Spotlight

New Delhi, 5 March 2007

ANDHRA REVIVES DEVELOPMENT BOARDS

NEW DELHI, March 6 (INFA): The Andhra Pradesh Government has decided to revive the Regional Development Boards for its three regions---Telangana, Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra.

The decision has been taken in a bid to address the concerns of political parties over uneven development of backward areas, especially Telangana which has already stepped up its demand for a separate Statehood.

One of the main reasons for the prolonged Statehood demand is the continuous neglect of the region.

In his address to the assembly, the State’s Governor, Rameshwar Thakur had admitted that “in spite of all the care that the successive Governments have taken to ensure balance between various regions, there still exists a feeling among sections of people that some regions have remained less developed than other regions..”

It was the previous Telugu Desam Government, headed by N.T. Rama Rao that abolished the regional development boards in 1983. In view of the decisions of the present Congress Government on the revival of the development boards, political circles are optimistic that regional development will receive a fillip thus bringing contentment and all-round happiness among the Telugus. Three cheers to the Congress and its Chief Minister.---INFA

THE BILLION TREE CAMPAIGN

NEW DELHI, February 6 (INFA): The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is launching a major worldwide tree planting campaign. Under the Plant for the Planet: The Billion Tree Campaign, people, communities, organizations and governments will be encouraged to enter tree planting pledges on a website with the objective of planting at least one billion trees worldwide during 2007.

In addition to focusing on tree planting and the issue of deforestation, the Campaign will play a broader symbolic purpose, highlighting issues such as climate change, air quality, integrated water resource management, biodiversity conservation etc.

The UNEP will work with civil society organizations, the private sector and governments in al regions of the world to build on the successful model of the Plant for the Planet campaign.

Recognizing that there are many such tree planting schemes round the world, UNEP proposes to federate these efforts in the context of the existing UNEP Plant for the Planet campaign, by launching a major worldwide Plant for the Planet: The Billion Tree Campaign.---INFA