Says govt will urge Centre to release Rs 227 cr

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said the state government would urge the Centre to release Rs 277 crore to the state. The amount had erroneously been deposited in the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority of India (CAMPA) by the Ministry of Defence as the cost of trees under its projects.

Australia's coastline mining industry undergoing a boom as rules relaxed, but Unesco site to be protected under heritage rules

PANJIM: At least 99 villages including around 90 in the heart of the State’s mining belts of Sattari and Sanguem have been declared ecologically sensitive areas under the Environment Protection Act, 1976, by the Kasturirangan report, amidst accusations that it had sought to dilute the Gadgil panel report.

The high-powered committee was formed by the Centre to study and recommend ways to implement the Madhav Ghadgil report on UNESCO featured biodiversity hotspot, the Western Ghats.

Guwahati: One more translocated rhino was poached in Manas National Park in western Assam bordering Bhutan Himalayas. Forest officials informed that the poachers cut away the horn of the animal after killing it in Kahitema Beat of Bansbari Range of the Park on Tuesday.

It happened to be fourth translocated rhinos to be poached in Manas Park that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So far 22 rhinos have been translocated to Manas National Park from other protected areas of Assam as part of the India Rhino Vision 2020 programme.

The National Green Tribunal has stayed the construction of the Aranmula airport project in Kerala.

Abandon plans to build a new dam, says activist

C.P. Roy, former chairman of Mullaperiyar Samara Samithi, has reiterated his demand for the construction of a tunnel from the Mullaperiyar dam.
He also has sought the abandonment of the plan to build a new dam. Mr. Roy’s demands come close on the heels of the State Budget allocating Rs.50 crore for the construction of a new dam at Mullaperiyar.

Jaipur: The famed hill forts of Rajasthan are inching closer to get the World Heritage Site status.

At the moment, seven forts-- Chittorgarh, Kumbhalgarh, Gagron, Ranthambore, Amber, Jalore and Bala Kila are on the UNESCO tentative list.
“The UNESCO team was in Jaipur on Monday to discuss the nomination of ‘Hill forts of Rajasthan’ for the world heritage site status. The ‘Hill Forts of Rajasthan’ are strategically built in a series and located on the oldest mountain range of the Aravallis or the Vindhyan range in the region. We made a presentation on all the forts and answered all their queries. Later, we took them to the Amber Fort,” said Rakesh Srivastava, principal secretary and commissioner, tourism.

A unique initiative started by the government is helping women from as far as Latin America and Africa light up their lives and homes. Barefoot Solar Engineers, a government initiative, teaches semi-literate and illiterate rural poor women to harness solar energy through the construction of photovoltaic systems and solar-powered lanterns.

The women are being trained under the ministry of external affairs' very successful Solar Engineer Plan as part of its India Technical Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme at Rajasthan’s Tilonia. The Barefoot College, a grassroots movement , was adopted as a training institute in 2008.

The Kaziranga National Park, abode of one-horned Indian rhino and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Assam has been facing a stiff challenge in keeping poachers at bay primarily because of growing number of settlements of suspected illegal migrants from Bangladesh around the park’s core area.

Poachers have been virtually on a rampage in the park since the beginning of this year, killing nine rhinos so far. This is alarming given the fact that the park, where conservation of wildlife goes back to over a century, is one of the biggest success stories in terms of conservation of rhinos.

VADODARA: Almost a decade after he single-handedly got the world heritage status by UNESCO for the lost city of Champaner, noted architect Karan Grover has initiated his next mission for the cause of sustainable buildings.

For the next one year, Grover will be reaching out to 10,000 students of architecture, initiating them to the green cause, calling it the 'Students Green Movement'. The aim of the mission is to encourage the young architects to promote green buildings.