Entire spectrum of oxygen infrastructure including PSA Plants, Oxygen Concentrators and Oxygen Cylinders,Ventilators

 Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary chaired a high-level meeting today to review preparednessstatus of the entire spectrum of oxygen equipment including ventilators, PSA/Oxygen plants, oxygen concentrators and oxygen cylindersfor timely and effective management of the COVID19 pandemic,with States and UTs through a Video Conference today.

Underlining the challenge posed by increasing number of COVID cases across the country, with focus on Omicron, Union Health Secretary emphasized that it is the primary and critical responsibility of States and UTs to ensure all oxygen equipment, till the field level at all health facilities is tested and kept in a functional state to meet any emergent situation.

States/UTs were urged to ensure full and optimal utilization of ECRP-II funds, through daily reviews, and to upload the expenditure on the dedicated NHM PMS portal so that they are eligible for release of further funds in order to strengthen the healthcare facilities till the sub-district levels. Under ECRP-II, funds are also made available for installing Liquid Medical Oxygen [LMO] tanks and Medical Gas Pipeline Systems [MGPS]. States are required to make them operational and secure approval from Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organization [PESO] in respect of LMO tanks.

Union Health Secretary also urged the concerned States to commission PSA plants being set up under state’s own funds and CSR funds on a war-footing through daily reviews. States were requestedto also ensure that mock drill of the PSA plants are carried out to ensure that oxygen flow at the patient bedside adheres to adequate purity, recommended outlet pressure with no leakages. In addition, flowmeters must be tested and remain in functional state. States were exhorted to also monitor installation of PSA plants in private hospital facilities and Medical College Hospitals.

Union Health Secretary emphasized that States need to ensure that the delivered ventilators are quickly installed and commissioned at the designated field health facilities. They were urged to address the large gaps that continue to exist between delivered and installed ventilators, provide consignee details of hospitals for requirement of additional ventilators and expedite the issuing of Final Acceptance Certificates for installed ventilators. States/UTs were further reminded to expedite finalizing maintenance contracts with manufacturers. States/UTs were also advised to lodge any complaint related to ventilators in the online Complaint Management System which was launched on 30 August 2021.

It was pointed out that the Union Health Ministry has started the National Oxygen Stewardship Program from 22ndDecember 2021. States need to ensure that Technical Training of the operators is completed across the country.  More than 1600 candidates joined the said training programme covering 738 districts. An online PSA training program is also being carried out by Directorate General of Training [DGT] through 24 regional centres across the country.So far, 4690 candidates have been trained under the 180-hour training program, while 6,825 candidates have received their training under the 10-hour training program.

States to also maintain a state of alertness to ensure adequate buffer stock of drugs.They were urged to update buffer stock details with Government hospitals as well as with Medical Colleges on the Drugs and Vaccine Distribution Management System [DVDMS] portal. States/UTs which have not frozen their buffer requirement of drugs on DVDMS portal were urged to timely update them along with the details of stocks available and purchase orders placed.

Purvanchal region emerges as new hub for India’s Agri-export

 Working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has taken several initiatives in making landlocked Purvanchal region as a new destination of agri-export activities through development of Varanasi Agri – Export Hub (VAEH).

APEDA has identified potential districts of Uttar Pradesh to be covered under the VAEH. The Purvanchal division covers districts of Varanasi, Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Basti, Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Chandauli and Sant Ravidas Nagar.

The Varanasi region, where there are negligible agri-exports used to take place because of lack of basic infrastructure, is now abuzz with activities which has given a boost to exports. After the intervention of APEDA, Varanasi region has recorded exemplary changes in the export scenario and registered many first-of-its-kind achievements in a very short span of time.

With the active intervention of APEDA, about 20,000 Metric Tonne (MT) of agri- produce have been exported from Purvanchal region in the last six months. Out of these shipments, about 5,000 MT fresh fruits and vegetables and 15,000 MT of cereals have been exported to Vietnam, Gulf nations, Nepal and Bangladesh by all modes of transportation.

Varanasi and nearby areas witnessed an export of around 12 MT, 22 MT and 45 MT in the months of October, November, December respectively in the year 2021. Also, around 125 MT have been exported from Varanasi and nearby areas.

As Varanasi is a territory based in the plains of river Ganges, it has rich nutritional composition of soil with ample amount of fertility which leads to production of good quality agri-produce. Varanasi region also has reputed institutions of central and international level such as Indian Institute of Vegetable Research (IIVR), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Currently, the Varanasi region has a number of exporters and exports of agricultural products is being undertaken through air route due to establishment of robust quarantine as well as custom clearance facilitation centre at Lal Bahadur Shastri International (LBSI) Airport. APEDA has organised more than 30 capacity building programmes in the entire Varanasi region followed by eight international buyer-seller meets, which has provided a platform to the exporters to market their food products in the global marketplace.

To monitor the product and production, a project of AI tech is also being considered for approval. APEDA is also planning to take member Farmer Producer Organization to different successful territories for unveiling the agri-supply chain and market linkage.

The government is also considering replicating the Varanasi model in the Gorakhpur region of Purvanchal as the geography, demography and few other parameters are common in both the places. The newly established international airport in Kushinagar may play a vital role in triggering the export. The DDU Gorakhpur University, Indian Institute of Seed Science, Mau are the institutions actively working towards promotion of agri- activities in the region.

APEDA has also approved three projects for comprehensive grain and nutritional quality profiling of non-Basmati Rice, value added products from Rice and rice-based food systems. An APEDA-funded project for integrated IT solutions to enhance Agri Export in Varanasi Region is under process.

The export of the first trial shipment of 14 MT green chilly was facilitated by APEDA from Varanasi to Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port in December 2019.

For the first time, from Varanasi 3 MT fresh vegetables was exported to London, 3 MT fresh mangoes to Dubai, 1.2 MT fresh mangoes to London, 520 MT regional rice to Qatar and 80 MT regional rice to Australia during the Covid pandemic in 2020, after APEDA’s intervention.

Meanwhile, Trisagar Farmer Producer Company Ltd, which is based in Sant Ravidas Nagar district, has started sending shipments on a daily basis to the international market after the intervention of APEDA. In another success story, Gazipur district-based Shivansh Krishak Producer Company Ltd with a base of 1,500 progressive farmers has managed to get a decent realisation for its commodities after exporting a good volume of agri-produce.

Similarly, Varanasi-based FPO Jaya Seed Farmer Producer Company Ltd, which grows mangoes in around 50 acres, is getting higher price as compared to average price of the market after the intervention of APEDA. Prior to the initiative taken by APEDA, the FPC used to sell mangoes at an average price of Rs 25/kg, but in recent season they have sold it at Rs 50/kg to a Netherland-based company named Super Plum having few outlets in Bangalore and Mumbai.

***

REMEDIAL TEACHING

Remedial Teaching is a kind of teaching method or instructional work carried out to provide remedial measure to students. The word “ remedy” means “to rectify” or “to improve” something. So, Remedial teaching is carried out to provide remedial measures to get rid of common or specific weakness of students. The major objective of remedial teaching is to provide learning support and additional help to pupils who are not good as their peers in performance. Students with learning difficulties have some psychological needs. Some have less ability to comprehend abstract ideas and concepts. Others may have poor memory. So it is integral in remedial teaching to identify the specific weakness of pupils.

The learning difficulties in students are various. They may include poor memory, weak in problem solving power, short attention span, lack of learning motivation, lack of self confidence and self expectation, difficulty in understanding new or abstract concepts. So assessment is the first step in remedial teaching. Assessment is also the important factor, because through this the teacher gets a knowledge about the skills and weaknesses of a student. The capacity of students should be assessed by the teacher through survey testing. This will help the teacher to find the present level of achievement and difficult areas of a student. This will also aid the teacher in preparing suitable individual teaching materials. The survey testing reveals the strength and weakness of the class as a whole and the levels of discrepancies in the various basic skills of each student. So the test will help in classifying the students into groups for works like reading, spelling etc.

Teachers use various methods in remedial teaching. There must be diverse learning activities with the same teaching objective to develop abilities and skills of students. Quizzing is the most common method used in remedial teaching. Analyzing the progress of students will help in regrouping them if necessary. Designing meaningful learning situation is important. Suitable language environment is very important in second language classes. Games and activities also stimulate the interest and initiative in learning. Different teaching methods should be adapted by the teacher to improve the learning capacity of students. For example, the teacher should give valuable examples before proceeding to abstract concepts, which will help in easy understanding. Providing clear instructions is also important for students who are less competent in understanding written language. There must be short and clear instruction to avoid confusion among students. Summarising main points is another method which enhances the audio visual memories. Teachers can also guide the students to link up classroom knowledge with life experiences. This will enhance effectiveness of learning. Enhancing learning interest is important in remedial teaching. Teachers can design interesting activities coupled with reward scheme to stimulate the interest of students, for example role play, debate, narrating incidents and games related to language learning initiate learning. Remedial teaching should enhance the active participation of students to enhance their self confidence. Concern for individual performance is important. If individualized remedial teaching is necessary it should be done before or after the class, so the students can remove learning obstacles as soon as possible. Teachers should also note common errors made by these students

Thus remedial teaching is a very significant method . This provides correct foundation to rectify mistakes and for future learning. It hastens the process of learning. Underachievers are promoted to update learning and other students are promoted to expand learning. Remedial teaching also creates confidence in students and it help them to realize their full potential.

Magical Words For The Sign Of Birth

zodiac | Symbols, Dates, Facts, & Signs | Britannica

We all have seen or read fictional movies or books where people can go into the future or be able to see the future and so many more things like that. Just imagining this coming true in the real world makes us go into our imaginary dream world or brings a big smile to our faces. What if I told you that we do something similar like this then how would you react? Wondering how with a feeling of excitement? The answer is the topic that I am going to discuss is zodiac signs. Though it is a casual topic, it has a lot of depth and understanding. I feel it has a sense of mystery, myths, and stories, histories that we can learn and enjoy at the same time. Let me ask all the readers out there how many times have you looked into the newspaper or sites that speak about zodiac signs? We all have done it at some point in time that piques our interest and puts a sense of mark in our heads.

Types of zodiac signs readers

Many might know this but there are different ways people read their zodiac signs. These are some observations I have made.

  1. True Believer: These zodiac sign readers make it a point to check their horoscope every single day without fail. They make it a point to read the different interpretations that people have made about their day according to their zodiac signs. Their ideas, perspectives, action, and activities influence whatever they have read about their zodiac sign to some extent. If you are wondering that, only a few people do this. Then you might want to think again. Many people whether rich or poor have made it a habit to read their zodiac signs and go about their day.
  • Special and Important Days: These zodiac signs readers are a little different from the first one. These people make it a point to read their horoscope according to their zodiac signs only on important days or special days such as job interviews, birthdays, difficult exams, etc. People under this category might or might not believe the interpretation. However, the influence is not as high as the true believer is.
  • Just for fun: These zodiac sign readers just read their horoscope about their zodiac sign just for fun and have the interest of reading about it casually. They do not have a specific time, date, month, or year. They just read if it comes on their search page, or while scrolling through their social sites, and so on. The influence of the interpretation is very little on the readers. However, there are high chances that these readers may slowly become true believers or special or important day’s kind of readers.
  • Sense of Identity: These zodiac sign readers feel a sense of connection with the things that tell about their zodiac signs. They see what it tells here is right or wrong about them. They usually tend to have the quality of reading different sites like a true believer and at the same time have the quality of believing or not believing about the things that tell about them in their horoscope. These readers are very intriguing because they show a sense of influence and at the same time, they show very little influence.
  • Do Not Care: Some people might consider them as part of zodiac sign readers and some might not. The reason is that these people do not care about zodiac sign interpretation and horoscopes at all. The reason I do include them in this category is my idea of inclusion. Just because one is not part of the main different types of the group does not mean they cannot be a part of it at all. These people do not search for things or even read about their zodiac sign for fun. Either if someone around them reads about their zodiac signs or they happen to see or read a post regarding it, they skip it, or even if they read a few lines there are no effects on their actions, thinking, etc. I find these people interesting because I wonder how things like these do not have an effect on them or do not bother them.

These are just a very few important ones that seem to be present in large numbers during my observation. There are many more types of zodiac sign readers that I have not mentioned. Who knows maybe in a few more years more people will start reading about their zodiac signs and many more types will show up that are not there now. 

Horoscope Today, Dec 28, 2021: Check astrological predictions for Aries, Scorpio, Libra, Cancer and other zodiac signs here

Kinds of Zodiac Signs

The most common zodiac sign horoscope is the American version of the horoscope. Many people might not know this but there are several other cultures, ethnicity, religion, and country that have their different horoscopes and zodiac signs. The Chinese have separate zodiac signs and horoscopes. In India, there are so many different religions, cultures, and ethnic groups and each has unique and different zodiac signs and horoscopes. Not just India and China there are so many more countries that have different zodiac signs and horoscopes. This is because they celebrate New Year on a different date and not on 31 December. Though they might be different in names or dates they all are similar and are connected in some sense.

This is also a gentle reminder that please read your zodiac signs and horoscopes; there is no harm or problem in that. Nevertheless, do not let these interpretations or sayings harm you personally so much that it creates an imbalance in your mental and emotional health. The way prediction of zodiac signs is done has many factors playing in it. Some might be true some might be not. Therefore, we must read and look into the source of these zodiac signs or horoscope interpretation in detail before we dive into it completely.

To conclude, I would like to say that whatever we do in the end we should make sure that there is peace, harmony, and contentment not just with ourselves but also with the society, environment, and world so that we can reduce the number of negative things that we will have to deal with.

References

  1. Google searches for images and quotes.

A Non – Negotiable Protection

Data privacy expectations in 2021: Trends to watch | 2020-12-28 | Security Magazine

Just a few days back, I decided to open a Facebook account. To my surprise the moment I created my account, it showed my personal information. Information that I had not even filled. To everyone reading this it might sound very scary. Being scared of such things especially when you hear them from people it becomes even more truthful and genuine. Today the topic that I am going to cover is something that has been a problem and issue for people all around the world. With this article, I hope to speak about the existence or non-existence of privacy in one’s life and the role of social media tech giants in it.

The word “Privacy” creates a mix of feelings. Gary Kovacs rightfully says, and quotes “Privacy is not an option. Therefore, it should not be the price we accept for just getting on the internet.” The reason I am stating this quote is that the world is slowly moving from the real to the virtual world at an uncontrollable pace. At the same time at a much faster rate, we tend to provide or give out all our information into the virtual world while also losing a sense of identity of oneself in the real world. It is a fact that, in the real world people do many things to protect their privacy and personal information but unconsciously tend to do very little about their privacy in the virtual world. The reason for this may be that people cannot see each other physically. This, therefore, brings in a sense of feeling in an individual that the person is not around me and hence they do not know things about me.

Does privacy exist or not?

I think that this question needs to be taken into consideration and find answers for it as we are moving constantly ahead in the field of technology every single day. When I question myself about the existence of privacy, there is only one answer that I get. Privacy does exist but not with the intensity that needs to be present in the 21st Century. Privacy is such an important thing in everyone’s life. People get to decide what information about themselves they want to put out to the world and what they do not want. Any other person regardless of what kind of money, power, influence, etc they have cannot decide this. In recent years, privacy is slowly losing its importance and value. Therefore, we must decide what kind of information we want to put in the virtual world.

Cyber crime seems to increase every day. Let me as you this, how many times have you or people around you have had an experience of your fake account being opened, which you have asked people to report and block? I am sure we can think of one or two instances in our head, which stand as proof of how our personal information is lost and later seen for the use of wrong things. This is just one of the incidents that I have brought out. There are many more incidents whose intensity of danger and trouble is at a much higher rate.  Through various ways, we give out our information that we would think twice before doing it. We would not tell everyone where we stay or where we are going to be all the time. Often we tend to let go of our location in the virtual world without even realizing it. Our privacy happens to be the invisible protective shield that will protect us from uncalled dangers. This shield cannot be negotiated for anything else whether it is the real world or the virtual world.

Social Media and The Power of Big Tech Companies | Shift - Living in the Digital Age | DW | 15.01.2021

Role of Social Media Tech Giants concerning Privacy.

I think we all are aware of the recent incidents taking place in the social media world. We all remember the controversies of Whatsapp, Facebook, and other social media platforms regarding their privacy policy and the threat of information of common people. Talking about the incident in a few lines, these social media tech giants want to make our personal information more public to gain more productivity and revenue. We all remember Whatsapp putting out on different newspapers on the front page saying that their privacy policy is completely secure and nothing will go wrong. A lot of governments and the public itself were not okay with the new privacy policy that has questionable statements that had to be accepted by the people if they wanted to continue as members of the app. The reason many people agreed to the policy even though they were not okay with it was that a lot of people’s daily lives and activities whether they were students or people working had a lot of reliance and dependency on being an active member of Whatsapp. The most shocking part was that when that the US Senator asked the CEOs of these Social Media Tech giants about their work towards privacy and protection they did not have an answer to the question and rather kept revolving around how it is not that simple. These CEOs have been made to come to court several times to answer and provide an explanation in the lapses of their app but they just do not do enough to make things better for people and it is the people who face the consequences of these lapses.

Yes, I completely agree when people say that online or the virtual mode whether it is social media or any other apps that we use brings people together, increases production and economy,  continuous learning and communication, progress, development and so much more. However, what we tend to forget is that with advantages there are disadvantages that need to be looked into or else will result in grave loss of privacy. How many times have we heard on the news that Facebook, Instagram, or even food apps like Swiggy or Zomato have been hacked and information of different accounts has been accessed? It is high time we take such matters seriously and take some action towards them rather than leaving them as incidents that keeps happening every other day.

During the same time, we also had seen incidents regarding government-running apps such as the Aarogya Setu app in India. The justification provided by the different governments around the world was that the privacy of the people matters but the security of the people is also more important and the responsibility of the government. My question to this perspective is how privacy can and security is two different things? Only when the privacy rights of the people are taken into proper consideration only then will bring about the proper security of the people.

To conclude, the protection of privacy of every individual should come from themselves, the community, the governments, and the world. Only when we work together as a whole will be able to make the virtual world a safe place for every individual using it in any form. As Bruce Schneler rightly says, “Privacy is an inherent human right and, a requirement for maintaining the human condition. With dignity and with respect.”

References

  1. Google searches for images and quotes.

WHAT IS A SONNET?

The sonnet is a popular classical form that has compelled poets for centuries. Traditionally, the Sonnet is a lyric in fourteen lines in iambic pentameter governed by certain prescribed rules in general and in the arrangement of the rhymes. It aims at concentrated expression, but fairly complex development of a single theme also is possible. It derives its name from the Italian ‘sonnetto’ which means ‘a little song’ or sound sung to the strain of music. It has only one leading thought or emotion as in Milton’s ‘On His Blindness’ or Keats’s ‘On first looking into Chapman’s homer.

Primary Types of Sonnets:

In English literature, there are two basic sonnet patterns:

Petrarchan Sonnet:

The first and most common sonnet is the Petrarchan, or Italian. Named after one of its greatest practitioners, the Italian poet Petrarch, the Petrarchan sonnet is divided into two stanzas, the octave has two rhymes ‘a’ and ‘b’ arranged in ab ab, ab ab scheme. The sestet has three rhymes arranged in various forms as abba, abba, cdecde or cdcdcd is suited for the rhyme-rich Italian language, though there are many fine examples in English. The octave may be divided into two stanzas of four lines each called tercets. Since the Petrarchan presents an argument, observation, question, or some other answerable charge in the octave, a turn, or volta, occurs between the eighth and ninth lines. This turn marks a shift in the direction of the foregoing argument or narrative, turning the sestet into the vehicle for the counterargument, clarification, or whatever answer the octave demands.

Sir Thomas Wyatt introduced the Petrarchan sonnet to England in the early sixteenth century. His famed translations of Petrarch’s sonnets, as well as his own sonnets, drew fast attention to the form. Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, a contemporary of Wyatt’s, whose own translations of Petrarch are considered more faithful to the original though less fine to the ear, modified the Petrarchan, thus establishing the structure that became known as the Shakespearean sonnet. This structure has been noted to lend itself much better to the comparatively rhyme-poor English language.

Shakespearean Sonnet:

The second major type of sonnet, the Shakespearean, or English sonnet, follows a different set of rules. Here, three quatrains and a couplet follow this rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg. The couplet plays a pivotal role, usually arriving in the form of a conclusion, amplification, or even refutation of the previous three stanzas, often creating an epiphanic quality to the end. In sonnet 130 of William Shakespeare’s epic sonnet cycle, the first twelve lines compare the speaker’s mistress unfavorably with nature’s beauties, but the concluding couplet swerves in a surprising direction.
 

Shakespeare Sonnet 130: My Mistress’ eyes

Variations on the Sonnet Form

John Milton’s Italian-patterned sonnets (later known as “Miltonic” sonnets) added several important refinements to the form. Milton freed the sonnet from its typical incarnation in a sequence of sonnets, writing the occasional sonnet that often expressed interior, self-directed concerns. He also took liberties with the turn, allowing the octave to run into the sestet as needed. Both of these qualities can be seen in “When I Consider How My Ligth is Spent”.

The Spenserian sonnet, invented by sixteenth-century English poet Edmund Spenser, cribs its structure from the Shakespearean—three quatrains and a couplet—but employs a series of “couplet links” between quatrains, as revealed in the rhyme scheme: abab, bcbc, cdcd, ee. The Spenserian sonnet, through the interweaving of the quatrains, implicitly reorganized the Shakespearean sonnet into couplets, reminiscent of the Petrarchan. One reason was to reduce the often excessive final couplet of the Shakespearean sonnet, putting less pressure on it to resolve the foregoing argument, observation, or question.

THe Theme:

The common theme of a sonnet is love as in the sonnets of Shakespeare, Philip Sidney, and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. However several poets have used other themes also in their sonnets. Milton’s sonnet ‘On His Blindness ‘,Wordsworth’s sonnet addressed to Milton, Keat’s sonnet ‘On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer and Arnold’s sonnet on Shakespeare are examples.

Examples of Famous Fisrt Lines in Shakespeare’s Sonnet:

William Shakespeare is credited with writing 154 sonnets, collected and published a few years after his death. Shakespeare featured many themes and subjects in his sonnets, and his works in this poetic form are arguably the most famous in English literature. Most of Shakespeare’s sonnets are known by their first-line rather than their number. Here are some examples of famous first lines in Shakespeare’s sonnets:

  • Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war
  • Those lines that I before have writ do lie
  • To me, fair friend, you never can be old
  • My love is as a fever longing still
  • Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
  • So are you to my thoughts as food to life
  • My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun
  • No longer mourn for me when I am dead
  • Love is too young to know what conscience is
  • Then let not winter’s ragged hand deface

Sonnet Sequences:

There are several types of sonnet groupings, including the sonnet sequence, which is a series of linked sonnets dealing with a unified subject. Examples include Elizabeth Barrett Brownings’s Sonnet from the Portuguese and Lady Mary Wroth’s The Countess of Montgomery’s Urania, published in 1621, the first sonnet sequence by an English woman.

Within the sonnet sequence, several formal constraints have been employed by various poets, including the corona (crown) and sonnet redoublé. In the corona, the last line of the initial sonnet acts as the first line of the next, and the ultimate sonnet’s final line repeats the first line of the initial sonnet. La Corona by John Donne  is comprised of seven sonnets structured this way. The sonnet redoublé is formed of 15 sonnets, the first 14 forming a perfect corona, followed by the final sonnet, which is comprised of the 14 linking lines in order.

Single window portal for doing robust common KYC system for Stock Brokers, Mutual Fund and depositories etc

 Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal today called for transparency and the highest level of integrity in the stock markets. Addressing the National Stock Exchange (NSE) function today to mark the Silver Jubilee Celebration of 25 Years of Nifty Index and 20 Years of Launching of Derivatives Markets in India, he said this will empower households to look at greater incomes through investment besides encourage foreign investors.

“I think perception matters in the financial world, & therefore it is imperative we must put in place a strong system to maintain the highest level of integrity & transparency, which will encourage every Indian to invest in the stock market & empower households to look at greater incomes through investment besides encourage foreign investors,”

Shri Goyal said the NSE has been able to eliminate a lot of bad practices and brought in more transparency in the working of the exchange.

“On a lighter note, many people are missing the charm and the excitement of trading in the ring as it used to happen earlier, but I think given the current market dynamics & the size of the markets, I’m sure the ring could not handle this level of trade volumes” he said.

Shri Goyal said India has earned respect globally, with its robust technical solutions for handling large trade volumes. “It is equally pertinent that all financial products pass through the prism of ‘Trust, Transparency & Accountability’ so that they can turn into a rainbow of colours for the investors,” he said.

Shri Goyal said Stock Exchanges play a pivotal role in providing capital both to industry and service sector and you channelize household savings & institutional flows for capital formation.

Shri Goyal quoted the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, “Wealth creation is good, but for me the real value of our securities market lies in their contribution to the development of the nation, to the improvement of all sectors and to the welfare of the vast majority of citizens.”

“In this spirit, capital markets can become a source of finance for productive purposes like Infrastructure & Agriculture, which can benefit a very large majority of our population. Also, commodity derivative markets can be used to eliminate risks of farmers,” he said.

Shri Goyal said India is on the path of unprecedented economic growth. The rising economic indicators have showcased India and its true potential and capacity. “We have had the highest ever exports in the history of India. During Dec’21, goods exports stood at $37 bn, up by about 37% over last year. Exports have exceeded $ 30 bn for 9 months in a row consecutively setting a record every month since April 2021,” he said, adding, “Moody’s recently upgraded India’s rating, we recorded the highest ever FDI, we see a robust GST collection, Vibrant Startup ecosystem, Record Mfg & Services PMI – just to name a few indicators!”

Shri Goyal said the Government under the leadership of PM Modi has worked in a mission mode to reduce compliance burden. He called upon the NSE to create a single KYC system for all trading and financial transactions like the NSWS.

“Recently we have launched the National Single Window System, one stop portal, has been launched on a pilot basis created which is a one-stop portal for approvals & clearances needed by businesses,” said Shri Goyal, adding, “Is it possible to implement a Single window portal for doing robust common KYC system for Stock Brokers, Mutual Fund and depositories etc.?”

Lauding NSE for being recognised as the largest derivatives exchange globally for 2019 & 2020, Shri Goyal hoped it will contribute strongly to India’s growth story.

“As we celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, PM said the next 25 yrs will be ‘Amrit Kaal’ for both India & the NSE also, in a way defining the future of India and the future of investing in India. NSE is adding to this momentum with its Nifty 50 index, which in a way has become the ‘Stock of the Nation.’ The Index has grown by 15 times in the last 25 yrs symbolizing the growth potential of the Indian economy. It has made the common man a part of India’s growth story. I’m sure the Nifty 50 will continue to play a very important role in making GIFT City an international financial hub. NSE symbolizes New India’s commitment for strong economic growth.”

Shri Goyal gave a Seven Sutra mantra for the growth of stock exchange market:

i. Safeguarding interests of Small Retail Investors & the MSMEs by improving their financial literacy, launching financial products suitable to their risk appetite & meeting their investment needs

ii. Strong need for participants to be well informed about products that they are investing into; amplify campaigns which would keep the eyes of investors open.

iii. Encourage sentiment shift from Speculation to Diversification, from Momentary gains to building long-term portfolios

iv. Bringing Ease & Simplicity to products which includes launching products in Regional languages

v. Collaborating with schools and colleges to imbibe investment & trading skills at a young age

vi. Reduce volatility & the sudden spikes to enlarge investor base & induce robust capital formation, &

vii. It’s important that we follow the International Best Practices (Wall Street, NASDAQ, etc.) and aim to be among the top 3 exchanges in the world.

Shri Goyal said let us all make a New Year Resolution to help in making Stock Exchanges a frontier to achieve target of $5 tn economy. “India cannot become a developed country without world class securities & commodities market,” he said quoting PM Modi.

“Let us work together to deepen our markets & make an “Aatmanirbhar Financial Market” so that Indian corporates do not have to look at other markets for funding & risk management requirements,” he said.

***

Designing a New Town

 A new town built on land strongly controlled under unified public or semi public ownership, should be distinguished by combination of town and country life style and of environment, an uninterrupted greenbelt encircling and intersecting the town. A planned urban community that combines residential, commercial and recreational areas. Due to increasing population, we provide new town for reducing the burden of the city. Designing a new town for self-sufficient and providing housing, commercial, basic facilities and recreational area . 

New towns are playing in the economic development of the countries they are emerging in, it is clear that economic motives are the dominant factor behind most new town initiatives. The present new towns are populated by the middle and upper classes, while the lower income groups live in the old city or in self organized cities and slums.

The New Town Movement 

The new town movement refers to towns that were built after World War II and that have been purposefully planned, developed and built as a remedy to overcrowding and congestion in some instances and to scattered and settlements in others. The main reason for it was to decongest larger industrialized cities, rehousing people in freshly built, new and fully planned towns that were completely self-sufficient and provided for the community. 
Records exist of plans for new towns back as far as the ancient Egyptians. Most of the “planned towns” in history were based on providing for military, trade or harbor needs. The idea of planning a city for the needs of the people who would live there didn’t crystallize until the end of the 19th century when Sir Ebenezer Howard, first suggested a series of “garden cities” north of London. However, it was another 50 years, at the end of World War II, when these garden cities really began to flourish. 
The world was moving into a new era of rapid urbanization. The problems of pollution, traffic congestion and the impersonalized isolation of urban sprawl were growing. The concept of creating new towns spread across Europe with the creation of planned communities to deal with these problems. These “new towns” sought to plan in advance the design and growth of cities. Some of the key features were: 

  • Pedestrian friendly walkways separated from vehicle traffic to promote the safe movement of people between neighborhoods, schools and shopping 
  • Architecturally innovative housing 
  • Community owned land to create activity areas and a sense of openness 
  • Community works of art 
  • Close proximity of commercial and industrial parks for people to live close to where they work 
  • A development philosophy to respect the land 

Need For New Towns 

Developing new towns for various purposes, such as, to exploit natural resources, to provide raw material to industries, to serve nuclei and act as catalytic agents for stimulating economic growth in backward areas, for administration and for special purposes. Although in most cases new towns are expensive to build and they take several years to develop fully, still they offer several benefits. Building of new towns does not mean that, we should stop the growth of major cities. Major cities develop, but new towns reduce the rate of growth of metropolitan cities. In this regard it is necessary to prepare national and state physical plans. The national physical plan should be the physical and ecological guide of the policies, programmes and strategies relating to population changes and distribution. 

Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi-NCR orders for immediate closure of 228 numbers of units / sites

 Rigorous inspections in units in the NCR, across air pollution contributing sectors, continue through 40 Flying Squads constituted by the Commission. Enforcement Task Force (ETF) of the Commission is reviewing the field level action and inspection reports of the Flying Squads on a daily basis.

Flying Squads particularly check for compliance in respect of various directions and orders issued by the Commission from time to time towards abatement of air pollution, particularly for measures to be taken for the critical winter months, including related statutory environmental rules / regulations and guidelines issued by the agencies concerned in the Central and State Governments. 

General compliance levels reported to be satisfactory and improving over the days.  However, serious violations still being reported across sectors; majorly in Industrial units, Construction & Demolition project sites, use of Diesel Generator Sets in industrial installation/ commercial complexes and residential set ups.

In geographical terms, such gross violations have been reported across the respective jurisdictions in the National Capital Region, with 38, 48, 104 and 38 cases reported from NCT of Delhi and NCR Districts of Haryana, UP and Rajasthan respectively. 

The Enforcement Task Force (ETF) after deliberations and detailed screening of the non-conformities / non compliances recorded in the inspection reports, decide for immediate closure of such units, to prevent any further deterioration of air quality, as also a signal to act as a strong deterrent for violators of environmental norms.

In respect of 1215 no. of cumulative inspections carried out till 7th December, 2021, gross violations of Directions/ Orders of the Commission and non-adherence of prescribed norms has been reported from 228 number of units / sites across various sectors. Of these, closures have been identified for 128 No. of Industries, 58 C&D Project sites and 42 Commercial / residential complexes operating on DG Sets.

Not only the closure orders have been issued in respect of the grossly violating units, the Flying Squads have further verified physical closure of operations and 111 No. of such units have so far been physically closed down, till further orders from the Commission.

***

Loss of life due to climate change

 There is no established study for India providing a quantified attribution of climate change to the triggering of natural disasters leading to loss of life and property. While many studies monitor impact of disasters such as floods, drought and heat, the science of attribution of these changes particularly to climate change is far more complex and currently an evolving subject. Most studies so far have relied on mathematical modelling of climate change impacts but these are yet to be empirically verified.

The extant legal and promotional measures cater to the concerns of disasters related to climate change, which are subject to refinement, improvement and further development by the relevant Ministries/Departments at the Centre and the States. The relief, recovery, and rehabilitation related to disasters in India are governed inter alia by the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the guidelines, directives, and orders of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the State Disaster Management Authorities. Furthermore, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is responsible for monitoring, detection and forecasting of weather and climate including early warning for severe weather events such as cyclones, heavy rainfall, extreme temperature, thunderstorms, and other such extreme events.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) spearhead and implement holistic and integrated approach to Disaster Management in India. NDMA has issued guidelines for the preparation of District Disaster Management Plans (DDMPs). In addition, the National Disaster Management Plan prepared by NDMA in 2019 and the respective State Disaster Management Plans provide the overall framework and guidance for the preparation of DDMP. Further, the relief, recovery, and rehabilitation related to disasters in India are governed inter alia by the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 and the guidelines, directives, and orders of the NDMA and the SDMAs.

As part of India’s participation and leading international cooperation and collaboration in these matters, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) has been launched in 2019 and headquartered in India. It aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks through updating and enhancing information on the exposure of infrastructure systems, and model climate related hazards such as droughts and heat waves, enabling near time response.

Awareness towards good green

 The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change supports the States/Union Territories for carrying out afforestation activities through various Centrally Sponsored Scheme and funds under CAMPA to expand green cover across the country.  The Ministry on various occasions like International Day of Forests, World Environment Day, Van Mahotsav, Wild life Week, International Day for Biological Diversity etc. disseminates knowledge  in planting trees and other floral species which are naturally grown in a  particular region through various Conferences, Workshops, Mass Plantation etc. State Forest Departments also promotes knowledge of local indigenous species of trees, herbs and shrubs along with their medicinal properties through Books, Pamphlets, Sign boards, Brochures etc.

The Ministry has also through its advisories issued from time to time to State/UT Governments on afforestation programs/activities emphasized that the plantation of locally suitable tree species should be on the basis of local climatic and soil conditions. The National Mission for a Green India also encourages the plantation of mixed indigenous species along with grasses, herbs, shrubs and tree species. Exotic and invasive plants are avoided in afforestation in forest areas.

The National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB), Ministry of AYUSH has also launched a Medicinal Plant species-specific campaign on Tinosporiacordifoliaviz ‘Amrita for Life’, for promotion and creating awareness. Further, NMPB has also launched, ‘20 medicinal plants for 2020’, campaign to promote, cultivate and to create awareness among local people about rich diverse traditional knowledge on medicinal plants.

Restrictions on many Construction & Demolition(C&D) activities to continue in the NCR

 The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) in furtherance of Direction No. 44 dated 16/11/2021 and its Order dated 27.11.2021 directs with immediate effect that Construction and Demolition (C&D) activities shall not be allowed in NCR, except for the following categories of projects:

 

(a)        Railway services / Railway stations;

(b)        Metro Rail Services including stations;

(c)        Airports and Inter State Bus Terminals (ISBTs);

(d)        National security/ Defence related activities/ projects of national importance;

(e)        Hospitals/ nursing homes / health care facilities;

(f)        Linear public projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, over bridges, power transmission, pipelines etc.;

(g)        Sanitation and public utility projects like sewage treatment plants, water pumping stations etc.;

(h)        Ancillary activities specific to and supplementing the above categories of projects.

 

Further, the above said exemptions are subject to strict compliance of the C&D Waste Management Rules, dust prevention/ control norms including compliance with the directions of the Commission issued from time to time in this regard.

As per the report of IIT Kanpur (2016) namely “Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution and Green House Gases in Delhi”, construction and demolition activities in Delhi are frequent and “this source is the third most contributor to area source emission in PM10 and importantly it is a consistent source all through the year”. Additionally, the study estimated that the emission load from C&D activities in Delhi is 5167 kg per day and 1292 kg per day with respect to PM10 and PM2.5 respectively.

As per “Source Apportionment of PM10 and PM2.5 of Delhi NCR for Identification of Major Sources”, study of August, 2018 prepared by Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), PM10 contribution from dusty sources (example – road, construction and soil dust) was significant in winter season ranging from 23 to 31 %.  Similarly, contribution of dusty sources PM2.5 in winter was 15% in Delhi-city as well as NCR Towns.

C&D activities in urban agglomeration of Delhi city and NCR are frequent, numerous and dispersed and dust from the construction and demolition activities is a major source of Air Pollution in the National Capital Region and contributes significantly to adverse PM2.5 and PM10 levels.

While the Commission’s restrictions are still in force to control air pollution from two other major sectors contributing to air pollution namely industries and transport and it is both advisable and desirable to follow a phased approach in respect of construction sector also considering the air quality in NCR.

Keeping in view the current air quality in Delhi-NCR, there is a need to exercise control on various sectors that significantly contributes to air pollution. Taking into consideration different studies that clearly show that C&D sites are a major contributor of air pollution across the NCR, the Commission if of the view that except for the above said exemptions, C&D activities should not be allowed in the NCR till further orders.

Since the current air quality index is within the ‘Very Poor’, it would not be advisable to allow the operations at all C&D sites. Based on air quality forecast and significant improvement in air quality, the decision will be reviewed further.

As per the Hon’ble Supreme Court’s Order dated 24.11.2021, States shall use the funds collected as labourcess for the welfare of constructions workers and provide them subsistence for the period during which construction activities are prohibited and pay wages notified under the minimum Wages Act for the respective categories of workers.

***

Career in Environment and Wildlife Conservation

 The Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change is implementing the Environment Education, Awareness and Training (EEAT) Scheme with the objective to promote environmental awareness especially among school and college students and to mobilize their participation for conservation of environment. Under the National Green Corps (NGC) programme of this Scheme, more than one lakh Eco-clubs have been formed in schools and colleges to educate students and to spread awareness on environmental issues. Further, this Ministry also supports organization of field visits/ nature camps for school students in Protected Areas, Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks, etc. under the National Nature Camping Programme of EEAT Scheme with an objective to provide ‘nature experience’ to students and thereby to trigger their sensitivity towards nature and its conservation. As per information provided by Department of Youth Affairs, awareness on environment conservation and enrichment is a component in the regular activities of National Service Scheme (NSS). Volunteers of NSS organize activities on environment conservation, climate change, use of renewable energy and other related issues in addition to plantation drives.

This Ministry has launched the Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP) in June 2017 under the ongoing Environmental Information System (ENVIS) Scheme, on a pilot basis, at 10 locations, spread over 9 biogeographic regions of the country with the objective to skill youth in environment, forest and wildlife sectors and enabling them to be gainfully employed or self-employed.Based on the success of the pilot phase, the programme was extended to pan-India level in 2018-19 covering diverse fields like pollution monitoring (air/water/soil), emission inventory, operation of Sewage Treatment Plant(STP)/ Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP)/ Common Effluent Treatment Plant(CETP), waste management, environmental impact assessment, forest management, water budgeting and auditing, wildlife management, para taxonomy including Peoples Bio-Diversity Register(PBR), bamboo management and livelihood generation, etc. The training imparted under GSDP endeavours to enhance technical knowledge of the skilled workforce with a focus on hands-on training.The ENVIS Hubs/ Resource Partners and other institutions imparting training under the GSDP invite applications from all over the country and the placements take place based on employment opportunities available within or outside the State / Union Territory.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change

 The Vision of this Ministry is to provide the citizens of India a clean, green and healthy environment with peoples’ participation and to support higher and inclusive economic growth through sustainable utilization of available natural resources.  This Ministry has achieved different milestones to plan, promote, co-ordinate and oversee the implementation of India’s environmental and forestry policies and programmes related to conservation of the country’s natural resources including its lakes and rivers, its biodiversity, forests and wildlife, ensuring the welfare of animals, and the prevention and abatement of pollution.  The major achievements during year 2021 are as follows: –

Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav:

Green Good Deed of the Week campaign: In order to commemorate the 75thyear of independence, the country is celebrating a 75 week-long “Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav”. An outreach programme for promoting sustainable lifestyle –“Green Good Deed of the Week” campaign is being organized as a part of this Mahotsav through Eco-clubs since 12th March 2021. State Nodal Agencies and Eco-clubs organized various activities to promote sustainable lifestyle like cleanliness/ plantation drives, painting/ slogan/ essay competitions, awareness on single-use plastics, awareness on environment-friendly ways of celebrating festivals, etc.

Iconic week celebration: The Iconic Week of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) as a part of the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav was celebrated from 4th to 10thOctober, 2021. The major themes identified for activities of the week were lake/ wetland conservation, curbing of use of single-use plastics, wildlife conservation, forest conservation and coastal conservation. Activities like Green Pledge, webinars, promotion of Green Good Deeds and screening of videos on the identified themes were organized in schools/ colleges across the country in co-ordination with Department of School Education & Literacy and SNAs.

Swachhta Campaign from October 2 –November 1, 2021

  • The Swachhta Campaign was observed for one month starting from 2nd October – 1st November, 2021. During the campaign, a big number of files have been reviewed by the various divisions in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change which comes to a huge total of 45,154 files. Out of which around 41,758 files have been weeded out which has resulted in generation of paper waste of approximately 9 tonnes. A heavy duty shredder machine was specially brought to do the huge task. A revenue generation of Rs. 18 thousand has been generated out of the process of disposal of the waste generated by weeding of the files. A sufficient clear and open area in the Indira Prayavaran Bhawan appx 3000 sq.ft. has been reclaimed.
  • The Ministry has organised an auction of the e-Waste to dispose of all obsolete items including computers, printers, photocopiers and other electronic equipment. The e-waste bid has already been finalised at a price of Rs. 5.21 lakh to M/s. Clean Waste Management, Burari, Delhi. The shifting of e-waste material has been completed.
  • The Ministry has also organised an auction to dispose of all obsolete furniture items including tables, chairs, almirahs, side racks, sofa sets and other waste furniture items. The furniture waste bid has already been finalised at a price of Rs. 6.80 lakh to M/s Patel scrap.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The UN General Assembly in its 70th Session considered and adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and associated 169 targets for the next 15 years. The 17 SDGs came into force with effect from 1st January, 2016. Though not legally binding, the SDGs have become de facto international obligations and have potential to reorient domestic spending priorities of the countries during the decade ending 2030. The SDG 13, 15 and 12 have been mapped majorly to Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Significant strides have been made in achieving SDG 13 (Urgent action to protect against Climate Change and its impact) as 24% reduction in emission intensity of GDP against 2005 levels has been achieved in 2016 itself. India has emphasized that Climate Finance from developed countries as promised in the Paris agreement is integral to achieve this goal. Similarly, country’s pledge on land degradation neutrality and intense afforestation are helping the country move towards SDG 15(Sustainable use of terrestrial Ecosystems and prevention of Biodiversity Loss). The commitment of the country in implementing the Extended Producer responsibility in plastics and ratification of Basel Convention to monitor hazardous substances is a remarkable step in moving towards SDG12 for ensuring sustainable production and consumption patterns. The 2030 Agenda also underscored that quality, reliable and disaggregated data will be needed for measurement of progress and to ensure that “No One is Left Behind”. MoEF&CC is strengthening its data systems for realistic monitoring of progress on the sustainable development goals.

Climate Change

As a responsible member of the International community of nations, the Government will continue to engage in a meaningful way with deliberations in the International fora/ UN climate summit duly keeping in mind the national developmental goals and priorities through the various international meets and at present India is a president of UNCCD.

  • Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change took part in the 26th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held in Glasgow, United Kingdom for green net zero program The National Statement in the World Leaders Summit was delivered by the Hon’ble Prime Minister at COP-26, which the following mainly discussed and highlighted during the summit
    • India’s non-fossil energy capacity to reach 500 GW by 2030
    • India will meet 50 per cent of its energy requirements with renewable energy by 2030.
    • India will reduce its total projected carbon emissions by one billion tonnes from now to 2030.
    • India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 per cent by 2030, over 2005 levels.
    • By 2070, India will achieve the target of net zero emissions.
  • The transfer of climate finance and low-cost climate technologies have become more important for implementation of climate actions by the developing countries. The ambitions on climate finance by developed countries cannot remain the same as they were at the time of Paris Agreement in 2015 and the Indian Delegation led by Hon’ble Minister for Environment, Forest & Climate Change attending the COP Summit through multilateral negotiations with major countries for adoption of greener norms in the global scenario.
  • The Glasgow Climate Conference adopted decisions, which inter-alia, include adoption of an overarching decision titled “Glasgow Climate Pact” that stresses the urgency of enhancing ambition and action in relation to mitigation, adaptation and finance in this critical decade to address the gaps in the implementation of the goals of the Paris Agreement. The Glasgow Climate Pact also noted with deep regret that the goal of developed country Parties to mobilize jointly USD 100 billion per year by 2020 has not yet been met. The COP 26 outcome also include completion of work related to rules, procedures, and guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement including that for cooperative approaches, mechanisms and non-market approaches referred to in Article 6, enhanced transparency framework, and common timeframes for Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and it was discussed with Ministers and Representatives from United Kingdom, Scotland, South Korea, Australia, BASIC countries, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, France, Canada, Brazil, USA, UAE, Germany, Norway, Singapore, Jamaica, Sweden, and Japan. Hon’ble Minister also held meetings with the Ministers of Like Minded Developing Countries and also with representatives from United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, and Green Climate Fund.
  • For strengthening impact, the Indian Delegation also participated in side events on the side-lines of COP 26 which include South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme, International Solar Alliance, CDRI, Leadership Group for Industry Transition and Namami Gange.

PARIVESH

In order to streamline the procedure for early grant of Clearances under this Ministry PARIVESH portal has been simplified for grant of Environmental Clearances which is now been reduced to 70 working days..

In pursuant to the spirit of ‘Digital India’ and capturing the essence of Minimum Government and Maximum Governance, a Single-Window Integrated Environmental Management System named PARIVESH (Pro-Active and Responsive facilitation by Interactive, Virtuous and Environmental Single Window Hub) has been developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for complete online, expeditious and transparent system for environment, forest, wildlife and CRZ clearances in the country. The facility is operational for processing of applications for Environmental Clearances (ECs), Forest Clearances(FCs), Coastal Regulatory Zone Clearances (CRZ). Over the years, the existing system of ‘PARIVESH’ has undergone numerous modifications and customization in alignment with statutory provisions and requirements.

Ministry in recent times has automated various processes through PARIVESH such as development of online module in PARIVESH for dispensation for requirement of EC for expansion / modernization with no increase in pollution load, aligning the EIA Notification with MMDR Amendment Act 2021, Online generation of EC with unique identification number etc.

Due to the above initiatives along with other Policy reforms, the average time taken for grant of EC in all the sectors has reduced significantly from more than 150 days in 2019 to less than 90 days. In some of the sectors, the ECs are being granted even within 60 days also accordingly, ECs for 7787 projects was granted under EIA Notification in 2021.

Ministry has decided to upgrade the existing PARIVESH to provide a “single window” solution for administration of environmental regulations. Centralized Processing Centre (CPC) has been proposed to be set up in the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change. Upgraded PARIVESH will not only strengthen the clearance processes but also encourages ease of doing business in the country. Know Your Approval module with inbuilt decision rules in the envisaged system will guide the Users about the applicability of clearances to the proposed project activity. In addition, it will minimize repetitive efforts of the Users and the same time will ensure single version of the truth across all applicable clearances. Further, in the envisaged system redundancies in the process flow will be minimized to maximum extant.

DPR of the project proposal has been approved. Total time line for overall development of modules is 64 weeks, however modules for critical major clearance processes would be made live in 42 weeks from the date of on boarding of NIC’s system integrator.

Nagar Van Yojana:

Ministery is implementing Nagar Van Yojana and revised its guidelines in October 2021 with an aim at developing 400 Nagar Vans and 200 Nagar Vatikas with the objective to significantly enhance the tree outside forests and green cover in cities leading to better environment, enhancement of biodiversity and ecological benefits to the urban and peri-urban areas apart from improving quality of life of city dwellers. The scheme will be funded from the National Fund under CAMPA at a total cost of Rs. 895.00 crore during the period 2020-21 to 2024-25.

School Nursery Yojana: Ministry is implementing School Nursery Yojana with an aim to associate students in the process of raising plantations as part of their learning and by providing an environment for the students to understand and appreciate the significance of plants in maintaining and sustaining the natural ecosystem. The scheme ‘School Nursery Yojana’ is proposed to be implemented for the period of five years..

Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)

The “National Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority” (National Authority) came into existence in place of the Ad-hoc CAMPA with effect from 30.09.2018; the day the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016 and CAF Rules, 2018 came into force. Hon’ble Minister, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India is the chairperson of the Governing Body of the National Authority. The National Authority manages and utilises the “National Compensatory Afforestation Fund” (National Fund), which has been created under the public account of India. The other fund at the State/UT level is known as “State Compensatory Afforestation Fund” under the public accounts of respective States/UTs. CAF collected against approvals under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 is distributed in the ratio of 90:10 between the concerned State Fund and National Fund and are made available to the National Authority and respective State Authorities through budgetary process. Until 07.10.2021 funds amounting to Rs 6,63,63.12 crore was transferred from state specific bank accounts maintained at New Delhi to the public Account of India and Rs. 48,606.39 crore was disbursed from the National Fund to 32 States, who have created their public accounts and completed reconciliation.  Until now, twenty-eight schemes amounting to Rs 1329.78 crore has been approved from the National Fund. Similarly, Annual Plans of Operation (APOs) of 31 States/UTs worth Rs 9,926.48 crore have been approved from the respective State Fund during current financial year. The activities included in the APOs are mostly related to forestry and wildlife management.  At national level, achievement of compensatory afforestation (CA) in 9,06,583 Ha against the target of 10,63,031 ha is major achievements of CAMPA. The average survival percentage of CA has been reported to be 73 percent.

Wildlife

The project Dolphin and the project lion have been initiated and the associated environmental impact of this are also strengthen at the major sanctuary and forest areas for cleaner Environmental Protection of endangered species.

  • The Protected Area coverage in the country has been steadily increasing. The coverage of Protected Areas which was 4.90% of country’s geographical area in 2014 has now increased to 5.03%. This includes an increase in Protected Areas in the country from 740 with area of 1,61,081.62 sq.kms. in 2014 to present 981 with an area of 1,71,921 sq.kms.
  • Population of several species like Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Greater one Horned Rhinoceros, Asian elephants, etc. increased. Wildlife health is being addressed to aggressively monitor zoonotic diseases.
  • India has taken a leadership role in conservation of migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway and had organized a two day workshop  in October 2021, with  Central Asian Flyway (CAF) Range countries on conservation of migratory birds along the Central Asian Flyway.
  • The Ministry has released ‘Guidelines for sustainable ecotourism in forest and wildlife areas-2021 in October 2021. These guidelines emphasise on participation of local community in ecotourism activities.

Biodiversity Conservation

India enacted the Biological Diversity (BD) Act in 2002, and notified the Rules in 2004, through an extensive consultative process initiated in 1994. India was one of the first few countries to have enacted such a comprehensive legislation on biodiversity.

The Act is implemented through a three-tier institutional mechanism, at national, state and local levels: The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) at the national level set up by the Government of India, State Biodiversity Boards set up by the State Governments at the State level, and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) constituted by the elected bodies at the local level.

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) will hold its second part of the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in Kunming, China in 2022 in which delegates will come together to adopt a “Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework”. The vision for proposed framework is that “By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people. 2021 is viewed as a decisive year on biodiversity action. India joined High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People which calls for protecting at least 30 percent of world’s land and ocean by 2030 where India has already reported about 27% of area as conserved under Aichi Target 11 to CBD.

The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is being introduced to simplify, streamline and reduce compliance burden in order to encourage conducive environment for collaborative research and investments, simplify patent application process, widen the scope of levying access and benefit sharing with local communities and for further conservation of biological resources, without compromising the objectives of United Nation Convention on Biological Diversity and its Nagoya Protocol and also national interests.’

National Biodiversity Authority

National Biodiversity Authority, a statutory body of the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change established to implement the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 has ensured that 28 State Biodiversity Boards, 8 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils and 2,76,156 Biodiversity Management Committees have been constituted in all local bodies to implement the provisions of the Act. NBA has accorded approvals for over 3000 applications to access biological resources and traditional knowledge for undertaking research, commercial utilization and patents. The BD Act envisages its implementation through consultation with local communities living in forest and rural areas. India is a leading country in issuing Internationally Recognized Certificate of Compliance (IRCC) which recognizes stakeholders for legally accessing biological resources. Till date, out of the 3297 IRCCs issued globally, 2339 IRCCs have been issued by India. Besides, 22 Biodiversity Heritage Sites have been notified by 12 State Governments and 159 plants and 175 animals have been notified as threatened species in 18 states and 2 Union Territories. Seventeen institutions of national importance have been recognized as national Repositories for preserving voucher specimens of biodiversity

Wetland

  • The number of Ramsar sites (Wetlands of International Importance) in India have increased to 47 covering an area of 10,90,230 hectares which include 21 new sites designated during 2019-2021. India has the largest number of Ramsar sites in South Asia.  A dedicated web portal for wetlands has been developed and was launched on 2nd October, 2021 (Gandhi Jayanti). The portal indianwetlands.in is a publicly available information and knowledge platform to facilitate knowledge sharing, information dissemination, host capacity building material, and provide a single-point access data repository.
  • Health cards prepared for 500 wetlands under the four pronged approach for conservation of wetlands.

Vienna Convention, Montreal Protocol to Protection of Ozone

The Ozone Cell of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the national ozone unit for implementation of the Montreal Protocol in India and phase out of substances controlled under the Montreal Protocol.

After successfully phasing out chlorofluorocarbons, carbon tetrachloride, halons, methyl bromide and methyl chloroform for controlled uses, India is now phasing out hydrochlorofluorocarbons as per the accelerated phase out schedule of the Montreal Protocol

The Government of India ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol to phase down Hydrofluorocarbons on 27 September 2021 after approval by the Union Cabinet. Hydrofluorocarbons are used in air conditioners, refrigerators, aerosols, foams and other products, which even though do not deplete the stratospheric ozone layer, they have high global warming potential ranging from 12 to 14,000. As per the Kigali Amendment, to the Montreal Protocol, India will complete its phase down of Hydrofluorocarbons in 4 steps from 2032 onwards with cumulative reduction of 85% of production and consumption of HFCs by 2047. In line with the Cabinet decision, National Strategy in consultation with all the stakeholders will be developed by 2023 and funding for preparing the strategy has been secured from the Multilateral Fund

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has developed and launched the India Cooling Action Plan (ICAP) during March 2019, to provide an integrated vision towards cooling across sectors encompassing inter alia reducing cooling demand, refrigerant transition, enhancing energy efficiency and better technology options with a 20-year time horizon. Space cooling in buildings being the most important and can significantly contribute to achieving the goals in the ICAP, has been prioritized for implementation of the recommendations given in the ICAP. Action points for implementation of the recommendations for Space Cooling in Buildings was finalized and launched on the World Ozone Day held on 16th September 2021 and widely disseminated

Following studies were completed as part of non-investment component of HCFC phase out Management Plan Stage-II (HPMP Stage-II)

a) Application of non-ODS and low GWP alternatives in Cold Chain Sector in India

b) Public Procurement Policies for Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Equipment Using Non-ODS based refrigerants

c) Good servicing practices and Energy efficiency in RAC sector

The above studies were published and launched on 16 September 2021 on the World Ozone Day and were widely disseminated

Preparation of Stage-III of HPMP has been initiated, to the implemented from 2023-2030, after securing funding from the Multilateral Fund for preparation of project proposal.

National Clean Air Program

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) is implementing National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for reducing levels of air pollution in non-attainment cities (NACs) of the country since January 2019. NCAP is implemented in targeted 132 cities.

A Commission on Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) has been constituted by enactment of an Act by Parliament for better coordination, research, identification and resolution of problems surrounding the air quality index and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Avoiding Use of Single Use Plastics and Efficient and Effective Management of Plastic Waste.

  • To enhance the efficacy implementation of PWMR, the Ministry has notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021 on 12th August 2021 which also prohibits identified single use plastic items, which have low utility and high littering potential, by 2022.
  • As per the notification, the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of 12 identified single-use plastic items including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st of July, 2022.
  • The thickness of plastic carry bags has been increased from fifty microns to seventy-five microns with effect from 30th September, 2021, and to one hundred and twenty microns with effect from the 31st December, 2022.
  • The Ministry has organized “Awareness Campaign on Single Use Plastic – 2021”.
  • The States/UTs have been requested to constitute a Special Task Force under Chairpersonship of Chief Secretary/Administrator for elimination of single use plastics and effective implementation of Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. 31 Task Forces have been formed.
  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the draft Regulations on the Extended Producer Responsibility for plastic packaging under Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, as amended from time to time on 6th October 2021 for public consultation.

Combating the Land Degradation, Desertification and Drought:

  • India committed to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality and restoration of 26 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, which includes 21 million hectares of Bonn Challenge and additional commitment of 5 million hectares as voluntary commitment. India presently holds the Presidency of UNCCD COP for 2 years till April 2022.
  • Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi graced the High level Dialogue on desertification, land degradation and drought of United Nations General Assembly, held on 14th June 2021 highlighting the initiatives taken by India on combating Land Degradation.

Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Blue Economy is one of the thrust area of the Government for sustainable development of coastal resources. The development will in due consideration of Conservation & protection of coastal and marine resources, Pollution abatement measures, Management of coastal and Marine ecosystem, Livelihood enhancement with security of coastal community, Capacity building and will also comprehend Sustainable development goals.

10 beaches in 7 States and One Union Territory, have been developed at par with international Standards and has been conferred with prestigious Blue Flag certification for its environmentally sound management and ecological sustainable infrastructures with adequate safety measures. This has resulted in better waste management, maintaining bathing water quality, self-sustaining solar energy-based infrastructure, containing marine littering, enhancing local level livelihood options and increased tourist based economy.

****