Urban areas

Urban areas have been recognized as “engines of inclusive economic growth”. Of the 121 crore Indians, 83.3 crore live in rural areas while 37.7 crore stay in urban areas, i.e approx 32 % of the population. The census of India, 2011 defines urban settlement as :-

All the places which have municipality, corporation, cantonment board or notified town area committee
All the other places which satisfy following criteria :

a. A minimum population of 5000 persons ;

b. At least 75 % of male main working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits ; and

c. A density of population of at least 400 persons per square kilometer

The first category of urban units are known as Statutory town. These town are notified under law by respective State/UT government and have local bodies like municipal corporation, municipality, etc, irrespective of demographic characteristics. For example- Vadodara (Municipal corporation), Shimla (Municipal corporation)

The second category of towns is known as Census Town. These were identified on the basis of census 2001 data.Cities are urban areas with more than 100,000 population. Urban areas below 100,000 are called towns in India

Similarly Census of India defines:-

Urban Agglomeration (UA): An urban agglomeration is a continuous urban spread constituting a town and its adjoining outgrowths (OGs), or two or more physically contiguous towns together with or without outgrowths of such towns. An Urban Agglomeration must consist of at least a statutory town and its total population (i.e. all the constituents put together) should not be less than 20,000 as per the 2001 Census. In varying local conditions, there were similar other combinations which have been treated as urban agglomerations satisfying the basic condition of contiguity. Examples: Greater Mumbai UA, Delhi UA, etc.

Out Growths (OG): An Out Growth (OG) is a viable unit such as a village or a hamlet or an enumeration block made up of such village or hamlet and clearly identifiable in terms of its boundaries and location. Some of the examples are railway colony, university campus, port area, military camps, etc., which have come up near a statutory town outside its statutory limits but within the revenue limits of a village or villages contiguous to the town.

While determining the outgrowth of a town, it has been ensured that it possesses the urban features in terms of infrastructure and amenities such as pucca roads, electricity, taps, drainage system for disposal of waste water etc. educational institutions, post offices, medical facilities, banks etc. and physically contiguous with the core town of the UA. Examples: Central Railway Colony (OG), Triveni Nagar (N.E.C.S.W.) (OG), etc.

Each such town together with its outgrowth(s) is treated as an integrated urban area and is designated as an ‘urban agglomeration’. Number of towns/UA/OG 2011, according to Census 2011 Census are :-

1 Statutory Towns — 4,041

2 Census Towns — 3,894

3 Urban Agglomerations — 475

4 Out Growths — 981

At the central level, nodal agencies which look after program and policies for urban development are Ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation (MoHUPA) and Ministry of Urban development. Urban development is a state subject. At state level there are respective ministries, but according to 74th Constitutional Amendment act,1992, it is mandatory for every state to form ULBs and devolve power, conduct regular election, etc. Under 12 schedule of Indian constitution , 18 such functions have been defined which are to be performed by ULBs and for that states should support the ULBs through finances and decentralization of power, for more autonomy. But this is not uniform throughout all the states and still more is need to be done to empower ULBs in India.

Urban areas are managed by urban local bodies(ULBs), who look after the service delivery and grievance redressal of citizens. There are eight type of urban local government in India- municipal corporation municipality, notified area committee, town area committee, cantonment board, township, port trust and special purpose agencies.

Migration is the key process underlying growth of urbanisation; and the process of urbanization is closely related with rural to urban migration of people. In most developing countries of the world where rate of urban growth is relatively higher the urban-ward migration is usually high. Rural to urban migration is by far the major component of urbanisation and is the chief mechanism by which urbanisation trends all the world-over has been accomplished

After independence, urbanization in India is increasing at very high pace, but at the same time there are some problems, which are becoming barriers for balance, equitable and inclusive development.

INSTC

INSTC
India, Iran and Russia had in September 2000 signed the INSTC agreement to build a corridor to provide the shortest multi-model transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and St Petersburg. From St Petersburg, North Europe is within easy reach via the Russian Federation. The estimated capacity of the corridor is 20-30 million tonnes of goods per year.

The route primarily involves moving freight from India, Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia via ship, rail and road. The objective of the corridor is to increase trade connectivity between major cities such as Mumbai, Moscow, Tehran, Baku, Bandar Abbas, Astrakhan, Bandar Anzali and etc.

Significance of the corridor: Conceived well before China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), INSTC will not only help cut down on costs and time taken for transfer of goods from India to Russia and Europe via Iran but also provide an alternative connectivity initiative to countries in the Eurasian region. It will be India’s second corridor after the Chabahar Port to access resource rich Central Asia and its market.

Ajeya Warrior-2017:,,,Sentinel- 5P, ,,Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

Ajeya Warrior-2017:
It is a fourteen days training exercise between the Indian Army and the British Army. It is being held in Rajasthan. It is the third joint military exercise between the two countries. The first exercise was conducted in 2013 at Belgaum, Karnataka, whereas for the second exercise in 2015, an Indian Army contingent had visited the United Kingdom.

The aim of the exercise is to build and promote bilateral relations and enhance interoperability while sharing experiences between the Royal British Army and the Indian Army.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Sentinel- 5P, a European satellite tracking the levels air pollutants around the world has beamed back new views of the Earth’s atmosphere, including images of pollution drifting away from power plants in India.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a political and economic alliance of six countries in the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The #38thGulfCooperation Council summit is being held in #Kuwait.
Established in 1981, the GCC promotes economic, security, cultural and social cooperation between the six states and holds a summit every year to discuss cooperation and regional affairs.
Due to their geographic proximity, similar political systems and common sociocultural stances, the immediate goal was for these countries to protect themselves from threats after the Iran-Iraq War.

COMPOSITION OF UTTARAKHAND PSC (उत्तराखंड लोक सेवा आयोग)

COMPOSITION OF UTTARAKHAND PSC (उत्तराखंड लोक सेवा आयोग)
CHAIRMAN & 6 MEMBER ALONG WITH CM OF UTTARAKHAND

संयुक्त राष्ट्र पर्यावरण कार्यक्रम (UNEP) के तत्वावधान में ‘वन्य जीवों की प्रवासी प्रजातियों के संरक्षण पर अभिसमय हेतु पक्षकारों का सम्मेलन’ (CMS COP : Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals)

संयुक्त राष्ट्र पर्यावरण कार्यक्रम (UNEP) के तत्वावधान में ‘वन्य जीवों की प्रवासी प्रजातियों के संरक्षण पर अभिसमय हेतु पक्षकारों का सम्मेलन’ (CMS COP : Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals) एक पर्यावरण संधि है। यह प्रवासी जीवों एवं उनके आवासों के संरक्षण और टिकाऊ उपयोग के लिए वैश्विक मंच उपलब्ध कराता है। हाल ही में ‘सीएमएस सीओपी’ के 12वें सत्र का आयोजन मनीला, फिलीपींस में किया गया।

23-28 अक्टूबर, 2017 के मध्य मनीला, फिलीपींस में ‘वन्य जीवों की प्रवासी प्रजातियों के संरक्षण पर अभिसमय हेतु पक्षकारों का सम्मेलन का 12वां सत्र’ (CMS COP12) आयोजित किया गया।
यह पहला अवसर है जब सीएमएस सीओपी का आयोजन एशिया में किया गया।
सम्मेलन का नारा (Slogan) था ‘उनका भविष्य हमारा भविष्य है-वन्यजीव और लोगों के लिए पोषणीय विकास’ (Their Future is Our Future-Sustainable Development for Wildlife and People)।
सम्मेलन में एशिया, अफ्रीका, अमेरिका, यूरोप एवं ओशिनिया (Oceania) से 24 देशों के 34 प्रजातियों के संरक्षण प्रस्तावों को स्वीकृति प्रदान की गई।
सम्मेलन में 91 देशों के प्रतिनिधि शामिल हुए।
सीएमएस सीओपी के 13वें सत्र का आयोजन वर्ष 2020 में भारत में किया जाएगा।
सम्मेलन में चार एशियाई गिद्ध प्रजातियों लाल-मुखी गिद्ध (Red-Headed Vulture), सफेद-पूंछ गिद्ध (White-Rumped Vulture), भारतीय गिद्ध और पतली चोंच वाले गिद्ध (Slender-Billed Vulture) -को उच्चतम संरक्षण सूची में शामिल किया गया।
उपर्युक्त गिद्ध प्रजातियां विषाक्तता, शिकार, बिजली के तारों के साथ टकराव और निवास स्थान में गिरावट जैसे खतरों का सामना कर रही हैं।
भारत समेत 121 देशों के समुद्री क्षेत्रों में पाई जाने वाली व्हेल शार्क (Whale Shark) को भी संरक्षण सूची में शामिल किया गया।
सम्मेलन में ब्लू शार्क (Blue Shark) और गिटारफिश (Guitarfish) के संरक्षण के प्रस्ताव को स्वीकार किया गया।
आसियान (Asean) क्षेत्र के भीतर संरक्षित क्षेत्र नेटवर्कों के विकास और प्रबंधन के प्रस्ताव को अनुमोदित किया गया।
मध्य एशिया की दो दुर्लभ प्रजातियों-प्रजेवाल्सकी के घोड़े (Przewalski’s Horse) और गोबी भालू (Gobi Bear)- के संरक्षण हेतु मंगोलिया के प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दी गई।
सम्मेलन में कैस्पियन सील (Caspian Seal) के संरक्षण की स्वीकृति प्रदान की गई।
उल्लेखनीय है कि कैस्पियन सील विश्व के सबसे बड़े अंतःस्थलीय (Inland) समुद्र कैस्पियन सागर में पाया जाने वाला एकमात्र समुद्री स्तनपायी है।
सम्मेलन में शेर, चिंपैंजी, जिराफ एवं तेंदुए की प्रजातियों को अतिरिक्त संरक्षण सूची से बाहर कर दिया गया।
सम्मेलन में चिंकारा (Indian Gazelle) के अतिरिक्त संरक्षण के प्रस्ताव को वापस ले लिया गया।

Biofuels are liquid or gaseous fuels primarily produced from biomass,

Biofuels are liquid or gaseous fuels primarily produced from biomass, and can be used to replace or can be used in addition to diesel, petrol or other fossil fuels for transport, stationary, portable and other applications. Crops used to make biofuels are generally either high in sugar (such as sugarcane, sugarbeet, and sweet sorghum), starch (such as maize and tapioca) or oils (such as soybean, rapeseed, coconut, sunflower).
Categories of biofuels
Biofuels are generally classified into three categories. They are
First generation biofuels - First-generation biofuels are made from sugar, starch, vegetable oil, or animal fats using conventional technology. Common first-generation biofuels include Bioalcohols, Biodiesel, Vegetable oil, Bioethers, Biogas.
Second generation biofuels - These are produced from non-food crops, such as cellulosic biofuels and waste biomass (stalks of wheat and corn, and wood). Examples include advanced biofuels like biohydrogen, biomethanol.
Third generation biofuels - These are produced from micro-organisms like algae.
Biodiesel and its benefits
Bio-diesel is an eco-friendly, alternative diesel fuel prepared from domestic renewable resources ie. vegetable oils (edible or non- edible oil) and animal fats. These natural oils and fats are primarily made up of triglycerides. These triglycerides when reacted chemically with lower alcohols in presence of a catalyst result in fatty acid esters. These esters show striking similarity to petroleum derived diesel and are called "Biodiesel". As India is deficient in edible oils, non-edible oil may be material of choice for producing biodiesel. Examples are Jatropha curcas, Pongamia, Karanja, etc.
The benefits of using biodiesel are as follows
It reduce vehicle emission which makes it eco-friendly.
It is made from renewable sources and can be prepared locally.
Increases engine performance because it has higher cetane numbers as compared to petro diesel.
It has excellent lubricity.
Increased safety in storage and transport because the fuel is nontoxic and bio degradable (Storage, high flash pt)
Production of bio diesel in India will reduce dependence on foreign suppliers, thus helpful in price stability.
Reduction of greenhouse gases at least by 3.3 kg CO2 equivalent per kg of biodiesel.
Source : National Biofuel Centre
BiofuelsJatropha
Jatropha curcas is multi purpose non edible oil yielding perennial shrub. This is a hardy and drought tolerant crop can be raised in marginal lands with lesser input. The crop can be maintained for 30 years economically.
For more information click here(224KB)
Sugarbeet
Sugarbeet (Beta vulgaris Var. Saccharifera L.) is a biennial sugar producing tuber crop, grown in temperate countries. Now tropical sugarbeet varieties are gaining momentum in tropical and sub tropical countries, as a promising alternative energy crop for the production of ethanol.
For more information click here(324KB)
Sorghum
Sorghum (S. bicolor) is the most important millet crop occupying largest area among the cereals next to rice. It is mainly grown for its grain and fodder. Alternative uses of sorghum include commercial utilization of grain in food industry and utilization of stalk for the production of value-added products like ethanol, syrup and jaggery and bioenriched bagasse as a fodder and as a base material for cogeneration.
For more information click here(218)
Pongamia
There is several non edible oil yielding trees that can be grown to produce biofuel. Karanja (Pongamia) is one of the most suitable trees. It is widely grown in various parts of the country.
Salient features of Pongamia
It is a Nitrogen fixing tree and hence enriches the soil fertility
It is generally not grazed by animals
It is tolerant to water logging, saline and alkaline soils,
It can withstand harsh climates (medium to high rainfall).
It can be planted on degraded, waste/fallow and cultivable lands
Pongamiaseeds contain 30-40% oil.
It helps in controlling soil erosion and binding sand dunes, because of its dense network of lateral roots.
Its root, bark, leaves, sap, and flower have medicinal properties. Dried leaves are used as an insect repellent in stored grains.
Properties of Pongamia Oil
Non edible oil is largely extracted from seeds.
The collected seeds consist of 95% kernel
The oil content varies between 27 - 40%.
When mechanical expellers are used for recovery of oil from the kernels, the yield of oil is reported to be about 24 to 26.5%
The crude oil is yellow orange to brown in color, which deepens on standing. It has a bitter taste, disagreeable odour, and it’s non-edible.
Apart from use as a biofuel, the oil can be used for lighting lamps, lubricant, water-paint binder, pesticide, and in soap making and tanning industries
The oil is known to be used for the treatment of rheumatism and human and animal skin diseases.
The press cake (left over after oil extraction) is rich in Nitrogen and hence can be used for improving soil fertility. The press cake when applied to the soil, also has pesticidal value, particularly against nematodes.
Pongamia seed oil Vs standard petroleum/diesel
Pongamia seed oil as a bio- fuel has physical properties very similar to conventional diesel.
It is, however a clean fuel (eco friendly) than conventional diesel

Why the Van Raji tribe of Uttarakhand won’t speak its language

Why the Van Raji tribe of Uttarakhand won’t speak its language
A language once spoken by a tribal community in Uttarakhand now teeters on the brink of survival

Madan Singh Rajwar is walking down a mountain with his carpentry tools on a warm morning. The India-Nepal border is a few kilometres away. The swollen Gori Ganga river is boisterous this summer. Two years ago, the river ate the road and everything else except Madan’s village. Chiphaltara, a hamlet of 11 families, is located deep inside a mountain forest of oak and pine in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh district.

And it is only here, at home, that he talks in Raji, his mother tongue, Madan tells me. “Aah, who talks in our language? No one!” he declares, grinning. “I don’t like to speak to outsiders in Raji.” I request him to speak a few sentences, and he indulges me but swiftly switches back to Kumaoni.

Madan is a member of a tribe called Van Rawat or Van Raji, meaning ‘kings’ or ‘royal people of the forest’. It has a population of 1,295 members sparsely spread over 11 villages of Pithoragarh, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar districts of Uttarakhand. There are 2,241 Rajis in Uttar Pradesh as well. Because of their dwindling numbers, low literacy rate and unequal development, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs has classified them as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG). And their language, Raji, is considered by Unesco as ‘severely endangered’.

Dominant influences

The dominant Hindu and Kumaoni cultures have no doubt influenced the lives of Raji. “I feel ashamed to talk in my language,” says Madan. “We are at the bottom of the social strata. Although everyone knows me in the neighbourhood, I don’t like to announce that I am a Raji in front of strangers like you. I am more comfortable in Kumaoni or Hindi.”

In fact, everyone I meet in Chiphaltara speaks to me in Kumaoni or Hindi. Ram Singh Rajwar, another Raji, admits he scolds his wife if she speaks to their two daughters in Raji. “I want them to learn Hindi, and later, English. I want them to go to an English-medium school,” Ram Singh says in fluent Hindi.

photo-3- Vanaraji Village Koota Chaurani Block Didihat District Pithoragar
The Raji tongue belongs to the Himalayan group of the Tibeto-Burman family of languages, says Kavita Rastogi, head of the linguistics department of Lucknow University, who is trying to revive Raji. “When a community depends on another one for roti-kapda-makan, it can lose its own language because they must continuously communicate in the language of the dominant community for business.”

Rastogi has published a book of letters in Raji. Teachers in primary schools don’t motivate Raji children to speak in their mother tongue, she says. “They call it ‘junglee bhasha,’ so the younger generation feels inferior and less inclined to speak it.”

And it is isn’t just their language that is dying — much of the Van Rawats’ traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is also on the decline. Their close proximity to flora and fauna helped the community discover the medicinal properties of plants and herbs in forests around their village. However, this knowledge has mostly diminished with the coming of hospitals and medical stores in recent times.

Fading into oblivion

Gora Devi, an older member of the village, says their village does not have a dense forest cover any more. “Earlier, if someone fractured their hand, we would cut a piece of wood and tie it around the hand — like a plaster cast. Every ailment was treated with plants and herbs. Now the hospital is nearby. We get medicines over the counter,” says Gora Devi.

Younger members like Madan and Ram Singh can no longer identify medicinal plants. Nevertheless, researchers have attempted to document the unique ethno-medicinal practices of the Raji tribe before they fade into oblivion.

Today, for livelihood, much of the tribe collects wood. When Madan is able to sell wood, he is a happy man. But those days are rare. On most days, he works for Kumaoni landholders.

Rajis were also once widely known for their excellent carpentry skills. Two decades ago, at any Raji house, every household item would be made of wood — from bed to bowl. At one time, when the tribe lived outside the village, they would come at night and keep the carved pots and bowls outside Kumaoni houses. The next night, the Kumaonis would keep vegetables and grains for the Rajis to collect. As the government banned tree felling, the culture of woodcraft died and Rajis today use steel and plastic like everyone else.

Mohan Singh Rajwar, 55, says he doesn’t remember the last time he carved something out of wood. “I don’t have the tools any more. But I don’t think I have forgotten how to carve,” he says.

Attempts by the government and NGOs to ‘civilise’ them may have robbed the Rajis of their traditions, culture and language, but they are worried about more than just their vanishing language and culture.

The Rajis live in dire poverty and can barely afford two meals a day. I meet eight-year-old Kalavati, wearing a thread around her neck with her house key strung on it. She is eating rice and dal in her one-room mud house, where she, her parents and two younger siblings live.

She made the food herself, she tells me, while her mother was away collecting fodder. In a corner of the room, a cow moos. Her textbooks stick out through the broken zip of a ragged school bag. A few clothes hang from a rope that runs from one end of the room to the other.

For Kalavati and her family, I can’t help but think cultural conservation must be trumped by a more basic concern — survival.