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<keyword id="6357783" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="West-Bengal">West Bengal</keyword> Chief Minister <keyword id="43868" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mamata-Banerjee">Mamata Banerjee</keyword> is trying hard to re-brand the state as an investors’ paradise. In the past decades, Mamata’s way of doing politics has earned her a bad repute among investors. During her regimes, she has tried to wipe away the ill-repute. The ongoing Lead <keyword id="6356978" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengal">Bengal</keyword> Summit, a Vibrant <keyword id="6354766" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gujarat">Gujarat</keyword> inspired conference to invite investors for the state has earned investment promise worth Rs 2.35 lakh crore despite demonetization. 
 
At such a juncture, the tourism department of the state has released a video to promote the travel and hospitality industry of Bengal. The creative done by ad agency <keyword id="111408" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ogilvy-Mather">Ogilvy &amp; Mather</keyword> has <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> actor <keyword id="1671" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Shah-Rukh-Khan">Shah Rukh Khan</keyword> in it. Rebranding the state as ‘The Sweetest part of India’, the ad showcases the heritage of <keyword id="6354925" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kolkata">Kolkata</keyword> and <keyword id="103057" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bishnupur">Bishnupur</keyword>, major tourist attractions like the hills of Darjeeling, islands of <keyword id="63330" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sundarbans">Sundarbans</keyword>, tea gardens and forests of Dooars, tribal and natural beauty of the <keyword id="700480" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Junglemahal">Junglemahal</keyword> area and cruising in the river <keyword id="79976" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ganges">Ganges</keyword>, according to A R <keyword id="23940" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bardhan">Bardhan</keyword>, principal secretary, West Bengal tourism department. 
 
“The idea is to project Bengal as the sweetest part of India. Whether it is in the culture, food, nature of people, language, music or in gestures, everything is very sweet. This is what makes it unique,” Sumanto Chattopadhyay, the adman who is shooting the promotional, told the press. 
 “We want tourists from India and the rest of the world. Our unique selling point is that you get the Sundarban low-lying forests and the <keyword id="52569" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="himalayas">Himalayas</keyword> in Darjeeling in one state,” a tourism department official told the agencies. 
 According to the <keyword id="344829" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-ministry-of-tourism">Union Ministry of Tourism</keyword> data, West Bengal stood at the sixth position, a rank above <keyword id="28504" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kerala">Kerala</keyword>, in getting the most foreign tourists during 2014. 
 
However for a state that is ambitious enough to grow in tourism, experts believe, would need to pen better reforms. With internal political issues, lack of good roads and a tech awareness, West Bengal government needs to look deep inside. 
 
Watch the full video here:

West Bengal tourism
TVC featuring Shah Rukh Khan rekindles DDLJ on a Kolkara tram

One of the few positive outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) is the commitment by major nations to achieve net zero carbon emissions by a certain year. <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> has also committed to becoming a net zero country by 2070. While some developed nations may have scoffed at this timeline, the reality is that nations with different developmental trajectories cannot (and should not) be treated equally. The major polluters must first walk the talk and then expect others to follow suit. While it is a never-ending blame game between the developed and developing nations, in the interest of humanity and for their own well-being, the nations must do everything within their powers to ensure that they keep their emissions under control. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Policy initiatives in India" comment="subhead" text="Policy initiatives in India">Policy initiatives in India</cmsannotation> India has taken several measures towards climate change adaptation and mitigation. Our statutory framework ensures that air and water pollution is prevented and controlled, forests are conserved and restored, biological diversity is protected, and energy is generated and utilised efficiently to ensure minimal environmental impact. The Government has launched various policy initiatives to work towards its climate change commitments. The national and state action plans on climate change aim at integrating such climate action into their modus operandi. Among national schemes, the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles (FAME-II) focuses on clean mobility and is meant to promote the transition to electric vehicles by providing incentives for manufacturing, adoption and development of associated infrastructure for electric vehicles. Financial assistance is being offered at the central and state levels for developing solar and wind energy projects like solar parks, grid-connected solar rooftops in residential buildings, installing off-grid solar devices and solar-based LED lights. Initiatives like Gujarat Emissions Trading Scheme, Renewable Energy Certificate, Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) Scheme are all meant to promote renewables, reduce emissions and achieve energy efficiency at the central and state levels. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Recent impetus to climate action" comment="subhead" text="Recent impetus to climate action">Recent impetus to climate action</cmsannotation> Some important and innovative schemes initiated in India to combat climate change include the India Cooling Action Plan 2019, which aims to reduce direct and indirect emissions from energy-intensive cooling devices like refrigerators, air conditioners, etc. The National Clean Air Program 2019 aims to reduce air pollution and addresses several forms of harmful emissions. The National Hydrogen Mission launched in 2021 aims to help India achieve its climate targets by making India a green hydrogen hub. India is also targeting to increase the usage of alternative fuels to reduce emissions by blending 20% Ethanol in petrol by 2025. Moreover, policies like National Building Code, 2016, Energy Conservation Building Code, 2017, Buildings Energy Efficiency Programme, green energy rating system, star rating programme, etc., seek to promote sustainability in the construction sector by improving energy efficiency, water conservation, waste management, recycling, etc. The union budget for the financial year 2022-23 also announced initiatives for financing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies through sovereign green bonds, blended finance, etc. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Local and regional climate action" comment="subhead" text="Local and regional climate action">Local and regional climate action</cmsannotation> In addition to the various central government initiatives being implemented across the country, various states are devising their own strategies and plan to combat climate change. States like Gujarat, Odisha, and <keyword id="20154" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tamil-nadu" source="Orion">Tamil Nadu</keyword> have constituted specific departments and cells to focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation. Kerala has announced a dedicated fund for this purpose and has issued green bonds to invest in climate resilience activities. <keyword id="13126" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="maharashtra" source="Orion">Maharashtra</keyword> has released the Mumbai Climate Action Plan to address climate change impacts in the coastal megacity and achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It is not just the central and state governments but also the corporates are taking active steps to combat climate change. More than sixty Indian companies have announced their net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets. Leading Indian companies, including <keyword id="8555" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="tata" source="Orion">Tata</keyword>, Reliance, Mahindra, ITC, Adani Transmission, Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel, and Dalmia Cement, have voluntarily pledged to move towards carbon neutrality through GHG emissions reduction and energy efficiency. With environmental, social and governance (<keyword id="77363" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="esg" source="Orion">ESG</keyword>) issues gaining prominence and ESG reporting becoming mandatory for the top 1000 companies, almost all major companies are addressing ESG issues to set their house in order and adopt the best practices. Various Indian banks have also incorporated ESG considerations into their lending policies. Therefore, be it the government or the private sector, every stakeholder has realised the importance of climate action and is working to prevent the planetary crisis, which, not to forget, affects almost all living species, including humans. <keyword id="12498063" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="nawneet-vibhaw" source="Orion">Nawneet Vibhaw</keyword> is a <keyword id="6399933" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="partner" source="Orion">Partner</keyword> at Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas &amp; Co. in the Environmental Law practice. This column is part of a year-long (2022-23) campaign on the theme “Only One Earth: Sustaining People, Planet and Prosperity” by Business Insider India’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability">Sustainability Insider</a>. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the author/interviewee do not necessarily reflect the views of Business Insider India. The article has been partly edited for length and clarity.

OPINION: Towards a carbon-neutral India — How central, state governments, and corporations are striving to tackle the planetary crisis

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The death of a pregnant elephant who died in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> after eating a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers is prompting anger in the country.</li><li>It is not known whether the elephant ate the pineapple herself or whether it was fed to her.</li><li>However, local farmers are known for using explosives in fruit to protect their land from wild animals, and officials have said they're launching an investigation into the death. </li><li>The <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> sparked outrage in the country as everyone from Bollywood actors to business CEO's have spoken up and demanded justice over the elephant's death.</li></ul>The death of a pregnant elephant in India who died in agony after eating a firecracker-stuffed pineapple has caused outrage in the country. The wild elephant died in a river in Silent Valley National Park in Kerala's Palakkad district on Wednesday after suffering from fatal injuries to her mouth and tongue caused by eating the fruit packed with firecrackers.It is not known whether the elephant, who is thought to be 15 years old, ate the pineapple herself or whether it was fed to her. Farmers in the area are known for using explosives in fruit to protect their land from wild animals, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/05/killing-of-elephant-with-explosive-laden-fruit-causes-outrage-in-india?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">according to the Guardian.</a>Mohan Krishnan, a forestry officer, apologized for the tragic incident on social media, writing: "With her mouth and tongue destroyed in the explosion, she paced around hungry without being able to eat. She must have been more worried about the health of the child inside her than about her own hunger."The Kerala Forest Department said it would carry out an investigation into the elephant's death and that it would "leave no stone unturned to ensure max punishment to the offenders." One arrest has so far been made.The news of the elephant's death has caused anger across India. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar called the death "heartbreaking, inhumane, and unacceptable", while several political figures and prominent business CEOs have also spoken out.Nearly 1,000 petitions demanding justice for the elephant's health have been launched on social media. Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan also responded to the news, tweeting: "We want to assure you that your concerns will not go in vain. Justice will prevail." Meanwhile, Hindu nationalists have sought to blame Muslims for the elephant's death. Maneka Gandhi, a member of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claimed the elephant had been fed the lethal fruit in a predominantly Muslim district, 50 miles from where it died."It's murder," said Gandhi, who is a prominent animal rights activist, reported The Guardian. "Malappuram is famous for such incidents, it's India's most violent district. For instance, they throw poison on roads so that 300-400 birds and dogs die at one time."in Hinduism the elephant is is a sacred animal and is considered the representation or the living incarnation of Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity riding a mouse.

A pregnant elephant in India was killed by a firecracker-stuffed pineapple and the incident has sparked national outrage

Full text of President Ram Nath Kovind's first address to the Parliament as the 17th Lok Sabha gets underway

You Searched For "the kerala forest department" and got 4 results

West Bengal tourism TVC featuring Shah Rukh Khan rekindles DDLJ on a Kolkara tram

Suchayan Mandal

OPINION: Towards a carbon-neutral India — How central, state governments, and corporations are striving to tackle the planetary crisis

Nawneet Vibhaw

A pregnant elephant in India was killed by a firecracker-stuffed pineapple and the incident has sparked national outrage

Sophia Ankel

Full text of President Ram Nath Kovind's first address to the Parliament as the 17th Lok Sabha gets underway

BI India Bureau

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