Page 232 - Environment
India, leader in fighting desertification, to host UN conference
India, a leader in combating desertification, is slated to host a biennial global conference that will deal with the problems of drought and land degradation, according to the UN.
Forest dept team recovers elephant tusks
A special team of the Forest department has recovered a pair of elephant tusks from a house in Latehar district, eight-days after a tusker was found dead with its tusks missing, a senior Forest official said Thursday. Director of Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR), Mohan Lal told PTI that the tusks of the dead elephant and Rs 2 lakh in cash were recovered by the special team on Wednesday from the house at Garu village which falls under the PTR range. The elephant was found dead on January 16 near a railway crossing at Chhipadohar in Latehar district and its tusks were missing.
Nitin Gadkari attacks Congress for failing to clean Ganga during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has claimed that during former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, Rs. 5,000 crore was spent on cleaning the Yamuna which yielded no results but after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power, the government initiated projects to clean not only river Ganga but also the river Yamuna.In 1986, the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi launched the Ganga action plan with the key objective of removing the pollutants from the river and to improve its water quality. When Prime Minister Modi came to power, Centre's flagship Namami Gange Programme was approved by the Union Government in June 2014 with a planned budget of Rs. 20,000 crore.After laying the foundation stone of Namami Gange project in Agra, the Union Minister said: "It was announced during Rajiv Gandhi's tenure, Rs. 5,000 crore were spent but yielded no result. After Modi ji became the Prime Minister, we started projects to clean not only river Ganga but also Yamuna."Gadkari promised that in 15 ...
Shutdown makes it tough for groups to help endangered whales
Rescuers who respond to distressed whales and other marine animals say the federal government shutdown is making it more difficult to do their work. A network of rescue groups in the US works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to respond to marine mammals, including whales and seals, when the animals are in trouble. But the federal shutdown, which entered its 33rd day on Wednesday, includes a shuttering of the NOAA operations the rescuers rely upon. The rescue groups rely on NOAA to track the animals and provide permits that allow groups to respond to emergencies. Some scientists say the shutdown is coming at a dangerous time for the endangered North Atlantic right whale. There are thought to be only 411 right whales alive right now.
Gujarat government to inaugurate already functional Suzuki plant!
In his haste to silence critics of Vibrant Gujarat Summit, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had on Tuesday announced that the BJP government will inaugurate many of the projects signed during the Vibrant Summit by March. However, one such project that he mentioned is an already operational and functional plant of the Suzuki motors Gujarat.
MSEDCL to appoint 23,000 'power managers' in Maha villages
The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd (MSEDCL) will appoint 'power managers' in 23,000 villages to attend to the complaints related to electricity and its theft, an official release said on Wednesday. The MSEDCL will appoint 23,000 'village electrical managers' one at the gram panchayat level. They will attend to the power-related complaints and electricity thefts, the release said. During a programme held in Nagpur recently, Energy Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule distributed certificates to candidates, who have completed 'gram vidyut vyavasthapak' training jointly initiated by the MSEDCL and Maharashtra State Skill Development Society. Bawankule said the course will open employment opportunities for the youth in rural areas, as the 'village electrical manager' will work for the MSEDCL at the gram panchayat level. "Similarly, these power managers will also be given the responsibility of implementation and creation of awareness on solar energy ...
Maha govt to distribute 'desi' cows to farmers
The Maharashtra government has decided to distribute 'desi' (native) cows to farmers as part of a scheme, officials said on Wednesday. An official from the Animal Husbandary department said the state distributes milch animals under the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) to farmers from the general category, Scheduled Caste (SC) and tribal community. As part of this scheme, it was decided to allocate six, four or two milch cows and buffaloes from 2015. "Till now, the state government used to distribute foreign varieties of cows, like Holstein Friesian (HF) and Jersey, under the scheme. However, to conserve and increase the number of indigenous breeds of cows, it has been decided to include desi cows too in this scheme," he said. He added that varieties like Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Rathi, Tharparkar, Deoni, Lal Kandhari, Gaolao and Dangi cows will be distributed under the scheme. According to the official, desi varieties have less milk-producing capacity as compared to ...
Take stand on Purushothapatnam project, NGT tells Centre
The NGT on Wednesday directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to take action against Andhra Pradesh where allegedly illegal construction activity is being carried out for the Purushothapatnam Lift Irrigation Scheme.
16-hour countdown for PSLV-C44 mission begins
A 16-hour countdown began Wednesday for the launch of Kalamsat, a student payload, and imaging satellite Microsat-R, onboard India's Polar rocket PSLV C-44 from the spaceport of Sriharikota Thursday. "The countdown for the launch of PSLV-C44 mission started today at 19:37 hrs (IST) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. The launch is scheduled at 23:37 Hrs IST on 24th January 2019," a mission update by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. ISRO's workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its 46th flight, would lift off from the first launch pad at the SDSC in Sriharikota, over 100 km from here. PSLV-C44 is the first mission of PSLV-DL, a new variant of the 44.4 metre tall rocket equipped with two strap-on configuration, ISRO said. "In this mission, the fourth stage (PS4) of PSLV-C44 will be moved to higher circular orbit so as to establish an orbital platform for carrying out experiments," the ISRO said. According to the mission launch ...
Delhi-NCR pollution: CSE study to identify sources of pollution in real-time
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), in association with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and leading instrumentation company Horiba, Japan launched a pilot study on Wednesday on real-time source apportionment of PM2.5 in Delhi and adjoining areas.
Mathura residents will get clean Yamuna water within 15 months: Gadkari
Union minister Nitin Gadkari said Wednesday that residents of Mathura will get clean Yamuna water within 15 months. After laying the foundation stone for Namami Gange Projects in Mathura, he said, "I take a pledge to ensure drinkable Yamuna water within 15 months to residents of Mathura. The four projects in Mathura would be completed at cost of Rs 511.74 crore, according to an official release issued here. These include two sewerage projects. The first is an integrated sewerage infrastructure for the city on Hybrid Annuity Mode with 'One-City-One-Operator' approach and reuse of treated sewage water in Mathura refinery at a cost of Rs 460.45 crore, it said. The second project is rehabilitation of sewerage infrastructure and augmentation/upgradation of STP in Vrindavan at a cost of Rs 33.82 crore, the release said. Gadkari said by February 15 an airboat service would start from Delhi to Praygraj.
India cuts coffee output estimate by 16 percent as heavy rains trim yield
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India is likely to produce 319,500 tonnes of coffee in 2018/19, down nearly 16 percent from the previous estimate, after heavy rainfall hit yields in the top two growing states, the state-run Coffee Board said on Wednesday.
Jharkhand CM marches with soil from homes of martyrs
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday held a 'padyatra' with the soil from the homes of martyrs of freedom struggle on the occasion of Netaji Jayanti in Ranchi.
Delhi's pollution again on the rise as impact of rain subsides: Authorities
Delhi's pollution level began to rise again on Wednesday as the impact of rain subsided, causing the air quality index (AQI) to slip into the 'poor' category, authorities said. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the overall AQI in the city was 218. An AQI between 100 and 200 comes under the 'moderate' category, 201 and 300 is considered 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', while that between 401 and 500 is 'severe'. On Tuesday, Delhi recorded its lowest pollution levels since October last year as heavy rains lashed the city and the wind speed picked up. The national capital's air quality was recorded in the 'satisfactory' category. On Wednesday, 27 areas in Delhi recorded 'poor' air quality while it was 'moderate' in three areas, the CPCB said. In the National Capital Region, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Greater Noida recorded "poor" air quality, it said. The overall PM2.5 level -- fine particulate matters in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 .
Power Finance sanctions loan for Telangana irrigation project
: Power Finance Corporation Ltd (PFC) Wednesday sanctioned a Rs 7,785-crore term loan in two packages for the Kaleshwaram irrigation project in Telangana. The project envisages irrigation facilities for an ayacut of 16.40 lakh acres in drought-prone areas of seven districts of the state. Besides, the project was planned to provide 10 TMC of drinking water to villages, 30 TMC to twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and 16 TMC for industrial use, according to the government website. The managing director of the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project Corporation Ltd had sought government approval of the term loan and the government, after careful consideration of the matter accorded permission to borrow the sum for the project, according to GOs.
BHEL bags order for emission control equipment for 660-MW power unit in Maharashtra
State-run engineering firm BHEL Wednesday said it has bagged an order from Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (Mahagenco) for its ongoing 660-megawatt coal-based supercritical thermal power project at the Bhusawal Thermal Power Station (Unit VI). The project is being executed by BHEL on the engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) basis at Jalgaon district of Maharashtra, a company statement said. According to the statement, Mahagenco has awarded the additional order to BHEL for installation of emission control equipment, changes in various equipment and subsystems due to change in coal, and modification in CHP or AHP, among others. With this, the revised order value for the Bhusawal Thermal Power Station Unit VI project is now around Rs 3,750 crore. The initial order was won by BHEL against stiff international competitive bidding (ICB), it said. BHEL has, so far, secured orders to provide 34 sets of the flue-gas desulphurisation system for sulphur oxide (SOx) control and 13
Security forces exchange fire with Naxals in C'garh
Security forces Wednesday recovered a huge cache of Maoist-related material, including an improvised bomb, following a gunfight with Naxals in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh, police said. Nobody was reported injured in the gunfight, they said. The skirmish took place when a joint team of Special Task Force (STF), District Reserve Guard (DRG) and district force was out on a search operation in the forest of Mohla police station area, a senior police official told PTI. "When the security forces were advancing through forest between Sudiyal and Bukmarka villages, located around 150 kms away from capital Raipur, Naxals triggered three improvised explosive device (IED) blasts and opened indiscriminate fire on them that led to a fierce gun-battle," he said. After the intermittent firing that lasted for around an hour, the ultras fled into the forest in neighbouring Maharashtra, he said. During a search of the spot, a pressure cooker IED bomb, 300-metre wire, huge ...
Carcasses of 250 endangered sharks seized in mid-sea
Indian Coast Guard personnel have seized a trawler carrying carcasses of around 250 endangered sharks during a mid-sea crackdown on illegal fishing in prohibited Gahirmatha marine sanctuary. Seven crew members, all hailing from Andhra Pradesh, of the intercepted vessel were arrested and handed over to the forest department Tuesday, a Coast Guard official said. The carcasses included bull sharks, spot tail sharks and hammer head sharks which were accorded endangered status under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. These three varieties of shark are also categorised as threatened under the International Union on Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The dead sharks were very young, weighing around 5 kg each, the official said. Commercial trade and hunting of these marine species are prohibited under the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna(CITES). Rajesh Makwana, the DIG of Coast Guard, Paradip, said one of the primary reasons for
Japan Airlines to start Bengaluru-Tokyo service from 2020
Japanese flag carrier Japan Airlines Ltd (JAL) will fly from Bengaluru to Tokyo non-stop from 2020, it said on Wednesday.
Rehabilitated villagers battle cops, guards in Maharashtra jungle
At least 65 policemen and forest guards were injured when they were attacked with stones, sticks and chilli powder by hundreds of relocated villagers in the Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR) jungles of Amravati in Maharashtra late on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday.