Recently, the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi announced that India will start vaccinating children between 15 and 18 from January 3, 2022. Also, healthcare and frontline workers will be provided with booster or precaution doses from January 10. Citizens above 60 years of age with comorbidities will also have the option of a precautionary dose of the vaccine on their doctor’s advice from January 10. While this is a good announcement for the country, we need to be extra vigilant as coronavirus’s highly contagious Omicron variant is rapidly spreading worldwide. Following all the COVID-19 protocols is very important.

Moving ahead, various kinds of anthropogenic activities pose severe threats to the survival of birds. The major causes of bird extinction include the increased human population, habitat destruction, egg collecting, pollution, climate change, and global warming. This month, our cover story ‘Critically Endangered Forest Owlet’ throws light on forest owlets, their rediscovery, and threats to their habitats from climate change and landscape modification. Forest owlets are an endemic species to India. They are found only in small pockets of forest patches in India. The species were considered extinct until scientists rediscovered them and then started working on them. Apart from climate change, the forest owlets are threatened by severe habitat loss and development projects. Not much is known about owls in India. That is why there is a need for long-term studies on owls.

The special report explores India’s ensuing targets and challenges vis-à-vis electric vehicles (EVs). While the growth of EVs is bound to be good for the environment, however an increase in the number of EVs will raise the power demand and increase the production of rechargeable batteries (electricity storage devices). The significant rise in EVs can drive Lithium, Silver, and Copper demand. Lithium is used in batteries. Silver and Copper are used in solar production and charging infrastructure. Thereby, the need for these rare Earth resources is going to increase exponentially. The other problems that seek a thoughtful strategy are electronic waste management and a skilled workforce. India is already the third most e-waste producing country, and only 10 per cent of its e-waste is recycled. With the growth in EVs, e-waste production will increase drastically as EV batteries have a limited lifecycle. It is crucial to have a proper e-waste management system in such a scenario. As of now, India lacks a skilled workforce for ensuring a smooth transition to electric mobility. This can be seen as a tremendous job creating opportunity. India’s e-mobility mission may generate 10 million jobs. This can be a silver lining for a country with more than 65 per cent of the 15–64 years age group.   If these problems are kept in mind while strategizing for transition to e-mobility, India can successfully attain a sustainable transport system and fulfil its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) commitment.