Rajasthan to Get 4 New Highways Projects

The projects are: four laning of Beawar – Pali - Pindwara stretch on NH-14, Reengus – Sikar stretch on NH-11, and 6-laning of Kishangarh – Udaipur – Ahmadabad stretch of NH-79, NH-79A, and NH-76 & NH-8. Paved shoulders work with 2-lane will be taken up in Darra – Jhalawar – Teen – Dhar stretch of NH-12.

SICOM Project

The Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Shri Jairam Ramesh said the major national initiative to protect our coastal ecosystems will start from states of Orissa, Gujarat and West Bengal. Inaugurating the office of the Society of Integrated Coastal Management (SICOM) here today , the Minister said this is for the first time that a professional body with experts in various aspects of coastal science and management.

The Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project consists of four components. 

Under the first component, mapping, delineation and demarcation of hazard lines will be taken up by the Survey of India. Besides this, mapping, delineation and demarcation of environmentally sensitive areas, capacity building of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the State Coastal Zone Management Authorities, and a nation-wide training programme will be taken up. A National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) will also be opened in Anna University, Chennai.

Under the second component, pilot studies will be undertaken on the ICZM approach for the coastline of Gulf of Kuchchh. Further, transplantation of corals in the Gulf of Kuchchh and sewage treatment facilities for Jamnagar district would be undertaken. Under the project, a Green Action for National Dandi Heritage Initiative (G.A.N.D.H.I.) will also be developed. The Rs 25 Crore project will focus on overall development and conservation of the environment of Dandi and the surrounding villages based on Gandhian Principles. Among other things, 100 ha of mangroves and 50 ha of bio-shield will be planted along the 8 km coastline of Dandi. The budget for Gujarat is Rs 298.34 crores.

The third component which includes Orissa has budget of Rs 300 crores. This will include capacity building of the state level agencies and institutions, preparation of an ICZM plan for the coastal sediment cells in the stretches of Paradip-Dhamra and Gopalpur-Chilika; regional coastal process study, and priority investments. It will also support capacity building in the area of coastal management and wetland research.

The fourth component will mainly address the coastal zone management issues in three sectors in West Bengal, namely, Sunderbans, Haldia and Digha-Shankarpur.The budget for West Bengal is Rs 300 crores.

Classification of Earthquakes

Factsheet

Based on magnitude, earthquakes may be classified as microearthquakes, slight-, moderate-, great- and very great as detailed below:

                                                                                      Magnitude

Microearthquake                                             -less than 3.0

Slight                                                               - 3.2-4.9

Moderate                                                         -5.0-6.9

Great                                                               -7.0-8.0

Very great                                                       - Greater than 8.0

Depending upon the epicentral distance of the earthquake, they may also be classified as local shock, near shock, distant shock and teleseismic shock as detailed below:

                                                                                    Epicentral Distance in degress

Local shock                                                     Less than 4.0

Near shock                                                      Between 4.0 and 10.0

Distant shock                                                  Between 10.0 and 20.0

Teleseismic shock                                            Greater than 20.0.

For the Earth as a whole, the frequency of occurrence of earthquakes in different magnitude is given below:

Magnitude (Ms)                                 Average number of earthquakes/year

            8.0                                                                   2

            7.0                                                                   20       

            6.0                                                                   100

            5.0                                                                   3,000              

            4.0                                                                   15,000

            3.0                                                                   >100,000

A list of damaging earthquakes in India during the last about ten years:

·         Uttarkashi earthquake of October 20,1991 (M:6.6).

·         Latur earthquake of September 30,1993 (M:6.3).

·         Jabalpur earthquake of may 22,1997 (M:6.0).

·         Chamoli earthquake of March 29,1999 (M:6.8).

·         Bhuj earthquake of January 26,2001 (M:6.9).

National Bamboo Mission

Realizing the immense socio-economic potential of bamboo, the Government of India has launched the National Bamboo Mission (NBM) and the National Mission on Bamboo Application (NMBA) for its holistic development, cultivation and for developing the technologies and applications for bamboo based products.

The state of Nagaland has been a pioneer and had adopted a Bamboo Policy in 2004. The Policy articulates the development of Bamboo in Nagaland along two approaches:

1. Development of Bamboo as a Resource, and
2.. Development of Bamboo as an Enterprise

Developing bamboo as a resource is focused on optimal cultivation and management of bamboo resources, through development of natural bamboo forests and bamboo plantation development. 

Development of bamboo as an enterprise is focused on developing bamboo-based industries, service sectors and ancillary activities including tourism. The Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency has a mission to generate new employment opportunities based on bamboo.

In order to realize the full potential of bamboo, various technical, financial and entrepreneurial interventions are needed in the fields of forestry, land use, propagation technology for its cultivation and sustainable use, and in the areas of industry and finance.

Apart from its utility as food and medicine, in minor tools, implements and daily utilities, bamboo is extensively used for handicrafts, furniture and even art. Its application has expanded to boards, ply and shuttering materials for use in buildings and construction.

It has also been developed as an energy source in the form of charcoal, activated carbon and even to generate electricity through gasification. It is eco friendly, being not only biodegradable but also having enormous capacity to sequester carbon. Furthermore, as the fastest growing plant on earth, it is a renewable resource with short gestation.

Area Under Irrigation

         

          The average rate of growth in the created irrigation potential during the I Plan to X Plan is about 1.47 Million Hectares per year. The ultimate irrigation potential has been assessed to be about 139.9 Mha against which creation of irrigation potential  of about 102.7 Mha has been reported by the States up to the end of X Plan.  Creation of irrigation potential of 5.51 Mha has also been reported during the first three years of XI Plan.  The revised target of creation of irrigation potential during XI Plan is about 9.5 Mha.  The report of the Task Force on Irrigation constituted by the Planning Commission has assessed that most of the ultimate irrigation potential would be created by XIII Plan.  Further, additional irrigation potential of about 35 Mha is also envisaged Inter-Basin Water Transport.

The area under irrigation during the period First Five Year Plan to Tenth Five Year Plan, Plan-wise is given below :-

                                                                                                        (in million hectare)                                                                   

Plan	Irrigation potential created during the Plan period
I Plan (1951 - 1956)	3.66
II Plan (1956 – 1961)	2.82
III Plan (1961 – 1966)	4.49
Annual Plans (1966 – 1969)	3.53
IV Plan (1969 – 1974)	7.10
V Plan (1974 – 1978)	7.82
Annual Plans (1978 – 1980)	1.59
VI Plan (1980 – 1985)	8.61
VII Plan (1985 – 1990)	11.31
Annual Plans (1990 – 1992)	4.56
VIII Plan (1992 – 1997)	5.17
IX Plan (1997 – 2002)	7.69
X Plan (2002 – 2007)	8.82

           

This information was given by the Minister of State for Water Resources, Shri Vincent H. Pala in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.