Environment Current Affairs 2018
Latest Environment Current Affairs 2017 for UPSC Exams, Bank Exams, Civil Services, SSC and other Competitive Exams. Latest developments in Environment and Climate Change 2017 all important national updates in Environment events for the year 2017
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Recognising the need to cut down on carbon emissions to tackle climate change, the government of India has taken the following steps to reduce the emissions from the farm sector:
- Crop diversification programme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), National Food Security Mission (NFSM) and Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI).
- Increasing the area under System of Rice Intensification (SRI) as an alternative to the widely used practice of transplanted paddy.
- Deployment of zero tillage drill machines and other residue management equipment to enable planting of Rabi crop in the standing residue of rice crop to avoid stubble burning.
- Adopting the practices like alternate wetting and drying, direct seeded rice system of rice cultivation, use of slow-release nitrogen fertilizers, integrated nutrient management practices, leaf colour chart-based nitrogen application, use of urea super granules etc in rice cultivation.
- Neem coating of urea.
- Planting of trees under National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI), Sub-Mission on Agro-Forestry (SMAF) and National Bamboo Mission (NBM).
- Spreading of micro irrigation under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY)-Per Drop More Crop
- Models of Integrated Farming System (IFS) have been developed for replication in Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and in the States for enabling climate-resilient agriculture and cutting down the carbon emissions.
Together with above initiatives, various sub-programmes initiated by government like Soil Health Card (SHC), Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Mission Organic for Value Chain Development for North East (MOVCD), Rainfed Area Development (RAD), Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) and National Bamboo Mission (NBM) are contributing towards cutting down of carbon emissions from farm sector.
Tags: Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India • Integrated Farming System • Krishi Vigyan Kendras • National Bamboo Mission • National Food Security Mission • Neam Coating of Urea • Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana • Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana
The Western Ghats has an exceptionally high level of biological diversity and endemism and is recognized as one of the world’s eight ‘hottest hotspots’ of biological diversity. The Western Ghats represents geomorphic features of immense importance with unique biophysical and ecological processes.
The Rajya Sabha Committee on Government Assurances has examined issues related to the categorisation of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) as per the recommendations of two committees led by Madhav Gadgil and K. Kasturirangan.
Observations of the Committee
The Rajya Sabha Committee on Government Assurances has made the following observations:
- The ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats could not be earmarked due to State governments’ ‘insensitivity’.
- The recent floods in Kerala and parts of Karnataka must serve as an alarm bells for the governments in the States of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, which have failed to mark ESA in the Western Ghats.
- Despite three draft notifications issued over four years for earmarking ESA, the State governments could not be brought on board for action.
- As a result over 56,000 square km of ESA could not be earmarked as ‘no-go’ zones for polluting activities and deforestation. Hence large-scale deforestation, mining, and construction are continuing unabated, hurting the ecology of the Western Ghats.
- Insensitivity towards the ecology of the Western Ghats has made the Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka vulnerable to floods and landslides.
- The committee recommends that implementation of the recommendations of the Kasturirangan report is only possible with the active support of the local population.
The parliamentary panel has urged the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to constitute a committee to address the issues and grievances of State governments and local people.