India

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The coverage of protected areas, which was 4.90 per cent of the country's geographical area in 2014, has now increased to 5.03 per cent, with the number of such areas rising from 740 with an area of 1,61,081.62 square km in 2014 to present 981 with an area of 1,71,921 square km.

Forest and tree cover has increased by 16,000 square kms in the last four years. India is among few countries in the world where forest cover is consistently increasing.

There has also been an increase in the number of community reserves. From just 43 in 2014, their numbers are more than 100 in 2019.

India is home to 52 Tiger Reserves covering approximately 75,000 square km area in 18 states with approximately 75 per cent population of the wild tiger at global level. India achieved the goal of doubling the tiger numbers in 2018 itself, four years in advance from the targeted year 2022. The tiger population in India has increased from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018.

The budgetary allocation for tiger conservation has increased from Rs 185 crore in 2014 to Rs 300 crore in 2022.

The population of Asiatic lions has shown a steady increase with a population of 674 individuals with an increase rate of 28.87 per cent (one of the highest growth rates so far) from the 523 lions in 2015.

India, in 2020, had 12,852 leopards as compared to the previous estimate of 7,910 conducted in 2014, or more than 60 per cent increase in population.

--IANS
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Nashik, Sep 17 (IANS) Senior Congress tribal leader and former union minister Manikrao Gavit passed away due to age-related illness at a hospital here on Saturday, a party leader said.

Gavit - who served as MoS for Home and later Social Justice under former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh - was 87 and is survived by his son Bharat and his daughter, ex-MLA Nirmala.

Gavit was elected a record nine times from the tribal dominated Nandurbar district from 1981 till 2009, but lost the elections under the Bharatiya Janata Party wave of 2014.

In 2019, his son Bharat joined the BJP after he was denied a ticket by the Congress while two-time MLA from Igatpuri (Nashik) Nirmala joined the Shiv Sena and was defeated.

Maharashtra Congress President Nana Patole expressed grief over his demise and said the state has lost a prominent and far-sighted 'people-oriented leader' who had a long experience in the social and political arena.

Born in a humble tribal family at Dhulipada village in Nawapur of Nandurbar district, Gavit plunged into social life from his youth days.

Starting with the Gram Panchayat in 1965, he was later elected to the Dhule Zilla Parishad and in 1980 bagged the Nawapur Assembly seat.

From 1981 to 2009, he was elected from Nandurbar Lok Sabha constituency a record 9 consecutive times, making it one of the main Congress strongholds in the state.

In the 15th Lok Sabha, Gavit and CPM MP Vasudev Acharya were the only two MPs elected nine times who were the star members of the lower house.

Gavit, fondly regarded as Dadasaheb by his admirers had excellent relations with all and among various responsibilities, held the post of Interim Speaker of Lok Sabha once, and served as Union MoS for Home and then Social justice in Dr Singh's government, added Patole.

"Dadasaheb's passing has caused an irreparable loss to the state social and political spheres... I pay my homage to him and also share the grief of the Gavit family," said Patole.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Uttar Pradesh government to pay Rs 120 crore as fine for environmental violations, including improper solid waste management and discharge of sewage into rivers in Gorakhpur district.

The principal bench of NGT headed by its chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel noted the liability of the state for discharge of 55 MLD sewage into rivers at Gorakhpur at Rs 110 crores.

"Applying the scale of compensation followed in the case of Maharashtra, compensation comes to Rs 11.40 crore which is rounded off at Rs 10 crores. Thus, total compensation is determined at Rs 120 crore," the bench said in the recent order.

The green court was dealing the issue for consideration of the remedial action against contamination of water bodies and ground water, specially Ramgarh Lake, Ami, Rapti and Rohani Rivers in and around District Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh.

According to the applicant, contaminated water results in Entero Virus (EV) which is brain fever, similar to Japanese Encephalitis (JE) and Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES). Gorakhpur has history of death of hundreds of children at BRD Medical College, Gorakhpur though majority of patients may come from different parts of eastern UP and Bihar outside Gorakhpur.

Considering the matter, the bench said, there are two issues - control of EV and control of pollution which also to some extent is source of EV, apart from other diseases. While on the issue of control of EV, report of the Committee shows significant reduction in such cases due to sustained efforts in the last five years with recommendations requiring further measures.

"From the data presented by the State itself, apart from past violations, continuing violations of discharge of untreated sewage into the drains, rivers and other water bodies is more than 50 MLD. As against reported generation of sewage in Gorakhpur to the extent of about 100 MLD, treatment is not more than 45 MLD," it further stated.

The tribunal also formed a six-member joint Committee to look into the matter. The panel will be headed by ACS, U.D, UP, with Regional Director, CPCB, Regional Officer, MoEF&CC, Member Secretary, State PCB, nominee of PCCF, (HoFF), U.P and Municipal Corporation, Gorakhpur.

"The Committee may meet within one month and update action plan for prevention and remediation of pollution so as to achieve tangible results within six months," the order said.

--IANS
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By Atul Aneja
New Delhi, Sep 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed to the eight-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) countries on Friday the mantra of fusing technology with traditional assets to foster their collective rise in the post-Covid era.


With New Delhi set to hold the rotating presidency of the SCO, PM Modi nailed three areas where India can make a significant contribution to the eight countries of Eurasia - a region with which India has for thousands of years established deep commercial and spiritual links.

PM Modi cited start-ups, traditional medicine, and food security as domains where India can pioneer a collective initiative for the region.

"Today, there are more than 70,000 Start-ups in India, of which more than 100 are unicorns. Our experience can also be useful for many other SCO members. For this purpose, we are ready to share our experience with SCO member countries by establishing a new Special Working Group on Start-ups and Innovation," PM Modi said.

Referring to food security which has been disrupted due to Covid and the Ukraine war, the Prime Minister homed on to millets - a traditional grain grown in the SCO - as the "superfood" to fight hunger. The PM proposed that the SCO should hold a "Millet food festival".

"Millets are a superfood that have been grown for thousands of years, not just in SCO countries, but in many parts of the world, and is a traditional, nutritious, and low-cost alternative to dealing with the food crisis. The year 2023 will be celebrated as the UN International Year of Millets. We should consider organising a 'Millet Food Festival' under the SCO."

PM Modi also announced that India will set up an SCO working group on traditional medicine. "WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine was inaugurated in Gujarat in April 2022. This will be WHO's first and only global centre for traditional medicine. We must increase cooperation on traditional medicine among SCO countries."

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative

Bhopal, Sep 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said cheetahs are back on Indian soil after 70 years and the move will lead to restoration of forest and grassland ecosystems.

The Prime Minister released the big cats -- five male and three female, brought from Namibia, into enclosures of Madhya Pradesh's Kuno National Park and termed it endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation.

Prime Minister Modi said, "Cheetahs had become extinct from the country in 1952, but for decades, no meaningful effort was made to rehabilitate them. Today, as we celebrate 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the country has started rehabilitating cheetahs with a new energy."

He said that tourists and wildlife enthusiasts will have to wait a few months before they can see cheetahs at KNP.

"Bringing Cheetahs back to India will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems and also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community," the Prime Minister added.

He said 'Project Cheetah' is the world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

Notably, the special event was scheduled for September 17 to mark Prime Minister Modi's 72nd birthday.

The felines will be living under an earmarked area of KNP for two weeks after which they will be released in the park.

According to a senior forest officer in Madhya Pradesh: "Cheetahs will be living in an earmarked area under KNP for two weeks. Once they will adapt to the climate of this area, they will be released into the park."

All cheetahs have special radio-collar fitted to their necks so that their movement can be easily located. Their health and movement will be monitored every day by a special joint team of African and Indian wild animals experts," the senior forest officer added.

Spread over 748 square km in the vast forest landscape of Madhya Pradesh, KNP is the new home of the eight cheetahs. Notably, the region is very close to the Sal forests of Koriya in Chhattisgarh, where the native Asiatic Cheetah was last spotted almost 70 years ago.

As per the forest officials in Madhya Pradesh, KNP was chosen as suitable destination for cheetahs after a survey of nearly a dozen national parks located in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.

"These surveys were carried between 2010 and 2012. Later, it was observed that Kuno was the suitable destination. It was the most preferred habitat based on the assessment carried out by the Wildlife Institute of India and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) based on climatic variables, prey densities, population of competing predators, and the historical range," the officer said.

Kuno is probably one of the few wildlife sites in the country where there has been a complete relocation of roughly 24 villages and their domesticated livestock from inside the park years ago. The village sites and their agricultural fields have now been taken over by grasses and are managed as savannah habitats.

According to the government's plan, Kuno offers the prospect of housing four large felines in India -- tiger, lion, leopard and cheetah -- and ensuring they coexist as they did in the past. While the only surviving population of lions is in Gujarat, Kuno was initially proposed to provide a second home.

The forest has a significant population of leopards with a density of about nine leopards per 100 square km. This remains a concern, taking into account, that the much-stronger leopard has an advantage over the slender cheetah, whose strength mainly lies in its blazingly fast speed. They are also believed to have more adaptive potential and a wider habitat than the cheetah.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Pate, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Union Ministers -- Narendra Singh Tomar, Bhupender Yadav, Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Ashwini Choubey -- were among those present on the occasion.

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday had said, "We were a tiger state, a leopard state and now becoming a Cheetah state."

--IANS
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By Mahua Venkatesh
New Delhi, Sep 17: Amid the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) renewed thrust to expand trade, economic, and investment cooperation among the member countries, India's participation in the forum will be scrutinised with a fine tooth comb. Why? India is the only common member country to be a part of the SCO and the US-driven Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF).


This will be the first major international forum where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be present in person right after Indian and Chinese troops completed the disengagement exercise at the Gogra and Hot Springs friction points.

With the rapid geopolitical shifts, it is crucial for countries to boost regional cooperation for economic revival. Given the current contours and the rising tension between the US and China, Beijing, for its own interests, would not want a weak India.

Therefore, China has heaved a sigh of relief after India decided to opt out of the IPEF's trade pillar.

Beijing based Global Times said that as a major Asian economy, India is inseparable from the Asian supply chain and industrial chain.

"India's participation will also help the SCO to further expand cooperation in a wide range of areas. Therefore, it is hoped that New Delhi can put aside its geopolitical calculations and resist pressure from Washington and actively promote economic and trade cooperation within the SCO," it said.

Interestingly, India had also pulled out of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) in 2020.

The SCO members account for about 30 per cent of global GDP (based on purchasing power parity) and almost half the world's population. Its recent decision to stay out of the IPEF's trade pillar has been once again hailed by China, which highlighted that India's foreign policy continues to be driven by strategic autonomy.

"New Delhi has not mixed politics with economics. Pulling out of RCEP, which was touted as a mother of all trade deals, was based purely on economic reasons- it was to protect our manufacturing sector. Similarly, now, the decision not to be part of the IPEF trade pillar is also based on pure economic reasons," an insider told India Narrative.

India has maintained that it will be guided by its strategic autonomy. Despite building pressure on India from the US and the west to condemn Russia after its Ukraine invasion, New Delhi refrained from calling out Moscow. Not just that. It has also increased its crude imports from Russia.

Why India should be excited about the Samarkand SCO summit? Many policymakers among the SCO member countries are hoping that "India will be more united with other SCO members including China and Russia, and play a more positive role to promote multipolarisation of the world together."

China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were the first members of the SCO when it was formed in 2001, In 2017, India and Pakistan were included in the SCO forum. Iran is expected to get full membership of the SCO bloc by the next year.


(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

--indianarrative

New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The Congress on Saturday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi's releasing of the eight cheetahs into the wild at a Madhya Pradesh national park as "tamasha" (drama), adding that it was a diversion from pressing issues.

In a series of tweets, senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said: "PM hardly ever acknowledges continuity in governance. Cheetah project going back to my visit to Capetown on 25.04.2010 is the latest example. The tamasha orchestrated by PM today is unwarranted and is yet another diversion from pressing national issues and Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"When tigers were first translocated to Panna and Sariska during 2009-11, there were many prophets of doom. They were proved wrong. Similar predictions are being made on the Cheetah project. The professionals involved are first-rate and I wish the project the very best!"

Earlier in the day on the occasion of his 72nd birthday, the Prime Minister released the cheetahs flown in from Namibia into a special enclosure in the Kuno National Park, as part of the programme to reintroduce the feline in India seven decades after it was declared extinct in the country.

The big cats arrived in Gwalior on board a special plane on Saturday morning as part of the cheetah reintroduction programme.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 17 (IANS) The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has analysed the complete genome sequences of Monkeypox cases from Kerala and Delhi confirmed during July to August 2022.

It has found three sub clusters among A.2 lineage - first cluster Kerala (n5) and Delhi (n2) aligned with the USA-2022 ON674051.1; while second of Delhi (n3) aligned with USA-2022 ON675438.1 and third cluster consists of the UK, US and Thailand - in the study conducted by ICMR-NIV Pune.

According to the study, all the retrieved MPXV sequences from India covering 90 to 99 per cent of the genome belong to the A.2 lineage of clade IIb.

"All the retrieved MPXV sequences from India covering 90 to 99 per cent genome belong to A.2 lineage of clade IIb. The A.2 MPXV lineage divided in three sub clusters; first cluster Kerala n5, Delhi n2 aligned with the USA-2022 ON674051.1; while second of Delhi n3 aligned with USA-2022 ON675438.1 and third consists of the UK, USA and Thailand. Recent update in MPXV lineage designated all the five sequences from Kerala as A.2.1.", the ICMR study has revealed, emphasizing the need of enhancing genomic surveillance to understand the mutation and its linkage.

During the period of July to August 2022, clinical specimens i.e., oropharyngeal swab (OPS), nasopharyngeal swab (NPS), lesion crust and lesion fluids of 96 suspected Monkeypox cases were referred from 18 states and 3 Union Territories to ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, India for diagnosis of Monkeypox.

The clinical specimens of all the cases were tested using Monkeypox specific real time PCR. Of them, five cases each from Kerala and Delhi were found to be positive for MPXV. All the monkeypox negative cases were also screened for Varicella zoster virus (VZV) and enterovirus (EV) specific real time PCR.

Of 114 cases, the MPXV infection was confirmed in ten cases from India using both Orthopox and Monkeypox specific real time PCR. Further the screening of monkeypox negative cases indicated the presence of VZV and EV by real time PCR. The ten monkeypox confirmed cases were three male and two female from New Delhi with no international travel history; while five males were from Kerala with travel history from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to India.

All the cases were immunocompetent with no comorbidities with their mean age 31 years and presented with short prodromal phase of fever, myalgia, vesiculo-pustular lesions primarily in genital area, face, trunk and extremities.

"Of all, nine cases had non tender firm lymphadenopathy in one or more sites (inguinal, cervical, submental, submandibular, retro-auricular), while one case didn't show lymphadenopathy. All the cases have recovered without complications except a case from Kerala who succumbed to the infection following acute onset encephalitis", the ICMR said.

"The MPXV sequences from India were grouped in two sub clusters; 7 sequences (Kerala n5, Delhi n2) aligned with the USA-2022 strain ON674051.1 and UK-2022 OP331335.1 formed the first cluster. In this sub cluster, five sequences from Kerala were designated as A.2.1 based on the lineage defining mutations in the position C 25072 T, A 140492 C, C 179537 T. Two sequences from Delhi are lacking all three mutations, hence still defined into A.2 lineage", said the ICMR study.

The study further added, "While it was noted that A.2.1 lineage defining mutations are lacking in the 3 sequences from the second sub cluster of Delhi; aligned with USA-2022 strain ON675438.1. The third sub cluster consists of the MPXV sequences obtained from UK-2022 OP331336.1, USA-2021 ON676707.1 and three sequences of Thailand-2022".

--IANS
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By Brij Khandelwal
Agra, Sep 17 (IANS) Over a dozen reported cases of monkey attacks on unsuspecting tourists at Taj Mahal has created a scare and alarmed visitors. Though the security services have now woken up and are keeping a vigil, the sight of rampaging gangs of simians has become a major problem for the authorities in the Taj city.


The Archaeological Survey of India has put up hoardings and cut-outs to warn tourists to stay away from monkeys, as some tourists try to get friendly with the primates and pose for selfies. Officials said that they were trying to seek help from the Agra Municipal Corporation and some NGOs to round up the monkeys. But so far, no one has come forward with a solution. They say that the state Forest and Wildlife Departments are not supporting them or giving permission to catch the monkeys.

Locals have now demanded drastic action against violent and aggressive monkeys who have made life hell for people living in the old city areas.

Agra, these days, is living in the scare of bovine, canine, and simian menace. Even tourists have become victims. Two years ago, there was a hue and cry when a monkey snatched a new-born from the lap of a mother and killed the infant in Runukta village, 20 kms away.

The district authorities had then made a number of promises but nothing much happened. "The elected representatives have ignored the problem, but the condition is appalling as citizens live in constant fear of attacks from the monkey. Thousands of violent monkeys live in this area along the river Yamuna, as the faithfuls regularly feed them bananas and bread," the local MLA, Purushottam Khandelwal, expressed his helplessness.

Mukesh Jain, trustee of a local NGO Satya Mev Jayate, said: "We have been regularly approaching the authorities with our suggestions and even an offer to help financially, but for some strange reasons, the administration has been dragging its feet. Twice efforts have been made to shift some monkeys to forest areas, but the green activists have stalled the process of transfer."

The situation is grave. Estimates of the simian population vary from 20,000 to nearly a lakh. "Their population is more in the old city areas where terraces are contiguous. People are no longer able to enjoy terrace facilities as the monkeys have been regularly attacking women and children, in particular," Vijay Nagar colony resident Sudhir Gupta said.

The whole of Braj Mandal, from Mathura, Vrindavan to Goverdhan and Bateshwar in Agra is living under threat from simians who now resort to all kinds of tricks to snatch food or attack women and children. Their population has gone up phenomenally. During the pandemic lockdown, they became more violent as food supply was snapped.

Green activist Dr. Devashish Bhattacharya said: "The dwindling forest cover, and fewer fruit-bearing trees being planted has compounded the problem. The need is to develop forests and plant more fruit-bearing trees rather than ornamental ones. The monkeys too are a part of the ecological system, they too have some rights. Let us provide for them instead of cursing them."

Tourist guides are now warning visitors in advance to remain alert against monkeys. Last year a video went viral of a group of monkeys snatching a water bottle from a foreigner. A tourist, guide Ved Gautam said: "We always warn our clients of sudden bovine, canine or simian attacks in and around monuments in Agra."

For some time now, tourists have been avoiding lonely romantic walks along the pathways which are lined up with dense green foliage.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel keep an eye on the monkeys. Two years ago catapults were used to shoo away the monkeys but after a furore by animal rights activists, catapults and sling shots disappeared. The CISF personnel and the staffers of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), are at their wit's end trying to cope with the simian nuisance. "Cats, dogs, monkeys, bees, are proving to be big safety menace in the Taj premises," said a local tourist guide.

Frequent attempts are made to contain the simian menace in Agra, Mathura and Vrindavan visited by thousands of tourists and pilgrims daily. A Former Divisional Commissioner engaged an NGO, Wildlife SOS, to round up 10,000 monkeys, but the plan did not materialise due to lack of permission from appropriate authorities. But now the situation is really alarming. Monkeys are seen in armies marching from one area to the other. The city has more than 50,000 monkeys.

Due to provisions of the Wildlife Act, monkeys can not be attacked or rounded up without adequate safeguards and precautions. Plans to shift the monkeys to other areas have failed, as no district wants to shelter them.

Indeed, the state faces the biggest threat to peace in the form of exploding simian population in Agra and neighbouring religious shrines in Mathura district and Vrindavan. Pilgrims are almost daily attacked in Vrindavan. Usually, monkeys target spectacles or purses which are returned only when some eatables or cold drinks are offered to the monkeys.

Civic authorities seem helpless in tackling the menace. "We have written so many times to the Municipal Corporation but there has been no action," an ASI official said.

Agra Development Foundation Secretary, K.C. Jain has petitioned the Allahabad High Court, which has asked for detailed plans to contain the simian menace in Agra.

Jain requested everyone to plant fruit bearing trees this monsoon season. Jain said: "On one hand there is large scale deforestation, on the other hand, trees that are being planted are basically ornamental and can not support monkeys. The whole Agra region is infested with Vilayati Babool, Julie flora, with thorns. We have demanded government agencies clear these trees and plant fruit bearing trees to attract the simian population."

--IANS
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Bhopal, Sep 17 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday released eight cheetahs, which had become extinct in India, into special enclosures in Kuno National Park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh's Sheopur district.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Modi said, "Cheetahs had become extinct from the country in 1952, but for decades, no meaningful effort was made to rehabilitate them. Today, as we celebrate 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', the country has started rehabilitating cheetahs with a new energy."

He said that tourists and wildlife enthusiasts will have to wait a few months before they can see cheetahs at KNP.

The Prime Minister said cheetahs - brought from Namibia - are being introduced in India under Project Cheetah, which is world's first inter-continental large wild carnivore translocation project.

"Bringing Cheetahs back to India will help in the restoration of open forest and grassland ecosystems and also lead to enhanced livelihood opportunities for the local community," the Prime Minister added.

He said, "Project Cheetah is our endeavour towards environment and wildlife conservation."

A special Jumbo Jet Boeing 747 carrying eight cheetahs landed at Gwalior airport this morning.

Several teams of wildlife doctors/experts will monitor the health condition of cheetahs who arrived in the state after 16 hours of air journey from Namibia, forest officials said.

Notably, the special event was scheduled for September 17 to mark Prime Minister Modi's 72nd birthday.

Madhya Pradesh houses six tiger reserves and 25 wildlife sancturies.

As per the All-India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, the state was home to 526 tigers, the highest for any state in the country.

However, with having tag of maximum number of tigers in the state, Madhya Pradesh also has registered maximum number of death of wild animals almost every year.

Madhya Pradesh Governor Mangubhai Pate, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Union Ministers -- Narendra Singh Tomar, Bhupender Yadav, Jyotiraditya M Scindia and Ashwini Choubey -- were among those present on the occasion.

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister on Friday had said, "We were a tiger state, a leopard state and now becoming a Cheetah state."

--IANS
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