Page 179 - Environment
Centre approves over 5.6 L houses under PMAY for urban poors
The Centre on Monday approved over 5.6 lakh houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for urban poors, taking the total number of houses being funded by the government to more than 79 lakh. According to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, which is mandated to implement the PMAY (U), Uttar Pradesh has been sanctioned 1,79, 215 houses, followed by Andhra Pradesh 1,10,618, Maharashtra 1,01,220, Karnataka 48,729, among others. In a statement, the ministry said the approval was given in a meeting of the Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee. The cumulative number of houses sanctioned under PMAY(U) now is 79,04,674. The government has set a target of one crores houses in urban areas under the PMAY, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It aims to "Housing for All" by 2022 by providing financial assistance to beneficiaries. The statement stated ?a total of 1,243 projects with a project cost of Rs 33,873 crore with central assistance of Rs 8,404 crore has been approved .
Coordinated action resulted in decrease in pollution since 2015: Delhi budget
Noting that Delhi has the best air quality monitoring network in India, the Outcome Budget of the government said coordinated action has resulted in a substantial reduction in emission of particulate matters in the past four years. The Outcome Budget was tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the Assembly on Monday. The budget document said that 26 monitoring stations and 12 hotspots in Delhi have been identified to specifically monitor parameter-wise pollutants and with constant monitoring and enforcement, there has been a steady decrease in PM 10 (fine particulate matters in the air with a diameter of less than 10 micrometers) and PM 2.5 (fine particulate matters in the air with a diameter of less than 10 micrometers) concentrations. It also noted that Delhi has recorded the best air quality monitoring network in India. The report also said Delhi's green cover has increased by 0.37 per cent. Delhi's green cover has increased from around 20.2 per cent in 2015 to 20.6 per ..
Pre-empt eviction of tribals from forests, Rahul asks Congress CMs
Congress President Rahul Gandhi has asked Chief Ministers of party-ruled states to file petitions seeking review of an apex court order asking state governments to evict tribals whose claims to forest land under the Forest Rights Act had been rejected.
Two forest officials in ACB net for taking bribe
: Two forest officials, including a woman, were arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau Monday for allegedly accepting Rs 30,000 as bribe from a contractor in relation to his work. The two were working in the Dummugudem Forest Range in Bhadradri Kothagudem district in Telangana Forest Beat Officer M Rama Krishna was nabbed when he accepted the bribe from the contractor to stop harassing him over execution of his road work, an ACB release said here. Forest Section Officer S Vijaya Kumari was also arrested for her involvement in demanding the bribe, it said.
JharKhand to file review petition against SC order on evicting tribals, forest-dwellers
The Jharkhand government on Monday decided to file a review petition in the Supreme Court in connection with the top court's order relating to eviction of tribals and forest-dwellers after their claim over forest land was rejected. Chief Minister Raghubar Das issued the directions to file a review petition, after going through the Supreme Court's order, an official release said here. Das said his government was fully committed to protect the interests of the tribals and forest-dwellers of the state. On February 21, the Supreme Court had asked 21 states to apprise it of the action taken by them as regards the eviction of tribals and forest-dwellers, whose claim over forest land was rejected. The apex court, in its February 13 order, had asked the chief secretaries of the states concerned to file affidavits stating whether those against whom the rejection orders were passed were evicted or not and if not, the reasons for the same. A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra was dealing with a
RCEP should not place intellectual property obligation on India regarding seed, planting materials
Some farmer organisations and experts have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the proposed mega-trade deal RCEP should not place any obligation on India with respect to intellectual property (IP) on seed and planting materials. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a free-trade agreement (FTA) being negotiated by 16 countries, including 10-member Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) bloc and India, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea. It aims to cover goods, services, investments, economic and technical cooperation, competition and intellectual property rights (IPR). In a letter to the prime minister, 41 farmer organisations and 12 experts said certain RCEP members are demanding a tighter IPR regime in the form of insistence on provisions on rights in plant varieties. "It is demanded by some RCEP-participating countries that such plant variety protection (PVP) shall provide for the IP protection of all plant genera and species by an .
Forest fire continues for third day; spreads to 250 acres
The fire in the forest area of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Nilgiris district is continuing unabated for the third day and has now spread to around 250 acres, officials said. Over 100 forest department officials and tribals, including children and women of seven villages, were taking efforts to check the spread the fire, forest department sources said. Following the blaze, entry of tourists into MTR has been banned, they said. Meanwhile, a helicopter was found flying over the fire ravaged area and department official suspect it could be from Karnataka, where a blaze is raging in Bandipura.
Fishermen move HC opposing Mumbai's coastal road project
Fishermen from the city have approached the Bombay High Court opposing the Maharashtra government's ambitious 29.2-km-long coastal road project here. The petition, filed by residents of Worli Koliwada early this month, alleged that the project, work for which began in October last year, was approved without consulting any member of the fishing community. The reclamation of land for the road, the petitioners have claimed, will impact the livelihood of countless fishermen in areas such as Worli, Khar Danda, Chimbai and several other places between the Marine Drive in south Mumbai and Kandivali, a western suburb. The road will run along the west coast of Mumbai and proposes to connect the Marine Drive to Kandivali. The fishermen in the plea, filed through their counsel Meenaz Kakalia, have argued that the project also does not have all the requisite environment clearances, and that it was started merely on the basis of permission from coastal zone authorities. The plea was heard Monday .
Centre not serious in protecting tribal rights: Sharad
Opposition leader Sharad Yadav said Monday the Centre should file a review plea in the Supreme Court against its order paving the way for the eviction of a large number of tribals from forests across several states. Yadav hit out at the government for its "non-seriousness" in protecting the rights of tribals as mentioned in the Forest Rights Act, saying they had been living there for centuries and played a key role in conserving forests. "It is high time the government filed a review petition in the Supreme Court without losing any time for the welfare of tribals in the country," the Loktantrik Janata Dal leader said in a statement. The livelihood of tribals depend on non-timber forest produce and the government must ensure their rights. It is the respective state governments' duty to identify the tribals and issue them identity documents as most of them have never heard of caste certificates, Yadav added. The apex court had on February 13 asked 21 states to apprise it about the ...
Delhi LG stresses scientific disposal of waste
Delhi Lt. Governor Anil Baijal here on Monday asked agencies for proper collection of construction and demolition waste, its scientific disposal and proper utilisation of the processed products.
Work on construction of check dam across Palar river begins
Work on construction of a check dam across river Palar in neighbouring Kancheepuram district began with a formal 'bhoomi puja' on Monday. The Department of Atomic Energy-funded check dam, a long pending proposal, estimated at about Rs 32.50 crore, aims to tackle seawater intrusion and augment supply for various drinking water schemes, an official release here said. "The 1.190-kilometre long check dam would help retain the floodwater that would otherwise flow into the sea. This check dam will provide an additional storage capacity of up to 1,500 million cubic metres with two fillings, and nearly 330 hectares of agricultural land would benefit through this scheme," the release said. The project is funded by DAE and executed through its General Services Organisation (GSO), Kalpakkam, and will be implemented by the state government's Water Resources Department (WRD), it said. On completion of this check dam by March 2020, the water stored and recharged would be used for ...
Rajasthan tribals aggrieved over SC eviction notice, to march to parliament on March 2
A Supreme Court recent order on the time-bound eviction of tribals and other households living in forests, whose claims have been rejected by the authorities under the Forest Rights Act, has triggered a huge furore in Rajasthan's tribal belt.
Atomic Energy Department building check dam in TN
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) on Monday said the Rs.32.5 crore, 1.19 km long check dam it is building across the Palar river in Tamil Nadu's Kancheepuram district will be ready by March 2020.
H.G. Infra Engineering bags NHAI road project in Haryana
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Rahul asks CMs of Cong-ruled states to file review petition against SC order on eviction of tribals
Congress president Rahul Gandhi Monday asked chief ministers of the party-ruled states to file a review petition against a Supreme Court order that asked states to ensure eviction of tribals and forest dwellers whose claims to forest land were rejected. In a letter to chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, Gandhi said in order to pre-empt large-scale evictions, they must file a review petition. The Supreme Court has asked 21 states to apprise it about the action taken by them over the eviction of tribals and forest dwellers whose claim for the forest land have been rejected. In its February 13 order, the apex court asked the chief secretaries of the states concerned to file affidavits stating whether those against whom the rejection orders were passed, have been evicted or not and if not, the reasons for the same. "For lakhs of tribals and forest dwellers, 'Jal, Jangal and Zameen' is a part of their right to life. "I have written to the chief ministers .
SC expresses concern over stray dog menace
The Supreme Court Monday expressed concern over people being bitten by stray dogs and asked the authorities as to what was being done to check the menace. A bench of Justices S A Bobde and Deepak Gupta asked the Centre's counsel about the steps being taken to address the issues. "What are you doing about the stray dogs. Now a days people are being bitten," the bench observed. The bench's remarks came during the hearing on a plea seeking to stop indiscriminate culling of wild boars in Tamil Nadu in violation of guidelines framed by the state government. Petitioner Anupam Tripathi said a separate petition concerning the menace of dog bites was pending in the court and was listed for final hearing. Tripathi told the bench that he was satisfied with the steps taken by the state government and no wild boar was culled in the past one year. He said that through RTI applications he came to know that necessary steps were being taken by the state government to check culling of wild boars. In ...
No water shortage in India, but management not adequate: Gadkari
India does not have shortage of water but the management of water is not adequate, Union minister Nitin Gadkari said here Monday. The Union water minister who also handles the Road and Transport portfolio made the comments at the National Water Awards ceremony for 2018. "India does not have shortage of water but the management of water is not adequate. The need to institute national-level water awards spanning across sectors was strongly felt to encourage people to play their respective roles in conservation of water," Gadkari said. Listing some of the steps which have been taken for effective management of water in the country, the minister said 400 MLD water from Okhla barrage will be treated and used for Delhi through Wazirabad barrage. "Many projects have been completed under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMSKY). Preference is being given to piped irrigation instead of canal irrigation to conserve water. Existing canals are also being concretised to avoid wastage of ...
IAF to help Karnataka govt put out fire in Bandipur Tiger Reserve
The Indian Air Force is set to join the operations to contain the forest fire raging in Bandipur Tiger Reserve area in Karnataka for the past five days, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said Monday. The state government has sought the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which responded positively, he said. In a tweet, the chief minister said, "Decided to use Air Force's help to contain the fire. The Air Force Chief was contacted and a request was placed for immediate help. The Air Force Chief has responded positively and preparations are on for the operation." "The Chief Secretary will personally monitor rescue operations," he said in another tweet. The forest fire for the past five days has gutted thousands of acres of land and is feared to have killed hundreds of wild animals, reptiles and insects. It has also endangered the lives of tigers. The chief minister held a review meeting with Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, senior police officers, secretaries of the forest and officials .
Maha farm loan waiver unprecedented in coverage: Governor
Maharashtra government's farm loan waiver scheme is unprecedented in its beneficiary coverage, particularly among farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao said Monday. He was addressing the joint sitting of the state legislature, on the opening day of the budget session here. The opposition Congress-NCP boycotted Rao's address to protest against his recent remarks about the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. As part of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana, Rs 24,000 crore were sanctioned for 51 lakh farmers accounts and of this, Rs 18,036 crore have already been transferred to over 43 lakh farmers, he said. The state government is working on a new piped distribution network for irrigation which would cover an area of 6.15 lakh hectare, he said. On the BJP-Shiv Sena led state government's commitment for better farm produce prices, Rao said the government procured 40.10 lakh quintals of pulses, 2.62 lakh quintals of soyabean and ..
GE T&D India bags Rs 162 crore order from PowerGrid
GE T&D India Monday said it has bagged a Rs 162 crore order from Power Grid Corporation to set up a high-voltage substation in Bhuj for evacuating 2,500 MW of wind power. Post execution of this project, various wind farm developers will be able to transmit the power generated in Gujarat to Green Energy Power Transmission Corridor, GE T&D said in a statement. The Corridor is being set up to evacuate power generated by renewable energy projects. The contract is for extending the 765kV AIS substation and setting up a new 400kV /220kV Gas-Insulated Substation at Bhuj and extend the existing 400kV GIS at Tirunelveli Substation, associated with the Green Corridor Transmission System, it said. Through this project, GE T&D will help evacuate around 2,500 MW of wind power generated in Gujarat, it added. "As renewable capacity in the country goes up, it is imperative that grid infrastructure in states like Gujarat is scaled up rapidly to keep up with the evacuation demand of solar .
