Packing batteries with more punch
Indian researchers are working on cells that can store more energy, last longer
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the 14th Conference of Parties (COP 14) United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, at India Expo Centre & Mart, in Greater Noida. - PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing close to 200 countries at the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification's (UNCCD) during the ongoing Conference of Parties (COP14) in New Delhi, said that India has revised it's land restoration targets to an upward of 26 million hectares from previously set target of 21 million hectares.
"The targets to restore degraded land will be achieved by 2030. This will create a carbon sink for India of close to three billion metric tonnes through additional tree cover," Modi said. He also claimed that between 2015 to 2017, India's tree cover increased by 0.8 million hectares.
He said that according to the law, land diverted for industrial purposes has to be compensated by adequate amount of land being afforested. "Also, monetary payment has to be made for value of timber that the diverted land may yield. Only last week, close to Rs 40,000 - Rs 50,000 crore was released to provincial governments in lieu of diversion of forest land," he said.
Union Minister for Environment Prakash Javadekar explained that afforestation will be annually monitored through remote sensing satellites, electronic chips, as well as drone photography. "Every plant will be geo-tagged," he said. Javadekar however refused to comment on country's current progress on restoring the previously set target of 21 million hectares. He also did not elaborate when asked about the budget commitments or the detailed timeline to achieve new targets.
A senior environment ministry official said that the scale for which land has been diverted may not exactly match with release of compensation funds or afforestation. "There may be difference in the scale," the official told BusinessLine.
Modi also said that desertification of land affects two thirds of the entire world and greater South-South co-operation is important in this regard. "India also looks forward to making an effective contribution to take over co-presidency for a term of two years in this regard," the said.
He said that upto 27 lakh soil health cards had been distributed to the farmers to help them ascertain the quality of their soil which will lead to informed decisions on what crops they can produce.
Modi emphasised on menace of plastic waste and said that the government was committed to ending single use plastic. "We are committed to environment-friendly substitutes and effective plastic collection and dispensable methods," he said.
Every single day 30,000 tonnes of single use plastic waste is generated, said Javadekar, of which only 20,000 tonnes is collected, the remaining 10,000 tonnes is left uncollected and dumped. "That is a huge issue," he said.
Indian researchers are working on cells that can store more energy, last longer
To fix a broken bone, doctors often harvest another bone from the patient’s body or from someone else. It ...
Superconductors from IIScScientists at IISc Bangalore have invented a device with a nanocrystal structure ...
Engineering and construction giant L&T has won a licence from the Council of Scientific & Industrial ...
Option price falls more than it rises for the same change in underlying
A long-term vacation here is worth a check-in
The fund delivered a return of 31.5% in 2020 compared with the category’s 15.5%
Care Health Insurance’s new rider offers no great benefit. We review its pros and cons
In these isolated times when people yearn for a slice of the familiar, amateur and professional chefs are ...
While good writing wars against the cliché, television gives it a natural home
India is ready with two vaccines to beat the deadliest virus of recent times. The immunisation drive, however, ...
The storming of the Capitol on January 6 could be the prelude to yet another chapter in the US’s long and ...
Digital is becoming dominant media, but are companies and their ad agencies transforming fast enough to make a ...
Slow Network, promoted by journalist-lyricist Neelesh Misra, pushes rural products and experiences
How marketers can use the traditional exchange of festive wishes meaningfully
For Fortune, a brand celebrating its 20th anniversary, it was a rude shock to become the butt of social media ...
Three years after its inception, compliance with GST procedures remains a headache for exporters, job workers ...
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of companies are altering the prospects for wooden toys of ...
Aequs Aerospace to create space for large-scale manufacture of toys at Koppal
And it has every reason to smile. Covid-19 has triggered a consumer shift towards branded products as ...
Please Email the Editor