Month: March 2018

Mountains and Hills of Assam and NE Region (APSC Assam Geography Notes)

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Mountains and Hills of Assam and NE Region :Assam Geography Study Materials & Notes

Assam Geography - Assamexam

Go To Assam Geography Notes & Study Materials                                                                                           Go To Geography Notes

The state of Assam along with whole Northeast India region is full of amazing valleys, Astonishing Waterfalls, dense forest and great hills and that’s why it’s also called as “The land of the Red River and Blue Hills”. Assam has numerous mountain ranges and hills which are home to wide range of flora and fauna.

Some of the major mountain ranges and hills located in Assam ( along with other neighboring states)

Purvanchal Range

The Purvanchal Mountains or Eastern Mountains are a sub-mountain range of the Himalayas in northeast India covering the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram.

The range is an eastern extension of the Himalayan Range System, is north eastern India. It bends sharply to the south beyond the Dihang River gorge, and spreads along the eastern boundary of India with Myanmar.

The Purvanchal range includes the hill ranges of the Patkai Hill, Barail Range, Mizo Hills and Naga Hills.

The Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills are part of Shillong Plateau, and not part of the Purvanchal range.

Assam Himalaya

A portion in the lower Himalayan mountains range is known as Assam Himalaya between the border of Bhutan and the Great Bend of the Tsangpo River. Yarlung Tsangpo River originates from Lake Manasarovar in Mount Kailash and known as Dihang river in Arunachal Pradesh. The range provides shelter to number of flora and fauna.

Namcha Barwa is the highest mountain peak of Assam Himalaya range. Namcha Barwa (7,782 m) is the highest peak of its own section as well as Earth’s easternmost peak over 7,600 metres.

Other high peaks include Gyala Peri, sister peak to Namcha Barwa; Kangto, and Nyegyi Kangsang.

Patkai Range

The Patkai mountain range also known as Purvanchal Range, one of the eight mountain range in India and the major of India’s North Eastern states. Patkai Range is consist of three major hills, viz. The Patkai-Bum,the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia and Lushai Hills.

The Patkai hill range are not as rugged as the Himalayas and the peaks are much lower in height. Features of the range include conical peaks, steep slopes and deep valleys. The climate range from temperate to alpine due to differencies in altitude.

Three mountain ranges come under the Patkai. The Patkai-Bum (Burmese Kumon Taungdan), the Garo-Khasi-Jaintia, and the Lushai Hills, highest point Phawngpui Tlang, also known as ‘Blue Mountain‘. The Garo-Khasi range is in the Indian state of Meghalaya. Mawsynram and Cherrapunji, on the windward side of these hills are the world’s wettest places, having the highest annual rainfall.

The Pangsau Pass offers the most important route through the Patkai. The Ledo Road was built through Pangsau Pass as a strategic supply road built over the range during World War II to link India with the Burma Road into China.

 

Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills

The Khasi and Jaintia Hills are a mountainous region is a part Meghalaya, which includes the present districts of East Jaintia Hills district, West Jaintia Hills district, East Khasi Hills district, and West Khasi Hills district.

The hills of Khasi is the part of major Garo-Khasi range in Meghalaya and also the part of the Patkai mountain ranges. Khasi Hills got its name by Khasi tribes of the region.

Cherrapunji is the wettest place in the world is situated in the East Khasi Hills and Lum Shyllong is the highest peak(1,968 metres high).

The Jaintia Hills are located further to the east from the Khasi Hills.

Garo Hills

The Garo Hills is located in Meghalaya state and part of Garo-Khasi range. It is one of the wettest places in the world. The range is part of the Meghalaya subtropical forests eco-region.

Nokrek Peak is the highest point of the Garo Hills region of the State, Nokrek Peak stands 1412 metres above sea level. The mother germo plasm of Citrus-indica have been discovered by science researchers within Nokrek Range. This discovery led to the establishment of the National CitrusGene Sanctuary-cum-Biosphere Reserve at Nokrek covering an area of forty seven square kilometres.

Tura Peak is a majestic hill stands on the eastern flank of Tura, the largest town in the Garo Hills region of the State. It peaks 872metres above sea level.

Balpakram is a National Wildlife Park, located in SouthGaro Hills and 167 km from Tura. It is home to the rare Lesser Panda, the Indian bison and the Stag like Serow.

Siju Caves is the famous limestone caves of Siju are located near Simsang River in Siju village.

 

Lushai Hills

The Lushai Hills also known as Mizo Hills is one of the three part of Patkai mountain range, located in Mizoram and Tripura. Mizo Hills is highly covered with dense bamboo jungle and rank undergrowth; but in the eastern portion, owing probably to a smaller rainfall, open grass-covered slopes are found, with groves of oak and pine interspersed with rhododendrons.

Phawngpui, also known as Blue Mountain is the highest mountain peak (elevation of 2157 m), located in Mizoram.

Naga Hills

The Naga Hills are actually part of Indian Territory mountain ranges of Arakan Mountains between the western Burma and the Naga Hills district. The hills, due to their complexity and position, form a barrier between the India and Myanmar (Burma).

The Naga Hills, reaching a height of around 3,825 metres (12,549 ft). The highest point of Naga hills is Mount Saramati (3826 m).

Naga Hills is one of the major tribal region of Nagaland state and inhabited by Naga people.

Jampui Hills

Jampui Hills is a hill range located in the North Tripura district of Tripura. The average altitude of the hill range is approximately 1000 metres above sea level. Its habitants are mainly Mizo or Lushai.

The Jampui Hills stretch from North to South and are bordering the state Mizoram in the east.

Betalongchhip (930 m high), also known as Betlingchhip, Balinchhip and Thaidawr, is the highest point in Tripura.

Jampui Hills is famous for its unique Orange Festival, view of rising and setting sun and excellent panoramic views of the deep valley and villages around.

Chin Hills

The Chin Hills is a range of mountains extends northward from Manipur to Chin State of Myanmar. Chin Hills are the part of Arakan Mountain Range with an highest peak of Nat Ma Taung with 3,053 m(10,500 feet). Chin Hills are very close to Lushai Hills of Patkai Range and offers a wide range of flora and fauna.

In the Second World War the hills formed a point of armed conflict between Japanese forces and a combined British and Indian force.

Mikir Hills are a group of hills located to the south of the Kaziranga National Park, Assam. It is part of the Karbi Anglong Plateau.

Daphla Hills is a tract of hilly country on the border of western Arunachal and Assam occupied by an independent tribe called Daphla. It lies to the north of the Tezpur and North Lakhimpur subdivisions, and is bounded on the west by the Aka Hills and on the east by the Abor Range.

Go To Assam Geography Notes & Study Materials                                                                              Go To Geography Notes

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KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) scheme

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The KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan) scheme was announced in the Union Budget in 2018-19. It is a solar farming scheme to be introduced soon by government to provide additional income and water security to farmers. The scheme is for setting up solar power projects on the agriculture land and providing options to farmers to sell additional power to grid.

The scheme involving decentralized solar power production upto 28250 MW over a period of five years, will be implemented by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, from the next fiscal year.

 

Aims of the Scheme
  • Promote decentralized solar power production
  • To support the financial health of DISCOMs by reducing the burden of subsidy to the agriculture sector
  • Reduce transmission losses
  • To promote energy efficiency and water conservation
  • Provide water security to farmers through provision of assured water sources through solar water pumps – both off-grid and grid connected
  • To provide reliable power to utilise the irrigation potential created by state irrigation departments
  • To fill the void in solar power production in the intermediate range between roof tops and large parks
Main features of this scheme
  • The government will spend 48,000 crore rupees over 10 years as central financial assistance (CFA).
  • The scheme aims to encourage the use of barren land for setting up solar power plants.
  • This programme will help set up more than 28 GW of combined solar capacity through these solar pumps.
  • Scheme incentivizes farmers to run solar farm water pumps.
Four components of the Scheme:
  • Setting up of 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
  • Installation of 17.50 Lakh Stand-alone Solar Pumps
  • Solarizing exisiting 10 Lakh Grid Connected Agriculture Pumps of 7,250 MW
  • Solarizing government tube wells of 8,250 MW capacity.
Targets of the Scheme
  • Setting up of 10,000 MW of Decentralized Ground Mounted Grid Connected Solar Power Plants
  • Installation of 17.50 Lakh Stand-alone Solar Pumps
  • Solarisation of 10 Lakh Grid Connected Agriculture Pumps
  • 50 Thousand Tube-wells/Lift Irrigation Projects
Some Advantages of the scheme
  • Transmission losses and power theft would drop significantly.
  • As proposed in the scheme, the main priority will be to rely on Local generation of power.
  • It promotes decentralized solar power production.
  • The scheme would also promote energy efficiency, water conservation and water security to farmers.
  • The government’s plan to purchase the surplus power through electricity distribution companies will certainly increase agricultural incomes and reduce electricity losses.
  • The sale of excess power from farmers will discourage over-utilization of groundwater.
Possible limitations of the scheme
  • The feasibility of purchasing surplus solar power seems challenging. There is a need to address the issue of grid stability that this injection of surplus power is bound to create.
  • Balancing of all power grids is more important. Because power generation should work round the clock as electricity generated can’t be stored.
  • The existing electrical gridlines were created to depend on reliable and controllable generators of coal, oil and even hydroelectric power.
  • So, for inclusion of solar and wind power generators into the grid, a more precise balance will have to be created.
  • Variations in weather patterns make it more difficult for the grid operator to predict the balance of electrical energy that will be required to meet the demand.
  • Solar and wind power are fluctuating in nature which depend on sunlight and cloud conditions.
  • So to maintain a consistent round-the-clock power delivery the grid operators will need to have a back-up source of power in the form of coal or oil.
Need of the hour
  • Because of India’s sheer size, the variability factor considerably increases like when some areas have low consumption; others are likely to have high consumption.
  • So, more stability can be achieved by integrating the grids into all-India grids.
  • Attention also should be given to the stability of the grid; otherwise the grid network collapses due to the uncertainties of power supply and demand.
  • Expected advances in storage technology would also significantly improve grid stability.
  • Centre along with state governments should put in place adequate procedures to purchase the excess solar power from farmers.

 

 

BITCOINS Crypto-currency

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Note – This topic is little technical in nature, concepts more related to computer science. But everyone should have a fair idea of it, as it’s very important development and especially the ‘Blockchain technology’ bitcoin has popularized, is going to be used in many areas in near future.

Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system. It is the first decentralized digital currency, as the system works without a central bank or single administrator.

The network is peer-to-peer and transactions take place between users directly, without an intermediary. These transactions are verified by network nodes through the use of cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a blockchain.

Bitcoin was invented by an unknown person or group of people under the name Satoshi Nakamoto and released as open-source software in 2009. Bitcoins are created as a reward for a process known as mining. They can be exchanged for other currencies, products, and services.

The price of bitcoin skyrocketed into the thousands in 2017. Bitcoins can be used to buy merchandise anonymously. In addition, international payments are easy and cheap because bitcoins are not tied to any country or subject to regulation.

Small businesses may like them because there are no credit card fees. Some people just buy bitcoins as an investment, hoping that they’ll go up in value. Bitcoins are stored in a “digital wallet,” which exists either in the cloud or on a user’s computer. The wallet is a kind of virtual bank account that allows users to send or receive bitcoins, pay for goods or save their money.

What makes Bitcoins different is that a decentralized network of computers keeps track of them, instead of a single person, company, or government. They can be sent to someone via a computer or a mobile device, with each transaction being recorded in what is called a blockchain.

Bitcoin Mining –  People compete to “mine” bitcoins using computers to solve complex math puzzles. This is how bitcoins are created. Currently, a winner is rewarded with 12.5 bitcoins roughly every 10 minutes.

Many marketplaces called “bitcoin exchanges” allow people to buy or sell bitcoins using different currencies. Coinbase is a leading exchange, along with Bitstamp and Bitfinex. People can send bitcoins to each other using mobile apps or their computers. It’s similar to sending cash digitally.

 

Pros and Cons of Bitcoins and other Crypto currencies

Low transfer fees – A big advantage to using Bitcoins is the low transfer fees. You can send as well as receive payments at a very low cost — often for free. In any case, the fees are lower than what you would have to pay when doing business through a bank. Additionally, Bitcoins can’t be counterfeited, making it safer than paper money in this regard.

Anonymity – Another advantage is that although all transactions are visible to everyone, they are anonymous, as you don’t have to disclose your personal info such as your name, address, and so on. This is also a disadvantage in a way, as it allows for some shady business. There’s no way to connect the money back to them.  That’s why it has become the currency of choice for people online buying drugs or other illicit activities.

Security – A big problem with Bitcoins is security. As already mentioned, your Bitcoin wallet can be stored in the cloud or offline, on your computer. The offline method is more secure due to the reduced risk of getting hacked, but can also mean that you can lose all of your Bitcoins if whatever device that houses the wallet stops working. Bitcoins worth tens of millions of dollars were stolen from Bitfinex when it was hacked in 2016.

Irreversible Nature – Bitcoin transactions are also irreversible unlike those made with a credit card, so there’s a bigger chance of losing your money when dealing with sketchy sellers online.

Unstable – They aren’t as stable as most currencies, as their value fluctuate too much very frequently.

Uncertain Future – No one knows what will become of bitcoin. It is mostly unregulated, but recently some countries like Japan, China and Australia have begun weighing regulations. Governments are concerned about taxation and their lack of control over the currency.

 

Important Concepts

Blockchain

The blockchain is a public ledger that records bitcoin transactions. A novel solution accomplishes this without any trusted central authority: the maintenance of the blockchain is performed by a network of communicating nodes running bitcoin software.

Transactions of the form payer X sends Y bitcoins to payee Z are broadcast to this network using readily available software applications. Network nodes can validate transactions, add them to their copy of the ledger, and then broadcast these ledger additions to other nodes. The blockchain is a distributed database – to achieve independent verification of the chain of ownership of any and every bitcoin amount, each network node stores its own copy of the blockchain.

Approximately six times per hour, a new group of accepted transactions, a block, is created, added to the blockchain, and quickly published to all nodes. This allows bitcoin software to determine when a particular bitcoin amount has been spent, which is necessary in order to prevent double-spending in an environment without central oversight. Whereas a conventional ledger records the transfers of actual bills or promissory notes that exist apart from it, the blockchain is the only place that bitcoins can be said to exist in the form of unspent outputs of transactions.

 

Mining

Mining is a record-keeping service done through the use of computer processing power. Miners keep the blockchain consistent, complete, and unalterable by repeatedly grouping newly broadcast transactions into a block, which is then broadcast to the network and verified by recipient nodes.

Each block contains a SHA-256 cryptographic hash of the previous block, thus linking it to the previous block and giving the blockchain its name.

To be accepted by the rest of the network, a new block must contain a so-called proof-of-work. The system used is based on Adam Back’s 1997 anti-spam scheme, Hashcash. The PoW requires miners to find a number called a nonce, such that when the block content is hashed along with the nonce, the result is numerically smaller than the network’s difficulty target.[5]:ch. 8 This proof is easy for any node in the network to verify, but extremely time-consuming to generate, as for a secure cryptographic hash, miners must try many different nonce values (usually the sequence of tested values is the ascending natural numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, …) before meeting the difficulty target.

Every 2,016 blocks (approximately 14 days at roughly 10 min per block), the difficulty target is adjusted based on the network’s recent performance, with the aim of keeping the average time between new blocks at ten minutes. In this way the system automatically adapts to the total amount of mining power on the network. Between 1 March 2014 and 1 March 2015, the average number of nonces miners had to try before creating a new block increased from 16.4 quintillion to 200.5 quintillion.

The proof-of-work system, alongside the chaining of blocks, makes modifications of the blockchain extremely hard, as an attacker must modify all subsequent blocks in order for the modifications of one block to be accepted. As new blocks are mined all the time, the difficulty of modifying a block increases as time passes and the number of subsequent blocks (also called confirmations of the given block) increases.

APSC Recruitment 2018 – Junior Information & Public Relation Officer -5 Posts

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Assam Public Service Commission invites application from Indian Citizens for various posts under Assam Government in the scale of pay as indicated below and carrying usual allowances as admissible under Rules of the Govt. of Assam.

Name of post: Junior Information & Public Relation Officer under Information and Public Relation Department, Assam.
No of posts: 5 [UR: 3, OBC: 2]

Pay: Rs. 30,000/- to 1,10,000/- (Grade Pay of Rs. 12,700/-)
Educational Qualification:
(i) A degree of any recognized University in Arts, Science or Commerce.
(ii) A degree/diploma in Journalism or in Mass Communication from an Institute recognized by University Grants Commission (UGC) or at least three years experience in Journalism in a responsible capacity public relations organizations/Government Public Relations Department.
(iii) A good command over English.
(iv) Knowledge of Assamese or any other regional language or local language of the state.
(v) Knowledge of Computer Application.

Application Fee : As per Govt. Notification No. FEG.32/2016/8-A dated Dispur the 28th October,2016 the Application Fees for all post under the State Govt. of Assam shown as below:

1. For General Candidate : Rs.250/- (Rupees two hundred and fifty) only.
2. For SC/ST/OBC/MOBC : Rs.150/- (Rupees one hundred and fifty) only.
3. Candidates having BPL Certificate : Nil (Candidate having BPL certificate should produce their photocopy of certificate along with the Application Form).

Fees should be deposited only through Treasury Challan in the Head of Account “NON TAX REVENUE, OTHER NON TAX REVENUE 0051 PSC, 105 STATE PSC APPLICATION FEE RECEIPT OF APSC” showing name of post and department. Original copy of Treasury Challan should be submitted along with the application form.

How to apply: The name of the post applied for should be clearly written in “bold letters” in the Envelope containing the application form and it should be addressed to the Deputy Secretary, APSC, Jawaharnagar, Khanapara, Guwahati-22. Application form may be obtained by downloading the same from the APSC’s website www.apsc.nic.in.

Last date – The last date of receiving duly filled up application form in the Commission’s office is fixed on 31/03/2018 during office hours.

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Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Recruitment 2018 – Manager/ Engineer/ Jr. Engineer/ ITI/ Assistant -1804 Posts

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Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) invites Online applications for the following category of Executive & Non-Executive posts :

Executive Vacancies  :

  •     Assistant Manager / Electrical : 21 posts
  •     Assistant Manager / S&T : 12 posts
  •     Assistant Manager / Operations : 08 posts
  •     Assistant Manager / Fire : 02 posts
  •     Assistant Manager / Stores : 02 posts
  •     Assistant Manager / Environment : 01 post
  •     Assistant Manager / IT : 03 posts
  •     Assistant Manager / Electrical : 25 posts on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Assistant Manager / S&T : 22 posts on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Assistant Manager / Civil : 44 posts on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Assistant Manager / Alignment Design : 01 post on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Assistant Manager / Finance : 02 posts (ST) in Special Recruitment for SC/ST
  •    Assistant Manager / Corporate Communication : 01 (SC) in Special Recruitment for SC/ST
  •     Assistant Manager / Legal : 01 post (SC) in Special Recruitment for SC/ST
  •     Assistant Manager / Safety : 01 post (SC) in Special Recruitment for SC/ST
Non-Executive Operations Vacancies :
  •     Jr. Engineer/ Electrical : 192 posts
  •     Jr. Engineer/ Electronics : 135 posts
  •     Jr. Engineer/ Mechanical : 87 posts
  •     Jr. Engineer/ Civil : 24 posts
  •     Jr. Engineer/ Environment : 02 posts
  •     Assistant Programmer : 09 posts
  •     Legal Assistant : 04 posts
  •     Fire Inspector : 10 posts
  •     Librarian :  02 posts
  •     Maintainer – Electrician : 137 posts
  •     Maintainer – Electronic Mechanic : 530 posts
  •     Maintainer – Ref & AC Mechanic : 33 posts
  •     Maintainer – Fitter : 178 posts
  •     Jr. Engineer / Electrical : 07 posts  on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Jr. Engineer / Electronics : 102 posts  on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Jr. Engineer / Civil : 96 posts  on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Office Assistant : 14 posts  on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Store Assistant : 13 posts  on contract basis for 04 years
  •     Station Controller/ Train Operator (SC/TO) : 50 posts (ST) in Special Recruitment for SC/ST
  •     Maintainer – Electronic Mechanic : 29 posts (ST) in Special Recruitment for SC/ST
  •     Stenographer : 02 posts (ST) in Special Recruitment for SC/ST on contract basis for  04 years
  •     Account Assistant : 01 post in Special Recruitment for SC/ST on contract basis for four 04 years
  •     Office Assistant : 01 post (SC) in Special Recruitment for SC/ST on contract basis for 04 years
Application Fee: UR & OBC (including Ex-servicemen) candidates are required to pay a Non-refundable fee of Rs. 500/- and SC/ST/PWD candidates are required to pay a non-refundable fee of Rs. 250/-  to be paid online.

How to Apply: Apply Online at DMRC website http://www.delhimetrorail.com/career.aspx from 27/01/2018 to 12/03/2018 only.

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APSC Mains English Paper – Report & Letter Writing, Letter to Administration, Field Report Sample Format

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APSC Mains English Paper - Report & Letter Writing, Field Report Sample Format

English-APSC-Mains

A. Report in News Paper – How to write Report in News Paper

B. Letter to Administration Format Sample

From

(Write your name here)
(Your Address)
(City)
(Zip Code)

To

The District Collector
(Name of the Magazine)
(Address)
(City)
(Zip Code)

Sir/Madam,

Subject: Regarding Loudspeaker Issue in (name of the colony)

This letter is to bring into notice the Loudspeakers that are becoming a bog noise pollution in our colony. It is quite a fact that a colony like ours has old age people and kids who cannot tolerate such nuisance all the time.

Besides the so many requests we put up to the youth committee that is turning on the Loudspeakers every evening, the problems still prevails in our colony.

Please take into consideration the lot many problems like loss of sleep, lack of concentration to study and health hazards that people in our colony are facing due to the Loudspeaker issue. Kindly take necessary actions and help us get rid of the noise pollution as early as possible.

Thanking You,

Yours Sincerely,

(your signature)
(Date)

C. Details of Destruction/Disaster and Survey/Field Visit Report – Sample

Letter By The District Collector To The Chief Secretary Of The State in respect to the drought situation prevailing in the district and the remedial measures taken to control the same :

From :
District Collector,
District Junagarth.

To :
The Chief Secretary,
Govt of State Of Gujarat.

Sub : Havoc caused by the drought in the district of XXXXX

Sir,
Our district has been suffering from the shortage of rains regularLy for the last three years. Due to scanty rainfall, the water level in the entire district has gone down tremendously. Without water in the wells and with no rainfall, all the crops have dried up thus causing huge loss to the farming community in particular. Here, most of the agriculture depends mainly on rainfalls. The canals and ponds in the area have also dried up completely. An actue shortage of water is being faced. Cattle are either sold by the farmers or left to die becase of the shortage of water and fodder. The cost of fodder has shot up tremendously. This drought has so far claimed 120 lives of cattle and affected more than 600 villages of the district with a population of around 3 millions.

No Rains and shortage of water has created famine like conditions. The drought has rendered lakhs of villagers jobless. The dead-bodies of animals arr stinking in the fields and creating a health hazard. The danger of spreading of an epidemic is imminent.

I have visited almost all the affected villages. I found the situation very alarming. We are arranging fodder from the near-by state. Water is being supplied in tankers from the city area. Loans are being distributed to the farmers to arrange for the deepening and electrification of wells. The CMHO is instructed to check the spread of any disease. Free dry wood is being made available to facilitae the cremation of dead animals.

We have also taken assistance of voluntary organizations, NGOs and other generous people to help the affected people. Although, the situation is under control, yet lot of fund is needed to provide remedial help to the affected people. We need at least 150 crore rupees to begin the relief work in a proper manner.

Please arrange the necessary funds so that the situation caused due to the drought may be checked effectively.

XXXXX YYYYYY
District Collector

Seven National Parks of Assam (APSC Assam Geography Notes)

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Seven National Parks of Assam : Assam Geography Study Materials & Notes

Assam Geography - Assamexam

Go To Assam Geography Notes & Study Materials                                                                            Go To Geography Notes

Assam is one of the lands comprising of the seven sisters. Blessed richly with diverse flora and fauna. Geographically made up of The Eastern Hills of The Northern Himalayas and The Brahmaputra Plains, Assam has copious forests. With the tropical monsoon rainfall type of climate Assam is one of the greenest states of the country. Because of its profuse forests Assam witnesses ample of rare species that seek shelter in the greens of the nature. Assam’s rich biodiversity has an enormous wildlife of flora and fauna, that draws a lot of wildlife lovers to this state.

Assam has seven national parks, viz. Kaziranga National Park, Manas National park, Orang National Park, Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, Nameri National Park, Dihing Patkai National Park and Raimona National Park. These protected area of Assam considered as one of the important wildlife areas for the protection of primate diversity and flora and fauna.

 

 

  1.  Kaziranga National Park

This famous national park of Assam is situated in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of the state of Assam, India. It is located on the banks of the Brahamputra River. Covering an area of approximately 430 sq. kms is recognized as an Important Bird Area of the world.

The Kaziranga Park is one of the oldest National parks in Assam, being declared as National Park in 1974.  Kaziranga was originally established as a reserved forest in 1908. Later, it was converted in to a game sanctury till 1938. A forest conservationist, P. D. Stracey renamed this sanctury to Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950.

Kaziranga was declared as World Heritage Site by UNESCO for its quality natural environment. In 2006 it is also declared as Tiger Reserve.

Kaziranga National Park is home to world’s great one-horned rhinoceroses with total population of 2401. Intersected by four major rivers the forest land shows multiple areas with different characteristics and hence housing some of the rarest species of both flora and fauna. Apart from the rhinos the Asian Elephants also find their shelter in the grasslands of Kaziranga National Park. The other inhabitants of the park are wild boars, barasingha (swamp deer), monitor lizards, Indian bison, Swamp deer, Samber, Hog deer, Sloth Bear, Tiger, Leopard, Leopard cat,Jungle cat, hog badger, Capped langur, Hoolock gibbon, Jackal, Goose, Hornbills, lbis, Cormorants, Egret, Heron Fishing Eagle etc. Kaziranga is also known for its vibrant bird life. Birds including Fishing Eagle, Oriental Honey Buzzard, Himalayan Griffon and White-tailed Eagle are easily spotted in the area.

9 of the 14 primate species found in India occur in the Kaziranga National Park as well as the only ape found in India, the hoolock gibbon.

The landscape of Kaziranga is of sheer forest, tall elephant grass, rugged reeds, marshes & shallow pools. This park is very famous for its wild life inhabitation including many species of rhinoceroses, as well as many animals, including elephant, and numerous bird species. Kaziranga is one of the largest Protected Areas in India and one of the most significant conserved forest areas on the earth.

In addition to numerous species of resident birds it serves as the winter visiting ground to many migratory birds. So, the park has also been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA).  Today, Kaziranga is one of the richest, most picturesque wildlife habitats of southern Asia.

  1.  Manas National Park

Manas National Park is a national park, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger reserve, an elephant reserve and a biosphere reserve. The park area falls in Assam’s five districts viz. Kokrajhar, Chirang, Baksa, Barpeta, Udalguri and Darrang, on the foothills of the Himalayas and it is contiguous with the Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.

It is spread over an area of 391 square kilometers in Assam. Occupying a large area the park is home to an ample of flora and fauna. With the typical tropical monsoon rainfall type of climate the national park houses more than twenty five species that are endangered world-wide. Animals like Wild Water Buffaloes, Assam Roofed Turtle, Golden Langoor and Hispid Hare can also be seen along with the rare Pygmy Hog.

The Manas National Park was declared a sanctuary on 1 October 1928 with an area of 360 km2. Manas bioreserve was created in 1973. It was declared a national park in 1980. It was declared a World Heritage site in December 1985 by UNESCO. On 25 February 2008 the area was increased to 950 km2. On 21 June 2011, it was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger and was commended for its efforts in preservation. in 1973 it got its designation as a Tiger Reserve and it’s the only tiger project of Assam.

The name of the park is derives from the Manas River, which is named after the serpent god Manasa. The Manas River is a major tributary of Brahmaputra River, which passes through the heart of the national park.

Manas known for its Project Tigers, Rhinos & Elephants, and is Assam’s one of the two Tiger projects. The sanctuary is home to a great variety of wildlife, including tiger, Golden Langur, Wild Buffalo, Hispid Hare, Pigmy Hog, Capped Langur, Indian one-horned Rhinoceros, Elephant, Gaur, Hog Deer, etc. The Manas Wildlife National Park is home to more than 450 species of birds also.

374 species of major flora are recorded from the park includes Melastoma malbathricum, Oroxylum indicum, Toona ciliata, Trewia nodiflora, Sterculia villosa, Bischofia javanica, Pouzolzia zeylanica, Syzygium formosum, Terminalia bellarica, Zingibar zecumber, Bauhinia sps., Bombax ceiba, Careya arborea, Chukrasia tabularis etc.

The main types of forests are Sub-Himalayan High Alluvial Semi-Evergreen Forests, East Himalayan Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests, Low Alluvial Savana Woodland ,Assam Valley Semi-Evergreen Alluvial Grasslands .

  1.  Dibru Saikhowa National Park

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park is one of the largest park of Assam, is situated in the south bank of the river Brahmaputra in the extreme east of Assam state in India. It is a National Park as well as a Biosphere Reserve having an area of 340 sq. kms in Tinsukia district. This national park is a home to some of the rare creatures.

Dibru Saikhowa National Park area lies in the Indo-Burma Global Biodiversity Hotspot ( one of the 19 biodiversity hotspots in the world). It’s fauna diversity comprises of semi wet evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forest, swamp forests, bamboo, cane brakes and grasslands.

The national park consists of a total of 36 species which include Hog Deer, Gangetic Dolphin, Royal Bengal Tiger, Jungle Cat, Asaiatic Water Buffalo, Capped Langur, Small Indian Civet, barking Deer, Slow Loris, Clouded Leopard, Asian Elephant, Chinese Pangolin, Malayan Giant Squirrel, etc. Semi-wild horse. It witnesses over 500 species of birds, both migratory and local. Species like white-winged duck, marsh babbler, white rumped vulture that are close to extinction seek refuge in this park. White winged Wood- Duck and Black-breasted Parrotbill Feral Horses are species of wild life which makes Dibru Saikhowa very famous. The National Park also conserve the White-Winged Wood Duck which are very rare.

This area was called as the Dibru Reserve Forest in the year 1890 and in the year 1920 some additional areas were also added to this Dibru Reserve Forest. The in the year 1929 the Dibru Reserve Forest was named as Saikhowa Reserve Forest. In the year 1995 this Saikhowa Reserve Forest was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary. It was designated a Biosphere Reserve in July 1997. In the year 1999 this Wildlife Sanctuary was again declared as a National Park.

NOTE – White-Winged Wood Duck is the state bird of Assam state

 

  1.  Nameri National Park

Sharing its boundary with Arunachal Pradesh and therefore merging with the Pakhui Wildlife Sanctuary, Nameri National Park is built up on an area of approximately 200 sq km.

The Park situated in the District of Sonitpur of Assam,  is also an Elephant reserve. Animals like tiger, Himalayan Black Bear, Wild Boar and Indian Giant Squirrel are its common inhabitants. Birds like Ibis bill, Wreathed horn bill, black stork and Rufous necked hornbill find home here. The National Park also houses the orchids that make it rich in its flora as well.

The park is the second Tiger reserve of Assam. It was established as a sanctuary on 18th September 1985 and was officially declared as a National Park on 15th November, 1998. It is counted amongst the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life in the world.

Nameri is a haven for many rare animals. The rich wildlife includes Tiger, Black bear, elephant, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Indian Bison, Pangolin, Indian wild dog, deer, Civet Cat, Capped Langur, Jackals etc.Various species of birds such as the endangered white winged wood duck, four species of Hornbill, butterflies and reptiles are also found here.

Together the Nameri National Park in Assam and the Pakhui wildlife sanctuary in Arunachal pradhesh cover up a vast area of more or less 1000 square kilometres. This deciduous and moist jungle of bamboo brakes, canes and narrow grass strips along river banks is the ideal habitation for animals like elephants, tigers and a wide range of migratory birds.

  1.  Orang National Park

Orange National Park is situated in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam. Being comparatively small, the park is spread in about 78 sq km. Orang National Park has a strong hold of one-horned rhinos in the region.

The uniqueness of the park lies in the fact that it houses more than 50 species of fishes. This park is oldest game reserve of the State and an important breeding ground for varieties of Fishes. The animals found in this sanctuary are the One-horned Rhinoceros, Leopard, Elephant, Sambar, Barking Deer, Tiger, varieties of water birds, Green Pigeon, Florican, Teal , Goose, Otters, hog deer, Indian civet, Rhesus macaque, Bengal porcupine, Indian pangolin, Indian fox etc. Various species of birds such as the Pelican, Cormorant, Greylag Goose, Large Whistling Tea Great Adjutant Stork, King Vulture etc. have also found this sanctuary to be their ideal habitat.

It is also known as the mini Kaziranga National Park because of similar landscape, streams and grassland. The Park was established as a sanctuary in 1985 and declared a National Park on 13th of April 1999.

    6. Dihing Patkai National Park

234 sq. km stretch covering Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Upper Assam. considered the “last remaining stretches” of the Assam Valley tropical wet evergreen forests. It is a major elephant habitat and Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve under Project Elephant.

It has recorded 310 species of butterflies. 47 mammal species including tigers and clouded leopards. 47 reptile species and 310 species of butterflies have been recorded in Dihing Patkai. It also has highest concentration of Rare endangered white winged wood duck.

It was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 13 June 2004.  On 9 June 2021 Forest Department of Assam officially notified it as a National Park.

     7. Raimona National Park

Located in Kokrajhar district of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) in lower Assam Raimona National Park spread across 422 sq km. Phipsoo wildlife sanctuary in Bhutan to its north, Buxa tiger reserve in West Bengal to its west and Manas national park in Assam to its east. It is home to elephants, tigers, golden langurs, clouded leopard, wild buffalo, spotted deer, over 150 species of butterflies, 170 species of birds including the white bellied heron and nearly 380 species of plants.

On 09th June, 2021; it became as National Park. It is a part of a contiguous forest patch with an area of 422 km2  covering the northern part of the notified Ripu Reserve Forest, which forms the westernmost buffer to Manas Tiger Reserve in the foothills of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot. It is also part of Chirang-Ripu Elephant Reserve.

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APSC Mains Answer Writing (History) – Questions Set 26

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APSC Mains Answer Writing Practice  – Set 26

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APSC Questions - Mains Answer Writing - Assam Exam

APSC Mains Questions (History Special) – Set 26

Write answers to these Questions, Review others’ Answer, Ask Doubts and Discuss

Q1. Give a brief account of establishment of British Rule in North East India. (250 Words)

Q2. Discuss the role of women in India’s freedom struggle. (250 Words)

Q3. Lord Dalhousie was oftern described as the founder of modern India. Explain in details. (250 Words)

Q4. Discuss how the Revolt of 1857 became a very important factor in the evolution of British policies towards colonial India. (150 Words)

 

NOTE: Learners please write the answers and review others’ answer , which will ultimately improve the answer writer, reviewer and most importantly the answer itself.

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APSC mains 2018 test series GS & Optional Paper

India State of Forest Report 2017 – Highlights & Summary

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India State of Forest Report 2017

India state of Forest Report 2017. - Assamexam

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The 15th India State of Forest Report shows that India’s total forest cover increased by 0.94 per cent, from 7,01,673 square kilometers to 7,08,273 square kilometers since its last assessment in 2015.

The report also points towards an expansion of agro-forestry and private forestry. There is a jump from 42.77m3 in the 2011 assessment to 74.51m3 in timber production in ‘Trees outside Forests’ (TOF) category.

The increase of 8, 021 sq km in the forest cover has been observed as 6,778 sq km and that of tree cover as 1, 243 sq km. The total forest and tree cover is 24.39 per cent of the geographical area of the country. India has been trying to achieve to put 33 per cent of its geographical area under forest but has failed to do so.

Most of the increase in the forest cover was observed in Very Dense Forest (VDF) was a positive sign,  as VDF absorbs maximum carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, followed by increase in open forest.

Class Area

( in sq kms)

 % of geographical area ( SFR 2017) % of geographical area (SFR 2015)  
Very dense forest 98,158 2.99 2.26
Moderately dense forest
(all lands with tree cover- including mangrove cover -of canopy density between 40-70%)		 3,08,318 9.38 9.59
Open forest
(all lands with tree cover – including mangrove cover- of canopy density between 10% and 40%)		 3,01,797 9.18 9.14
Total Forest Cover 7,08, 21.54 21.34

The total forest and tree cover is 24.39 per cent of the geographical area of the country. There are encouraging sign that much of the increase in the forest cover has been observed in Very Dense Forest (VDF), as VDF absorbs maximum carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The increase in forest cover in VDF is followed by increase in open forest. The only category that has registered a decline in the latest assessment is the Moderate Dense Forest.

India ranks among the top ten countries of the world in terms of forest area, despite the fact that none of the other 9 countries has a population density of more than 150 persons per sq km, compared to India, which has a population density of 382 persons per sq km.

India is ranked 10th in the world, with 24.4% of land area under forest and tree cover, even though it accounts for 2.4 % of the world surface area and sustains the needs of 17 % of human and 18 % livestock population. India is placed 8th in the list of Top Ten nations reporting the greatest annual net gain in forest area.

Three states  – Andhra Pradesh (2141 sq km), followed by Karnataka (1101 sq km) and Kerala (1043 sq km) have shown the maximum increase in forest cover.

  • Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover of 77,414 sq km (equal to Assam’s total area) in the country in terms of area, followed by Arunachal Pradesh with 66,964 sq km and Chhattisgarh (55,547 sq km).
  • In terms of percentage of forest cover with respect to the total geographical area, Lakshadweep with (90.33 per cent) has the highest forest cover, followed by Mizoram (86.27 per cent) and Andaman & Nicobar Island (81.73 per cent)”, the Minister stated.
  • The present assessment also reveals that 15 states/UT’s have above 33 per cent of the geographical area under forest cover.
  • Out of these States and Union Territories, seven States/UTs namely Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur have more than 75 per cent forest cover.
  • 8 states – Tripura, Goa, Sikkim, Kerala, Uttarakhand, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh and Assam have forest cover between 33 per cent to 75 per cent.
  • About 40% per cent of the country’s forest cover is present in 9 large contiguous patches of the size of 10, 000 sq.km, or more.

Top 5 states where maximum forest cover has increased are Andhra Pradesh (2,141 sq kms), Karnataka (1,101 sq kms), Kerala (1,043 sq kms), Odisha (885 sq kms) and Telangana (565 sq kms).

The increasing trend of forest and tree cover is largely due to the various national policies aimed at conservation and sustainable management of our forests like Green India Mission, National Agro-Forestry policy (NAP), REDD plus policy, Joint Forest Management (JFM), National Afforestation Programme and Funds under Compensatory Afforestation (COMPA) to States.

Successful agro-forestry practices, better conservation of forests, improvement of scrub areas to forest areas, increase in mangrove cover, conservation and protection activities have also led to increase in the forest and tree cover.

Green Highways (Plantations & Maintenance) Policy to develop 1,40,000 km long tree line with plantation along with both sides of national highways will go a long way in enhancing the forest & tree cover.

Top 5 states where forest cover has decreased are Mizoram (531 sq km), Nagaland (450 sq km), Arunachal Pradesh (190 sq km), Tripura (164 sq km) and Meghalaya (116 sq km). It is important to mention here that these states are in the North Eastern region of the country where the total forest cover is very high i.e. more than 70% in each state.

The main reasons for the decrease are – shifting cultivation, other biotic pressures, rotational felling, diversion of forest lands for developmental activities, submergence of forest cover, agriculture expansion and natural disasters.

Mangrove cover of the country has shown a positive change

As per ISFR 2017, mangrove forests have increased by 181 sq kms. Maharashtra (82 sq kms), Andhra Pradesh (37 sq kms) and Gujarat (33 sq kms) are the top three gainers in terms of mangrove cover. 7 out of the 12 mangrove states have shown an increase in mangrove cover and none of them show any negative change.

Mangrove eco-systems are rich in biodiversity and provide a number of ecological services. They also play a major role in protecting coastal areas from erosion, tidal storms and tsunamis.

The total mangrove cover stands at 4,921 sq km and has shown an increase of 181 sq km. All the 12 mangrove states have shown a positive change in the mangrove cover, as compared to the last assessment.

Mangrove ecosystem is rich in biodiversity and provides a number of ecological services.

 

Water bodies inside forests have increased over a decade

Forests play a vital role in water conservation and improve the water regime in the area.

State Forest Departments besides plantation and protection also undertake steps to improve water conservation through different interventions such as building Check dams, vegetation barriers, percolation ponds, contour trenches etc. under various Central & State Government schemes

As per the latest assessment, water bodies inside forest cover have increased by 2,647 sq kms during the last decade.

Maharashtra (432 sq kms), Gujarat (428 sq kms), Madhya Pradesh (389 sq kms) are top three states showing increase in water bodies within forest areas. Overall, almost all the states have shown a positive change in water bodies.

 

Bamboo

The extent of bamboo-bearing area in the country has been estimated at 15.69 million ha. In comparison to the last assessment done in 2011, there has been an increase of 1.73 million ha in bamboo area.  The growing stock of the bamboo in forest has been estimated to be 189 million tonnes. There is an increase of 19 million tonnes in the bamboo-growing stock as compared to the last assessment done in 2011.

The total annual potential production of timer from trees outside forest has been estimated at 74.51 million cum.

The Government has recently enacted a Bill in the Parliament for taking out bamboo from the tree category, where it is grown outside forest areas. This will encourage people to grow bamboo on private lands, which will be helpful in increasing the livelihood opportunities for farmers and also enhance the green cover and carbon stock of the country.

Carbon Stock
  • The total growing stock of India’s forest and trees outside forests is estimated as 5,822.377 million cum, of which 4,218.380 million cum is inside the forests and 1,603.997 million cum outside. There is an increase of 53.990 million cum of total growing stock, as compared to the previous assessment. Out of this the increase in growing stock, there is an increase of 23.333 million cum inside the forest and 30.657 million cum outside the forest area.
  • The total carbon stock in the country’s forest is estimated to be 7,082 million tonnes, which shows an increase of 38 million tonnes, as compared to the previous assessment.
Striving towards achieving NDC goal
  • India is striving towards achieving its NDC goal of creating additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3.0 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030.
  • As per present assessment total carbon stock in forest is estimated to be 7,082 million tonnes. There is an increase of 38 million tonnes in the carbon stock of country as compared to the last assessment.

Factfile - India State of Forest Report (ISFR)
  • The biannual report is prepared by The Forest Survey of India (FSI), a body under MoEFCC, which conducts surveys and assessment of forest resources in the country.
  • The information given in the report will serve as an important tool to monitor the country’s forest resources and plan suitable scientific and policy interventions for its management. It will also serve as a useful source of information for the policy makers, planners, State Forest Departments, line agencies involved in various developmental works, academicians, civil society and others interested in natural resource conservation and management.
  • The India State of Forest Report 2017 is 15th such report in the series. In line with the Government of India’s vision of Digital India and the consequent need for integration of digital data sets, the Forest Survey of India has adopted the vector boundary layers of various administrative units upto districts developed by Survey of India along with digital open series topo sheets, bringing about full compatibility with the geographical areas as reported in Census, 2011.
  • Forests play a vital role in water conservation and improve the water regime in the area. Considering the importance of water bodies in forest, FSI has assessed water bodies in forest cover for the decade 2005-2015. As per the assessment, there is an increase of 2,647 sq km in the extent of water bodies inside forest cover between 2005 to 2015.
  • The report contains information on forest cover, tree cover, mangrove cover, growing stock inside and outside the forest areas, carbon stock in India’s forests and forest cover in different patch size classes. Special thematic information on forest cover such as hill, tribal districts, and north eastern region has also been given separately in the report. The report for the first time contains information on decadal change in water bodies in forest during 2005-2015, forest fire, production of timber from outside forest, state wise carbon stock in different forest types and density classes.
  • The spatial information given in the report is based on interpretation of LISS-III data from Indian Remote Sensing satellite data (Resourcesat-II) with a spatial resolution of 23.5 meters. Satellite data for the entire country was procured from NRSC for the period October, 2015 – February, 2016. The satellite data interpretation is followed by rigorous ground truthing. In addition extensive ground data collected by field parties at more than 18000 points all over the country and information from other collateral sources are also used to improve the accuracy of the interpreted image.
  • Forest Survey of India (FSI) has been assessing the forest and tree resources of our country on a biennial basis since 1987. The results of the assessment are published in its biennial report titled “India State of Forest Report (ISFR)”.

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