Category: News

Forest cover down in 10 out of 13 Himalayan states: Report

The New Indian Express | March 24, 2023

However, the rest of the 10 states that have seen a reduction in forest areas are Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and Ladakh.

NEW DELHI: According to India State of Forest Report (ISFR), there is an overall increase in forest cover of the country by 5,516sq.km between ISFR 2017 and ISFR 2021. Some states have shown an increase in forest cover, while others have shown a decline.

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Supreme Court asks Environment Ministry to file counter-affidavit to plea by a minor to protect Western Ghats

The Hindu | March 17, 2023

‘Month by month, the Western Ghats is being chipped away… Please intervene’, M. Kaviya, who is a resident of Nilgiris, said in her petition.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Environment Ministry to file its counter-affidavit to a petition filed by a minor, M. Kaviya, who is a resident of Nilgiris, seeking judicial intervention to protect the Western Ghats from destruction.

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World is on brink of catastrophic warming, U.N. climate change report says

The Washington Post | March 21, 2023

A dangerous climate threshold is near, but ‘it does not mean we are doomed’ if swift action is taken, scientists say

The world is likely to pass a dangerous temperature threshold within the next 10 years, pushing the planet past the point of catastrophic warming — unless nations drastically transform their economies and immediately transition away from fossil fuels, according to one of the most definitive reports ever published about climate change.

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Adani Group: Chhattisgarh tribes’ year-long protest against tycoon’s coal mine

BBC News, Chhattisgarh | Nikhil Inamdar | March 21, 2023

Deep in the jungles of central India, forest-dwelling tribes are marking the one-year anniversary of a continuous agitation against a new coal mine to be developed by the Adani Group. In recent months, they’ve received a show of support from high-profile politicians and celebrity activists. But in this David vs Goliath battle, a victory for the tribes will be hard won.

The village of Hariharpur in the state of Chhattisgarh stands on the precipice of two discordant worlds. To its east, the myriad greys of the decade-old Parsa East Kete Basan (PEKB) open cast coal mine, operated by the Adani Group, stretch as far as the eye can see. To the other side of this hamlet of a few scattered homes, lies the sprawling expanse of the Hasdeo forest, under which billions of tons of power grade coal still rests unexplored.

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No ‘outside festivals’ allowed, nod required for religious activities: Tribal-majority Bastar village’s diktat sparks row

The New Indian Express | March 20, 2023

The Ransargipal gram sabha directs Adivasis not to work in the fields of Hindus and Christians, says Christians cannot bury their dead in the village; the objective is to protect “tribal traditions, culture”, it claims.

In the tribal majority Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, a gram sabha has passed a resolution prohibiting the celebration of “outside festivals” and mandating that its permission be sought for any religious activity. The resolution passed by the gram sabha of Ransargipal village also directs Adivasis not to work in the fields of Hindus and Christians.

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