15 July 2014 Current Affairs
Veteran Environmentalist Chandi Prasad Bhatt Received Gandhi Peace Prize – 2013
Environmentalist and social activist Chandi Prasad Bhatt was presented the Gandhi Peace Prize – 2013 by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on 15 July. The Chipko movement pioneer is one among the nation’s first crop of modern green activist. The Peace Prize was instituted by the centre in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This annual award is given to individuals and institutions for their contributions towards social, economic and political transformation through non-violence and other Gandhian methods.
Environment Ministry Launches Web portal For Online Forest Clearences
Prakash Javadekar, Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change on 15 July launched a web portal for online submission and monitoring of forest clearance proposals, thereby minimizing the need for human interface between project proponents and officials dealing with Forest Clearance proposals in the Central and the State Governments.