UNESCO and CHIC Group released the White Paper on the UNESCO-CHIC Group (China) Biosphere Integrated Rural Urbanization Program on Oct 21 in Shanghai.

The Union Urban Development Ministry has constituted a working group to suggest ways for the preservation of water bodies in the urban areas. Rapid disappearance of water bodies from the urban landscape has sounded an alarm vis-à-vis water shortfall and has also put a considerable strain on States’ spending to meet the demand for water.

A case in point is Bangalore, which despite having a Lake Development Authority that is considered a model worth replicating, is being forced to spend Rs. 3,000 crore a year on electricity, which is consumed for supplying water from the Cauvery.

First cities and biodiversity outlook report was released here at the Convention for Biological Diversity. The focus is on action and policy towards sustainability with accent on awareness.

The State animal of Jharkhand, the elephant, has become a displaced creature in its own home, courtesy vanishing corridors, growing urbanisation and illegal mining.

The government should only in exceptional cases permit acquisition of farm land for non- agriculture purposes like setting up of industries and housing projects, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said on Tuesday.

Mr. Pawar, who heads the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Land acquisition bill, said there is a pressure on farm land because of rising population. He said the government would ensure agricultural land having high yields is not allowed for acquisition by private firms for non-agriculture purpose.

Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday said the state government has prepared a “Multi-Modal Mobility” plan to provide better transport facilities, like Metro and pod taxis, to the people.

Haryana is seriously considering running pod taxi in big cities and in Gurgaon, including the old city. Mr Hooda was speaking after flagging off the trial run of Rapid Metro, an intra-city metro service, in Gurgaon which is first of its kind project on Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) model in the country and he also laid foundation stone of it’s extension.