[Forestry Education, Training and Extension, Wildlife Education & Training, National Museum of Natural History, Fellowships and Awards, Environment Education, Awareness and Training, Centres of Excellence, Environmental Information System (ENVIS)]
Forestry Education, Training and Extension
Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun
The ICFRE, Dehradun, an autonomous organization of the Ministry, organises and manages research, education and extension activities in the field of forestry. While research activities of the council are outlined in Chapter 7, the activities pertaining to forestry education and extension undertaken by the council during the year are as follows:
In addition to the two ongoing P.G. Diploma courses, the council started Two, M.Sc Courses on ‘Forestry and Wood Sciences and Technology and 90 students were enrolled.
45 persons were provisionally awarded Ph.D. degree during the year.
A total of 216 fellowship were allotted to various institutes.
National level training of Research Methodology with special emphasis on statistics at IASRI, New Delhi; Research Methodology with special emphasis on statistics at ISI, Bangalore; Research Management at ICFRE were organised and a total number of 89 persons from various Institutes were trained.
In order to strengthen infrastructure of forestry faculties in the universities imparting forestry training, financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 184 lakhs were granted to various universities.
To provide latest training and educational exposures to foresters/scientists of ICFRE, arrangements were made for short term, long term training courses, meetings/symposia and workshop under FREE Projects.
Human Resources Development (HRD) Plan is being prepared.
Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA), Dehradun
The IGNFA is a premier institution imparting in-service professional training to the Indian Forest Service Officers. The Academy stands committed to groom the IFS officers to face challenges in the profession on technical forestry and managerial aspects. It has trained 2217 IFS Probationers and 323 Foreign Trainees from neighbouring countries till 1999.
Currently 55, 33 and 24 IFS Probationers are undergoing training in the Academy belonging to 1997, 1998 and 1999 courses, respectively and among them there are six, four and one women officers in the respective batches. There are two Foreign Trainees from Bhutan in 1998 course.
The Academy commemorated India’s 51st year of independence by organizing two day workshop on 26th and 27th May, 1999 in which senior forest officers belonging to 1971 to 1974 batch participated. Thirty-two participants from India and 11 from Nepal participated in the workshop. Many technical issues including new initiatives in the training of foresters deliberated upon and the recommendations made.
The convocation for 1996 course was held during the year. Hon’ble Vice President of India gave away the diploma and awards to 39 IFS Probationers including 4 women officers. Late Shri D.H. Kulkarni memorial gold medal for the best performance in Working Plan Exercise was instituted during the year and was awarded to Shri Rishikesh Ranjan of Maharashtra cadre.
Five Compulsory Training Courses for in-service IFS offices, sponsored by the Ministry were held in the Academy during the year. These are:
Institutionalization of Participatory Forests Management (one week);
Policy and Legal Issues in Forestry (one week);
Project Formulation and Evaluation for External Assistance (one week);
International Conventions in Forestry and India’s Role and Concern (one week); and
Computer Applications in Forestry (two weeks).
The Academy conducted two skills Upgradation Courses and 51 officers promoted from State Forest Service of different State cadres were trained under this programme, thus updating the backlog in the cadre.
The workshop on "Sustainable Forest Management" was conducted on 3rd and 4th November 1999 by the Academy to design and develop the criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management.
Directorate of Forest Education, Dehradun
The Directorate is responsible for controlling, coordinating and managing all the regular courses of S.F.S. and Forest Range Officers in the country. The following colleges are under the administrative control of this Directorate:-
State Forest Service College, Dehradun (Uttar Pradesh)
State Forest Services College, Coimbatore (Tamilnadu)
State Forest Services College, Burnihat (Assam)
Eastern Forest Rangers College, Kurseong (West Bengal)
In addition, five State - run Forest Rangers Colleges Viz, (1) Forestry Training Institute, Haldwani (Uttar Pradesh), (2) Forest Rangers College, Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), (3) Forest Rangers College, Angul (Orissa), (4) Gujarat Forest Rangers College, Rajpipla (Gujarat), and (5) North Eastern Forest Rangers College, Jalukbari (Assam) are also technically (admission, curriculum and examinations) controlled by this Directorate.
During the year, the Directorate conducted the following courses:
Two Weeks Refresher Course
Three Weeks Course on Computer Application in Forestry
Advance Course on Computer Application in Forestry
Two Weeks Course on Social Forestry & Sustainable Rural Development
Two Weeks Thematic Course Bio-diversity Conservation
Three months "Promotion linked Training" for A.C.Fs
Two Weeks "Trainers Training" Course
"Promotion linked Training" for Rangers
"Two Weeks Refresher Course" for Rangers
"One Year Special Course" for Cinchona Forest Deptt. Tamilnadu.
In two years Diploma Course, 26 trainers are under training at State Forest Services Colleges, 66 Range Officers have completed two years Certificate Course and passed out from the various Forest Rangers Colleges and 33 are undergoing training.
The three S.F.S. Colleges have conducted Ten in-service "Refresher Courses" each of two weeks duration. The average number of participants in each course ranged between 14 to 15. One course each on "Sustainable Rural Development’, ‘Bio-diversity Conservation’ and ‘Participatory Forestry Management’ of two week duration was also organized at State Forest Services College, Dehradun.
Computer Laboratories have been established at State Forest Services College, Dehradun and Coimbatore. Six Courses on ‘Computer Application in Forestry’ each of three-week duration, were organized in these two colleges for in-service S.F.S. Officers. Thirty-one officers have so far been trained in these courses. Besides these course, three advanced Courses on ‘Computer Application in Forestry" were also conducted for In-service S.F.S. Officer at S.F.S. College, Dehradun and 29 officers were trained.
Besides, one course on ‘Basic Forestry’ of three months duration was organized for Scientists of ICFRE, Dehradun at S.F.S. College, Dehradun and 23 Scientists participated in this course. Similar Course was also run by State Forest Services College. Coimbatore during the year. One Course on "Training of Trainers" of two weeks duration was also conducted at State Forest Services College, Dehradun and seven officers trained.
One ‘Refresher Course’ of two week duration was conducted for Range Officers at Eastern Forest Rangers College, Kurseong, an 11 officers were trained.
Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI), Bangalore
The IPIRTI, an autonomous organisation of the Ministry is recognised internationally as a centre of expertise in the mechanical wood industries technology sector and is equipped with modern facilities for research and training in saw milling and plywood. While the research activities of the Institute are outlined in chapter 7, details of education and training activities carried out by the Institute during the year are as follows:
Sixteen candidates from various States successfully completed one year Post Graduate Diploma Course in Mechanical Wood Industries Technology.
All candidates passed out during 98-99 have been employed in various wood based industries thereby achieving 100% employment.
During the year, several short term courses were held and 25 persons have undergone training in specific areas of wood processing technology.
From this year the Institute has started organising one week compulsory training course for IFS Officers with a view to create awakening amongst foresters about the role of wood processing technology and the challenges involved in it while using faster growing plantation timbers. The training is sponsored by the Ministry of Environment & Forests.
Institute received number of technical enquiries. Information dissemination is one of the important areas. This helps in providing information to researchers, technologists, consultants, industrialists, and other interested in utilization of wood composites.
The Institute regularly provides technical support to the wood products industry through visits to solve floor level problems as well as to demonstrate new processes involved at the Institute. Similar assistance are also provided while replying the technical enquiries received from the industry which can be solved without the visit of Scientist.
The Institute is providing consultancy services to Rubbet Board of India under a World Bank project for establishment of testing facility for Rubber Board in Kerala. In another consultancy the Institute has taken up Productivity Study in an Integrated wood working unit of Gujarat Forest Development Corporation and has made suggestions to enhance the productivity by about 40%.
During the year, the following publications were brought out:
Three Research Reports.
Proceedings of National Seminar on Processing and utilization of plantation timbers and bamboo.
Bamboo mat board - Manual.
Three Quarterly Newsletters bringing out important happenings.
Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal
The IIFM Bhopal, an autonomous organisation of the Ministry provides training in management and related subjects to officers from he IFS. Forest Departments, Forest Development Corporation and Forest related industries with a view to inculcating professionalism in forestry management.
Highlights of the various educational and training activities carried out during the year are as follows:
The two year programme leading to the award of the Post Graduate Diploma in Forestry Management (PGDFM), started in July 1988 has been recognised and equated as a corresponding Master’s Degree of an Indian University by the Association of Indian Universities. So far 10 batches consisting of 246 students have passed out and the 11th batch (1998-2000) consisting of 37 students will be passing out in March, 2000.
The M.Phil Level Course in Resource Management is specially designed for developing professional skills of resource managers, practising professionals and others involved for efficient and effective resource management, and is of 12 months duration. So far five batches consisting of 47 participants have undergone this course, 6th batch (1999-2000) of participants will be completing the course in May, 2000. This Post Master’s Course on Resource Management is recognised as equivalent to M.Phil. Degree of an Indian University by Association of Indian Universities.
Under the Management Development Programme, the institute imparts training to serving forestry personnel from various state forest departments, NGOs and officials from other development departments. A total of 139 such programmes and 37 seminars and workshops on various aspects of forestry management have been conducted and a total of 2212 officers have been trained by the institute under the programme.
The institute is fully equipped with modern IT technology to conduct the various courses and training programme. It has launched its website with the URL: http//www.iifm.org and could be browsed through internet. A Forest Information System is being developed by the Institute.
Consultancy on Process Documentation of JFM and Eco-Development assigned by Madhya Pradesh Forestry Project, Satpura Bhawan, Bhopal.
User Survey/World Bank Training Programme assigned by Environmental Economics Training Committee for Practising and Non-Practising Economists (EETCPN) under World Bank Capacity Building Programme in the area of Environmental Economics.
Integrated Assessment Model for Sustainable Waste Management - The Case of Solid Waste in Bangalore assigned by the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Vrije University, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Consultancy on Assessment of people’s attitudes towards park resources and management - Gir protected area - assigned by Gujarat Forest Department.
Consultancy on Farmer’s Demand Analysis of U.P. Forestry Project - assigned by U.P. Forest Department.
Consultancy on Development of Agroforestry Marketing and Trade - assigned by National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Rajasthan.
Wildlife Education and Training
Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun
The main mandate of the WII, an autonomous institute of the Ministry is to impart training to government and non-government personnel, to carry out research and training activities and advice on matters of conservation and management of wildlife resources. While the research activities of the institute have been outlined in chapter 7, the various training and educational activities carried out by the institute are as follows:
The XX Diploma Course, concluded on 31st May, 1999 was attended by 20 trainee officers from various States/UTs including seven international officer trainees.
The XXI Diploma Course, commenced during the year is attended by 14 trainees. Out of these trainees, eight are forest officers from different states/UTs within the country and six foreign nationals - one each from Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka availing SAARC fellowships and one each from Kazakistan, Palestine and Sri Lanka sponsored under Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme on the Ministry of External Affairs.
The XV three-month certificate course on "Wildlife Management" was conducted. Range Forest Officers and equivalent ranks started from 1st May, 1999 in which seventeen Range Forest Officers, two each from A&N Islands, Chandigarh, Kerala and Maharastra and three from Madhya Pradesh and one each from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Lakshdweep and Uttar Pradesh participated. Two Forest Officers from Pakistan sponsored by WWF-Pakistan and one lady officer from Singapore, sponsored by Singapore Zoological Garden also attended this course. The course concluded on 31st July, 1999 and attended by 15 National Range Forest Officers and two International Officers, one each from Pakistan and Singapore.
The VI M.Sc (Wildlife Science) Course, which commenced in July, 1997 with nine students, concluded in June 1999.
The VII M.Sc. (Wildlife Science) Course commenced in July 1999 with twelve students. Out of these one is from Sri Lanka and one is from Myanmar.
A workshop was organised for Conserving Biodiversity in 21st Century through Integrated Conservation and Development Planning on a Regional Scale. The Workshop dwelt on different sectoral issues with a view to reimpose conservation - development linkages. It was attended by seventy participants which included some members of Parliament, senior civil servants of Central and State government, NGOs and Practitioners in the field.
The Interpretation & Conservation Education Course was organised by the WII at its Chandrabani campus from 2-11 August 1999. The course was designed to meet the needs of staff from national parks, sanctuaries, zoos, environment and development project, defence services, wildlife tourism agencies and NGOs requiring assistance in the development of education awareness raising programmes. A total of 19 participants from national parks, sancturies, zoos, NGOs and travel agencies participated in the course.
The third special course in ‘Wildlife Protection, Law and Forensic Science for Probationers of Indian Customs and Central Excise Service Group ‘A’ (51st Batch) was organised from 21st September - 1st October, 1999. There were twenty participants. The participants were given exposure to National Conservation Policy, Biodiversity in India, Laws relating to wildlife, trade in Wildlife and Wildlife products. The course also included practical in Forensic Science and visit to Sariska Tiger Reserve to acquaint the participants with wildlife management.
Two orientation workshops for Wildlife Watch Coordinators were organised at WII on 12-13, November and 15-16, November 1999 respectively. There were 20 participants in the first workshop and 12 participants in the second workshop and the participants included Regional Coordinators, District Coordinators and other representatives of the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathana. The participants were given exposure to the biodiversity heritage of India, legal issues, tools and techniques for awareness programmes and were provided facilitation support for developing action plans and monitoring procedures.
A Regional Workshop on "Application of Satellite Telemetry for Wildlife Research and Management", sponsored by the Ministry and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is being organised by the Institute in Dehradun during the year in collaboration with various institutes in the Country. The workshop is meant for participants from India and neighbouring countries and aims to familiarise wildlife research and management personnel of the region to this technology.
A one-week capsule course for IFS officers was organised during the year by the Institute and a total of 34 IFS officers were nominated to attend. The objective of this course was to acquaint participants with the critical issues and plausible strategy in PA management.
The X Endangered Species and Zoo Management Course in the series of training courses and funded by CZA is being organized in Alipore Zoo, Calcutta for mid level Zoo personnel.
On the occasion of the World Environment Day, i.e. 5th June, 1999, a number of nature awareness programmes such as nature trail walk, nature excursions, wildlife film show and an extempore debate competition on environmental theme were organised for the school children of Chandrabani village.
During the Van Mahotsava celebrations (first week of August 1999), tree planting was done by the Institute in Chandrabani Village School.
A drawing and painting competition was organised in the institute for the children of institute employees, on 3rd October 1999 to celebrate Wildlife Week. One hundred and seventeen children participated in the competition.
A national seminar on Wildlife Conservation to commemorate the 50th year of India’s Independence was held at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. A training programme on "Intelligence Gathering and Crime Prevention" was also organised at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad by the Institute during the year.
National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), New Delhi
The basic functions of the National Museum of Natural History a subordinate organisation of the Ministry are to promote non-formal environment education, conservation and awareness among the people through various in-house and outreach activities. It has various theme-based exhibit galleries, a Bio-science Computer Room, a Discovery Room and an Activity Room for promoting environmental awareness among different target groups.
The museum organises various temporary exhibitions as part of its education and extension services. Some of the exhibitions, organised and coordinated by the museum during the year are as follows:
An exhibition was organised at Pragati Maidan on ‘Environment 99’ from 13-16 April, 1999.
On the occasion of International Ozone Day, a temporary exhibition was put up on the ozone-friendly products from 16-18 September, 1999 in which various firms producing such products participated with their products as exhibits.
The exhibition entitled ‘Expression of young minds on Indian Environment’ was organised in the month of November 1999 on the selected paintings and posters as outcome of the competitions held during Wildlife Week.
A tableau on the theme encompassing the overall environment, the spoilt environment, by the human race and the sustainable development with least effect on environment was prepared by NMNH for participation in the Republic Day Celebrations, 2000 on behalf of the Ministry.
Special in-house and outreach activities oriented programmes as detailed below were organised and conducted by the NMNH for the benefit of school children, college students, teachers and general public throughout the year.
Annual weak-long programmes for handicapped were organised.
NMNH and Hindustan Times-Pace organised on-the-spot photographic competition for Delhi School Children.
A month-long Summer Programme for teenagers, children was organised during May-June, 1999 namely-
Exploring the Environment
Animal / Plant Modelling
Nature Painting
Learn with fun.
Declamation contest was organised on Earth Day.
Teacher Orientation Workshops were organised for Science teachers and DIET training teachers.
Special programme on 5th June to commemorate the Foundation Day and World Environment Day was organised. Posters were released by Hon’ble Prime Minister and Visisht Vaigyanik Awards were also awarded on the occasion.
Foundation Day lecture on ‘Our Earth, Our Future - Just Save It’ was delivered by Father Cecil J. Saldhana, Director, Centre for Taxonomic Studies, Bangalore.
On-the-spot Painting Contest was organised on the occasion of"World Day to Combat Desertification".
Special programme for handicapped children was organised. They were taken to Asola Bhatti Mines Wildlife Sanctuary.
Painting contest and Poster contest was organised for children of different age groups during Wildlife Week.
National Environment Awareness Campaign was organised through variety of activities like Quiz Contest, Essay competition, Declamation Contest etc.
Collaboration with Universities
NMNH continued its academic collaboration with Delhi University and assisted the Department of Environmental Biology, Delhi University by conducting lectures.
Professional Enrichment, Participation in Seminars/ Workshops etc.
NMNH participated in the Annual Conference of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), in September, 1999 at Lyon, France.
NMNH and its Regional Museums participated in the Triennial Conference of the International Association of Transport and Communication Museums (IATM) hosted by the National Rail Museum in New Delhi in November ’99.
NMNH and its Regional Museums also participated in the Annual General Conference of the Museums Association of India held in New Delhi in March ’99 on the theme ‘Museums and Tourisms’.
Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH), Mysore
During the year, the Museum conducted Summer Nature study programmes, programme for physically handicapped children, programmes for N.G.Os., schools colleges, demonstrations about solar eclipse and orientation programmes for teachers as follows:
Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH), Bhopal
During the year, the Regional Museum of Natural History, Bhopal, organised various activities to cater to the needs of the heterogeneous audience such as the general public, school teachers and students, NGOs, disabled, and the neighbourhood communities. In addition, the Museum was involved in professional development in the field of museology. Highlights of these activities are as follows:
A network of schools, launched during the Teachers’ Workshop, continued with its activities during the current year under Bhopal Environmental Awareness Neetwork through Schools (BEANS) Programme. An inter-school exhibition competition on medicinal plants was organized on the second anniversary of the Museum.
A two days training workshop for teachers, especially from tribal districts, were organised in the Museum during August in collaboration with the Science Centre (Gwalior). About twenty teachers from all over Madhya Pradesh participated in it.
A workshop on Sustainable Community Development was organised in the Museum on July 26, 1999 with the help of Rotary Club of Midtown. The programme aimed at benefiting the people of the neighbourhood slum colonies. About two hundred people participated in the workshop.
A four days Nature Discovery Camp was organised in Pachmarhi during 12-16 June, 1999. About twenty five teachers and students from four districts of Madhya Pradesh attended the Nature Camp.
During the Summer Vacation period, a two weeks long Creative Nature Workshop was organised in which about 25 students from various schools in Bhopal and Indore participated. The participants were exposed to nature painting, poster-making, clay modelling, working with paper, plaster-of-paris, thermocol and jute.
As part of the World Environment Day on June 5, 1999 the following programmes were organised by the Regional Museum.
Valediction of the Creative Nature Activities Workshop
Seminar on Bio-diversity and its Legal aspects, attended by scientists, legal experts, advocates, University Department, state eco-legal unit of EPCO and general public.
Nature painting competition
The Museum was involved in various professional activities which include teaching museology to the Museology students of Prachyaniketan, Bhopal University, presenting papers in national and international conferences in the field etc.
Regional Museum of Natural History (RMNH), Bhubaneshwar
The first phase of the building was completed and the museum was shifted to the building. Landscape work was also completed and various specimens have been collected and are being finalised for display in the museum.
Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar (IGPP)
The IGPP, instituted by the Ministry in 1987 is now awarded to an individual and to an organisation every year since 1991 for their significant contributions in the field of environment. The Puraskar consists of a cash component of Rs. 1.00 lakh a silver trophy, a scroll and a citation. The awards have been presented till 1993, and those for the years from 1994 to 1998 are being finalised. Nominations for the year 1999 have also been received and are being processed.
Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Awards
The annual Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Awards (IPVM) were instituted in 1986 to give recognition to the pioneering and exceptional contributions of individuals/organizations in the field of afforestation and wastelands development. Since 1996, sixteen awards are given under eight categories, viz., (a) Individuals, (b) Panchayat/Gram Sabha/Village Level Institution, (c) Educational Institutions (d) Voluntary Agencies including Mahila Mandals, Yuvak Mandals etc. (e) Government Agencies (district level and below), (f) Corporate Sector, (g) Government Servants (Individuals), and (h) Municipalities/Municipal Corporations/Cantonment Boards. Each Award carries a cash component of Rs. 50,000/-, medallion, scroll, and citation. Awards upto 1993 have already been presented and Awards for 1994-97 have been announced. Nominations for 1998 awards have been invited.
The Mahavriksha Puraskar was instituted in 1993-94 to give recognition to individuals / organisations for preserving and protecting trees of the notified species. A roster of notified trees species, valid for five years, has been prepared. Each Award consists of a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/-, a plaque and a citation. Awards upto 1997 have been announced. Nominations for 1998 have been invited.
With a view to motivate the Gram Panchayats to undertake afforestation activities from the funds available under Rural Employment Generation and other plantation Schemes, an Award was instituted by the Ministry in 1995-96. Under this programme, the afforestation efforts of the Gram Panchayat will be evaluated after 4 years in every district and the best performing Gram Panchayat would be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh for being the "Zile Ki Sabse Hari Panchayat". The scheme is proposed to be implemented from 2000-01 and the process for its implementation has been commenced.
Pitambar Pant National Environment Fellowship Award
The Pitambar Pant National Fellowship Award for the year 1999 has been given to Prof. R. Raghavendra Rao of National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow. Dr. Rao will be working on ‘Bioprospecting in the Himalayas: Status, Evaluation and Conservation of Biodiversity in some prominent, endangered, medicinal and aromatic plant species’.
B.P. Pal National Environmental Fellowship Award for Bio diversity
B.P. Pal National Environment Fellowship Award for Biodiversity for the year 1999 has been conferred upon Dr. K.P.S. Chandel, Former Director, NBPGR, New Delhi. He will work on ‘Exploration and study of genetic diversity in the naturally occurring intra specific populations of Genus Vigna in Shivalik hills and Mt. Abu’. He will also work on the topic ’Role of Tribal and Rural Families in the Conservation and enhancement of Plant Biodiversity in the Shivalik hills and Mt. Abu with special attention to gender roles in conservation’.
Dr. Salim Ali and Dr. Kailash Sankhala Fellowship
The fellowship/awards namely - Dr. Salim Ali and Shri Kailash Sankhla Fellowship have been instituted by the Ministry for giving recognition to the eminent officers and field workers for exemplary work in the field of Wildlife Conservation and Research.
Rajiv Gandhi National Wildlife Conservation Award
The Rajiv Gandhi National Wildlife Conservation Award was awarded for the year 1998 in the institutional category to the WWF - India and in individual category to Sh. H.S. Panwar, Ex-Director, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
Amrita Devi Wildlife Protection Award
The Ministry has approved institution of Amrita Devi Wildlife Protection Award in the name of Amrita Devi Vishnoi to the village communities for showing valour and courage for protection of wildlife and approval of Ministry of Home Affairs has been solicited for the same.
National Award for Prevention of Pollution
The Government of India has initiated annual awards to be given every year to the industries and operations which make a significant and measurable contribution towards development or use of clean technologies, products or practices that prevent pollution and finding innovative solutions to the environmental problems.The significance of the contribution both in qualitative and quantitative terms will be the major criteria for selection. Only industries and operations adhering to the standards stipulated by the authorities will be considered for the awards.
Awards numbering up to eighteen are given each year, one each for the identified category of highly polluting industries and five are given each year to the small scale industries such as tanneries, pulp and paper, dye and dye intermediates, pesticides, pharmaceutical. The Awards, accompanied by a citation are given in every financial year. During the year, nominations have been invited through the State Pollution Control Boards/ Pollution Control Committee for the Award.
The Scheme viz "Paryavaran Aur Van mantralaya Vishisht Viagyanik Puraskar" was introduced in 1991-92, by the Ministry as an incentive to Group ‘A’ Scientists of the Ministry its associated offices. Awarded for the year 96-97 and 97-98 were finalised by the Ministry and award were presented on 5th June, 1999 on the Occasion of World Environment Day.
Environment Education, Awareness and Training
The Ministry of Environment and Forests interacts actively with the University Grants Commission (UGC), National Council of Educational Research & Training (NCERT) and the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) for introducing and expanding environmental concepts, themes, issues, etc. in the curricula of schools and colleges. The two Centres of Excellence on Environmental Education of the Ministry are also fully involved in the activities of the UGC, NCERT and MHRD related to formal environmental education.
Subsequent to the adoption of the discussion paper on Revitalization of Environment Education in school by the State Education Ministers’ Conference in October, 1998, a concept paper was prepared by the Ministry in consultation with the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad to operationalize the strategy for environment education outlined in the discussion paper. Based on the concept paper, Environment Education in School Systems has been included as a sub-component under the World Bank assisted Environmental Management Capacity Building project being implemented by the Ministry. Under Phase-I of this sub-component, a study is being conducted by the Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research (BVIEER), Pune to assess the status of infusion of environmental content into the school curriculum and the effectiveness of its delivery. The study is expected to be completed by September, 2000.
As part of this project, a National Consultation on Environment Education was also organized during 10-12th January, 2000 at the CEE, Ahmedabad, with the objective of discussing the strategy for environment education prepared by the Ministry. The consultation, inaugurated by the Special Secretary of the Ministry was attended by about 150 officials from Central and State Government Departments such as the MHRD, NCERT, NCTE, SCERT, SDE as well as prominent NGOs and educationists. The EE strategy developed by the Ministry was discussed during the consultation while the components relating to strengthening infusion of environmental concepts in the school curriculum, teachers training and use of non-formal methods through involvement of NGOs were agreed to unanimously by the participants. Introduction of environment as a separate and additional subject was not considered necessary. The view that emerged was that instead of introducing environment as a separate subject, it would be more effective if a separate space is created within the school curriculum during which the environmental concepts infused in various subjects could be focussed upon and discussed. Based on these discussions, the EE strategy is being revised.
Non-formal Environment Education and Awareness
Environmental Education, Awareness and Training plays a significant role in encouraging and enhancing people’s participation in activities aimed at conservation, protection and management of the environment, essential for achieving sustainable development. The Ministry, therefore, accords priority for the promotion of non-formal environment education and creation of awareness among all sections of the society through diverse activities using traditional and modern media of communication. Some of the major activities undertaken in this regard are as follows:
National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC), 1998-99
The National Environment Awareness Campaign (NEAC), started in 1986 for creating environmental awareness at all levels of the society, was continued during the year. The main theme for NEAC this year was: ‘Keep our Environment Clean and Green’. Under this major theme, attention was focused on the following sub-themes:
Keeping our sources of drinking water clean and protected;
Ensuring proper management of garbage and other solid waste;
Control of air pollution; and
Protection of trees and plantation including nurturing of new trees.
Twenty-seven organisations located in different parts of the country have been designated as Regional Resource Agencies (RRAs) for assisting the Ministry in conducting this Campaign. Besides helping the Ministry in selecting participating organisations, these RRAs are also responsible for physcally monitoring and evaluating the activities conducted by various organisations under NEAC in their areas of jurisdiction.
Nearly 9,000 proposals were received from NGOs, schools colleges, universities, research institutions, women and youth organisations, army units, State Government Departments, etc. from all over the country. Out of these, 4040 organisations were provided financial assistance for oraganising awareness creating activities such as padayatras, rallies, public meetings, exhibitions, folk dances, street theatres, essay/debate, painting/poster competitions for school children, seminars, workshops, training courses etc., and for preparation and distribution of environmental education resource material. Diverse target groups ranging from students/youth/teachers to tribal, rural population, professionals, etc., were covered under the campaign.
To impart environmental education and to encourage and mobilise participation of school children in various environmental conservation activities in their localities, the Ministry provides financial assistance for setting up of Eco-clubs in schools. These clubs are established in Govt. recognised schools and each club has 20-50 members taken from among the students of Class VI to X. A group of 20-50 Eco-Clubs in one or more geographically contiguous districts are services by a coordinating agency which may be an educational institution, a NGO or a professional body. During 1999-2000, 1800 eco clubs have been set up in different parts of the country. With a view to evaluate the effectiveness of this activity, a study has been undertaken during the year.
The Paryavaran Vahini scheme was launched by the Ministry during 1992-93 to create environmental awareness and to encourage involvement of people through active participation as well as to report illegal acts pertaining to forests, wildlife, pollution and environmental degradation. One Paryavaran Vahini is constituted for each district especially identified for this purpose. The selection of the districts is made on the basis of high incidence of pollution, density of tribal population and forest cover. Till now, 194 districts have been selected for this purpose and so far, Vahinis have been constituted in 144 districts. No funds has been released under this schemes during 1999-2000 as decision from Planning Commission is awaited for transferring the scheme to the concerned State.
Seminars/Symposia/Workshops/Conferences
The objective of this scheme is to provide a common forum to professionals for sharing upto date knowledge on various technical issues related to environment and to create environmental awareness about specific issues. Under this scheme, financial assistance is provided to Universities/Academic Institutions/Non Governmental Organisations for organising seminars/ symposia/ conferences/ workshops on environment related issues. During the year about 66 proposals were supported for financial assistance under this scheme.
The library of the Ministry acts as a document repository for dissemination of information in the field of environment and its associated areas. It has a collection of over 21,000 books including conference/seminar/workshop proceedings etc., covering different areas of environment and sustainable development. Besides this, it also has over 3000 scientific and technical reports. The Library receives more than 100 national/international journals covering diverse areas of environment so that it could disseminate information to its users.
Apart from the technical books, journals, proceedings, etc., the Library also procured a wide range of general books and magazines during the year both in Hindi and English for the use of the officials of the Ministry and its associated offices. The Library continued to provide reference/ referral services to scientists, technologists, policy planners, decision makers, scholars, students, NGOs, academicians, Research and Development institutions, universities, public sector undertakings and other national and international users. Automation of the library is also being initiated.
Logo and Slogan for the Ministry
A national contest for creating a Logo and Slogan for the Ministry was organised through INTACH, New Delhi during the year. About 900 entries were received from people of all age groups from all over the country. These were adjudged by an eminent panel of experts. The prize distribution ceremony for the winners of the competition was held at INTACH, New Delhi on 8-12-1999. Exhibition of selected entries was also held from 8-12, December 1999 in INTACH for the general public.
Seven Centres of Excellence as detailed below have been set up so far by the Ministry with a view to strengthening awareness, research and training in priority areas of environmental science and management.
Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad (linked with Nehru Foundation for Development, Ahmedabad).
CPR Environmental Education Centre (CPREEC), Chennai (Linked with Sir C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar Foundation, Chennai).
Centre for Ecological Science (linked with the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore).
Centre for Mining Environment (CME), Dhanbad (Linked with the Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad).
Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore (linked with the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai).
Centre for Environmental Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), Delhi (linked with the Department of Environmental Biology, Delhi University, South Delhi Campus).
The Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, (TBGRI) Thiruvanathapuram (linked with the State Govt. of Kerala).
Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad
The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) set up in 1984 developed many innovative programmes and materials to contribute to raising awareness about the environment across the country. The activities were in the areas of Environmental Education (EE) for Schools and Colleges, Mass Media, Decision Makers, Industry, Natural Resource Management, etc.
EE for Schools
As part of the National Environmental Education Programme in Schools (NEEPS), EE activities were facilitated in schools in different parts of the country through the cluster approach which involves NGOs, the State departments of education and schools. New clusters and EE resource centres have been initiated. Capacity building workshops were organized for the NGOs and school teachers associated with NEEPS. Several teacher-training workshops were organized to orient teachers to EE.
With support under the Environmental Orientation to School Education scheme of the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the publications ‘A Guide to Green Materials’, ‘Towards a Green Future’, ‘Walking the Wild Path’, Dosti Karu Ya Pakshyanchi’ were brought out. Some of CEE’s publications including the ‘Joy of Learning’ were adapted into different regional languages.
EE for colleges and youth
Under the ‘Samvardhan’ project initiated with support from the Field Studies Council, UK, efforts are under way to add dimensions of conservation and sustainability to rural development studies in Rural Higher Education Institutions (RHEIs). Capacity building of teachers and facilitation of adoption of community based projects by the RHEIs through workshops on project planning, communication, etc. were some of the major activities during the project period.
Under the Kshitij Facilitation Project with the Maharashtra Council for Agriculture Education and Research, research activities of four agriculture universities in Maharashtra are being evaluated with a view to facilitate the responsiveness of agricultural research to the contemporary situation. Training of trainers from the agriculture extension departments of the universities is also envisaged as part of this project.
CEE has helped to design a new course, entitled ‘Health and Environment’ for the Gargi College, Delhi. A workshop on EE was organized for students of the B.Entl.Ed course of the Gargi College.
The Clean Green ’99 project to involve young people in promoting the ‘Green Homes’ concept was organized with a focus on energy, water conservation and garbage management in a housing society in Ahmedabad.
Training
The Training in Environmental Education - 99, the Training in Librarianship and Documentation - 99 and the Internship in Environmental Journalism are completed during the year. Short duration training modules for in service professionals were also organized on the themes communication strategy for hospital waste management; printing; zoo education etc., under the Teach-and-Learn Environment Education Modules.
Interpretation
CEE is developing interpretation programmes for four protected areas in Madhya Pradesh - Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhav National Park, Veerangana Durgawati Sanctuary and the Satpura National Park. Interpretive signage is also being developed for the Madras Zoo and for historical precincts in Gujarat.
CEE designed the Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Conservation Award on request by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
Ecodevelopment
CEE is developing an Environmental Awareness and Education strategy for the Nagarhole National Park as part of the Karnataka Forest Department’s Indian Ecodevelopment Project supported by the World Bank and GEF.
The "Tirupur - An Alternative Model" has completed Phase-I and undertook an evaluation exercise of its initiatives so far. The Coorg Field office has established the ‘Nemiraj Memorial Demonstration Unit for Hand Made Paper and Polybag’ for demonstrating recycling of polybags and the making of hand made paper.
Reaching Decision Makers
Under the Environment and Development series several workshops were organized centred around the titles in the series.
CEE has been appointed as the Consultant to assist the Ministry in the implementation of Phase-I of the NEAC and EE in School System subcomponents of the India Environmental management Capacity Building Project. A National Steering Committee was set up to guide the process of strengthening EE in the School System and a National Consultation was organized to facilitate participation of key stake holders in the initiative. The Bharti Vidyapeeth Institute of Environmental Education and Research has been appointed as the consultant for conducting a study on the status of infusion of environment content in the school curriculum and the effectiveness of its delivery.
Media
Mana Ratham - a mobile exhibition on the environment was developed for the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board.
Networking
The fourth Certificate Course in Environmental Education has been completed. The course had representation from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Vietnam and Cambodia. The Secretariat of SASEANEE (South and Southeast Asia Network on Environmental Education) has developed a floppy disc directory of agencies and individuals involved in EE in the Asia Pacific region with support from The World Conservation Union-Commission on Education and Communication and the Asia South Pacific Bureau for Adult Education.
CEE is collaborating with the Field Studies Council, a UK based NGO to implement the Darwin Initiative in India. Under this project, NGOs across the country have been capacity built to develop and implement small projects for biodiversity conservation.
C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre, Chennai
The C.P.R. Environmental Education Centre was established in 1989 to increase consciousness and knowledge about the environment and the major environmental problems facing India today, and to spread the message of conservation of the environment through education in both the formal and non-formal sectors.
Since inception, the Centre has been working in the rural, urban and tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Goa and Orissa for spreading environmental awareness and interest among the people. Special emphasis has been laid on the fragile ecologies of the Andamans and the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
The major activities carried out by the Centre during the year are as follows:
Green Charter
World Environment Day was celebrated by the Centre at Chennai with the organization of a meeting of environmental NGOs and activists who drew up a "GREEN CHARTER" which was sent to all political parties. It was incorporated by one political party in its election manifesto.
Training teachers and trainers
Training programmes, were conducted for school and college teachers and students of B.Ed. and M.Ed. in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry. Tamilnadu, Orissa, Goa and Andaman & Nicobar Islands on environmental protection. Clusters of about twenty five schools were identified in select blocks where the Centre, in collaboration with the local NGO, conducted intensive training for the teachers followed by student programmes.
College students were targeted on methods to prevent and control pollution. NGOs government officials, Bank officers, industrial workers and management and scientists were also trained to disseminate environmental education and information in their areas.
The Centre conducted training programmes on biodiversity conservation education for teachers and students at zoos and protected forest areas in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa and Tamilnadu.
Awareness
The Centre’s video van travelled around villages and schools in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Pondicherry, and Tamilnadu, including the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve to create environmental awareness among the general public and the school students.
Conserving the ecological heritage
The Centre had taken fifteen sacred grove sites - two in Andhra Pradesh, twelve in Tamilnadu and one in the Nilgiris - for the restoration of sacred groves, as a part of the ecological heritage of the country. Sacred groves are repositories of local biodiversity maintained by scheduled castes and tribes. Six sites which have been restored are now maintained by their local communities while six new sites have been taken up for restoration. Audio-visual programmes on the protection of sacred groves and their role in the conservation of local biodiversity were conducted for school teachers and students living around the sacred grove sites. Seedlings were also distributed to schools around the scared grove sites of the Centre.
Women and Eco-development
This was a special programme to involve poor rural women in eco development. 39 selected villages in Kancheepuram block were trained in various eco-friendly income generating programmes such as horticulture, kitchen gardening, establishment of seed banks, and construction and maintenance of smokeless chulhas. Training programmes were conducted for each group on "Women and Environment" and "Health and Nutrition". The women carried out tree-planting, vermi-composting, construction of soak pits and desilting of water bodies. Community smokeless chulhas were constructed in several mid-day meal centres. Vegetable seeds were also distributed to each group.
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and Andaman Islands
Conservation of the ecologically fragile ecosystems of the Nilgiris-covering the state of Tamilnadu, Kerala and Karnataka - and the Andaman Islands was the topic of the training programmes for NGOs, teachers, mahila mandals, panchayat presidents, forest guards, villagers and students in these areas. The Centre has established a NGO network in the Nilgiris which has been monitoring environmental problems in the area.
The gene pool of medicinal plants established by the Centre, in collaboration with the Hill Area Development Programme (HADP) and local villagers at Thambatti in the Nilgiris, is being maintained with 156 plant species. The Centre has also helped other NGOs, colleges and school to set up similar herbal gardens.
Various eco development programmes and Training programmes on kitchen gardening, vermicomposting, nursery techniques, seed collection and preservation and soil and water management were conducted for the villagers of the tribal village of Bokkapuram, Mudumalai, by the centre.
An exhibition on Save the Nilgiris - Stop Polluting was organised during the flower show and fruit show at Udagamandalam and Coonoor respectively in May 1999.
In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Centre has been organising environmental education workshops for teachers, panchayat presidents and environmental awareness-raising programme for mahila mandals, villagers and school children. In all the programmes emphasis on waste management, mangrove and coral reef conservation were given. An exhibition on Clean and Green Andamans was also organised at Port Blair during the Island Tourism Festival in December 1999 by the Centre.
Exhibitions
Three new exhibitions were designed and presented by the Centre at Chennai, Ootacamund, Port Blair and Pondicherry as follows:
Agriculture and the Environment
Clean Environment - Green Environment
The Environment - Past, Present and Future
During the exhibitions inter school model making, quiz and role play competitions and inter college quiz competitions were also organised by the centre.
Research and Surveys
The Centre carried out a survey of the Status of Environmental Education in the school curriculum in the States and Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Pondicherry and Tamilnadu. The English and local language text books of the state government boards and the CBSE (used in Andaman and Nicobar Islands) from standards I to X were studied and analysed. The reports formed the basis of a series of workshops, funded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, on curriculam development to include environmental education in these states.
A survey of Environmental Awareness among school students of standards VIII and IX in Chennai was carried out by the Centre, covering 45 schools and 2378 students.
On behalf of the Environmental Law Institute, Washington, the Centre carried out a survey and analysis of Implementation of the Environmental Statement Requirements in Tamilnadu. 17 chemical industries and eight tanneries were studied and results were presented.
The Centre carried out a socio-economic ecological survey of the current status in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Air and noise surveys were also conducted in Kottayam, Mysore and Udagamandalam. Water surveys were carried out in Chennai, Chittor, Kodiakkarai and Nagapattiam.
Water and soil testing kits developed by the Centre were distributed to NGOs and schools. The Centre also distributed 900 water testing kits under the scheme of Environmental Orientation to School Education of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
Other Activities
The Centre organised a variety of seminars, conferences, workshops on several topics of environment and its associated fields during the year. In addition to the existing material, the centre brought out a series of pamphlets, books, posters and journals in the concerned fields during the year.
The Centre celebrated its 10th Anniversary on August 27, 1999.
Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES), Banglore
The Centre for Ecological Sciences, a centres of excellence set up by the Ministry combines basic ecological research, applied environmental problems and extension work, with particular reference to the Western Ghats. During the year, the Centre carried out 23 projects in the broad areas of biodiversity of India, ecology and conservation biology, animal behaviour, mathematical ecology & evolution, conservation genetics & molecular ecology, climate variability, change in environment and human ecology, eco-development, energy and environment.
Highlights of the major works carried out during the year are as follows:
Ant-plant interactions: the case of Humboldtia brunonis in the Western Ghats
Ants and plants interact in diverse ways. Ants can perform the useful functions of plant defense, seed dispersal, and pollination, or could also provide macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. However, ants could also impact negatively on plants by feeding on leaves of tending parasitic coccids on the stems. Plants can provide ants with nutrients in the form of sugars, glycogen or protein, as well as nesting sites. Research on Humboldtia brunonis (Fabaceae), a myrmecophytic understorey tree in the southen Western Ghats was carried out. It reveals that this tree harbours ants in specially swollen and hollow internodes, and provides nectar rewards to the ants from nectaries on the leaves and flower buds, in exchange for protection from herbivores. Twentyone species of ants interacting with this plant in Makut Reserve Forest in Coorg were recorded. These ant species vary in the quality of the services they provide the plants with some species exhibiting strong protective behaviour while others appear to be parasitic on the plant. Consequences of this variation in ant behaviour on the reproductive success of individual plants is being investigated.
Farming strategies for variable climate
An approach for identifying farming strategies for variable climate has been developed by the Centre. It is shown that collaboration between atmospheric, agricultural scientists and farmers is essential for addressing the problem. The methodology developed is general but application is specific to the case of rainfed groundnut in Anantapur region. Models which incorporate the indirect impact of climate variability via triggering of pests diseases have to be combined with existing crop models for a realistic simulation of the impact of rainfall variability. How these models can be harnessed for addressing problems of farm-level decision making such as choice of sowing window has been demonstrated.
Assessment of Non-timber Forest Products (NTFP)
The value of NTFP in promoting sustainable and participatory forest management is being currently realized. Since little information is available on the potential yields of various NTFP’s particularly in regenerating forests the centre is co-ordinating a network of 13 institutions over different parts of India providing methodology to assess the yield of NTFPs and the extent of extraction. The centre is also monitoring yields of over 15 species in Western Ghats region.
Preliminary results suggest that there exist a strong relation between DBH and fruit yields of six NTFP species. Therefore it is possible to estimate the yield of NTFPs by measuring DBH. However, there exists a variation in yield among individuals within a species and over years within individuals. It was also found that some tree species have supra-annual mast fruiting behaviour. Monitoring of the species yield patterns for sufficiently longer period to validate the estimations would therefore be undertaken to provide estimates to the community to asses the value of their forests, extent of extraction of the produce, scale of processing enterprise and for sharing benefits.
Centre of Mining Environment (CME), Dhanbad
Various academic training and R&D activities carried out by the Centre of Mining Environment (CME), Indian School of Mines (ISM), Dhanbad during the year are as follows:
Academic Activities
The centre continued the three-semester M.Tech (Environmental Science & Engineering) programme and provided environmental management inputs in the following academic programmes of ISM.
B. Tech (Mining Engineering)
M. Sc. (Tech) (Applied Geophysics)
With a view to integrating environmental management with mining practice, inputs have been provided in the following post-graduate academic programmes of ISM.
M. Tech (Opencast Mining)
M. Tech (Mine Planning and Design)
Human Resource Development
The centre continued to conduct extensive human resource development activities as follows:
Organised 10 training programmes on Environmental Management in Mining Areas of one-week to six-week duration for the senior, middle and junior executives of Coal India Limited. In thrse programmes more than 120 executives were trained.
The following draft training modules were developed for imparting training in the Mining Sub-component of the Environmental Management Capacity Building Technical Assistance Project of the Ministry.
Six-week programme for upgrading the knowledge and know-how of key-staff members of the Ministry, mining industry, resource institutions, etc. in planning, design and implementation of environmentally benign designs.
Six-week programme for upgrading the knowledge and know-how of the key-staff members of Ministry, CPCB, selected SPCBs, and other concerned Central/State institutions, etc. in development and monitoring compliance of policies, standards, EMPs, etc.
Three-week programme for upgrading the knowledge and know-how of trainers.
The following modular human resource development programme prepared by the Centre are being offered for the benefit of mining and mineral industry.
Thirteen-week programme on "Environmental Management in Mining Area"
Six-week programme on "Environmental Management"
Two-week programme on "Environmental Impact Assessment", "Water Management" and Land Management
One-week programme on "Noise and Human Response"
Two-week programme on "Socio-economics and Mitigation of Social Impacts" and "Environmental Legislation and their Implications"
Research and Development (R&D)
The (R&D) activities carried out by the Centre.
Extensive studies of greenbelts regarding their noise attenuation and dust arresting capacity in coal mining areas were completed with the following major findings:
With 90 dB(A) noise level at the border line, the total noise attenuation at 50m width of the green belf was 146 to 35 percent and it was influenced by the characteristics of the green belts
For different situation in mining complexes, the observed noise levels and the desired minimum width of the green belt as assessed from the results of the studies are given in Table-20.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sl.No. Location Observed noise Permissible level Desired minimum Level (Leq) dB(A) dB(A) width of green belt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Along roads 70-80 65 (Commercial areas) 20 2. Colonies 55-65 55 (residential areas) 20 3. Near Opencast mines 70-80 75 (industrial areas) 10 4. Near Shafts 77-87 75 20 5. Near CHPs* 80-90 75 30 6. Near mine exhaust fans 85-92 75 >50 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The dust arresting capacity of Alstonia scholaris plant leaves (28.23 g/m2) was found to be the maximum and it was minimum for Melia azadirachta (5.14 g/m2) plant leaves.
About 15-40% of the dust deposited on the leaves was free dust and stomatal frequency in mining areas was less compared to that in non-mining areas.
The peroxidase and the catalase enzymes were more in the leaves of plants in mining areas while chlorophyll content was less as compared to that in non-mining areas.
The socio-economic studies in seven coal mining complexes revealed that the overall Quality-of-life (QoL) of the five complexes was poor and that of only two complexes was fair. For assessing the QoL of the complexes, a methodology involving thirteen parameters defining the requirements for a fair QoL and rating was developed on the basis of the data obtained in the studies.
In a field trial of the bulk utilisation of fly-ash of Jamadoba fluidised bed thermal power station in reclamation of a depressed land, it was possible to grow seasonal vegetables, e.g. tomato, spinach, bringal etc. and lemon grass. The analysis of the vegetables grown indicated that the uptake of the heavy metals was negligible.
In the Talchir coalfield suspended particulate matter (SPM) was collected and analysed to assess the relative contribution of the mining activities and the nearby thermal power station.
A study of air pollution along Dhanbad-Jharia road indicated that in the monsoon and winter seasons of 1999, the 24 hourly average RPM concentration was 102-142 µg/m3 in winter season (Nov. 1999). The NOx concentration in both the seasons was generally more than 90 µg/m3 with a maximum of 155 µg/m3 in Nov. 1999 (RPM-Respirable Particulate Matter).
World Bank Project
The centre has been identified as the Executing Agency of the two activities, namely, Institutional Strengthening and Training of the Mining Sub-component of the World Bank Assisted Environmental Management Capacity Building Technical Assistance Project of the Ministry.
Centre for Environment Management of Degraded Ecosystems (CEMDE), New Delhi.
The major development activities carried out by the CEMDE during the year are as follows:
Product development
The Centre has developed a unique and novel biopesticide that not only acts as a termiticide but also serves as a plant growth promoting bacteria. Field trials are being conducted and the results so far produced are 100% effective in the control of termite infestation, and quick recovery and enhanced growth of infected plants. This biopesticide has a wide range of applications in afforestation and reforestation programmes in arids and semiarids and also in the protection of crops, orchards and floriculture. A patent is being filed for this product.
Process development
Lectin mediated technologies for manipulation of rhizosphere microbial communities have been developed which are useful in forestry and agriculture. Phase-typing and molecular technology for strain identification of nitrogen-fixings Rhizobium have been developed marker-based selection technologies which are useful in the development of ecologically competitive inoculants as biofertilizers in agriculture and forestry.
Technology development
The Centre has been working on the technology development for prevention of dust-blow and slope-stabilization of dry fly ash mound - the Asia’s largest fly ash mound. This technology also permits immobilization of heavy metals by microbial inoculants and root exudate and underground root biomass of selected grass species. Aeration technology is a component of the technology package for utilization of fly ash mound for timber production and paper pulp through planting trees.
Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI), Thiruvananthapuram
The TBGRI has been as a designated "Centre of Excellence in ex situ conservation and sustainable utilization of tropical plant diversity" by the Ministry. The activities carried out by the institute during the year are follows:
Ex situ Conservation
About 1000 accessions of live plants belonging to 200 species from different tropical regions of India were added to the existing collections of the Garden. Collection, characterization and evaluation of genetic resources of medicinal and aromatic plants, wild fruit plants, bamboos and orchids were also undertaken. Apart from maintenance in live collection units, documentation of important plant resource was also made in herbarium, seed bank, invitro tissue bank and cryobank.
Atlas of Endemic Plants of the Western Ghats
In order to identify areas of high conservation value, preparation of an atlas of endemic plants of the Western Ghats was initiated. As part of this initiative, data on 270 species of endemic monocotyledonous plants were completed after studying field data, herbarium collection and literature survey.
About 70 species of endemic pants were recollected and ex situ conservation of five selected endemic tree species was initiated. Six new species were also described during the study.
As part of genetic variability studies on the target species, isozyme analysis has been initiated. Till now 9 isozyme loci from 4 enzyme systems namely esterase, peroxidase, superoxide dimutase and glutamate oxaloacetate transumatase were scored; of these 5 were polymorphic. The study is in progress.
Sustainable Utilization of Plant Resource
Photochemical screening of 446 plant species belonging to 122 families was undertaken with a view to find out the distribution of various secondary metabolites in plants which may find use as therapeutic agents, industrial chemicals, flavouring materials, colouring matters in food and beverages, cosmetics, perfumes, etc. Among the 122 families, examined presence of alkaloid was detected in 40 families, flavonoids in 80, saponins in 79 and coumarins and phenolics in 85 families. The study will be extended to cover the remaining flora of the state of Kerala.
Infrastructure Development
Infrastructure is being developed for the garden system, herbarium and the phytochemistry laboratory attached to the Institute with the financial support extended by the Ministry.
Conservation Biology studies of three endangered and endemic tree species of Agasthyamala
Populations of the target species viz. Humboldtia unijuga var.trijuga, Garcinia imberti and Nothopegia aureo-fulva were located and transect study initiated for monitoring population dynamics. Studies on population structure and reproductive biology are being carried out on a regular basis. Fruit of Nothopegia aureo-fulva and Garcinia imberti were also collected.
Research Projects
Achievement of the Research Projects taken up by the institute under the Western and Eastern Ghats Development Programme are as follows:
An indepth study of endemic plants of Kerala, evaluation of their status and ex situ conservation and preservation
Documentation and preparation of a Database on 285 flowering plants that are exclusively endemic to Kerala have been completed. The database contains details of taxonomic identity, distributional range, conservation status and recommendation of conservation measures taken for each taxon.
Study on mutualism between Cullenia exarillata and vertebrate community in the tropical rain forest ecosystem of Silent Valley, Kerala
A comprehensive methodology was devised for the above study. Thirty-seven days fields work was conducted in Silent Valley. Cullenia exarillata dominant vegetation was identified.
Data on flower characters, patterns of floral display, nature of cauliflory, possible pollinators and visitation of vertebrates were collected.
Environmental Information System (ENVIS)
During the year, the ENVIS and its network partners continued its activities in information collection, collation, storage, retrieval and dissemination to its users in the field of environment and its associated areas. Besides the focal point located in the Ministry, the ENVIS network consists of 25 nodes, known as ENVIS Centres located throughout the country on various environmental related subject-specific areas. The focal point of ENVIS in the Ministry coordinates the activities of all the Centres. A list of ENVIS Centres along with their subject-areas is given in Annexure-II. The focal point as well as its network partners laid emphasis on the development of its information base by creating comprehensive data bases and strengthening information resource repository as well as by developing its homepage in the concerned subject areas. Major activities of the ENVIS focal point and its various network partners carried out during the year are as follows:
The focal point continued to publish the monthly newsletter of the Ministry, namely, ‘Environews’ with the main objective of disseminating information about the various important policies, programmes, enactments of new legislations/rules, amendment of existing laws, important notifications, new sanction projects and other important decisions taken by the Ministry from time to time to a wide cross-section of the society including administrators, policymakers, planners, scientists, environmentalists, students, NGOs and voluntary bodies and the general public.
The focal point also continued to publish the "Paryavaran Abstracts", a quarterly journal reporting information on environmental research in Indian context. About 600 national and international environment related journals are referred to for compilation of the relevant abstracts for inclusion in the "Paryavaran Abstracts". The abstracts are arranged under major categories like air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, environmental management, ecology, health and toxicology, forestry, wildlife, etc. A subject-keyword index is given at the end of each issue of the Abstract for retrieval of precise information as and when required by the users. The journal is distributed to about 3000 users. The relevant database of "Paryavaran Abstracts" has also been developed and is downloaded in the homepage of the Ministry for easy and quick retrieval of relevant information by the user as and when needed.
The ENVIS and its network partners responded to a total number of 14100 queries, of which 12921 were national and 1179 were international. The break-up of the number of queries processed by the ENVIS network during the last five years is given in Figure-84. Efforts were made by the network to provide substantive information as far as possible to all the queries mentioned above. In some cases where the information was not readily available, reference services were provided to the users. Out of 1179 international queries responded to by the ENVIS network during the year, 148 queries were from SAARC countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the remaining were from various other developed and developing countries. The major subject areas on which the queries were responded to pertain to atmosphere, lithosphere, ocean and coastal areas, human settlements, agriculture, transportation, human health, environmental awareness, etc.
The homepage of the Ministry developed by ENVIS was periodically updated during the year in order to disseminate the latest information on various aspects of the Ministry to all the users. The homepage of the Ministry can be browsed at the URL: http://envfor.nic.in/envis. Various major documents including Annual Report, Environews, State-of-Environment Report, notification, etc. published by the Ministry have been included in the homepage and could be browsed at the above URL.
During the year, the ENVIS focal point also coordinated and published the Annual Report (1998-99) of the Ministry.
ENVIS designated as a national centre for the Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP), a joint project of UNDP and IDRC, Canada, continued to implement the various activities chartered in the SDNP programme. The SDNP has already launched its website and could be browsed in the URL: http://sdnp.delhi.nic.in. The website is extensively used by various national and international users for retrieving information on several issues related to sustainable development. It has been revealed that SDNP website, is hit by approximately 150 hits per day by the users including international users.
SDNP-India, continued its activities during the year having the following three dimensions.
Distributed clearing house of information on sustainable development;
An association of information users, carriers and providers with the government, academic, business and NGOs and
A user network.
Information on various sustainable development issues could be browsed by all concerned through SDNP website. Various services like dev-online service, interactive bulletin board service lease server service, etc. are being provided by SDNP regularly. The activities of SDNP are monitored by a Steering Committee under the chairmanship of Special Secretary (VV). The SDNP nodes, as identified by the Steering Committee, are being set up during the year.
ENVIS also continued to function as a National Focal Point (NFP) and a Regional Service Centre (RSC) for South-Asia Sub-Region Countries for INFOTERRA network, a Global Information Network of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). As NFP and RSC of INFOTERRA, the ENVIS network provided information to about 1179 queries received from the various sub-region countries during the year.
ENVIS also continued its close liaison with various other national information systems in the country like National Information System on Science & Technology (NISSAT), Bio-Technological Information System (BTIS), etc., for exchange of environmental information and avoid duplication of efforts in the field of environment and its associated areas.
Activities of the ENVIS Centres
All the ENVIS Centres continued their activities related to collection, collation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information on the specific subject areas allocated to them during the year. Besides strengthening the data bases and responding to various national and international queries in their specific subject areas, the ENVIS centres laid emphasis in developing their home-page and the internet connectivity with an ultimate objective of disseminating relevant information in their specific subject areas to the users. Highlights of some of the major activities of these ENVIS centres are as follows:
The ENVIS Centre on Air, Water and Noise Pollution, located at the Central Pollution Control Board, New Delhi continued to publish its quarterly newsletter "Parivesh" on different things related to pollution and its control like bio-mapping of rivers, auto-emissions and technologies for pollution control in industries, etc. These newsletters were disseminated to various Universities, Scientific Departments, Government Ministries, NGOs, State Pollution Control Boards, etc. A total of 207 queries on various aspects of pollution were responded to by the Centre during the year.
The ENVIS Centre on ‘Toxic Chemicals’ at Industrial Toxicology Research Centre (ITRC) Lucknow, continued to publish abstract of current literature on toxicology and the ENVIS newsletter during the year. Various databases on toxic chemicals were also developed by the Centre to provide comprehensive information package on these chemicals to the users. During the year, a total number of 59 queries were processed by the Centre in its subject-areas and provided substantive information to the users.
The ENVIS Centre on "Environmentally Sound Appropriate Technologies", located at Development Alternatives, engaged in creating new data bases to retrieve knowledge information and data efficiently to its users during the year. The Centre also developed a digital library by adding 50 CD ROMs and diskettes in its specific subject areas. The Centre also coordinated the publication of the monthly newsletter, Environews on behalf of the Ministry. A total number of 2152 queries were responded to by the Centre and provided substantive information to the users.
The ENVIS Centre on "Bio-degradation of Wastes and Environmental Impact Assessments" at Centre for Environmental Studies, Anna University, Chennai, continued its activities in the development of data bases in its specific subject areas. The data bases include entries of more than 7000 papers on the two specific subject areas allotted to the Centre. Apart from publishing the abstracting service, and the ENVIS newsletter, the Centre responded to a total number of 343 queries during the year.
The ENVIS Centre on "Energy and Environment" at Tata Energy Research Institute, New Delhi, published two issues of its TERI Information Monitor on Environmental Sciences (TIMES) containing a survey of current literature, abstracts, book-review, bibliographies, etc., about research and development on various environmental issues arising out of energy production, conversion, transportation, consumption and other related areas on renewable energy issues. The ENVIS databases developed by the Centre have also been downloaded by the Centre in its website. During the year, a total number of 401 queries were responded to by the Centre.
The ENVIS Centre on "Western Ghats and Biological Diversity" at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore developed various databases in its subject-area during the year. Related information has also been downloaded by the Centre in its website and could be accessed by all users directly for getting the desired information. During the year, the Centre also responded to various queries and provided substantive information.
The ENVIS Centre on "NGOs, Media and Parliament Matters Related to Environment" located at WWF, New Delhi, published the updated directory of NGOs working in the field of environment in India during the year. A database on "Environment in the Indian Parliament" was also developed by the Centre. During the year, the Centre responded to a total number of 2184 queries and provided substantive information to its users.
The ENVIS Centre at EPCO, which focusses on "Environmental Management Related to the State of Madhya Pradesh", continued its regular activities relating to the data base development, creation of awareness, and publication of EPCO News during the year. The Centre also brought out the updated version of Environmental Status Report of Madhya Pradesh and responded to more than 3000 queries during the year.
The ENVIS centre at the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), Ahmedabad in the subject-area of ‘Occupational Health’ continued to publish its quarterly publication namely, "Environmental Information" to disseminate data and information to various users on several aspects of occupational health. Besides, the Centre also prepared and published health and safety guides on fluoride and arsenic as well as developed a bibliographic database of the research work carried out by the Indian scientists in India. During the year, the Centre responded to a total number of 218 queries and provided substantive information to its users.
The ENVIS Centre on "Desertification" at Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, continued its activities on information collection, storage, retrieval, and dissemination in its concerned subject area. The data base on desertification and soil sciences designed by the Centre was also continuously updated during the year. Besides the publication of the Desert Environment News (DEN) News the Centre also responded to a total number of 337 queries and disseminated substantive information to the users during the year.
The ENVIS Centre on "Mangroves, Coral Reefs, Estuaries and Lagoons" at Centre for Advanced Studies in Marine Biology, Parangipettai, Annamalai University developed textual and electronic data basis to serve the users in the field of marine sciences. A series of publications such as state-of-the-art reports on estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs and lagoons were published by the Centre during the year. On the occasion of golden jubilee of the country’s independence, and the international year of oceans, the Centre published the special volumes entitled "An Anthology of Indian Mangroves" and "Living on the Edge" during the year. In addition to the release of status reports and special publications, the Centre also published an user-friendly annotated check-list, namely, "How to know the Mangroves". Besides the publication of its newsletter "Seshaiyana" and bibliographic catalogues about the Indian estuaries and mangroves, the Centre also responded to a total number of 536 queries and provided substantive information to its users during the year.
The ENVIS Centre on "Environment Education" at Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Ahmedabad continued its activities to the environmental educators to develop local specific EE Programmes and materials during the year. A computerised database of environmental concept activities and case studies was also developed by the Centre. Besides the publication of the ENVIS Newsletter, namely, "News EE" the Centre responded to a total number of 500 queries, out of which, 492 were national and 8 were international.
The ENVIS centre on "Faunal Bio-diversity" located at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Calcutta continued to collect, collate, retrieve and disseminate information on diversity and ecology of different animal from protozoa to mammalia. The Centre also developed CD-ROM based information on specific diversity, distribution and endemicity in respect of almost all animal groups, both vertebrates and invertebrates, available in the country. During the year, apart from the publication of the ENVIS newsletter, the Centre responded to 35 queries and provided substantive information.
The ENVIS Centre on "Environmental Problems of Mining" at the Centre of Mining Environment, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, published two monographs on "Noise Pollution in Coal Mining Complexes" and "Special Environment of Coal Mining Areas" during the year. The Centre also continued to publish its quarterly newsletter "MINENVIS" and responded to a total number of 80 queries during the year.
The ENVIS Centre on "Himalayan Ecology" at GB Pant Institute on Himalayan Environment and Development, Almora developed the bibliography database containing 775 abstracts, research papers, technical reports, exclusively on himalayan ecology during the year. The "selected abstracts" containing abstract/articles/technical reports, collected from the universities/institutes/ research stations covering 12 Himalayan States in India, was also published by the Centre during the year. A total number of 152 queries were responded to by the Centre during 1999-2000 out of which, 140 were national and 12 were international.
The ENVIS Centre on "Solid Waste Management" located at National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, continued to publish its newsletter highlighting the issues related to trans-boundary movement of hazardous wastes and bio-medical waste management. During the year, a total number of 245 queries were responded to by the Centre, out of which 240 were national and 5 were international.
The ENVIS Centre on "Human Settlements" at the Centre for Environmental Studies, School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi, developed the following data bases during the year.
Environmental Impact Assessment of Ring Road, Delhi.
Impact of Mathura Oil Refinery on its region.
Impact of Urbanization on Ulsoor Lake, Bangalore.
Study on rejuvenation of Adi-Ganga, Calcutta
Revival of Water-course Buckingham Canal, Chennai; and
Meteorological Data of Delhi.
The Centre also developed maps of the settlements, cities, towns and various regions of the country on different scales during the year. Besides the publication of its theme-specific journal, the Centre responded to a total number of 204 queries during the year.
The ENVIS Centre on "Bio-Geo-Chemistry and Environmental Law", functioning in the School of Environmental Sciences, Jawharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, continued its various activities in its allotted subject-area during the year. A bibliographic database using a specially designed software package PAPYRUS has been developed by the Centre in its subject-area. The Centre has loaded 35000 references on bio-geo-chemistry and about 470 references on environmental law in its website for accession of relevant information of the users. Besides the publication of the ENVIS Newsletter, the Centre also responded to a total number of 1354 queries and provided substantive information to the users during the year.
The ENVIS Centre on "Floral Diversity" functioning at Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta, continued its activities in the development of databases in the areas of Planned Diversity of Chilka Lake, Data on Ethno-Botanical Studies of India, Medicinal Plants of India, Coastal Plan Diversity of India and Planed Diversity of Tiger Reserves of India. The Centre has also developed a database on locally important aquatic plant diversity with its possible field information regarding use, utilization, trade and marketing. Apart from the publication of its newsletter, the Centre responded to a total number of 152 queries, out of which, 135 were national and seventeen were of international nature.
The ENVIS Centre on "Eastern Ghats Ecology", located at Environment Protection Training and Research Institute (EPTRI), Hyderabad developed the following databases during the year.
Bibliographic database on Eastern Ghats; and
Resource database on Eastern Ghats.
Apart from publishing the ENVIS Newsletter, the Centre also responded to a total number of 151 queries during the year and provided substantive information to the users.
The ENVIS Centre on "Avian Ecology and Inland Wetlands" located at Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Mumbai, published two issues of the ENVIS Newsletter, namely, ‘Buceros’ covering two special issues, namely, ecology of the well-known Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu and the other on History of Indian Arnithology. During the year, the Centre responded to a total number of 81 queries, out of which 70 were national and 11 were international.
The ENVIS Centre on "Forestry" at Forests Research Institute (FRI), has taken several initiatives to develop multi-databases on various aspects of forestry and its associated discipline. Apart from publishing of ENVIS Newsletter in its subject-area, the Centre responded to various queries and provided substantive information to its users during the year.
The ENVIS Centre on "Panchayat Raj and Environment’ at Indian Environmental Society (IES), New Delhi, continued to publish its newsletter "Panchayat" both in English and Hindi during the year. The Centre also published various material including booklets, posters, etc., for the Panchayat for wide dissemination of information on environment and its related issues. During the year, the Centre responded to a total number of 235 queries, out of which, 201 were national and 34 were international.
The ENVIS Centre on "Wildlife and Protected Areas" functioning at Wildlife Institute of India (WII), brought out the third issue of its Bulletin on "The Status of Indian Crocodiles" during the year. Information in regard to the Indian species of Crocodiles and the steps taken for its conservation and management in different states of India have been given in the bulletin in details. About 1000 references on Indian crocodiles from various sources have been collated and published in the bulletin. The detailed databases developed by the Centre on several species have also been loaded in its website for directly accessing the information by the users. During the year, the Centre responded to a total number of 113 queries, out of which, 109 were on terrestrial ecosystem, two on freshwater and another two on oceans and coastal areas.
The ENVIS Centre on "Communication and Electronic Media" at Centre for Media Studies (CMS), New Delhi, published the newsletter to bridge the gap between the television industry and the environment community. The Centre also developed a computerized database of audio-visual resources on environment during the year. The Centre has also introduced a national award for various TV channels as a token of appreciation in their efforts for creating environmental awareness among the viewers through different environmental programmes. A video library of tapes on different environmental issues with previewing facilities has also been developed by the Centre. During the year, the Centre responded to a total number of 86 queries and provided substantive information to the users.