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Time of India
11-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Gujarat's tree cover records 17% decline over six years
Ahmedabad: Gujarat's tree cover has recorded a stark 17% decline over six years, falling from 8,034sq km in 2015-16 to 6,632sq km in 2021-22, in sharp contrast to other industrialised states, most of which reported substantial gains in the same period. According to data presented in a Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) report, Maharashtra led the growth with a 47.7% growth in tree cover — from 9,831sq km to 14,525sq km. Andhra Pradesh recorded a 42.3% expansion, Karnataka recorded a 36.1% increase, while Telangana, Haryana and Tamil Nadu saw their tree cover grow by 31.8%, 19.6% and 15% respectively. All these states have substantially industrialised. A senior forest official from Gujarat revealed the state's tree cover has experienced a long-term decline — shrinking from 8,358sq km in 2013 to 6,632.29 sq km, as per the latest Forest Survey of India (FSI) 2023 report, marking a 20.65% decrease over seven years. "The steepest fall came between 2019 and 2021 when the cover shrunk from 6,912sq km to 5,489sq km, largely due to diversion of reserve forests and open lands for industrial projects, including solar power," the official said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Even as the overall forest cover in Gujarat declined, the situation improved since 2021, according to forest officials. "We registered the highest increase in tree cover in the FSI 2023 report compared to the FSI 2021 report. Gujarat's tree cover currently stands at 3.38% of its geographical area, up from 2.8% earlier," said A P Singh, principal chief conservator of forests. In fact, Ahmedabad City, he added, has been the biggest loser of green cover among major cities in Gujarat since 2011. Environment experts blame it on rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Environmentalists attribute the loss to rapid urbanisation and unchecked industrial growth. "The pace of industrialisation in Gujarat has been extremely rapid in recent years," said Mahesh Pandya, environmental engineer and director of Paryavaran Mitra. "As a result, forest land was often diverted for industrial use. Replantation and greening efforts haven't kept up with the pace of loss. Though we saw some recovery from 2021 to 2023, earlier gaps caused lasting depletion. What is urgently needed is focused, long-term intervention from the govt, complemented by community participation." Pandya also flagged future risks tied to ecological degradation. "Our mangrove belts are not dense enough to provide strong natural barriers. While survival rates of plantations improved, earlier negligence left coastal areas vulnerable. In the event of cyclones, the impact on the land side could be severe, with increased risk of salinity ingress," he warned. Environmental experts say Gujarat must urgently adopt a more decentralised and sustained greening approach to address climate vulnerabilities and ecological loss.
New Indian Express
22-04-2025
- Health
- New Indian Express
1.3 lakh Telangana people living with HIV
HYDERABAD: A totals of 1,37,426 individuals are living with HIV and receiving Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in Telangana as of January 2025. Among them, 69,940 are women and 60,640 are men while 781 identify as transgenders. According to the 75th National Sample Survey titled 'Women and Men in India 2024' report, released recently by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) of Government of India, the pediatric population includes 2,232 boys and 2,046 girls, signalling a critical need for continued support in paediatric HIV care. The report presented the picture of gender-specific indicators of various states. As per the report, tobacco consumption among adults aged 15 and above in Telangana shows a stark gender contrast between male and female with 22.3% of men and 5.6% women using tobacco products. Literacy among young population encouraging Encouragingly, literacy among Telangana's youth (aged 15-24) is approaching universality. The male youth literacy rate stands at 98.16%, while the female literacy rate is 95.48%, bringing the total to 96.88%. These figures suggest strong educational outcomes among the younger population. When assessing functional literacy -- defined as the ability to read and write short, simple statements with understanding -- 82.8% of men qualify, compared to only 67.9% of women. The overall figure is 75.4%, indicating the need to focus on adult female literacy programmes. At the same time, educational disparities persist among adults aged 25 and above. In Telangana, 62.7% of men have completed at least secondary education, compared to 41.3% of women, with the total average at 51.7%.
Zawya
10-04-2025
- Business
- Zawya
India: RBI revises growth expectation from 6.7 % to 6.5% in FY25-26, Amdist Tariff challenges
Mumbai: India's real GDP is revised downwards to grow at 6.5 per cent in the current financial year 2025-26 from earlier expectation of 6.7 per cent, highlighted Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Sanjay Malhotra during the policy announcement on Wednesday. The Governor highlighted that this growth projection comes after a strong performance of 9.2 per cent growth recorded in the previous financial year, 2024-25, as per figures released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI). He said "The real GDP as you are all aware, this year, as per the MOSPI figures, is expected to grow at 6.5 per cent. This is on top of a 9.2 per cent growth rate observed in the previous year, which is 2024-2025". Speaking on the outlook for the economy, Malhotra said the agriculture sector is expected to perform well this year due to healthy reservoir levels and strong crop production. He noted that manufacturing activity is also picking up pace, with business expectations remaining positive. Meanwhile, the services sector continues to show resilience, contributing steadily to economic growth. He acknowledged that growth is improving after a weak performance in the first half of the last financial year, although it still remains below the level the country aspires to achieve. On the demand side, the Governor said the positive outlook for agriculture is likely to support rural demand, which remains strong. Urban consumption is also gradually increasing, helped by a rise in discretionary spending. Investment activity, he added, has gathered momentum and is expected to improve further. This improvement is being driven by sustained and higher-capacity utilization, continued government spending on infrastructure, strong balance sheets of banks and corporates, and easier financial conditions. He said "Investment activity has gained traction and is expected to improve further on the back of sustained, higher-capacity utilization, government's continued trust on infrastructure spending, healthy balance sheets of banks as well as the corporates, along with the easing of financial conditions". However, Malhotra cautioned that merchandise exports may face pressure due to global uncertainties. On the other hand, services exports are expected to stay resilient and support the overall growth momentum. © Muscat Media Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
