Sikkim, WB to tackle overloading issue along NH 31A
Sikkim Express | www.sikkimexpress.com
GANGTOK, May 22: Collectively deciding not to allow over-loading of trucks along the NH 31A, both the Sikkim and West Bengal government have agreed to install weigh bridges at Rangpo and Melli in Sikkim and at Salugarha and other places in the West Bengal side.
The other places where weigh bridges to prevent over-loading of trucks will be identified later, it was decided during a meeting of the top transport department officials of both the State governments here at Gangtok.
During the meeting, the officials deliberated on tackling the overloading issue keeping in view of the fragility of the NH 31A, the only lifeline of Sikkim.
Speaking to media after the meeting, West Bengal State Transport Authority secretary Sushanto Chaudhary and Sikkim State Transport department secretary SD Basi said that a number of power and other projects in Sikkim get the supplies of materials through heavily over loaded trucks passing through the National Highway 31A. This weakens the highway which has a limited carrying capacity, they said.
Both said that the temporary permits for the goods vehicles shuttling between Sikkim and West Bengal will now be issued for one year instead of six months only at present and will be countersigned by the RTOs of both Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri.
Chaudhary and Basi added that both the governments are in full agreement about starting services of SNT and West Bengal State Transport buses between Gangtok, Kalimpong, Darjeeling and other places including Jaigoan on West Bengal-Bhutan border provided they get enough passengers. They said that direct services between Gangtok and Kolkata too can be materialize but this will need special type of buses and drivers as well keeping in mind the hilly terrains in the two States.
However, Chaudhary said that if the SNT is willing to start a direct bus service between Gangtok and Kolkata, the West Bengal government is ready to provide parking space for Sikkim buses at Kolkota.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Sikkimese girl scores 97.2 percent in ICSE exams
GANGTOK, May 22: A Sikkimese girl studying at Dehradun has done her home State proud by scoring 97.2 percent in ICSE 2010 exams, results of which was announced a couple of days back.
The feat of Roopali Lakhotia, granddaughter of Motilal Lakhotia makes her one of the national toppers.
Roopali had done her elementary schooling under late Shanka Gurung at Trinity Nursery School before studying at Tashi Namgyal Academy. She joined Welham Girls School at Dehradun from Class 7 and topped the school in the ICSE exams.
The meritorious student attributes her success to her teachers and family. She is also an amateur ornithologist and loves trekking in her holidays. She has also represented Uttarkhand in karate.
Roopali has taken up Arts stream and plans to study at least on foreign language before she graduates. She is keen to serve her country in whatever capacity she can in future.
source;sikkim express
GANGTOK, May 22: A Sikkimese girl studying at Dehradun has done her home State proud by scoring 97.2 percent in ICSE 2010 exams, results of which was announced a couple of days back.
The feat of Roopali Lakhotia, granddaughter of Motilal Lakhotia makes her one of the national toppers.
Roopali had done her elementary schooling under late Shanka Gurung at Trinity Nursery School before studying at Tashi Namgyal Academy. She joined Welham Girls School at Dehradun from Class 7 and topped the school in the ICSE exams.
The meritorious student attributes her success to her teachers and family. She is also an amateur ornithologist and loves trekking in her holidays. She has also represented Uttarkhand in karate.
Roopali has taken up Arts stream and plans to study at least on foreign language before she graduates. She is keen to serve her country in whatever capacity she can in future.
source;sikkim express
FEATURE: Must Sikkim suffer bandh onslaught?
FROM THE STATESMAN
BY JIGME N KAZI
The writer is editor, Sikkim Observer
THE recent three-day bandh (14-16 May) in neighbouring Darjeeling and Siliguri forced the Sikkim governemnt to sit up and take notice. While chief minister Pawan Chamling was away, acting chief minister RB Subba convened a high-level meeting on 15 May to review and take stock of essential commodities in the state during the bandh.
This meeting, also attended by chief secretary, TT Dorji, took note of the proposed 10-day bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha next month (12-21 June). “The chief secretary also apprised the meeting about the latest situation and further directed the food and civil supplies department and the transport department to take immediate action for (the) procurement and transportation of essential commodities,” an official release said.
Unfortunately, despite the Supreme Court’s directives against closure of National Highway 31A, which links Sikkim with the rest of the country, during bandhs a number of state vehicles plying this route were vandalised during the recent two-day bandh. The state government has demanded immediate action against the miscreants.
“NH 31A legal shield smashed”, screamed a headline in a local daily during the two-day bandh which left at least 10 Sikkim-bound vehicles damaged. Even a press vehicle carrying newspapers from Siliguri to Gangtok was not spared. However, given the manner in which vehicles are attacked on the highway, it is very difficult to blame any particular party. Travelling along the 110-km national highway between Gangtok and Siliguri, a major commercial centre in North Bengal, takes around three hours and nearly two hours of this falls within “Gorkhaland” territory.
Gorkhaland activists, their faces half-covered with cloth, appear suddenly on the sides of the road, attack vehicles and then disappear into the jungle. They normally adopt hit-and-run tactics so they are not caught, not even by those in uniform.
When Sikkim has always been very sympathetic to the causes, including the statehood demand, espoused by Gorkhas/Nepalese living in the Darjeeling hills, why is it being targeted? “The blame goes to Chamling who filed a petition in the Supreme Court for non-closure of the highway during bandhs,” a Gorkha activist told a group of reporters who were travelling from Gangtok to Siliguri during a recent bandh. He added, “You Press people understand that while Sikkim’s annual budget is around Rs 5,000 crore, we get a meagre Rs 150 crore.”
One of the main reasons for the statehood agitation is the affluent lifestyle of the Nepalese in Sikkim who are in the majority. A section of them, originally from the Darjeeling hills, settled in Sikkim during the merger era in the 1970s. The poor economic condition of the Gorkhas in Darjeeling, whose population is almost three times that of Sikkim (about 550,000) as compared to their brethren in Sikkim, has been a cause for concern and a motivating factor for the statehood demand.
As the temporary solution to the Gorkhaland agitation through the proposed interim administrative set-up is yet to be reached due to the authorities’ reluctance to include the Dooars and Terai regions in the proposed package, Sikkim’s apprehensions during bandhs seems justifiable.
Chamling, though a Nepali and perhaps sympathetic towards the Gorkha cause, has to ensure that his state does not suffer as a result of bandhs called by Gorkha leaders and their opponents in the plains of North Bengal. First, Sikkim is a landlocked state and its only link with the country is through NH 31A. Second, the tourism sector, Sikkim’s economic backbone, is always drastically affected during bandhs. So, what is the solution?
“In Assam, Army protection to civilians during bandhs, aparticularly to travellers, is very good. Police and Army personnel not only guard the highways, convoys of armed forces move along with civilian vehicles to ensure their safety. Can the authorities do the same here?” asked a local businessman.
The proposed deployment of the Central Reserve Police Force along the highway during the forthcoming 10-day bandh will surely help towards ensuring an open highway. “We are concerned, particularly against the backdrop of the recent Supreme Court order to ensure normal traffic flow along the National Highway (31A) during the statehood agitations continuing in Darjeeling hills,” Inspector-General (North Bengal Police), KL Tamta said after last week’s bandh. However, fears of what might happen along the highway will persist despite police protection.
FROM THE STATESMAN
BY JIGME N KAZI
The writer is editor, Sikkim Observer
THE recent three-day bandh (14-16 May) in neighbouring Darjeeling and Siliguri forced the Sikkim governemnt to sit up and take notice. While chief minister Pawan Chamling was away, acting chief minister RB Subba convened a high-level meeting on 15 May to review and take stock of essential commodities in the state during the bandh.
This meeting, also attended by chief secretary, TT Dorji, took note of the proposed 10-day bandh called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha next month (12-21 June). “The chief secretary also apprised the meeting about the latest situation and further directed the food and civil supplies department and the transport department to take immediate action for (the) procurement and transportation of essential commodities,” an official release said.
Unfortunately, despite the Supreme Court’s directives against closure of National Highway 31A, which links Sikkim with the rest of the country, during bandhs a number of state vehicles plying this route were vandalised during the recent two-day bandh. The state government has demanded immediate action against the miscreants.
“NH 31A legal shield smashed”, screamed a headline in a local daily during the two-day bandh which left at least 10 Sikkim-bound vehicles damaged. Even a press vehicle carrying newspapers from Siliguri to Gangtok was not spared. However, given the manner in which vehicles are attacked on the highway, it is very difficult to blame any particular party. Travelling along the 110-km national highway between Gangtok and Siliguri, a major commercial centre in North Bengal, takes around three hours and nearly two hours of this falls within “Gorkhaland” territory.
Gorkhaland activists, their faces half-covered with cloth, appear suddenly on the sides of the road, attack vehicles and then disappear into the jungle. They normally adopt hit-and-run tactics so they are not caught, not even by those in uniform.
When Sikkim has always been very sympathetic to the causes, including the statehood demand, espoused by Gorkhas/Nepalese living in the Darjeeling hills, why is it being targeted? “The blame goes to Chamling who filed a petition in the Supreme Court for non-closure of the highway during bandhs,” a Gorkha activist told a group of reporters who were travelling from Gangtok to Siliguri during a recent bandh. He added, “You Press people understand that while Sikkim’s annual budget is around Rs 5,000 crore, we get a meagre Rs 150 crore.”
One of the main reasons for the statehood agitation is the affluent lifestyle of the Nepalese in Sikkim who are in the majority. A section of them, originally from the Darjeeling hills, settled in Sikkim during the merger era in the 1970s. The poor economic condition of the Gorkhas in Darjeeling, whose population is almost three times that of Sikkim (about 550,000) as compared to their brethren in Sikkim, has been a cause for concern and a motivating factor for the statehood demand.
As the temporary solution to the Gorkhaland agitation through the proposed interim administrative set-up is yet to be reached due to the authorities’ reluctance to include the Dooars and Terai regions in the proposed package, Sikkim’s apprehensions during bandhs seems justifiable.
Chamling, though a Nepali and perhaps sympathetic towards the Gorkha cause, has to ensure that his state does not suffer as a result of bandhs called by Gorkha leaders and their opponents in the plains of North Bengal. First, Sikkim is a landlocked state and its only link with the country is through NH 31A. Second, the tourism sector, Sikkim’s economic backbone, is always drastically affected during bandhs. So, what is the solution?
“In Assam, Army protection to civilians during bandhs, aparticularly to travellers, is very good. Police and Army personnel not only guard the highways, convoys of armed forces move along with civilian vehicles to ensure their safety. Can the authorities do the same here?” asked a local businessman.
The proposed deployment of the Central Reserve Police Force along the highway during the forthcoming 10-day bandh will surely help towards ensuring an open highway. “We are concerned, particularly against the backdrop of the recent Supreme Court order to ensure normal traffic flow along the National Highway (31A) during the statehood agitations continuing in Darjeeling hills,” Inspector-General (North Bengal Police), KL Tamta said after last week’s bandh. However, fears of what might happen along the highway will persist despite police protection.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Cabinet allows use of biometrics for UID
The government has approved the collection of an individual's biometric attributes, including iris scans, as part of the unique identity (UID) programme, also known as Aadhaar.
It will be the first time that such scans will be collected on a national basis and used for the government's ambitious plan to provide an ID to resi- dents of India. Apart from a photograph, the ID will also contain the person's finger- prints. The cabinet committee on Unique Identification Authori- ty of India (UIDAI) has given an “in-principle“ approval to the template that will be used to collect biometric and demo- graphic information, Nandan Nilekani, chairman, UIDAI, told a press conference after the cabinet meeting.
According to Nilekani, the approval was in-principle as there were “a lot of implemen- tation issues“.
UIDAI plans to place draft legislation in public domain in a few days giving details of the legal framework for its opera- tions.
The cabinet committee also approved iris scans for chil- dren from five to 15 years of age, which will be part of the ongoing census.
UIDAI, which is attached to the Planning Commission, plans to use existing databases such as the National Population Register (NPR) to provide residents with a 12-digit unique identity number.
According to a strategy re- port on UIDAI's website, “bio- metric attributes of the residents are going to be used as the basic signature for dedu- plication and ensure unique- ness“.
The UID number is a 12-digit lifetime number, but biometric information con- tained in the database would have to be regularly updated.
Children may have to update their biometric information every five years, and adults ev- ery 10 years, the strategy re- port said.
The unique identification would be used by both Central and state governments to en- hance the effectiveness of so- cial welfare schemes by ensur- ing the benefits reach the tar- get population. According to Nilekani, UIDAI has signed a memorandum of understand- ing with nine states and Union territories to extend the proj- ect there.
Harsh Mander, a former bu- reaucrat who is now the Supreme Court commissioner on food security, is sceptical about the impact UID would have on the government's so- cial welfare programmes. Ac- cording to Mander, the aim of bringing the poor into a data- base through a unique number was at odds with the behaviour of the people the project sought to help.
“They (the vulnerable sec- tions) survive by staying out of the state,“ Mander said. The most vulnerable fear that get- ting into the state's records would endanger them in fu- ture, he added.
The first set of UID numbers will be issued between August 2010 and February 2011, a gov- ernment press release said.
Later, 600 million UID num- bers will be issued in the next five years, the release said.
UIDAI will carry out its man- date through intermediaries known as registrars. Registrars would be entities such as NPR's Registrar General of In- dia and other government en- tities which have an existing database. In addition, private registrars will also collect de- mographic and biometric data.
The cabinet's approval of the template on Tuesday will allow all the registrars to gather data in a standardized manner.
The ongoing data collection for national census is already collecting demographic data for the UID project. This in- cludes basic information, in- cluding names and addresses of residents.
According to Nilekani, the UID project will eventually function as a back end where an individual's identity can be verified by any agency which needs to do that. According to the strategy paper on the web- site, UIDAI's revenue model would be based on collecting a fee from agencies that want to verify the identity of an indi- vidual.
UIDAI was constituted by the government in January 2009 and the cabinet commit- tee to deal with it was set up in October.
source;livemint
The government has approved the collection of an individual's biometric attributes, including iris scans, as part of the unique identity (UID) programme, also known as Aadhaar.
It will be the first time that such scans will be collected on a national basis and used for the government's ambitious plan to provide an ID to resi- dents of India. Apart from a photograph, the ID will also contain the person's finger- prints. The cabinet committee on Unique Identification Authori- ty of India (UIDAI) has given an “in-principle“ approval to the template that will be used to collect biometric and demo- graphic information, Nandan Nilekani, chairman, UIDAI, told a press conference after the cabinet meeting.
According to Nilekani, the approval was in-principle as there were “a lot of implemen- tation issues“.
UIDAI plans to place draft legislation in public domain in a few days giving details of the legal framework for its opera- tions.
The cabinet committee also approved iris scans for chil- dren from five to 15 years of age, which will be part of the ongoing census.
UIDAI, which is attached to the Planning Commission, plans to use existing databases such as the National Population Register (NPR) to provide residents with a 12-digit unique identity number.
According to a strategy re- port on UIDAI's website, “bio- metric attributes of the residents are going to be used as the basic signature for dedu- plication and ensure unique- ness“.
The UID number is a 12-digit lifetime number, but biometric information con- tained in the database would have to be regularly updated.
Children may have to update their biometric information every five years, and adults ev- ery 10 years, the strategy re- port said.
The unique identification would be used by both Central and state governments to en- hance the effectiveness of so- cial welfare schemes by ensur- ing the benefits reach the tar- get population. According to Nilekani, UIDAI has signed a memorandum of understand- ing with nine states and Union territories to extend the proj- ect there.
Harsh Mander, a former bu- reaucrat who is now the Supreme Court commissioner on food security, is sceptical about the impact UID would have on the government's so- cial welfare programmes. Ac- cording to Mander, the aim of bringing the poor into a data- base through a unique number was at odds with the behaviour of the people the project sought to help.
“They (the vulnerable sec- tions) survive by staying out of the state,“ Mander said. The most vulnerable fear that get- ting into the state's records would endanger them in fu- ture, he added.
The first set of UID numbers will be issued between August 2010 and February 2011, a gov- ernment press release said.
Later, 600 million UID num- bers will be issued in the next five years, the release said.
UIDAI will carry out its man- date through intermediaries known as registrars. Registrars would be entities such as NPR's Registrar General of In- dia and other government en- tities which have an existing database. In addition, private registrars will also collect de- mographic and biometric data.
The cabinet's approval of the template on Tuesday will allow all the registrars to gather data in a standardized manner.
The ongoing data collection for national census is already collecting demographic data for the UID project. This in- cludes basic information, in- cluding names and addresses of residents.
According to Nilekani, the UID project will eventually function as a back end where an individual's identity can be verified by any agency which needs to do that. According to the strategy paper on the web- site, UIDAI's revenue model would be based on collecting a fee from agencies that want to verify the identity of an indi- vidual.
UIDAI was constituted by the government in January 2009 and the cabinet commit- tee to deal with it was set up in October.
source;livemint
Sikkim has adopted clear strategies for the sustainable development: Sewa
Gangtok May19: The Centre for WTO Studies, FACSI and FICCI held a Seminar on “Promoting Awareness on WTO Agreements: Towards Capacity Building of Stakeholders” at a local Hotel, in the State capital today.The seminar was organized in cooperation with the Commerce & Industries Department, Government of Sikkim and Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.
Addressing the seminar, Chief Guest of the programme Neeru Sewa congratulated the FACSI and FICCI for organizing this outreach programme on World Trade Organization and greatly appreciated the interest shown by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India and Centre for WTO Studies to support this capacity building project in the State. “WTO is new to our State and it is our endeavour to create awareness so that our people could also take advantage from it” she added.
Sewa further said that the “Look East Policy of Government of India has ushered in a lot of opportunities in the North-East region and helped in dealing with economic backwardness, lack of economic awareness, amongst other important issues. Further Sikkim is in the globalization process and the Government has adopted clear strategies for the sustainable development of the State by playing the roll of a facilitator .The State Government has adopted an investor friendly policy and liberal Labour laws. She also highlighted on the Capacity Building and Skilled Development schemes of the State Government to enable the local youths to meet the requirement of Industrial ventures and other sectors.
She further stated that World Trade Organization is a multilateral, rule-based trading system and the importance of having a multilateral trading system in this global scenario has increased manifold. The main overall motto of WTO is to promote and ensure the international trade in member countries with the mantra of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization, besides trade without discrimination.
The Seminar was also attended by Commissioner-cum-Secretary Industries M.G. Kiran, Director Industries K.K. Kafley, Sukhendu Bikash Ghose, President, FACSI, H.K.Guha Vice President FACSI, S K Sarda President,Sikkim Chamber of Commerce and other officials.
Gangtok May19: The Centre for WTO Studies, FACSI and FICCI held a Seminar on “Promoting Awareness on WTO Agreements: Towards Capacity Building of Stakeholders” at a local Hotel, in the State capital today.The seminar was organized in cooperation with the Commerce & Industries Department, Government of Sikkim and Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India.
Addressing the seminar, Chief Guest of the programme Neeru Sewa congratulated the FACSI and FICCI for organizing this outreach programme on World Trade Organization and greatly appreciated the interest shown by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India and Centre for WTO Studies to support this capacity building project in the State. “WTO is new to our State and it is our endeavour to create awareness so that our people could also take advantage from it” she added.
Sewa further said that the “Look East Policy of Government of India has ushered in a lot of opportunities in the North-East region and helped in dealing with economic backwardness, lack of economic awareness, amongst other important issues. Further Sikkim is in the globalization process and the Government has adopted clear strategies for the sustainable development of the State by playing the roll of a facilitator .The State Government has adopted an investor friendly policy and liberal Labour laws. She also highlighted on the Capacity Building and Skilled Development schemes of the State Government to enable the local youths to meet the requirement of Industrial ventures and other sectors.
She further stated that World Trade Organization is a multilateral, rule-based trading system and the importance of having a multilateral trading system in this global scenario has increased manifold. The main overall motto of WTO is to promote and ensure the international trade in member countries with the mantra of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization, besides trade without discrimination.
The Seminar was also attended by Commissioner-cum-Secretary Industries M.G. Kiran, Director Industries K.K. Kafley, Sukhendu Bikash Ghose, President, FACSI, H.K.Guha Vice President FACSI, S K Sarda President,Sikkim Chamber of Commerce and other officials.
Cabinet nod to Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies
New Delhi : The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies (CIHCS) at Dahung in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh as an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Culture.
The cost of the project is Rs. nine crore with a recurring annual cost of Rs.124.86 lakh per annum.
The West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh where CIHCS is proposed to be established is traditionally Buddhist.
“This will not only fill the vacuum that exists in the field of education especially Buddism, but will also provide cultural moorings to the youth of this region and foster national integration,’’ said I&B minister and government spokesperson Ambika Soni
New Delhi : The Union Cabinet has approved establishment of Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies (CIHCS) at Dahung in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh as an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Culture.
The cost of the project is Rs. nine crore with a recurring annual cost of Rs.124.86 lakh per annum.
The West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh where CIHCS is proposed to be established is traditionally Buddhist.
“This will not only fill the vacuum that exists in the field of education especially Buddism, but will also provide cultural moorings to the youth of this region and foster national integration,’’ said I&B minister and government spokesperson Ambika Soni
Minister of State status for Gangtok Mayor
SE Report
GANGTOK, May 20: The State Government has conferred a status of Minister of State to the Gangtok Municipal Corporation, KN Topgay, as per a press release from IPR department.
Similarly, the Deputy Mayor of Gangtok Municipal Corporation and Chairperson of Namchi Municipal Council have been delegated the status of Deputy Minister while the vice-chairperson has been conferred with the status equal to a chairperson of PSCs and boards.
SE Report
GANGTOK, May 20: The State Government has conferred a status of Minister of State to the Gangtok Municipal Corporation, KN Topgay, as per a press release from IPR department.
Similarly, the Deputy Mayor of Gangtok Municipal Corporation and Chairperson of Namchi Municipal Council have been delegated the status of Deputy Minister while the vice-chairperson has been conferred with the status equal to a chairperson of PSCs and boards.
Sacred Himalayan sites bring together religious leaders, conservationists
A first-time workshop in Bhutan today is bringing together religious leaders, government officials and conservationists to discuss how to better protect sacred natural sites in the region.
The workshop comes amid renewed interest from religious leaders worldwide in supporting conservation efforts.
For example, during the last two years Malaysia’s Muslim preachers have been enlisted in the fight for wildlife conservation, using passages from the Koran to raise awareness and help protect some of the world’s most endangered species.
Ahead of the climate talks in 2009, the Christian Orthodox Church’s most senior leader in September 2009 issued a statement urging world leaders to join him and his more than 200 million followers in pushing for a strong and fair climate deal.
In many countries, religion and culture have played a significant role in the preservation of not only cultural riches, but also forests, rivers and in some cases mountains in the form of “sacred natural sites” that are revered by the local communities as abodes of their local deities or gods.
These beliefs have directly or indirectly helped in preservation of nature, according to WWF. This kind of reverence is seen amply in Bhutan and in the region but a direct link to nature conservation from these beliefs has never been studied till now.
WWF and its Living Himalayas Initiative are organizing the workshop, called “Sacred Natural Sites, Biodiversity Conservation & Climate Change in the Eastern Himalayas” in Bhutan from 17-19 May.
“The workshop on Sacred Natural Sites, bio-cultural diversity, and climate change is a first step in the region to get a group of academics, religious leaders and practitioners, government agencies, and conservationists together to discuss the issues and start to take action” said Tariq Aziz, Leader Living Himalayas Initiative.
The overall aim of this workshop is to document the sacred natural sites in the Eastern Himalayan region (Bhutan, India & Nepal) and detail their importance to the conservation of the region’s bio-cultural diversity; to engage faith groups further in practical conservation; and to explore the increasing threats and adaptation needs of faith communities in the face of rapidly changing climatic conditions.
Officials from WWF’s Network, religious leaders, experts in the field of religion and culture and climate change and related government officials from the Eastern Himalayan region are attending this two day meeting.
“In the Himalayas – the whole place is sacred, but there are many more specific places that have an even more special status for the different traditions that are prominent here” said Liza Higgins Zogib, Manager, People and Conservation, WWF International.
Through this effort WWF hopes to gather the varying opinions of the participating groups and find a solution to better protect those sacred natural sites.
source;Shri Barun Roy
A first-time workshop in Bhutan today is bringing together religious leaders, government officials and conservationists to discuss how to better protect sacred natural sites in the region.
The workshop comes amid renewed interest from religious leaders worldwide in supporting conservation efforts.
For example, during the last two years Malaysia’s Muslim preachers have been enlisted in the fight for wildlife conservation, using passages from the Koran to raise awareness and help protect some of the world’s most endangered species.
Ahead of the climate talks in 2009, the Christian Orthodox Church’s most senior leader in September 2009 issued a statement urging world leaders to join him and his more than 200 million followers in pushing for a strong and fair climate deal.
In many countries, religion and culture have played a significant role in the preservation of not only cultural riches, but also forests, rivers and in some cases mountains in the form of “sacred natural sites” that are revered by the local communities as abodes of their local deities or gods.
These beliefs have directly or indirectly helped in preservation of nature, according to WWF. This kind of reverence is seen amply in Bhutan and in the region but a direct link to nature conservation from these beliefs has never been studied till now.
WWF and its Living Himalayas Initiative are organizing the workshop, called “Sacred Natural Sites, Biodiversity Conservation & Climate Change in the Eastern Himalayas” in Bhutan from 17-19 May.
“The workshop on Sacred Natural Sites, bio-cultural diversity, and climate change is a first step in the region to get a group of academics, religious leaders and practitioners, government agencies, and conservationists together to discuss the issues and start to take action” said Tariq Aziz, Leader Living Himalayas Initiative.
The overall aim of this workshop is to document the sacred natural sites in the Eastern Himalayan region (Bhutan, India & Nepal) and detail their importance to the conservation of the region’s bio-cultural diversity; to engage faith groups further in practical conservation; and to explore the increasing threats and adaptation needs of faith communities in the face of rapidly changing climatic conditions.
Officials from WWF’s Network, religious leaders, experts in the field of religion and culture and climate change and related government officials from the Eastern Himalayan region are attending this two day meeting.
“In the Himalayas – the whole place is sacred, but there are many more specific places that have an even more special status for the different traditions that are prominent here” said Liza Higgins Zogib, Manager, People and Conservation, WWF International.
Through this effort WWF hopes to gather the varying opinions of the participating groups and find a solution to better protect those sacred natural sites.
source;Shri Barun Roy
HP says 10,000 cows can power 1,000 servers
Hewlett Packard Co. Labs researcher says there’s interest in a cow power project
FROM COMPUTER WORLD
BY PATRICK THIBODEAU
SHARED BY AARDEE
May 19, 2010: Reducing energy consumption in data centers, particularly with the prospect of a federal carbon tax, is pushing vendors to explore an ever-growing range of ideas.
HP engineers say that biogas may, excuse this, offer a fresh alternative energy approach for IT managers.
Researchers at Hewlett Packard Co.’s HP Labs presented a paper (download PDF) on using cow manure from dairy farms and cattle feedlots and other “digested farm waste” to generate electricity to an American Society of Mechanical Engineers conference held this week.
In the paper, the research team calculates that “a hypothetical farm of 10,000 dairy cows” could power a 1 MW data center — or on the order of 1,000 servers.
It’s just an idea sketched out on paper by a research team; no demonstration project has yet been planned. “I’ve not yet submitted a purchase order for cows,” said Tom Christian, an HP researcher, in an e-mail on early Wednesday.
Later today, as the paper attracted more and more attention, Christian sent a follow-up e-mail noting that HP labs had since received two inquirers about building a demonstration project. “The responses have been quite serious,” he said.
Organic matter is already used by farms to generate power through a process called anaerobic digestion that produces a methane rich biogas. HP’s paper looks at how the process could be extended to run a data center, starting with the amount of manure produced by your typical dairy cow and working up from there.
Another trend that makes the idea of turning organic waste into usable power for data centers is the moves by several firms to build facilities in rural locations, where high-speed networks allow them to take advantage of the cost advantages of such areas.
But there are some practical problems, not the least of which is connecting a data center to the cows.
“What’s the reality of getting 10,000 cows in once place?” said Angie McEliece, an environmental consultant for RCM International in Berkeley, Calif., which makes digester systems. The average size dairy farm in the U.S. includes less than 1,000 cows; farms with 5,000 cows is quite unusual, she said.
McEliece had not seen HP’s paper, but said the power estimates seem correct for 10,000 cows, though the process wouldn’t be practical. She noted that other organic data center energy sources, such as landfills and waste from food manufacturers, be examined as well.
Farms that now use anaerobic digestion system to generate electricity and heat typically get some funding from federal and state grants. In such cases, a payback of four years or less on the technology is likely. Without grants, the payback can be about 10 years, said McEliece.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to this study, estimates that there are 125 operating digester projects at commercial livestock facilities in the U.S. In 2008 they produced, in total, 290 million kWh, according to HP’s research
source; Shri Barun Roy
Hewlett Packard Co. Labs researcher says there’s interest in a cow power project
FROM COMPUTER WORLD
BY PATRICK THIBODEAU
SHARED BY AARDEE
May 19, 2010: Reducing energy consumption in data centers, particularly with the prospect of a federal carbon tax, is pushing vendors to explore an ever-growing range of ideas.
HP engineers say that biogas may, excuse this, offer a fresh alternative energy approach for IT managers.
Researchers at Hewlett Packard Co.’s HP Labs presented a paper (download PDF) on using cow manure from dairy farms and cattle feedlots and other “digested farm waste” to generate electricity to an American Society of Mechanical Engineers conference held this week.
In the paper, the research team calculates that “a hypothetical farm of 10,000 dairy cows” could power a 1 MW data center — or on the order of 1,000 servers.
It’s just an idea sketched out on paper by a research team; no demonstration project has yet been planned. “I’ve not yet submitted a purchase order for cows,” said Tom Christian, an HP researcher, in an e-mail on early Wednesday.
Later today, as the paper attracted more and more attention, Christian sent a follow-up e-mail noting that HP labs had since received two inquirers about building a demonstration project. “The responses have been quite serious,” he said.
Organic matter is already used by farms to generate power through a process called anaerobic digestion that produces a methane rich biogas. HP’s paper looks at how the process could be extended to run a data center, starting with the amount of manure produced by your typical dairy cow and working up from there.
Another trend that makes the idea of turning organic waste into usable power for data centers is the moves by several firms to build facilities in rural locations, where high-speed networks allow them to take advantage of the cost advantages of such areas.
But there are some practical problems, not the least of which is connecting a data center to the cows.
“What’s the reality of getting 10,000 cows in once place?” said Angie McEliece, an environmental consultant for RCM International in Berkeley, Calif., which makes digester systems. The average size dairy farm in the U.S. includes less than 1,000 cows; farms with 5,000 cows is quite unusual, she said.
McEliece had not seen HP’s paper, but said the power estimates seem correct for 10,000 cows, though the process wouldn’t be practical. She noted that other organic data center energy sources, such as landfills and waste from food manufacturers, be examined as well.
Farms that now use anaerobic digestion system to generate electricity and heat typically get some funding from federal and state grants. In such cases, a payback of four years or less on the technology is likely. Without grants, the payback can be about 10 years, said McEliece.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to this study, estimates that there are 125 operating digester projects at commercial livestock facilities in the U.S. In 2008 they produced, in total, 290 million kWh, according to HP’s research
source; Shri Barun Roy
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