Index of Eight Core Industries (Base: 2011-12=100) April, 2017

Index of Eight Core Industries (Base: 2011-12=100) April, 2017

The Base Year of the Index of Eight Core Industries has been revised from the year 2004-05 to 2011-12 from April, 2017. The shift is in line with the new base year of Index of Industrial Production (IIP). The industries covered in the Index of Eight Core are namely Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Fertilizers, Steel, Cement and Electricity. These remain the same as in the 2004-05 series. The revised basket of Eight Core Industries is aligned to the new series of IIP (2011-12) as far as possible. The revised Eight Core Industries have a combined weight of 40.27 per cent in the IIP. The detailed data based on the revised series since April, 2012 are given in Annexure.

The combined Index of Eight Core Industries stands at 118.6 in April, 2017, which is 2.5 % higher compared to the index of April, 2016. Its cumulative growth during April to March, 2016-17 was 4.8 %.

Coal

Coal production (weight: 10.33 %) declined by 3.8% in April, 2017 over April, 2016. Its cumulative index increased by 3.2% during April to March, 2016-17 over corresponding period of the previous year.

Crude Oil

Crude Oil production (weight: 8.98 %) declined by 0.6 % in April, 2017 over April, 2016. Its cumulative index declined by 2.5 % during April to March, 2016-17 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Natural Gas

The Natural Gas production (weight: 6.88 %) increased by 2.0 % in April, 2017 over April, 2016. Its cumulative index declined by 1.0 % during April to March, 2016-17 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Refinery Products

Petroleum Refinery production (weight: 28.04%) increased by 0.2 % in April, 2017 over April, 2016. Its cumulative index increased by 4.9 % during April to March, 2016-17 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Fertilizers

Fertilizer production (weight: 2.63 %) increased by 6.2 % in April, 2017 over April, 2016. Its cumulative index increased by 0.2 % during April to March, 2016-17 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Steel

Steel production (weight: 17.92 %) increased by 9.3 % in April, 2017 over April, 2016. Its cumulative index increased by 10.7 % during April to March, 2016-17 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Cement

Cement production (weight: 5.37%) declined by 3.7 % in April, 2017 over April, 2016. Its cumulative index declined by 1.2 % during April to March, 2016-17 over the corresponding period of previous year.

Electricity

Electricity generation (weight: 19.85%) increased by 4.7 % in April, 2017 over April, 2016. Its cumulative index increased by 5.9 % during April to March, 2016-17 over the corresponding period of previous year.

The two-day 18th All India Whips’ Conference, 2018 concluded in Udaipur

The two-day 18th All India Whips’ Conference, 2018 concluded in Udaipur, Rajasthan today. The Conference was jointly inaugurated on 8th January, 2018 by Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals & Fertilizers, Shri Ananthkumar and Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Smt. Vasundhara Raje, who was also the Chief Guest in the Inaugural Function. Shri Kailash Chandra Meghwal, Speaker, Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, presided over the valedictory and concluding session today. Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation; Shri Vijay Goel, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Statistics & Programme Implementation, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria, Home Minister and Shri Rajendra Singh Rathore, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Government of Rajasthan were also present. Around 90 delegates including Ministers, Chief Whips and Whips in Parliament and State Legislatures participated in the conference.

The First Technical Session, ‘Action Taken Report (ATR) received from the States /UTs on the recommendations of the 16th and 17th All India Whips’ Conferences held at Goa and Visakhapatnam respectively’, was presided over and moderated by Shri Vijay Goel. The Second Technical Session, ‘Efficient Functioning of Legislatures’, was presided over by Shri Ananthkumar in the presence of Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal and Shri Vijay Goel and Home Minister of Rajasthan, Shri Gulab Chand Kataria. The Third Technical Session, ‘Rolling out e-Sansad/e-Vidhan in Parliament and State Legislatures to digitize and make their functioning paperless’, was presided over by Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal. While deliberating the usefulness and its limitations, the delegates wished all the success to e-Sansad/e-Vidhan MMP Project in the country. Delegates also shared their experiences and concern regarding various aspects of implementing the recommendations.

In the concluding session, Ten Recommendations were discussed and adopted unanimously by the conference. The recommendations are regarding the Reform of Zero Hour for prompt reply and ATR from concerned Ministry; developing the concept of Committee Hour for discussing reports of various Committees by the Legislatures; Reforms in the structure of Private Members Business; Legislative framework for more working days in both Union and State Legislatures; Infrastructural and Institutional support to Chief Whips for better coordination and functioning of Legislatures and Parliament; Digitization of the Secretariats of the State Legislatures; Consensus building in the Legislatures for not going to the well of the House by the Members etc. Follow up action on the Recommendations made by the Conference will be taken by Union Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

In his inaugural address, Shri Ananthkumar had opined that Whips play three Dimensional Role – Monitoring, Moderating and Motivating. He urged his fellow legislators to ‘Discuss’, ‘Debate’ and ‘Decide’ but not to ‘Disturb’. He observed that the basic purpose of the Conference is to discuss various aspects of parliamentary democracy which is the best form of Government among the available alternatives and to come out with some concrete resolutions so that the people of the country can be served in a better way. Smt. Vasundhara Raje had stated that a legislative body should work like a family where despite of strong debate there must be mutual respect among the fellow Members.

The 1st PIO-Parliamentarian Conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India

The 1st PIO-Parliamentarian Conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi here today. Welcoming the delegates to the Conference, the Prime Minister said that while many people may have left India over the course of hundreds of years, India continues to have a place in their minds and hearts. The Prime Minister said that PIOs (Persons of India Origin) are like permanent ambassadors of India and partners for India's development, who have an important position in the Action Agenda till 2020, drafted by the NITI Aayog.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,The Annual Meeting 2018 of the World Economic Forum shall be held from 23-26 January 2018 at Davos in Switzerland with the theme of 'Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World'. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will be participating in the Annual Meeting. He will be the first Prime Minister to attend the Annual Meeting of the Forum since 1997. The Annual Meeting will be attended by 350 political leaders (among them over 60 heads of state or government), the chairs and chief executive officers of the world's most important companies and over 1,000 leaders from among other walks of life.

The Prime Minister will address the Inaugural Plenary Session at 11:00 AM [3:30 PM 1ST] on 23rd January 2018. He will also meet top Global Business Leaders in Davos. He will also be interacting with the members of the International Business Council consisting of 120 top chief executives of major transnational corporations across sectors.

Project Commencement of Barmer Refinery to be done by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 16 January, 2018

Project Commencement of Barmer Refinery to be done by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 16 January, 2018
Project commencement of Barmer Refinery at Pachpadra, Rajasthan is scheduled to be done by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 16th January, 2018. Chief Minister of Rajasthan Smt. Vasundhara Rajeand Union Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan will also be present among other dignitaries.

Project details:

Project Cost – Rs.43129 crore
Target Mechanical Completion – 4 years
Refining Capacity 9 MMTPA
Equity share of HPCL – 74%
Equity share of GOR – 26%
Location – Pachpadra, Barmer, Rajasthan
Incentive – Interest free loan of Rs.1123 crore per annum for 15 years from date of commissioning to be refunded in next 15 years from 16th year onwards
Refinery capable of producing BS VI products

FUNCTIONS OF BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal or marine ecosystems or its amalgamation. The biosphere reserve network was launched in 1976, two years after the initiation of MAB- Man and the biosphere programme. Government of India established 18 biospheres in the country (categories generally relating to IUCN Category V Protected areas).
FUNCTIONS OF BIOSPHERE RESERVE

Each biosphere reserve is supposed to fulfill three harmonizing functions:

Conservation function: to conserve genetic resources, species, ecosystems and landscapes
Development function: to promote sustainable human development and economic
Logistic support function: to provide support for research and analyzing the issues of conservation and sustainable development.
THREE ZONES OF BIOSPHERES
Biosphere reserves have three unified zones that aim to fulfill three harmonizing and mutually reinforcing functions:

The core area: It involves an entirely secured and protected ecosystem that contributes to the preservation of landscapes, ecosystems, species and genetic variation.
The buffer zone: It encompasses or adjoins the core areas. It is utilized for activities compatible with sound ecological practices that can fortify scientific research, monitoring, training and education.
The transition area: It is the part of the reserve where the greatest activity is permitted to promote economic and human development that is sustainable.

WORLD NETWORK OF BIOSPHERE RESERVES

The World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) covers globally chosen protected areas. It consists of a vibrant and interactive network of sites of distinction. It promotes the harmonious assimilation of people and nature for sustainable development through different ways. If one country declares one area as a biosphere reserve, it can nominate the same to under the UNESCOs Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme. If UNESCO accepts the proposal of the government, the biosphere reserve will enter into the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR).

10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in India are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves which is based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list. Recently, the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve was incorporated at the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere program of UNESCO that ended up in Peru on March 19. With the addition of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, 10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in the country have made it to the list.

YEAR

NAME

STATES

2001

Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

West Bengal

2009

Simlipal Biosphere Reserve

Odisha

2009

Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve

Madhya Pradesh

2009

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve

Meghalaya

2000

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2004

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

Uttarakhand

2001

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2013

Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve

Great Nicobar

2012

Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve

Chhattisgarh

2016

Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

Kerala and Tamil Nadu

ALL 18 BR OF INDIA,BUT THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT THAT ARE PART OF MAB PROGRAMME OF UNESCO

ALL 18 BR OF INDIA,BUT THOSE ARE VERY IMPORTANT THAT ARE PART OF MAB PROGRAMME OF UNESCO

10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in India are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves which is based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list. Recently, the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve was incorporated at the International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere program of UNESCO that ended up in Peru on March 19. With the addition of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve, 10 of the 18 biosphere reserves in the country have made it to the list.

YEAR

NAME

STATES

2001

Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve

West Bengal

2009

Simlipal Biosphere Reserve

Odisha

2009

Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve

Madhya Pradesh

2009

Nokrek Biosphere Reserve

Meghalaya

2000

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2004

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve

Uttarakhand

2001

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve

Tamil Nadu

2013

Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve

Great Nicobar

2012

Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve

Chhattisgarh

2016

Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve

Kerala and Tamil Nadu

NP DECLARED TIGER RESERVE ARE MORE IMPORTANT FOR EXAM

NP DECLARED TIGER RESERVE ARE MORE IMPORTANT FOR EXAM
How many Tiger reserves in India. Total number of Tiger reserves in India is 50. Tiger reserves are the ideal places to conserve the tiger population in their natural habitats.
Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India in the year 1973 to save the endangered species of tiger in the country. Starting from nine (9) reserves in 1973-74 the number is grown up to fifty (50). A total area of 71027.10 km2 is covered by these project tiger areas.
41 Sathyamangalam Tamil Nadu 793.49 614.91 1408.40
42 Mukandra Hills Rajasthan 417.17 342.82 759.99
43 Nawegaon-Nagzira Maharashtra 653.674 – 653.674
44 Nagarjunsagar Srisailam (part)* Andhra Pradesh 2595.72* 700.59* 3296.31*
45 Amrabad Telangana 2166.37* 445.02* 2611.39*
46 Pilibhit Uttar Pradesh 602.7980 127.4518 730.2498
47 Bor Maharashtra 138.12 – 138.12
48 Rajaji Tige Reserve Uttarakhand 819.54 255.63 1075.17
49 Orang Tiger Reserve Assam 79.28 413.18 492.46
50 Kamlang Tiger Reserve Arunachal Pradesh 671.00 112.00 783.00