Tiger straying in human habitats quarantined at national park
Bhopal: A tiger having the tendency to stray into residential areas has been brought to Bhopal's Van Vihar National Park where it has been kept in a quarantine facility, an official said on Sunday.
The tiger, named 'Saran', was first caged in December 2018 in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district after it strayed into a residential area from neighbouring Maharashtra.
It had killed two persons in Maharashtra's Amravati district in October 2018, an official from the Van Vihar National Park here said.
Later, the feline wandered into territories of Madhya Pradesh and was rescued from a residential area of Sarani town in Betul, bordering Maharashtra, on December 11, 2018.
It was, however, given an opportunity to live in a natural habitat and released in the forest of Madhya Pradesh's Satpura Tiger Reserve, the official said.
"But, the striped animal continued to show the tendency of straying into residential areas," he said.
On February 10, 2019, it was again rescued from a residential area of Sarani and kept in an enclosure in the state's Kanha Tiger Reserve, the official said.
"After the failed attempt to rehabilitate the tiger in its natural habitat, the tiger was brought from the Kanha Tiger Reserve to the Van Vihar National Park on Saturday and is currently kept in a quarantine facility," he said.
With this, the number of tigers in the Van Vihar National Park has now gone up to 14, he added.
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India, New Zealand ink free trade agreement
New Delhi (PTI): India and New Zealand on Monday inked a free trade agreement, aimed at boosting two-way commerce and investments.
The pact was signed by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and visiting New Zealand's Trade and Investment Minister Todd McClay.
The FTA provides duty-free access for 100 per cent of India's exports to New Zealand, covering all tariff lines or produce categories, and is expected to significantly boost MSMEs and employment by enhancing competitiveness in labour-intensive sectors such as textiles, apparel, leather, footwear, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, and processed foods.
Earlier, New Zealand maintained peak tariffs of up to 10 per cent on key Indian exports, including ceramics, carpets, automobiles, and auto components.
With zero-duty market access from entry into force as New Zealand's other trade partners, Indian products will be fully competitive in that country, enjoying a level playing field.
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Significantly, India also secured duty-free inputs for its manufacturing sector, including wooden logs, coking coal, and waste and scraps of metals, lowering production costs and enhancing the global competitiveness of the Indian industry.
On the other hand, India has offered tariff liberalisation on 70.03 per cent of tariff lines covering 95 per cent of bilateral trade value, while keeping 29.97 per cent of tariff lines excluded to protect India's sensitive sectors.
The products that are kept in exclusion are mainly -- dairy (milk, cream, whey, yoghurt, cheese etc.), animal products (other than sheep meat), agricultural products (onions, chana, peas, corn, almonds), sugar, artificial honey, animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils, arms and ammunition, gems and jewellery, copper and articles thereof (cathodes, cartridges, rods, bars, coils), aluminium and articles thereof (ingots, billets, wire bars) among others.
On 30 per cent of tariff lines of New Zealand, India will provide duty elimination on goods such as wood, wool, sheep meat, and leather-raw hides.
Similarly, 35.60 per cent of tariff lines are subject to phased elimination over 3, 5, 7, and 10 years, including petroleum oil, malt extract, vegetable oils, selected electrical and mechanical machinery, and peptones.
New Zealand products which enjoy tariff reductions include wine, pharmaceutical drugs, polymers, aluminum, iron and steel articles, and goods that only 0.06 per cent fall under tariff rate quotas, including Manuka honey, apples, kiwi fruit, and albumins, including milk albumin.
The FTA also includes a commitment to facilitate USD 20 billion in investment into India.
A rebalancing clause is incorporated into the Agreement to provide a framework for addressing any shortfall in investment delivery, thereby ensuring robust and tangible economic outcomes.
Total bilateral trade in goods and services reached USD 2.4 billion in 2024.
