Page 217 - Environment
Navitas Solar was Awarded for Excellence in Renewable Energy Sector
/ -- Dun & bradstreet in association with RBL Bank hosted an awards ceremony- 'SME Business Excellence Awards 2018' in Mumbai. The ceremony was aimed to recognise the achievements of India's SMEs and Mid-corporates in manufacturing and services sectors pushing the growth of India. Navitas Solar was awarded for 'Excellence in Renewable Energy Sector' among other sectors such as Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Engineering & Machinery, and Auto Components etc. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/812246/Navitas_Award.jpg ) With the clean room manufacturing facility along with the state-of-the art production equipment supplied from world-renowned manufacturers, Navitas Solar owns one of the most technologically advanced solar PV module manufacturing facilities in India. Navitas offers PV modules ranging from 3watt to 375watt per panel, mono and multi crystalline modules. The modules are passed through 100% Electroluminescence test and are certified. Upon receiving the award, Mr. .
11 trains delayed as cold wave grips Delhi
As many as 11 trains coming into Delhi were delayed on Friday owing to the dense fog blanketing northern India.In addition to the extreme weather conditions, air quality continued to remain very poor.According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was recorded at 351 till 8.00 am, which falls in the ' very poor' category.According to the AQI data, major pollutants PM 2.5 was at 186 and PM 10 was at 298, in 'Poor' and 'Very Poor' category respectively.At Mathura road, major pollutant PM 2.5 was detected at 369 (very poor). In Lodhi road and Ayanagar area, the air quality dipped to the 'very poor' category at 328 and 308, respectively.AQI in the range of 51 to 100 is considered as satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 falls under the category of poor, 300-400 is considered 'very poor' and 401-500 falls under the 'hazardous' category.
Japan gives $8 mn to boost food security in Yemen
Rome, Feb 1 (IANS/AKI) Japan has contributed over $8 million to help the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation improve food security and nutrition for some 200,000 of the most vulnerable households affected by the war in Yemen, where the world's worst humanitarian crisis in modern times is looming, the FAO has said.
Musk releases all Tesla patents to help save the Earth
Elon Musk announced Thursday he had released all of the electric carmaker Tesla's patents, as part of an effort to fight climate change. In a blog post, the colourful billionaire founder of Tesla promised the company "will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology." It was a remarkable move in an industry where the smallest idea or seed of invention is carefully guarded to protect its monetary value. And it in fact came on the same day US prosecutors charged a Chinese national with stealing secrets from Apple's self-driving vehicle project. "Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport," Musk said. "If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal," he said. In fact Musk said he was now sceptical of patents which too often only served "to stifle progress" and helped ..
Thousands of young people protest for climate action in Belgium
Thousands of young people rallied in Belgium to demand action on climate change Thursday part of a wave of demonstrations led by high school students and aimed at intensifying pressure on governments. Carrying banners with slogans like "No world, no future" and "Make our planet great again", some 30,000 people took to the streets across the country, with some 12,500 in Brussels. They are part of a network of student-led protest groups that have seen tens of thousands of young people around the world ditch school to demand serious action against climate change in recent months. In Belgium the "Youth for Climate" movement has seen schoolchildren and students shun classes every Thursday for the past four weeks. "Many say we do this to skip school, but we didn't even have class today, our teachers were away," said one student, Elias. "So we just come because it's important. I don't want to find myself in 20 years with a destroyed climate and tell myself that I didn't do ...
IAEA urges Japan to take ample time in Fukushima cleanup
The International Atomic Energy Agency urged Japan on Thursday to spend ample time in developing a decommissioning plan for the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant and to be honest with the public about remaining uncertainties. In a report based on a visit by an IAEA team to the plant in November, the agency urged the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., to secure adequate space and finish plans for managing highly radioactive melted fuel before starting to remove it from the three damaged reactors. The cores of the three reactors melted after a massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Utility and government officials plan to start removing the melted fuel in 2021, but still know little about its condition and have not finalized waste management plans. "The IAEA review team advises that before the commencement of the fuel debris retrieval activities, there should be a clear implementation plan defined to safely manage the retrieved material," the report said. "TEPCO should ensure
Punjab to provide plots to over 1.32 lakh homeless
Punjab's rural homeless are all set to get houses under a scheme approved by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to provide 132,620 plots of five 'marla' each in villages where land is available with the Panchayats.
Leopard strays into residential area in Jalandhar
A leopard strayed into a residential locality in Jalandhar city of Punjab on Thursday and triggered panic among the residents before he was cornered in a room, officials said. The leopard strayed into the Lamba Pind area and entered into a house. The people ran out as the animal jumped over a few houses and ran in narrow lanes, leaving three-four people with minor injuries. Police, forest department and wildlife officials rushed to the spot and attempts were made to tranquillise the leopard and a net was also thrown on the big cat by the forest officials, but it did not yield results. "It's not clear from where the leopard reached the city limits in Jalandhar. It could have strayed from near the rivers. We're still trying to find out," state Principal Chief Conservator Forests Kuldeep Kumar said. Kumar said the animal had been confined in a room in the area. Officials from Chhatbir Zoo in Zikapur near Chandigarh are reaching Jalandhar to examine the animal. They would be examining if .
Tamil Nadu has given us a bad name, Vedanta tells SC
The Vedanta Group whose Sterlite Copper smelting plant has been shut down since May 28, 2018 on Thursday told the Supreme Court that they were being harassed and their image being besmirched by the Tamil Nadu government.
Infosys Foundation to restore ancient Panchakalyani lake
Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of IT major Infosys Thursday announced plans towards conservation and restoration of the 'Panchakalyani', said to be the 'largest ancient lake' at Melukote in Mandya district. The Foundation will restore the lake by removing silt and waste deposit, ensuring structural and chemical conservation of the Panchakalyani and a nearby tank called the Ganeshan Honda, reconnecting the existing canals, and building a compound wall, it said in a release. The Panchakalyani lake is among the most visited monuments at Melukote, which has several ancient water bodies situated on a hill top through which rain water has been harnessed for many centuries. This harnessed water has historically been used for consumption and irrigation, the foundation said. The Infosys Foundation has championed the preservation of ancient cultural heritage of India for several years, it said. Tourism minister S R Mahesh and minor irrigation minister C S Puttaraju ...
Siemens Gamesa bags 567 MW wind turbine order from ReNew Power
Wind turbine major Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy on Thursday said it has bagged a new order for 567 MW from ReNew Power, an independent power producer.
Simian's bites force people to leave TN village
Unable to bear the bites of an elusive monkey, several people of a village near here trooped out of their homes Thursday and only returned after officials promised to trap the animal. The male monkey's antics in the sleepy hamlet of Thennalakudi, about seven km from here, have rattled district wildlife and forest officials who have now sought the help of veterinarians to capture the animal by tranquilising it. Top officials have arrived at the village to survey the situation. Elangovan of the village told PTI that the monkey has been biting people, dogs, goats and cows for about a week. "It has bitten dozens of people and cattle." The monkey's attacks prompted several villagers to leave their homes and they returned only after officials assured them that the animal would be trapped, he said. "Monkeys are keen on only eating fruits or other eatables, but this animal has a problem and it is interested only in biting people and cattle," the villager said. Forest Range Officer
Gadkari for privatisation of public transport
Making a strong pitch for privatisation of public transport system, especially buses, in Indian cities, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that state governments need to accept that they cannot run the system effectively and efficiently, and should adopt the London model of public-private partnership.
Pollution in Bandi river: NGT slaps Rs 20 cr fine on Rajasthan govt for inaction
The National Green Tribunal cracked the whip on the Rajasthan government Thursday by slapping a fine of Rs 20 crore for not performing its function properly to control pollution in the Bandi river by local textile industries. A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore directed the Rajasthan chief secretary to deposit the money as an interim amount within one month towards environment compensation to the Central Pollution Control Board, which may be recovered from the polluters. The bench directed the agriculture secretary and the Rajasthan government to get an assessment done on loss of agriculture to the farmers due to the damage caused to agriculture land by use of contaminated water of the Bandi river as well as to the wells in the nearby area and submit a report within one month, suggesting compensation to the farmers. "We impose environment compensation of Rs 1 crore on CETP operators for discharging effluents into the Bandi river and not setting up a system for reuse of ...
Gigantic hole in Antarctic glacier signals rapid decay: NASA
A team of scientists from the US space agency NASA has discovered a gigantic hole made from 14 billion tons of ice melt, particularly in the last three years, in a West Antarctica glacier. This indicates rapid decay of the ice sheet and acceleration in rising global sea levels due to climate change.
India's public transport infra to be developed on London model: Gadkari
Keen on pushing innovative transport models, Union minister Nitin Gadkari Thursday said India is ready to embrace the London model to revamp its public transport infrastructure against a backdrop where share of buses has shrunk to 1 per cent of the total vehicles from 15 per cent earlier. Efforts are on to introduce skybuses on select stretches with the help of an Austrian firm, the road transport minister said. Besides, the government has taken steps to push projects of water transport, broad gauge metro and electric buses, Gadkari said here. "Once upon a time public transport buses accounted for 15 per cent of the total vehicles. Now it has come to 1 per cent...The success story of London transport should be inspiration and motivation for all state operators in India, which have become economically unviable barring a few," the minister said. He was addressing an event for launch of Reimbursable Advisory Services (RAS) from the World Bank for enhancing the effectiveness and ...
Bangkok flies drones, seeks better ideas to improve bad air
A fleet of drones, trucks and small planes sprayed water to try to reduce air pollution around Bangkok on Thursday while the city's governor invited critics to brainstorm better ideas to improve the air quality in the Thai capital. Unhealthy pollution levels forced city schools to close Wednesday for the rest of week, and the Public Health Ministry advised against outdoor activities. Faced with public discontent as well as a possible health crisis, Bangkok's governor, Police Gen Asawin Kwanmuang, has declared the city a "pollution control zone," allowing firmer measures such as road closings and limits on diesel exhaust, outdoor burning and construction activities. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered inspections of factories to measure the pollution they are emitting. But he warned that implementing radical solutions could cause inconveniences that people might be unwilling to accept. "To ban vehicles or to ban vehicles on odd and even dates, will people accept that?" he said. ...
UN award for India's efforts in environment conservation made us proud: Prez
The United Nations award for India's efforts in the field of environment conservation has made every Indian proud, President Ram Nath Kovind said Thursday. Addressing the joint sitting of Parliament at the beginning of the Budget session, Kovind also hailed India's achievement in the global solar revolution. "The United Nations award for India's efforts in the field of environment conservation has made every Indian proud. "It is a matter of pride for all of us that India is providing leadership to the global solar revolution and last year the first summit of the International Solar Alliance was successfully organised in Delhi," the President said.
Thousands of birds of 100 varieties congregate at Pong wetlands
Hundreds of thousands of birds of belonging to over a hundred species have been spotted in the Pong Dam wetlands in Himachal Pradesh, a slight rise from last year, according to a statement from the Himachal Pradesh wildlife wing.
Ranganadi Hydro Electric project to shut down for 3 months
The Ranganadi Hydro Electric project (RHEP) in Lower Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh will stop production of electricity for three months due to repair and maintenance of the project, state Power Minister Tamiya Tago said Thursday. The RHEP located at Yazali with a installed capacity of 405 mega watt power, will stop production from February 1 to April 30 this year for repair work at the tunnel, which has reportedly developed leakage, Taga told reporters here. With the shutting down of the project owned by the North East Electrical Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO), Arunachal Pradesh would face power shortage to the tune of 60 MW daily, officials said. The average peak demand of power in the state per day is 100 mw, excluding five districts Tawang, Anjaw, Upper Siang, Dibang Valley and Shi-Yomi, which are dependent on local generation of power, Power Department Chief Engineer (Western Zone) Gumdo Doji said. "To overcome the shortfall of 60 mw power, Chief ...