JAN 6 2014

Region near Indo-Tibetan border to be declared

Fossil National Park
KAVITA UPADHYAY
COMMENT PRINT T

Some fossils at Lapthal, which was once the ocean floor of the Tethys Sea. Photo: Special Arrangement
TOPICS
environmental issues
conservation

The area is the exposed bed of an ancient sea, which disappeared during the
formation of the Himalayas
The management plan of the Pithoragarh Forest Division for 2011 to 2021 has proposed that the
Lapthal region be declared a Fossil National Park.
The region is close to the Indo-Tibetan border. Some part of it lies in Pithoragarh district and the
rest in Chamoli district.
The proposal is to conserve fossils and the rare and endangered flora and fauna. This will also
prevent cross-border illegal trade and poaching in fossils, flora and fauna.
The State government, having agreed to implement the management plan, has directed that a
detailed proposal be prepared, Mr. Chandran said.

The detailed proposal is being prepared by the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve officials. We are
mapping the area that will come under the park, said Director of the Nanda Devi Biosphere
Reserve B. K. Gangte. Once the plan is complete, we will submit it to the State government for
approval.
Once the mapping is over, the Fossil National Park would be spread across an area measuring
500 to 1,000 sq-km, most of which lies 4,500 metres above mean sea level. The area is the
exposed bed of an ancient sea, which disappeared during the formation of the Himalayas.
The area between the Indian plate and the Eurasian plate was an ocean called the Tethys Ocean
or Tethys Sea, which drained out during the collision of the Indian Plate with the Eurasian Plate
resulting in the formation of the Himalayas, Mr. Chandran said. It has marine fossils, mostly of
the ammonites and belemnites group, which the locals commonly call Shaligram pathar. They
are kept in temples and places of worship in homes.
The area has sparse vegetation. Several swamps and pools in the area are home to various species
of flora and fauna. Snow leopard, musk deer, Tibetan wild ass, woolly hare, and Tibetan wolf are
among the species found in the region.
The region being close to the international border is guarded by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police
(ITBP) and the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve administration.
An 18 kilometre trek from Sumna in Chamoli district or a longer trek from Munsiyari in
Pithoragarh district are the only ways to reach the area now. However, the Border Roads
Organisation (BRO) has proposed a new route from Sumna to Lapthal.

Worst-ever crisis looms over steel industry:

SWFI leader
SANTOSH PATNAIK
COMMENT PRINT T

The Hindu:P.K.

Das, general secretary of Steel Workers' Federation of India, addressing a meeting in

Visakhapatnam on Sunday.
TOPICS
Andhra Pradesh
Visakhapatnam

metal and mineral

iron and steel

Central government urged to initiate corrective steps to improve situation

With China turning into net exporter of steel, the Central government must introduce heavy antidumping duties to safeguard the interest of the domestic steel industry, Steel Workers
Federation of India (SWFI) general secretary P.K. Das said on Sunday.
Cheap import
Mr. Das, who was here to attend the two-day annual conference of Steel Plant Employees Union,
told The Hindu that as the threat of cheap import eating into Indian market was looming large, it
was high time for the powers-that-be to initiate policy changes to prevent a severe crisis.
He said the Indian steel industry, already hit by recession, would face a worst-ever crisis unless
the government initiates corrective measures like slapping steep anti-dumping duties, imposing a
ban on iron ore exports and reducing taxes like Customs Duty and Central Excise to reduce
production cost of domestic manufacturers.

China has a production capacity of 820 million ton. The production level is now maintained at
680 to 760 million ton whereas Indias steel production capacity is around 90 million tonne.
China used to be a net importer till two years ago. As China is also experiencing fall in demand
for steel due to saturation in urban infrastructure, it has decided to shift its focus to peoplerelated investments such as rural sector and lifestyle change, he said. Mr. Das, who is the
secretary of Trade Union International Metal & Mining, said apart from China, South Korea,
which used to export its surplus steel to China, was now looking at alternative markets like India.
Stating that the production cost of Steel Authority of India Ltd and Rashtriya Ispat Nigam
Limited was very high as they were dependent on iron ore from National Mineral Development
Corporation, the government should initiate allotment of captive mines to give them immunity
from shrinking profit margins.
As the private lobby was very strong and it could do what public sector industries could not do,
the government was also encouraging disinvestment of public sector units like RINL and SAIL,
he regretted. To a question, Mr. Das said this was probably the main reason for lack of raw
material security for public sector steel producers.
He said there was an urgent need to raise per capita consumption of steel in India as it was in the
range of 42 to 44 kg against world average consumption of 230 kg.

Centre to enhance flow of credit to SHGs

GIRIJA SHIVAKUMAR
COMMENT PRINT T

TOPICS
economy, business and finance
finance (general)

Disproportionate credit disbursement and weak bank credit linkages remain a persistent
challenge for several States including Bihar, Jharkhand and Gujarat. Taking note of this, the
Government has stepped in and is taking several steps to improve bank linkages of Self Help
Groups (SHGs) across the country.
This lopsided focus reportedly is mostly due to credit disbursement remaining confined to the
usual gang of four States - Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala of this (SHG)
credit.
As per the figures presented in NABARDs report, Status of Microfinance in India 2012-13, over
35 lakh SHGS were saving linked and 68 per cent were credit linked in the Southern States. The
corresponding figures for Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Gujarat are
over 20 lakh and 47 per cent respectively.
More specifically, Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana has been restructured as the National
Rural Livelihoods (NRLM). NRLM, through a dedicated implementation mechanism under the
State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLM) is focusing on improving the quality of SHGs. Further,

177 districts and 1157 blocks have been selected as intensive areas by respective SRLMs.
Additionally, dedicated support staff has been recruited to facilitate SHG- Bank linkage in the
intensive blocks across the country.
The RBI too released a circular on NRLM as Priority Sector Lending-Restructuring of SGSY as
National Rural Livelihood Mission Aajeevika which spells out various steps required to debottleneck the credit flow to the SHGs.
Seeking to enhance the flow of credit to SHGs, provision of Interest Subvention has been
introduced under NRLM. In 150 districts all women SHGs will avail the credit at seven per cent
and an additional three per cent subvention on prompt repayment.
In the remaining districts, the scheme will be extended to all NRLM complaint SHGs to enable
them to avail credit at seven per cent on prompt repayment.
Under the Women Self Help Group (WSHG) scheme administered by NABARD, in 150 districts
over 80,000 SHGs have been formed of which 20,000 have been credit linked.

Education meet moots private varsities in Kerala

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
COMMENT PRINT T

TOPICS
India
Kerala

Kerala
Thiruvananthapuram

education
higher education

Kerala State Higher Education Council urged to study pros and cons of having
private universities in Kerala
A three-day international meet on transnational education which concluded here on Sunday has
urged the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) to study the possibility of permitting
private universities to invest in the higher education sector in Kerala.

A resolution adopted by the conference proposed that the council constitute an expert committee
to carry out the study and make recommendations to the government.
Briefing the media on the Thiruvananthapuram Declaration approved at the concluding session
of the meet, T.P. Sreenivasan, Vice-Chairman of the council and organising committee chairman,
said the study would assess the pros and cons of having private universities in the State.
He said private sector investment in the higher education sector was possible through
establishment of universities or funding of government universities. He, however, added that
there was an undercurrent of resistance to opening of private universities in Kerala.
The declaration urged the private sector educational providers in the State to leverage Keralas
reputation as a global tourist destination to market their capacity to deliver quality higher
education at affordable cost across the developing world and to attract more international
students to the State.
It called upon the council and the Malayalam and Sanskrit universities in Kerala to explore the
potential for developing open online courses in niche areas such as Kerala history or Kathakali.
Highlighting the potential of global education platforms such as Massive Open Online Courses
(MOOC), Niche Open Online Courses (NOOC) and flipped schools, Mr. Sreenivasan said these
could be used to supplement the conventional courses. All over the world, such online courses
are revolutionising education.
To catch up with the rest of the world, we have to learn and adapt, he said.
The declaration called upon universities and engineering colleges to consider the potential of
MOOC and flipped classrooms to supplement the current training approaches, especially in areas
facing a severe shortage of qualified faculty.
As many as 13 international experts and 22 speakers from across India participated in the
conference, along with 43 college principals, faculty and researchers.
The meet urged the State government to constitute a committee including representatives from
academic institutions, the private sector and the Malayali diaspora to assess the opportunities
created by the Union governments decision to allow international branch campuses. Another
resolution stressed the need for national academic agencies such as the University Grants
Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education to establish a system of credit
transfer to enable increased mobility of students nationally.
The declaration appealed to the Centre for a policy regime to attract foreign students to Indian
universities and academic institutions. Proposing a national online platform to deliver MOOCs in
national languages, it said this would not only improve access to better education but also
popularise such technologies among universities.
The document called on universities and private sector organisations to join hands to assess the
potential of technology-enabled transnational education in creating a better trained workforce.