NATIONAL
India to cut emissions intensity upto 35 Per cent by 2030
The Union Environment Ministry on 2 October, 2015 submitted it’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to the UN Frame work Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), committing to cut the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35 per cent by 2030 from 2005 levels. India has committed to 40 per cent of non-fossil fuel energy to be adopted by 2030. It has also set the target of generating 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent of Carbon sinks in the form of forests. India aims to mobilise domestic and global funds to implement it’s mitigation actions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi released postal stamp on Abdul Kalam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the A P J Abdul Kalam’s birth anniversary celebrations held at DRDO Bhavan in New Delhi on 15 October. Modi released a commemorative postal stamp on Kalam. Narendra Modi also announced a memorial for Kalam at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu. The Prime Minister unveiled a statue of Dr. Kalam at DRDO Bhavan and opened a photo exhibition titled “A Celebration of Dr. Kalam’s Life”.
Supreme Court Bench strikes down NJAC Act as ‘unconstitutional and void’
The Supreme Court on 16 October rejected the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act and the 99th Constitutional Amendment which sought to give politicians and civil society a final say in the appointment of judges to the highest courts. With this veredict, the Collegium system as it existed before the NJAC Act was passed, will become operative again.
Central Government launches KISAN Project and Hailstorm App for crop damage
The Central Government launched its flagship Kisan Project on 5 October to help farmers in the long run. KISAN stands for (K)rop Insurance using Space technology And geoinformatics. Combining the forces of digital world with the age old tradition of agriculture, the government is all set to make the lives of farmers more secure and comfortable. The project uses satellite and drone-based imaging and other geospatial technology to get accurate data on crop yields.The KISAN project will be implemented by Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) in collaboration with ISRO Centres – Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad & National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad; India Meteorological Department; CCAFS; state agriculture departments and state remote sensing centres.
India launched massive awareness drive on climate change by flagging off unique train
‘Science Express Climate Action Special’ is a 16-coach air-conditioned train that was launched on 15 October from Delhi in the run-up to the global climate summit in Paris in December 2015. The exhibits on the train would cover specific topics like adaptation, mitigation, India’s action on mitigation, international climate change negotiations, nature conservation, innovations in India, science lab, biotechnology applications and others.Over 190 countries would meet in Paris in December 2015 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to strike a new global climate deal aimed at controlling global carbon emissions for tackling global warming.