ECO -RESTORATION

Eco-restoration project for Kinnersani Sanctuary in Telangana announced

When: 18 March 2014
Wildlife Management of Palvancha on 18 March 2014 announced eco-restoration project for Kinnersani Sanctuary in Telangana.
The project will be implemented in 716 hectares of land under the Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary limits in Kothagudem Mandal with an estimated cost of 60 lakh rupees.

The objective of the project is to reverse the damage caused to ecology due to human intervention and restore the degraded ecosystem in the sanctuary.

In order to restore the ecology of Kinnersani Sanctuary, a total of 26 deer had been shifted from three different deer parks to the eco-restoration project site and are being released into the wild in a phased manner in strict adherence to the safety precautions and rules in force.

Also, a plan is on the anvil to shift a few more deer from Kinnerasani Deer Park to the project site at Chintonichelka in view of the excess population of deer in the park beyond its stipulated capacity.

About Kinnersani Sanctuary

Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Khammam district, Telangana. The wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of 635.40 km2 (157,010 acres) with the picturesque Kinnerasani Lake with densely forested islands in the middle of the sanctuary.

The sanctuary is the homeland for animals like Cheetal, Chinkara, Chousinghas, Sambar, Wild Boars, Gaurs, Hyena, Jackals, Panthers, Sloth Bear, Tigers and Black Bucks. The varieties of birds like Peafowl, Jungle Fowl, Quails, Partridges, Teals, Nuktas, Spoonbills and Doves are the common birds in the sanctuary.

CHINA -LAUNCHED -SILKPROJECT

China launched Infrastructure project in Northwest Province of Gansu

 

China on 28 February 2015 launched a massive Silk Road Infrastructure project worth 79.8 billion US dollars in the northwest province of Gansu. The project was launched as a part of China’s ambitious Silk Route plan.

This project will facilitate exchange of trade and tourism between China and central Asian Countries. Gansu province does not share its borders with any central Asian countries but it will be an important part of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

On its completion, the project will add more than 60000 kilometres of road network including 4070 km expressways. It will be a six-year Silk Road development project.

This project will also build 12 civilian airports in the next six years. Thus, expanding the air service reach to 82 percent of the province’s population.

The project aims to revive China’s trade links, its declining exports and will globally enhance its sphere of influence.

The Silk Road Infrastructure projects are part of China’s ambitious Silk Route plan, which involves maze of roads and ports connecting Asia, Europe and Africa.

INDIA -SPAIN -SIGNED - AGREEMENT

India and Spain signed an agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information

India and Spain on 5 March 2015 signed an agreement on Mutual Protection of Classified Information to provide the framework for enhanced bilateral cooperation in areas of defence research, development and technology cooperation.

The agreement was signed by the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar and Defence Minister of Spain Pedro Morenes Eulate. It was signed during the official visit of Defence Minister of Pedro Moremes to India.
The agreement was signed to provide the framework for an enhanced cooperation in the defence sector. This is the primary pact that India agreed before embarking on deeper talks on Defence cooperation.

 

INDIA AND MAURITIUS LINKED FIVE MOUS

India and Mauritius inked five MoUs to give impetus to bilateral relations
India and Mauritius inked 5 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on 11 March 2015 to give new impetus to bilateral co-operation between the two nations.  The MoUs were signed in Port Luis in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Mauritian counterpart Sir Anerood Jugnuth.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a five day official tour of three ocean nations, namely Seychelles, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. The journey started on 10 March 2015 and will conclude on 14 March 2015.
This is the first visit to Mauritius by an Indian Prime Minister in over three decades.

The five MoUs which were signed between the two nations include
• MoU in the field of Ocean Economy: The agreement provides for mutually beneficial cooperation for exploration and capacity development in the field of marine resources, fisheries, green tourism, research and development of ocean technology, exchange of experts and other related activities
• MoU on Programme for Cultural Cooperation for the year 2015-18: The programme will help to enhance bilateral cooperation and will also enhance greater people-to-people participation between the two countries.
• MoU on the Protocol for the importation of fresh mango from India: The aim of this Protocol is to facilitate importation of fresh mango fruits from India by Mauritius to enable the Mauritian to relish the flavor of the world-renowned Indian mangoes.
• MoU for the Improvement in Sea and Air Transportation Facilities at Agalega Island of Mauritius: This will help in betterment of the condition of the inhabitants of this remote Island. These facilities will enhance the capabilities of the Mauritian Defence Forces in safeguarding their interests in the Outer Island.
• MoU on Cooperation in the field of Traditional System of Medicine and Homeopathy: This MoU will promote cooperation in the field of traditional system of health and medicine between the two countries. It envisages exchange of experts, supply of traditional medicinal substances, joint research and development and recognition of the traditional systems of health and medicine in both countries. It also aims at promotion and popularization of the various Indian traditional systems which fall under AYUSH.

Beside the summit-level talks and exchange of documents of the MoUs, India also offered a concessional line of credit of 500 million US dollars to Mauritius for key infrastructure projects.



Also, fee on the Electronic Travel Authorisation to visiting Mauritian citizens was waived off. The fee was waived off with an aim to enhance people-to-people contact between the two nations along with promotion of tourism.

The two Prime Ministers also discussed ways to combat climate change.

Comment and Analysis
The MoUs which were signed during the visit of Prime Minister Modi’s visit can be seen as an approach to revive the cultural ties between the two nations along with economic as well as maritime security options.

The MoU on the co-operation in the Ocean Economy lays ahead a chance for the two nations to develop new areas of ocean economy and follow sustainable practices in use of blue assets. It also provides a chance to boost scientific and economic partnership as well as understanding of marine ecology.

Besides, these MoUs will also broaden the regional cooperation and enhance peace and prosperity in maritime region.

BRITISH IRISH VISHA SCHEME AND COLOMBO PORT CITY PROJECT

 The British Irish Visa Scheme

• The British Irish Visa Scheme came into force in India on 10 February 2015. The information related to this was revealed by Minister of State for External Affairs, VK Singh while answering the unstarred questions in Rajya Sabha on 12 March 2015.

• The scheme allows Indian nationals to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland on a single-visit visa from either country, on the same trip.

• Applicant can apply at one of the existing Visa Application Centres in India of Ireland & the UK.

• This scheme allows the holder of short-stay visa issued by the country of first arrival to travel freely between Ireland and the UK including Northern Ireland, for the duration of that visa.

 Sri Lanka temporarily suspended Colombo Port City Project of China

• Sri Lankan Government on 5 March 2015 temporarily suspended construction work of China’s port city project in Colombo with immediate effect.

• The decision was taken in Cabinet meeting chaired by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe based upon the Interim Report submitted by a cabinet sub-committee. The committee was appointed by the Sri Lankan Government to review the project.

• The decision was taken in Cabinet meeting chaired by Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe based upon the Interim Report submitted by a cabinet sub-committee. The committee was appointed by the Sri Lankan Government to review the project.

• The Interim Report had alleged that this mega real estate deal with China was signed without following the proper procedures and was implemented without relevant approvals from the concerned institutions.
About Colombo Port City project

• Colombo Port City project is the single-largest foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka worth 1.5 billion US dollar. The project was inaugurated in September 2014 by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

• The project was signed by the then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to reclaim 233 hectares of land from the sea to build a port city on a 99-year lease.

• As part of the project, Chinese company was to develop commercial and entertainment hub which include shopping malls, water sports, golf, hotels, apartments and marinas.

WORLD- REPUTATION -RANKING 2015

Highlights of the World Reputation Rankings 2015

• The University of Bristol entered the ranking this year in the 91-100 band, while Durham University and the University of Warwick entered the 81-90 group.

• The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine dropped out of the list this year.

• Both Cambridge University and Oxford University climbed two places and are ranked second and third respectively.

• United States remains dominant in the annual rankings, claiming 43 of the top 100 universities and eight universities in the top 10.

• Germany remains the best-represented nation after the US and the UK, with six top 100 universities.

• France now boasts five institutions in the table, all of them based in Paris.

• Asia’s best performer The University of Tokyo, slipped one place to 12th position. Meanwhile, China’s top institution Tsinghua University climbed 10 places to 26th and Peking University leaped from 41st to 32nd place.

About the survey of World Reputation Rankings 2015

• The World Reputation Rankings 2015 employ the world's largest invitation-only academic opinion survey to provide the definitive list of the top 100 most powerful global university brands. The survey is available in 15 languages.

• The questionnaire, administered on behalf of THE by Elsevier, targets only experienced and published scholars, who offer their views on excellence in research and teaching within their disciplines and at institutions with which they are familiar.

• The 2015 rankings are based on a survey carried out between November 2014 and January 2015, which received a total of 10507 responses from 142 countries.