This Section Represents the Highlights of Important Information About
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This section represents the highlights of important information about government initiatives on the environment, ranging from formulation of new policies to the enhancement of existing environment protection mechanisms. Also highlights the general information provided in Lok Sabha & Rajya Sabha on the various environmental issues. _____________________________________________________________________________________ ISSUES BASED DATABASE (AUGUST) Title: Impact of Global Warming and Climate Change on Rainfall Patterns Date: 7th August, 2014 Ministry of Environmental and Forests (MoEF), Govt of India had undertaken the Indian second National Communication to UNFCCC during 2009-2011(NATCOM-II). The communication had been a national effort which involved many multi-disciplinary scientific groups. Ministry of Earth Sciences carry out scientific studies on climate change and variability under Global and Regional Climate Change (GRCC) programme. Under GRCC programme of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Earth System Science organization (ESSO) has established a dedicated Centre for Climate Change Research (CCCR) under the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. Monsoon rainfall varies on different spatial and temporal scales. Extreme rainfall events that occur at some isolated places (viz. heavy rainfall over Mumbai or in Rajasthan) are highly localized and are part of the natural variability of the Indian monsoon system itself. Although, some recent studies hint at an increasing frequency and intensity of extremes in rainfall during the past 40-50 years, their attribution to global warming is yet to be established. Moreover, the report of the Inter- governmental Panel on Climate Change and our country`s own assessment using regional climate models indicate that the extremes rainfall events are likely to be more frequent in the later part of the 21st century in the world including India. As regards other extreme weather phenomena, there are many other reasons for their occurrence, which cannot always be related to climate change. Although, the monsoon rainfall at all India level does not show any trend but on regional scale, areas of increasing trend is discerned. It is not clear if this increasing trend in the heavy rainfall events is attributable to global warming. Summary of the observed long term changes so far include: (i) Mean annual surface air temperatures show a significant warming of about 0.5 degree C/100 years during the last century. (ii) No significant long-term trends are reported in the frequencies of large-scale droughts or floods in the summer monsoon season. (iii) The average seasonal rainfall over India has shown decline in the last five decades, especially after 1970, that is not found to be statistically significant. Further over core monsoon zone, the contribution from increasing heavy rain events is offset by decreasing moderate events and hence on the long term the change is not appreciable. Many studies have discussed the possible reasons for recent weakening monsoon. (iv) Studies were undertaken in four climate sensitive regions of the country, viz. Himalayan Region, Western Ghats, North Eastern Region, Coastal Areas to assess the possible impacts on the four sectors viz. agriculture, water, forests and health. A Report entitled, Climate Change & India: A 4X4 Assessment – A Sectoral and Regional Assessment of Impact of Climate Change in 2030s, has been released by the Government during November, 2010 under the aegis of the Indian Network of Climate Change Assessment (INCCA). This was stated by Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today. Ministry of Travel Affairs Title: Constitution of State Level Monitoring Committees Date: 8th August, 2014 The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 mandates for the constitution of monitoring Committees Section 6 (7) of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 provides that the State Government shall constitute a State Level Monitoring Committee (SLMC) to monitor the process of recognition and vesting of forest rights and to submit to the nodal agency such return and reports as may be called for by that agency. As per Rule 9 of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Rules, 2007 the State Level Monitoring Committee comprises of – (i) Chief Secretary Chairperson (ii) Secretary, Revenue Department member (iii) Secretary, tribal of Social Welfare Department member (iv) Secretary, Forest Department member (v) Secretary, Panchayati Raj member (vi) Principal Chief Conservator of Forests member (vii) Three Scheduled Tribes member of the Tribes Advisory Council (TAC), to be nominated by the Chairperson of the TAC and where there is no TAC, three Scheduled Tribes members to be nominated by the State Government; (viii) Commissioner, Tribal Welfare or equivalent who shall be the Member Secretary. As per Rule 10 of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Rules, 2007, functions of the SLMC are as under: devise criteria and indicators for monitoring the process of recognition and vesting of forest rights; monitor the process of recognition, verification and vesting of forest rights in the State meet at least once in three months to monitor the process of recognition, verification and vesting of forest rights, consider and address the field level problems, and furnish a quarterly report in the prescribed format, to the Central Government on their assessment regarding the status of claims, the compliance with the steps required under the Act, details of claims approved, reasons for rejection, if any and the status of pending claims. As per the information available with the Ministry, all the States have constituted SLMC except Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Telangana. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 does not mandate for the constitution of monitoring committees at the block and district level. This information was given today by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Shri Mansukhbhai Dhanjibhai Vasava in reply to written question in Lok Sabha. Title: Initiative to Encourage States to Utilize Wastelands for Setting up Renewable Energy Projects Date: 11th August, 2014 Government has taken various initiatives which includes setting up of Solar Parks on the banks of canals, Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects, wind power projects for which the States are encouraged to use land including wastelands depending on availability and resources. This was stated by Sh. Piyush Goyal, (Minister of state for Power, Coal & New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today. Further, The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is providing various fiscal incentive such as generation based incentives, accelerated depreciation, concessional excise and customs duties for the promotion of renewable energy sources in the country. Besides providing financial and fiscal incentives, a few other measures to promote renewable energy include: setting up of demonstration projects, preferential tariff for purchase of power generated from renewable sources, intensive resource assessment, development of power evacuation and testing facilities, introduction of Renewable Energy Certification and Renewable Purchase Obligation, etc. Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency, a Central Public Sector Enterprise under this Ministry, also provides soft term loan for promotion of renewable energy projects. The Minister further stated that the cost of land in renewable energy projects such as wind farms and solar farms/power plants is of the order of 3 to 5 per cent of total project cost. The new Land Acquisition Act may impact the total cost of renewable energy projects. The Minister further stated that the Act stipulates payment of compensation and Rehabilitation and Resettlement package as per First, Second and Third Schedule of the Act. Under the Act, time frame has been prescribed during which various processes are to be completed. A draft National Land Utilisation Policy has been formulated which inter-alia proposes Land Utilization Zones for the purpose of ensuring optimal utilization of land resources, the Minister added. Title: Deficit in Monsoon Rainfall Date: 13th August, 2014 The rainfall for the country as a whole during monsoon season from 1st June till 10th August, 2014 has been deficient by -18%. The state wise deficient rainfall from 1st June to 10th August, 2014 is as below. S. No. State Sub Division Deficient Rainfall % 1 Jammu & Kashmir Jammu & Kashmir -48 2 Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh -35 3 Punjab Punjab -58 4 Haryana Chandigarh Haryana Chandigarh -56 and Delhi and Delhi 5 Uttar Pradesh West Uttar Pradesh -47 East Uttar Pradesh -34 6 Bihar Bihar -28 7 Assam & Meghalaya Assam & Meghalaya -29 8 Arunachal Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh -21 9 Nagaland, Manipur, Nagaland, Manipur, -47 Mizoram & Tripura Mizoram & Tripura 10 Gujarat Gujarat Region DNH -24 & Daman 11 Maharashtra Vidarbha -23 Marathwada -59 12 Karnataka North Interior Karnataka -24 13 Telangana Telangana -50 14 Andhra Pradesh Rayalseema -29 Coastal Andhra Pradesh -37 15 Lakshadweep Lakshadweep -38 Whereas 18 Meteorological Subdivisions viz. Orissa (+21%), Uttarakhand (-16%), West Rajasthan (-