India Lost 2.33 Million Hectares Of Tree Cover Since 2000

India has lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000, equivalent to a six per cent decrease in tree cover during this period, according to the latest data from the Global Forest Watch monitoring project.

The Global Forest Watch, which tracks forest changes in near real-time using satellite data and other sources, said the country lost 4,14,000 hectares of humid primary forest (4.1 per cent) from 2002 to 2023, making up 18 per cent of its total tree cover loss in the same period.

Between 2001 and 2022, it said, forests in India emitted 51 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year and removed 141 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year. This represents a net carbon sink of 89.9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year.

An average of 51.0 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year was released into the atmosphere as a result of tree cover loss in India. In total, 1.12 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent was emitted during this period.

Forests are both a sink and a source for carbon, removing carbon dioxide from the air when standing or regrowing and emitting it when cleared or degraded. Loss of forests, thus, accelerates climate change.

Tree cover loss is not always deforestation, which typically refers to human-caused, permanent removal of natural forest cover. It includes both human-caused loss and natural disturbances, and loss that is permanent or temporary. Examples of tree cover loss that may not meet the definition of deforestation include loss from logging, fire, disease or storm damage.

The data showed that 95 per cent of the tree cover loss in India from 2013 to 2023 occurred within natural forests.

The maximum tree cover loss of 189,000 hectares occurred in 2017. The country lost 175,000 hectares of tree cover in 2016 and 144,000 hectares in 2023, the highest in the last six years.

The GFW data showed that five states accounted for 60 per cent of all tree cover loss between 2001 and 2023.

Assam had the maximum tree cover loss at 324,000 hectares compared to an average of 66,600 hectares. Mizoram lost 312,000 hectares of tree cover, Arunachal Pradesh 262,000 hectares, Nagaland 259,000 hectares, and Manipur 240,000 hectares.

The tree cover loss data featured on the Global Forest Watch represents the best available spatial figures on how forests are changing around the world. However, changes have occurred to the data over time due to algorithm adjustments and improved satellite data. Therefore, the GFW cautions users against comparing old and new data, especially before/after 2015.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the rate of deforestation in India was 668,000 hectares per year between 2015 and 2020, the second highest worldwide.

The data showed India lost 35,900 hectares of tree cover due to fires from 2002 to 2022, with 2008 recording the maximum tree cover loss due to fires (3,000 hectares).

From 2001 to 2022, Odisha had the highest rate of tree cover loss due to fires with an average of 238 hectares lost per year. Arunachal Pradesh lost 198 hectares, Nagaland 195 hectares, Assam 116 hectares, and Meghalaya 97 hectares.

The Global Forest Watch refers to tree cover when talking about forest extent, loss and gain. Tree cover is a convenient metric for monitoring forest change because it is easily measurable from space using freely available, medium-resolution satellite imagery. This means that tree cover can be monitored frequently, at low cost, and over large geographic scales.

However, the existence of tree cover does not always make a forest, tree cover loss does not always imply forest loss or deforestation, and tree cover gain does not always imply forest gain or restoration.

Measuring these variables directly poses technical challenges, since most definitions of forest involve a combination of tree cover and land use. The latter is much more difficult, if not impossible in some cases, to monitor using satellite imagery, the GFW says.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Terrorist Hideout Busted In J&K's Kupwara, Arms And Ammunition Recovered

The security forces busted a terrorist hideout in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on Friday and recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition, police said.

Based on specific information related to the presence of a terrorist hideout in the forest area of Gangbugh in Sogam area of north Kashmir district, a cordon and search operation was launched by the security forces there, a police spokesman said.

During the search operation, a terrorist hideout was busted and a large quantity of war-like stores was recovered, the spokesman said.

The recoveries include six UBGLs, five hand grenades, 23 Chinese hand grenades, nine 40-mm MGL rounds, a pistol, nine pistol magazines, 65 pistol rounds, an AK-47 rifle, five AK magazines, 1135 AK rounds, 13 UBGL grenades, an IED and 175 Pika gun rounds among other items.

The operation has delivered a major blow to the nefarious designs of PaK-based terrorist groups who have always aspired to disturb peace and tranquillity in the Kashmir Valley, the spokesman said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Polling Booths In Puducherry's Mahe To Be Staffed By Women Officers Only

As India gears up for the biggest festival of democracy, Puducherry's Mahe district will set a unique example of a gender-inclusive electoral process. All 31 polling stations in the district will be staffed by women polling officers. Votes will be polled on April 19, the first of the seven phases of the election process.

"Women at the forefront of Democracy: All 31 Polling Stations of Mahe district in Puducherry will be staffed by Women Polling Officials in the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024," the Election Commission of India said in an Instagram post.

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Officials said 140 women poll workers will carry out the election process in the district.

Additionally, four teams of women poll workers conducted home voting for persons with disability who opted for the facility.

Mahe is one of Puducherry's four regions. With an electorate of 31,038, the district stands out as one of the most gender-inclusive areas within Puducherry. 

"From voter registration drives to polling station management, the Election Commission of India has made concerted efforts to ensure women are included at every step. Now more than ever, the increasing women's participation in elections as electors and election managers reflects ECI's commitment towards gender inclusive elections and women's empowerment," an official statement said.

In a first. all the polling booths in the Raipur North assembly constituency were staffed and managed fully by women officials during the Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections in 2023.

To achieve this feat - a first for any assembly constituency in the country, 1,046 women were deployed in 201 polling booths in the constituency.

These all-women booths not only provided a sense of comfort and security to all voters but also set a unique precedent.

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BJP Picks SS Ahluwalia To Take On Shatrughan Sinha In Bengal's Asansol

The BJP on Wednesday announced the nomination of former Union minister SS Ahluwalia from the Asansol Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal.

Mr Ahluwalia would take on TMC's heavyweight candidate and the party's star face, Shatrughan Sinha, in Asansol, an industrial hub encapsulating the state's coal belt.

The BJP had previously replaced Ahluwalia, the party's sitting MP from the Burdwan-Durgapur seat, with former state president Dilip Ghosh as candidate for the constituency.

Mr Ghosh was, in turn, moved from his erstwhile winning seat Medinipur to fight for his prospects on Ahluwalia's turf.

Although the BJP had initially announced the name of Bhojpuri singer-actor Pawan Singh as its candidate from Asansol, the seat remained unrepresented by the party till now following Singh's refusal to contest from the constituency.

Although Mr Ahluwalia could not be contacted for his remarks, the state BJP welcomed his candidature.

"We are confident of regaining the seat from the TMC with an experienced leader like SS Ahluwalia leading the charge from the seat," BJP Samik Bhattacharya said.

Former two-term BJP MP from the seat, Babul Supriyo, who switched over to the TMC in 2021, remarked that Mr Ahluwalia has been made a "sacrificial lamb".

"Mr Ahluwalia is a nice person and a friend of mine. But, I think the BJP is making him a sacrificial lamb by sending him to Asansol, which is a lost cause for the BJP," Supriyo, the state tourism minister, alleged.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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केरल और जम्मू-कश्मीर में बुधवार को, देश के बाकी हिस्सों में बृहस्पतिवार को मनाई जाएगी ईद

केरल, जम्मू-कश्मीर और लद्दाख में बुधवार को जबकि देश के अन्य हिस्सों में ईद-उल-फित्र का त्यौहार बृहस्पतिवार को मनाया जाएगा. फतेहपुरी मस्जिद के शाही इमाम मौलाना मुफ्ती मुकर्रम अहमद ने ‘पीटीआई-भाषा' को बताया कि मंगलवार को ईद का चांद नज़र नहीं आया, इसलिए ईद-उल-फित्र का त्यौहार बृहस्पतिवार को मनाया जाएगा तथा बुधवार को 30वां और आखिरी रोज़ा होगा.

मुकर्रम ने बताया कि ईद का चांद नज़र नहीं आया है, इसलिए ईद का त्यौहार 11 अप्रैल को मनाया जाएगा. हालांकि, ईद केरल, जम्मू-कश्मीर और लद्दाख में बुधवार को मनाई जाएगी.

सैयद सादिक अली शिहाब थंगल और जिफरी मुथुक्कोया थंगल सहित केरल के अन्य मौलवियों ने कहा कि शव्वाल का चांद देखा गया है और राज्य में बुधवार को ईद मनाई जाएगी. श्रीनगर में मुफ्ती नासिर-उल-इस्लाम ने कहा कि चांद दिख गया है और बुधवार को जम्मू-कश्मीर में ईद मनाई जाएगी.

मुफ्ती मुकर्रम ने कहा, ‘‘उत्तर प्रदेश, मध्य प्रदेश, गुजरात, हरियाणा और राजस्थान समेत किसी भी राज्य से चांद दिखने की खबर नहीं मिली है.'' मुकर्रम ने कहा कि बुधवार को 30वां रोज़ा होगा और शव्वाल (इस्लामी केलेंडर के 10वें महीने) की पहली तारीख बृहस्पतिवार को होगी. शव्वाल के महीने के पहले दिन ईद होती है.

वहीं, जामा मस्जिद के पूर्व इमाम सैयद अहमद बुखारी ने कहा कि देश के किसी हिस्से से शव्वाल यानी ईद-उल-फित्र का चांद दिखने की कोई खबर नहीं है. उन्होंने कहा, ‘‘हिंदुस्तान के अलग-अलग हिस्सों- उत्तर प्रदेश, मध्य प्रदेश, तेलंगाना, पश्चिम बंगाल व बिहार में संपर्क किया गया लेकिन कहीं भी चांद नहीं दिखा है.''

बुखारी ने कहा, ‘‘ईद 11 अप्रैल को मनाई जाएगी.'. उधर, मुस्लिम संगठन जमीयत उलेमा-ए-हिंद से जुड़े इमारत ए शरीया हिंद ने भी ऐलान किया है कि मंगलवार को देश के किसी हिस्से में मीठी ईद का चांद नज़र नहीं आया.

संगठन ने एक बयान में कहा, ‘‘यह पुष्टि की जाती है कि देश के किसी भी हिस्से से चांद दिखने की कोई खबर नहीं है, लिहाज़ा ईद-उल-फित्र 11 अप्रैल को होगी.'' अभी इस्लामी केलेंडर का नौवां महीना ‘रमज़ान' चल रहा है जिसमें समुदाय के लोग रोज़ा (व्रत) रखते हैं. रमज़ान के महीने में रोज़ेदार सुबह सूरज निकलने से पहले से लेकर सूरज डूबने तक कुछ नहीं खाते-पीते हैं. यह महीना ईद का चांद नजर आने के साथ खत्म होता है.
 

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Woman Dies, Husband Critical After Couple Attempts Suicide In UP: Cops

A woman died while her husband is critical after the couple allegedly consumed poison in their house here, police said on Tuesday.

A suicide note was recovered from the couple's room at their house in the city's Tollawala area, they said.

The incident took place on Monday night when Ankur Sharma (27) and his wife Shivani Sharma (22) allegedly consumed poison after they had a fight, Haldaur SHO Ram Pratap Singh said.

On finding the couple unconscious the next morning, their family members rushed them to a hospital, Mr Singh said.

Shivani died during treatment while Ankur's condition is stated to be critical, the SHO said.

A probe is on in the matter, the SHO said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Only 1 Application Received So Far In Assam Under CAA: Himanta Sarma

Only one application has so far been received for citizenship under the CAA in Assam, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday.

The lone application was made in Barak Valley, he said, without elaborating further.

"The anti-CAA movement was based on lies and they (who were at the forefront) will have to answer now. So many days have passed, and only one application has been made in the state till date," Sarma said.

The Chief Minister was talking to reporters after an election rally at Sonari in Sivasagar district, which comes under the Jorhat Lok Sabha seat.

The Centre had last month implemented the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, notifying the rules four years after the law was passed by Parliament to fast-track citizenship for undocumented non-Muslim migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

Mr Sarma also said “there will be no contest” in the five constituencies going to polls in the first phase on April 19.

Among the remaining nine seats where polling will be held in two more phases, he said there will be a contest in one constituency each, though he did not name those.

"If we consider BJP's performance in the 2021 assembly polls, even after delimitation, we are in the lead," the chief minister said.

Mr Sarma also claimed that there will be “no one left” in the Congress by 2026.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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