Page 215 - Environment
Rs 2,000 may be disbursed to small farmers in early March
The small and marginal farmers with landholdings of 2 hectares or below are likely to get the first dole of Rs 2,000 under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme in early March.
Atomic energy department sees decline in budget allocation, department of space gets marginal hike
The Department of Space has been given a marginal hike of Rs 338 crore in budget allocation, while the Department of Atomic Energy's allocation declined by Rs 240 crore at a time when the two strategic organisations are executing high-ticket projects such as manned space mission Gaganyaan and construction of new nuclear power plants. The DAE and the DoS come under the Prime Minister's Office. The DAE has been allocated Rs 16,725 crore in 2019-2020, of which its allocation for power projects is Rs 4,547.18 crore. Currently, over 15 nuclear power projects are under construction in various parts of the country. The allocation for DoS for 2019-2020 was Rs 11,538 crore, whereas in 2018-19, it was Rs 11,200 crore. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch India's first human space mission project 'Gaganyaan' by 2020 and the project is estimated to cost nearly Rs 10,000 crore. In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Piyush Goyal laid out 10 "most important dimensions" in ..
Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das hails Union budget
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Friday hailed the interim budget as a balanced one that would take the country on the path of all round development. He said that new employment would be generated by this budget, which would prove a mile stone in the creation of New India. Das said the budget has priority for welfare of farmers, agriculture and rural development. Addressing a press conference here, Das said that the 2019-20 central budget has underlined Rs 75,000 crore for agriculture, which would nurse the present and future of farmers. This budget reflects Prime Minister Narendra Modis Sab ka Saath Sab ka Vikas (together with all, development for all), keeping the poor, labourers, youth, women, farmers and rural development as focus areas, Das said and stated the peoples faith has increased in Modi during the last four years. The introduction of Pradhan Mantri Kishan Yozana in the central budget has underlined to give Rs 6000 per year to small farmers having up ..
Chapri-Rakha Concentrator Plant ground breaking ceremony on
A ground-breaking ceremony of Chapri-Rakha Concentrator Plant and Rakha Mines of public sector Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL) will be performed by Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Saturday, an official release on Friday said. Rakha Mine, a unit of Indian Copper Complex (ICC) of HCL in copper township of Musaboni, about 40 km from here, had been launched in 1971 and production started in 1976-77. However, the mining activity in the mine was closed about 18 years ago in July, 2001. HCL owned this mine was all set to re-start production, the release said adding that the ground-breaking of a Rakha Concentrator Plant and a new Mine "Chapri" will also be performed Saturday. Jharkhand Government has allocated 90 acres land to HCL for the proposed Concentrator Plant. While the production capacity of Rakha and Chapri mines will be 1.50 metric tonne each, the capacity of Concentrator Plant will also be 1.50 metric tonne in the first phase and will be doubled to three ...
Environment Ministry gets Rs 3,111 crore in interim budget -- a 20 pc increase
The government Friday increased the budgetary allocation for the Environment Ministry by 20.27 per cent to Rs 3,111.20 crore as it presented the interim budget for 2019-20. In the last fiscal, the ministry was allocated Rs 2,586.67 crore. In the wildlife arena, the government-initiated projects -- Project Tiger and Project Elephant -- saw no change in their allocation compared to last year. The current fiscal's allocation of Rs 350 crore for Project Tiger, an initiative for conserving the wildcats, and Rs 30 crore for Project Elephant, which was launched to conserve the jumbos across the country, remains unchanged for 2019-20. Welcoming the allocation towards the projects, Nishant Verma, the Deputy Inspector General of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), said the amount was appropriate. "The amount allocated by the government for Project Tiger is absolutely appropriate. We wanted this amount only," Verma said. The interim budget, presented by Finance Minister Piyush ...
Double bonanza for Bengal farmers with rolling out of PM-Kisan scheme
With the introduction of direct income support of Rs 6,000 per annum to small farmers in the Union Budget, West Bengal farmers are set to get a double bonanza as the state government has also provided similar kind of sops to them ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Science ministries see a marginal hike in budget allocation
A combined allocation of Rs 14,697 crore has been made to two science ministries in the 2019-20 Interim Budget, recording a marginal hike from last years's allotment, figures suggest. The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), which has several crucial institutions like the India Meteorological Department (IMD) under it, has been given Rs 1,901 crore. The MoES had been allocated Rs 1,800 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 1,541 crore in 2017-18. A senior official of the MoES said funds would be spent on projects like adding new radars, automatic weather stations (AWS), procuring aircraft for conducting atmospheric experiments and also a submersible vessel for deep ocean mining research. The Ministry of Science and Technology (S&T) has three wings under it -- the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Each department has unique expertise and together have over 70 institutes under them with very niche research ...
Bovine bill to be introduced in Himachal assembly
The Himachal Pradesh cabinet Friday gave its nod to the Bovine Breeding Bill, paving the way for its tabling in the state assembly, an official said. The cabinet met here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, the official added. The Himachal Pradesh Bovine Breeding Bill, 2019 will focus on improving the quality of bovines by regulating their breeding activities including use of breeding bulls for production of bovine semen, the official said. It will also focus on processing, storage, sale and distribution of bovine semen and artificial insemination and any other breeding activity related to bovines in the state, the official added. Reacting to the interim budget presented in Parliament earlier in the day, the state cabinet said the "historic budget" met the expectations of all sections of the society and would set the developmental agenda of the country for years to come.
Centre cuts pollution control budget, draws flak from experts
The Centre's decision to cut down the budget on pollution control by 50 per cent this year has drawn criticism from environment experts who said while the nation reels under severe air pollution problem, it was shocking that the government has reduced its budgetary allocation. The interim budget presented by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal Friday reduced the budget for pollution abatement from Rs 20 crore in the last fiscal to Rs 10 crore for 2019-20 and has not allocated any amount towards new and renewable energy. Condemning this move, a member of the city-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said the budget was "election friendly" and does not clarify on several taxes associated with renewable energy. The activists were also enraged about the government barely mentioning about environment and climate change and not elaborating on financial allocation to the recently-launched National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce air pollution by 20-30 per ...
Arianespace to launch GSAT-31 on Feb 6
India will launch its latest communication satellite onboard European launch services provider Arianespaces launch vehicle on February 6 from French Guiana, Indian Space Research Organisation said Friday. According to Arianespace, the launch of Ariane-5 (VA 247) is scheduled for 2:31 am India time on Wednesday. Weighing about 2,535 kg, the Indian satellite, GSAT-31, will provide continuity to operational services on some of the in-orbit satellites, ISRO said. The satellite derives its heritage from ISROs earlier INSAT/GSAT satellite series, the space agency said, adding that it provides Indian mainland and island coverage. GSAT-31 is the country's 40th communication satellite which is configured on ISRO's enhanced 'I-2K Bus', utilising the maximum "bus capabilities" of this type. This satellite will augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit, ISRO said. With a mission life of around 15 years, GSAT-31 will be used for supporting VSAT networks, ...
Conference on indoor air quality, experts seek framing of guidelines
A conference was organised Friday to discuss the health impacts of indoor air pollution with experts calling for framing guidelines on indoor air quality. The meet, organised by the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and air conditioning engineers (ISHRAE) in collaboration with Society for Indoor Environment (SIE) and Indoor Air Quality Association - USA Chapter (IAQA) , was attended by experts and environmentalists and who brainstormed on how to combat indoor air pollution. Speaking at the conference an IIT professor said there was a need to set up indoor air quality guidelines for better management and health risk assessment. "Indoor air has been researched at individual and institutional levels. We need to have reference cohort studies along with cohorts that pave a way towards generating data in setting up of IAQ guidelines in the field of indoor environment for better management and health risk assessment," said Mukesh Khare, the Department of civil engineering IIT Delhi. A
DND shut due to farmers' rally: Police
The Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) flyway connecting Uttar Pradesh with the national capital was shut on Friday evening as a huge mass of farmers marched on the road in a rally, officials said. The Delhi Traffic Police cautioned commuters asking them to take alternate routes between Delhi and Noida suggesting usage of NH-9 instead of the DND to those moving to Ghazipur via Mayur Vihar. "Due to the rally/protest by farmers, the DND road between Noida and Delhi has been shut," the Delhi Traffic Police tweeted at 5 pm. Earlier in the day, it issued an advisory stating traffic movement on NH-24, Kalindi Kunj, Sarita Vihar, Mathura Road, and from DND to Ashram was likely to be impacted due to the rally. The Noida Traffic Police said there could be diversions made on the route as per requirements. "People are advised to use alternate roads via Mayur Vihar and Kalindi Kunj for movement between Noida and Delhi to avoid inconvenience," it had said in the advisory. Vehicular movement on the crucial ..
R K Singh lauds Budget; renewables players say no policy directives
Union Minister of State for Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh Friday called the Budget 2019-20 "historic, people-friendly and forward-looking" as it provides assistance to all needy sectors while maintaining fiscal prudence. However, some renewable energy sector players have expressed their disappointment on the Budget, saying it provided no ray of hope as there was no policy directive to promote manufacturing, especially renewables, when there is a scarcity of funding for clean energy projects. "Interim Budget 2019-20 is historic, it's people-friendly and forward-looking. It provides assistance to all sectors which need assistance at the same time maintaining fiscal prudence," said Singh said in a statement. He expressed hope that the Budget would be able to bring smile to every face. The country's electrification success found a special mention in Finance Minister Piyush Goyal's Budget Speech. The finance minister said: "Till the year 2014, about 2.5 crore families were
Stray tiger captured
A rescue operation was launched to overpower and cage a tiger which strayed into a village near the Dhela range of Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) here on Friday, officials said. CTR Director Rahul said, "A big cat entered the village late on Thursday evening and killed two cows. A rescue operation was launched immediately and the tiger was overpowered and caged by 1.00 am." After medical examination, the tiger was released into the reserve forest area by 4.00 am on Friday, he said.
Global sugar deficit in 2019/20 seen at 1.36 million tonnes: Green Pool
(Reuters) - The world sugar market is on course for a shortfall of 1.36 million tonnes (raw value), analyst Green Pool said on Friday in its first forecast for the 2019/20 season.
Noida's Spectrum mall being built with due approval: SEIAA to NGT
The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has informed the National Green Tribunal that construction of 'Spectrum Mall' in Noida's sector 75 was being carried out with environment clearance. The SEIAA told a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel that the application for environment clearance was duly made by the project proponent on February 11, 2018 and after following due procedure, clearance was granted on June 11, 2018. The green panel noted the submission of the SEIAA and disposed of the plea filed by UP resident Dharmendra Singh, alleging that no valid environmental clearance has been taken for construction of the mall. "Allegation in this application is that a commercial project 'Spectrum Mall' has been illegally constructed in Noida... having built up area of 1,40,360.19 square metre and plot area of 25,471.00 square metre. No valid environmental clearance has been taken," the NGT had noted.
India's solar generation capacity grew over 10 times: Goyal
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday said India's installed solar generation capacity has grown over 10 times in the last five years and so has the usage of green technologies, including e-vehicles.
MeT forecasts fresh snowfall in U'khand between Feb 5-8
The meteorological department has forecast a fresh spell of rain and snow in parts of Uttarakhand from February 5 to 8, officials said. Movement of western disturbances over western Himalayan region and formation of an induced system over north Rajasthan and neighbouring areas is indicated on February 6 and 7, MeT office director Vikram Singh said. Due to the meteorological conditions, heavy snowfall is likely to occur at isolated places in the higher reaches (3000 metres and above) of the mountainous districts of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh on February 6 and 7 while the lower areas will be lashed by rain, he said. Moderate rain and snowfall are likely to occur at isolated places on February 5 and 8 as well, the MeT director said. Authorities are advised to take precautionary measures to control the movement of commuters and tourists in the hills during the period especially on February 7, he added. He also advised the administration to position road ...
NGT orders UP govt to submit 25 cr for failure to curb pollution in Agra
Major pollution is being caused in the Yamuna at Agra by dumping of garbage and sewage, the National Green Tribunal has said and directed the Uttar Pradesh government to furnish a performance guarantee of Rs 25 crore for its failure in discharging its duties. Solid waste is being burnt in open on the roads at Agra cantonment railway station, heaps of uncleared garbage lying unattended and chocked drains are creating flood like situation, the NGT noted. It said 50 per cent of sewerage system was not in working condition, untreated sewage was being dumped into the open drains and the drainage system was 55 years old. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the state government to deposit the amount with the Central Pollution Control Board and said this is an interim arrangement pending further consideration of the matter. "The State of Uttar Pradesh is at liberty to determine the liability of the erring officers and the polluters and take appropriate action .
Environment Ministry gets Rs 3,111 crore in budget -- a 20 pc increase
The government Friday increased the budgetary allocation for the Environment Ministry by 20.27 per cent to Rs 3,111.20 crore as it presented the interim budget for 2019-20. In the last fiscal, the ministry was allocated Rs 2,586.67 crore. In the wildlife arena, the government-initiated projects -- Project Tiger and Project Elephant -- saw no change in their allocation compared to last year. The current fiscal's allocation of Rs 350 crore for Project Tiger, an initiative for conserving the wildcats, and Rs 30 crore for Project Elephant, which was launched to conserve the jumbos across the country, remain unchanged for 2019-20. At Rs 100 crore, the 2019-20 allocation also remained the same as last year for the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the central pollution watchdog. The revised allocation for the year 2018-19 was 114.42 crore. However, the Centre decreased the allocation for pollution abatement by 50 per cent from Rs 20 crore last year to Rs 10 crore for 2019-20. The ...