Vol. No. 17 Issue No. 2 April-June, 2016 NEWSLETTER IND 2016

Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Government of - 20 - PARLIAMENT AND ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT OF INDIGENOUS SEEDS

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has prioritized research and development programmes pertaining to indigenous seeds in field and horticultural crops. Research programmes are undertaken by 49 commodity/theme based research institutes and 46 All India Coordinated Research Projects (AICRPs) under crop science and horticultural science to develop varieties and matching production technologies as per the agro-ecological conditions and needs of the farming community.

The crop improvement programmes have led to development of 227 high yielding varieties/hybrids of different field and horticultural crops during the last two years (2014-15). Eighty new varieties of field crops have been recommended for notification till April 2016.

(Agriculture And Farmers Welfare, 13th May, 2016)

STATE-WISE DETAILS OF DISTRICTS DECLARED DROUGHT AFFECTED DURING – 2015-16

Sl. No. Name of State/ Name of affected districts Total No. of total number of districts districts affected

1. Karnataka Rural, Ramanagara, Kolar, Chickballapur, 27 Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Davanagere, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Mandya, Ballari, Koppal, Raichur, Kalaburgi, Yadgir, Bidar, Belagavi,Bagalkote, Vijapura, Gadag, Haveri, Dharwad, Shivamogga, Hassan, Kodagu, Uttara Kannada, Chikkamagalur

Drought –Rabi – (12 districts- already declared as drought affected during Kharif also)

Ballari, Koppal, Raichuru, Kalaburagi, Yadagir, Bidar, Belagavi, Baglkote, Vijayapura, Gadag,Haveri, Dharwad.

2. Chhattisgarh Raipur, Gariaband, Mahasamund, Dhamtary, Durg, 25 Balod, Bemetara, Rajnandgaon, Kabirdham, Bastar, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Kanker, Dantewara, Sukma, Bijapur, Bilaspur, Mungeli, Janjgir-Chamap, Korba, Balrampur, Surajpur, Koria, Raigarh, Jashapur

3. Katni, Shahdol, Umaria, Anuppur, Tikamgarh, Rewa, 46 Jabalpur, Sidhi, Sagar, Damoh, Seoni, Sigroli, Sheopur, Chhatarpur, Bhind, Panna, Satna, Dindori, Shivpuri, Mandsaur, Morena, Jhabua, Bhopal, Ujjain, Neemuch, Vidishia, Raisen, Rajgarh, Khandwa, Ratlam, Narsinghpur, Guna, Betul, Burhanpur, Agar Malwa, Sehore, Indore, Dhar, Shajapur, Harda, Chhindwara, Dewas, Ashoknagar, Khargone, Hoshangabad, Badwani.

4. Nashik, Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, 28 Pune, Satara, Sangli, Aurangabad, Jalna, Beed, Latur, Osmanabad, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Buldhana, Akola,Yavatmal, Nagpur, Gadchiroli,Solapur, Amaravati, Washim, Wardha, Bhandara, Chandrapur, Goandia.

1 Sl. No. Name of State/ Name of affected districts Total No. of total number of districts districts affected

5. Odisha Angul, Balasore, Bargarh, Balangir, Boudh, Cuttack, 27 Deogarh, Dhenkanal, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jajpur, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Keonjhar, Khordha,Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Puri, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Sundargarh,Bhadrak

6. Andhra Pradesh Anantapur, Chittoor, YSR Kadapa, Kurnool, 10 Prakasam, SPSR Nellore, Guntur, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Krishna

7. Uttar Pradesh Sant Ravidas Nagar, Sonbhadra, Sultanpur, Mirzapur, 50 Ballia, Sidharthnagar, Shahjahanpur, Banda, Pratapgarh, Chandauli, Etawah, Basti, Baghpat, Jaunpur, Faizabad, Gonda, Kannauj, Barabanki, Sant Kabir Nagar, Jhansi, Jalaun, Gorakhpur, Hathras, Etah, Allahabad, Ghaziabad, Farrukhabad, Mau, Unnao, Rampur, Hamirpur, Lalitpur, Chitrakoot, Kanpur Nagar, Lucknow, Deoria, Mainpuri, Maharajganj, Agra, Auraiya, Pilibhit, Amethi, Mahoba, Rae Bareily, Kushinagar, Kanpur Dehat, Kaushambi, Fatehpur, Ambedkar Nagar and Balrampur

Drought (Rabi)- 7 districts – already declared as drought affected during Kharif also.

Banda, Chitrakoot, Mahoba, Jalaun, Jhansi, Kanpur Nagar,Hamirpur

8. Telangana Mahabubnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda, Karimnagar and Warangal 7

9. Jharkhand Ranchi, Khunti, Lohardaga, Gumla, Simdega, West Singhbhum, Saraikela, East Singhbhum, Palamu, Garhwa,Latehar, Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Koderma, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Chatra, Dumka, Godda, Deoghar, Jamtara, Giridih 22

10. Rajasthan Ajmer, Banswara, Baran, Barmer, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Churu, Dungarpur, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jalor, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Pali, Rajsamand, Udaipur, Pratapgarh 19

11. Gujarat Rajkot, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Kutch, Porbandar 05#

Total 266

# Govt. of Gujarat has declared 5 districts as semi- scarcity during Kharif 2015.

(Agriculture And Farmers Welfare, 13th May, 2016)

2 CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION FUNDS

The National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) has been established in 2015-16 with a budget provision of Rs 350 crores for F.Y. 2015-16 and 2016-17 to help in scaling-up climate change adaptation interventions in accordance with the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) and State Action Plans on Climate Change (SAPCCs). The overall aim of the fund is to support concrete adaptation activities identified under NAPCC and SAPCCs which are not covered under on-going activities through the schemes of National and State Governments. The adaptation projects contribute towards reducing the risk and vulnerability at community and sector level.

(c ) The Implementation Guidelines for NAFCC have been prepared which outlines that the funding could be provided for adaptation projects in agriculture, horticulture, agro-forestry, environment & allied activities, water, forestry, urban, coastal and low-lying system, disaster management, human health, marine system, tourism, habitat sector and other rural livelihood sectors to address climate change related issues.

(d) Rs. 100 crores has been allocated for NAFCC for the Financial Year 2016-17 and further enhancement will depend on budget allocation. (Climate Change & Meteorology, 3rd May, 2016)

ACUTE DRINKING WATER CRISIS

Acute drinking water crisis has emerged in 13 States of the country due to drought and the State-wise details thereof are:

3 #-Calculated data for PM2.5 on the basis of PM10 data (National conversion factor if available, regional (Environment, Forest & Climate Change, 25th April, 2016)

TARGET FOR GREEN INDIA MISSION As fund release started only towards the middle of 2015, The National India Mission for Green India (GIM) has States are undertaking preparatory activities. As per the been launched by the Union Government as a part of approval granted by the Government the implementation National Action Plan on Climate Change in February period of GIM is 10 years. 2014. The Mission proposes a holistic view of greening and focuses on multiple ecosystem services, especially, (Environment, Forest & Climate Change, 9th May, 2016) biodiversity, water, biomass etc, along with carbon sequestration as a co-benefit. The targets prescribed are: ENDANGERED NATURAL WORLD HERITAGES i. Enhancing quality of forest cover and improving WWF has published a report entitled “Protecting people ecosystem services from 4.9 million hectares through nature-WWF, 2016”, which is mostly based on the ii. Eco-restoration/afforestation to increase forest cover results of report earlier published by WWF in 2015 entitled and ecosystem services from 1.8 million hectares “A global assessment of extractive activity within natural iii. Enhancing tree cover in 0.2 million hectares Urban World Heritage Sites(WHS)”. and Peri-Urban areas The said study is basically a computer- generated iv. Increasing forest cover and eco-system services from representation of spatial overlaps of industrial and mining Agro-forestry and Social Forestry on 3 million activities that were overlaid on the downloaded shape files hectares of World Heritage Sites (WHS). The report cites Manas v. Restoration of 0.1 million hectares of wetlands and Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam, Sundarbans National Park, the ecosystem services thereof West Bengal and Western Ghats (39) sites in the States of vi. Improving fuel-use efficiency and promoting Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra) as the alternative energy sources of 3 million households in natural world heritage sites. The report has limited project area implications as it is only a coarse scale theoretical study of generic nature and lacks scientific rigour required to infer Under the Mission, Perspective Plans of ten States precise conclusions. Report can be however helpful in namely Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, organizing management of these sites. The Ministry of Punjab, Odisha, Manipur, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Kerala Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and Uttarakhand have been approved which involves a Government of India has recently established a UNESCO total physical target of 3,00,468.2 hectare and provision Category 2 Centre (C2C) on World Natural Heritage of alternative fuel sources to 1,54,546 households in the Management and Training for Asia-Pacific region at project area for a period ranging from five to ten years Wildlife Institute of India (WII). It is the world's first C2C having financial implication of ` 3,158.93 crore. First dealing with natural heritage conservation and instalment amounting to ` 70.09 crore has been released to management and is mandated to enhance the management the States of Karnataka, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, and monitoring of the WHS not only in India but in the Uttarakhand, Odisha, Manipur and Kerala. entire Asia Pacific region. The UNESCO-IUCN World Heritage Outlook (WHO) report while stating the 4 challenges to the WHS has included comments of NANMN network covers 7 metro cities. The monitoring appreciation for the three sites mentioned in the said WWF data of CPCB during the last year reveals that concentration report as follows: of SO2 has not shown any increasing trend except at one city, concentration of NO2 in 20 cities and level of PM10 in (i) Manas WLS- The site spent a total of 19 years on the 148 cities exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality In Danger List during which time recovery efforts Standards. A fluctuating trend in noise levels in metro cities have seen rhino numbers increase to currently has been observed. With regard to water quality, CPCB has (February 2014) 26 including the birth of new rhinos identified 302 river stretches as polluted on 275 rivers in the within the property. country.

(ii) Western Ghats -The challenges are many but the will (Environment, Forest & Climate Change, 9th May, 2016) by both government and non-government groups to ensure the conservation of the Western Ghats is high. WORLD BANK CREDIT FOR NEERANCHAL NATIONAL WATERSHED PROJECT (iii) Sundarbans National Park - Protection and management to preserve the Sundarbans National The Government has signed a technical assistance project Park''s Outstanding Universal Value within the site is with the World Bank, named 'Neeranchal' National currently very good and provides many examples of Best Practices. Watershed Project to support the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (Environment, Forest And Climate Change, 9th May, 2016) (PMKSY). The total outlay of the project is Rs 2142.3 crore ($ 357 million) out of which 50% amount shall be provided SURVEY TO CHECK ENVIRONMENTAL as long term loan by the World Bank. The Project shall be POLLUTION LEVEL implemented from 2016-17 to 2021-22, in the Department of Land Resources and 9 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in association Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, with State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) / Pollution Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, and Telangana. Control Committees (PCCs) is monitoring air quality, water quality and noise levels across the country under National Neeranchal will provide support to various components of Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP), National PMKSY, in particular the Watershed Development Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) and component, through technical assistance to improve National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN) incremental conservation outcomes and agricultural yields respectively. The NAMP network comprises 612 operating in a sustainable manner for farming communities. In monitoring stations located in 254 cities/towns in 29 states Jharkhand, the project will directly benefit 50 projects of and 5 UTs. The NWMP network comprises of 2500 about 5000 ha. each in addition to impacting the 9.11 lakh locations covering 445 rivers, 154 lakes, 12 tanks, 78 ponds, 25 canals, 41 creeks, 45 drains, 10 water treatment plants ha. under 171 IWMP projects. and 807 groundwater wells in 29 states and 6 UTs. The (Rural Development , 9th May, 2016)

Cabinet approves MoU between USA and India to enhance cooperation in wildlife conservation 1st June, 2016

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between United States of America and India to enhance cooperation in the field of wildlife conservation and combating wildlife trafficking. With the approval, India will benefit from the expertise of the US Institutions in the field of wildlife conservation and management of wildlife areas and in combating illegal trade of wildlife and their derivatives. Background: India and the United States of America are endowed with rich biodiversity and natural heritage and have established a network of Protected Areas in their respective territories. As there is scope for both the countries to share professional expertise to address priority wildlife conservation concerns, the MoU would provide a convenient platform for collaboration. The MoU seeks cooperation between the two countries in the following areas:

a. Wildlife Forensics and Conservation Genetics: Useful in species conservation efforts and better scientific evidence collection in wild life crimes leading to better enforcement.

b. Natural World Heritage Conservation: Facilitating the institutional capacity of the existing UNESCO Category -2 - centre at Wildlife Institute of India.

Nature Interpretation and Conservation Awareness: Use of information technology in strengthening interface of forest managers with the people for sensitising people, especially the youth and children in understanding complex issues of conservation of biological diversity.

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=145872

5 7th ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING

The ENVIS centre, WWF-India organised the 7th Advisory Committee Meeting on 6th May, 2016.The following members were in attendance at the meeting: - Shri M.Peter Johnson, Statistical Adviser and Chairman of the ENVIS Centre Advisory Committee - Ms. Madhumita Biswas - Director, MoEF&CC - Shri P.J. Michael, Deuty Secretary, NGO Cell, MoEF&CC - Shri Swapan Banerjee, Section Officer, Parliament Section, MoEF&CC - Dr. D. C. Uprety, F.N.A. Sc. Emeritus Scientist – IARI - Prof.P.B.Mangla, Tagore National Fellow, Ministry of Culture - Shri Sunil Sharma, Senior Manager - Technical, CBIP - Dr. G. Areendran, Coordinator, ENVIS Centre, WWF-India - Mr. Rajeev Kumar, Sr. Programme Officer, ENVIS centre, WWF-India - Mr. Sandeep Kumar Sharma, Programme Assistant, ENVIS centre, WWF-India - Ms. Shibani Bhatnagar, Information Officer, ENVIS centre, WWF-India - Ms. Parul Babbar, Intern, ENVIS centre, WWF-India - Ms. Bhavya Srivastava, Intern, ENVIS centre, WWF-India

The discussion commenced with a brief introduction by the participants and was followed by a presentation by Dr. G. Areendran, Coordinator, ENVIS Centre who presented an overview of the ENVIS centre activities accomplished in FY: 2015-16 and activities proposed for the current FY: 2016-17. The following agendas were the major highlights of the discussion:

6 Online Database of Environmental NGOs in India Inputs for preparation of ENVIS Vision Action Plan for the next 10 years Inclusion of GIS/Geo Spatial tools in ENVIS Databases.. Possibilities for Addition/Modification in existing assigned subject areas i.e NGOs and Parliament Proposed Environment and Judiciary Environment and Parliament Environment and NGOs Or Role of NGOs in Environment Role of Parliament and the Legislature Project proposals on similar themes-Region wise Concrete ideas to upgrade and strengthen the existing ENVIS Scheme. Bringing out discussion papers/research papers/case studies Any change in designation of ENVIS Staff. (Programme Officer, Information Officer & IT Assistant) Common title for all ENVIS newsletters(Hard copy/ e-version). Internship/ Training programmes under ENVIS. How ENVIS centres may contribute in decision support system/policy making of the Ministry. Whether the ENVIS Centers would like to continue with the current system of funding or they would like to go with project based funding.

The discussion was highly interactive as well as informative and successfully served its major purpose of giving the centre a solid foundation for all its future endeavours that would lead the centre to growth and enable it to accomplish its aim of spreading awareness on environmental issues and concerns.

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

Zero tolerance for illegal wildlife trade pledged in New on World Environment Day, June 2016

The celebration of World Environment Day (WED) is a forty-four year old concept in world history. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) initiated the observance of this day to globally celebrate the spirit of positive environmental action. Every year, millions of individuals and organizations engage in various activities on this day which includes tree-planting drives, art exhibitions, social media campaigns, etc. This way, there is a build-up of a collective power of people belonging to different walks of life, leading to the generation of an exponential positive impact on the planet.

Individuals from all walks of life pledged their support for fighting wildlife crime during an event held in Connaught Place, New Delhi, to mark World Environment Day. The event in New Delhi was organized by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), TRAFFIC, WWF-India, United Nations Development Programme, ENVIS Centers, PETA and Maashakti.

Participants were given the opportunity to watch wildlife films and sketches by students of law, take part in wildlife quizzes, painting competitions, slogan writing and a programme of cultural events. The highlights of the event were the march past of volunteers holding placards bearing messages on WED, the selfie corner (where cut outs of various protected species and related themes were put on display for participants to take selfies with), the painting wall (individuals painted their thoughts and ideas about wildlife conservation and protection) and the Pledge Wall (individuals pledged to say NO to buying illegal wildlife products in order to support efforts to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade). This year's theme “Go Wild for Life—Zero Tolerance for Illegal Wildlife Trade” focused on the need to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade to ensure the survival of wildlife. Led by Mr. A.N. Jha, Secretary Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, more than 700 participants pledged to say NO to buying illegal wildlife products in order to support efforts to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade. (Source: http://www.traffic.org/)

7 NEWS HIGHLIGHTS APRIL

Environment Ministry plans to introduce tree farming Times of India, Nagpur, Apr 3, 2016 The Centre has planned to introduce tree farming in India to increase the forest cover in the country, Union environment and forests minister Prakash Javdekar said here on Sunday. Chairing a high level meeting of concerned officials of the forests ministry and department of Maharashtra here, Javdekar said the ministry was giving stress on forestry this year and wants to ensure total forest cover with trees. Today the quality of forests is not satisfactory and the ministry wants not only total forest cover but also improve its quality and bring richness in it. Hence we are planning to begin tree farming," Javdekar told PTI in a brief chat after the meeting here.

World's first sanctuary for white tigers opens in MP Times of India, TNN, Apr 3, 2016 Politicians share space with white tigers on hoardings put up across Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, in preparation for the opening of the world's first white tiger sanctuary. The 25-hectare sanctuary at Mukundpur, 20km from Rewa, is currently home to only one white tiger, Vindhya. There are two others in an adjoining zoo. Locals in Rewa consider the white tiger — the colour of whose coat is the result of a genetic aberration — a part of the city's legacy. The first such big cat was spotted here by erstwhile king Martand Singh in 1951. The royal family named him Mohan, and he became "a pet, a family member", says Pushpraj Singh, Martand's son. Mohan's cubs were thereafter distributed to zoos in India and abroad. They were reportedly inbred to create a white tiger progeny. But they disappeared completely from Rewa in 1976. Wildlife experts, though, have been critical of white tiger breeding, and believe it's a waste of money since it has no conservation value. Though the colour of the tiger's coat is admired by many, its camouflaging ability is actually compromised, they point out.

Industry puts natural heritage sites at stake: WWF Times of India, Paris, Apr 6, 2016 Almost half of all natural World Heritage Sites, including the Great Barrier Reef and Machu Picchu, are threatened by industrial activities such as mining, oil exploration and illegal logging, conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned on Wednesday. The 114 threatened sites, virtually half the total listed by Unesco, provide food, water, shelter and medicine to over 11 million people -- more than the population of Portugal, according to a WWF-commissioned report. The sites are meant to be protected for future generations.

World's wild tiger count rise for first time in a century Times of India, New Delhi, Apr 11, 2016 The world's count of wild tigers roaming forests from Russia to Vietnam has gone up for the first time in more than a century, with 3,890 counted by conservation groups and national governments in the latest global census, wildlife conservation groups said on Monday. The tally marks a turnaround from the last worldwide estimate in 2010, when the number of tigers in the wild hit an all-time low of about 3,200, according to the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Tiger Forum Here is the tally broken down by country:

Country Tiger Count Country Tiger Count 106 Laos 2 Bhutan 103 Malaysia 250 Cambodia 0 Myanmar no data available China more than 7 Nepal 198 India 2,226 Russia 433 Thailand 189 Indonesia 371 Vietnam fewer than 5

*The experts said the Myanmar government count of 85 tigers in 2010 was not included because the data was considered out of date. 8 Indian, Germany sign agreement to rejuvenate Ganga Times of India, New Delhi, Apr 13, 2016 India and Germany on Wednesday signed an agreement to adopt and replicate, wherever possible, the best practices of the river basin management strategies of the European rivers Rhine and Danube to rejuvenate the river Ganga. The project duration will of three years (from 2016 to 2018) and will closely cooperate with other national and international initiatives, including Indo-German bilateral projects like Support to National Urban Sanitation Policy (SNUSP) and Sustainable Environment-friendly Industrial Production (SEIP).

MAY

Lok Sabha passes Bill to unlock over Rs 40,000 crore for increasing forest cover in IndiaTimes of India, New Delhi, May 3, 2016 The Lok Sabha on Tuesday unanimously passed the much awaited Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Bill, 2015 that aims to ensure expeditious utilization of accumulated unspent amounts to the tune of around Rs 40,000 crore for increasing forest cover in India. The amount has been lying idle with an ad-hoc central body for over 10 years. The Bill is likely to be passed by the Rajya Sabha next week. The proposed legislation will also ensure expeditious and efficient utilization of Rs 6000 crore per annum, accrued as compensatory levies and interest. The purpose of the proposed legislation is to provide safety, security and transparency in utilization of these amounts, which are currently kept in different nationalised banks at the behest of the ad-hoc body. It is aimed at setting up the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund at centre and the State Compensatory Afforestation Fund in respective states. Majority of the collected fund will be spent by the states for afforestation and other related works including forest regeneration and wildlife protection. The Bill also provides for setting up a national authority at centre and state-level authority in respective states to monitor the utilisation of the funds. The legislation will extend to the whole of India except Jammu and Kashmir.

India among 175 countries to sign historic Paris climate deal Times of India, New Delhi, Apr 22, 2016 As many as 170 countries, including India, China and the US, signed the Paris Agreement on climate change at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday, to coincide with 'International Mother Earth Day'. This was the first day of the signing ceremony of the historic global deal. Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar signed the agreement on behalf of India. The agreement aims to take multiple measures to save the world from disastrous consequences of climate change and was adopted by 195 countries in Paris on December 12, 2015.

36 animal, plant species endangered in Gujarat Times of India, New Delhi, May 9, 2016 As many as 36 animal and plant species in Gujarat have been categorized as endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar said on Monday. The animal species include Black Mahseer, Golden Mahaseer, Leatherback Sea Turtle, Green Sea Turtle, Indian White-backed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Red-headed Vulture, Steppe Eagle, Greater Adjutant-Stork, Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican, Sociable Lapwing, Spotted Greenshank, Forest Spotted Owlet, Dhole, Caracal, Blue Whale, Fin Whale and Indian Wild Ass. The minister said that according to the data available with the Botanical Survey of India, out of 19,156 species of vascular plants (angiosperms, gymnosperms, Pteridophytes) recorded in the country, 1,236 species belong to different threatened categories like Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable.

9 Dehradun ranks 31st in the list of most polluted cities of the world Times of India, Dehradun, May 13, 2016 Dehradun has ranked 31st in the recently released list of most polluted cities of the world. Although the city's rankings have improved (it was on the 29th slot last year), town planners, civic officials and NGOs say that much more needs to be done to minimize pollution in the Doon valley, which is increasingly facing health hazards due to rapid pollution. Elaborating on the reasons for this ranking, Mayor Vinod Chamoli told TOI, "Global warming has become a worldwide phenomenon now and with the increasing population as well as vehicles, this was bound to happen. Another factor which features majorly is uncontrolled and unplanned development because of which we have lost out on a lot of greenery which has had an overall negative impact on our environment." The list released by WHO on May 12 is based on how much fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) they have in the air and Dehradun's PM count is beyond 100. These pollutants pose health risks like eye, nose, throat and lung irritation. Also they can elevate the risk for lung and heart ailments over long period of exposure. These small particles are typically found in exhaust fumes from cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles, though they can also come from natural sources such as forest and grass fires. JUNE

Nature Forever Society's 'I love sparrows' enters Limca Book of Records Times of India, Nashik, Jun 11, 2016 Nature Forever Society's (NFS) 'I love sparrows' global campaign, which was aimed at highlighting the common man's love for the house sparrow as well as the fact that conservation is no longer restricted to researchers, conservationists and environmentalists. In fact, it entered the Limca Book of Records recently with about one million people from all walks of life, including children, senior citizens, homemakers and corporate executives, participating in the event that was held in connection with the World Sparrow Day on March 20th. "The goal of the campaign is to collectively inspire as many people as possible to get involved in the conservation of house sparrows and their habitats across the planet," said Dilawar.

People pledge support to fight against wildlife crimes

The event was organised at Connaught Place here by the Environment Ministry, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), TRAFFIC-Wildlife Trade News, WWF-India, United Nations Development Programme, ENVIS Centres, PETA and Maashakti. Participants in programme were engaged through wildlife films, wildlife quizzes, skits performed by students of law, painting competitions and slogan writing competitions among other activities. Tilotama Varmasaid."While enforcement agencies like ours are continuously strengthening and evolving to control this growing menace it is important that we have support of the end consumers of these wildlife products," http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/people-pledge-support-to-fight-against-wildlife-crimes/1/684927.html

Javadekar urges nation to plant more trees on World Environment Day

Minister of State for Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar called on citizens to plant more trees and create one's own oxygen bank on the occasion of World Environment Day on Sunday. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Javadekar-urges-nation-to-plant-more-trees-on-World-Environment- Day/articleshow/52610018.cms

Environmentalists pledge to combat wildlife crimes

The Environment Ministry came out with a Pledge Wall, where more than 700 individuals pledged to say “NO” to buying illegal wildlife products in order to support efforts to curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade. http://www.dailypioneer.com/nation/environmentalists-pledge-to-combat-wildlife-crimes.html

10 NGOs AND ENVIRONMENT The Directory of “Environmental NGOs in India”

The Directory has been a mandatory publication for the Centre ever since its establishment in the year 1984. The Directory provides useful information about the organisations active in the field of environmental conservation and other environmental issues in the country. So far 10 editions of the Directory and a supplementary part of the present edition of the Directory, in accordance with the suggestions given by Hon'ble Minister of State (Environment, Forest & Climate Change, have been prepared and published. Here, we present the Statistical Report on Environmental NGOs in India published in current edition, 2015. 1.State-wise No of NGOs - Part-I s States/UT h r i h s . s . h e m . h e s d h d s d e s a n e h l r a d a a r s h d a a No. of NGO's a y P r r h K e r a r t P u g a d d r l a r r d a a d l n h d P y n n n a a d g e & n P k n a s a a a r a e a a a g h n s r l h a t a i i a a a h h u u a c t t n h a a N B c b t a y r a a h m P d t l g m r i c a m r p k a r a l a r l m i s h t r a h a i h k m i i n a a n r a h d j a a u r y a n a n a s o s h a a d h n g k a j i a h l r g j a a r d d r r n n s p m a m l z u t t e m i h k a a a e i u o d h h e a i a a t t n n r s i a e o u i r a h a e A A A A B C C G G D H H J J K K M M M M M N O P P R S T T T U U W

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13 14 Amendments in the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015

20th April, 2016 Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today gave its approval to move official amendments in the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015. The legislation will ensure expeditious utilization of accumulated unspent amounts available with the ad hoc Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), which presently is of the order of Rs.40,000 crore, and fresh accrual of compensatory levies and interest on accumulated unspent balance, which will be of the order of approx. Rs. 6,000 crore per annum, in an efficient and transparent manner. Utilization of these amounts will facilitate timely execution of appropriate measures to mitigate impact of diversion of forest land, for which these amounts have been realised. Apart from mitigating the impact of diversion of forest land, utilisation of these amounts will result in creation of productive assets and generation of huge employment opportunities in the rural areas, especially the backward tribal areas. Apart from the amendments of drafting and consequential in nature, the official amendments provide for the following: i. Amendment of clause 2 (e) of the Bill to make the list of environmental services inclusive and to delete some of environmental services for which credible model to assess their monetary value does not exist. ii. Amendment of clauses 2 (I) and 30 (1) of the Bill to provide for prior consultation with States Governments for making rule under the new legislation. iii. Amendment of clause 4 (1) of the Bill to provide for establishment of State Fund of a Union territory having no legislature under Public Account of the Union of India. iv. Amendment of clause 6 (d) of the Bill to provide for use of monies realised from the user agencies in lieu for forest land diverted in protected areas for voluntary relocation from protected areas. v. Amendrnent of clause 8 (4) (ii) of the Bill 'to include Secretaries of Ministries dealing with Space and Earth Sciences as members of governing body of the National Authority. vi. Amendment of clause 8 (4) (x) of the Bill to increase the number of expert members in governing body of National Authority from two to five. vii. Amendment of clause 9 (2) (ix) of the Bill to increase the number of expert members in executive committee of National Authority from two to three. viii. Amendments of clause 11 (2) and 11 (3) of the Bill to include an expert on tribal matters or representative of tribal community as a member in both steering committee and executive committee of a State Authority. ix. Amendment of clause 15 (1) (i) of the Bill to fix time limit of three months for Executive Committee of National Authority to approval annual plan of operations of State Authorities and to empower Executive Committee Of National Authorities to make amendments in annul plan of operations of State Authorities. x. Amendment of clause 29 of the Bill to provide for laying of the annual report and the audit report along with memorandum of action taken on recommendations contained therein of State Authority constituted in Union Territories having no legislature before each house of the Parliament. The amendments do not involve any additional expenditure. The legislation will extend to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

15 Background While according prior approval under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 for diversion of forest land for non-forest purpose, Central Government stipulates conditions that amounts shall be realised from the user agencies to undertake compensatory afforestation and such other activities related to conservation and development of forests, to mitigate impact of diversion of forest land. In compliance of Orders passed by the Hon'ble Supreme Court these amounts are deposited in the State-wise accounts operated by an Ad-hoc Authority consisting of two officials of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change one representative of the Comptroller and Auditor General and one representative of the Chairperson of the Central Empowered Committee. In the absence of permanent institutional mechanism more than Rs.40,000 crores have accumulated with the said ad-hoc Body. In order to provide for the establishment of funds under the public accounts of India and the public accounts of each State and crediting thereto the monies received from the user agencies towards compensatory afforestation, additional compensatory afforestation, penal compensatory afforestation, net present value and all other amounts recovered from such agencies under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 Central Government introduced the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, 2015 in the Lok Sabha on 8th May 2015. The Bill also provides for constitution of an authority at national level and at each of the State and Union territory Administration for administration of the funds and to utilise the monies so collected for undertaking artificial regeneration (plantations), assisted natural regeneration, protection of forests, forest related infrastructure development, Green India Programme, wildlife protection and other related activities and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. On 13th May, 2015 Lok Sabha referred the Bill to the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment & Forests. On 26th February, 2016 the Committee submitted its report to the Parliament. The Central Government after examination of the report of the Department-related Parliamentary Committee propose to move official amendments in the Bill. http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=139016

India Urges Developed World to Declare Enhanced Action Plan 19th April, 2016

Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

Environment Minister to Depart for New York for Signing of Paris Agreement “Centre Extends Rs. 800 Crore Assistance For Cleaning Lakes in Bengaluru”: Javadekar India has urged the developed world to declare its enhanced action plan for the second period of Kyoto Protocol. Speaking on the eve of his departure for New York for the signing of Paris Climate Change Agreement, Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Prakash Javadekar, said here today, that mobilising $100 billion is still at the stage of discussion and no concrete action plan has been laid out. Shri Javadekar said that India has levied a Clean Environment Cess of $6 (Rs. 400) per tonne on coal. The Minister added that if the developed world follows India in taxing its coal production, $100 billion can be raised. He also said that the developed world must provide technological support to the developing nations in the fight against Climate Change. Shri Javadekar will also attend the meeting of Major Economies Forum on April 23-24, 2016. The Minister highlighted that India is leading by example on mitigation and adaptation. Laying out the details of India’s action on Climate Change after the Paris Agreement, Shri Javadekar said that 175 GigaWatt of Renewable Energy has been targeted by 2022, out of which 40 GW Renewable Energy capacity has been achieved by March 2016. He pointed out that the Government has decided to leapfrog from Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) to Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) emission norms by April 1, 2020, thereby skipping BS-V emission norms altogether. “The Government has taken a decision to promote blending of ethanol with petrol and its use as an alternative fuel and has also taken a decision to tax SUVs and diesel vehicles”, Shri Javadekar added. Shri Javadekar also said that 93 million LED bulbs have been distributed till April 12, 2016. This has resulted in energy savings of more than 33.3 million kWh every day Emphasising the initiatives taken by the government on adaptation front, the Minister stated that farmers can get their inefficient agricultural pumps sets free of cost replaced with energy efficient pumps. Some of the other initiatives taken by the Government include - Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana to improve water use efficiency, sustainable agriculture and efficient water use. Speaking on the issue of pollution of lakes in Bengaluru, Shri Javadekar said that the Ministry has issued directions under section 5 and section 18 of Environment Protection Act on pollution of lakes in Bengaluru. The Minister said that the Centre has extended an assistance of Rs. 800 crore under AMRUT scheme for cleaning up the lakes in Bengaluru. Out of this, Rs. 500 crore is for laying down a 74 kms trunk sewage pipeline. He also said that Rs 162 crore have been provided to construct 4 Sewage Treatment Plant (STPs) in Bellandur lake. The Minister stated that 1280 MLDs of sewage is generated per day in Bengaluru, while the capacity to treat sewage is 721 MLD. Out of this, 600 MLD of sewage is actually treated. He also pointed out that of the 520 STPs, 137 STPs are non-functional. The Environment Minister said that the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority Bill have been received. Some of the suggestions have been incorporated and the Bill will be placed in the Parliament in the next session. http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=138995

16 REPORTS & STUDIES

Title: Trends and Analysis Report on Environment Brief: The ENVIS Centre, WWF-India has compiled the Brief report on “Environment in the Indian Parliament: An Analysis in collaboration with Parliament Section, MoEF&CC The trends and analysis of the above mentioned Parliament Questions replied by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change during the current Budget Session, 2016 in both the houses of Parliament Lok Sabha &Rajya Sabha were prepared. During the course of the Budget Session of the year 2016, a total number of 393 Parliament Questions pertaining to various aspects of environment were answered by the Ministry. In Lok Sabha, the total number of questions answered was 265, out of which 20 were starred and 245 were un starred. A total of 128 questions were asked in the Rajya Sabha, out of which 10 were starred and 118 were un-starred. Published by: ENVIS Centre, WWF-India

Title: Swachh Bharat Pakhwada Brief: The celebration of World Environment Day (WED) is a forty-four year old concept in world history. Every year, millions of individuals and organizations engage in various activities on this day which includes tree-planting drives, art exhibitions, social media campaigns, etc. This way, there is a build-up of a collective power of people belonging to different walks of life, leading to the generation of an exponential positive impact on the planet. This Environment's Day, the Indian capital saw celebration of WED 2016 where an awareness raising event was organized at Raahgiri, Connaught Place by the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), TRAFFIC, WWF, United Nations Development Programme, ENVIS Centers (WWF, CMS, IIHH, TERI, CPCB, JNU, School of Planning and Architecture, IES), PETA and Maashakti. TRAFFIC along with other partner organizations entertained the participants with wildlife films, wildlife quizzes, skits, painting competitions, slogan writing competitions, cultural programme, etc. This report presents the activities of WED 2016 by ENVIS Centres across India Published by: WWF-ENVIS Centre

Title: Making the case for greater involvement of national statistical offices in measuring climate-change related statistics Brief: The report deals with the growing need of dealing with climate change builds through the Paris Agreement and other initiatives, so does the demand for high quality statistics related to climate change. Published by: UNECE Source: http://www.unece.org/stats/climate.html

Title: The Climate Change Performance Index 2016 Brief: The Climate Change Performance Index is an instrument supposed to enhance transparency in international climate politics. Its aim is to encourage political and social pressure on those countries which have, up to now, failed to take ambitious actions on climate protection as well as to highlight countries with best-practice climate policies. On the basis of standardised criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 58 countries that are, together, responsible for more than 90 percent of global energy-related CO2 emissions. 80 percent of the evaluation is based on objective indicators of emissions trend and emissions level. 20 percent of the index results are built upon national and international climate policy assessments by about 300 experts from the respective countries. Published by: Green Watch Source: https://germanwatch.org/en/11390

17 UPCOMING ENVIRONMENTAL EVENTS

Title: EcoSummit 2016: Ecological Sustainability, Engineering Change Date: 29th August to 1st September 2016 Venue: The Corum Convention Centre, Montpellier, France Brief: EcoSummit 2016 will centre on the ecology of terrestrial ecosystems and all habitats that are integrated within those ecosystems, including river networks, wetlands and coastlines. Focus will be placed on fragile ecosystems that are more likely to suffer the consequences of climate change and anthropogenic pressure. However, in the current context of an increasing world population, changes in social habit (increasing world consumerism) and climate change, it is evident that agriculture is being intensified but with a growing awareness of the need to preserve and use sustainably world resources. Therefore, the event will also address how terrestrial restoration can be carried out when the massive demand for food results in fragile ecosystems, forests and marginal lands being turned over to agriculture. Website: http://www.ecosummit2016.org/ Source: http://www.agropolis.fr/pdf/actu/2016-5th-international-ecosummit-congress.pdf

Title: 13th EverythingAboutWater Expo Date: 22nd to 24th August, 2016 Venue: Hall No. 18, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India Brief: EverythingAboutWater Expo is one of the most distinctive and comprehensive annual event of India in Water and Wastewater Management sector, showcasing latest technologies of worldwide. Set to be bigger and better than the preceding shows, the 13th EverythingAboutWater Expo will offer unparalleled business opportunities to both national as well as international players from the water industry to learn and explore the future trend of the Indian water market. Website: http://www.eawater.com/expo/

Title: 3rd International Conference on Mining, Material, and Metallrugical Engineering MMME 2016 Date: 22nd to 23rd August, 2016 Venue: Budapest, Hungary Brief: The 3rd International Conference on Mining, Material, and Metallurgical Engineering (MMME'16) aims to become the leading annual conference in fields related to mining, material and metallurgical engineering. The goal of MMME'16 is to gather scholars from all over the world to present advances in the relevant fields and to foster an environment conducive to exchanging ideas and information. This conference will also provide an ideal environment to develop new collaborations and meet experts on the fundamentals, applications, and products of the mentioned fields. Website: http://international-aset.com/ Source: http://www.infomine.com/

Title: Environment and Agriculture in the U.N. Sustainable Developments Goal Date: 17th -19th December 2016 Venue: Hotel Noor-Us-Sabah, Bhopal (M.P.) India Brief: This is the 4th International Conference is being organized jointly by Janparishad, MANIT, JMBVSS and SusTranCon (USA), on the subject “Environment and Agriculture in the U.N. Sustainable Developments Goals”.

Title: National Conference on “Disaster Management Preparedness” Date: 16th to 17th September, 2016 Venue: India International Centre (Annexe), Max Mueller Marg, New Delhi – 110003

Title: The Wild Wisdom Quiz Book Volume 2 Date: 14th July, 2016 Venue: 172 B, Block 18, Lodhi Estate, Lodhi Road, WWF-India Brief: The Wild Wisdom Quiz Book is an interesting talk on 'Species & Landscapes' organised by Puffin India and WWF India.

18 Ms. Shibani Bhatnagar

Cover Photo : http://pib.nic.in/newsite/Printphoto.aspx?relid=74065