Sikkim achieves 100% sanitation
Sikkim has surpassed its sanitation targets in rural and urban households, schools, sanitary complexes and Anganwadi centres. It is the only state in the country to achieve full sanitation under the Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan scheme. The state has constructed 98,043 individual toilets, 1,105 sanitary complexes, 516 Anganwadi toilets and has covered 1,772 schools under the Total Sanitation Programme.
India's rural have to wait to get water
The National Rural Drinking Water Programme has covered only 64,805 rural habitations in the current financial year against the target of 1,41,838 habitations. The government has to achieve 54.4% of the targets within the next two months. The programme that aims to supply 55 litre per capita per day of lifeline water to rural India, had been achieving 100% coverage for the last three years.
Maharashtra village succeeds in receiving community forest rights
A Korku tribal village in Amravati district in Maharashtra has received community forest rights over a part of the Sapan dam reservoir for fishing and management. The district administration has finally recognised the rights of the 80 Korku families who had lost their agriculture and forest land to the dam in 2005-06. The only challenge for the authorities is to demarcate the water or fish in the reservoir as the remaining portion of the reservoir has been leased out to a different fishing society.
Najafgarh drain turns into a wetland habitat
This year, the Asian Waterbird Census has recorded a total of 50 species of resident and migratory birds at the Najafgarh drain, the longest sewage drain in Delhi. Nearly 3,341 birds have visited the sewage wetland, including various threatened species. The reason for the sudden rise in the bird population at the drain could be the habitat disturbance at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary.
Flood hits paddy production in West Bengal
Paddy production is likely to decrease by 10-15% this year due to crop damage caused by extended rainfall and floods in West Bengal. This has resulted in paddy prices rising to record levels. The flood-affected districts include Bardhaman, Hooghly, Birbhum and Nadia, which have a high rice-productivity.
This is a weekly roundup of important news from February 10-15, 2014. Also read last week's policy matters updates.