The Union Environment Ministry plans to review its compensatory afforestation scheme next month, with Minister Jairam Ramesh saying he is “horrified” by reports on the implementation of the scheme in some States. The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, better known as CAMPA, has over Rs. 11,000 crore, including accrued interest. The money, which had been lying in CAMPA's bank accounts since 2002, was finally released for partial distribution to...

The age-old debate of whether the PM should be brought under the Lokpal has returned to the centre of discussion at the highest echelons as a group of ministers considers the anti-corruption mechanism. The GoM, headed by Pranab Mukherjee, is laying out UPA-2's roadmap to fight corruption, as it reels under an unprecedented onslaught by gigantic scams all around. Sources said the GoM, in its upcoming meeting, would look at the Lokpal...

Charged particles from beyond solar system possibly affect the pace, but the extent is not clear The role of the cosmic rays has been highlightedin a paper by the former ISRO Chairman, U.R. Rao Dr. Rao points to a nine per cent reduction in the intensity of cosmic rays during the past 150 years The impact of cosmic rays on global warming needs to be assessed. Are charged particles coming from beyond the...

The environment ministry today released a paper by a senior Indian space scientist that highlights the role of cosmic rays in global warming and attempts to rekindle a 13-year debate on natural factors heating the planet. The scientific review, by Udupi Ramachandra Rao, a cosmic ray physicist and former head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), also claims the UN climate change agency overestimated the role of greenhouse gases on...

Rules restrict construction, dumping of untreated waste, industrialisation Harvesting, dredging can be carried out in wetlands with permission from authorities The Union government on Thursday notified rules for conservation and management of wetlands that restrict harmful activities such as construction, dumping of untreated waste, and industrialisation, to prevent damage to these sensitive ecosystems with high biodiversity values. The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010, are aimed at ensuring better conservation and preventing degradation...