Sunday, July 15, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Comments invited on the Report of 'Western Ghat Ecology Expert Panel'
Government withheld this report which was out in late 2011 and is believed to have made recommendations that are very inconvenient to the builder lobby and (hence) politicians. So the government, very conveniently, had sidelined the report.
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| [Source: http://www.rainbowskill.com] |
However, following the slapping decision from Delhi HC, the government was forced to share the report with the people, make them aware of the recommendations and invite comments.
The report is now available for public @ http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/wg-invitation-of-comments.pdf (after accepting the disclaimer!)
Actual report is @ http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/wg-23052012.pdf
Please at least read the report and be aware of the facts about our precious western ghats.
If you have comments/concerns, you can send them over email too!! It can't get simpler than this!
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| [Source: http://ces.iisc.ernet.in] |
In fact, you should strongly support the implementation of fair recommendations made in the report.
Comments are invited within 45 days from 23-May-2012 i.e. by 7-Jul-2012.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
What is the fate of Indian Tiger?
News Clip # 1:
32 tigers dead in India in just 4 months of 2012 so far[1][4].
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| [Source: http://animalcruelty-india.blogspot.com] |
News Clip # 2:
Poachers in MP had accepted a contract to kill 25 tigers[2]. The price of the contract is believed to be Rs. 40 lakh.
Forest department of Maharashtra has issued orders to the staff to be on high alert. All leaves and vacations of the staff till June have been cancelled.
News Clip #3:
Within a week of above news, yesterday, a tiger was found to be brutally murdered in Tadoba[3]. Tiger's head and four legs are missing.
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| Source: http://sparetheclaws.yolasite.com/bibliography.php |
A lot of thoughts come to mind!
First of all, it's an evident national shame!! After independence we took26 years to realize that the tiger is India's natural heritage (in fact, it's world heritage!) and that we need to protect them! Ever since then, common people have been fooled into believing that the tigers in the country are safe, while poachers continued to kill and smuggle tiger's mortal remains across the borders and out into the international markets. Recent example of Sariska wildlife sanctuary is a glaring such example. Government kept publishing arbitrary number of tigers till 2005 when the ecologists and tiger-lovers challenged these numbers. A 2-month CBI probe actually proved that the experts were true - that there were NO tigers left in Sariska any more[5].
But however incompetent, corrupt, inefficient, insensitive and helpless government and the forest department are, they are not the root cause.
The root cause of why tigers get killed is we - the people.
People who like to buy expensive purses and jackets of tiger skin.
People who like to believe that eating some body part of tiger can really invigorate them or cure them.
People who like to buy pendants made of tiger's nail and tooth.
People who are proud of hanging tiger-head trophies in their lavish living rooms.
Even if all of us don't buy these articles personally, we do approve of our favorite cine-stars and celebrities wearing them in parties and public appearances.
We create a demand that the smugglers and poachers merely fulfill.
So what can we do?:
1. Never buy any product made from an animal part _unless_ they come from a trustworthy source like WWF or some national parks/zoos where animals are not killed for the sake of these artifacts. Otherwise never ever buy such a product be it as small thing as a kid's crown with peacock feathers.
2. Ban the individuals, companies, agencies that use such products. China is one of the biggest consumer of tiger skins and meat. Ban this cheap Chinese stuff.
3. Help raise awareness among others. Share such thoughts within your circles and encourage them to at least follow the first 2 points above.
4. Contribute. You can contribute either monetarily or in the form of time and effort. You can contribute to the NGOs and pressure groups that work in the field of protection of tigers. However, do make sure that the help you are offering is going where you want it to go. Ensure the genuineness and effectiveness of the agency/NGO before helping them.
All good, great actions always start with "me".
And if this message reaches and convinces the 1+ Billion "Me"s of India, we would have ensured a safe future for the king of our jungles!
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| [Source: http://goodnature.nathab.com] |
It's time to act so that he has a future!
References:
[1] 32 tigers dead in first four months of 2012:
[2] वाघांची शिकार रोखण्यासाठी राज्यात युद्धपातळीवर धावपळ:
[3] ताडोबात आणखी एका वाघाची शिकार :
[4] Tiger killed by poacher trap at Tadoba:
[5] No tigers left in Sariska:
Monday, April 11, 2011
Corruption
Anna Hazare completed his almost week-long "Fast-unto-death" when finally and fortunately the government yielded to his demands. Now lets see when they get actually acted upon; but even this is a significant win for Anna and his supporters.
The virus of corruption has spread like anything.
In the long run, only education can cure and prevent it. But that will take next 2-3 generations and that too will work IFF we have the correct education system and idols/role models to look up to.
Talking about the present, the disease has spread too much. Time for non-invasive treatment and tablets (i.e. decade-long court cases, fruitless CBI inquiries and interrogations) is long gone. We don't have that much time. If you just look at the list of scams that have been unearthed in the recent past and their magnitude, you'll understand the gravity of the situation. And this list is just the scams in recent past that have been exposed. The whole list, if one could compile it, would grow way larger and longer into our past.
We desperately need a surgery immediately if we want to survive today...We need actual, legal action against the corrupt government officials and ministers.
As they say, a thousand heads must roll!!...
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