24-11-09

Mining – India

1. AP government to abide by court orders on mining
2. Plant more trees in mining areas, appeals Patil
3. Nationalisation not solution for illegal mining: Jethmalani
4. Illegal Mining Units
5. GSI’s role in identification of mineral reserves
6. Mining scam rocks House

Mining – International

7. China mine 'overcrowded'
8. Mine held too many workers
9. China's push for higher coal output is blamed in deaths of 104.
10. How bizarre fight over mines skews the agenda

Other News

11. Common Service Centres
12. Energy production through wind mills
13. Mega Solar Energy initiative
14. Minimum support price for forest produce
15. Discussion on Climate Change Policy for National Consensus
16. Various Schemes to Increase Forest Cover
17. Aims and objectives of National Green Tribunal


Mining – India

AP government to abide by court orders on mining

BS Reporter / Hyderabad November 24, 2009, 0:35 IST

Andhra Pradesh chief minister K Rosaiah said here that the ruling Cong-ress government would abide by the apex court’s verdict on the alleged irregularities by mining firm Obalapuram Mining Company (OMC) in the Bellary reserve forest of Anantapur district.
OMC is owned by Karnataka tourism minister Gali Janardhan Reddy.
“Our government will act if the Supreme Court issues any directions on the basis of the report of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the apex court on the mining issue,” the chief minister said.
The CEC, in its report submitted to the court on November 20, established illegal mining activity in Anantapur district bordering Karnataka and recommended that the mining in the region be stopped till the boundaries of all mining lease holders are clearly demarcated.
Lashing out at Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo N Chandrababu Naidu’s allegation that he (Rosaiah) was trying to protect Janardhan Reddy’s OMC, the chief minister challenged Naidu to debate on the allegations of corruption during his (Naidu’s) nine-year rule, while rejecting the Opposition party leader’s demand for his resignation over the issue.
The Andhra Pradesh government, on November 11, ordered an inquiry into the alleged mining of iron ore and violation of forest laws by OMC. The government has also constituted a three-member committee of senior officials of the state forest department to probe allegations against OMC.
Brushing aside Telugu Desam Party’s allegations that he and his top officials were on the payrolls of the OMC, Rosaiah said, “A person with a sound mind will no make such wild allegations and use such language.”
Stating that despite being defeated in the recent gen-eral elections Naidu appe-ared in great haste to come to power, Rosaiah said he would resign as chief minister if the TDP got one seat more than the Congress in the 150-member Greater Hyd-erabad Municipal Corpora-tion elections scheduled for November 23.
“Much before the CEC had submitted its report, we requested the Centre to order a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry. The inquiry will unearth the real problem,” Rosaiah said, adding that the mining lease to OMC was originally issued during Naidu’s regime.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/ap-government-to-abide-by-court-ordersmining/377372/

Plant more trees in mining areas, appeals Patil

TNN 24 November 2009, 06:33am IST
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PANAJI: President Pratibha Patil on Monday called for conserving and preserving Goa’s unique natural environment as it promotes eco-tourism, adds


to the state’s tourism profile and generates major revenue and employment for the state.

“Goa is renowned for its scenic beauty, its rich architectural heritage, its vibrant culture and its diverse flora and fauna,” she said speaking at a civic reception hosted by the government in her honour at Dona Paula. Stating that many countries have greatly benefited from their forests, she suggested better management and more afforestation in mining areas. “They can be important in generating social, economic and environmental benefits,” she said.

Incidentally, her statement comes in the wake of Goa winning an award for percentage increase in its forest and tree cover, though criticism has been rife about large-scale deforestation due to mining activities. Hailing Goa’s model of comprehensive development, Patil said combining economic growth with social progress, environment protection and cultural advancement had worked well for the state’s progress
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Plant-more-trees-in-mining-areas-appeals-Patil/articleshow/5263036.cms

Nationalisation not solution for illegal mining: Jethmalani

Keywords:

India, Ram Jethmalani, Illegal Mining, Nationalisation


Posted On: 23-Nov-2009 20:23:47 By: Deepali MittalFont Size:

Hubli: Senior advocate Ram Jethmalani today opined that nationalisation of all mines would not bring an end to illegalmining in the country.
Talking to newspersons during his one-day visit to attend High Court proceedings at Dharwad, he said solution to prevent illegalmining could be done through constant vigil by the police and authorities concerned as well as by implementing the existing laws strictly.
The issue of mining has led to heated exchanges between the ruling parties and the opposition in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, with top leaders, including ministers in the two states alleged to be involved in illegal mining in Bellary district bordering Andhra Pradesh.

http://www.mynews.in/News/Nationalisation_not_solution_for_illegal_mining_Jethmalani_N30917.html#

Illegal Mining Units
________________________________________
15:57 IST
Rajya Sabha

Mining activities without requisite environmental safeguards are known to have adverse impacts on different components of environment including human health. Press reports have appeared from time to time reporting illegal mining in different parts of the country.

The State Governments are the owners of minerals and since the minerals rights and collection of revenue and matters related to police, law and order machinery vest with State Governments, the State Governments have been empowered under Section 23C of Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act, 1957 to frame Rules for prevention of illegal mining and to take action. As informed by Ministry of Mines, the Central Government is not empowered under MMDR Act to book any illegal miner for offence. However, whenever the Central Government has received complaint of illegal mining, these are enquired into by Indian Bureau of Mines and the concerned State Governments are requested to take stringent action.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by Sh. Vijayraghavan in Rajya Sabha today.


http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=54405

GSI’s role in identification of mineral reserves
________________________________________
11:23 IST
RAJYA SABHA

The Minister of Mines and Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Shri B.K.Handique has said that Geological Survey of India (GSI) is the principal agency for locating or identification of new mineral deposits in the country with a mandate to explore (through ground, airborne, satellite and marine surveys) and scientifically assesses mineral and energy resources. Exploration carried out by GSI in the country has augmented manifold the resources of a number of important minerals like non-coking coal, iron ore, bauxite, gold,basemetal, chromite, platinoid group of elements (PGE), molybdenum, dolomite, limestone, manganese, magnesite, ball clay, bentonite etc.

There is continuous upgradation of technology in GSI, particularly in respect ofphotogeology and remote sensing work, field survey, ground geophysical survey,aerogeophysical survey, marine survey, drilling operations, laboratory studies & research projects, information technology etc. GSI is developing expertise in magnetotelluric survey andHyperspectral mapping at present.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha yesterday the Minister said, GSI carries out regional exploration for minerals and quantifies the resource of the minerals investigated. Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) prepares the inventory of mineral reserves of country from its own data and the information made available by Mineral Exploration Corporation Limited, State Directorates of Geology and Mining and other exploration agencies. The reserves of major minerals in India (as on 01.04.2005), (Source: IBM Year Book, 2007) is as under:

S.No. Ore / Mineral Reserve (in million tonnes)
1. Copper ore 369.49
2. Lead-Zinc ore 125.75
3. Iron ore, Haematite 7004.016
4. Iron ore, Magnetite 58.50
5. Manganese ore 138.15
6. Bauxite 899.38
7. Limestone 12715.31
8. Dolomite 985.15
9. Gold Ore 19.25
10. Chromite 66.12
11. Molybdenum 1.5

In additional the Annual Review of GSI (2009) gives the reserves of coal and lignite as under:

S. No. Ore / Mineral Reserve (in million tonnes)
1. Coal 267210
2. Lignite 39070



http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=54454

Mining scam rocks House

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Bhubaneswar, Nov. 23: The Opposition in the Assembly described the Keonjhar mining scam as the “biggest” in the state and demanded a CBI probe.
The government, however, rejected the demand stating that the ongoing vigilance probe was enough. Infuriated, Opposition Congress and BJP members staged separate walkouts.
Earlier, moving an adjournment motion, Opposition chief whip Prasad Harichandan alleged that minerals worth Rs 1 lakh crore had been illegally mined and smuggled out during the Naveen Patnaik regime.
Incidentally, Naveen was absent in the House during the debate though he was present during the question answer business in the morning. Ridiculing Naveen’s claim of providing a “transparent administration”, Harichandan alleged that the chief minister had closed his eyes to the illegal mining. He was supported by Opposition leader Bhupinder Singh and Congress members S.S. Saluja and Anup Sai. Saluja and Sai demanded a white paper to probe into the irregularities.
However, state steel and mines minister Raghunath Mohanty rejected the demand.
Vigilance raids have been conducted in mines and four criminal cases have been registered against owners and officials, reminded the minister, adding that as many as 128 mines had been closed down for violation of statutory rules. Supporting the government, BJD legislators questioned the neutrality of CBI probe, citing the instance of Bofors.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091124/jsp/nation/story_11776574.jsp

Mining – International

China mine 'overcrowded'

HEGANG (China) - TOO many miners were below ground at a Chinese coal mine where 104 workers were killed in a gas explosion, a safety official charged on Tuesday as rescuers said there was no hope for four missing men.
Press reports quoted Zhao Tiechui, deputy head of the state work safety agency, as saying overcrowded shafts were among the factors in the disaster at the Xingxing mine in northeast China.
'Excessively large coal faces being mined, too many people below ground and insufficient ventilation were factors in the accident,' he was quoted saying by various media.
The explosion tore through the mine in the rust belt city of Hegang early Saturday when more than 500 miners were below ground, officials said.
Zhang Fucheng, who is leading the rescue effort in frigid Heilongjiang province, said the four miners still missing had not yet been reached but were almost certainly dead. 'We are in the process of digging out the four people. They are definitely dead. They have no oxygen,' he told reporters.
The sober assessment appeared to snuff out the final glimmer of hope in the horrific accident, China's worst mine disaster in at least two years. Relatives of victims have angrily demanded answers about the disaster as officials said a preliminary investigation pointed to poor management at the mine, one of China's oldest and largest. -- AFP


http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_458420.html

Mine held too many workers

China's push for higher coal output is blamed in deaths of 104.
By Cara Anna
Associated Press
HEGANG, China - The coal mine that exploded in northern China, killing 104, had too many workers underground in an effort to increase output, a government official said yesterday, exposing the risks often taken to meet the country's insatiable energy demands.
The weekend gas explosion, China's worst mining accident in two years, was a blow to the government's efforts to improve safety standards in an industry that is the deadliest in the world.
Grieving relatives, who wailed at the gate of the Xinxing mining office yesterday, were shocked that such a blast could occur at one of China's state-run mines, which the government has promoted as being safer than smaller, privately run concerns.
But even as officials hustled to calm the families, miners idled near the shafts in their battered work clothes, waiting for word that their shifts might start again. "Economic necessity," one said.
China's hunger for energy is cutting closest to the bone in places such as Hegang, an aging industrial city near the Russian border where the economy runs on coal. The country uses coal to meet three-fourths of its electricity needs.
Officials have said 528 miners were underground when the Xinxing mine exploded after a gas leak. Besides the 104 confirmed dead, four people are missing and feared dead, the Xinhua news agency said.
The head of China's State Administration of Work Safety told Xinhua that the mine's management failed to evacuate workers promptly. His deputy went further, saying the mine had too many platforms and workers inside, in an effort to increase output.
Deputy chief Zhao Tiechui called the structure "far too complicated for its current ventilation system to work effectively." He did not specify what the mine's capacity was.
China has closed hundreds of smaller, private mines or absorbed them into state-owned operations, which are considered generally safer. But some of the deadliest accidents this year continue to be at state-run mines.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/20091124_Mine_held_too_many_workers.html

How bizarre fight over mines skews the agenda

TIM COHEN PUBLISHED: 2009/11/24 06:19:10 AM


Tim Cohen
timcohen@yebo.co.za
WHAT does one make of the bizarre argument between the South African Communist Party’s (SACP’s) deputy general secretary, Jeremy Cronin, and the African National Congress Youth League’s leader, Julius Malema, about nationalisation?
Malema implicitly attacks Cronin in racial terms saying: “We also do not need the permission of white political messiahs to think.” Yet, Cronin also indulges in some below-the-belt blows, saying: “I suspect that comrade Malema and others are missing this bigger systemic picture because, when they speak of mineral beneficiation, they are thinking of bling … sorry, jewellery.” Yet all these jibes get in the way of the protagonists’ arguments, which are essentially hopeless cauldrons of jumbled ideas.
A good example is their contrary positions on beneficiation. The league justifies nationalisation on the basis that so much of South African mineral wealth is not beneficiated. As anyone with the most superficial knowledge of the platinum industry will know, a substantial proportion of SA’s mineral wealth is in fact highly beneficiated. Much of the rest cannot be beneficiated or cannot be beneficiated successfully on a commercial basis. But this does not appear to trouble the league since, from its point of view, obviously the only thing stopping the government from ordering beneficiation is the fact the mines are not nationalised (I know, it’s illogical).
Cronin reaches for common sense when he notes that “the idea that SA will grow into a major jewellery powerhouse to rival centuries-old artisanal traditions (and markets) in India or Amsterdam ... simply because some of the precious minerals happen to be mined here, is, I am sad to say, a pipe dream”.
But the core of Cronin’s opposition to the nationalisation of the mines is simply that the mining industry is in such a poor state the government might end up having to support the businesses. He still calls for Sasol and ArcelorMittal to be nationalised .
Neither Malema nor Cronin bother with trying to understand why nationalisation has failed almost everywhere it has been tried. Nor do they appear to notice that government-owned entities in SA are in crisis, with six parastatals now without CEOs.
It is sometimes argued that the Zuma administration has not in fact shifted left, it just seems like it because these kinds of debates are now tolerated, when they would not have been under Thabo Mbeki . This is an entirely fallacious argument . These squabbles may or may not result in mines being nationalised, but what they do achieve is an atmosphere in which privatisation is such a swear word that it never comes close to being on the agenda.
Sasha Naryshkine of Vestact has raised an interesting comparison in relation to Eskom. Eskom has a nominal capacity of 43037 megawatt hours. Compare this to Brazil’s Eletrobras, which has a capacity almost exactly the same, and provides 60% of Brazil’s power, compared with Eskom’s almost total monopoly. Naryshkine points out that Eletrobras has had its problems too, such as seven CEOs since 2001. Still, the company looks financially respectable and has a gearing of 33% or so. But the interesting difference is the company is 49% publicly owned, and has a market capitalisation of 535bn.
Eskom says it needs about R300bn for its expansion programme. Whatever its woes, Eskom is still one of the world’s top 13 utilities by generation capacity and in the top 10 electricity suppliers by sales.
Using Eletrobras, which is listed in Brazil and in New York, as a comparison, selling a mere 20% of Eskom could solve its financial problems instantly. It could finance its expansion cheaply through an equity sale, and we would not have to deal with higher interest rates, nor would we have to endure 45% tariff increases every year for the next three years.
However, this option has apparently not even been considered because the nationalisation debate makes it politically impossible to breathe a word about a totally conventional option.
Sometimes it’s not what the government does that defines it; it’s what it doesn’t do.
- Cohen is a freelance writer.

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=87844

Strike Ends at Chile Copper Mine

SANTIAGO – Employees at the Spence copper mine in northern Chile voted to accept the latest offer from Australia’s BHP Billiton and end a strike launched on Oct. 13, management and the union said on Monday.

Union chief Andres Ramirez said that the 560 workers will return to their jobs as soon as the new contract is drafted, a labor accord that will be in force for 41 months.

The firm said in a communique that the proposal accepted by the workers includes a 4 percent salary increase along with a bonus for the term of the labor conflict of 7.04 million pesos ($14,000) per worker and assorted additional benefits.

Among the additional benefits are an interest-free loan of 2 million pesos ($4,000) per worker, a home-buying bonus of 9.6 million pesos ($19,200) and the renewal of the so-called “exceptional workday” payment of 1.2 million pesos (about $2,400).

The resolution of the conflict came after the Chilean Mining Federation, which includes the unions, warned that it was prepared to expand the conflict to other BHP Billiton mines.

The Australian firm has three copper mines in Chile which in all produce about 1.5 million tons of the metal per year, almost 10 percent of the world production and which the strike reduced by about 20,500 tons.

Spence, located in the region of Antofagasta, some 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) from Santiago, produced 165,000 tons of refined copper in 2008 and originally the workers were demanding a salary hike of 5.5 percent.

The strike at Spence was resolved, however, after on the weekend state-owned miner Codelco reached an agreement with the workers in its Andina division, providing them with a salary increase of 3 percent in the coming years, along with an interest-free loan of 2.5 million pesos ($5,000) for each of its 1,202 employees.

In addition, the firm will give a bonus of 7.3 million pesos ($14,600) per worker.

Armando Olavarria, the general manager of the Andina division, said that the benefits are subject to production goals, productivity, the price of copper and production costs.

Business reporters said the cornerstone of the Codelco pact is a planned $900 million expansion that is expected to boost processing capacity at Andina by 25 percent, to 94,000 tons a day, and annual output from the current 220,000 tons to as much as 250,000 tons.

Chile is the world’s No. 1 producer and exporter of copper. EFE

http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=347874&CategoryId=14094

Other News

Common Service Centres
________________________________________
17:41 IST
Lok Sabha

Under National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) the Government has sanctioned the scheme of Common Service Centres (CSCs) under which 1, 00, 000 kiosks are being established in rural ears. These kosoks are equipped with Computers, connectivity and trained and incentivized manpower. These Centres provide public services along with facilities of Internet and E-mail. The Scheme is being implemented on Public Private Partnership model with Government of India providing only revenue viability gap funding. Till 31st October, 2009, about 55, 000 CSCs have been established.

Under NeGp an outlay of Rs. 1649 crores was sanctioned for CSC Scheme. An amount of about Rs. 800 crores has been released under this scheme. Both Government to Citizen and Business to Citizen services will be provided by the CSCs. Some states have been facing non-availability of BSNL connectivity to the Centres. The Department of Information Technology (DIT) has sanctioned Rs. 550 crores to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) under the CSCs scheme for providing connectivity to CSCs in the country.

This was stated by Shri Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology in Lok Sabha today.

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=54446

Energy production through wind mills
________________________________________
16:48 IST
Rajya Sabha

The Government has been promoting commercial grid connected wind power projects through private sector investment in wind potential states including Tamil Nadu by providing fiscal incentives, loan from Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) and other financial institutions. Technical support, including detailed wind resource assessment to identify further potential sites, is provided by Ministry’s Centre for Wind Energy Technology (C-WET), Chennai. This apart, preferential tariff is being provided to increase wind energy generation in the potential States including Tamil Nadu. Wind power installation has been progressively increasing in the state of Tamilnadu, which has reached to 4,563 MW by October, 2009. Tamil Nadu is the leading state in wind power development in the country.

This information was given by Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.


http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=54423

Mega Solar Energy initiative
________________________________________
16:45 IST
Rajya Sabha

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has set a target to install 14,000 MW capacity renewable energy based grid power generation plants during the 11th plan period in the country.

Government has also approved Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission to develop solar energy technologies to make solar power competitive to conventional grid power. The Mission aims at setting up of 20,000 MW grid solar power and 2,000 MW of off-grid solar power including 20 million solar lights. In addition, it aims at installation of 20 million square metre solar thermal collector area by 2022. The Mission will be implemented in three phases. Government has approved the target to set up 1,100 MW grid connected solar plants and 200 MW capacity equivalent off-grid solar applications in the first phase of the Mission, till 2012-13.

In addition, the Mission will also support research and development to reduce cost, improve efficiency and overall performance of solar energy systems and also for development of new materials and devices.

This information was given by Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Dr. Farooq Abdullah in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

PRA/SKK

Minimum support price for forest produce
________________________________________
16:02 IST
Rajya Sabha

The central government has not fixed minimum support price(MSP) for any forest produce. One proposal has been received in this regards from the State of Chhattisgarh only. However no policy has been framed in this regard so far.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by Sh. Shreegopal Vyas and Sh Rudra Narayan Pany in Rajya Sabha today.

Discussion on Climate Change Policy for National Consensus
________________________________________
15:47 IST
Rajya Sabha

Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change meets from time to time to oversee and guide the approach to climate change policy including formulation and approval of specific initiatives relating to implementation of ‘India’s National Action plan on Climate Change’. An institutional mechanism consisting of Policy Planning Group and Core Negotiating Group also functions with a view to help formulate the negotiating strategy on climate change with the necessary approvals from appropriate levels.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by Shri D Raja and Shri M.P.Achuthan in Rajya Sabha today.

*********

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=54390

Various Schemes to Increase Forest Cover
________________________________________
16:4 IST
Rajya Sabha

Various steps have been taken under Central and State Government Schemes to increase the forest cover which include National Afforestation Programme, Integrated Forest Protection Scheme, Eco-Development Force (EDF) Scheme, Grants-in- Aid for Greening India Scheme, Gram Van Yojana (GVY) for afforestation on non forest lands, Assistance for Development of National Parks and Sanctuaries for afforestation, Regeneration of degraded forests etc. The main reasons for decrease in the forest cover and the reasons for increase in forest cover where significant change has taken place have been explained below.

Reasons for Loss

Nagaland – shifting cultivation and gregarious flowering of muli bamboo
Andaman &Nicobar Islands – destruction due to Tsunami
Manipur – shifting cultivation
Madhya Pradesh – submergence of forest area due to construction of dams
Chhattisgarh - submergence of forest area due to construction of dams, felling of trees
Gujarat – large scale felling and uprooting of Prospis juliflora trees from the revenue lands
Assam - illicit felling in insurgency affected areas and due to shifting
Andhra Pradesh- departmental fellings and naxalite disturbances
Maharashtra- departmental felling
Uttarakhand- rotational felling of Eucalyptus and Poplar & rehabilitation of Gujars in Haridwar districts

Reasons for Increase

Mizoram- re-growth in the abandoned shifting cultivation areas in all the districts
Arunachal Pradesh- regrowth in shifting cultivation areas and partly due to plantations.
Meghalaya- re-growth in the abandoned area of shifting cultivation
Tamil Nadu- plantations of miscellaneous species in many districts
Tripura- regrowth of abandoned shifting cultivation areas
Rajasthan- plantations of misc. species and regrowth
West Bengal- improvement of tree cover in tea plantation area and protection & plantations
Jharkhand- coppice growth of sal due to protection provided by VFC and plantations
Orissa- improvement in shifting cultivation areas
Punjab- plantations in private lands
Haryana- coppice growth of misc. species and plantations
Himachal Pradesh- plantations
Bihar- plantations
Karnataka- plantations
Delhi- plantations

Change in Forest cover change is given in Annexure-I
Annexure-I

Change in the forest cover of State/UTs between 2003 and 2005 (SFR 2005)*
(Area in km2)
States/ UT 2003 Assessment
(Previous) 2005 Assessment
(latest) Change
Forest Cover Forest Cover In Forest Cover
Andhra Pradesh 44,412 44,372 -40
Arunachal Pradesh 67,692 67,777 85
Assam 27,735 27,645 -90
Bihar 5,573 5,579 6
Chhattisgarh 55,992 55,863 -129
Delhi 174 176 2
Goa 2,164 2,164 0
Gujarat 14,814 14,715 -99
Haryana 1,576 1,587 11
Himachal Pradesh 14,359 14,369 10
Jammu & Kashmir 21,273 21,273 0
Jharkhand 22,569 22,591 22
Karnataka 35,246 35,251 5
Kerala 15,595 15,595 0
Madhya Pradesh 76,145 76,013 -132
Maharashtra 47,514 47,476 -38
Manipur 17,259 17,086 -173
Meghalaya 16,925 16,988 63
Mizoram 18,583 18,684 101
Nagaland 14,015 13,719 -296
Orissa 48,353 48,374 21
Punjab 1,545 1,558 13
Rajasthan 15,821 15,850 29
Sikkim 3,262 3,262 0
Tamil Nadu 23,003 23,044 41
Tripura 8,123 8,155 32
Uttar Pradesh 14,127 14,127 0
Uttaranchal 24,460 24,442 -18
West Bengal 12,389 12,413 24
Andaman & Nicobar 6,807 6,629 -178
Chandigarh 15 15 0
Dadar Nagar Haveli 221 221 0
Daman & Diu 8 8 0
Lakshadweep 25 25 0
Pondicherry 42 42 0
Grand Total 677,816 677,088 -728

* SFR 2005 – State of Forest Report 2005 by Forest Survey of India.
It is a fact that to deal with the negative effect of climate change it is essential to increase the forest cover. Various schemes are being implemented by the Centre & States for tree planting/ Afforestation to increase the forest cover. The details of ongoing schemes of Govt. of India alongwith allocations for the year 2009-10 are given in the table below:
Rs. in crores
S.No. Name of Scheme Allocation for 2009-10
1. NationalAfforestationProgramme 345.62
2. Eco-Development Force 10.50
3. Grants-in-Aid for GreeningIndia 3.28

In addition to above, Gram Van Yojana (GVY) Scheme has been mooted for Afforestation on non-forest lands for which an allocation of Rs.900 crores has been made during the 11th plan.

Government of India has introduced a new scheme with an outlay of Rs. 500.00 crore as an additional central assistance for “Accelerated Programme of Restoration and Regeneration of Forest Cover” under State Plan during 2009-10.

Ongoing afforestation and tree planting schemes of Central and State Governments and the newly introduced State Plan Scheme through Additional Central Assistance of Rs 500 Crores during the current financial year of ‘Accelerated Programme of Restoration and Regeneration of Forest Cover’, help in increasing Forest and Tree Cover. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of National Afforestation Programme, implemented by this Ministry, Rs.1692.55 Crores have been released after 2004 (2004-05 to 2009-10) to the Forest Development Agencies in the States (as on 30/10/2009). The details of funds released during 2004-05 to 2009-10 are given in Annexure- II.
Annexure- II

No. State Amount Released (Rs. incrore)



1 Andhra Pradesh 59.90
2 Chhattisgarh 126.30
3 Gujarat 109.69
4 Haryana 70.67
5 HimachalPradesh 47.70
6 Jammu & Kashmir 32.66
7 Karnataka 121.49
8 Madhya Pradesh 93.19
9 Maharashtra 108.54
10 Orissa 82.74
11 Punjab 16.96
12 Rajasthan 34.42
13 Tamil Nadu 75.16
14 Uttar Pradesh 140.32
15 Uttarakhand 60.26
16 Goa 0.00
17 Jharkhand 98.86
18 Bihar 27.87
19 Kerala 38.66
20 West Bengal 37.88
Total (Other States) 1383.27
21 ArunachalPradesh 15.20
22 Assam 50.30
23 Manipur 45.46
24 Nagaland 37.28
25 Sikkim 41.49
26 Tripura 21.71
27 Mizoram 73.44
28 Meghalaya 24.40
Total (NE States) 309.28
Grand Total 1692.55

The details of forest cover (State-wise) from 2001 to 2005 are given in Annexure-III. The latest data on forest cover is available based upon State of Forests Report, 2005 published by Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun.
Annexure-III

Forest cover of State/UTs SFR in 2001, 2003 and 2005 (SFR)*

(Area in km2)
State/UT Forestcover in
SFR 2001 Forest
cover in
SFR 2003 Forest cover in
SFR 2005
Andhra Pradesh 44,637 44,412 44,372
Arunachal Pradesh 68,045 67,692 67,777
Assam 27,714 27,735 27,645
Bihar 5,720 5,573 5,579
Chhattisgarh 56,448 55,992 55,863
Delhi 111 174 176
Goa 2,095 2,164 2,164
Gujarat 15,152 14,814 14,715
Haryana 1,754 1,576 1,587
Himachal Pradesh 14,360 14,359 14,369
Jammu & Kashmir 21,237 21,273 21,273
Jharkhand 22,637 22,569 22,591
Karnataka 36,991 35,246 35,251
Kerala 15,560 15,595 15,595
Madhya Pradesh 77,265 76,145 76,013
Maharashtra 47,482 47,514 47,476
Manipur 16,926 17,259 17,086
Meghalaya 15,584 16,925 16,988
Mizoram 17,494 18,583 18,684
Nagaland 13,345 14,015 13,719
Orissa 48,838 48,353 48,374
Punjab 2,432 1,545 1,558
Rajasthan 16,367 15,821 15,850
Sikkim 3,193 3,262 3,262
Tamil Nadu 21,482 23,003 23,044
Tripura 7,065 8,123 8,155
Uttar Pradesh 13,746 14,127 14,127
Uttaranchal 23,938 24,460 24,442
West Bengal 10,693 12,389 12,413
Andaman & Nicobar 6,930 6,807 6,629
Chandigarh 9 15 15
Dadar Nagar Haveli 219 221 221
Daman & Diu 6 8 8
Lakshadweep 27 25 25
Pondicherry 36 42 42
Grand Total 675,538 677,816 677,088


*SFR – State of Forest Report by Forest Survey of India.

Of the four Southern States the extent of dense forest cover in Tamil Nadu is more than Kerala but less compared to Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The details of dense forest cover in southern states including TamilNadu under various density classes of dense forest cover as per SFR 2005 are as follows:
(sq. km)
State Very DenseForest (VDF) (above 70% canopy cover) ModeratelyDense Forest(MDF) (40-70% of canopy cover) Total of VDF and MDF
Andhra Pradesh 130 24,199 24,329
Kerala 1024 8,636 9,660
Karnataka 464 21,634 22,098
TamilNadu 2650 9,790 12,440

Most part of Tamil Nadu Forests lies in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats. Hence, these areas received poor rainfall which affects the growth of the vegetation. Forests in Eastern Ghats are also subjected to grazing, forest fires and heavy biotic pressure resulting in poor density of forest cover.

Efforts made by the State and Central Government to enhance the forest cover are given below:-

1. Implementation of Tamil Nadu Afforestation Project (TAP) Phase-II implemented from 2005-2006 till 2012-13 to restore 1.775 lakh hectare of degraded forests in 32 districts over a 8 years span with external aid with an outlay of Rs.567/- crores.

2. Implementation of Hill Area Development Programme to improve the ecological conditions in the Nilgiris district including protection of shola forests and conservation of wildlife habitats.

3. Western Ghat Development Programme aims at increasing the tree cover and improving the ecosystem of the TamilNadu portion of the Western Ghats.

4. Implementation of National Afforestation Programme under Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

5. Implementation of a Government of India’s new scheme as an additional central assistance for “Accelerated Programmeof Restoration and Regeneration of Forest Cover” under State Plan during 2009-10.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) ShriJairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by S/S P.R.Rajan, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Raj Mohinder SinghMajitha,Kaptan Singh Solanki,Mond. Ali Khan and Smt Jayanthi Natrajan in Rajya Sabha today.
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http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=54409

Aims and objectives of National Green Tribunal
________________________________________
15:50 IST
Rajya Sabha

The aims and objectives of the proposed National Green Tribunal are effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matter connected therewith or incidental thereto

The Tribunal shall have the jurisdiction over all civil cases where a substantial question relating to environment (including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment), is involved. There is also a bar on the civil courts to entertain such cases. The alternative remedy provided by the wide jurisdiction of the Tribunal will substantially reduce the burden of environmental litigations on the higher courts. The specialised Tribunal is expected to dispose of such cases expeditiously.

The jurisdiction of the Tribunal is limited to civil cases and the environmental disputes of criminal in nature shall continue to be adjudicated by the existing criminal courts. Criminal cases require a hierarchy of courts and other paraphernalia needed for criminal proceedings which does not gel with the architecture of a Tribunal.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh in a written reply to a question by SHRI R.C.Singh in Rajya Sabha today.
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=54395