Page 187 - Environment
Trump-California rift widens as auto emissions talks fail
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal officials have decided to end negotiations with California over the Trump administration's plans to roll back fuel economy rules designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a government official said on Wednesday.
Trump team to scrap talks with California on auto emissions: official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal officials have decided to end negotiations with California over the Trump administration's plans to roll back fuel economy rules designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a government official said on Wednesday.
Trump administration to end fuel economy talks with California: official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal officials have decided to end negotiations with California over the Trump administration's plans to roll back fuel economy rules designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a government official said on Wednesday.
Nothing for share croppers, land less farmers in central
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Wednesday criticised the Centre's PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi scheme claiming that it has no provision for share croppers and land less farmers. Patnaik said this at a farmers rally at Kanas in Puri district hours after his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath slammed Odisha government's Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) scheme at a public meeting at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district. Patnaik said, "There is nothing for the sharecroppers and landless farmers in the Centre's Kisan scheme. In this regard, I have demanded that the Prime Minister include these farmers in the scheme and enhance financial assistance from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000." Describing the KALIA scheme as a 'historic' step for farmers, Patnaik said it has shown the way to the entire country. It is benefiting the sharecroppers, landless farmers and agricultural labourers, he said. Patnaik said more than 16 lakh farmers have been benefited .
Ivory Coast cuts 2019 cashew farmgate price 25 percent
ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Ivory Coast has cut the 2019 farmgate price for cashews to 375 CFA francs ($0.6498) per kilogram from 500 CFA francs, the head of the state cotton and cashew council said on Wednesday.
U'khand HC rejects Asaram's appeal for reallocation of land for Rishikesh ashram
The Uttarkhand High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by jailed "godman" Asaram seeking reallocation of a piece of land in Rishikesh for his ashram, paving the way for the forest department to take over it. The plea seeking reallocation of the land in Muni-ki-Reti area of Rishikesh was rejected by a division bench of the high court comprising of Chief Justice Ramesh Rangnathan and Justice R C Khulbe. The forest department had issued a notice to Asaram in 2013, asking him to vacate the land in Muni-ki-Reti, where his ashram stands. The department said the 20-year lease for the land had expired in 1970 and had not been renewed ever since. This eviction order was stayed by the high court. It was later vacated by Justice Manoj Tiwari vide an order dated December 21, 2018. The complainant, Stephen Dubey, also pleaded before the court that as per the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, the lease for the land could not be renewed as the ashram was performing a non-forest activity in a forest
People in urban areas do not know worth of Rs 6,000, says Agri Min amid criticism over PM-KISAN
Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh Wednesday said those living in urban areas do not understand the worth of Rs 6,000 -- an annual amount to be given to farmers by the Centre -- as people sometimes spend that amount at one go in a restaurant. The minister's remarks come against the backdrop of criticism from certain quarters over the Budget announcement that Rs 6,000 each would be given to 12 crore farmers every year under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN). Opposition parties have criticised the government saying that the amount offered was meagre and insulting to the farming community. "People living in urban areas spend Rs 6,000 at one go in a restaurant. They don't understand its worth. This amount is important for farmers. Ask anyone in villages, you will get to know," Singh said. Inaugurating the 14th Agriculture Science Congress at a newly built convention centre here, the minister said the PM-KISAN scheme would give relief to small and marginal ...
Delhi Jal Board successfully diverted 114 mg/d sewage to treatment plants
The Delhi Jal Board successfully diverted 114 million gallon/day sewage to treatment plants through pumping stations before being discharged into three drains last year, thereby reducing the BOD load in the Yamuna river, officials said Wednesday. According to a Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) official, it was found that the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) load, the level of organic pollution, on the Yamuna river declined by 56 tonnes per day in 2018 compared to 2017. In 2017, the average BOD load was 279 tonnes per day, a study by the CPCB found. The CPCB has also submitted an interim report on the decreased BOD load to the Yamuna Pollution Monitoring Committee that was constituted by the National Green Tribunal in 2018. The official said they are still working to ascertain the reasons behind the decrease which augurs well for aquatic life but said that the Delhi Jal Board's (DJB) interceptor sewage project which aims at improving the quality of water flowing into the Yamuna ..
Power Min R K Singh dedicates 3rd 250 MW plant at BRBCL
Union Power Minister R K Singh Wednesday dedicated the third 250 MW unit of Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Corporation Ltd (BRBCL) at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district of Bihar. With the commercial declaration of the third unit, the total generation from the plant has increased to 750 MW, Singh said at a function held at the plant premises. He said that all the four units- each of 250 MW- is being constructed at an investment of Rs 8,000 crore. Out of the BRBCLs four units - each of 250 MW- at its plant located at Barun village in Nabinagar of Aurangabad district- three units are operational while the last and fourth unit is likely to be made functional in December 2019. BRBCL is a joint-venture of the NTPC and Indian Railways with NTPC having 74 per cent stake while the remaining 26 per cent is with Railways. NPGCL- a joint venture firm between NTPC and Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd. Indian Railways and Bihar will get 90 and 10 per cent respectively of the total power ...
Gadkari to inaugurate, lay foundation stone for Rs 8,530 cr projects in western UP
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will on Thursday inaugurate and lay foundation stone for Rs 8,530 crore highway and sewage treatment projects in western Uttar Pradesh, the government said Wednesday. Gadkari will be accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. "Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for 331-km length of NH and sewage treatment plants of 89.5 MLD under Namami Gange works, together amounting to Rs 8,530 crore at Muzaffarnagar and Bulandshahar in western Uttar Pradesh tomorrow," the government said in a statement. Gadkari will lay the foundation stone in Muzaffarnagar for five projects on Panipat Nagina section of NH-709A. The 36-km long four-lane Panipat-Shamli section to be built at a cost of Rs 1,253 crore, the 43-km long four-lane Shamli-Muzaffarnagar section at a cost of Rs 1,622 crore, the 27-km long ...
Delhiites can now lodged online complaints about overflowing drains
Delhiites can now lodge their complaints online about overflowing drains directly to the Yamuna Pollution Monitoring Committee that will take up the matter with the concerned civic agencies. The monitoring committee (MC), which was constituted by the National Green Tribunal in 2018, was directed by the panel to set up a website for receiving and giving information on abatement of pollution and rejuvenation of the river Yamuna. The website, which was launched on Wednesday, has all the important NGT orders and judgments and has a knowledge sharing platform which provides an opportunity to both institutions as well as individuals to give their suggestions and or location-specific feedback to the monitoring committee, said Shailaja Chandra, a member of the committee. The template of the knowledge sharing platform allows for a fixed word limit and size of photographs. Where found suitable some photographs will be displayed on the website subject to screening, she said. Acknowledgements ...
Sri Lanka's first satellite set for April launch
Sri Lanka will launch its first satellite into space in April, marking its entry into the space age, said an official here on Wednesday.
Stubble burning not going to stop on its own, consider granting subsidy to farmers: SC
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said stubble burning, the key reason for the rising air pollution in Delhi and NCR, was not going to stop merely by issuing directions and asked Punjab and Haryana governments to consider granting some kind of subsidy to the farmers. A bench comprising Justices A K Sikri, S A Nazeer and M R Shah said the court was of the view that the problem of stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana is not going to stop on its own by merely issuing directions and advisory. "We ourselves are saying that this (directions and advisory) is not going to work... The farmers do not have any cheaper method to deal with the issue of stubble. You consider granting some kind of subsidy to them so that crop burning can stop," the bench said. The bench said the farmers will not do it on their own and they should be given some kind of incentive to ensure that stubble burning stops. The court has now posted the matter for further hearing on February 26 and asked the parties to compile .
Gadkari to inaugurate, lay foundation for Rs 5,555 cr road projects in Uttarakhand
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari will on Thursday inaugurate and lay foundation stone for Rs 5,555 crore highway projects in Uttarakhand, the government said Wednesday. He will also inaugurate and lay foundation stone for Rs 339 crore projects under the Namami Gange programme. "Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for NH and Namami Gange works amounting to Rs 5,894 crore at Haridwar in Uttarakhand tomorrow," Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said in a statement. He will be accompanied by Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, it said. Gadkari will lay the foundation stone for seven national highway projects worth Rs 5,555 crore, the statement said. These include the balance work under package one on 14.94-km long road from Haridwar to Laltappar on Haridwar-Dehradun section of NH-58 and 72, to be built at a cost of Rs 350 crore, the statement .
Germany launches push to halve food waste by 2030
Germany launched a drive Wednesday to halve food waste by 2030 as research shows every consumer on average throws away 55 kilogrammes (120 pounds) of edibles a year. The new strategy would target households, producers, retailers and the restaurant industry to get them to cut down the 11 million tons of food wasted a year. The new push would aim to help Germany meet UN and EU targets and reduce its climate footprint, said Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Minister Julia Kloeckner. "Every product contains valuable resources: water, energy, raw materials, but also labour, care -- and heart and soul," she told national news agency DPA. New research will look to develop "intelligent packaging" that could use a colour gradient to indicate whether food is still edible or past its use-by date. Companies will be urged to take voluntary measures, such as fine-tuning delivery chains and appropriate portion sizes in restaurants, the ministry said. The opposition Greens party, who have long urged a
Greenpeace welcomes Centre's approval to launch rural solar scheme, KUSUM
The Centre's decision to allocate Rs 46,000 crores towards the rural solar scheme KUSUM, aimed to provide farmers with advanced technology to generate power, has been welcomed by environment experts who said it was essential to achieve the country's 100 GW solar target by 2022. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Tuesday approved Rs 46,000 crore for KUSUM and rooftop solar schemes to promote adoption of solar power among farmers and residential sector. While KUSUM scheme for farmers has been allocated Rs 34,422 crore, rooftop solar programme would get Rs 11,814 crore. Some experts also said the allocation of funds to the KUSUM scheme will now enable farmers to become exporters of clean solar energy from importers of subsidized energy. Terming the scheme KUSUM (Kisan Urja Surksha Utthan Mahaabhiyan) as the game changer, environment NGO Greenpeace India said the scheme can help speed up India's energy transition, from expensive and climate destroying coal power towards cleaner .
Govt inks pact with Canadian university for research on environment issues
The Centre on Wednesday collaborated with Canada's University of British Columbia (UBC) to work on various environmental issues including climate change, forest resource management and wildlife. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada for next 10 years to explore opportunities for collaborations in the field of forestry science, an official said. A ministry official said that the opportunities will be explored through organizations like Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education(ICFRE), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Forest Survey of India (FSI), Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy and Directorate of Forest Education, Uttarakhand, and UBC, Canada. "The MoU will help in exchange of students, researchers and faculty, developing research projects, livelihood opportunities and augment income of the forest based communities," the official said. Government ...
NGT seeks action plan to stop discharge of polluted water in Yamuna
The National Green Tribunal has sought an action plan from a committee headed by CPCB to stop discharge of polluted water in the Yamuna river and prosecute the offenders. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed various authorities -- Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Delhi Jal Board, East Delhi Municipal Corporation, Noida and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board -- to hold a joint meeting on the issue within a month. "The Nodal Agency will be CPCB for coordination and compliance.The report of the action taken be furnished to this tribunal within two months by e-mail," the bench said while posting the matter for consideration on May 20. The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Noida resident Abhisht Kusum Gupta against disposing of sewer waste in the irrigation canal near Sector 137 in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district. According to the applicant, sewer waste coming from villages situated near Sector 137, Noida, is being ..
NGT directs tree officer to probe alleged green belt destruction in east Delhi
The National Green Tribunal Wednesday directed the tree officer concerned to probe the alleged destruction of a green belt by cutting trees for construction of a drain in east Delhi. A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore asked the petitioner to approach the tree officer of the area. "After having considered the submissions made by the counsels for the parties as well as on perusal of the records, including photographs, we are of the considered opinion that it is a fit case which should be looked into by the concerning Tree Officer under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act, 1994," the bench, also comprising expert member Satyawan Singh Garbyal, said. The tribunal said that the tree officer would be free to pass appropriate orders, including restoration of area, if vacant space is left after construction of the drain and also to direct the Public Works Department to make plantations of at least 10 times of the tree which has been actually destroyed. "The counsel for NCT of ...
NMCG, Physikalisch-TechnischeBundesanstalt organize workshop on water quality
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in collaboration with Physikalisch-TechnischeBundesanstalt (PTB) organised a one-day workshop on PTB-Ganges Project themed "Strengthening of Water Quality for Monitoring Water Quality of Ganga" at the NMCG headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday.The aim of the workshop was to project frame and primary findings, disseminate necessary information about the projects and get the inputs and commitment from stakeholders.The stakeholders such as CPCB, State Project Management Groups from Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, all the 5 State Pollution Control Boards, C-Ganga, National Institute of Hydrology, Central Water Commission, WWF India, National Physical Laboratory, Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, GIZ India took part in the event.NMCG Director General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, while welcoming the guests, said "There has been a strong collaboration between India and Germany in the water .
