Report by Orissadiary correspondent; Bhubaneswar: Summon to join the Assembly has been sent to legislature Ramesh Jena , who is under custody through the Collector and the S.P of Ganjam.

It should be noted that the 4th session of 14th Orissa Assembly is scheduled to be held from 22nd June.  Further notice will be sent to him through the Collector and SP to caste vote in  Rajyasabha election on 17  June.

An intelligent mix of ecological, economic, technological, social and political opportunities has to be explored and strengthened at various levels as part of our common goal for ‘Many Species, One Planet, One Future’.

By Jyotiraj Patra

Evolution as a systematic, dynamic and sustained process has supported the birth, growth, multiplication and extinction of many species, including the gigantic dinosaurs and other related species. Of all the millions of species, both existing and to-be explored, that of the human (Homo sapiens) stands out as nature’s most intelligent and innovative species in terms of survival and dominance. The very foundation for these basic characteristics are neatly codified and ingrained in the twenty three pairs of chromosomes, the store house of all the information and traits in humans. From hunter-gathers to the most modern human beings, all have the same basic genetic composition and architecture; differences in physical and psychosocial traits are attributed to the environment in which they survive, grow and reproduce. Surprisingly enough, armed with this minuscule repertoire of genetic information, Homo sapiens has managed to maintain and thrust upon their supremacy over all other species on planet earth. Born with the eternal zeal and mission to reign over the planet and its diverse inhabitants, humans and their choices have hardly left any space and scope for other species to survive and multiply, let alone evolve. All the other non-human species could hardly cope up with, neither individually nor collectively, this rising intensity and frequency of onslaught; only the Na’vi could muster enough strength and organize themselves in James Cameron’s award-winning fictional Avatar and that too somewhere in 2154!

World Environment Day (WED) is to commemorate the United Nations Conference on Human Environment (1972) and the amount of political will it managed to generate for a common cause of environment. WED 2010 is aptly themed ‘Many Species One Planet and One Future’. A rationale and engaged brain (human of course!) would be forced to think and rethink over the inclusion of ‘many species’ in this theme. Surely no second thought on ‘One Planet and ‘One Future’.  The very notion of plurality and diversity entrenched in ‘many’ are severely at threat because of human actions, choices, and preferences. It is one thing that humans invest so much of their energy and resources to further enrich the knowledgebase on this diversity in terms of number of new species discovered and quite another to design, develop and deliver appropriate measures to ensure the survival of these newly-discovered species. Within no time such newly discovered species are examined and explored threadbare to understand and unravel any of their natural capability that could serve human needs like bioactive compounds or ability to sequester carbon dioxide. The ones with any such inbuilt properties then become the cynosure of human ingenuity and greed-driven experiments.

Human inquisitiveness and intelligence have heralded in a myriad of technological innovations which enable them to explore and exploit anything, from the microscopic life forms to vast stretches of the Amazon forest.  While technological prowess enables humans to map and sequence the entire human genome and even other microbes, ironically no consensus could be achieved at on the number of living magnificent animals like tigers thriving in our forests. Conservationists, both field-based and armchair-based, immediately flung in to debate over the average estimate of India’s tiger pegged at 1411 which is the focus of an ongoing media campaign. Initial reports of tiger deaths from the much celebrated Sariska Tiger Reserve were gradually found out to be just the tip of the larger Tiger Crisis looming large in India. Tens of thousands of citizens have voiced their concerns through various forums and with the recommendation of the Tiger Task Force the National Tiger Conservation Authority was constituted. Somehow or the other this ambitious initiative also got trapped in the vicious cycle of  commission, authority, action plan, road map and finally back to square one! Such inaction in terms of lack of training and no organizational improvements were categorically highlighted in the Parliament by the Public Accounts Committee and subsequently another carefully christened initiative M-STrIPES (Monitoring Systems for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) has been recently launched.

This series of incidents and the sequence of institutional mechanisms aimed to protect tigers is a reflection of the level of our acceptance for the ‘many’  and the extent of preparedness we have for their protection and development. Plausible solutions to most of the problems facing these ‘many species’ don’t warrant the use of and reliance on large scale rocket-science technologies.  Rather we need to initiate and sustain greater political will and public engagement at every step.

Species conservation measures and policies are often marred with issues of human rights and equity, and more so with ecosystem-dependent communities. Helping these communities through appropriate incentive mechanisms by supporting them as eco-stewards and active partners in conservation will address the issues of ‘one future’ which is equitable and accepted to all. Financial opportunities under mechanisms like Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and the emerging REDD Plus (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) could very well be integrated in to local-level conservation measures and in turn incentivize the local communities who contribute in this process.

At the global level, nations are battling with the unprecedented decline in marine resources and very recently the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) proposed to ban the export of Blue fin Tuna. And experts warn about the emerging potential of this ‘decline’ to become a full-fledged ‘global crisis’ in the absence of adequate collective actions primarily addressing the issue of over-fishing.

The other two dimensions of the WED 2010 theme ‘One Planet’ and ‘One Future’ not only provide the framework through which we can establish a link with the first part ‘Many Species’ but also encourage us to rethink and redesign our efforts for the other many.  On planet Earth we share space with many species and in toto our future is one. Catastrophe with one is organically linked to the bio-physical and socio-cultural components of the other and in turn impacts the overall ecological integrity and social equity in a given social-ecological system. Reference to and emphasis on this wholeness of human-nature interdependency and development is well encapsulated in the Brundtland Report (1987) on ‘Our Common Future’ as well as in the ‘common but differential responsibility’ approach in the international climate negotiations.

Alarmed by the current rate of species extinction many conservationists argue that planet earth is undergoing the sixth great extinction of species and most importantly this is ‘human-driven’.  In an attempt to  convince the policy makers, both global and national, towards definite and feasible action plans to strike a balance between environment and development, the Global Environment Outlook 2009 (UNEP) proposes four different but intertwined scenarios; markets first, policy first, security first and sustainability first and derives at the conclusion of ‘innovative approaches’ to address these challenges.

The Herculean task of initiating and sustaining a political will demands constant engagement with the public and the policy makers by making them realize the gravity and centrality of the problem in terms of cost of action as well as inaction. Nothing informs more specifically than numbers and that too in economic terms. Recent estimates from The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) initiative peg the annual economic cost of biodiversity loss and economic degradation in the range of 2  to 4.5 trillion USD.

Very often we tend to miss the opportunities offered through such theme-based celebrations as most of the activities are reduced to tokenism and festivities. The World Environment Day 2010 celebrations provide us with enough scope to branch out and establish sustainable bridges with few other ongoing initiatives and actions at various levels.  2010 being the International year of Biodiversity and also the crucial Global MDG + 10 Summit (September 2010), opportunities are abound to initiate strong and sustainable political will at all levels.  MDG 8 is for ‘Global Partnership for Development’ and among others, the Countdown 2010 network of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) provides an enabling platform for one and all to contribute towards the loss of biodiversity by ‘moving from words to action.’ Such multi-level collaborations and partnerships will strengthen our efforts towards a common goal of Many Species One Planet One Future.

(Oxford University Centre for the Environment, University of Oxford, UK and KIIT Centre for the Environment and Global Sustainability, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Orissa)
jyotirajpatra@gmail.com

Bhubaneswar: The Orissa government has surrendered huge funds under the State Plan during 2009-10. This was revealed at a high-level review meeting of the State Plan expenditure presided over by planning and coordination minister A U Singhdeo at the State Secretariat here on Sunday.

It was revealed that that various departments have surrendered a nearly Rs 1,381.59 crore. Most departments preferred to surrender the money rather than utilising it for development.

The minister, in a letter issued to various departments on Saturday, reiterated the concern of the chief minister for proper spending of the Plan funds and regular evaluation of the expenditure.

In the absence of proper monitoring, most of the departments have surrendered the funds generated by the state itself and funded for development.

Uttan (Maha): BJP today stepped up the campaign against NCP Chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar demanding his resignation in the wake of the failed IPL bid by Pune-based City Corporation Ltd (CCL) in which he and his family members have direct share-holding.

“Pawar has been repeatedly misleading the country and misrepresenting the facts on his role in IPL bidding,” Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

Pawar, who is also former BCCI chief, and his Parliamentarian daughter Supriya Sule have been embroiled in the controversy over the bid for the Pune IPL team, which was won by Sahara group, after it came to light that the Pawar family had a 16 per cent equity in City Corporation.

Phulbani: Kandhamal, popularly known as ‘Kashmir of Odisha’ for its cool climate, is reeling under intense heat with the mercury touching 40 degree Celsius, MeT officials said.

Nearly 60 per cent area under forest cover, 1587 mm average annual rainfall and altitude ranging between 300 and 1100 metres contributed towards the coolness of the district.

However, most parts of Kandhamal are reeling under 40 deg C temperature since the beginning of June, they said.

Environmentalists and weathermen attributed the rising temperature to global warming.

The effect of global warming and climate change could have led to rise in temperature in many areas of the state including Kandhamal, P C Mohanty, a marine science expert, said.

We have analyzed the temperature data of the last six years in different parts of the state and observed that the minimum temperature in most places except Puri increased from the 1990s, he said.

Apart from global warming, there are several other factors responsible for rise in temperature in Kandhamal.

These included increase of population, automobile emission and shrinking of forest cover, a senior forest officer said. Deforestation is the main cause of rise in temperature in the district, an environmentalist said.

Deforestation was caused due to various factors including felling of trees by agitators to use for road blockades, smuggling of timbers and cleaning forest by tribals to get forest rights.

Of the total 8021 sq km area in the district, 5709.08 sq km are under forest cover.

Bhubaneswar: Joining hands with the rest of the world, Tata Steel today observed World Environment Day in Bhubaneswar and all its operational locations. The observance was in keeping with the global theme for the present year’s World Environment Day, ‘Many Species. One Planet. One Future’.

In Orissa, the day was flagged off by a tree plantation by Mr Hridayeshwar Jha, Vice President (Orissa Project), Tata Steel in the IM Section of the upcoming Steel Plant at Kalinganagar. While speaking on the occasion, he stressed the need for industries such as ours to invest in R&D to find newer methods to reduce consumption of all inputs to address the future challenge that climate change will bring about. “If we don’t care for environment, nobody will care for us,” said Mr Jha.

Tree plantation drive also took place in a major way in the other areas of operations in Orissa. Under the guidance of Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) major plantation drive was undertaken in Sukinda, Joda and Gopalpur.

In Sukinda, a large number of villagers, prominent citizens, PRI members and Tata Steel officials joined a rally on environment protection from Kakudia village in Sukinda area. The rally was led by Mr Sushanta Kumar Mishra, Head (Mines), Mrs Bhagabati Mohanta, Zilla Parisad Member, Sukinda and Mr AK Ghosh, Head-Admin, FA&M.

In Joda, Tata Steel also joined hands to observe the day. Prabhat Pheri, mass scale fruit bearing sapling plantation and mass rally from Centenary Park to proposed park inJCO Joda formed primary part of the Environment Day observances by Tata Steel. In addition, participation of school children to ensure that all its citizens formed part of the awareness drive. Tata Steel organized essay, debate and art completion amongst school children in Joda. Prominent speaker, Mr K C Das, senior environmentalist, Tata Steel, Mr Rabindra Kumar Das, Chairman, Joda Municipality and Tata Steel Joda head, Mr Sailesh Verma addressed a large gathering of senior executives, senior citizens and school children. Mr Verma informed that the company would be planting 40,000 plants in the proposed park which will be constructed at an area of 8 acres.

In order to give all these initiatives a comprehensive structure and motivate employees and all others to become environment conscious citizens, Tata Steel unveiled its unique campaign ‘Greenfection’ to spread the green message to the people of India through TV and other mass media, besides rolling out its ‘You click and we plant a tree’ campaign nationwide.

Berhampur: Journalists, after boycotting the Ganjam tour of chief minister Naveen Patnaik, have condemned his silence on the recent attack on them in the local medical college premises.

Despite the fact that Patnaik represents the district in the State Assembly, he not even had any reactions on the issue during his visit, they rued.

As per the decision of the Berhampur Press Club, the scribes staged a silent protest in front of the Brundaban Nayak statue at Kamapalli Square here before holding a meeting at the Press Club on Friday.

After deliberations, it was resolved to condemn the non-responsiveness of the chief minister, who has not taken any initiative in favour of the scribes who were the victims of the attack at the MKCG Medical College following the death of a patient allegedly due to the negligence of doctors after an operation on Monday.

Consequently, ugly scenes had been witnessed at the medical college.

The meeting also resolved that the scribes would not cooperate with the chief minister and the two ministers from the district- Surya Narayan Patra and Bikram Kesari Arukh- because of their indifference over such a sensitive issue.

It was also decided to continue the agitation till the arrest of medical students, who were involved in the attack.

Editors of newspapers were requested to express their regret over the publication of the news and pictures of the chief minister’s visit and programme despite the decision of the Press Club not to do so.

The Press Club allowed the Journalists’ Action Committee to discuss with the Joint Action Committee of the medical students who have requested for talks in order to resolve the issue and expressed their deep regrets over the incident.

The scribes were, however, of the view that they would stick to their demand of transfer of city SP Saffen Ahmed, who insulted the agitating scribes by not turning up on the spot after the attack.

Besides, the Press Club also decided to stage a demonstration in front of the Indira Gandhi statue on Saturday and afterwards to hold a meeting to be attended by eminent people of the city and leaders of political parties and various other organizations.

Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter descends out of the boiling afternoon sky and a restless, sweat-soaked crowd of 100,000 people suddenly surges to life. Men rush forward in the staggering heat. Teenage boys wave a white bedsheet bearing a faintly cheeky request: We Want to Meet the Prince of India.

Mr Gandhi climbs onto a special viewing stand in this isolated corner of India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, and offers a boyish wave. Not yet 40, Mr Gandhi is the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister, the grandson of India’s fourth prime minister and the son of India’s seventh prime minister. His audience includes some of the poorest people in India.

“I’m standing here with you,” he declared to loud cheers, speaking for about 15 minutes before he left, waving through the window of his helicopter. “I can come with you anywhere and everywhere to fight with you.”

India is Mr Gandhi’s family inheritance. Seemingly the only uncertainty is when he will collect it. He holds no major post in government, yet rumors persist that the governing Congress Party — whose president is his mother, Sonia Gandhi — might install him as prime minister before the current government expires in 2014. The job’s current occupant, Manmohan Singh, recently had to bat away retirement questions.

Yet despite his aura of inevitability, Mr Gandhi largely remains an enigma. India is an emerging power, facing myriad domestic and international issues, but he remains deliberately aloof from daily politics. His thoughts on many major issues — as well as the temperature of the fire in his belly — remain mostly unknown.

For the Congress Party, that may be an advantage. The party has been the top vote getter in the last two national elections by appealing to the poor through welfare schemes while also pursuing pro-growth policies. But it holds power only with the support of fickle coalition partners.

Mr Gandhi is using his enormous popularity to broaden the party’s political base, steering clear of more contentious policy making. That could help position Congress to win an outright national majority — though it does little to illuminate what he would do with a mandate if he won it.

“What most people still have a hard time figuring out is, ‘What is Rahul Gandhi’s vision?’” said Pratap Bhanu Mehta, president of the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi, who has met privately with Mr Gandhi and speaks highly of him. “It is still not apparent to a lot of people what his own deep political convictions are.”

Mr Gandhi traverses the country, often on secret trips, to recruit as many as 10 million new youth members. His job is also to try to take back crucial strongholds like Uttar Pradesh, in the north, which his family claims as its home base but which the Congress Party does not control.

Most Indian political parties are internally undemocratic and often dominated by political dynasties, none more famous the Gandhi clan. But Gandhi has also insisted that the party’s youth organizations hold internal elections for posts and operate as meritocracies.

He also has succeeded far more than other Indian politicians in tapping into the hunger for generational change in India, analysts say, and has positioned himself as a change agent for the future, despite his obvious debts to India’s political past. He is trying to bypass the identity politics of caste and appeal to young people of all backgrounds. “We youth are with Rahul!” said Manonit Garharabari, 23, at the rally. “The whole youth is with Rahul. We see an internal strength in him.”

Gandhi is omnipresent in the media, and his face is plastered on untold numbers of billboards and political posters. His public image is as a humble, serious man, if somewhat shy, even as his name invariably tops polls ranking the country’s “hottest” or “most eligible” bachelors. Yet he almost never grants interviews, including for this article, and only occasionally conducts news conferences. Reporters are often tipped to his appearances at one village or another but often all they get is a photograph — which inevitably appears in newspapers around India.

His daily life is cloaked in secrecy, which makes it an irresistible if elusive topic for the Indian media. One news station ran a lengthy report after obtaining a short video clip of Mr Gandhi riding his bicycle in New Delhi. Mr Gandhi confirmed in 2004 that he had a Spanish girlfriend, but whether they remained a couple was unclear.

His advisers say his low profile reflects his desire not to overstep the authority of his organizational position while the secrecy is rooted in security concerns. His grandmother, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated, as was his father, Rajiv Gandhi. (The family is not related to Mohandas Gandhi, considered the father of modern India. Rahul Gandhi’s great-grandfather was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister and another founding father.) His official residence in New Delhi is heavily fortified and he traveled to the rally in Ahraura with a special black-clad security detail.

Yet analysts say his inaccessibility is also a deliberate effort to protect him from taking unpopular public stands and also to burnish his image. Last spring, he turned down an offer to join Mr Singh’s cabinet. “They want to keep a certain mystique to him,” said Mahesh Rangarajan, a political analyst in New Delhi.

Before he entered politics in 2004, winning a parliamentary seat in his father’s old district in Uttar Pradesh, Mr Gandhi had appeared ambivalent about the family profession. He attended Harvard for three years before transferring to Rollins College in Florida because of security concerns after his father’s death. He earned a master’s degree in development studies at Cambridge and worked in London as a management consultant before returning to India after his mother took over the Congress Party.

Some veteran politicians initially dismissed him as a pappu, the Hindi word for a nice boy, if one who is not too smart. Inside the Congress Party, some leaders had considered his younger sister, Priyanka, a more dynamic politician, but her focus has been on raising her children rather than running for office.

Mr Gandhi’s breakthrough came during the 2009 elections, when he campaigned across the country and was later credited for the unexpectedly strong showing by Congress.

Some analysts interpreted the 2009 voting results as evidence that the clout of regional, caste-based parties was waning. Over two decades, these parties splintered national politics and gave rise to leaders like Mayawati, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and India’s most powerful Dalit politician, who uses only one name. Analysts say Congress must regain seats in Uttar Pradesh and neighboring Bihar if it wants to achieve a national majority.

“The real test is Uttar Pradesh,” Mr Rangarajan said. “Everything rests on it. It is the most populous state. It is the demographic center.”

Uttar Pradesh will hold state elections in 2012, and Gandhi is pushing to unseat Ms Mayawati. For months, Mr Gandhi has periodically turned up at villages to share a meal or even spend the night with Dalit families. He told reporters that he did not see people’s castes, only that they were poor.

“When Rahul Gandhi goes to the home of a Dalit to share a meal, Mayawati’s stomach starts itching!” shouted one speaker at the rally.

His youth drives are conducted state by state, and he has hired a nonprofit group of former election commissioners to oversee the internal elections for posts in the party youth organizations — as opposed to the usual practice of party bosses picking their choices.

The Congress General Secretary’s campaign could eventually threaten entrenched interests within the party, analysts say, which is why, for now, the internal voting is limited to the youth organizations. And his efforts to unseat Mayawati got off to an inconsistent start. Analysts say the public response to his recruitment efforts in Uttar Pradesh had been tepid before his latest trip.

Ultimately, analysts say, Gandhi will have to reveal more about himself than his just organizational vision. He has traveled widely and met with business or political leaders. When Bill Gates recently visited India, he joined Gandhi in a village. In Egypt, Gandhi has befriended Gamal Mubarak, son and heir apparent of President Hosni Mubarak. In China, he has met Xi Jinping, the man tapped to replace the country’s president and Communist Party leader, Hu Jintao.

It seems he is preparing for the future.

Report by Dipti Ranjan Kanungo; Bhubaneswar: The World Environment Day is celebrated here on Saturday by the Forest and Environment department. The Chief Minister Naveen Pattanaik graced the occasion as Chief Guest . This year’s theme is “Bio-diversity: Connecting with Nature” – which focuses on the current and potential loss of bio-diversity and its serious implications on sustainable growth. Biological diversity represents the natural wealth of the Earth, and provides the basis for life and prosperity for the whole of mankind.

Speaking about the rich natural heritage of the state , the Chief Minister said Nature has endowed Orissa with a rich biological diversity. Strategies for conservation of biodiversity have comprised providing special status and protection to biodiversity rich areas by designating them as national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and biosphere reserves, and ecologically fragile and sensitive areas. The largest Ramsar sites of India i.e. Chilika Lake and Bhitarkanika `are located in our state. Chilika Lake is a striking example of how restoration of the ecological characteristics of a Lake can result not only in increased biodiversity but also in spectacular increase in fish catches and other socio-economic benefits to the local communities.

On this special occasion he also informed about the important projects launched by the state government to protect the natural bounties of Orissa. Considering the state’s significant expertise in wetland management and restoration, the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India has approved establishment of a National Wetlands and Coastal Ecosystem Research and Training Center at Bhubaneswar, which would serve as a Center of Excellence for capacity building and research in wetland management for India and South Asia.

For conservation and restoration of the important wetlands of the state ” Orissa Wetlands Development Authority ” is being constituted.

As a commitment towards conservation of biological diversity of plant resources the Regional Plan Resources Center has been established. Since its inception, much emphasis has been given for ex-situ conservation of biological diversity of plants besides habitat preservation in selected localities of the state.

The Chief Minister said Orissa is one amongst the few states of our country to formulate a ” State Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan “. The State Biodiversity Board has also been constituted in compliance to the ” Biological Diversity Act-2001″, for effective conservation of biodiversity.

The Chief Minister further said the state has an extensive 480 kilometre coast line. The coastal districts of Orissa accounts for 36% of state’s population who are prone to the climate mediated extreme weather events like floods, cyclones, coastal erosion, etc. A World Bank assisted Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project would be implemented to promote sustainable management of coastal areas on a long term basis to balance the environmental, economic, social and cultural issues and address the livelihood needs of local communities. The implementation of the project would commence this year.

He told the world’s leading climate scientists agree that human action is accelerating the climate change. It is a global issue. The impact of climate change could disrupt the fragile life-sustaining ecological system that holds this world together. Expressing concern over the climate change issue , Chief Minister attributed the reasons to Rising temperatures, rising sea level, and more frequent climate mediated extreme weather events could seriously threaten the state’s infrastructure, economy, health, and ecosystems. Without proper long-term strategy, climate change may undermine our development efforts, with adverse consequences, across the board, on our people’s livelihood, the environment in which they live and work and their personal health and welfare. Thus it has become imperative to take appropriate mitigative and adaptive measures.

He also informed that Orissa Climate Change Action Plan is launched on the state government website for its review by the public today.  Orissa is the first state in the country to formulate the State Climate Change Action Plan. This reflects the great importance the state attaches to this important environmental issue. The suggestions will be very useful in finalising the Action Plan.

The Climate Change Action Plan would lead Orissa to move towards a carbon-conscious and climate resilient state. The draft Action Plan envisages an outlay of Rs.17,000 crores in eleven key sectors over the next five years. The Orissa Climate Change Action Plan would facilitate mobilisation of additional resources to implement the plan. A Climate Change Agency is proposed to be put in place to oversee the progress and liaise with Government of India, external funding agencies and different sectors for smooth implementation of the State Climate Change Action Plan.

Chief Minister congratulated the winners of various competitions organized as part of the celebration of World Environment Day. He also expressed his best wishes to all two hundred eleven Prakruti Mitra awardees of this year from all over the state and advised them to continue their good work in protecting the environment in coming years. The Chief Minister also launched the Draft climate Change Action Plan on the State Govt. for public review.

Among others , Chief Secretary Sri Tarunkanti Mishra and PCCF Sri Suresh Ch. Mohanty, Principal Secretary of Forest & Environment, Sri U.N. Behera gave the welcome address and Director, Environment Sri Bhagirathi Behera proposed the Vote of Thanks. The  Chief Minister gave away Prakruti Mitra Award to 211 persons and 10 children were also awarded.

The presence of shy Irrawaddy Dolphins is a symbol that all is well with the Chilika lagoon. A recently concluded census shows that dolphin numbers are up to 158 from 146.

The picture is very different from 2002 when there were only 80 dolphins and 9 were killed after being hit by boat propellers.

The credit for the turn around goes to the awareness campaign by the Chilika Development authority to protect the dolphin and conserve the lagoon.

Tourist numbers in the area have also increased. One of the tourists finds dolphins the greatest attraction in Chilika, and he comes back each year to watch them.

Until 3 years ago hundreds of local fishermen who live close to the sea mouth had turned migrant labourer after their fish catch fell very sharply.  But not any longer as dolphins have given them a reason to celebrate.
 
“Eco-tourism has come as a huge blessing and revived our economy. We worship the birds, dolphins and the lake for taking care of our prosperity,” said Hiranya Jena, Sipakuda.

Like the tiger in the forest it’s the Dolphin which is at the apex of the food chain here and the fact that their number is rising indicates a definite improvement in the eco-health of the Chilika lagoon.

The sprawling 1000 sq km Chilika lagoon was a dying wetland until 10 years ago but it was Chilika Development Agency’s decision to open this artificial new sea mouth, the Ram Bharatia Channel, which has made a huge difference to the wetland and given it fresh lease of life .
 
Ajit K Patnaik, Chief Executive, Chilika Development Agency said that it’s a win win situation for both conservationists and local people. He added that many indicators of the growing health like dolphins, shore birds and sea grass and tourism as an alternative livelihood has reduced pressures on the lake fishery.

While there are plenty of reasons to cheer about a rejuvenated Chilika, there is also a great need to regulate and monitor human activities and interventions.