Madhya Pradesh

• 16 Aug 2022

Ramsar Site status to Indore's Yashwant Sagar

Why in News?

• On August 13, 2022, 11 water bodies in five states were given Ramsar site status by the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change, including Yashwant Sagar in Indore district of Madhya Pradesh.

Key Points

• With this, there are four Ramsar sites in Madhya Pradesh now. Earlier Sirpur Talab of Indore district and Sankhya Sagar Lake located in Madhav National Park of Shivpuri district got the status of Ramsar site, whereas Badi Jheel (Bada Talab/Bhoj Tal) of Bhopal was already a Ramsar site.
• The 11 new Ramsar sites nominated by the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment and Climate Change include four in Tamil Nadu, three in Odisha, two in Jammu and Kashmir and one each in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Including these, the number of Ramsar sites of international importance in India has gone up to 75. These wetlands sites are spread over an area of 13,26,678 hectares in the country.
• It is noteworthy that India is one of the contracting parties to sign the Ramsar Convention in Ramsar, Iran in 1971. India signed it on February 1, 1982. In the era of climate imbalance and change taking place in the world, the role of Ramsar site is very important in the environmental improvement of the world.
• During 1982 to 2013, a total of 26 sites were added to the list of Ramsar sites, however, during this period from 2014 to 2022, 49 new wetlands have been added to the list of Ramsar sites by the country.
• This year (2022) a total of 28 sites have been declared as Ramsar sites. Based on the date of the site mentioned in the Ramsar certificate, there are 19 sites for this year (2022) and 14 for last year (2021).
• Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of Ramsar sites (14), followed by Uttar Pradesh with 10 Ramsar sites.

Saraswati Rajamani: the 'Unsung Heroine' of Freedom

Why in News?

• On August 13, 2022, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, along with two 10-year-old girls, Devyani and Shivranjani, planted saplings and released the book 'Saraswati Rajamani - Ek Bhuli-Bisri Jasoos' (Saraswati Rajamani: the 'Unsung Heroine' of Freedom) written by them.

Key Points

• In 'Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav', Devyani and Shivranjani introduce India's youngest female detective, Saraswati Rajamani, through their book. Devyani and Shivranjani are twin sisters.
• These girls have written an illustrated book on Saraswati Rajamani, a detective of Azad Hind Fauj, at the age of just 10. Devyani and Shivranjani say 'At this time when the country is celebrating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we should also remember those people, about whom not much has been written and read, who are our unsung heroes/heroines. Their contribution is important, but we hardly know about them.
• It is noteworthy that in 2021, the first book of these girls 'Surya Namaskar' has been published, which was praised by former President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Saraswati Rajamani was a spy of the Azad Hind Fauj and an anonymous revolutionary at a very young age. She greatly influenced Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.
• Saraswati Rajamani was born into an affluent and patriotic family in Burma. When she was 16 years old, she was so impressed by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose's speech that she donated all her ornaments to the Azad Hind Fauj.
• Seeing Rajamani's courage and passion, Netaji made him a part of the army. Rajamani, along with his friend Durga, spied on the British camp and gave many important information to the Azad Hind Fauj. During this, she showed her valor on many occasions but she could not get respect in her own country.
• Devyani and Shivranjani say that Saraswati Rajamani's life inspires a young Indian to realize their dreams with patriotism, dedication, bravery, loyalty and without any fear.