Great Indian Bustard, White-bellied Heron on the brink

The White-bellied Heron, the Great Indian Bustard, the Peacock Tarantula and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper of India are among the 100 most threatened species of the planet and “closest to extinction.” The Javan Rhino and Sumatran Rhino — considered extinct in India — are also present in the list compiled by scientists of the Species Survival Commission (SSC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).The list was released by the Zoological Society of London and the IUCN at the World Conservation Congress being held in the Republic of Korea.

State-run power producer NTPC Ltd’s overseas plans are likely to take a new turn this year. According to sources, work on its Sri Lanka project is likely to start by year- end, while an environmental impact study is going on for its Bangladesh project.

Last year, both NTPC and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) of Sri Lanka had incorporated a joint venture, Trincomalee Power Co, to set up a 2x250 megawatt (Mw) coal-based power project at Sampur in the Trincomalee region. The overall investment of the project was expected to be Rs 3,000 crore.

Nepal, Bhutan and India have agreed to work together to allow the free movement of animal species and address problems of poaching, overgrazing, forest fires and the spread of livestock diseases by

The country witnessed a peak power shortage of 9% from April to June this year

The country suffered power generation loss of close to seven billion units from April to June this year, mainly on account of coal and gas shortage. "During April-June, 2012, the power utilities have reported a generation loss of about 2.9 billion units due to shortage of coal and 4 billion units due to shortage of gas," Minister of State for Power K C Venugopal said in the Rajya Sabha today.