Joshimath crisis: NTPC faces locals’ opposition, cracks appear in Auli ropeway

Bengaluru, Jan 15 (IANS) The authorities have issued directions for students and staff, and the general public not to wander in the Jnanabharthi campus after two leopards were spotted there. The campus road connecting to Nagarbhavi residential locality is closed between 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day. Other connecting roads have also been closed and strict directions have been given in this regard. Two leopards were spotted in the Jnanabharathi campus which is spread across 4.5 square km and has forest like areas, bushes and thick vegetation. Thousands of people flock to the sprawling campus for greenery for morning and evening walks and the sighing of leopards has caused panic and tension. The residents of neighbouring localities of Jnanabharthi campus are also concerned over the development. CCTV footage of leopards prowling in the campus in day and night time have gone viral on social media. The wildlife activists are maintaining that the spotted animals are not leopards, they might be big wild cats. The forest officials have taken a serious note of the development and no leopard was spotted during the preliminary searches. They are also verifying the footage of leopards in the campus to check their authenticity.

NDMA bars sharing details on Joshimath saying ‘it’s creating confusion’

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a letter to the government authorities and scientific departments not to share details regarding ground subsidence in Joshimath with the media till a conclusion is drawn. The office memorandum came following widespread media coverage on the ISRO data on the ground subsidence at Joshimath in Uttarakhand. The memorandum released by the NDMA pointed out that the data released by government institutions are creating confusion among residents. “It is observed that various government institutions are releasing data related to the subject matter on social media platforms and they are also interacting with the media with their own interpretation of the situation. It is creating confusion not only among affected residents but also among citizens of the country,” said NDMA. The letter, issued on January 13, further said that the issue was highlighted during a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 12. An expert group has been formed for the assessment of ground subsidence at Joshimath, it added. “You are requested to sensitise your organisation about this matter and refrain from posting anything on media platforms until the final report of the expert group is released by NDMA,” it noted. Reacting on this, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh commented on Twitter: “They make one Constitutional institution attack another. Now, the National Disaster Management Authority tells ISRO to shut up. But how can satellite images lie? This is New India where only one man knows everything, and will decide who will speak on anything.”

Bangladesh declared free from toxic DDT pesticide

Dhaka, Jan 9 (IANS) Bangladesh has been declared free from dangerous Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane pesticide, commonly known as DDT pesticide. Bangladeshi Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, Md. Shahab Uddin made the announcement at a press conference on Sunday. The press briefing came after Bangladesh’s successful removal of 500 tons of DDT from a medical sub-depot in Chattogram city, nearly 242 km southeast of the capital Dhaka, in December 2022. According to the World Health Organisation, DDT is a persistent organic pollutant (POP), a chemical that can have significant negative effects on both human health and the environment, Xinhua news agency reported. Bangladesh imported 500 metric tons (500,000 kg) of the pesticide in 1985 to control malaria-carrying mosquitos. Upon arrival, it was put into a government compound in the Agrabad district in Chattogram city. Over the years, many of the boxes and bags have disintegrated, leaving exposed piles of the white DDT powder. In 1991, Bangladesh imposed a DDT ban, but the huge consignment remained. Under a project titled “Pesticide Risk Reduction in Bangladesh,” the toxic substance was completely exported to France for incineration, according to the Ministry.

2022 was 5th warmest year on record, situation alarming: NASA

Washington, Jan 14 (IANS) Earth’s average surface temperature in 2022 tied with 2015 as the fifth warmest year on record, according to an analysis by US space agency NASA, which termed the situation as “alarming”. The global temperatures in 2022 were 1.6-degree Fahrenheit (0.89-degree Celsius) above the average for NASA’s baseline period (1951-1980), scientists from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York reported. “This warming trend is alarming. Our warming climate is already making a mark: Forest fires are intensifying; hurricanes are getting stronger; droughts are wreaking havoc and sea levels are rising,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The past nine years have been the warmest since modern record-keeping began in 1880. This means that Earth in 2022 was about 2-degree Fahrenheit (or about 1.11-degree Celsius) warmer than the late 19th century average. “NASA is deepening our commitment to do our part in addressing climate change. Our Earth System Observatory will provide state-of-the-art data to support our climate modelling, analysis and predictions to help humanity confront our planet’s changing climate,” Nelson added. Human-driven greenhouse gas emissions have rebounded following a short-lived dip in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, NASA scientists, as well as international scientists, determined that carbon dioxide emissions were the highest on record in 2022. NASA also identified some super-emitters of methane - another powerful greenhouse gas - using the Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation instrument that was launched to the International Space Station last year. “The reason for the warming trend is that human activities continue to pump enormous amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the long-term planetary impacts will also continue,” said Gavin Schmidt, Director of GISS, NASA’s leading centre for climate modelling. The Arctic region continues to experience the strongest warming trends - close to four times the global average - according to a GISS

research presented at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, as well as a separate study. Several factors can affect the average temperature in any given year. For example, 2022 was one of the warmest on record despite a third consecutive year of La Nina conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean. NASA scientists estimate that La Nina’s cooling influence may have lowered global temperatures slightly (about 0.11-degree Fahrenheit or 0.06-degree Celsius) from what the average would have been under more typical ocean conditions. A separate, independent analysis by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) concluded that the global surface temperature for 2022 was the sixth highest since 1880.

Joshimath crisis: NTPC faces locals’ opposition, cracks appear in Auli ropeway

Joshimath, Jan 14 (IANS) The local residents have organised a front against the NTPC in Joshimath, by putting up posters demanding their exit from the holy city. Meanwhile, cracks have also appeared on the platform of the Auli ropeway. The locals consider the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) responsible for the the constant threat of landslides being faced by them. The cracks on the ropeway were spotted on Friday night and its operation has been stopped in view of the danger. One of its towers is situated in Manoharbaag ward, that has been declared unsafe by the administration, which intensified apprehensions about the ropeway. Ropeway Manager Dinesh Bhatt said that the tower is being regularly checked. The distance of the ropeway from Joshimath to Auli is about 4 km, in which there are 10 towers. It takes 15 minutes to reach Auli from the holy city by the ropeway and it is preferred by the tourists. Taking lessons from Joshimath, the state cabinet has decided to conduct a carrying capacity survey of all hill towns. Surveys will be conducted in the municipal corporations,

municipalities and nagar panchayat areas in the first phase. The increasing population and construction activities being carried out haphazardly are increasing the pressure on the hill towns. One of the reasons behind the crisis is that of construction exceeding the load carrying capacity of the

2 out of 3 glaciers could be lost by 2100: Study

San Francisco, Jan 6 (IANS) By 2100, two out of three glaciers could be lost, that is, the world could lose 41 per cent of its total glacier mass this century -- or as little as 26 per cent -- based on today’s climate change mitigation efforts, a new study has shown. David Rounce, Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the US-based Carnegie Mellon University, led an international effort to produce new projections of glacier mass loss through the century under different emissions scenarios. According to a study by Carnegie Mellon University, Rounce and his team found that in a future scenario with continued investment in fossil fuels, over 40 per cent of the glacial mass will be gone within the century, and over 80 per cent of glaciers by number could well disappear. These glaciers are usually small (less than one km) by glacial standards, but their loss can negatively affect the hydrology in local areas, tourism, glacier hazards, and cultural values. A temperature rise of more than 2 degrees Celcius will disproportionately affect glaciers in smaller glacier regions such as Central Europe, Western Canada, and the US, and at a rise of 3 degrees Celcius, glaciers in these regions will almost disappear completely, said the study. Rounce noted that the way in which glaciers respond to changes in climate takes a long time. He further describes the glaciers as extremely slow-moving rivers. Changing emissions in the present won’t eliminate previously emitted greenhouse gases, nor will it stop inertia that contributes to climate change, so even if emissions are completely stopped today, glacier mass loss is still expected to take between 30 and 100 years to reverse, the study added.

‘TheGreenBillions’ joins hands with Pune civic body on plant to extract green hydrogen from waste

New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS)

TheGreenBillions Limited (TGBL), a company specialising in consulting, managing, and executing sustainable initiatives, has announced its association with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to set up first plant in India to extract green hydrogen from biomass and municipal solid waste. TGBL’s wholly owned subsidiary Variate Pune Waste to Energy Pvt. Ltd. (VPWTEPL) will be managing and utilising the municipal waste of 350 TPD of Pune for generating hydrogen for a period of 30 years. The project aims to extract clean hydrogen from municipal solid waste in a pioneering initiative. The company is discussing with other state municipalities across India to implement and set up similar plants in the future. Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), a Central Public Sector Enterprise of Government of India will provide the Project management consulting and Variate Pune Waste to Energy Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of TheGreenBillions Limited, will implement the project to convert Pune’s municipal non-recyclable waste into hydrogen. The Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) from the waste would later be utilised to generate hydrogen using Plasma gasification technology. The technology has been developed while closely working with the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Mahatma Phule Renewable Energy & Infrastructure Technology (MAHAPREIT), a Maharashtra government undertaking, has proposed to off-take the hydrogen generated at the facility and develop logistical infrastructure for hydrogen transportation to industries for this. For the first phase of the project, MAHAPREIT proposes blending in the city gas distribution network in Pune by partnering with Maharashtra Natural Gas Ltd -- a joint venture of GAIL (India) Ltd and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL). The joint efforts by MAHAPREIT and GAIL can help the proposed hydrogen blending project set a benchmark for a circular economy with hydrogen generated from the city’s waste and blended back into its gas distribution network. According to Prateek Kanakia, PhD, Chairman and Founder, TheGreenBillions Limited: “The growing Indian economy is witnessing an increase in demand for energy from all sectors. The situation has put a lot of pressure on Indian energy reserves to meet the ever-increasing demand. It has increased the focus on identifying and developing alternative energy sources, mainly green and clean sources that do not harm the environment. “With the rising demand from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to generate Clean Hydrogen, it is essential to find alternatives to foster clean hydrogen in the country. We recognise that an efficient garbage collection and disposal system is crucial for quality urban solid waste management. Especially in India, unsustainable garbage management affects living spaces for many cities. Our association with the Pune Municipal Corporation is a step forward in mitigating these demands.” An official statement from Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL) said: “With this project, Pune city can reduce upto 2.5 million MT CO2e, more than 3.8 million MT waste would be diverted from the landfill and around >1,80,000 estimated households will be served directly. The Municipal solid waste (MSW) otherwise being dumped in low lying urban areas will be diverted, saving upto 689.5 cubic meter space every day and 25.16 hectare of precious land per year.” This waste will comprise biodegradable, non-biodegradable and domestic hazardous waste and would be segregated at the TheGreenBillions’ facility in Pune using optical sensor technology. The wet waste from the facility will be used to generate humic-acid rich bio-fertilisers, which are considered better than conventional bio-fertilisers and has low carbon emissions. This project aims to demonstrate the technological and financial feasibility of waste to hydrogen generation. With a strong focus of the government of India on hydrogen adoption, the projects like these will not only help India achieve decarbonisation goals but will also reduce significant emissions from waste disposal. Once achieved, the goals will help India achieve the vision of Swachh Bharat and also match the hydrogen ambitions.

Bengaluru, Jan 14 (IANS) In an embarrassment to the ruling BJP in Karnataka, two senior leaders, an MLA and another minister have indulged in a war of words by trading charges against each other. BJP Minister for Heavy Industries Murugesh R. Nirani on Saturday warned party MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal that his tongue will be cut if he continues to talk “senselessly”. Earlier, MLA Basanagouda Patil had called Minister Nirani a pimp while talking about reservation quota under OBC category to Panchamasali Lingayat sub sect. He had also stated that he had no faith in Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and approached the party high command. Minister Nirani stated, “He (Basanagouda Patil Yatnal) had used the word ‘pimp’. He is very much in that culture and uses the same language. Those who are born to their fathers don’t use such language,” he said. “If he is talking without sense, his tongue will be cut. Chief Minister Bommai has given directions to be quiet. If he doesn’t want to be in the party, let him go out and stage a protest,” he stated. Vijayapura people from where he hails would give him a befitting answer. The reservation demand is not recent one. CM Bommai has committed to giving reservation for Panchamasali sub sect. The government had created 2C and 2D categories to accommodate the OBC quota. In spite of all this, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal is trying to put blame, Minister Nirani stated. He also condemned the protest staged in this regard by Basava Jayamrutynjaya Swamiji terming it “politically” motivated. The SC/ST and Vokkaliga communities have made their submissions peacefully, he said. MLA Basanagouda Patil is issuing statements and embarrassing the government.

Rahul should apologise for hate-filled blood-soaked history of Cong: VHP

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) The Vishva Hindu Parishad has demanded that Rahul Gandhi should apologise for “the hate-filled blood-soaked history of the Congress”, and said that a conspiracy was being hatched to spread hatred by defaming and dividing the country once again. VHP’s Central Joint General Secretary Dr. Surendra Jain said in a statement on Friday that the Congress has a history of spreading hatred, dividing the society and causing massacres. Instead of blaming Hindu organisations, they should apologise for the great sins committed by the Congress to break the country. Dr. Jain recalled that the Moplas, who killed 20,000 Hindus in Malabar, Kerala in 1920 due to the Khilafat movement, were not only promoted by the Congress but declared freedom fighters, and even after 75 years of independence their families were given pension. “India was partitioned because of the wrong policies of the Congress, and due to the wrong implementation of the partition policy lakhs of innocent people were killed and crores of Hindus had to stumble door-to-door as refugees. “In 1948, it was this Congress that committed the heinous crime of attacking thousands of Chitpavan Brahmins, brutally killing hundreds and burning many Sangh workers alive by making baseless and false allegations against the Sangh for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. It is a well-known fact that in the 1980s, the Congress was responsible for giving rise to the Khalistani terror that was responsible for the killing of more than 22,000 Hindus and the displacement of lakhs of Hindus. “Evidence is now being found that in 1984 more than 20,000 innocent Sikhs were mercilessly murdered at the behest of the Congress. Congress has been doing the work of honoring the terrorists who mercilessly killed hundreds of Hindus and made lakhs of refugees in the Kashmir Valley.” Jain said, “All the forms of terrorism that have taken place in India after 1947 have been taking birth only because of the wrong policies of the Congress. Even today, be it the ‘Tukde Tukde Gang’ or the ‘Sar Tan Se Juda Karne Wale Gang’ who spread hatred, they all work on the instigation of the Congress leaders. How can the army of lawyers associated with Congress stand with Love Jihadis and terrorists without asking the Congress leaders?” He said that the whole world knows that Congress had also committed the heinous sin of defaming Hindus and giving patronage to Jihadis by propagating saffron terrorism. How can the Congress, which commits such crimes, keep its back clean? That’s why this so-called young leader should introspect and atone for his sins and instead of blaming Hindu organisations, he should apologise for the great sins committed by Congress to break the country.”

March against politics of fear and hatred, says Rahul Gandhi

Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab), Jan

11 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, spearheading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Wednesday said the march was against the politics of fear and hatred promoted by the BJP and the RSS, and their attempt to divide India on the lines of religion, caste and language. “That is not our history”, he said, “our history is of love, mutual brotherhood and unity among people”. Addressing a public meeting before beginning the Punjab leg of the march, Gandhi said he felt humbled to have visited the site of the martyrdom of the two young sons of Guru Gobind Singh, who chose to lay down their lives in the fight against injustice and intolerance. He also thanked the people and the party workers for participating in the yatra so early in the morning despite the biting cold. Drawing a clear, ideological distinction between the BJP and the Congress, Gandhi said, “while they (BJP) practice the politics of hatred, violence and fear, we practice the politics of love, unity and brotherhood”. Gandhi said in the journey of about 3,000 km so far, he had met diverse sections of the people, including farmers, traders, small shopkeepers, labourers, unemployed youth and students. “The purpose of this yatra is to listen to people rather than telling our own point of view.” Former Aam Aadmi Party MP from Patiala, Dharamvir Gandhi, and film actress Jonita Dhoda also joined the yatra. Gandhi also interacted later with senior ex-servicemen and a panel of Punjabi historians, economists, sociologists, and agricultural experts. He was on the 117th day of the Bharat Jodo Yatra that began in Kanyakumari on September 7, 2022, and will culminate with the hoisting of the tricolour in Srinagar on January 30.

Priests chide Rahul Gandhi over ‘tapasvi’ and ‘pujari’ remark

New Delhi, 9 Jan (IANS) Several priests slamed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for insulting them for saying that India is a country of ‘tapasvis’ not ‘pujaris’. Gandhi had recently said in Haryana that the Congress believes in ‘tapasya’, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is an organisation of ‘pooja’. He alleged that the BJP-RSS force people to worship them, adding that India is a country of ‘tapasvis’ (ascetics) and not ‘pujaris’ (priests). Swami Dipankar noted that Gandhi had described his Bharat Jodo Yatra as his “mohabbat ki dukan” (shop for love), but was now talking about “hate”. The Congress leader should think before speaking as he, on one hand, is working to unite people and on the other hand, is making such a statement. “Should priests be then thrown into sea?” he asked. Ujjwal Pandit of Yuva Teerth Purohit Mahasabha alleged that Gandhi had insulted India’s ancient cultural traditions in which priests played a central role. It is clear that the Congress leader wore ‘janev’ (holy thread) and tilak on his head for show, he alleged in a statement, claiming that Gandhi’s remarks are against Brahmins. Rajnikant Semwal of Gangotri Dham said that priests had a key position in the land of ‘sanatan dharma’. Pujaris have been following an ancient tradition, he said, urging Gandhi to study the same. At some places, including Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, priests carried out protests and burnt Gandhi’s effigies. Demonstration were held at many places against Rahul Gandhi and Congress. New Delhi, Jan 9 (IANS) The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), in a response to Rahul Gandhi’s statement, accused him of insulting priests and called his act a reflection of “vinash kaale viprit buddhi” (good sense going for a toss in times of crisis). VHP’s national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said that Congress’ anti-Hindu face had been exposed by Gandhi’s statement and that the people would never forgive him for this. Bansal alleged that Congress is responsible for making the Hindus second-class citizens, for Muslim appeasement and for promoting Christian missionaries in the last 70 years, and of now turning opportunist in the wake of Hindu Rashtra. He further said that Gandhi flaunted his Hindu identity to win elections, and now identifies as an ascetic. Bansal accused the Congress of creating a rift in Hindu society by insulting the priests.

UP Minister objects to Rahul Gandhi’s kiss for sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Rae Bareli, Jan 11 (IANS) The war of words between the BJP and the Congress is intensifying and getting increasingly below the belt. Uttar Pradesh Minister Dinesh Pratap Singh has now questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s public display of affection for his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and asked, “Which Pandava kisses his sister at the age of 50 in a public gathering?” The Gandhi siblings were seen bonding on the stage during the Congress’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. Singh’s barb comes after Rahul Gandhi equated the RSS to “21st century Kauravas”. “A Sangh pracharak “takes oath to remain unmarried and dedicates himself to nation-building without any greed,” he said. “If Rahul Gandhi is calling the RSS ‘Kauravas’, does that mean he is a Pandava? If he sees himself as Pandava, did the Pandavas kiss their sister in a public gathering like Rahul Gandhi did at the age of 50?” Singh asked. “It is not our culture because Indian culture does not give permission for such things,” he added. Singh, who fought and lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Rae Bareli, also predicted that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi would lose in 2024 general elections and “will be the last foreigner to exit from Rae Bareli”. “When it comes to visiting Rae Bareli, she (Sonia Gandhi) always says she is not well but she is seen walking with her son Rahul Gandhi in the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ to promote him. In 2024, she will not be an MP and will be the last foreigner to exit from Raebareli,” Singh said. Continuing further, he asked, “Can Sonia Gandhi say she is not a foreigner? Can anyone from the Congress say that Sonia Gandhi is not a foreigner? She was denied the PM’s post since she is a foreigner. We have struggled a lot to drive out the British and get independence. Indians will not accept any foreigner as a ruler,” he added.

BJP’s Kirit Somaiya accuses NCP leader Hasan Mushrif of fraud worth Rs 158 cr

New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided NCP leader Hasan Mushrif’s residence, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday accused the former minister of committing a fraud worth Rs 158 crore. He also demanded an inquiry from the Rural Development Department Secretary Rajesh Kumar Meena. He further claimed that when Uddhav Thackeray was Maharashtra Chief Minister, he had tried to shield crore in the name of his family, son and son-in-law’s company. Money was sent to his family company from several shell companies in Kolkata. It was then transferred to Sir Senapati Ghorpade Sugar Factory.” “Maa Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of Kolhapur, is pleased with me today. I remember that on September 28, I was wanting to go to Kolhapur in 2013-14. But that company was already shut down in 2004. There is no company at all. Where did the money come from? An amount of Rs 24.75 crore was also sent to one Mount Capital Private Limited which was again a defunct company. Hasan Mushrif paid in cash. A check for the same money was being deposited in the family’s account.”

Mushrif. Addressing a press conference here, Somaiya alleged that there have been scams in various sugar mills which are interlinked. Soon, Anil Parab and Aslam Sheikh will also land in trouble, he warned. “The ED has now clamped down on Hasan Mushrif, another minister in Thackeray’s mafia government. Hasan Mushrif scammed Rs 158 but was stopped by Hasan Mushrif, Dilip Walse Patil, Sharad Pawar, Ajit Pawar, and Uddhav Thackeray. But Mahalakshmi blessed me today as Hasan Mushrif’s countdown has begun,” he added. Somaiya further alleged, “Let me give two examples. A sum of Rs 13.85 crore was moved into the account of Hasan Mushrif family from Rajat Consumer Services Private Limited

By Vishal Gulati

Shimla, Jan 14 (IANS) Most buildings, due to illegal construction and hanging precariously on to steep slopes and clinging to one another in the quake-prone erstwhile summer capital of the British, Shimla and other tourist resorts such as McLeodganj, Kasauli, Manali, Palampur, Mandi, Solan and elsewhere in Himachal Pradesh cannot withstand a high-intensity quake and can collapse like a house of cards, warn experts. Also cloudbursts and flashfloods have become a regular feature in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh in recent years. The heavy loss of life caused by such calamities can be mainly attributed to the increasing human activity, particularly along the rivers and water channels. The local authorities are yet to wake up from their slumber despite the fact that most of the picnic spots in the Himalayan state fall in high seismic zones IV-V, suggesting severest seismic sensitivity. Advocating sustainable development, the National Green Tribunal and the state High Court have time and again rapped the state authorities over their lack of response to the growing unauthorized constructions across Himachal. Old-timers charge the successive BJP and Congress governments with converting most of the picturesque towns into concrete jungles. In Sanjauli, a congested locality on Shimla’s outskirts, the dead often have to be lifted out of homes with ropes. “You can see the fast changing skyline of Shimla where the buildings, regardless of whether they are structurally safe or not, are coming up haphazardly one after another,” remarked octogenarian Ramesh Manta, who was born and brought up in Shimla. Standing near the Himachal Tourism Development Corporation lift and pointing towards the upcoming vertical constructions beneath the Mall road, he said, “You can see the pressure for development that has increased during the last few decades due to population spike and high influx of tourists.” Officials admitted to IANS that 14 major localities in Shimla are located on an average gradient of 70-80 degree where a majority of the buildings violate the by-laws and building norms and haven’t even adhered to seismic norms. An official of the Town and Country Planning Department told IANS that Shimla’s northern slope of the Ridge, an open space just above the Mall that extends to Grand Hotel in the west and Lakkar Bazaar in the east, is slowly sinking. “Most buildings are precariously hanging on to steep slopes and clinging to one another. A moderate or high-intensity quake can be catastrophic for congested settlements with no escape routes. They can collapse like a pack of cards,” added another resident Naresh Sud. Planned for a maximum population of 16,000, Shimla is now home to over 2,50,000 people. More than 200 public utility buildings comprising hospitals and government schools and colleges within the municipal limits of Shimla require seismic strengthening, Shimla’s former Deputy Mayor Tikender Panwar admitted. Experts estimate that more than 98 percent buildings in Shimla are highly vulnerable to collapsing if there is a major earthquake. The mushrooming of illegal constructions in McLeodganj, located in the suburbs of Dharamsala, is threatening Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama’s abode. Experts fear a high-intensity quake can turn the uphill town McLeodganj, known for attracting a steady stream of Tibet enthusiasts, Buddhist scholars, backpackers and even Hollywood stars, into a tomb of rubble as it falls in seismic zone V. McLeodganj in Kangra district supports around 16,000 exiled Tibetans and an equal number of Indians. “I visited McLeodganj after five years and was shocked to see the place. It used to be a beautiful place with lush green slopes whereas today it was concrete all over with massive high rises,” remarked tourist Sanjay Basu from Kolkata. A devastating earthquake in 1905 severely damaged property in the Kangra region, including St. John’s Church where many British officials were buried, and claimed over 20,000 lives. Records of the field station of the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, an autonomous research institute of the Department of Science and Technology at McLeodganj, show that several earthquakes have struck this region since 1905. Prominent among these were the ones on June 15, 1978, and another on April 26, 1986 -- the first being of magnitude 5 and the other 5.7 on the Richter scale. Sounding the alarm bell, Ram Krishan Thakur, former Survey of India Director, told IANS that like Joshimath town of Uttarakhand, Manali and its suburbs are also situated on the debris of a landslide. The population has increased manifold and so have the tourists. Infrastructure has not amplified but has also been unchecked. The town of Manali does not have a proper drainage and sewerage system. “The seepage may result in landslides, triggering cracks in the buildings of Manali,” Thakur, who has been residing in Manali after his retirement in 2002, said. According to Thakur, Burwa village located in the suburbs of Manali, is seeing a construction boom these days despite the fact that the entire area falls in the sinking zone. “Rampant commercial development is currently happening in a very fragile ecosystem of Burwa. That entire zone is located on the debris of the Pagal nullah,” he said, adding that “climate change can be a force multiplier.” Taking serious note of haphazard constructions, the Himachal Pradesh High Court in October last year summoned top officials of the state, including the Chief Secretary. Hearing a public interest litigation highlighting unregulated constructions in the most ecologically sensitive area of Barog in Solan district, a Division Bench of Chief Justice A.A. Sayed and Justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua observed, “Ordinarily, we avoid passing orders directing the high officials of the state to remain present in court. However, in view of the helplessness expressed in the affidavits of the state officials the order has been passed to ensure that the construction activities, particularly in the hills which are ecologically fragile areas of the state, are regulated and are not subjected to environment damage or further deterioration.” Himachal Pradesh is prone to various types of disasters. The central government has identified 25 hazards to which the state is prone.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

TN to hold Global Investors Meet in 2024: Stalin

Chennai, Jan 13 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday said the government will hold the Global Investors Meet next January. Making the announcement in the Assembly, he said the meet will be held on January 10 and 11, 2024, and have participation from over 100 countries. Stalin said his government is working towards the target of making Tamil Nadu a $1 trillion economy by 2030 and towards that several investors meets were held in places like Dubai and others.

Great opportunity to look at sectors like green hydrogen: G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant on Friday said it is a great opportunity to look at sunrise sectors like green hydrogen development and mobile phone manufacturing with India holding the presidency of the G20 grouping. “The stars are aligned in favour of India,” he said while referring to India’s G20 presidency while delivering the third annual lecture of Public Affairs Forum of India. With the G20 summit scheduled to take place in September in Delhi, Kant said India holds an advantage in terms of demographics, digitalisation, decarbonisation and deglobalisation to be a major power and become a voice of the Global South. Referring to the various crises being faced by the world at a time when India has assumed presidency of G20, Kant said: “To my mind, every crisis has a huge opportunity and G20 in the past has demonstrated the ability to deliver in times of adversity.” “India’s focus would be on highlighting the need to address the climate crisis, progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, global debt, geopolitical tensions and the ensuing food and energy crisis,” he pointed out. Kant further said that there will be a renewed push for green development and climate finance, with the concept of Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) woven in. Referring to the climate crisis, Kant said: “The promise of climate finance is not being lived up to by the developed world. It is important to have the flow of resources from multilateral institutions, besides the $100 billion funding from the developed countries. Nudging them is a key part of the government’s agenda.”

Microsoft plans $10 bn investment in AI-driven ChatGPT: Report

New Delhi, Jan 10 (IANS) Microsoft is planning to infuse $10 billion into OpenAI, the owner of popular AI platform called ChatGPT, that will value OpenAI at nearly $29 billion, the media reported on Tuesday. News portal Semafor reported, citing people familiar with the matter, that it is still unclear if the deal has been finalised but “documents sent to prospective investors in recent weeks outlining its terms indicated a targeted close by the end of 2022”. Microsoft’s $10 billion investment will see it get 75 per cent of OpenAI’s profits “until it recoups its investment,” the report mentioned. “After that threshold is reached, it would revert to a structure that reflects ownership of OpenAI, with Microsoft having a 49 per cent stake, other investors taking another 49 per cent and OpenAI’s nonprofit parent getting 2 per cent,” the report claimed. Microsoft and OpenAI did not comment on the report. The tech giant had invested $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019. Opened last month for the general public, ChatGPT has invited users to get feedback and learn about its strengths and weaknesses. AI-driven ChatGPT gives human-like answers to questions and has become very popular on social media, with people asking it to write poems to essays. Microsoft is now pushing ChatGPT applications for solving real-life problems. The tech giant is also reportedly adding OpenAI writing tech to Office, providing users with a way to compose the text for projects by incorporating AI technology into its apps.

Indian startup funding dropped by 33%, may become normal after 2-3 quarters

New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Funding for the Indian startups in CY22 was nearly $24 billion, a drop of 33 per cent in comparison to CY21 but was still more than twice the funds raised in CY20 and CY19 each, a report showed on Wednesday. Early-stage deals accounted for 60-62 per cent of the total funding in CY21 and CY22 (in volume terms). Average ticket size per deal was $4 million per deal, according to the PwC India report. “With significant dry powder waiting to be invested, it seems likely that the funding scenario will begin to normalise after 2-3 quarters,” said Amit Nawka, Partner-Deals and India Startups Leader, PwC India. Many startups are using this time to tighten operating models and optimise their cash runway by deferring discretionary spends and investments, he added. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) segment witnessed an increase of 20 per cent in funding values during CY22 compared to CY21 and accounted for nearly 25 per cent of all funding activity. Growth and late-stage funding deals accounted for 88 per cent of the funding activity in CY22 (in value terms). Average ticket size in growth-stage deals was $43 million and late-stage deals was $94 million during CY22. Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR and Mumbai account for nearly 82 per cent of total Indian startups. About 28 per cent of the startups in the top three cities have raised in excess of $20 million, the report mentioned.

Credible economic institutions have unprecedented confidence in India: PM

New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that institutions and credible voices that track the global economy have unprecedented confidence in India. Virtually addressing the Madhya Pradesh Global Investors’ Summit 2023 being held in Indore, Modi gave examples of trust shown by global organisations in the Indian economy. He said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) sees India as a bright spot in the global economy, and the World Bank has said the country is in a better position to deal with global headwinds than many other countries. Modi credited India’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals and mentioned OECD which claimed that India will be among the fastest-growing economies in the G20 group this year. Quoting Morgan Stanley, the Prime Minister said that India is moving towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy in the next four to five years. He further added that the CEO of McKinsey has declared that not just the present decade but the century itself belongs to India. “Institutions and credible voices that track the global economy have unprecedented confidence in India”, Modi said, adding that the “global investors also share the same optimism”. “A stable government, a decisive government, a government running with the right intentions, shows development at an unprecedented pace. Dedicated freight corridors, industrial corridors, expressways, logistic parks, are becoming the identity of New India... PM Gatishakti is a national platform for infrastructure building in India which has taken the form of the National Master Plan,” he informed the gathering of corporate sector. “We have implemented our National Logistics Policy with an aim to make India the world’s most competitive logistics market,” the Prime Minister further emphasised, urging investors coming to Madhya Pradesh to take maximum advantage of the PLI scheme. “The government approved Green Hydrogen Mission a few days ago which will bring in investment possibilities of about Rs 8 lakh crore,” he highlighted.

Modi govt’s final full budget to focus on welfare spending, reduction of subsidies, ‘Make in India’

By Sanjeev Sharma

New Delhi, Jan 11 (IANS) Wall Street major Goldman Sachs does not expect any significant reforms to be announced in this budget, but some details on incentives for ‘Make in India’, a roadmap on direct tax code implementation, and rationalization of subsidies, particularly fertilizers. The Indian Union budget will be presented on February 1 as the final full-year budget under the current administration before the national elections in mid-2024. This comes at a time when the government is trying to weigh expenditure priorities around: welfare spending before the general elections, the reduction of subsidies as commodity prices have declined from previous highs, incentives for promoting manufacturing in India, continuing the infrastructure build out and a higher allocation for defence, Goldman Sachs said in a report. “Given the general elections scheduled to take place in 2024, we expect the government to increase rural and welfare spending as seen in pre-election budgets in FY09, FY14 and FY19. In FY24, we expect current expenditure (excluding interest and subsidy) to be at 7.3 per cent of GDP. Rural employment and housing are likely to be in focus,” it said. With India running one of the highest public debt to GDP ratios among emerging markets globally, firm adherence to the fiscal consolidation would seem the most appropriate path for the government. The commodity shock required incremental spending on food and fertilizer subsidies, and exhausted the fiscal room from higher tax buoyancy in the current fiscal year. This apart, the government also tabled extra demand for spending before the parliament, comprising 0.8 per cent of GDP (Rs 2.2 trillion) mainly towards capital expenditure, rural development, and defence, Goldman Sachs said. “We expect the government to meet the budgeted fiscal deficit target of 6.4 per cent of GDP1, but estimate an expenditure reallocation of 0.3 per cent of GDP from other current spending,” it said. While uncertainty remains around the realization of disinvestment receipts, both direct and indirect taxes so far in the year are tracking well ahead of budget estimates. “We expect the Central government to consolidate its fiscal deficit to 5.9 per cent of GDP in FY24, fully driven by a reduction in food and fertilizer subsidies, and project tax revenues to remain buoyant in the year, Goldman Sachs said. The free food programme was implemented at the peak of the pandemic, to ensure food security to the vulnerable population. In December 2022, the government discontinued the free food programme and instead decided to provide free foodgrains under the existing public distribution system. This is likely to reduce the food subsidy to 0.8 per cent of GDP. Further, global commodity prices which rose sharply in 2022 on the back of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, have since normalized and the outgo on fertilizer subsidy is likely to decline in FY24. “We expect the fertilizer subsidy in FY24 to return to the pre-pandemic average of 0.5 per cent of GDP. We expect the government to continue with the cooking fuel subsidy program (Ujwala Yojna) and expect fuel subsidies to remain at 0.1 per cent of GDP. We thus expect spending on subsidies as a share of GDP to fall to 1.5 per cent (from our estimate of 2.1 per cent in FY23)”, Goldman Sachs.

(Sanjeev Sharma can be reached at Sanjeev.s@ians.in)