Star News Agency
New Delhi. Shri Dinsha Patel, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is invited to visit Bangladesh for gracing the occasion of signing of Agreement of mutual cooperation in the MSME sector between National Small Industries Corporation Ltd.(NSIC), {a Public Sector Enterprise of Govt. of India} and Industrial and Infrastructure Development Finance Company Ltd. (IIDFC), Bangladesh. Shri Tariq Ahmed Karim, High Commissioner of Bangladesh handed over the invitation of Mr. Dilip Barua, Minister for Industries, Government of Bangladesh, inviting the Minister of MSME to Bangladesh for the signing ceremony as well as to discuss the various issues relating to MSME development in the two countries. Shri Patel is likely to visit Bangladesh sometime during the month of March, 2010.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. Government agencies have procured 193.43 lakh tonne of rice in the current marketing season. As on 28th January 2010, the paddy procurement in terms of rice stood at 193.43 lakh tonne which is 5.4 lakh tonne less than last year.
Punjab has contributed 92.6 lakh tonne followed by Chhattisgarh 22.9 lakh tonne, Uttar Pradesh 19.94 lakh tonne, Andhra Pradesh 19.16 lakh tonne and Haryana 18.07 lakh tonne. The other major contributing states are Orissa, West Bengal, Kerala, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra.
New Delhi. Thorough washing and proper cooking of fruits and vegetables can eliminate most bacteria’s causing food poisoning, said Dr. K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India and E MedinewS.
Food borne illnesses or food poisoning usually comes from eating food tainted with bacteria or their toxins. Virus and parasites can also be behind the food poisoning. People have long known that raw meat, poultry and eggs can also harbour diseases causing microbes. But in recent years most outbreaks of food borne illnesses are due to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Food poisoning can cause abdominal pain, nausea, headache, fatigue, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration. Symptoms may appear several hours to several days after eating tainted food. For example, Salmonella bacteria will cause illness 12 hours to 3 days after ingestion lasting about 4-7 days. The most common way to treat food poisoning is to drink plenty of fluids. The sickness usually subsides within a few days.
Dr. Aggarwal said that with the onset of summer the cases of food poisoning would also increase. The sale of cut open fruits and vegetables throughout the year and not during summer season only should be banned all over the country.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Korea Export Insurance Corporation (KEIC). The MoU seeks to establish the framework of co-operation in supporting and encouraging trade and/or investment in the field of industries where SAIL is involved and related business for the development of such industries. The MoU was signed by Mr. Soiles Bhattacharya, Director (Finance)/SAIL and Mr. Ryu Chang-Moo Chairman & President/ KEIC).
KEIC, a Government agency of the Republic of Korea promotes Korean business entities’ exports, overseas investments and other overseas businesses through its diverse programmes including its insurance and guarantee products. Under the MoU, both the companies will seek to promote co-operation in trade and /or investment credits provided by KEIC related to imports from Korean suppliers including imports for the IISCO Steel Plant project of a blast furnace and/or investments with Korean companies.
The MOU also seeks to establish a strategic alliance in exchange of information and experience with respect to related industries and collaboration between the two parties.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. The total import of sensitive items for the period April-October 2009 has been Rs.35487 crore as compared to Rs.26378 crore during the corresponding period of last year thereby showing an increase of 34.5%. The gross import of all commodities during same period of current year was Rs.716535 crore as compared to Rs 916483 crore during the same period of last year. Thus import of sensitive items constitutes 2.9% and 5.0% of the gross imports during last year and current year respectively.
Imports of automobiles, cotton & silk, products of SSI and alcoholic beverages have shown a decline at broad group level during the period. Imports of all other items viz. edible oil, Pulses, fruits & vegetables (including nuts), rubber, spices, marble & granite, tea & coffee, milk & milk products and food grains have shown increase during the period under reference.
In the edible oil segment, the import has increased from Rs 8195.45 crore last year to Rs 14204.70 crore for the corresponding period of this year. The imports of both crude edible oil as well as refined oil have gone up by 83% and 36% respectively. The increase in edible oil import is mainly due to substantial increase in import of crude palm oil and its fractions.
Imports of sensitive items from Indonesia, China P RP, Myanmar, Brazil, Malaysia, United States of America, Japan, Canada, Ukraine, Argentina, Australia, Benin, Guinea Bissau etc. have gone up while those from Korea RP, Germany, Thailand, Cote D’ Ivoire, Czech Republic etc. have shown a decrease.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. India and Angola will enter a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide an overarching framework for cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector between the two countries. A draft in this regard would be provided by the Angolan side within a month. This was decided at a meeting between the visiting Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Murli Deora and Mr.Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconeles, Minister of Petroleum of Angola at Luanda (Angola) today. The two Ministers leading high level delegations had wide ranging talks in the areas of exploration and production, natural gas operations, refinery construction and upgradation, training and consultancy, etc.
During the meeting an MoU was signed between ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) and the National Oil Company of Angola namely, Sonangol for cooperation in the exploration sector. OVL which is partnering Sonangol in their South Pars acreage in Iran, offered to enter joint venture operations in the existing deep water blocks of Sonangol. The Indian company further offered to participate in the next round of bidding for exploration blocks in Angola with Sonangol.
GAIL expressed its desire to also enter into an MoU with their counterparts to take forward cooperations in the areas of natural gas operations. The company further evinced its interest in participating in the next LNG train project of Angola besides procuring LNG from the African nation. The Indian gas company offered to train the Angolan personnel in the gas technology fields like transmission, distribution, city gas projects etc. The Indian Oil Corporation offered its assistance in operations and upgrdation of existing refineries besides providing operation and maintenance support to the petroleum pipelines in Angola. Angolan side conveyed their interest in the possibility of IOC’s assistance in construction of new refineries in Angola. Both sides assured to respond to the proposals for cooperation expeditiously.
Shri Deora handed over to the Angolan Minister a letter of the Prime Minister of India to the President of Angola on this occasion. The Indian delegation include CEOs of ONGC, IOC, GAIL, OIL and OVL. The delegation leaves for Uganda tonight.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Shri Murli Deora discussed enhancing cooperation in Oil & Gas Sector between Indian and Sudan at a meeting today with his Sudanese counterpart, Shri Awad Ahmed Al Jazz at Khartoum.
The Minister’s visit to Sudan comes in the wake of growing cooperation between the two countries in the hydro-carbon sector. The discussions also focused on areas identified in an MoU signed by the Ministers of State for Oil and Gas of the two countries during India-Africa hydro-carbon conference held in Delhi recently.
Shri Deora, who arrived in Khartoum yesterday on the first leg of his four-nation tour, stressed that Indian companies are keen to participate in more explorations and productions accreages in Sudan. He also raised the issue of payments of the pipeline ONGC Videsh built in the African nation with the Sudanese Minister for Energy and Mining.
The two Ministers agreed to form a joint working group for resolving the issues within a month in respect of 741-km pipeline from Khatroum to Port au Sudan. OVL, which has interest in four blocks in Sudan that give it 2.4 million tons of crude oil annually, wants to consolidate its operations and acquire more accreage in the African country.
Sudan invited the Indian Oil Companies to view data for exploration accreage it will be offering in licensing round this year. Shri Deora agreed to extend Indian assistance to Sudan for developing Natural Gas industry, gas operations, biofuels technology, well stimulation and reservoir management and enhance oil recovery (EOR) schemes.
Sudan would send teams to India this year for training in these disciplines. Shri Deora also offered Indian expertise in refinery upgradation and management besides training its technicians. He also directed the Indian Officials to explore possibility of extending reservation for Sudanese students in the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology. Later, Shri Deora met the Sudanese Vice President and handed over a letter from Prime Minister ShriManmohan Singh for President of Sudan reiterating India's commitment to increasing cooperation with the African nation. Shri Deora will today fly to Nigeria. The other nation's on his itinerary are Angola and Uganda.
Kalpana Palkhiwala
“The greatness of a Nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. — Mahatma Gandhi
The Animal Welfare Fortnight is celebrated every year to sensitise the Animal Lovers, representatives of the Animal Welfare Organisations, Animal Welfare Activists, all Government officials related to animal care and welfare to dedicate their contributions and their services in the field of animal welfare. Initially, the Animal Welfare Fortnight was started during the Chairmanship of Smt. Rukumini Devi Arundale, Founder Chairman, Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) as a celebration of animal awareness week during the Pongal festival celebrated in South India. The first celebration of Animal Awareness Week was arranged in the year 1964 and then after few years it has converted into a fortnight celebrations.
During the celebration, the AWOs/SPCAs conducts the programmes on Humane Education like rescue of animals, starting of animal shelters, closing mini zoos, distribution of pamphlet on animal laws and rules, feeding of birds and animals, planting of bird friendly trees, anti-plastic bag campaigns, arranging veterinary camps etc.
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) was set up in 1962 under Provision of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 for the prevention of cruelty and providing welfare measures for animals. The AWBI imparts education in relation to the humane treatment of animals and to encourage the formation of public opinion against the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering to animals and for the promotion of animal welfare by means of lectures, books, posters, cinematographic exhibitions etc. The Animal Welfare Board of India has completed 47 years of dedicated service in the promotion of Animal Welfare.
Four Central Sector Schemes (CSS) are being implemented by the Animal Welfare Board of India and under the Scheme for Shelter House for looking after the animals, the organizations has to establish and maintain shelter houses for distressed animals in the country. Under CSS, the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCAs) are given grants for construction of boundary walls, shelter, water tank, drains, in-house Dispensary, medical equipment, contingencies etc. for a maximum grant of Rs.22.50 lakhs excluding 10% of contribution from AWOs. During the year 2008-09, the Board had released a grant of Rs.107.92 lakhs to 121 AWOs under the Shelter House Scheme
The Scheme for Animal Birth Control (ABC) & Immunization of Stray Dogs is for controlling the population of stray dogs by sterilization and reducing incidences of rabies by immunization. Non-Governmental Organizations and Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals working in collaboration with local bodies are eligible for this grant. Under this scheme financial assistance is given @Rs.370/- per dog for pre & post operative care, including medicines and Anti-Rabies Vaccine (ARV); and Rs.75/- per dog for catching and relocation of the dog. The grant-in-aid for ABC is to be released in two installments. Under the ABC scheme, grant of Rs.361.55 lakhs was released to 68 AWOs/Local Bodies.
Under the Scheme for Provision of Ambulance Services to Animals in Distress, the animal welfare organizations are given grants for purchase of suitable vehicles for transportation, rescue and also for providing emergency services to animals in distress. Non-Governmental Organizations are assisted to the extent of 90% of the cost of a suitable vehicle and equipment and fitting thereon.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests, releases grants-in-aid to the Animal Welfare Board of India for the various schemes being implemented for the welfare of animals.The Board has granted recognition to 2660 Animal Welfare Organizations (AWOs) up to the year 2008-09.
The Board is providing free, on the spot veterinary treatment to sick and injured animals belonging to poor people through its Mobile Animal Clinic (MAC) programme operating from the Headquarters at Chennai. The Veterinary Surgeon of the Board visits the pre-determined localities in the city where the animal population is concentrated to treat the animals free of charge during forenoons as per a fixed schedule.
Under Rule 3 of the Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001, the Board is the prescribed authority to issue registration certificates. During the year viz. 2008-09, 547 Films/Ad films were granted registration certificates and 773 have been granted pre-shoot permission for using animals in their films.
Cruelty towards animals has always been given priority by the Board and a total of 110 cruelty cases were reported last year. The Animal Welfare Board of India launched a training programme on ABC/AR technique for the technical workers of various Animal Welfare Organization at the National Institute of Animal Welfare. This programme was launched jointly by Vets Beyond Border, Australia and the Ministry of Environment and Forests/NIAW at Ballabgarh, Haryana in February, 2009.
The Animal Welfare Board of India has taken initiative for modernizing the gaushalas through in-house training of gaushalas personnel. The training programs focus on Bio-gas generation and production of Methane gas for fuel, electricity generation, vermin-compost (bio-fertilisers) and bio-pesticide production, generation of electricity from draught power, organic farming, water harvesting, plantation of medicinal herbs, and local breed improvement. Thus, to make the gaushalas self-sustaining, they were motivated by the efforts of AWBI, to make the best use of their huge biomass and also serve as nodal centers of training for farmers.
Besides, cow dung and cow urine can also be utilized for preparation of various medicines for treatment. Such an initiative, if implemented on a large scale can not only generate rural employment but also help the gaushalas to survive as self-sustaining animal welfare institutions.
This year, Shri Gaushala Association, Safidon, Mandi, Haryana is leading the campaign to create awareness and sensitize the public towards preventing cruelties to animals.The rally was flagged off from Delhi and will visit the neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.
New Delhi. Binge eating disorder is a newly recognized condition. People with binge eating disorder frequently eat large amounts of food while feeling a loss of control over their eating, said Dr. K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India and E Medinews.
This disorder is different from binge-purge syndrome (bulimia nervosa) because people with binge eating disorder usually do not purge afterward by vomiting or using laxatives.
But most people with serious binge eating problems have:
- Frequent episodes of eating what others would consider an abnormally large amount of food.
- Frequent feelings of being unable to control what or how much is being eaten.
- Several of these behaviors or feelings:
- Eating much more rapidly than usual.
- Eating until uncomfortably full.
- Eating large amounts of food, even when not physically hungry.
- Eating alone out of embarrassment at the quantity of food being eaten.
- Feelings of disgust, depression, or guilt after overeating.
- The binges occur at least twice a week for 6 months.
Out-of-control binge eating is the biggest eating disorder of today more common than anorexia and bulimia combined and contributing to a rise in obesity. Binge eating afflicts 3.5 percent of women and 2 percent of men at some point in their lives.
Binge Eating Disorder is a little more common in women than in men; three women for every two men have it. Cognitive-behavioral therapy teaches people how to keep track of their eating and change their unhealthy eating habits. It also teaches them how to change the way they act in tough situations. Interpersonal psychotherapy helps people look at their relationships with friends and family and make changes in problem areas. Drug therapy, such as antidepressants, may be helpful for some people.
Large amounts of food high in carbohydrates and sugars are rapidly consumed in a short period of time. The binge itself may only last fifteen to twenty minutes. Proper levels of serotonin and dopamine aid in impulse. Proteins supplement may reduce the craving.Binge eating differs from compulsive overeating in that the binge eater enjoys the rush and stimulation of planning the binge. Compulsive overeaters tend to crave foods high in carbohydrates, sugars, and salt.
Kalpana Palkhiwala
The Internationally agreed regime for climate change is laid down in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 1992. Under the Convention, all industrialized countries have binding commitments to reduce their emissions. The Parties to UNFCCC signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. The Protocol lays downs binding quantified emission reduction targets for all the 37 industrialised countries that are listed in Annex-I of the Convention for the first commitment period 2008-2012, although US, the World’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
As per the principle of ‘common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities’, developing countries including India have no obligation to reduce the green house gas emissions. The Convention recognises that the economic and social development and poverty eradication are the first and overriding priorities of the developing countries parties, and that, in course of meeting the developmental needs the emissions of developing countries are bound to rise. Any mitigation action by the developing countries will be consistent with their national priorities. Further, the Convention also recognises the extent to which developing countries parties will effectively implement their commitments i.e. taking actions to mitigate emissions under the convention will depend on the effective implementation by developed countries parties of their commitments relating to provision of financial resources and the transfer of technology.
Bali Action Plan
In December 2007, Parties adopted the Bali Action Plan to enhance the implementation of the Convention. Negotiations are currently underway to determine the quantified emission reduction targets of the Parties to Kyoto protocol for the second commitment period beginning from 2013 and also define the targets of emission reduction for US, comparable with other Kyoto Parties, in pursuance of Bali Action Plan.
Recent International Negotiations
In the recent international negotiations conducted under the UNFCCC, the industrialized countries have called developing countries to contribute to the global effort to address climate change. Specifically, it has been suggested that the developed countries should follow a low carbon development path and deviate in terms of GHG emission from business as usual scenario. It has been suggested that the developing countries should place their domestic mitigation actions at the same level of international review as the mitigation commitments of developed countries. Implicit in the arguments of the developed countries is the suggestion that the international support for adaptation to and mitigation of climate change in developing countries will depends on willingness of developing countries to subject their national action plans to review and progress in terms of low carbon development.
However, India’s approach to these negotiations is fully anchored in the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. India has argued in the international negotiating fora that the developed country parties must take actions in accordance with the principle of equity and ‘common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities’ in order to achieve the objectives of the convention. Such actions of the developed countries should include deep and ambitious targets for emission reduction in the second commitment period (post 2012) of the Kyoto protocol.
India’s approach to Climate Change India is conscious of the local impacts of climate change within the country. Embedded in the UNFCCC and the Bali Action Plan, India is fully alive to its global responsibilities as well. Although India’s total CO2 emissions are about 4 % of total global CO2 emissions the Prime Minster, Dr. Manmohan Singh has already stated that India will never allow its per capita emissions to exceed that of the developing countries, even with 8-9 % GDP growth every year for the next decade or two, India’s per capita emissions, are likely to be well below developed country averages. India’s energy intensity of production has been falling with improvements in energy efficiency, autonomous technological changes and economical use of energy. India’s climate modelling studies show that its per capita emissions will be around 2-2.5 tonnes of cairn dioxide equivalent by 2020 and around 3-3.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2030, as compared to around 1-1.2 tonnes presently .
India has stated that further actions of the developing countries will depend on the support in terms of finance and technology provided by the developing countries While India is willing to accept Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) as per agreed procedures for these actions that are supported by the international community in terms of finance and technology through agreed channels, its voluntary actions financed from its own domestic resources cannot be subjected to international review. While India has taken a number of step, on its own, to adapt to climate change and mitigate its emissions in the interest of ties, energy security and sustainable development, India will take further voluntary and nationally appropriate actions for addressing climate change strictly in accordance with the priorities and objectives laid down under the National Action Plan for Climate Change.
India is engaged in the international negotiations on climate change as a responsible member of the international community. In the recent negotiations in multilateral and bilateral fora, India has articulated its position along the above lines. India has also expressed its intention to do its best to contribute to a positive outcome at Copenhagen as per the principles and provisions of the Convention, Kyoto Protocol and the Bali Action Plan.
And lady-smocks all silver-white,
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men, for thus sings he:
'Cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo!' O word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear.
When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
And merry larks are ploughmen's clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks,
The cuckoo then, on every tree,
Mocks married men, for thus sings he:
'Cuckoo!
Cuckoo, cuckoo!' O word of fear,
Unpleasing to a married ear.
-William Shakespeare
Firdaus Khan
New Delhi. Depression, severe mental illness and loneliness are linked to heart disease and dementia said Dr. K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India and E medinews.
Quoting Dr. Jesse Stewart, formerly of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dr Aggarwal said that there is correlation between depression and hardening of the arteries. The arteries of those who are most depressed had narrowed twice as much as those who were least depressed, in the study. Hardening of the arteries is a precursor to a heart attack or stroke.
Depression may also upset the body’s regulation of glands that release chemicals governing energy level and growth, and alter the functioning of cells responsible for blood clotting. Hardening of the arteries leads to an overreaction of the immune system and the resulting inflammation is known to release chemicals that can cause the diseases.
Quoting another British study, Dr Aggarwal said that severely mentally ill people are more than three times as likely to die from coronary heart disease and stroke than mpeople not suffering from mental illness. Mental illness more than doubled the risk of dying from heart disease for people up to age 75.
The risk of dying from heart disease was even higher among those taking antipsychotic medications. Quoting another study Dr Aggarwal said that a persistent feeling of loneliness among the elderly doubles the risk of developing Alzheimer’s-like symptoms compared to those who felt connected to others.
New Delhi. Rising temperatures in the next 15 years will lead to a huge drop in global farm production, anything between 20 and 40 percent, and the policy-makers are looking up to the breeders to find a solution to that.
Arguing that new plant varieties and high quality seeds have a critical role in providing a dynamic and sustainable agriculture, Agriculture Minister, Shri Sharad Pawar, today called for all-out encouragement to this sector. He said, the key to success in the farm sector is seed security: the availability of the appropriate variety at the right place and time, in sufficient quantity and quality.
Inaugurating the National Seed Congress here today, the Minister said, ‘Governments need to develop and maintain an enabling environment to encourage plant breeding and the production and distribution of high quality seed. Increased public and private investment in the seed sector is required for the long term if agriculture is to meet the challenges of food security.’
Shri Pawar emphasised that modern biotechnology and molecular breeding and associated methods for attaining increased production and productivity must be harnessed. Apart from genetic enhancement, other technologies related to quality seed production and quality enhancement techniques contribute substantially to improved seeds. Capacity building in all these areas has been supported by the Government and will continue to be a priority area. Simultaneously the establishment and maintenance of an appropriate infrastructure on the scientific as well as technical level is considered important, he said.
Agriculture Minister also stressed on the role the private sector can play in seed production. He said: ‘We need to recognize the benefits in developing complementarity and synergy between the two sectors. The Indian Sub-Continent and South East Asia are considered to have experienced a higher growth rate in agriculture mainly because of the good cooperation between the public and private sectors. Government is interested to develop appropriate policies and investment-friendly legal and regulatory framework to facilitate private sector investment in the seed and agro-industries.’
Seed exports, the Minister said, present a great potential. ‘Global seed market has grown rapidly in recent years and is currently estimated at about 37 billion US dollars. India is ranked 6th with a market size of 1,300 million US dollars. The New Policy on Seed Development of 1988 has stimulated major growth in the industry as it attracted a lot of investment in seed business from seed companies. Given the growth of the seed sector in recent years, India has the potential to become the foremost player in the seed export business in the developing world with prospective markets in Asia, Africa and South America. But India’s present share is less than 2% in the international market. I hope that with our enabling environment the seed trading export share will increase and we must look to achieve at least 10% share.’
Addressing the Congress, Minister of State, Prof. KV Thomas, emphasised on the need to increase the varietal replacement in addition to increasing the seed replacement ratio (SRR) by encouraging farmers to go for latest seeds which are better adapted to the changing climatic conditions and are resistant to new disease and pests. As the cultivable land is stagnant, higher productivity is the only way for food security. The role of high yielding seeds is very crucial in raising crop productivity, he said.
The three-day National Congress is being attended by about 200 policy makers, researchers, plant breeders, seed producers and regulators. Besides the government departments, agriculture universities and research organisations, seed companies in public and private sectors are participating in the Congress.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. The Government has set up a Special Purpose Tea Fund (STPF) with the objective of large scale replanting / rejuvenation of old tea bushes for improving production and productivity. An approximate area of 2.12 lakh hectares of uneconomic tea areas will be replanted / rejuvenated.
During the 11th Plan, it is proposed to replant and rejuvenate 56,795 hectares and 14075 hectares respectively. Under the scheme, subsidy (25% of the unit cost) is provided by the Government. In addition, loan (50% of the unit cost) is provided form SPTF. The balance 25 % is to be borne by the beneficiaries. Financial assistance to the tune of Rs.48.69 crore has been provided towards subsidy under the Special Purpose Tea Fund (SPTF) Scheme since inception till date (1st April 2007 to 30th November 2009) for replantation and rejuvenation of 9902 hectares and 3685 hectares respectively.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. The Union Tourism Minister Kumari Selja has said that recently introduced ‘Visa on Arrival’ scheme for five countries namely Singapore, Finland, New Zealand, Luxemburg and Japan will give a tremendous boost to inbound tourism as it has sent positive signals to the source markets. She was speaking at the inauguration of the inter-state regional conference of Tourism Ministers of southern States/UT administrations . The Conference was convened by the Union Ministry of Tourism to discuss among other things, Rationalization of luxury tax, issues to facilitate seamless travel in Inter-State Circuits, Tourist security and safety, Broad basing of hospitality education and training and initiation for skills training in hospitality sector.
Kumari Selja said, it is heartening to note that in spite of several bottlenecks faced by the global Tourism industry and India the tourism arrivals into India is showing a growth trend. During Dec 2009 the Foreign Tourist arrivals in India saw an 21 % increase over the same period in 2008. She said, the future looks bright and we expect the buoyancy to return in the sector.
She said, tourism plays an important role in most developing as well as developed countries as the main-and sometimes the only- means of economic and social development on a sustainable basis, with meaningful linkages to other productive sectors, such as agriculture and handicrafts. Travel and tourism accounts for 11 per cent the world’s GDP, 8 per cent world’s employment. Indian tourism has been declared the fastest growing, at about 8 per cent, by leading tourism organisations including World Tourism Organisation and World Tourism and Travel Council.
The Minister said, tourism to her should be all inclusive and bring in visible change in the livelihood of local communities and elevate their economic status. This is what the “responsible tourism” model aims to achieve. She urged upon the state tourism Departments and stake holders to explore all possible ways for Poverty Alleviation through Tourism.
Kumari Selja said, the true potential of tourism lies in responsible practices on both the demand and supply sides of the tourism chain, enabling an effective response to climate change. This is closely interlinked with inclusive growth through sustainable community participation. She said, this ‘sustainable’ tourism route has been adopted by the Ministry of Tourism in the innovative Rural Tourism Project, by strengthening skilled rural artisan communities in association with United Nations Development Programme. We already have 153 Rural Sites selected under this initiative and the results have been encouraging.
Kumari Selja said, tourism is an important engine for economic growth and her Ministry has launched the “Hunar Se Rojgar” programme to create employable skills in hospitality sector under the Capacity Building Scheme. The programme started simultaneously across the country in Institutes of Hotel Management and Food craft institutes. She said, the Skill Development Programmes started under “Hunar Se Rojgar” will offer short but quality training courses covering Food & Beverage Service and Food Production. The programme has targeted the youth of weaker sections of societies who are interested in joining the hospitality industry and are in need to acquire skills facilitating employment . Linkages with the industry is also being forged so that the youths coming out of this training programs are gainfully employed.
The Minister said, the central government is providing assistance to States for agumenting Tourism Infrastructure and one of the major challenges being faced by our cities , tourism centers and villages is in the field of Solid Waste Management . She said, this is not only a desirable feature for the success of tourism but also essential for enhancing the quality of life of inhabitants in terms of sanitation and public health. Kumari Selja said, she has already asked her officials in the Ministry of Tourism to look at this component of Solid Waste Management while approving project proposals from State Governments. The Minister said, development of destination should not just end with the executing agencies handing our the completed project or structure. There should be a mechanism in place so that the destinations continue to grow in a sustainable way and assets created are managed /maintained professionally.
Kumari Selja said, this year, Ministry of Tourism has instituted a new award for ‘Best Civic Management of a Tourist Destination in India’. The objective of this award is to proactively involve the municipal authorities and getting their commitment towards eco-friendly, sustainable, clean hygienic and attractive surroundings in our cities, towns and villages. This would help in enhancing visitors’ experience in India, she added.
She said her ministry is trying to ensure convergence with the concerned Ministries such as Railways, Civil Aviation and Road Transport and Highways , Shipping and Urban Development at Central Level. The State & UT Governments have a major role in effecting convergence at the State and local level for providing connectivity, infrastructure , services and other facilities. Kumari Selja requested the States/UT’s to send the proposals to Union Govt. only after ensuring such convergence so that the investment could be more productive and not only a site but the whole destination is projected in the Tourism map.
Referring specifically to the Southern Region of the country, Kumari Selja said, the region has been well known for the “Wellness Tourism” and Wellness Tourism is now becoming an USP for India. She said, the ministry attaches great importance towards development and promotion of wellness Tourism. India, which was traditionally considered a cultural destination for several decades have now emerged as an important destination for wellness holidays for discerning international travelers.
The Minister said, security and safety of the tourists is of paramount importance for the growth of Tourism Sector. The inflow of the domestic and foreign tourists could be ensured only when we are able to provide them a safe and secured environment. The matter regarding constitution of Tourist Police Organization in States and Union Territories has been taken up from time to time. Accordingly, guidelines for raising Tourist Security Organization, comprising ex-servicemen for the safety and security of tourists have been formulated. She said, she is aware that several States have deployed Tourist Police at important tourist destinations in one form or the other but there needs to be a specialized agency to handle tourist safety. She urged the participants states in the conference to take all necessary steps for protection of tourists against crime and disaster situations.
She said, one of the biggest Marketing success has been the “ Incredible India” campaign. This campaign is now 8 years old and continues to be our mantra for attracting foreign visitors. The creatives used in the campaign have been very popular and won several accolades globally. The State governments have also been in successful in building sub brands but the sub brands can be leveraged effectively if used along with the Mother Brand “ Incredible India”. Kumari Selja urged upon the states to use this mother brand while marketing world wide for larger impact.
Minister of State for Tourism Shri Sultan Ahmed in his speech expressed happiness over the fact that the southern states have effectively utilized the central assistance given to them during past years. Karnataka Chief Minister Shri B.S. Yeddyurappa and Tourism Ministers from Southern States and UT Administrations attended the day long conference.
Star News Agency
Mumbai (Maharashtra).The 11th edition of M.I.F.F. (Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films) organized by the Films Division will be held from 3rd to 9th February, 2010 at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Nariman Point, Mumbai.
Addressing a Press Conference in Mumbai on Friday, Mr.Kuldeep Sinha, Chief Producer, Films Division and Festival Director said “MIFF, which began in 1990 has come a long way to be rated as one of the world’s best and largest documentary film festival being manned by film makers. It is now gained recognition on par with renowned International Film Festivals like Leipzig, Berlin, Oberhausen, Krakow, Tampere etc.”
Beginning this edition of the festival, the International and Indian Competition Sections have been merged into one Competition Section. Mr.Sinha said, “Indian documentary producers have now achieved high level of creative as well as technical excellence, to compete with the best in the world’. He said the award money has been enhances in each category and the total award money now stands at Rs 22.75 lakhs. The best short film / documentary (upto 30 minutes) will be awarded a Golden Conch and Rs 3,00,000 cash prize. Another Golden Conch and Rs 3,00,000 award will be given to the best film/ documentary over 30 minutes duration. There also awards for best animation film, fiction film and student’s film. Government of Maharashtra’s Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari will give a Trophy and Rs 1,00,000 for best debut film of a director.
“Dr. V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award” will be awarded to an Indian film maker for his/her contribution to documentary film movement.
Apart from Competition Section, there will be screening of Retrospectives and Special packages, Spectrum India, Seminars and Open Forum during M.I.F.F.-2010. In Retrospectives & Special Packages, Jury’s retrospectives, Women packages, Oscar nominated films, films on immigration issues, environment, global warming, Cinema legends and icons of Indian Freedom Movement and in Country Focus, films from Bhutan, and Argentina as well as Student’s package from L.V. Prasad Institute, Chennai, SRFTII, Kolkata, and NID, Ahmedabad, films from North East India, treasure from NFAI, Puppet Films etc. and lots more are being showcased.
National Film Archives of India, Pune will also stage a unique show of pre-cinema projection technique called ‘Shambharik Kharolika’ or the magic lantern.
This year M.I.F.F. has received a record 864 entries from 37 countries. The Selection Committee consisting of eminent film makers, journalists and critics had previewed the films, the total duration of which crosses more than 400 hours. 64 films have been selected in Competition Section and 43 films have been selected in Non-Competition Section.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. A Japanese delegation led by Mr. Kazuhiro Haraguchi, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications today met Union Minister for New & Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah. The meeting discussed various aspects of cooperation between the two countries in the field of renewable energy.
The two sides decided to jointly develop one city in India as “solar city”. The Solar City project aims to reduce a minimum of 10% of its projected demand of conventional energy at the end of five years through energy efficiency measures and generation from renewable energy installations. Government has, so far, given in-principle approval to 34 cities in the country to be developed as Solar Cities.
Japan wants to promote “Midori no Bunken” – which aims at changing centralized society to community based society to enhance self sufficiency within a region through maximizing natural resources (forest, sea, food) and energy, with emphasis on not relying on electricity generated by others. It focuses on renewable energy like solar, wind, micro hydel and biomass energy.
The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in Research and Development for promoting renewable energy. As part of the exchange programme, a 10-member delegation from India will participate in the Japan-India New and Renewable Energy Seminar in Tokyo later this month. The delegation will include representatives from Central Government, State Governments and Nodal Agencies.
Manish Desai
The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) Sensex, the barometer of India’s stock market fortunes, has entered its silver jubilee year. It was launched on January 2, 1986 with 30 most actively traded stocks of that period, with 1979 as the base year. Today, the 30 stocks on the BSE Sensex, account for around 1/5th of the market capitalization of the Bombay Stock Exchange
There are more than 4,700 companies listed on the BSE, making it the biggest stock exchange in the world on the basis of number of listed companies. But not all stocks are actively traded. Even fewer are significant pointers of the trends in the market and the economy.
At the launch of the Sensex, the Bombay Stock Exchange had said that "the absence of an index number of equity prices to reflect the general trend of the market was felt for a long time by investors and also by newspapers who do not compile their own index numbers”.
What is Sensex?
The Sensex is a value-weighted index and is calculated based on a free-float capitalization method. This is a variation from the earlier market capitalization method, as instead of using a company’s all outstanding shares, only the shares that are readily available for trading are used. The free-float method, therefore, does not include restricted stocks, such as those held by promoters, government and institutional investors. This method was introduced w.e.f September 1, 2003, to serve as a true indicator of market sentiments.
The calculation of SENSEX involves dividing the free-float market capitalization of 30 companies in the Index by a number called the Index Divisor. The Divisor is the only link to the original base period value of the SENSEX. It keeps the Index comparable over time and is the adjustment point for all Index adjustments arising out of corporate actions, replacement of scrips etc.
From its early days in 1986, the Sensex has traveled a long way and has increased by nearly 35 times to the present. On the first day of trading on April 1, 1986, the Sensex had closed at 549.43. It opened its silver jubilee year trading at 17,467.
Composition of the Sensex
The composition of the index too has undergone change many times as only 11 of the original 30 companies continue to be part of the Sensex.
In 1986, Sensex comprised – ACC, Bombay Dyeing, Ballarpur Industries, Ceat Tyres, Century Spinning, Food Specialities (now Nestle), Great Eastern Shipping, GSFC, Glaxo, Gwalior Rayon (now Grasim), Hindustan Aluminium (now Hindalco), Hindustan Lever,(now Hindustan Unilever) Hindustan Motors, Indian Hotels, Indian Rayon, ITC, Kirloskar Cummins, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Mukand, Pieco Electronics (now Philips), Premier Automobile, Reliance Industries, Siemens, TELCO (now Tata Motors), Tata Power, Tata Steel, Voltas, Zenith.
The present composition comprises ACC, BHEL, Bharti-Airtel, DLF, Grasim, HDFC, HDFC Bank, Hero-Honda, Hindalco, Hindustan Unilever, ICICI Bank, Infosys, ITC, Jaiprakahs Associates, Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Udyog, NTPC, ONGC, Reliance Communications, Reliance Industries, Reliance Infrastructure, State Bank of India, Sterlite Industries, Sun Pharma, TCS, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Steel, Wipro.
The changed composition in itself narrates the new dimension acquired by the Indian corporate sector. India’s pre-eminence in the IT world is highlighted by the presence of its big three IT-ITES companies – TCS, Infosys and Wipro. There are five Public Sector entrants, unlocking the hidden opportunities thanks to the policy of disinvestment. While presence of three Reliance companies reflect on corporate splits, the inclusion of Bharti-Airtel, DLF, Jaiprakash Associates and Sterlite signify the arrival of new corporate giants. Making way for the new entrants are the bigwigs of the yester years – viz : Bombay Dyeing, Century, Hindustan Motors, Premier Automobiles , Great Eastern Shipping etc. A cursory look at the Sensex companies of the past and the present clearly defines the sun-rise and sun-set sectors of the Indian economy. The new composition also indicates the decline of over-bearing presence of Mumbai headquartered companies, which accounted for over 75 per cent in 1986.
SENSEX Over the Years
It took more than two years for the Sensex to cross the four digit mark. On July 25, 1990 the Sensex for the first time closed at 1001 points. It began to pick up momentum, with a slew of economic liberalization measures announced in 1991 by Dr.Manmohan Singh, the then Finance Minister of India. A market friendly budget of 1992-93 and expectations from a liberal import-export policy helped Sensex surge past 4,000 mark by March 1992, before the Harshad Mehta scam hit the market. Y2K coincided with the information technology boom, and the Sensex crossed 6000 in the year 2000. Around 2005, Foreign Institutional Investors became active on the stock market and the Sensex crossed the 8,000 mark on September 8, 2005. February 7, 2006 was a golden letter day for the Bombay Sensex, as it crossed the 10,000 mark and closed marginally above. Little more than a year later, Sensex doubled again and breached the 20,000 mark on October 29, 2007. It touched 21,078 on January 8, 2008. Then the signs of global recession began to surface and the US sub-prime crisis hit the market hard, when several Foreign Institutional Investors began off-loading their holdings. It has now begun to stage a comeback.
Importance of Indices
It is often stated that the stock market indices play an important role in gauging the economic health and progress of a country. It all began with the construction of Dow Jones Transportation Average in 1884. Today, across the world we have several stock market indices. Notable among them being – the S & P Global, Dow Jones, FTSE, Hang Seng and Nikkei. Despite their overwhelming popularity with the investors, they have also been targets of criticism on many counts. There are plenty of incidences of rigging, corporate corruption, artificially over-valued stocks, conflict of interest of research firms, which cause volatility in stock markets and dent the images of indices as ‘true and fair’ reflectors of company’s health.
Yet, Stock Markets and their indices continue be important. Stock markets provide the much needed liquidity in the economy. The two stock market indices from India, the BSE Sensex and NIFTY have helped put the Indian Capital markets on the world map. The growing presence of Foreign Institutional Investors is integrating our markets with the global markets. Let the march continue.
New Delhi. The Normal human Body Requirements of Aluminium is 5-20 mg /day. But Most of the Antacids Containing Aluminium Hydroxide provide more than 80 mg of Aluminium. Routine Usage of such Antacids causes Anaemia, Aphthous ulcers, Osteoporosis, Pathological Fractures, Endogenous Depression, Loss of Memory and Urinary Incontinence, and Chronic Renal Failure, said Dr K K Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India and e Medinews. These are the Signs of Aluminium Toxicity. Sodium Meta Silicate, an Isomer of Silicic Acid is known to reduce the Aluminium Load on the body by Enhancing it's Renal Excretion.
Is vinegar good for the arteries?
There is no evidence to this. However some studies in humans suggest that daily doses of apple cider vinegar may help people with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar. Acetic acid gives vinegar its distinctive smell and sour taste. A synthetic cousin of acetic acid, EDTA is a chelating agent and is used in cases of lead, mercury, or iron poisoning. A dubious practice, chelation therapy, involves repeated administration of EDTA to clean out the arteries by dissolving cholesterol-filled plaque. This is based on wishful thinking, not science. Apple cider vinegar is an ingredient in foods, sauces, and dressings. Taking too much can lower blood potassium levels. Straight apple cider vinegar can erode the enamel on your teeth.
Ashok Handoo
The Copenhagan summit on climate change may have ended without adopting a treaty to replace the Kyoto protocol after 2012, but India has reason to be pleased at the outcome. That is because it, along with some other developing countries, has been able to achieve at least part of its objectives.
The first achievement has been the BASIC countries - Brazil, South Africa, India and China - being able to resist the moves of the developed countries to make the developing countries sign up to a treaty to legally binding emissions targets. The industrialized countries have all along been insisting on other countries signing such a treaty so that they could be bound to such fixed targets without bothering about their development needs.
The other achievement has been that the group of four along with 20 other countries prevented the group of over 40 developed countries to fix a peaking year beyond which their carbon emissions would actually be falling. The fact is that the developing countries are far behind as far as the per capita emissions are concerned. It will take them a long time to reach anywhere near the present level of emissions by the developed countries. Fixing a peaking year would therefore impact the economic progress of the developing countries as they could not emit a higher level of carbon after that year. The accord explicitly recognizes that the timeframe for peaking year will be longer in developing countries. There is no mention of a specific peaking year. The first and overriding priority would be given to poverty eradication and livelihood.
Another achievement has been in preventing the industrialized countries to have international inspections to ensure that the developing countries are abiding to the targets to be fixed in the proposed treaty. This provision would have impinged upon the sovereignty of the individual countries. A lot of debate has taken place on the provision of ‘consultations and analysis clause’ of the accord which is being interpreted by some as allowing international inspection. But the Minister of Environment Shri Jairam Ramesh has described it only a ‘nuance’. Country’s leading Environmentalist Shri R.K.Pichauri is of the view that this does not give any country the right to inspect India’s domestic efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which are unsupported. The treaty provides that rules will be framed soon to clearly define guidelines that will respect national sovereignty.
The accord has also kept the Kyoto Protocol sacrosanct as future negotiations will be based on the basic principles of the Kyoto Protocol. Unfortunately, the developed countries have been making repeated attempts to nullify the provisions of the Kyoto protocol. Earlier, the US Congress had even refused to ratify it. It binds the developed countries to take deeper cuts in carbon emissions and provide financial and technical support to the developing countries to enable them to reduce their carbon emissions. This has not been happening despite long drawn negotiations on a regular basis
The four emerging countries in the BASIC group have thus succeeded in safeguarding their national interests. Specific provisions have been made in the accord to ensure that national sovereignty is protected.
The last minute accord, in which the US and the four emerging economies along with over 20 other countries played a major role, has taken care of all the above concerns. It was reached after it became clear that the 194-nation conference was in danger of a total failure. And considering the huge expectations from the participating countries, highlighted by demonstrations across the world to urge the leaders to act, it would have been much more disastrous if nothing had been done. Certainly, the outcome could have been much more impressive.
As Shri Jairam Ramesh told the Parliament the BASIC group has emerged as a powerful force in climate change negotiations, in the face of relentless pressure from the developed countries. At the same time India’s approach has been recognized as constructive. This has been established by the fact that the conference took note of the Accord though it could not adopt it for want of a consensus. The Conference, as a matter of rule, functions on the basis of consensus in taking decisions.
The Copenhagen summit could not conclude negotiations under the Bali Action Plan (BAP) and the Kyoto Protocol, the treaty that is currently in operation to deal with climate change issues. It is now proposed to be completed by the end of 2010.
The accord sets the goals of keeping the rise in global temperature within 2 degrees Celsius to be able to deal with the challenge of global warming. It promises 100 billion dollars for poor nations that have to bear the brunt of the fallout of global warming.
The UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban ke Moon has described the accord as a significant achievement. He said it fulfills the parameters he had sought, even though the end result fell far short of even the most modest expectations voiced before the meeting. The UN would now set a high level panel on development and climate change, early next year.
Some developing countries did express a feeling of being left out in reaching the accord but the Minister clarified India will, as always, work with the group of 77 countries –together with China-in conducting the climate change negotiations as a block.
The conference also witnessed some wrangling between various countries, each blaming the other for blocking a deal. But the real answer to the problem lies in the developed countries recognizing the compulsions of the developing countries and taking bigger initiatives. At the same time the developing countries too have to take a serious note of the global threat on account of climate change. Time is running out for all countries to act and halt climate change. Journey on the road to Mexico, where the next conference will be held in December 2010, has to begin right away.
Star News Agency
New Delhi. Shri Sharad Pawar, Minister of Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution released a Drought Management Manual at a brief function held here today. The drought manual is expected to prove an effective practical guideline for administrators, experts and civil society in implementing drought mitigation and relief measures and for alleviating distress of the drought affected people.
The manual prepared by the National Institute of Disaster Management has drawn upon the rich and diverse past experience of drought management and suggests an extensive list of procedures and measures that need to be taken for alleviating the impact of drought. Here is the backgrounder of the manual:
Drought as one of the major natural calamities has posed a big threat to the food security and elimination of poverty and hunger all around the world, including India. India has witnessed 22 major droughts in the past 120 years. Increased climate variability coupled with global warming has made rainfall pattern more inconsistent and unpredictable leading to increase in the recurrence of droughts and drought like situations. Of the 22 major droughts, last seven have occurred during 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1999, 2000 and 2002. In 2009, 14 States phases drought in 334 districts.
Apart from resultant fall in agricultural production, droughts have other multifarious long drawn impacts, such as shortage of drinking water, fodder, deficiency of water in dams/reservoirs for power generation severely affecting overall growth of the economy.
Over a period of time India has accumulated substantial experience of handling droughts in the country and providing not just immediate relief but also undertaking long-term mitigation measures. In fact, one of our most positive achievements since Independence has been complete avoidance of famines due to Government’s emphasis on food production, distribution of foodgrains through the PDS and public works programmes.
Evidently, effective and comprehensive management of droughts encompassing early warning, monitoring, relief and mitigation is a major concern in the domain of public administration. Coping with this natural malady requires extensive planning presentation and management entailing willing and active participation of role players from diverse segments, especially within the central and state governments.
Viewed in this context, there was a long felt need to bring together at one place all conceptual issues, detailed institutional framework and operational details related to drought management. Accordingly, the National Disaster Management Institute was requested by the Department of Agriculture and Cooperation to prepare a manual reflecting a comprehensive and coordinated approach to management of drought recommending measures, which need to be implemented for effective drought relief and mitigation.
Firdaus Khan
New Delhi. An hour of puffs from a hookah packs the same carbon monoxide punch as a pack-a-day cigarette habit, said Dr. KK Aggarwal, President, Heart Care Foundation of India. Hookahs, has grown in popularity in recent years. In colleges, towns and elsewhere, hookah bars have appeared all over the world that allow people to smoke the water pipes.
Users inhale tobacco smoke after it bubbles through water, a process that some people think filters toxins from the tobacco. Hammond and a student, in a study published in a letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association, recruited 27 students who smoked water pipes for an hour on three different evenings. Another five students didn't smoke the hookahs but stayed in the room with those who did.
The participants abstained from water pipe smoking for 84 hours before taking part in the study; the bowls of their water pipes were filled with water and 10 grams of Al Fakher mu'assal tobacco, then heated with charcoal.
Researchers monitored carbon monoxide in the breath of the participants both before and after the experiment using a machine designed to detect if people are smokers. The exhaled carbon monoxide in participants was an average of 42 parts per million, higher than that reported in cigarette smokers (17 parts per million). The study also found that carbon monoxide levels grew in the room where the subjects smoked hookahs and might reach environmentally unhealthy levels, as determined by the federal government, during longer sessions. Smoking a water pipe for 45 minutes produces 36 times more tar than smoking a cigarette for five minutes.
Kalpana Palkhiwala
Global warming will have impact on various sectors. A preliminary assessment of impact and vulnerability due to projected climate on sectors such as water resources, agriculture, forestry, natural ecosystems, coastal zones, human heath, energy, industry and infrastructure was undertaken at the time of preparation of India’s Initial National Communication on Climate Change submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2004. The Projected climate change impact scenarios indicate increase in and variable trend of both rainfall and temperature into the 21st century, reduction in the quantity of surface run off across the various river basins, droughts and intensity of floods in various parts of the country.
The report of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body of scientists and experts appointed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) observes that eleven of the last twelve years rank among the warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature since 1850. The updated 100 year linear trend for 1906-2005 is 0.740C. There is no specific scenario predicated for India in the report, but this will have some effect in the long run.
In most tropical and sub-regions, potential yields are projected to generally decrease. Water scarcity in many water scare areas will be further exacerbated. Population in low –lying coastal areas and small islands would be at particular risk. Ecological productivity and bio diversity will be altered by climate change with increased risk of extinction of some species. Increasing concentrations of Green House Gases (GHG) are also projected to result in changes in frequency, duration and intensity of extreme events such as heat waves and heavy precipitation events. Climate Change would also increase the threats to human health due to increase in vector borne diseases. The impact of climate change would fall disproportionately upon developing countries and would further increase inequities in health status, access to food, clean water and other resources.
Projections of Climate Change for India
Indian projections, under future climate change scenario of increase Green House Gas(GHG) concentrations, indicate marked increase in both rainfall and temperature into the 21st century, particularly becoming conspicuous after 2040’s. Increase in GHG concentrations may lead to overall increase in the rainy day intensity by 1-4 mm/day except for small areas in northwest India where the rainfall intensities decrease by 1 mm/day.
According to India Meteorological Department, the monsoon rainfall at All India level does not show any trend but there are some regional patterns. This in turn would impact yields of crops. The process of climate change is slow and its effects on agriculture are projected to be apparent over several decades.
Forestry and Natural Ecosystems
The emerging results of analysis of impact of climate change on forest biomes in India seem to be highly vulnerable to the projected change in climate. Majority of the vegetation in India is likely to be less optimally adapted to its existing location and consequently vulnerable to the adverse climatic changes. Biodiversity is also likely to have adverse impact due to this.
Human Health
According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) in its 4th Assessment Report published in 2007, human begins are exposed to climate change through changing weather patterns for example, more intense and frequent extreme events and indirectly through changes in water, air, food quality and quantity, ecosystems, agriculture and economy.
Increases in malnutrition and consequent disorders, with implications for child growth and development seems other effect on human beings. Particularly those with low adaptive capacity will suffer in different ways. Increase in deaths, disease and injury due to heat waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts, the increased burden of diarrhoeal disease; increased frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases due to higher concentrations of ground level ozone related to climate change and altered spatial distribution of some infectious- disease vectors. Malaria incidences are directly linked to the generation of vectors which are sensitive to temperature, precipitation and humidity conditions.
Infrastructure
Large infrastructure such as dams, roads, bridges incurring high costs of construction are vulnerable to extreme events like cyclones, heavy rains, landslides and floods, which may increase in the later half of the century due to climate change. At that time, the currently commissioned infrastructure having lived its normal life span would be more vulnerable to these recurrent events.
Coastal Zones in India
The holistic data of sea level reveals high variability along the Indian coast line with an increase along the Gulf of Kutchh and West Bengal line and decrease along Karnataka coast. The observations indicate a long term average rising trend of 1mm/year in sea level and a projection of rise in a sea level in the range of 46-59 cm by the end of twenty first century. The result of preliminary assessment indicates the vulnerability of Indian coast lines due to sea level rise, tectonic movement, and prevalent hydrographs and physiographic.
Agriculture
Variable impacts of climate change on agriculture have been projected. For instance, increase in CO2 concretion; increase in temperature and variable distribution of rainfall show a mixed projection of yields of various crops across regions. No definite trends have yet been established. While high CO2 can result in growth and increase in plant biomass, high ambient temperature resulting from increased emission can reduce the crop yields. Studies indicate that increased temperature can substantially reduce yields of cereals apart from affecting their quality. Secondary impact of changed pest and disease scenario can further complicate the crop yield situation.
The Expert Committee on Climate Change would be looking into the aspects of measures required for agriculture and to ensure that food security is not threatened due to climate change. Department of Agriculture is in process of preparing a comprehensive action plan on the agricultural agenda for the climate change.
According to India Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), some scanty information of extreme events of cold waves, heat waves and excess rainfall have been noticed. In Agra, Wheat yields were lowered due to cold waves in 2002-03 as compared to previous normal year of 2001-02. In Bihar, loss of seed setting in maize and loss of productivity in boro rice of Assam was recorded in response to extreme coldness.
Research in different Indian Council of Agricultural Research Institutes ( ICAR) through its own programme and research projects funded by National Agriculture Innovate Project (NAIP) is trying to tackle the issue and develop agro technologies including crop varieties and crop growing methods to reduce the adverse impact of emission related climate change and retain high adverse impact on production and productivity. The Expert Committee on Climate Change would also be looking into the aspects of measures required for agriculture and to ensure that food security is not threatened due to climate change. Department of Agriculture is in process of preparing a comprehensive action plan on the agricultural agenda for the climate change.
- Regular naps prevent old age, especially if you take them while driving.
- Having one child makes you a parent; having two you are a referee.
- Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other is the husband!
- I believe we should all pay our tax with a smile. I tried - but they wanted cash.
- A child's greatest period of growth is the month after you've purchased new school uniforms.
- Don't feel bad. A lot of people have no talent.
- Don't marry the person you want to live with, marry the one you cannot live without, but whatever you do, you'll regret it later.
- You can't buy love, but you pay heavily for it.
- Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.
- Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.
- Marriage is give and take. You'd better give it to her or she'll take it anyway.
- My wife and I always compromise. I admit I'm wrong and she agrees with me.
- Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.
- Ladies first. Pretty ladies sooner. A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
- You're getting old when you enjoy remembering things more than doing them.
- It doesn't matter how often a married man changes his job, he still ends up with the same boss.
- Real friends are the ones who survive transitions between address books.
- Saving is the best thing. Especially when your parents have done it for you.
- Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something
- They call our language the mother tongue because the father seldom gets to speak !
- Man : Is there any way for long life ?
- Dr : Get married.
- Man : Will it help ?
- Dr : No, but then the thought of long life will never come.
- Why do couples hold hands during their wedding ? It's a formality just like two boxers shaking hands before the fight begins !
- Wife : Darling today is our anniversary, what should we do ?
- Husband : Let us stand in silence for 2 minutes.
- It's funny when people discuss Love Marriage vs Arranged.
- It's like asking someone, if suicide is better or being murdered.
- There is only one perfect child in the world and every mother has it.
- There is only one perfect wife in the world and every neighbor has it !
