ISRO SALETTLIES

Satellite	Launch Date	Launch Vehicle	Type of Satellite
RESOURCESAT-2	20.04.2011	PSLV-C16	Earth Observation Satellite
YOUTHSAT	20.04.2011	PSLV-C16	Experimental / Small Satellite
GSAT-5P	25.12.2010	GSLV-F06	Geo-Stationary Satellite
STUDSAT	12.07.2010	PSLV-C15	Experimental / Small Satellite
CARTOSAT-2B	12.07.2010	PSLV-C15	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-4	15.04.2010	GSLV-D3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Oceansat-2	23.09.2009	PSLV-C14	Earth Observation Satellite
ANUSAT	20.04.2009	PSLV-C12	Experimental / Small Satellite
RISAT-2	20.04.2009	PSLV-C12	Earth Observation Satellite
Chandrayaan-1	22.10.2008	PSLV-C11	Space Mission
CARTOSAT - 2A	28.04.2008	PSLV-C9	Earth Observation Satellite
IMS-1	28.04.2008	PSLV-C9	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-4B	12.03.2007	Ariane-5ECA	Geo-Stationary Satellite
CARTOSAT - 2	10.01.2007	PSLV-C7	Earth Observation Satellite
SRE - 1	10.01.2007	PSLV-C7	Experimental / Small Satellite
INSAT-4CR	02.09.2007	GSLV-F04	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-4C	10.07.2006	GSLV-F02	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-4A	22.12.2005	Ariane-5GS	Geo-Stationary Satellite
HAMSAT	05.05.2005	PSLV-C6	Experimental / Small Satellite
CARTOSAT-1	05.05.2005	PSLV-C6	Earth Observation Satellite
EDUSAT (GSAT-3)	20.09.2004	GSLV-F01	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Resourcesat-1(IRS-P6)	17.10.2003	PSLV-C5	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-3A	10.04.2003	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3E	28.09.2003	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
GSAT-2	08.05.2003	GSLV-D2	Geo-Stationary Satellite
KALPANA-1(METSAT)	12.09.2002	PSLV-C4	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3C	24.01.2002	Ariane-42L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Technology Experiment Satellite (TES)	22.10.2001	PSLV-C3	Earth Observation Satellite
GSAT-1	18.04.2001	GSLV-D1	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-3B	22.03.2000	Ariane-5G	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Oceansat(IRS-P4)	26.05.1999	PSLV-C2	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2E	03.04.1999	Ariane-42P H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-2DT	January 1998	Ariane-44L H10	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-1D	29.09.1997	PSLV-C1	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2D	04.06.1997	Ariane-44L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-P3	21.03.1996	PSLV-D3	Earth Observation Satellite
IRS-1C	28.12.1995	Molniya	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2C	07.12.1995	Ariane-44L H10-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
IRS-P2	15.10.1994	PSLV-D2	Earth Observation Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C2)	04.05.1994	ASLV	Space Mission
IRS-1E	20.09.1993	PSLV-D1	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-2B	23.07.1993	Ariane-44L H10+	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-2A	10.07.1992	Ariane-44L H10	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-C)	20.05.1992	ASLV	Space Mission
IRS-1B	29.08.1991	Vostok	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-1D	12.06.1990	Delta 4925	Geo-Stationary Satellite
INSAT-1C	21.07.1988	Ariane-3	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-2)	13.07.1988	ASLV	Earth Observation Satellite
IRS-1A	17.03.1988	Vostok	Earth Observation Satellite
Stretched Rohini Satellite Series (SROSS-1)	24.03.1987	ASLV	Space Mission
INSAT-1B	30.08.1983	Shuttle [PAM-D]	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Rohini (RS-D2)	17.04.1983	SLV-3	Earth Observation Satellite
INSAT-1A	10.04.1982	Delta 3910 PAM-D	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Bhaskara-II	20.11.1981	C-1 Intercosmos	Earth Observation Satellite
Ariane Passenger Payload Experiment (APPLE)	19.06.1981	Ariane-1(V-3)	Geo-Stationary Satellite
Rohini (RS-D1)	31.05.1981	SLV-3	Earth Observation Satellite
Rohini (RS-1)	18.07.1980	SLV-3	Experimental / Small Satellite
Rohini Technology Payload (RTP)	10.08.1979	SLV-3	Experimental / Small Satellite
Bhaskara-I	07.06.1979	C-1 Intercosmos	Earth Observation Satellite
Aryabhata	19.04.1975	C-1 Intercosmos	Experimental / Small Satellite

50YEARS OF FIRST SPACE TRAVEL

SUPER BUG DETAILS

How the nuclear plant crisis happened

The fuel in all the 3 Units is thought to have at least partially melted down despite pumping sea water and boric acid into the Units

The crisis at the three Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power stations did not come from buildings collapsing due to the March 11 earthquake of magnitude 9 but from power failure following the quake. The tsunami knocked out the generators that produced the power. Lack of power in turn caused the cooling systems of the reactors to fail.

The Fukushima nuclear reactor 1 went critical on March 1971 and is a 460 MW reactor. Unit-2 and Unit-3 are 784 MW each and went critical in July 1974 and March 1976 respectively. All the three are Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) and use demineralised water for cooling nuclear fuel.

The fuel, in the form of pellets, is kept inside a casing called cladding. The cladding is made of zirconium alloy, and it completely seals the fuel. Fuel pins in the form of bundles are kept in the reactor core. Heat is generated in the reactor core through a fission process sustained by chain reaction.

The fuel bundles are placed in such a way that the coolant can easily flow around the fuel pins. The coolant never comes in direct contact with the fuel as the fuel is kept sealed inside the zirconium alloy cladding. The coolant changes into steam as it cools the hot fuel. It is this steam that generates electricity by driving the turbines.

All the heat that is produced by nuclear fission is not used for producing electricity. The efficiency of a power plant, including nuclear, is not 100 per cent. In the case of a nuclear power plant the efficiency is 30-35 per cent. “About 3 MW of thermal energy is required to produce 1 MW of electrical energy. Hence for the 460 MW Unit-1, 1,380 MW of thermal energy is produced,” said Dr. K.S. Parthasarathy, former Secretary, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Mumbai. “This heat has to be removed continuously.”

In the case of the Fukushima units, demineralised water is used as coolant. Uranium-235 is used as fuel in Unit-1 and Unit-2, and MOX (a mixture of oxides of Uranium-Plutonium-239) is used as fuel in Unit-3.

Coolant flow

Since a very high amount of heat is generated, the flow of the coolant should never be disrupted. But on March 11, pumping of the coolant failed as even the diesel generator failed after an hour's operation.

Though the power producing fission process was stopped by using control rods that absorbed the neutrons immediately after the quake, the fuel still contains fission products such as iodine-131 and caesium-137 and activation products such as plutonium-239.

Decay heat

“These radionuclides decay at different timescales, and they continue to produce heat during the decay period,” Dr. Parthasarathy said.

The heat produced by radioactive decay of these radionuclides is called “decay heat.”

“Just prior to the shut down of the reactor the decay heat is 7 per cent. It reduces exponentially, to about 2 per cent in the first hour. After one day, the decay heat is about 1 per cent. Then it reduces very slowly,” he said.

While the uranium fission process can be stopped and heat generation can be halted, there is no way of stopping radioactive decay of the fission products.

Apart from the original heat, the heat produced continuously by the fission products and activation products has to be removed even after the uranium fission process has been stopped.

Inability to remove this heat led to a rise in coolant temperature. According to the Nature journal, when the temperature reached around 1,000 degree C, the zirconium alloy that encased the fuel (cladding) probably began to melt or split apart. “In the process it reacted with the steam and created hydrogen gas, which is highly volatile,” Nature notes.

Though the pressure created by hydrogen gas was reduced by controlled release, the massive build-up of hydrogen led to the explosion that blew the roof of the secondary confinement (outer buildings around the reactor) in all the three units (Unit-1, Unit-2 and Unit-3). The reactor core is present inside the primary containment.

But the real danger arises from fuel melting. This would happen following the rupture of the zirconium casing. “If the heat is not removed, the zirconium cladding along with the fuel would melt and become liquid,” Dr. Parthasarathy explained. The government has said that fuel rods in Unit-3 were likely already damaged.

Effect of melted fuel

Melted fuel is called “corium.” Since melted fuel is at a very high temperature it can even “burn through the concrete containment vessel.”

According to Nature, if enough melted fuel gathers outside the fuel assembly it can “restart the power-producing reactions, and in a completely uncontrolled way.”

What may result is a “full-scale nuclear meltdown.”

Pumping of sea-water is one way to reduce the heat and avoid such catastrophic consequences. The use of boric acid, which is an excellent neutron absorber, would reduce the chances of nuclear reactions restarting even if the fuel is found loose inside the reactor core. Both these measures have been resorted to in all three Units. Despite these measures, the fuel rods were found exposed in Unit-2 on two occasions.

Fate of reactor core

While the use of sea-water can prevent fuel melt, it makes the reactor core completely useless due to corrosion.

The case of Unit-4 is different from the other three units. Unlike in the case of Unit-1, 2 and 3, the Unit-4 is under maintenance and the core has been taken out, and the spent fuel rods are kept in the cooling pond.

Whatever led to a decrease in water level, the storage pond caught fire on March 15 possibly due to hydrogen explosion. The radioactivity was released directly into the atmosphere.

Spent fuel fate unknown

It is not known if the integrity of the cladding has been already affected and the fuel exposed. Since the core of a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) is removed only once a year or so, the number of spent rods in the pond will be more.

If the fuel is indeed exposed, the possibility of fuel melt is very likely. Though the fuel will be at a lower temperature than found inside a working reactor, there are chances of the fuel melting.

Since it does not have any containment unlike the fuel found inside a reactor, the consequences of a fuel melt would be really bad. Radioactivity is released directly into the atmosphere. Radioactivity of about 400 milliSv/hour was reported at the site immediately after the fire.

Biodiversity hotspots of INDIA

A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat from humans.

The concept of biodiversity hotspots was originated by Norman Myers in two articles in “The Environmentalist” (1988 & 1990), revised after thorough analysis by Myers and others in “Hotspots: Earth’s Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions”.

To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers 2000 edition of the hotspot-map, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 0.5% or 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 70% of its primary vegetation.Around the world, at least 25 areas qualify under this definition, with nine others possible candidates. These sites support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with a very high share of endemic species.

The Western Ghats of southwestern India and the highlands of southwestern Sri Lanka, separated by 400 kilometers, are strikingly similar in their geology, climate and evolutionary history. The Western Ghats, known locally as the Sahyadri Hills, are formed by the Malabar Plains and the chain of mountains running parallel to India's western coast, about 30 to 50 kilometers inland. They cover an area of about 160,000 km² and stretch for 1,600 kilometers from the country's southern tip to Gujarat in the north, interrupted only by the 30 kilometers Palghat Gap.

Sri Lanka is a continental island separated from southern India by the 20-meter-deep Palk Strait. The island, some 67,654 km² in size, has been repeatedly connected with India between successive interglacials, most recently until about 7,000 years ago by a land bridge up to about 140 kilometers wide.

The Western Ghats mediates the rainfall regime of peninsular India by intercepting the southwestern monsoon winds. The western slopes of the mountains experience heavy annual rainfall (with 80 percent of it falling during the southwest monsoon from June to September), while the eastern slopes are drier; rainfall also decreases from south to north. Dozens of rivers originate in these mountains, including the peninsula’s three major eastward-flowing rivers. Thus, they are important sources of drinking water, irrigation, and power. The wide variation of rainfall patterns in the Western Ghats, coupled with the region’s complex geography, produces a great variety of vegetation types. These include scrub forests in the low-lying rainshadow areas and the plains, deciduous and tropical rainforests up to about 1,500 meters, and a unique mosaic of montane forests and rolling grasslands above 1,500 meters.

Precipitation across Sri Lanka is dependent on monsoonal winds, resulting in much of the island experiencing relatively low rainfall (less than 2,000 millimeters per year), except for the south-western “wet zone” quarter, where precipitation ranges to as much as 5,000 millimeters per year. While dry evergreen forests occupy almost the entirety of the “dry zone,” dipterocarp-dominated rainforests dominate the lowlands of the wet zone, and some 220 km² of tropical montane cloud forest still persist in the central hills, which rise to a maximum altitude of 2,524 meters.

Stretching in an arc over 3,000 kilometers of northern Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and the northwestern and northeastern states of India, the Himalaya hotspot includes all of the world’s mountain peaks higher than 8,000 meters. This includes the world’s highest mountain, Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) as well as several of the world’s deepest river gorges.

This immense mountain range, which covers nearly 750,000 km², has been divided into two regions: the Eastern Himalaya, which covers parts of Nepal, Bhutan, the northeast Indian states of West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh, southeast Tibet (China), and northern Myanmar; and the Western Himalaya, covering the Kumaon-Garhwal, northwest Kashmir, and northern Pakistan. While these divisions are largely artificial, the deep defile carved by the antecedent Kali Gandaki River between the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri mountains has been an effective dispersal barrier to many species.
The abrupt rise of the Himalayan Mountains from less than 500 meters to more than 8,000 meters results in a diversity of ecosystems that range, in only a couple of hundred kilometers, from alluvial grasslands (among the tallest in the world) and subtropical broadleaf forests along the foothills to temperate broadleaf forests in the mid hills, mixed conifer and conifer forests in the higher hills, and alpine meadows above the treeline

Forest Resources & Bio-diversity in India

1. As per data released by Ministry of Forest & Environment the total forest cover of the country as per 2005 assessment is 677,088 sq. kms and this constitutes 20.60 percent of the geographic area of the country. Of this, 54,569 sq. kms (1.66 %) is very dense forest, 332,647 sq. kms (10.12 %) is moderately dense forest, while 289,872 sq. kms (8.82 %) is open forest cover. The scrub accounts for 38,475 sq. kms (1.17 %).

2. The State/UT wise forest cover in the country shows that Madhya Pradesh with 76,013 sq. kms has the largest area under forest cover, followed by Arunachal Pradesh (67,777 km²), Chhattisgarh (55,863 km²), Orissa (48,374 km²) and Maharashtra (47,476 km²).

3. Considering the proportion of geographic area under forest cover, Mizoram has the maximum percentage of 88.63%, followed by Nagaland (82.75%), Arunachal Pradesh (80.93%), and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (80.36%). Andhra Pradesh has the largest area under scrub (9,862 km²).

4. Even though forestry is the second largest land use in India after agriculture the contribution to the Gross Domestic Product from forestry is minimal (it was barely 1.1 percent in 2001).In 2008-09 the combined share of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing was 17.1 %. An estimated 41 percent of the country’s forest cover has been degraded to some degree. As much as 78 percent of forest area is subject to heavy grazing and about 50 percent of the forest area is prone to forest fires. Domestic demand for timber and fuel wood is well above the sustainable level.

5. National Forest Policy of India targets to cover the 33% of the total geographical area under forests. Much money has been invested; however there is not positive growth.

6. India is also a Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Accordingly, India had developed a ‘National Policy and Macro level Action Strategy on Biodiversity’ in 1999.

7. India is known for its rich heritage of biological diversity, having already documented over 91,000 species of animals and 45,500 species of plants in its ten bio-geographic regions.

8. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the nodal agency for implementing provisions of CBD in India, developed a strategy for biodiversity conservation at macro-level in 1999 and enacted the Biological Diversity Act in 2002 followed by the Rules there under in 2004. The National Environment Policy, 2006, seeks to achieve balance and harmony between conservation of natural resources and development processes and also forms the basic framework for the National Biodiversity Action Plan.

9. Theme of NEP 2006: The National Environment Policy (NEP) 2006 seeks to achieve balance and harmony between conservation and development. The policy is intended to mainstream environmental concerns in all development activities. The dominant theme of this policy is that while conservation of environmental resources is necessary to secure livelihoods and wellbeing of all, the most secure basis for conservation is to ensure that people dependent on particular resources obtain better livelihoods from the fact of conservation, than from degradation of the resources.

10. International cooperation : India has participated in major international events on environment and biodiversity conservation since 1972. India has also contributed to developing the agreed texts, ratified, and complied with the commitments in various international conventions relating to biodiversity.

11. A National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP) is being implemented for conservation of polluted and degraded urban/semi-urban lakes, leading to lake Rejuvenation in terms of improvement in water quality and biodiversity. As on March 2007, 31 projects for conservation of 46 lakes have been taken up.

12. A National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) is also under implementation in 160 towns along polluted stretches of 34 rivers spread over 20 states, the major rivers being Ganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar, Satluj, Krishna, Cauveri and Godavari. The objective of NRCP is to check pollution in rivers through implementation of various pollution abatement schemes.

13. A National Medicinal Plants Board was set up under a government resolution notified on 24th November 2000 under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to promote coordination and implementation of policies relating to medicinal plants both at the Central and State levels.

14. Under a plan scheme ‘Assistance to Botanic Gardens’, financial assistance is provided to strengthen measures for ex situ conservation of threatened and endangered species. Guidelines for botanical gardens have been finalized and the vision is to have at least one botanical garden per district.

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has set up a number of gene banks for ex situ conservation under the National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), New Delhi, National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), Karnal, National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources (NBFGR), Lucknow, and National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms (NBAIM), Mau.

15. A large number of microorganisms of agricultural importance also form a vital part of the diversified Indian agricultural ecosystem Projects have been initiated for reintroduction of threatened species into their natural habitats under appropriate conditions. Examples include mass propagation of pitcher plant, rehabilitation of mangroves in degraded open mud flats, and the effort towards relocation of rhinoceros from Kaziranga to Manas and tigers from Ranthambore to Sariska in Rajasthan.

16.India has established National Clean Development Mechanism Authority (NCDMA) for according host country approval to CDM projects as mandated under the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). One of the criteria used for approval of CDM projects is impact on biodiversity. Host country approvals have so far been accorded to 404 CDM projects facilitating investment of more than Rs, 22,000 crores.

17. The Government has set up an ‘Expert Committee on the Impacts of Climate Change’ on 7th May 2007 under the chairmanship of Dr. R. Chidambaram Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India to study the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on India and to identify the measures that may have to be taken for addressing vulnerability to anthropogenic climate change impacts.

18.A high level coordination committee chaired by Prime Minister, namely, ‘Prime Minister’s Council on Climate Change’ has been set up on 6th June 2007 to coordinate national actions for assessment, adaptation and mitigation of climate change. The Government of India has released 'National Action Plan on Climate change' on 30th June 2008, which outlines a number of steps to simultaneously advance India's development and climate change - related objectives of adaptation and mitigation, including through setting up of eight National Missions.

19. Various Acts and Rules Related to Biodiversity Conservation
20. Bishnois of Rajasthan Committed to Conservation of Nature
21. Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Committe on Management of Coastal Zones

India's International cooperation in Environment & Biodiversity Conservation

India has participated in major international events on environment and biodiversity conservation since 1972. India has also contributed to developing the agreed texts, ratified, and complied with the commitments in various international conventions relating to biodiversity. These agreements are:

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on International Trade in Wild Species of Endangered Flora and Fauna (CITES), Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, World Heritage Convention, and the Bonn Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS).

Note: CBD: The Convention on Biological Diversity, known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is an international treaty that was adopted in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. Its objective is to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. It is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development.The Convention was opened for signature at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro on 5 June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993.

Some other international agreements which have bearing on biodiversity to which India is a Party include UNFCCC, UNCCD, Commission on Sustainable Development, World Trade Organisation, International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for food and agriculture and UN Law of the Seas. Major multilateral environment agreements (MEAs) ratified by India

1. Convention on Wetlands of International Importance-1971 India ratified this convention in 1982. Issued covered in this convention were Conservation and wise use of wetlands,primarily as habitat for the water-birds.
2. Convention for the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage-1972 India Ratified this convention on 04.11.1977
3. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species-1973 India ratified this convention on 20.07.1976
4. Bonn Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals-1979 India ratified this convention on 01.11.1983 Issued covered were Conservation, management and wise use of migratory species of wild animals and their habitats.
5. Vienna Convention for Protection of the Ozone Layer-1985 India ratified this convention on 18.03.1991Issues covered were Protection of atmospheric ozone layer above the planetary boundary layer.
6. Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Laye-1987 India ratified this convention on 19.06.1992 Issues covered were Protection of atmospheric ozone layer above the planetary boundary layer
7. Basel Convention on Tran boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal-1989 India ratified this convention on 24.06.1992 Issued covered were Regulation of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal
8. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)-1992 India ratified this convention on 01.11.1993 The issues covered were Changes in the earth’s climate system due to anthropogenic interference
9. Kyoto Protocol to the UNFCCC-1997 India ratified this convention on 26.08.2002 Quantified emission limitation and reduction commitments for Annex I Parties
10. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 1992 India ratified this convention on 18.02.1994 Issues covered were Biological diversity and biological resources
11. Cartagena Protocol on Bio safety to the CBD- 2000 India ratified this convention on 11.09.2003 Issues covered were Regulation of trans boundary movement, transit, handling and use of living modified organisms (LMOs)
12. United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification 1994 India ratified this convention on 17.12.1996 Issues covered were Combating desertification and mitigate the effects of drought, particularly in Africa
13. Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade-1998 India ratified this convention on 24.05.2005 Issues covered were Promote shared responsibility and cooperative efforts among the Parties in the international trade of certain hazardous chemicals, in order to protect human health and the environment from potential harm and to contribute to their environmentally sound use.
14. Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants - 2001 India ratified this convention on 13.01.2006 Issues covered were Protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants.

A ‘Global Tiger Forum’ of tiger range countries has been created for addressing international issues related to tiger conservation. India has also actively supported numerous regional and bilateral programmes on biodiversity.

The MoEF, the nodal Ministry for the CBD and other biodiversity related conventions, is also the nodal agency in the country for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), SACEP, ICIMOD, and IUCN. It has institutionalized the process for developing country’s position on major issues for negotiations under different international conventions.

In this context, the MoEF is continuously taking steps to harmonise national policies and programmes in implementation of various multilateral environment agreements, based on active involvement of various stakeholders.

The MoEF functions in partnership with a number of institutions for developing and implementing national strategies on conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. These partners include Ministries, State Government departments, universities, other academic institutions, autonomous bodies, women’s organizations and NGOs.

Like- Minded Mega diverse Countries (LMMCs): India along with sixteen other mega diverse countries, rich in biodiversity and traditional knowledge, has formed a group known as the Like- Minded Mega diverse Countries (LMMCs). These countries are Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela. The LMMCs hold nearly 70% of all biodiversity. India chaired the

LMMCs for a two-year period from March 2004 to March 2006,and coordinated the activities of this group focusing particularly on access and benefit sharing issues under the CBD.

Various India Acts Related to Biodiversity Conservation:

Important Govt. of India Central Acts and Rules having Relevance to Biodiversity Conservation:

1. Fisheries Act, 1897.
2. Destructive Insects and Pests Act, 1914.
3. The Indian Forest Act, 1927.
4. Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marketing) Act,1937.
5. Indian Coffee Act, 1942
6. Import and Export (Control) Act, 1947.
7. Rubber (Production and Marketing) Act, 1947.
8. Tea Act, 1953.
9. Mining and Mineral Development (Regulation) Act,1957
10. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
11. Customs Act, 1962.
12. Cardamom Act, 1965.
13. Seeds Act, 1966.
14. The Patents Act, 1970.
15. Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
16. Marine Products Export Development Authority Act,1972.
17. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
18. Tobacco Board Act, 1975.
19. Territorial Water, Continental Shelf, Exclusive Economic Zone and other Maritime Zones Act, 1976.
20. Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977.
21. Maritime Zones of India (Regulation and Fishing by Foreign Vessels) Act. 1980.
22. Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.
23. Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
24. Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority Act, 1985/1986.
25. Environment (Protection) Act, 1986
26. Spices Board Act, 1986.
27. National Dairy Development Board, 1987.
28. Rules for the manufacture, use/import/export and storage of hazardous microorganisms/ genetically engineered organisms or cells, 1989
29. Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992.
30. Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPVFR) Act, 2001
31. Biological Diversity Act, 2002
32. Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order, 2003
33. Biological Diversity Rules, 2004
34. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
35. Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Policies on environmental management include the National Forest Policy, the National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development, and National Policy and Macrolevel Action Strategy on Biodiversity.

Some other sectoral policies (e.g. National Agriculture Policy and National Water Policy) have also contributed towards environmental management.

As our development challenges evolved and understanding of the centrality of environmental concerns in development sharpened, the National Environment Policy was developed in 2006.

Bishnoi Tribe of Rajasthan - Committed to Nature Conservation:

Bishnoi tribe of Western Rajasthan has, over the centuries, protected commited to the conservation of forests, trees and wild animals in and around their villages. Bishnois do not cut trees for fuel and timber; they remove only the dead trunks and twigs. Spotted deer, black buck and blue bull can be seen foraging fearlessly in their fields. Even if the crop is consumed by herds of deer, the Bishnois do not chase away the animals

In 1730 A.D. Maharaja Abhaya Singh of Jodhpur ordered cutting of trees in large numbers to provide timber for building a fortress. He sent soldiers to Bishnoi villages to cut down khejari trees growing in the area. When soldiers applied the axe, the Bishnoi villagers pleaded to spare the trees., When the soldiers did not relent, they hugged the trees and as many as 363 of them laid down their lives to save the trees.

The Bishnois worship nature in all its manifestations, conserve trees and medicinal plants, provide food and water to animals, and are vegetarians in their diet, as advocated by their Guru Jambaji.

Jambaji or Guru Jambheshwar (b. 1451) had founded Bishnoi sect after a drought in the Marwar region of Rajasthan. He made a community having 29 principles to follow , which included worship of lord Vishnu (Bishnu) and ban on Killing animals and the felling of trees. One of his 29 principles states "jeev daya palni, runkh lilo nahi dhave" which means to protect trees and animals, thus trees and animals are considered to be sacred by the Bishnois.

Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Committe on Management of Coastal Zones:

MoEF (Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India) had constituted an expert committee under the chairmanship of Prof. M.S. Swaminathan in July, 2004, to review and make recommendations with regard to implementation and amendments if necessary, of Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991.

The Expert Committee submitted its report along with recommendations, which were accepted by the MoEF in April, 2005.

The major recommendations include:Implementation of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan rather than uniform regulatory approach

1. Development along the coastal stretches based on the vulnerability of the coast, taking into account the natural and man made hazards
2. Inclusion of the ocean zone for regulation.
3. Setting up of an Institute for Coastal Zone Management to address the policy and legal issues.
4. Abatement of the pollution of coastal areas and marine waters in a time-bound manner. Identification and mapping of the coastal Eco-sensitive areas such as mangroves, corals, and turtle breeding areas.
5. Development of coastal bio-shield.

The MoEF has initiated steps for implementing the above recommendations which include:Preparation of a national action plan for control of pollution of coastal waters from land based activities.

1. Pilot scale studies for demarcation of vulnerability line along identified coastal stretches through scientific organizations namely, Survey of India, Dehradun, Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad and Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
2. Seeking technical and financial assistance from multilateral agencies for implementing the recommendations pertaining to mapping of ecologically sensitive areas along the coastline, control of pollution in the coastal waters from land based activities and capacity building and institutional development

APPSC PREVIOUS EXAMS GENERAL SCIENCE QUESTIONS

GUAGE

1. The Screw gauge works

on the principle of _____ (March 04, June 04)
2. The Scale present on index line of screw gauge is called as ____ (Oct-99)
3. Screw guage consists of _____ scale and ____ scale.
4. Pitch of the screw P = _____ / No.of revolutions made.
5. L.C. of a Screw guage = pitch of the screw / ____
6. If the Zeroth division of the head scale in below the indexline of the pitch scale, the error is said to be _____ and the correction is _____
7. If ‘p’ is the pitch of the scale and ‘N’ is no.of head scale divisions them L.C.= _____
8. If screw moves 5mm for 5 revolutions, the pitch of the screw is _____
9. If a screw consists 200 head scale divisions which contains pitch as 1mm then the least count is _____
10. If the L.C. is 0.01 mm, Pitch scale reading is 1.5 mm and the headscale reading is 18, then the diametre of the object is ____

Answers:
1. Screw
2. Pitch Scale
3. Pitch, head
4. Distance travelled by the Screw
5. No.of head scale divisions
6. Positive, negative
7. P/N 8. 1 mm
9. 0.005mm
10. 1.68 mm

DYNAMICS

1. A car moves on a curved but level road. The necessary centripetal force on the carif provided by _____ (March 2009, 04, June – 2003)
2. In simple harmonic motion, the acceleration of the particle is directly proportional to _____ (March, 09)
3. _____ is a machine used to separate particles of higher mass from those of lower mass in a given mixture (March, 01)
4. The force of attraction of a particle radially towards the centre of circle is _____ (March, 1999)
5. An imaginary co-ordinate system which
is either at rest or in uniform motion and where Newton’s laws are valid is called as _____ (June, 03)
6. Circular motion is a variety type of _____ motion.
7. If the stone tie up with a thread rotating in
a circular motion is untied the motion direction of the stone is ____
8. In uniform circular motion _____ is constant.
9. The force acting towards centre is called as ____
10. If the angle of banking is ?, the tan? = ____
11. The angular velocity of a hours hand in clock is ____
12. The machine which dries wet clothes is ____
13. The angualr velocity of a minutes hand in a clock is ____
14. The force found only in fixed rotational frame is ____
15. The bend of a cyclist moving on edges depend on ____
16. The realationship among ‘r’, v and ”w” is ____
17. One radian = ____
18. Relation between time of oscillation ‘T’ and frequency f is ____
19. One revolution = _____ radians.
20. The angular momentum of a body L = ____
21. The magnitude of centripetal acceleration a = ____
22. Centripetal force F = ____
23. In a uniform circualr motion if the radius is doubled then the centripetal force ____
24. The angle made by a body with respect to time is ____
25. Units for angualr velocity is ____
26. Centrifugal force acting on a car which has 1200 kg mass, moving with 6m/sec velocity along a road have 180m. circular radius is ____
27. The angle subtended by an arc of length equal to its radius at its centre is defined as ____
28. The rate of angular displacement is called ____ 29. 2p radians = _____ degrees
30. Time taken by a body for one complete revolution is called ____ 31. Ball left by a bowler attains _____ motion before reaching a batsman.
32. d?/dt = ____
33. Angular velocity w = 2p ÷ _____ Radians
34. ____ separates molases from sugar crystals.
35. Systems which do not obey Newtons laws of motion are called as ____

Answers:
1. Abrasion between Car tyres and road
2. Displacement 3. Centrifuge
4. Centripetal force
5. Inertial frame of reference
6. Rotation 7. Along contact line
8. Angular Velocity 9. Centripetal Force
10. v2/rg 11. p/6 radians/hour
12. Laundry drier 13. p/1800 Radians/Sec
14. Centrifugal force 15. Speed
16. V = r? 17. 57°291 18. T= 1/f
19. 2p 20. m?r2 21. v2/r
22. mv2/r 23. Increases twice
24. Angular displacement
25. Radians/sec 26. 147 N
27. Radian 28. Angular Velocity
29. 360 30. Periodic Motion
31. Rotation 32. ? 33. T
34. Centrifuge
35. Non – inertial frame of reference

Our Universe & Gravity

1. The value of the universal gravitational constant is ____ (March-2009, April-2009)
2. The weight of 400g stone is _____ N (June-08, April-08, June-06, March-2000)
3. Units for ‘G’ in SI System ____ (March, 2008)
4. Ptolemaic theory is also known as ____ (March-2007)
5. As per Kepler’s theory, the planet revolves around sun in_____ path. (March06)
6. Universal law of gravitation is applicable at _____ (March 2005)
7. Kepler’s law supports _____ theory (March 1999)
8. Heliocentric theory is proposed by _____ (June – 2000)
9. Units of acceleration due to gravity is _____ (March – 2001)
10. Acceleration due to gravity at poles is _____ and at equator it is _____ (March – 2003)
11. Acceleration due to gravity is highest at _____ (March-03, 02, June-03)
12. Example for sensitive instruments used to measure small changes in the value of g at given place is _____ (June – 05, 02, 01, March – 04)
13. Numerical value of the universal gravitational constant is _____(June-07)
14. The weight of a substance in the force ____
15. The gravitational force of earth over moon is _____ than the gravitational force of moon over earth. 16. As the altitude increases the ‘g’ value ____ 17. As the depth increases the ‘g’ value ____
18. Relationship among g, G, M and r is ____
19. If the mass of an object is ‘m’, then the weight of the same w = _____
20. The mass of an object at anywhere in the world is ____
21. The principle used to determine the force of attraction between two objects ‘F’ = ____
22. When Kepler modernised Copernicus system, the shape of the path of orbit is stated as ____
23. As per Copernicus solar system earth revolves around its axis and also revolves in circular orbit around ____
24. The acceleration attained by a body due to the gravitational force of attraction of earth is called as ____
25. The distance between the earth and the moon is _____ k.m.
26. The acceleration of moon towards earth is _____ km/sec²
27. Gravitational force of attraction on a body of 10 kg is ____

Answers:
1. 6.67×10^{– 11}Nm²Kg^–2
2. 3.9 N
3. Nm^2/Kg–2
4. Geocentric theory
5. Elliptical
6. Anywhere in the universe
7. Heliocentric theory 8. Copornicus
9. mg–2 10. Maximum, Minimum
11. Poles 12. Gravity Metre
13. 6.67×10–11
14. Of attraction of earth on it
15. Low 16. Decreases
17. Decreases 18. g = GM/r2
19. mg’ 20. Constant
21. F = GMm/r2
22. Elliptical
23. Sun 24. Acceleration
25. 3.85×105
26. 0.0027m/sec2
27. 98N

KINEMATICS

1. If a ball which is thrown up attains a maximum height of 80m the initial speed of it is _____ (June 2008, March 04, 02)
2. The uniform acceleration produced in a freely falling body due to the gravitational pull of the earth is _____ (June 2008)
3. The time for which a body remains in air is called _____ (March 08, June 07)
4. The maximum height reached by a body when it is projected upwards with a initial velocity ‘u’ is _____ (April 08, June 06, 05, 00, March 04)
5. The time of ascent is directly proportional to _____ (April 08, june 08) 6. When a body is dropped from a height ‘h’, then the velocity of the body on reaching the earth is _____ (March 2007)
7. For a body moving under the influence of gravity, time of ascent is equal to _____ (March 2006, 08)
8. When a body is projected upwards, the accleration due to gravity is taken _____ (March, 08) 9. The maximum height reached by a body thrown with initial velocity 10m/sec is _____ (June 02)
10. The time taken by a body to reach maximum height is _____ (March-03, June-07)
11. Maximum height reached by a body thrown with initial velocity 40 m/g is _____ (March-04, 02)
12. The time for which a body remains in air is called _____ (March-08)
13. The acceleration of a falling body a = ___
14. The initial velocity of a freely falling body is ____
15. The time taken by a freely falling body to reach earth is ____
16. Ascending time = Descending time = ___
17. The acceleration of a body ”a” at the time of ascending ____
18. Time of flight t = ____
19. Ascending velocity and descending velocity of a body at a fixed point in air is ____
20. If a body takes one second to reach ground when it is dropped from a building, the height of the building is ____

ECOSYSTEM

For extensive and intensive faunal exploration of various regions, a number of Regional and Field Stations have been established and it would be worthwhile to give here the exploration activities of the Department in different ecosystems.

(i) Estuarine and Marine Surveys:

India has a long coast line of about 7000 km and the marine ecosystem offers a rich biological resource, much of which remains to be explored. Estuarine and marine animals are collected to study the faunal status and composition and their interaction with the marine ecosystems. Survey of faunal resources of estuarine areas, brackish-water lakes and back-waters of the eastern coast of India have been recently taken up by the newly established Estuarine Biological Research Station at Gopalpur on Sea, Ganjam, Orissa.

(ii) Mangrove Faunal Surveys:

Mangroves are considered the nursery of nature, specially for the living forms of marine environ­ment. For the collection and study of mangrove organisms, faunistic surveys are being undertaken in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sunderbans (West Bengal) and Pitchavaram Islands (Tamil Nadu). The fauna is being thoroughly studied to assess the quantitative and qualitative distribution in these areas.

(iii) Island Surveys:

The scope of studying the insular characteristics of fauna has been much enhanced with the estab­lishment of a Regional Station at Port Blair in the South Andamans. The scientists of this Station, in collaboration with others, especially from Head­quarters at Calcutta and from the Marine Biologi­cal Station, Chennai.

(iv) Western Ghats Surveys:

Western Ghats offer one of the richest biological resources, yet to be fully explored for formulation of a management plan. The scientists of the Western Regional Station, Pune and the Western Ghats Field Station, Calicut, are entrusted with the study and collection of the rich and diverse fauna of the Ghat areas.

(v) Tropical Rain Forests Surveys

The exploration of rich and diverse fauna, occurr­ing in the tropical rain forests in the Ghat areas of Western India as well as in the rugged topo­graphy of north-east India, is one of the priority activities of Z.S.I. Two Regional Stations, one at Pune and another at Kozhilkode, are conducting active field explorations in the Ghat areas as al­ready mentioned, while the Eastern Regional Sta­tion at Shillong, Field Station at New Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh and parties of the Head­quarters regularly survey north-eastern India.

(vi) High Altitude Surveys:

The scientists of the High Altitude Zoology Field Station, Solan, Northern Regional Station, Dehra Dun and the Headquarters are studying the Hima­layan mountain fauna in respect of their vertical distribution and survival potentiality in the ex­treme temperate climatic condition.

(vii) Desert Surveys:

Desertification of some areas all over the world poses a major problem to United Nations Environ­mental Programme and the desert region in India offers one of the major study areas. Z.S.I. has not overlooked the importance of studying the desert animals with particular reference to their adaptations, survival potentiality and their pos­sible role in desertification. Desert Regional Station at Jodhpur conducts faunistic survey on different groups of animals of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

(viii) Freshwater Resources Surveys:

The Scientists of the Survey are taking keen in­terest to explore the aquatic fauna specially sponges, molluscs, crustaceans (prawns, shrimps, crabs, etc.) and fishes from the major freshwater resources in the country. Freshwater Biological Station at Hyderabad is involved in the limnological investigations in some major lentic water bodies, wetlands of national and international importance.

STATUS SURVEY:

Approximately 90,000 species of animals are known from India of which Fish account for 2,546 species; Amphibia, 210 species; Reptilia, 428 species; Birds, 2,000 species and subspecies; Mammals, 397 species and subspecies; the rest being represented by other faunal elements. Of these, 75 'species of Mammals, 59 species of Birds, 19 species of Reptiles, 3 species of Amphibians and a large number of Lepidoptera and Coleoptera are listed as endangered. Status survey to variable extent has been carried out in respect of 28 species but a detailed consolidated account of only a few species Is available.

The status survey of the following species has been done and results published:

• Golden Langur
• Phayre’s Leaf Monkey
• Hispid Hare
• Desert Cat
• Chinkara
• Tibetan Wild Ass or Kiang
• Himalayan Marmot
• Himalayan Salamander
• Wroughton’s Free Tailed bat
• Western Tragopan
• Indian Edible-nest Swiftlet

Protected Areas:

The faunal diversity of the following Protected Areas has been documented:

National Parks:

Nanda Devi National Park, Uttarakhand

Corbet National Park, Uttarakhand

Rajaji National Park. Uttarakhand

Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Maharashtra

Eravikulum National Park, Kerala

Kudremukh National Park , Karnataka

Mount Harriet National Park , South Andaman

Desert National Park, Rajasthan

Pench National Park, Maharashtra

Gulf of Kutchh Marine National Park , Gujarat

Banerghata National Park, Karnataka

North, Middle and South Button National Parks, Andaman

Wildlife Sanctuaries:

Chandaka Dampara Wildlife Sanctuary , Orissa

Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, Delhi

Gobind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary , Uttarakhand

Saipung Wildlife Sanctuary, Meghalaya

Kaimur Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar

Tiger Reserves:

Indravati Tiger Reserve, Chhattisgarh

Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh

Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar

Sundarbans, Palamau , Similipal and Manas TRs

MeIghat Tiger Reserve

Biosphere Reserves:

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand

Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve, West Bengal

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Kerala

Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Tamil Nadu