18 April 2024, The Hindu
Centre tweaks Green Credit Programme norms, to focus on restoration of ecosystem
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GS 3: Environment- Conservation
- Amid concerns that the Green Credit Programme (GCP), which encourages organisations and individuals to invest in afforestation project in ‘degraded’ forest lands for ‘green credits,’ may encourage tree planting for financial gains, the Union Environment Ministry — the overall coordinator of the programme — has clarified that primacy must be accorded to restoring ecosystems over merely tree planting.
- So far, The Hindu has learnt, forest departments of 13 States have offered 387 land parcels of degraded forest land — worth nearly 10,983 hectares. Individuals and companies can apply to the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), an autonomous body of the Environment Ministry, to pay to “restore” these forests.
- The actual afforestation will be carried out by State forest departments. Two years after planting and following an evaluation by the ICFRE, each such planted tree could be worth one ‘green credit.’
- These credits can be claimed by the financing organisation and used in two ways: either using it to complying with existing forest laws that require organisations, which divert forest land for non-forestry purposes, to recompense by providing an equivalent amount of land elsewhere.
- Or be used for reporting under environmental, social and governance leadership norms or to meet corporate social responsibility requirements.
Karnataka to capture rogue wild elephants and fix radio collars
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GS 3: Environment- Conservation
- The Forest Department has launched an operation to capture trouble-causing wild elephants and fix radio collars in Hassan division.
- The operation that started on Wednesday, April 17, will continue up to April 24.
- Sourabh Kumar, Deputy Conservator of Forests of Hassan Division, informed the media on Wednesday that the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) has given permission to capture rogue elephants roaming in parts of Alur, Belur, Sakaleshpur, Yeslur and Arakalgud ranges of forest.
- The department would either release them after fixing radio-collar or translocate them.
The Great Indian Bustard and climate action verdict
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Prelims syllabus
- In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court of India has recognised the existence of a fundamental right to be free from the adverse impacts of climate change (hereinafter ‘the right’).
- The judgment has garnered significant attention from environmentalists, mostly focusing only on its impacts on the protection of the Great Indian Bustard.
- Taking a more comprehensive view, this article analyses the judgment from the lens of inclusive climate action.
- It argues that first, by limiting itself to only recognising the right, the Court has allowed time and space for a productive discourse on the right’s content.
- Accordingly, this could enable a more informed articulation of the right in the future.
- Second, given the nature of the core issue in this case, using the just transition framework is an excellent approach forward.
- It can facilitate equitable climate action, including, articulation of a more reflexive and inclusive right.
- The States of Rajasthan and Gujarat are home to the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.
- At the same time, both States also hold significant potential for the development of solar and wind power.
- In 2019, certain public-spirited individuals (petitioners), filed a public interest litigation, seeking conservation of the bustard.
- In the interim, they sought an order seeking a ban on further construction of solar and wind energy infrastructure, and the laying of overhead power transmission lines linked to these.
Missing colleges
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GS 2: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services
- Even lofty dreams can be felled by the nitty-gritty of implementation. Nothing exemplifies this as much as the case of the Madurai AIIMS.
- The idea of starting a number of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) across the country certainly comes from a clear need — to bridge the gap between demand and supply in India, and set right the grossly inefficient doctor-patient ratio.
- In 2003, the Centre announced the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) with this precise goal. It was in 2006 that the PMSSY got off the ground and a total of six AIIMS-like medical institutions were created in the country.
- Currently, there are 20 AIIMS institutions with functional medical colleges and three are under development.
- No doubt, these institutions have created plentiful opportunities for students and advanced the goal of taking affordable health-care education beyond metros.
- But the intentions are more robust than implementation.
- At AIIMS Madurai, a project that has caused a further embittering of relations between the central and State governments, there are persistent complaints of inadequate infrastructure, facilities, and manpower constraints.
- A ‘prestige’ project for the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for construction at Thoppur, Madurai, in January 2019. From 2021, undeterred by the lack of something as basic as a building, the administration invited applications from students.
Rain shocks
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Prelims syllabus: General issues on Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a bountiful monsoon. Rainfall from June-September is expected to be 6% more than the 87cm, which is considered to be the average rainfall the country receives during these months.
- This is a fairly bold forecast by the agency that, typically in its April forecast, avoids suggesting either surplus or deficit rain.
- Given that temperatures in many southern States are soaring and stoking heatwaves, the anticipation of bountiful rainfall might sound like welcome news.
- There is however a dark cloud to this silver lining. The IMD’s climate models suggest a 30% chance of “excess” rains — defined as more than 10% of what is usual.
- By comparison, its expectation of “above normal” rains is 31%, defined as between 5%-10% of what is normal. The slim difference suggests that excessive rains are as likely as merely ‘above normal’ showers.
Indian economy projected to grow 6.5% in 2024: UNCTAD
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GS 3: Indian Economy
- India’s economy is projected to grow by 6.5% in 2024, according to a report by the UN which noted that multinationals extending their manufacturing processes into the country to diversify their supply chains will have a positive impact on Indian exports.
- UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its report released on Tuesday said that India grew by 6.7% in 2023 and is expected to expand by 6.5% in 2024, continuing to be the fastest-growing major economy in the world.
How can small-scale farmers benefit from trees on farms?
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GS 3: Agriculture
- Agriculture in India has historically been a diversified land-use practice, integrating crops, trees, and livestock.
- This technique, broadly called agroforestry, can enhance farmer livelihoods and the environment and is slowly gaining in popularity after decades of the modus operandus of monocropping inspired by the Green Revolution.
- “The Gaja cyclone nearly razed down all coconut trees and made the soils saline; we did not know what to plant after,” said Chitra, a medium-scale farmer in Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu, during one of our recent field visits.
- “We pooled our money and started planting jackfruit and mangoes. It has been six years and we are seeing some good profits.”
