Page 236 - Environment
DPR on linking Godavari, Cauvery rivers ready: Gadkari
The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for linking the Godavari and Cauvery rivers at a cost of Rs.60,000 crore is ready and will be submitted to the cabinet soon, Union Water Resources and River Development Minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Monday.
Don't use single-use plastic for LS poll preparations, Environment Ministry asks states, UTs
Ahead of the 2019 parliamentary elections, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has asked all states and union territories (UTs) not to use single-use plastic for poll preparations and to encourage use of alternative materials for election campaign. The ministry also laid down standard guidelines to be adopted for minimising production and use of single-use plastic. C K Mishra, Secretary, MoEFCC, has written to all the states and UTs reiterating that single-use plastics need to be completely phased out from the country by 2020 so they should switch to alternate options for election campaign. "You are aware about India's commitment to phase out single-use plastic by 2020. The ill-impacts of plastic waste, which are not recyclable or bio-degradable, are well known. I had earlier written to you with a request to phase out single-use plastic in offices. I am again reiterating the request, particularly with reference to the upcoming general elections," Mishra ..
Gadkari inaugurates, lays foundation stone for projects worth Rs 16,878 cr in AP
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday inaugurated as well as laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 16,878 crore in Andhra Pradesh, the government said Monday. Road Transport & Highways Minister Gadkari inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 39 National Highways Projects in Andhra Pradesh, according to an official statement. "These projects have a length of 1,384 kms, and involve investment of Rs 16,878 crore," Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said. Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said, the length of national highways in Andhra Pradesh before May 2014 was 4,193 Km which has now increased to 7,246 Km (including In-principle NHs). Total likely investment in Andhra Pradesh is Rs 1,00,000 crore for development of national highways, the statement said. Under Bharatmala programme, about 2,520 Km of roads amounting to Rs 44,000 crore have been envisaged. Under Sethu Bhartam, 31 ROBs (rail over bridges) have been approved with a cost of about Rs 2,500 crore. Out of ..
Japan's KRT plans 100 temperature-control warehouses in Bengal
Japanese warehousing major Kawasaki Rikuso Transportation Co Ltd (KRT) on Monday said it would install 100 solar-powered, temperature-controlled warehouses in West Bengal at an estimated cost of Rs 300 crore. The state government on Monday launched a similar commercially-exploitable demonstration warehouse built by KRT here, with grant from Japan International Cooperation Agency India (JICA). "KRT is going to invest in the state with a five-year plan of building 100 solar-powered, temperature-controlled warehouses in that area," KRT President Keiichi Higuchi said. West Bengal is the first foray for the Tokyo-headquartered warehousing and logistics company outside Japan. "In 2019, KRT is planning to build warehouses in north Bengal at the 'Krishak Bazaars' in Phansidewa and Dhupguri," he said. Speaking on the sidelines of the inauguration event, he said KRT will stay focused on West Bengal, as there is huge potential for the company, and the state government is ...
UAE Health Minister to visit Kerala soon
The UAE Health Minister Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais will soon visit Kerala to know more about the health sector in the state, said Kerala Health Minister K.K. Shailaja.
Leopard sighted in Gr Noida, captured and released in forest
A leopard whose appearance had caused panic among locals in Greater Noida was captured and released in a forest near Saharanpur, officials said Monday. The male leopard, aged around 7-8 years, was sighted near Sadullapur village in Greater Noida on Sunday morning following which police and the forest department were alerted, they said. District Forest Officer P K Shrivastava said it took authorities about 4-5 hours to capture the leopard ensuring the safety of both, the officials as well as the feline. Chief Forest Conservator of Meerut region Lalit Verma was also in the district on Sunday and oversaw along with specialists from the Delhi Zoo the combing operation that continued for over two hours, he said. According to officials, soon equipment like a cage, a safety net, a forest vehicle and a tranquilliser gun were arranged. The rescue operation started at around 4.15 pm with about five trained specialists from the Delhi Zoo and wildlife conservation NGO-- SOS Wildlife. "Around 5.30
Emission norms: SC asks NGT to consider expanding scope of Volkswagen case to other car makers
The Supreme Court on Monday favoured widening of judicial scrutiny of a case pertaining to use of cheat device in diesel cars to flout emission norms in vehicles made by German auto major Volkswagen by bringing other auto majors under the scanner. A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta said that the National Green Tribunal may consider whether the scope of the emission related case, involving Volkswagen presently, could be expanded to other carmakers also. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Volkswagen, said that the company has been singled out for violation of norms which are "non-existent". He said that the automobile company complies with country's existing norms on emission and has already deposited Rs 100 crore fine imposed by the NGT to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The bench refused to interfere with the orders of NGT imposing fine on the automaker but restrained the green panel from taking any punitive action against the directors .
Life existed 1500 m below Earth 65 mn years ago in India,
Researchers from IIT Kharagpur have discovered that life existed 1500 metres below the Earth's surface around 65 million years ago in India as we know it now. The scientists found microbial - bacterial and archaeal - life forms at such depths beneath the Deccan Traps which cover a large part of the Deccan Plateau in Southern and Western India. Archaea is a micro-organism similar to bacteria in size but radically different in molecular organisation. The Deccan Traps were formed by massive volcanic activities nearly 65 million years ago and believed to be responsible for mass extinction on our planet. What surprised the research team was the presence of the bacteria and archaea more than a kilometer below the solid igneous rocks - formed by solidification of lava or magma - without much of nutritional resources such as water or other materials to feed on, an IIT KGP statement said Monday. In 2014, Prof Pinaki Sar from the Department of Biotechnology at the IIT KGP ...
Chennai startup develops microbial fuel cell technology
JSP Enviro, a city-based startup, is in talks with a garment dyeing unit in Tirupur to set up a prototype microbial fuel cell technology waste water treatment plant that would generate power, said top company officials.
Five held in Bengal with leopard skin worth Rs 10 lakh
Five people were arrested in West Bengal's Jalpaiguri district for trafficking a leopard skin worth Rs. 10 lakh from Gorumara enroute to Nepal, Belacoba Forest Range Officer Sanjay Dutta said on Monday.
Ola, FlowerAura launch collaborated environment Initiative for 'Green Delhi'
FlowerAura and Ola, in the last week of 2018, launched a campaign titled "Gift Health - Gift Plants" under which FlowerAura gifted plants to all Ola customers taking a ride from T1 and T3 of IGI Airport on December 28 and 29.The objective was to raise awareness about the benefits of planting a tree and how one can promote this by gifting to their near and dear ones.According to recent research, Delhi was one of the Top 10 most polluted cities in the World. Considering the toxicity and PM 2.5 Level of Delhi NCR which reached to an all-time high of 726 on November 8, 2018, this initiative looked promising and was highly appreciated by most of the customers of Ola as well as corporate who chose to indulge in "The Go Green Initiative"."The motive is to create a concept of thoughtful gift which has more than just a symbolic value. Plants aren't just an accessory but an essential element of Mother Nature. We have introduced diverse varieties of plants in the month of November as the ...
Himachal CM lays foundation stones of Smart City projects
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday laid the foundation stones of projects totalling Rs. 145.43 crore here as part of the Smart City Mission, including digitisation and uplift of infrastructure.
Chandrababu Naidu writes to Centre seeking reimbursement of Rs 3,722 crore for Polavaram project
Faced with fund crunch, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Monday shot off a letter to Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari, demanding early reimbursement of Rs 3,722 crore for the ongoing Polavaram project on Godavari river. The state is making available funds for the project from its "meager resources" to ensure the ongoing work does not stop, but this is affecting other flagship state programmes severely, he said. So far, about Rs 15,380.97 crore has been spent on the project. After the Polavaram irrigation project was declared as national project, the central government reimbursed Rs 6,727.26 crore and is yet to release the balance Rs 3,722 crore to the state, he added. "The last reimbursement received from Government of India was on June 11, 2018. Since then, there is no reimbursement of expenditure already incurred by the state government so far," Naidu said in the letter. Over 64 per cent of the overall project has been completed so far. The state ...
Mystery orbits in outer solar system not caused by 'Planet Nine': Study
The strange orbits of some objects in the outermost reaches of our solar system are not shaped by the hypothesised 'Planet Nine', but can be explained by the gravitational force of small bodies orbiting the Sun beyond Neptune, scientists say. The alternative explanation to the so-called 'Planet Nine' hypothesis by researchers at the University of Cambridge in the UK and colleagues proposes a disc made up of small icy bodies with a combined mass as much as ten times that of Earth. When combined with a simplified model of the solar system, the gravitational forces of the hypothesised disc can account for the unusual orbital architecture exhibited by some objects at the outer reaches of the solar system, according to the study published in the Astronomical Journal. The new theory is not the first to propose that the gravitational forces of a massive disc made of small objects could avoid the need for a ninth planet. However, it is the first such theory which is able to explain the ...
Centre to soon take up linking of Godavari and Cauvery:
The Centre would soon take up a major project to link rivers Godavari and Cauvery that would resolve water issues between four southern states, Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari announced here Monday. The objective of the project, expected to cost upto Rs 60,000 crore, was to make good use of about 1100 tmc ft of Godavari water that currently drained into the sea, he said, addressing a meeting of BJP workers here. "The detailed project report for linking rivers Godavari-Krishna-Pennar-Cauvery is ready. We will soon present it to the Cabinet for approval. Thereafter, we will raise finances for the project either from the World Bank or the Asian Development Bank as the project cost is about Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore," Gadkari said. The Godavari water would thus be taken to the tail end of Tamil Nadu, he said. "Every year, about 1,100 tmc ft of Godavari water is going waste into the Bay of Bengal while there is a dispute between Tamil Nadu and ...
Hong Kong failing to tackle wildlife smuggling epidemic: study
Hong Kong must do more to crack down on illegal wildlife smuggling by ending legal loopholes and lenient sentences, conservation groups said Monday, as they detailed the city's role in the lucrative trade. Despite its comparatively small size, the bustling southern Chinese transport hub plays a "disproportionate" role in wildlife crime, researchers said, accounting for around a fifth of all global ivory seizures and nearly half of all pangolins seized in the last decade. Yet authorities do not list wildlife trafficking offences under the city's organised crime legislation targeting drug traffickers and triad gangs - and the few who are caught rarely face stiff penalties, the report's authors warn. "Wildlife crime in Hong Kong remains under-policed and under-investigated," said Amanda Witfort, a professor at Hong Kong University's Faculty of Law and one of the report's authors. "Wildlife smuggling is not regarded as organised and serious crime under Hong Kong law," she added. The study
Sugar output up by 8% till mid-January (Lead, Correcting headline)
India's sugar production has increased by 8.32 per cent year-on-year to 14.6 million tonne till January 15 but overall output at the end of the season will be lower than the previous year, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said on Monday.
Sugar output up by 8% till January
India's sugar production has increased by 8.32 per cent year-on-year to 14.6 million tonnes till January 15 but overall output at the end of the season will be lower than the previous year, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said on Monday.
HP CM lays foundation stone of various developmental projects
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur Monday laid foundation stone of various developmental projects worth Rs 145.43 crore, an official said. As many as 65 classrooms would be developed in 10 government Schools here at a cost of Rs 3.55 crore, he said. These classrooms would be equipped with modern facilities like digital curriculum content, interactive smart boards, projectors, IP cameras, water ATMs etc. The official said 28 roads would be developed in the city at a cost of Rs 84.04 crore. A solar power plant will be constructed at a cost of Rs 1.59 crore, he said. The chief minister also launched a GIS web portal to improve local governance. An integrated command control centre building will also be constructed here at a cost of Rs 24.44 crore.
111-year-old Karnataka seer dead
Karnataka's 111-year-old revered seer, Shivakumara Swami of Siddaganga Mutt at Tumakuru, is dead, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy announced on Monday.