ISSUE BASED DATABASE October, 2014

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Title: Human beings should live in harmony with nature – Prakash Javadekar

Date: 8th October, 2014

The Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar has said that appropriate measures would be taken by the National Zoological Park to ensure that unfortunate incidents did not take place in future. The proposed measurers would include precautions, appropriate signages, information nuggets for visitors and necessary security measures to ensure protection to both visitors and animals within the zoo premises. Shri Javadekar stated this while delivering his address at the Prize Distribution Function to commemorate the Wild Life Week here today.

During his address Shri Javadekar highlighted that it was important for human beings to live in harmony with the environment so as to understand and establish a dialogue with nature. Shri Javadekar also inaugurated a Bird House in the premises of National Zoological Park. On the occasion, Shri Javadekar also announced a compensation of Rupees one lakh for the family of the deceased who met with an unfortunate incident at the Delhi Zoo recently.

Shri Javadekar felicitated the prize winners of various competitions held to celebrate the Wild Life Week. The National Zoological Park started the Wild Life Week on 1st October, 2014. The Wild Life Week is being celebrated annually in the National Zoological Park in the first week of October ever since its inception in 1957. The aim of the Wild Life Week is to create awareness and sympathy for wild life. Title: National Air Quality Index (AQI) launched by the Environment Minister AQI is a huge initiative under ‘Swachh Bharat’

Date: 17th October, 2014

AQI to act as ‘One Number- One Colour-One Description’ to judge the Air Quality for Common Man: Shri PrakashJavadekar

The Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change Shri Prakash Javadekar today launched ‘The National Air Quality Index’ (AQI) in New Delhi.Speaking on the occasion, Shri Javadekar outlined the AQI, as ‘One Number- One Colour-One Description’ for the common man to judge the air quality within his vicinity. The formulation of the index was a continuation of the initiatives under Swachh Bharat Mission envisioned by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri NarendraModi.

Elaborating further, the Minister stated that the index constituted part of the Government’s mission to introduce the culture of cleanliness. Institutional and infrastructural measures were being undertaken in order to ensure that the mandate of cleanliness was fulfilled across the country. As a part of the process, he mentioned that clean air would be a part of Peoples’ campaignto take up the issue in a mission mode. In order to widen the ambit of the culture of cleanliness, the Ministry proposed to discuss the issues concerned regarding quality of air with the Ministry of Human Resource Development in order to include this issue as part of the sensitizationprogramme in the course curriculum.

Under the new measurement process, Shri Javadekar stated that an effort had been made to include a comprehensive set of parameters. While the earlier measuring index was limited to three indicators, the current measurement index had been made quite comprehensive by the addition of five additional parameters. Under the current measurement of air quality, 8 parameters. The initiatives undertaken by the Ministry recently aimed at balancing environment and conservation and development.

Air pollution has been a matter of environmental and health concerns,particularly in urban areas. Central Pollution Control Board along with State Pollution Control Boards has been operating National Air Monitoring Program (NAMP) covering 240 cities of the country. In addition, continuous monitoring systems that provide data on near real-time basis are also installed in a few cities.

Traditionally, air quality status has been reported through voluminous data. Thus, it was important that information on air quality is put up in public domain in simple linguistic terms that is easily understood by a common person. Air Quality Index (AQI) is one such tool for effective dissemination of air quality information to people. An Expert Group comprising medical professionals, air quality experts, academia, advocacy groups, and SPCBs was constitutedand a technical study was awarded to IIT Kanpur. IIT Kanpur and the Expert Group recommended an AQI scheme.

There are six AQI categories, namely Good, Satisfactory, Moderately polluted, Poor, Very Poor, and Severe. The proposed AQI will consider eight pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, CO, O3, NH3, and Pb) for which short-term (up to 24-hourly averaging period) National Ambient Air Quality Standards are prescribed.

Based on the measured ambient concentrations, corresponding standards and likely health impact, a sub- index is calculated for each of these pollutants. The worst sub-index reflects overall AQI. Associated likely health impacts for different AQI categories and pollutants have been also been suggested, with primary inputs from the medical expert members of the group. The AQI values and corresponding ambient concentrations (health breakpoints) as well as associated likely health impacts for the identified eight pollutants are as follows:

AQI Category, Pollutants and Health Breakpoints

AQI PM10 PM2.5 NO2 O3 CO SO2 NH3 Pb Category 24-hr 24-hr 24-hr 8-hr 8-hr 24-hr 24-hr 24-hr (Range) (mg/m3) Good (0-50) 0-50 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-1.0 0-40 0-200 0-0.5 Satisfactory 51-100 31-60 41-80 51-100 1.1-2.0 41-80 201-400 0.5 –1 (51-100) Moderately 101-250 61-90 81-180 101-168 2.1- 10 81-380 401-800 1.1-2. polluted (101-200) Poor 251-350 91-120 181-280 169-208 10-17 381-800 801- 2.1-3. (201-300) 1200 Very poor 351-430 121-250 281-400 209-748* 17-34 801-1600 1200- 3.1-3. (301-400) 1800 Severe 430 + 250+ 400+ 748+* 34+ 1600+ 1800+ 3.5+ (401-500)

*One hourly monitoring (for mathematical calculations only) AQI Associated Health Impacts Good Minimal Impact (0–50) Satisfactory May cause minor breathing discomfort to sensitive people. (51–100) Moderately polluted May cause breathing discomfort to people with lung disease such as asthma, (101–200) and discomfort to people with heart disease, children and older adults. Poor May cause breathing discomfort to people on prolonged exposure, and (201–300) discomfort to people with heart disease Very Poor May cause respiratory illness to the people on prolonged exposure. Effect (301–400) may be more pronounced in people with lung and heart diseases. Severe May cause respiratory impact even on healthy people, and serious health (401-500) impacts on people with lung/heart disease. The health impacts may be experienced even during light physical activity.

The report will also be available on CPCB’s website (www.cpcb.nic.in) for 45 daysfor seeking public views/comments. Thereafter, AQI scheme will be finalized after evaluating the comments received and incorporating changes if any in the scheme.

Title: Environment protection and Development need to be synergized

Date: 18th October, 2014

Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests & Climate Change has said for balanced sustainable development it was extremely vital to bring about a synergy between the parameters of environment protection and development. A synthesis of these objectives would enable achieving the mission of ‘Clean India Green India’. At the same time, the new architecture and road map being outlined by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change was taking into account the needs, requirements and contemporary trends of the issues being debated and discussed. The Minister stated this while delivering his address at the 4th Foundation Day Celebrations of the National Green Tribunal here today.

Elaborating further the Minister said that people’s participation was a prerequisite to address the challenges facing theenvironment. The need of the hour was also to understand issues in a proper perspective and provide practical solutions to problems. The spirit of this principle needed to be applied across the board in order to ensure development balanced with environmental protection. The policy initiatives being undertaken focused on timelines, transparency and accountability. Monitoring processes were being put in place to ensure a comprehensive institutional mechanism to address the issues that required attention.

Shri Javadekar also reiterated the role and relevance of the National Green Tribunal in the current context as it had provided an institutional mechanism and framework to address the needs and concerns pertaining to the environment. During his address the Minister touched upon the recent initiatives undertaken by the Government. Specific reference was made to the initiatives undertaken yesterday regarding the National Air Quality Index, the proposals initiated by the Government on Climate Change during the Budget, the measures pertaining to cleaning of the Ganga and the Himalayan protection initiative.

Secretary, Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Shri Ashok Lavasastated that the mechanism was being streamlined within the Ministry aimed at the preservation of nature and measures conducive to development. The measures also aimed to harmonize the development. The overall objective was the simplification of procedures.

The Foundation Day was also addressed by Hon’ble Mr. Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Judge, Supreme Court of India and Hon’ble Mr. Justice Swatanter Kumar, Chairperson, National Green Tribunal.The function also witnessed the release of the second issue of NGT International Journal on Environment and the launch of new website of National Green Tribunal.

Title: Government is committed to strengthen communities to fight challenges posed by Climate Change

Date: 27th October, 2014

Climate Adaptation Fund to be finalized soon

Indian farmers are ready to adapt to climate change: Prakash Javadekar

Shri Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change has said adaptation, capacity building, and strengthening rural communities would be the top priority for the Government to address the challenges posed by climate change. The Government would shortly be finalizing a comprehensive Action Plan on the Climate Change Adaptation Fund introduced in the Union Budget this year. The Government stood committed to the Clean India Green India philosophy outlined by the Honourable Prime Minister. The Minister said this while delivering the inaugural address at the National Workshop on Scaling up Good Practices for Climate Change Adaptation here today.

Elaborating further Shri Javadekar said that climate change as a comprehensive issue needed to be addressed at the Global, National, Regional and even at the local level i.e. at the State and District level. While at the global level the focus was on emission cuts and mitigation, India’s perspective had focused on financial and technological support, information sharing and technology transfer for the developing communities to scale up adaptation strategies. The Minister stated that a balanced global view needed to incorporate these aspects as part of the new International Protocol on Climate Change that would emerge in 2015.

On the issue of climate change adaptation, the Minister called for a collaborative, community-based, and participatory approach and emphasized that efficient watershed management and water budgeting, soil health cards, and disaster-risk mitigation strategies were of paramount importance. Shri Javadekar also stated that the common people and farmers in India were ready to adopt good practices and successfully adapt to the changes brought about by climate change. The Minister also mentioned that the entire approach instituted had to be “Bottom Up.” Based on this premise, adaptation plans would be designed. This would enable mainstreaming of adaptation of sustainable cultures. Title: Ratification of the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur supplementary protocol on liability and redress to the Cartagena protocol on bio safety by India

Date: 29th October, 2014

Ratification of the Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur supplementary protocol on liability and redress to the Cartagena protocol on biosafety by India

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today gave its approval for ratifying the `Nagoya-KualaLumpur supplementary protocol on liability and redress to the Cartagena protocol on bio-safety` by India.

The proposed approach provides for an international regulatory framework in the field of liability and redress related to living modified organisms that reconciles trade and environment protection. The Supplementary Protocol would promote sound application of biotechnology making it possible to accrue benefits arising from modern biotechnology while minimizing the risk to the environment and human health.

The proposal will protect the interests of all Indians without distinction or differentiation.

The proposal is based on the principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity and Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, both internationally negotiated and binding legal instruments. It will promote innovation in agricultural and healthcare research and development that is safe for the environment and human beings. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy Title: MOU Signed for First Ever Offshore Wind Power Project in India

Date: 1st October, 2014

100 MW Project to Come up in Gujrat Coast

National Offshore Wind Energy Policy in the Anvil

An MOU for setting up a Joint Venture Company ( JVC) towards undertaking the First Demonstration Offshore Wind Power Project in the country along the Gujarat coast has been signed here today in the presence of Shri Piyush Goyal , Union Minister of State (I/C), Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy . The MoU was signed by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), National Institute of Wind Energy (NIWE), and Consortium of partners consisting of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA), Power Finance Corporation (PFC), Power Trading Corporation (PTC), and Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd (GPCL).

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal described it as a great opportunity in the development of renewable energy resources in the country. He pointed out that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s message in the US was loud and clear that renewable energy is the way to go, it dovetails world’s concerns about climate change and it clearly enhances India’s energy security. Considering the country’s 7600 km long coastal line , Shri Goyal stated that opportunities for scaling up are humongous. The Minister also suggested for building partnership with Defence , Coast guard and Shipping to ensure seamless and time bound approval process.

The Joint Venture Company will undertake detailed feasibility study based on the inputs received from pre-feasibility studies and necessary steps for implementation of the first offshore demonstration wind power project.

The first planned demonstration offshore wind power project along the Gujarat coast will be of about 100 MW capacity. It has been proposed to provide subsidy for setting up of evacuation and transmission infrastructure of the offshore wind power to the main land including financial support for carrying out studies such as wind resource assessment, Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), oceanographic survey and Bathymetric studies. Ministry would also assist in obtaining clearances involved during the implementation of the project. This being a first demonstration offshore wind project in the country, will certainly provide enough learning to move into this sector by taking up similar viable projects in future, enabling India to enter in the club of countries who are in the business of offshore wind power generation.

Wind power development onshore has reached to commercial stage in India and is fastest growing renewable energy option today. India also has around 7600 KM of coastline which offers great potential for Off-shore wind power development. Having more than 22 GW installed onshore wind power capacity in the country, Ministry has taken initiative towards offshore wind power development which includes announcement of Draft National Offshore Wind Energy Policy and preparation of Draft Cabinet note on National Offshore Wind Energy Policy which has been circulated for inter-ministerial comments. Finalization of the proposed National Offshore Wind Energy Policy will provide a conducive environment for harnessing offshore wind energy including setting up of a demonstration offshore wind power project to show case technology and build investors’ confidence.

In early 90s, Ministry had taken up onshore demonstration projects in various states. A total of 71 MW of demonstration projects in 7 states have leveraged a wind power capacity of around 22,000 MW with private sector investment. Therefore, Ministry decided to go for a demonstration off-shore wind power project to show-case the possibility and viability of off-shore wind power in the country. Some sites were identified along the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coast which have good wind power potential for development of offshore projects. Since, GPCL has shown interest, it was decided to plan the first offshore wind power project along the coast of Gujarat.

However, world-wide offshore wind power projects aggregating to about 7.5 GW capacity have been installed (UK - 4.2 GW; Denmark - 1.2 GW; Belgium – 0.7 GW; Germany – 0.6 GW; China – 0.4 GW; the Netherlands – 0.2 GW and Sweden – 0.2 GW)

Shri. Upendra Tripathy , Secretary , MNRE, CMDs of all partner PSUs and senior officers of MNRE were present on the occasion of signing of the MoU. Ministry of Power Title: Power, Coal, MNRE PSUs to Construct 50,000 Toilets in Schools

Date: 1st October 2014

Work on 1001 Toilets to begin tomorrow

As a part of the “Swachh Bharat Mission” , the Public Sector Undertakings ( PSUs) under the Ministries of Power, Coal and New & Renewable Energy will construct 50,000 toilets in schools all over the country within next one year up to August 2015. The work of 1001 toilets will begin tomorrow, 2nd October 2014 in various states.

For the construction of these toilets, 50 % of the Corporate Social Responsibility Budget will be earmarked during the financial year 2014-15 and 2015-16. The PSU wise allocation is NTPC- 240,PGCIL-90,NHPC-56,PFC-72,REC-90,NEEPCO-06,SJVNL-21,THDCIL-05,CoalIndia Ltd- 400,NLC-25,1REDA-04.

The breakup of the states and the number of schools in which work commence tomorrow is as follows:

S. No. Name of PSU States Number of Toilets to be constructed in the Schools 1 NTPC Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, MP, Odisha, 240 Rajasthan,UP, &West Bengal 2 Power Rajasthan 72 Finance Corporation (PFC) 3 SJVN Limited Himachal Pradesh 21 4 POWERGRID AP, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, MP, 90 Odisha, & Telegana 5 National Assam, WB, J&K, HP, Uttrakhand, 56 Hydroelectric Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur & WB. Power Corporation (NHPC ) 6 Rural UP 90 Electrification Corporation Limited (REC) 7 Neyveli Tamil Nadu, 25 Lignite Corporation Ltd (NLC) 8 THDC India Uttrakhand 05 Limited ( THDCIL) 9 Indian Chhattisgarh 04 Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) 10 North Eastern Assam 06 Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) 11 Coal India Jharkhand, WB, Odisha, MP, Chhattisgarh, 400 Limited ( CIL) UP, & Assam

Title: Address by Shri Piyush Goyal in connection with Swachh Bharat Mission

Date: 2nd October, 2014

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (I/C) for Power, Coal & NRE has announced construction of one lakh toilets in schools by PSUs under his Ministries within a year. While administering Cleanliness Pledge to the Employees of Ministries of Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and its PSUs through webcast from Mumbai, Shri Goyal urged them to remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for that. He said every step taken towards cleanliness will help the country remain clean which will lead to economic prosperity.

The full text of Minister’s message webcast is available at http://www.webcast.gov.in/powercoalnre/ Title: One Lakh Toilets in Schools to be constructed by Energy PSUs within a Year

Date: 2nd October, 2014

Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of State (I/C) for Power, Coal & New & Renewable Energy has announced construction of one lakh toilets in schools by PSUs under his Ministries within a year. While administering Cleanliness Pledge to the Employees of Ministries of Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and its PSUs in connection with the launch of “Swachh Bharat Mission” through webcast from Mumbai, Shri Goyal urged them to remain committed towards cleanliness and devote time for that. He said every step taken towards cleanliness will help the country remain clean which will lead to economic prosperity.

Shri Goyal said that energy family will play an important role in realizing the dream of the Prime Minister to make India neat & clean. He expressed the hope that every citizen will get inspired by the Prime Minister’s initiative for the cleanliness drive today and will contribute to this noble cause. Pointing out that there are enormous economic benefits of making the country clean , he said it will increase tourism, employment opportunities and income . Shri Goyal said that all employees should resolve to work together to project the image of a clean India to the world in the coming days.

In New Delhi , the Secretaries of Ministries of Power, Coal & New & Renewable Energy administered the cleanliness pledge in their respective offices . At Sharam Shakti Bhawan, Shri PK Sinha, Secretary Power , Shri SK Srivastava , Secretary Coal at Ministry of Coal in Shastri Bhawan and Shri Updendra Tripathy , Sceretary MNRE at CGO Complex led the cleaning drive . Senior officers and staff members in large numbers participated in the drive.

Similarly, in all the PSUs under Ministries of Power, Coal & New & Renewable Energy , respective CMDs and unit heads throughout the country administered cleanliness pledge to the officers and staff members. Title: Power Ministry Initiates Several Measures for Promoting Energy Efficiency in Lighting Sector

Date: 8th October, 2014

BEE & EESL to Develop Business Model for Procuring Led Bulbs

Light Emitting Diode (LED ) are emerging as the most energy-efficient source of lighting, with a LED bulb using 1/10th as much energy as a normal incandescent bulb and half as much energy as a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) to produce the same amount of light. However, the major challenge has been its high cost. The first LED lamp made in India, in 2010 was sold for Rs.1200.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) under the Ministry of Power initiated a systematic process to exploit the energy saving potential of LEDs, and to bring them into large scale use as soon as possible. Consequently, a roadmap was prepared, in close cooperation with the lighting industry, which sought to: (a) ensure the quality and reliability of LED lamps; (b) reduce the price of LED lamps, initially through large scale public procurement and then through a labelling programme; and (c) facilitate awareness and demonstration of this lighting through its technology. BEE simultaneously promoted demand for LED bulbs and for LED streetlights by providing financial support to all states to set up demonstration projects to highlight the lighting quality and energy savings of this technology. Further, in order to enhance demand for LED bulbs , the Ministry of Power, decided that henceforth all bulbs provided to below- poverty line households at the time of connection, estimated to be about 3.4 million, under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyuthikaran Yojana (RGGVY) would use LED technology. At the same time, a number of electricity distribution companies have also entered into agreements with LED manufacturers for the supply of LED bulbs at preferential prices to their consumers.

All lighting manufacturers have established manufacturing facilities for LED-based lighting system in India, and have started training programmes for lighting engineers and demonstration programmes in various buildings to showcase this technology.

BEE together with EESL (Energy Efficiency Services Limited, a joint venture of 4 power sector central PSUs) have worked with electricity distribution companies to develop a business model under which EESL procures LED bulbs in bulk and sells them to households at Rs.10 instead of the market price of Rs.400. The electricity distribution companies then repays EESL, over a period of 5 to 8 years from the savings that accrue due to use of this energy efficient lighting technology. EESL has already completed a number of projects to retrofit existing streetlights to energy efficient LED streetlights as well as a 7.5 lakh LED bulb replacement project for households in Pudhuchery. This resulted in reduction of cost of LED bulbs from Rs.400/- to Rs.310/- inclusive of warranty.

Recently in August this year , following the signing of MOU between EESL and Government of Andhra Pradesh, EESL completed the procurement process of 20 lakh LED bulbs last week. Almost the entire lighting industry participated in the bid and the lowest quoted price was Rs.204/- per LED bulb. This is almost 35% less than the Puducherry LED price and about 50% below the price at the beginning of the year.

The rapid price reduction as a result of aggregation of demand augurs well for promoting energy efficiency in lighting sector with the state of the art LED technology. At a price of Rs.204, LED are just 30-40% costlier than CFLs. As compared to CFLs, LEDs are 50% more energy efficient apart from not using mercury as is the case with CFL. Also, LEDs have life that is 4-5 times more than CFLs and therefore are cheaper option on life cycle cost basis. A barrier of use of LEDs in household sector is the lack of standardisation and awareness. BEE will now be launching a labelling programme, coupled with an outreach and awareness campaign, to drive the LED demand significantly. The present demand of ICLs and CFLs is more than 1.1 billion units every year.

Increase in domestic demand would further reduce cost of LED bulbs with larger production capacities getting created in India. Also, along with standardisation and awareness generation, bulk public procurement could also spur demand and lead to price reduction in an accelerated manner. Title: Fifth SAARC Energy Ministers Meeting Begins Tomorrow in New Delhi

Date: 15th October, 2014

Meet to Consider Enhanced Cooperation in Energy Sector

The Fifth Meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Energy Ministers will be held on the 16th and 17th October 2014 in New Delhi , with an aim to strengthen energy cooperation among the member countries of the organisation. Shri. Piyush Goyal , Minister of State (I/C) for Power , Coal and Renewable Energy is scheduled to inaugurate the meeting on the 17th morning.

The energy ministers` meeting will be preceded by a meeting of senior officials of the SAARC on the 16th October. A number of important issues, related to the Energy sector in the member countries would dominate the discussions.

Apart from the host country India, Energy Ministers and senior officials from the SAARC member countries, viz, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are expected to participate in the two-day meeting.

The agenda of the meeting include review of status of implementation of decisions of the Fourth Meeting of SAARC Energy Ministers held in Dhaka, on 15 September 2011 and consideration of the Report of the Senior Officials Meeting held in New Delhi, on 16 October 2014. It also includes consideration of the issues related to enhanced cooperation in energy sector amongst the SAARC countries.

Background:

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was created in 1985 with its Secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the Members of this Association.

The process of regional cooperation in energy sector began in January 2000 with the establishment of a Technical Committee on Energy. Thereafter, recognizing that this vital area requires focused attention, the Council of Ministers approved the creation of a specialized Working Group on Energy in January 2004 to conduct a study on the concept of the South Asian Energy Ring and constituted Ministerial level Energy Forum through the Islamabad declaration of the 12th SAARC Summit.

The First Meeting of the SAARC Energy Ministers was held at Islamabad, on 1 October 2005 which decided the formation of an Expert Group to deliberate on the options and potential of energy conservation and energy efficiency measures and to formulate a road map for implementation in the SAARC region. The Expert Group formulated a Road Map for implementation by the Member States. The second meeting of the SAARC Energy Ministers was held on 7th March 2007 in New Delhi. The third meeting of the SAARC Energy Ministers was held in Colombo on 29th January 2009. The fourth meeting of the SAARC energy Ministers was held in Dhaka on 14-15 September 2011, Bangladesh.

Under SAARC energy cooperation, following Expert Groups have been constituted:

Expert Group Lead Country Oil and Gas Bangladesh Electricity India Renewable Energy Pakistan Technology/knowledge sharing (including energy efficiency, coal etc.) India

Title: SAARC Countries Finalized Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation

Date: 17th October, 2014

The 5th SAARC Energy Ministers Meeting has finalized the SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity). This is a significant achievement of the Ministers’ meeting, as this Agreement has been pending since 2010 and is a crucial step towards developing a SAARC Market for Electricity (SAME) on a regional basis.

Two days meeting concluded here with the Ministers assurance to get the Framework Agreement approved from their respective Governments so that it could be signed during the forthcoming SAARC Summit scheduled to be held in November, 2014 in Kathmandu, Nepal.

India proposed to host the Seminar on “Sharing Experiences on Energy Pricing Mechanism in the SAARC Region”. India also proposed to host the Second Meeting of the Expert Group on Technology/Knowledge Sharing (including Energy Efficiency, coal, etc.) in 2015.

Bangladesh will convene the Meeting of Energy Regulators /Bodies in SAARC countries by December 2014.

The Meeting noted that all the four Expert Groups have already finalized their ToR and Work Plans and urged the lead Member States to continue convening of Expert Group meetings regularly, preferably on annual basis.

The Member States apprised the Meeting of the initiatives taken with regard to Renewable Energy projects. The Meeting referred the matter to the Expert group on Renewable Energy for further deliberations.

The meeting approved the 8 reports of earlier meetings of the Working Group on Energy, separate Expert Groups on Electricity, Technology and Knowledge Sharing, Renewable Energy and the reports of the Inter-governmental Meetings on “Study on South Asian Regional Power Exchange”, organized by ADB.

The Indian side presented two Concept Reports namely, “Framework for planning cross-border transmission links and associated system strengthening through joint system studies” and “Operation of stable and secure SAARC Electricity grids”. Bangladesh has also prepared the Concept Paper on “Structures, functions and institutional mechanisms for SAARC regulatory issues on electricity exchange/trade” and the same would be circulated among Member States, shortly. Member States will offer their views/comments on the Concept Papers by 31 December 2014.

The next meeting of the SAARC Energy Ministers’ will be held in Nepal.

Background:

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985, with its Secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal. The process of regional cooperation in energy sector began in January 2000 with the establishment of a Technical Committee on Energy. Thereafter, through the Islamabad Declaration at the 12th SAARC Summit in 2004, the Ministerial level Energy Forum was constituted.

The First Meeting of the SAARC Energy Ministers was held at Islamabad in 2005. This was the fifth meeting of the Energy Ministers held after a gap of three years. This meeting was preceded by Secretary level SAARC Senior officials meeting on 16th October 2014. Ministry of Water Resources Title: Storage Status of 85 Important Reservoirs of the Country as on October 01, 2014

Date: 7th October, 2014

The Water Storage available in 85 important reservoirs of the country as on October 01, 2014 was 121.396 BCM which is 78% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This storage is 91% of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 102% of storage of average of last ten years. The present storage position during current year is less than storage position of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years.

Central Water Commission monitors live storage status of 85 important reservoirs of the country on weekly basis. These reservoirs include 37 reservoirs having hydropower benefit with installed capacity of more than 60 MW. The total storage capacity of these reservoirs is 155.046 BCM which is about 61% of the storage capacity of 253.388 BCM which is estimated to have been created in the country.

REGION WISE STORAGE STATUS

NORTHERN REGION

The northern region includes States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. There are 6 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.01 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 14.64BCM which is 81% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 92% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 81% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and equal to the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

EASTERN REGION

The Eastern region includes States of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura. There are 15 reservoirs in this region having total live storage capacity of 18.83 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 15.42 BCM which is 82% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 83% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 78% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

WESTERN REGION

The Western region includes States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 22 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 24.54 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 20.03BCM which is 82% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 86% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was81% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years.

CENTRAL REGION

The Central region includes States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There are 12 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 42.30BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 35.02BCM which is 83% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 89% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 67% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years.

SOUTHERN REGION

The Southern region includes States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are 30 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 51.37 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 36.29BCM which is 71% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 83% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 80% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

States having better storage than last year for corresponding period are Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. State having equal storage than last year for corresponding period was Odisha. States having lesser storage than last year for corresponding period are Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Title: Government to hold Specific Consultation with Grossly Polluting Industries along Ganga

Date: 7th October, 2014

Day Long Programme to be addressed by Various Union Ministers

In continuation to Ganga Manthan, a specific consultation with Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) located in five states along Ganga river main stem will be held here tomorrow. The discussion would involve presentations from Central Control Pollution Board (CCPB) on the regulatory framework and from the leading industrial associations regarding the actions taken and challenges faced in order to abate the pollution generated during the industrial processes. The consultation is also likely to be attended by members of industrial associations, senior government officials and Union Ministers from key ministries involved in Ganga rejuvenation. Such consultations hold an important role in laying the plan for ‘Namami Gange’ – an ambitious project of Government of India to achieve the objective of Ganga Rejuvenation.

In the inaugural session, there would be address of Shri RR Mishra, Mission Director, National Mission on Clean Ganga and Shri Susheel Kumar Chairman, CPCB. Prof. Vinod Tare, Co-ordinator of IIT Consortium preparing the Ganga River Basin Management Plan (GRBMP) will be making a presentation on “Industrial Pollution in River Ganga: Issues and Challenges”. Shri Sunil Dave of CPCB will make a presentation on the regulatory framework for Industrial Pollution Abatement. This will be followed by a keynote address by Dr RK Pachauri, Director General-TERI and Chairman IPCC. After the inaugural address, consultation with Industrial Associations will take place where industrial associations of key industries located along Ganga main stem will talk about the actions taken and challenges faced in order to abate the water pollution generated during the industrial processes. An open forum after industrial consultation will be provided to the participants to keep their views and to provide suggestions for industrial pollution abatement. Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change; Union Minister of Tourism and Culture; Union Minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation; and, Union Minister of Shipping, Road Transport, Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation will present the concluding remarks.

Ganga Manthan, a national dialogue on river Ganga, organized on July 07, 2014 at New Delhi marked the beginning of a national level stakeholder interaction on the challenges, issues and possible solutions to achieve the ambitious objective of ‘Ganga Rejuvenation’.

As estimated by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), about 501 MLD of industrial wastewater after treatment is being discharged into river Ganga from the 764 Grossly Polluted Industries (GPI).Grossly Polluting Industries are those industries, which (I) discharge their effluents into a water course including rivers and lakes, and (ii) are either involved in manufacture & use of hazardous substances or discharge effluents with a BOD load of 100kg/day or more, or both. Type of industries located along the main stem of river Ganga include tanneries, distilleries, pulp and paper, textiles & dyeing, slaughter houses etc. that discharge its effluents into the river Ganga. In terms of number, tanneries are dominant whereas in terms of waste water, maximum is generated by Pulp and paper industries. Considering the high toxicity of Industrial effluents, it is extremely important to abate the industrial pollution in order to save our holy river Ganga. Title: Uma Bharti Seeks Cooporation of Industry in Clean Ganga Mission Dialogue on Industrial Pollution in River Ganga Held

Date: 8th October, 2014

Union Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Sushri Uma Bharti has sought the cooperation of various industries in clean Ganga Mission. Addressing the national dialogue on industrial pollution in river Ganga held here today, she said industries along the river Ganga can contribute a lot in the mission by self regulatory provisions. The Minister expressed the hope that Ganga Rejuvenation Programme will set a parameter for other rivers of the country.

Earlier addressing the gathering, Union Minister for Environment, Forests and climate change Shri Prakash Javadekar said that Government has given time till March next year to over seven hundred Grossly Polluting Industries to follow the environment norms. He said after this sensors will be installed in these industries to check the pollution level. Shri Javadekar said that his Ministry is working in close tandem with the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to fulfill the clean Ganga Mission of the Government

Today’s dialogue involved specific consultation with Grossly Polluting Industries (GPIs) located in five states along Ganga river main stem. The discussions involved presentations from Central Control Pollution Board (CCPB) on the regulatory framework and from the leading industrial associations regarding the actions taken and challenges faced in order to abate the pollution generated during the industrial processes. The consultation was attended by members of industrial associations and senior government officials from key Ministries involved in Ganga rejuvenation. An open forum was provided to the participants to keep their views and to provide suggestions for industrial pollution abatement. Title: Storage Status of 85 Important Reservoirs of the Country as on October 09, 2014

Date: 10th October, 2014

The Water Storage available in 85 important reservoirs of the country as on October 09, 2014 was 118.589 BCM which is 76% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This storage is 89% of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 100% of storage of average of last ten years. The present storage position during current year is less than storage position of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years.

REGION WISE STORAGE STATUS:

NORTHERN REGION

The northern region includes States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. There are 6 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.01 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 14.28BCM which is 79% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 90% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 80% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

EASTERN REGION

The Eastern region includes States of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura. There are 15 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.83 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 15.11 BCM which is 80% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 87% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 79% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

WESTERN REGION

The Western region includes States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 22 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 24.54 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 19.40BCM which is 79% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 88% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was81% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years.

CENTRAL REGION

The Central region includes States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There are 12 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 42.30BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 34.56BCM which is 82% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 89% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 66% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years.

SOUTHERN REGION

The Southern region includes States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are 30 reservoirs in this region having total live storage capacity of 51.37 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 35.25BCM which is 69% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 81% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 81% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

States having better storage than last year for corresponding period are Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.States having lesser storage than last year for corresponding period are Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Title: Shriram Vedire Appointed as Advisert to the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation

Date: 16th October, 2014)

Shri Shriram Vedire has been appointed as adviser to the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Government of India. He will be advising the Ministry in all the matters pertaining to the water sector that includes Ganga Rejuvenation, Inter-linking of Rivers, ensuring availability of clean and potable water,ensuring availability of adequate water for agricultural purposes to ensure food security to the nation and on any such matters as may be referred to by the Ministry. These issues have become very critical to the Nation and have been under the judicial scrutiny of apex court for quite some time and also a matter of concern of Parliament.

Shri Vedire worked as an Engineer for 15 years in USA and returned to India in 2009. He was associated with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources and advised it on various aspects of Water Management (like `Ground Water Recharge`, `National Water Policy 2012` etc.). He was also a member of the team set up by the Union Minister for Water Resources Sushri Uma Bharti to study and suggest measures to maintain Aviral (un-interrupted and continuous) flow of River Ganga at Tehri Dam and other such dams obstructing the river’s flow. The team has visited Tehri and other places all along River Ganga and Shri Vedire has given some technical solutions on how to maintain Aviral flow of River Ganga from Gangotri to Ganga Sagar all through River Ganga’s 2,500 km course.

Shri Vedire is currently a member of the Task Force set up by the Government of Rajasthan on ‘Integrated command and catchment area development in the State of Rajasthan’. He has also submitted a report on revival of River Saraswati, an ambitious project of Government of Rajasthan. He has written several books which includes “Gujarat’s success story in Water Management”, “Water Grid for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh using Rivers Godavari and Krishna” and “Innovative Water Management Practices indispensable for India. Title: Storage Status of 85 Important Reservoirs of the Country as on October 16, 2014

Date: 17th October, 2014

The Water Storage available in 85 important reservoirs of the country as on October 16, 2014 was 116.246 BCM which is 75% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This storage is 87% of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 99% of storage of average of last ten years. . The present storage position during current year is less than the storage position of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years.

REGION WISE STORAGE STATUS NORTHERN REGION The northern region includes States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. There are 6 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.01 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 13.82BCM which is 77% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 90% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 78% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

EASTERN REGION The Eastern region includes States of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura. There are 15 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.83 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 14.80 BCM which is 79% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 88% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 79% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and equal to the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

WESTERN REGION The Western region includes States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 22 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 24.54 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 18.86BCM which is 77% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 89% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 81% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years.

CENTRAL REGION The Central region includes States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There are 12 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 42.30BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 34.67 BCM which is 82% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 89% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 65% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years.

SOUTHERN REGION The Southern region includes States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are 30 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 51.37 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 34.09BCM which is 66% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 79% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 80% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

States having better storage than last year for corresponding period are Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. States having equal storage than last year for corresponding period are Jharkhand and Karnataka. States having lesser storage than last year for corresponding period are Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Odisha,West Bengal, Tripura, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Title: Inter-Linking of Rivers Can be Achieved within Seven to Ten Years says Uma Bharti

Date: 17th October, 2014

First Meeting of the Special Committee for Inter-Linking of Rivers Held

Inter-linking of rivers is the dream project of NDA government. This was stated by Union Minister for Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti here today while presiding over the first meeting of the special committee for Inter-linking of Rivers. She sought cooperation of various states in the inter-linking of rivers. Referring to the apprehensions expressed by some environmentalists, the Minister said that the Government will ensure that there is no loss to the environment due to this project. Sushri Bharti said that this project is so dear to her so that she can go and beg for assistance to any State, Organization or individual for the success of this project. The Minister said the inter-linking of rivers will be a mile stone in the development of the nation. She said success of this project will prove that environment and development can go together. She expressed the hope that the 30 interlinking projects taken up by her Ministry will be over within a period of seven to ten years.

The Minister also informed the meeting that her Ministry will be organizing a three day conference titled Jal Manthan in the second week of next month in the national capital. She said a full day will be earmarked for discussion on inter-linking of rivers during the conference.

Ministers and senior officials from the state of Bihar, Telangana, Assam, Kerala, Rajasthan, Gujrat, UP, AP, MP, Tamil Nadu and Maharasthara attended the meeting. Shri Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Water Resources Minister of Bihar was of the view that we should have a national policy on silt management of rivers. He said the meeting of committee should be held in regular intervals so that problems related to inter-linking can be solved at the earliest. The Water Resources Minister of Assam Shri Rajib Lochan Pegu suggested that a separate meeting of North Eastern State should be called on the issue of inter- linking of rivers. Shri Harish Rao, Water Resources Minister of Telangana was of the opinion that linking of peninsular rivers with Himalayan rivers should be taken up on priority basis. He said water should be transferred from one river basin to another only when there is surplus water in one basin. The Tamil Nadu government representative was of the opinion that all inter state rivers should be taken over by the centre for proper implementation of the inter linking of rivers of the country.

It may be recalled that Supreme Court of India vide its Judgment dated February 21, 2012 in WP (C) 512 of 2002 along with WP (C) 668 of 2002 “Networking of Rivers” had directed for setting up a special Committee for inter-linking of Rivers. The Government of India vide its resolution dated December 13, 2002 constituted the “Task Force on Interlinking of Rivers under the chairmanship of Shri Suresh Prabhu, a former Union Minister. An expert group from IIM. Ahmedabad set up by the Task Force submitted in December 2006, a Report on “Organizational Structure for Interlinking of Rivers”. Subsequently, vide Gazetted Notification dated September 23, 2014 the Ministry of Water Resource, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation constituted a special committee for inter-linking of rivers under the chairpersonship for Union Minister for Water Resource, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation. The Director General of National Water Development Agency is the Member Secretary of the Committee. Title: Expert Advisory Group Constituted to Render Assistance to Matters Pertaining to Water Sector

Date: 20th October, 2014

An Expert Advisory Group under the Chairmanship of Shri BN Navalawala, Ex-Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources, as Chief Adviser has been constituted to render assistance to the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation in matters pertaining to water sector

The Expert Advisory Group will have two other members as Advisers appointed from time to time. The other members would be appointed in consultation with the Chief Adviser. The group may co-opt any other experts for a specific purpose and specified period with the prior approval of the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation.

Shri Navalawala obtained B.E. (Civil) degree from Gujarat University and joined government service as an Engineer. He was advisor to Gujarat CM and was also member of UPSC.

An internationally renowned water-resources expert with specialisation in planning, design and execution of multipurpose water resources projects, flood management and economic planning & financial management of water resources, he is the first Asian to have been elected in September, 2001 as the Chairman of the Working Group of ICID (International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage) for Research and Development for Water Resources and he is also the first water resources official in the country to achieve the honour of being the recipient of an “Award of Excellence” in recognition of his “exceptional” contribution of ICID and World Food security from the ICID in July, 2002. He is a fellow of Institution of Engineers (India) and a Life Member of Indian Water Resources Society. He is also a Member of American Society of Civil Engineers.

During his professional career, he has accomplished a number of challenging tasks including laying the underwater HDPE pipeline across Sea Creek between Ghoghala-Diu in 1976 for the first time in the country and designing and executing pre-fabricated reinforced cement concrete troughs for canal distribution system for Damanganga Multi-purpose project for the first time in the country in 1982-83. He also worked as Adviser (Water Resources), in the Planning Commission and dealt with overall planning, policy formulation and allocation of financial resources for water resource sector including Rural and Urban Water Supply and Sanitation under Annual Plans and Five Year Plans of States and Central sectors.

Shri Navalawala has worked as a member of a number of important National Committees set up by the Government of India for policy formulation like the Committee of National Rehabilitation Policy, Committee on Inter-State Basin Organisations, Committee on Pricing of Irrigation Water etc. From February 1991 to June 1996, he was the Chairman of Special Committee on History, Education, Training, Research and Future Developments of the Indian National Committee on Irrigation & Drainage. Besides, he was also associated with the formulation and implementation of the World Bank-supported International Programme for Technology Research in Irrigation & Drainage (IPTRD), which was launched in 1990 to address the need for technology research in irrigation and drainage being critical to the global objectives of food security, environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation. He has rich experience of working at various international organization like, World Bank, FAO, UNDP, IWMI-Sri Lanka.

Shri Navalawala was leader of the team of the Indian National Committee on Irrigation & Drainage which visited Sri Lanka in 1993 for working out the collaborative programmes to be undertaken in India by the International Irrigation Management Institute. As an expert, he was invited at the Expert Consultation on “Irrigation Management Transfer in Asia” and “Modernisation of Irrigation Schemes – Past experiences and Future Options” both held by the FAO at Bangkok in Sept. 1995 and Nov. 1996 respectively. He represented India in the first International Congress on Irrigation Systems Transfer held in Mexico in 2000 and participated in the International conference on Fresh Water, 2001, held at Bonn (Germany) in Dec. 2001. Shri Navalawala has published at international and national level as many as 81 papers on crucial issues like Inter-State river-water disputes, economics of Irrigation projects, Irrigation Water Pricing, Irrigation Management, Operation and Maintenance of Irrigation Systems, Flood Insurance, Water-logging, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Participatory Irrigation Management, Perspective Planning for Water Resources Development etc. Title: States to be taken into Confidence about Ganga says Uma Bharti

Date: 27th October, 2014

Meeting of the Reconstituted National Ganga River Basin Authority Held

Union minister of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharti has said that no decision about Ganga rejuvenation will be taken by the centre without taking into confidence the concerned States. Addressing the fourth meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority here today she said a committee comprising additional secretaries of ministry of Environment and Water Resources has been asked to study and give its suggestions on the recommendations of Chopra committee, Chaturvedi committee and IIT committee. Sushri Bharti said this committee will recommend e-flow of rivers from the existing Dams and dams to be constructed in future. The Minister said henceforth meetings of the authority will be held at least once in three month. Sushri Bharti also asked States to hold meeting of State Programme Monitoring Groups (SPMG) on regular basis and requested them to hold its next meeting within a month. The Minister also requested the States to fillup the vacant post in SPMGs on priority. She said a national volunteer force called Ganga Vahini will be set up on the pattern of red cross. This force will comprise youth, students, ex-servicemen and others and will spread the message of Ganga rejuvenation all over the country.

The meeting was also attended by Union Environment Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar, Union Surface Transport Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari, Union Power Minister Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Science and Technology Minister Dr Jitendra Singh, Chief Minister of Uttrakhand Shri Harish Rawat and Water Resources Ministers of UP, Bihar and West Bengal besides other senior officials and experts.

Title: Storage Status of 85 Important Reservoirs of the Country as on October 22, 2014 Date: 28th October, 2014)

The Water Storage available in 85 important reservoirs of the country as on October 22, 2014 was 114.267 BCM which is 74% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This storage is 86% of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 98% of storage of average of last ten years. The present storage position during current year is less than the storage position of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years.

REGION WISE STORAGE STATUS:

NORTHERN REGION

The northern region includes States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. There are 6 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.01 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 12.44BCM which is 69% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 89% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 77% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

EASTERN REGION

The Eastern region includes States of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura. There are 15 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.83 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 15.50 BCM which is 82% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 91% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 78% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

WESTERN REGION

The Western region includes States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 22 reservoirs in this region having total live storage capacity of 24.54 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 18.73BCM which is 76% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 88% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 80% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years.

CENTRAL REGION

The Central region includes States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There are 12 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 42.30BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 34.75BCM which is 82% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 90% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 64% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years.

SOUTHERN REGION

The Southern region includes States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are 30 reservoirs in this region having total live storage capacity of 51.37 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 32.85BCM which is 64% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 79% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 79% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

States having better storage than last year for corresponding period are Chattisgarh and Tamil Nadu. States having lesser storage than last year for corresponding period are Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Title: Uma Bharti to Visit Kanpur Tomorrow

Date: 30th October, 2014

Union Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Sushri Uma Bharti will be visiting Kanpur tomorrow. She will inspect 25 major drains which fall into Ganga river and will have discussion with local officials. The Minister will be accompanied by a team of experts including Secretary of her Ministry.

Title: Storage Status of 85 Important Reservoirs of the Country as on October 30, 2014

Date: 31st October, 2014

The Water Storage available in 85 important reservoirs of the country as on October 30, 2014 was 114.345 BCM which is 74% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. This storage is 85% of the storage of corresponding period of last year and 100% of storage of average of last ten years. The present storage position during current year is less than the storage position of last year and equal to storage of average of last ten years.

REGION WISE STORAGE STATUS:

NORTHERN REGION

The northern region includes States of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan. There are 6 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.01 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 12.92 BCM which is 72% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 88% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 76% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

EASTERN REGION

The Eastern region includes States of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Tripura. There are 15 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 18.83 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 15.43 BCM which is 82% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 92% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 77% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

WESTERN REGION

The Western region includes States of Gujarat and Maharashtra. There are 22 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 24.54 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 18.31 BCM which is 75% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 88% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was79% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years.

CENTRAL REGION

The Central region includes States of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There are 12 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 42.30 BCM. The total storage available in these reservoirs is 34.44 BCM which is 81% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 90% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 63% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the storage of last year but better than the average storage of last ten years.

SOUTHERN REGION

The Southern region includes States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There are 30 reservoirs in this region having total storage capacity of 51.37 BCM. The total live storage available in these reservoirs is 33.25 BCM which is 65% of total storage capacity of these reservoirs. The storage during corresponding period of last year was 81% and average storage of last ten years during corresponding period was 78% of storage capacity of these reservoirs. Thus, storage during current year is less than the corresponding period of last year and also less than the average storage of last ten years during the corresponding period.

States having better storage than last year for corresponding period is Tamil Nadu. States having lesser storage than last year for corresponding period are Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Tripura, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Ministry of Science & Technology Title: Mou Signed Between India & Canada in the Areas of Science and Technology

Date: 15th October, 2014

Dr. Jitendra Singh Launch’s A Joint Indo-Canadian Science Programme Focusing on Clean Water Technologies

Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, today launched a joint Indo-Canadian science programme focusing on clean water technologies.

During his meeting with the Canadian Minister for International Trade, Ed Fast and the Canadian Minister for National Revenue, Kerry Findlay, who called on at his Anusandhan Bhawan office here today, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it was a matter of great satisfaction with a sense of achievement that just about two months back he had mooted the idea with the Canadian High Commissioner when the latter called on him and today within this short period, we are able to conclude a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the presence of two senior members of the Canadian Council of Ministers.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that the new programme will be pursued through a joint collaboration between the Department of Science & Technology under his ministry and the National Science and Engineering Council of Canada. This joint venture would enable building up of ‘Safe and Sustainable Infrastructure’ and ‘Integrated Water Management’, thus addressing the vital aspects related to effective water management and clean water supply, he added, and observed that today’s joint declaration is a way forward to the recent joint call by India and Canada to work towards the goal of “Water for Health”.

Dr Jitendra Singh said that while on the one hand this new initiative is in keeping with the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s “Clean River Mission” and “Clean Ganga Mission”, on the other hand this joint participation will help develop a value based relationship and also enable to promote industrial research & development (R&D) projects with application potential through participation of scientific institutions and industrial units.

Dr Jitendra Singh further informed that the Department of Bio-Technology under his Ministry is already, in cooperation with Canadian agencies, working on a number of projects to develop a software product for non-invasive detection of tumours using MRI and PET images. This will also contribute in making India a manufacturing hub for affordable and innovative products taking cue from Prime Minister’s widely acclaimed “Make in India” call.

The visiting delegation of Canadian Ministers appreciated the initiative and the interest shown by Dr Jitendra Singh and felt happy to collaborate with the Indian Ministry of Science & Technology under his able and inspiring leadership.

Canadian Trade Minister, Ed Fast announced the hosting of India-Canada Science & Technology Meet in his country next year during spring season and also offered to provide all help in India’s Clean River Mission.

Other members of the Canadian delegation who accompanied the two Ministers included Nadir Patel, incoming High Commissioner of Canada in New Delhi, Bob Dechert, Parliamentary Secretary, Canadian Ministry of Justice, Lise-Ann Jackson, Director Operations, Rosaline Kwan, Senior Trade Commissioner and Tina Shih, Trade Commissioner while on the Indian side the Minister Dr Jitendra Singh was accompanied by Dr Arabinda Mitra, Advisor & Head, International Cooperation (Bilateral) and Dr Renu Swarup, Scientist ‘H’ & Senior Advisor of Ministry of Science and Technology. Ministry of Home Affairs Title: Smt. Sneh Lata Kumar says the involvement of the community is a key factor in Disaster Management

Date: 8th October, 2014

Smt. Sneh Lata Kumar, Secretary (Border Management), Ministry of Home Affairs said that the involvement of the community is a key factor in Disaster Management. She was giving inaugural address at the Disaster Reduction Day function, here today.

Smt. Kumar said that India is facing a lot of issues related to disaster management, and the community based disaster management is the solution to overcome this. Participation of community is vital in reducing the risk in disaster management and India is committed to improve the community resilience in disaster management, she added.

Prizes were distributed to the children who won in the national level poster completion held on disaster management. Ministry of Earth Science Title: Swachh Bharat Campaign at Ministry of Earth Sciences Launched by Dr. Jitendra Singh Amid A Call to Participate in the Cleanliness Drive Whole Heartedly

Date: 1st October, 2014

Dr.Jitendra Singh, Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences today called upon the employee in the Ministry of Earth Sciences to participate whole heartedly in the Swachh Bharat campaign and to follow the tenets of cleanliness in their daily affairs too the Minister was formally launching the campaign of ‘Swatchh Bharat in the Ministry of Earth Sciences and here in New Delhi. He also participated in the cleanliness drive and reviewed the action plan for the entire month. Addressing the Scientists/Officers/Staff the Minister emphasized the need for cleanliness which would play a major role in bringing about major attitudinal change in one and all towards swatchhata. He exhorted all the employees of MoES to devote 2 hours a week/100 hours in a year as Shramdan to the nation for achieving Swatchhata Mission as envisaged by the Hon’ble Prime Minister, towards creating a “Swatchh Bharat” that was the dream of the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.

It may be noted that the SwatchhBharat Mission has already been commenced from 25th September, 2014 through conducting a cleanliness drive of the office premises/Offices/ toilets, disposing unserviceable items (e-watse/normal/malwa/debris etc.) from office campus to designated locations in which the Scientists, Officers and Officials of all levels are participating. Under the Mission, a dedicated team including senior officers has been detailed for supervising cleanliness drive and since 25th September, 2014 till date, sizeable quantum of waste including e-waste has been disposed off and effort is on to clean the entire premises of any kind of waste material.

Appreciating the efforts under the cleanliness drive so far, theMinister appealed to everybody to sustain the efforts to deliver a Swatchh Bharat which is visible to all in the next five years.

Title: Memorandum of Understanding Between ESSO-MoES And UCAR, USA for Cooperation in the Field of Earth System Science

Date: 7th October, 2014

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Earth System Science Organization-Ministry of Earth Sciences (ESSO-MoES) and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), USA was signed here in New Delhi last month for cooperation in Earth System Sciences.

Dr Shailesh Nayak Secretary M/o Earth Sciences said on the occasion that since Weather and climate affects all our activities, this collaboration will act as a step to bring together academia and application scientists to come together. He was joined by UCAR president Thomas Bogdan saying “If we can help advance their forecast skill, it will save lives in India as well as improve our own forecasts for similar events at home,” and also there are some important synergies that can benefit both countries.”

The present MoU will provide a mechanism to jointly undertake research and developmental work to address Earth System Science issues of common concern through exchange of excellent scientific knowledge and technological know how existing in the two countries.

Collaborations are expected to include aircraft and radar technology, now casting of severe weather events, hydrometeorology, satellite data, oceanic and climate research, urban flooding as well as capacity building through scientific lectures and distance learning. A particularly important area is the long-range forecasting, which has extreme value to the Indian economy and caters to the need of the farmers with planting decisions and agricultural practices based on the projected intensity and timing of the next monsoon season.

The MoU covers scientists from a range of institutions from India, to be coordinated and funded by the ESSO-Ministry of Earth Sciences with the scientists from UCAR’s 104 member universities, as well as NCAR (National Centre for Atmospheric Research). Through the MoU, the regional expertise available with Indian scientists will be complemented by the domain expertise available with UCAR.

Title: Cyclonic Storm, ‘HUDHUD’ Over North Andaman Sea & Adjoining Southeast Bay of Bengal, Cyclone Warning for Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Cyclone Alert for North Coastal Andhra Pradesh & South Odisha Coasts

Date: 8th October, 2014

A low pressure area lay over north Andaman Sea on 6th October, 2014. It concentrated into a depression in the morning of 7th October and intensified into a deep depression in the evening of 7thOctober 2014 over the same region. It moved west northwestwards, intensified into a Cyclonic Storm ‘HUDHUD’ in the morning of 8th October 2014 over north Andaman Sea and crossed Andaman & Nicobar Islands close to Long island between 0830 and 0930 hrs IST of today. Moving northwestwards, it lay centered at 1130 hrs IST of 8th October 2014 near latitude 12.5ºN and longitude 92.5ºE about 1100 km southeast of Gopalpur and 1150 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam. The system would continue to move west- northwestwards, intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm during next 24 hours and into a very severe cyclonic storm during subsequent 36 hours. The system would cross north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts between Visakhapatnam and Gopalpur around noon of 12th October 2014. Title: Severe Cyclonic Storm, ‘Hudhud’ Over Westcentral Bay of Bengal, Cyclone Warning for North Andhra Pradesh & South Odisha Coasts (Orange Message)

Date:10th October, 2014

The Severe Cyclonic Storm ‘HUDHUD’ over westcentral Bay of Bengal moved northwestwards and intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm. It lay centered at 1130 hrs IST of 10th October 2014 near latitude 14.8 ºN and longitude 87.0 ºE about 500 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam and 550 km south- southeast of Gopalpur. The system would move west-northwestwards, intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm during next 12 hours. Thereafter, it would cross north Andhra Pradesh coast around Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of 12th October 2014.

Date/Time(IST) Position Maximum sustained surface Category of cyclonic (Lat. 0N/ long. wind speed (kmph) disturbance 0E) 10-10-2014/1130 14.8/87.0 110-120 gusting to 130 Severe Cyclonic Storm 10-10-2014/1730 15.1/86.1 120-130 gusting to 145 Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 10-10-2014/2330 15.4/86.1 120-130 gusting to 145 Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 11-10-2014/0530 15.7/85.6 130-140 gusting to 155 Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 11-10-2014/1130 16.1/85.1 130-140 gusting to 155 Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 11-10-2014/2330 16.7/84.3 130-140 gusting to 155 Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 12-10-2014/1130 17.6/83.0 130-140 gusting to 155 Very Severe Cyclonic Storm 12-10-2014/2330 18.3/82.3 80-90 gusting to 100 Cyclonic Storm 13-10-2014/1130 19.0/81.5 50-60 gusting to 70 Deep Depression 13-10-2014/2330 19.8/80.5 30-40 gusting to 50 Depression

Warning for north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha

(i) Heavy rainfall warning: Under the influence of the system, rainfall at most places with heavy (6.5 – 12.4 cm) to very heavy falls (12.5 – 24.4 cm) at a few places and isolated extremely heavy falls (≥ 24.5 cm) would occur over west and east Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts of north Andhra Pradesh and Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput, Rayagada, Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Phulbani districts of south Odisha commencing from 11th onwards. Rainfall would occur at most places with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Krishna, Guntur and Prakasham districts of Andhra Pradesh and north coastal Odisha during the same period.

(ii) Wind warning: Squally wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph would commence along and off north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts from 11th morning onwards. The wind speed would gradually increase to 130-140 kmph gusting to 155 kmph from 12th morning along and off north Andhra Pradesh (East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts) and 80-90 kmph along and off adjoining districts of south Andhra Pradesh (West Godavari, Krishna districts) and south Odisha (Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput and Malkangiri districts). (iii) Sea condition along and off north Andhra Pradesh and south Odisha coasts: Sea condition would be rough to very rough from 11th morning. It would gradually become phenomenal from 12th morning onwards along and off north Andhra Pradesh coast and very rough to high along and off south Odisha coast. (iv) Storm surge warning: Storm surge of about 1-2 meters above astronomical tide would inundate low lying areas of Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram and Srikakulam districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh at the time of landfall.

(v) Damage expected:

A) North Andhra Pradesh (East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts): Under the influence of system, extensive damage to kutcha houses. Uprooting of big trees. Partial disruption of power and communication lines. Minor disruption of rail and road traffic. Potential threat from flying debris. Flooding of escape routes. Damage to agricultural crops. Damage to agricultural crops. B) South Andhra Pradesh (West Godavari, Krishna districts) and south Odisha coasts (Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput and Malkangiri districts): Damage to thatched huts. Breaking of tree branches causing minor damage to power and communication lines. Uprooting of small trees. C) Action suggested: A) North Andhra Pradesh (East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts): Suspension of fishing operations in area of influence of cyclone. Judicious regulation of aviation, navigation, rail and road traffic. People in affected areas to remain at safe places around landfall period. Mobilise evacuation from coastal areas. B) South Andhra Pradesh (West Godavari, Krishna districts) and south Odisha coasts (Ganjam, Gajapati, Koraput and Malkangiri districts): Total suspension of fishing operations.

Kindly visit www.rsmcnewdelhi.imd.gov.in for updates.

Click here to see Annexture: http://pib.nic.in/archieve/others/2014/oct/d2014101005.pdf

Title: 31st DAE Safety & Occupational Health Professionals Meet at Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (Bhavini), Kalpakkam

Date: 15th October, 2014

The three day long 31st Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Safety & Occupational Health Professionals Meet today commenced at Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (BHAVINI), Kalpakkam Tamil Nadu). It was inaugurated by Shri S.S. Bajaj, Chairman, AERB. More than 200 delegates along with Chief Executives and Directors of various DAE Units are attending this Meet.

A Monograph on “Safety & Emergency Management at Coastal Site” & “Diabetes Mellitus & Metabolic Syndrome” was released by Shri R. Bhattacharya, Secretary, AERB followed by the briefing about the important milestones, significant achievements of the past Meets and highlights of this year’s Meet. Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Chairman & Managing Director, BHAVINI, Kalpakkam & Chairman, Steering Committee distributed prizes to winners of logo competitions conducted for the Meet and addressed the gathering. The AERB Environmental Protection Awards for the year 2013 were presented to the winners of DAE units, Narara Atomic Power Station (NAPS), NPCIL, Indian Rare Earths Ltd. (OSCOM) and Rajasthan Atomic Power Project 7&8, NPCIL. These units have performed commendable work for the protection, sustainability and preservation of the environment. Shri Bajaj gave away the awards, he also released the technical proceedings, commemorating the Meet and delivered the Inaugural Address. One of the major highlights of this year’s Meet was that the Dr. S.S. Ramaswamy Memorial Endowment Lecture was delivered by Dr. Baldev Raj, Director, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru & Former Director, IGCAR, Kalpakkam on “Tsunami Management at Kalpakkam Nuclear Site”. A Technical Exhibition on Nuclear Technology, Industrial and Fire Safety Appliances, Public Awareness & Safety and Regulatory aspects was organised during the Meet for the benefit of the participants and encourage interactions between industries and DAE units. Shri S.S. Bajaj, Chairman, AERB inaugurated the exhibition. About 10 exhibitors including AERB, BARC, BHAVINI and other manufacturers/suppliers have put up their stalls.

The inaugural session and three technical sessions covering “Safety & Emergency Management at Coastal Site”, “Regulatory Aspects in Safety and Emergency Management Aspects of Nuclear Facilities at Coastal Site”, Guidelines on Cyclone Management and Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome and other areas of interest were arranged . The talks / lectures in the sessions were delivered by renowned experts from DAE as well non-DAE facilities. The Meet will be concluded by a Valedictory Session on 17th October,2014, where in prizes for winners of Poster, Cartoon and Slogan Competitions conducted amongst DAE Employees would be distributed.

Organized jointly organized by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Mumbai and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (BHAVINI), Kalpakkam is an occasion to promote and motivate Safety and Occupational Health aspects in DAE. Every year this meet has a different theme. Title: Acquisition of a Polar Research Vessel

Date:29th October, 2014

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the acquisition of Polar Research Vessel (Ice-breaker, Research cum Supply Vessel) by the Ministry of Earth Sciences at a total cost of Rs. 1051.13 crore within a period of 34 months.

The Ministry of Earth Sciences felt necessary to have the country`s own polar research vessel considering the need to sustain two Indian research bases in Antarctica (Maitri and Bharti); dovetailing research initiatives in the Southern Ocean domain with those in the proximal regions of the Antarctic continent; widen the thrust on Arctic research disciplines undertaken through Indian Station Himadri, and to provide a suitable research platform for other tropical sea programmes. Such a vessel, it is envisaged, can not only perform dual functions, research and logistics, in the polar region but can also serve as a research platform for scientists to undertake scientific research in the ocean realm including the Southern Ocean. In the context of India having expanded its scientific presence to the Arctic as well and the country`s growing strategic interests in the polar and ocean domain, a polar research vessel would certainly serve as the perfect vehicle for building up on India’s sustained presence and increased visibility in the ocean sector.

Background:

Indian Antarctic expeditions have been undertaken every year onboard ice-class vessels/ice-breakers chartered from the international market. These vessels have largely been cargo ships capable of transporting men and material and unable to serve as a research platform. With increased demand for cargo vessels and their dwindling availability, the charter charges of these vessels have been escalating over the years.

The First Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica was launched in 1981. From 2004, India embarked on its scientific endeavors in the Southern Ocean realm. In addition, since 2007, Indian scientists have had a sustained presence in the Arctic. With India`s entry into the Arctic Council as an Observer along with China, Singapore, Japan and South Korea, it has become strategically important to have increased visibility in the Arctic too. This will facilitate India to assume a lead role among Asian nations active in the polar regions.