start their construction and in one-and-half-years, when our site is ready, their factories can also be ready.”

Work has now begun in four of the eight manufacturing destinations proposed in the first phase of the industrial corridor. But it has been far from smooth sailing to get to this point as red tape and budget constraints across six states and numerous sprawling ministries slowed progress, causing some to walk away altogether.

Hindustan Construction Co. Ltd signed two separate agreements in 2009 and 2011 with Gujarat to invest roughly $8 billion for a waterfront city and a renewable energy park. Later the company abandoned the plans. Company spokesman Sandeep Sawant declined to comment.

Development beyond the initial 22.5 sq. km area in Dholera remains uncertain as farmers opposing land sales have a case pending in the Gujarat High Court demanding the government scrap its plans. “The future of Dholera is dark,” said Sagar Rabari, a farmer activist in Gujarat.

In Rajasthan, where roughly 40% of the freight line passes, the state still hasn’t taken possession of land five years after the process began, even as bureaucrats seek to woo investors by publicizing two proposed industrial townships. Unlike Dholera, farmers in the Khushkhera-Bhiwadi-Neemrana area do want to surrender their plots, but can’t as the state government doesn’t have enough money to pay for the 14 square kilometers of land.

Villagers, meantime, aren’t allowed to sell to anyone else. “Farmers are the losers,” says Sube Singh Yadav, 64, a villager in Sahajahanpur.

Rajasthan authorities say they are arranging Rs3,200 crore for the land acquisition. “We will be proceeding with the land acquisition with innovative ways of financing,” says Rajeeva Swarup, additional chief secretary for Rajasthan’s industry department.

Most of the land needed for the freight corridor has been acquired, funding has been completed, contracts have been awarded and a phased start from December 2019 is expected, the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd said in a statement. The whole corridor will be completed a year later, it said.

Much like Moody’s Investors Service—which last month raised India’s sovereign rating for the first time since 2004 citing potential dividends from reforms—some analysts are looking through the haze of short-term uncertainties to bet on the project’s prospects. But even with progress picking up, few expect anything but a bumpy road ahead.

“It’s a national flagship project, yes, but despite a fair amount of coordination from the centre the fact remains that the project just has so many moving parts,” said Jan Zalewski, a Singapore-based Asia analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a political risk firm. “The DMIC in its entirety will continue to move ahead at a snail’s pace.