Page 256 - Environment
C'garh govt returns farmers' land acquired by Tata Steel
The Congress ruled Chhattisgarh government has issued orders for returning of 4400 acres of land that was earlier acquired for the Tata Steel project in the tribal-dominated area back to the farmers.The order, issued by the Revenue Department of the state, says that the land is being returned to its original owners as per the provisions of The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.The land was acquired from ten villages in the tribal district of Bastar about a decade ago for setting up Tata Steel project in December 2008.Soon after becoming Chief Minister, Bhupesh Baghel, acting on the lines of the promise made in the election manifesto, had ordered officials to bring a proposal in the cabinet to return farmers' land acquired for a Tata Steel project in tribal-dominated Lohandiguda area of Bastar in 2008.The villages where land was acquired were Chhindgaon, Kumhli, Beliyapal, Bandaji, Daabpal, Bade Paroda, Belar, ...
Andhra to get $3.5 bn worth pulp and paper plant
The Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) to develop a five million tonnes per annum greenfield pulp and paper plant in the state's Prakasam district.The MoU was signed by J. Krishna Kishore, Chief Executive Officer, Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) and Suresh Kilam, Executive Director, Asia Pulp & Paper, in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, read a statement.The project will be implemented in two phases and is estimated to provide direct employment to 4,000 workers and indirect employment to about 12,000 workers. It is also expected to provide improved incomes for over 50,000 pulpwood farmers in the region, the statement added.Naidu also inaugurated the pylon and laid the foundation stone for the plant at Ramayapatnam in Prakasam District.APEDB is responsible for sustainable economic growth through trade, investments, ...
Odisha's growth volatile: 15th Finance Commission
Fifteenth Finance Commission Chairman N.K. Singh on Wednesday said that though Odisha had achieved a higher growth rate, it often remained significantly volatile.
UAE launches global call to action on sustainability
Abu Dhabi, Jan 9 (IANS/WAM) Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) on Wednesday launched the #WeAreCommitted campaign, calling on the global community to pledge their support to sustainability.
Leopard strayed into Indore IIT campus captured
A leopard which had strayed into the Indore's Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus was captured Monday evening, an official said Wednesday. The IIT official said the big cat was trapped in one of the two cages installed on the institute's campus near a forest area in Simrol, about 30 kms from the city. The four-year-old feline was handed over to the forest department later. The leopard was released in the forest area after being medically examined by the Forest officials.
Finance Ministry adopts e-mobility to cut costs, pollution
In a move aimed at reducing air pollution and carbon emissions, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday launched the induction of 15 electric vehicles in the Ministry which is likely to save 36,000 litres of fuel each year.
Rat snake rescued from Dwarka
A three-foot-long rat snake has been rescued after it was found trapped in a crack of a wall in a DDA park in Delhi, an NGO said Wednesday. On Tuesday evening, the Wildlife SOS received a call about a rat snake found near Gangotri Apartments in Dwarka. Two members from the organisation reached the spot and rescued the snake, a statement said. The snake was put into a snake bag and sent for medical assessment. The reptile is under observation and will be released into the wild once deemed fit, it said. "Although non-venomous, rat snakes are swift and easily excitable and may bite if felt threatened. It is important to not alarm the snake while carrying out such rescue operations. The extrication needs to be done with caution, as to evade any injury to the reptile," Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, said. Rat snakes, also known as oriental rat snake, are a highly-adaptable species and are commonly found in urban areas. They often wander into the human habitation .
H-Energy Rs 3,700 crore Bengal LNG project work to start
Hiranandani Group-promoted H-Energy which is implementing a Rs 3,700-crore LNG project in West Bengal will start work by June-July this year, a top company official said Wednesday. "We will begin construction of the gas terminal at Kukrahati estimated at Rs 1,500 crore in June-July this year and will require 18 months to complete," H-Energy, MD and CEO, Darshan Hiranandani said at FICCI organised meet here. He said the legal hurdles in constructing the pipeline are over and the company can start work for the project anytime now. H-Energy will build a 150-km pipeline from Kukrahati (Haldia to Bangladesh border). H-Energy currently has a 2 million tonne per annum long term supply contract with Bangladesh. Supply to Bangladesh too will begin at 0.5 million tonne per annum in the first year and will be scaled up to 2 million tonne. A small under water pipeline to Falta will serve as a gate station for supply to Kolkata. The first phase of the project includes setting up of .
73 pc of Delhi residents 'not satisfied' with air quality: Survey
At least 73 per cent of Delhi residents are 'not satisfied' with the air quality here, while 43 per cent of them found it to be 'better' than last year, according to a new survey released Wednesday. The survey, titled 'Study on Delhi's perception and accountability on air pollution', has been conducted by the United Residents Join Action (URJA), the apex body of the resident welfare associations (RWAs) of Delhi. The URJA conducted the survey within a 5 km radius of the location of the monitoring stations of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) around 10 locations in Delhi, including Rohini, Anand Vihar, ITO, Siri Fort, Bawana, R K Puram, Patparganj, Lodhi Road, Dwarka and Ashok Vihar. According to the survey, the awareness levels of citizens living close to these monitoring locations were surprisingly low. "Eighty nine per cent of the respondents were not aware of any such monitoring, while another 88 per cent had not visibly seen any LED screen displaying real time air quality .
97 Ganga towns to be declared open-defecation free by March: Hardeep Singh Puri
Ninety-seven towns along the Ganga will be declared open- defecation free by March 2019, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Wednesday. The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has also announced a special category of awards for these 97 Ganga towns under the ongoing "Swachh Survekshan 2019". Addressing a gathering at a workshop on 'Solid Waste Management in Ganga Towns", the Housing and Urban Affairs Minister said a total of 44 Ganga towns have so far been declared open-defecation free. "It is expected that all Ganga towns will achieve ODF status by March 2019," the minister said at the event. He said the government has accorded highest priority to rejuvenate the Ganga through its flagship programme, Namami Gange. "In this regard, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is supporting the Ganga towns in achieving ODF status and effective solid and liquid waste management through the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM -Urban) and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban ...
First better air quality day in Delhi; relief unlikely to last
After weeks of "very poor" and "severe" air, Delhi and adjoining areas witnessed their first improved air quality day of 2019 with the quality index (AQI) recorded at 'poor' levels of 288 due to a sudden increase in the wind speed.
NGT directs MoEF to finalise action plan on climate change within four weeks
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to finalise an action plan on climate change within four weeks. A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore passed the order after the Delhi government informed it that the state action plan on climate change has has been prepared and submitted to the Environment Ministry. The environment department of the Delhi government had earlier informed the tribunal that it has decided to make certain amendments to the State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC). The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had earlier told the tribunal that it has repeatedly asked the Delhi government to expedite and submit the SAPCC but nothing has been done. The ministry had informed the tribunal that since January 2010, it has asked the Delhi government thrice to submit SAPCC but nothing has been done and sought direction to the AAP government to submit the plan. The tribunal was hearing a petition by ...
Termites may help extract clean energy from coal: Study
Termites may hold the key to transforming coal -- a big polluting chunk of the global energy supply -- into cleaner energy for the world, according to a study. The study, published in the journal Energy and Fuels, found that a community of termite-gut microbes converts coal into methane, the chief ingredient in natural gas. The study, which produced computer models of the step-by-step biochemical process, was a collaboration between the researchers at University of Delaware and ARCTECH, a company based in Virginia, US. "It may sound crazy at first -- termite-gut microbes eating coal -- but think about what coal is. It is basically wood that is been cooked for 300 million years," said Professor Prasad Dhurjati from the University of Delaware. Termites can digest coal, releasing methane and producing humic matter, a beneficial organic fertiliser, as a byproduct. Each microbe contributes to one or more steps in this intricate digestion process, in which there are hundreds of steps, and ..
NMCG highlights efforts taken for Ganga Rejuvenation
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), in a one day workshop organised in collaboration with the National Water Mission (NWM), showcased efforts being taken for rejuvenation of the River Ganga.The workshop was conducted on the theme 'Sector Enterprises on Corporate social responsibility' at Dr Ambedkar International Centre, in the national capital on Wednesday.Namami Gange Program, which was launched in 2015, is an integrated Ganga conservation mission. It has made significant strides and achieved key milestones in 2018-19. This is the first mission which is looking at urban as well as rural areas, dealing with a complete range of pollution abatement measures for all kinds of domestic and industrial pollution, rural sanitation, afforestation and conservation of biodiversity.The mission also monitors various aspects in connection with water quality monitoring, use of modern technology, sustainability of investment by including long term operation and maintenance as part of the ..
Collaboration with India in the interest of smaller nations, says Australian FM
Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne on Wednesday said that Australia and India should collaborate to work in the interest of smaller sovereign countries.Delivering an address at the Raisina Dialogue here, Payne underlined that Australia has shared interests with India on crime, terrorism and environmental challenges."In 2014, Australia and India conducted naval defence capabilities. Australia is engaging in close economic engagement with India. By 2035, India will be the major global economy in the world," she said.Emphasising on the 'Quad', an alliance of four countries including India and Australia, Payne remarked, "Australia is a strong supporter of US support in Asia. Australia and India shall cooperate to work for smaller sovereign nations. Australia, India, US, and Japan have been working together in the form of Quad."She noted that Australia will support in building connectivity in South Asia to build quality infrastructure, adding that Canberra wanted to bolster its ...
Bengal holds Rs 50,000 crore shale gas hope but with riders
Shale gas may turn as a boon to West Bengal's investment map with a potential of Rs 50,000 crore over the next several years but proper regulatory framework, environmental or social factors needs to be handled properly. "In West Bengal shale gas and related sector offers an investment potential of Rs 50,000 crore and huge employment opportunity," state Finance minister Amit Mitra said on Wednesday at FICCI organised Gas Industry in West Bengal. Great Eastern Energy Corp (GEECL) and Essar Oil who are producing CBM in the Ranigunj belt had expressed interest in exploring and extracting shale gas and under the new licensing regime government has allowed shale exploration from CBM blocks. "GEECL had already announced to invest USD 2 billion over next 10 years in shale gas extraction. Given the opportunity in existing blocks and potential blocks investment could as high as Rs 50,000 crore," GEECL MD & CEO Prasant Modi said. He called for conducive regulatory framework ...
Forest officer suspended for not taking action against poacher
A deputy forest range officer in Nirmal district has been suspended for allegedly not initiating action against a tiger poacher, who had also killed a Nilgai (Asian antelope), officials said Wednesday. Mohd Hafezzuddin, in-charge of Pembi Forest Range, was Tuesday suspended for allegedly suppressing the fact and not booking a case against the poacher G Prakash and others, who were involved in the killing of a Nilgai, they said. Disciplinary action is also being initiated against two other forest officials--a beat officer and a section officer. The Forest department was also in the process of registering criminal cases against the accused in this connection, they said. Kaghaznagar Forest Divisional Officer Rajaramana Reddy said Prakash had killed the Nilgai on December 31. Hafezzuddin being aware of it, did not arrest the poachers, the officer said. He did not register a case and also did not inform the forest department as he had allegedly taken bribe of Rs 50,000 from ..
Leopard on the prowl at Kothapalli?
Incidents of cattle being killed, allegedly by a leopard, have spread panic among villagers of Kothapalli, around 50 km from here, even as forest department officials are on the lookout for the animal. Forest department sources said the villagers have not sighted any wild animal. But over the past one week, three incidents of cattle killing have been reported in the village. Forest officials recorded pug marks to be that of a leopard following which two cages have been set up to catch the animal, Amangal Forest Divisional Officer Janaki Ram said. The pug marks were recorded on January 7, the official said.
"Gaganyaan a major turning point in India's space programme"
India's maiden human spaceflight mission 'Gaganyaan' would be a major turning point in the country's space programme and allow New Delhi to catch up with global players, former ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said. He also expressed confidence that ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) would be able to undertake the venture by 2022, the targeted time-frame. The project report was prepared when Nair was heading ISRO. "Gaganyaan is going to be a major turning point and technologically all the ISRO centres are going to have big challenges before them...huge benefits to the country", he told PTI. Nair noted that some work, including those relating to crew escape module and space suit, had already been going on in a low-key mode, before the formal Cabinet approval on December 28 for the Rs 9,023 crore project. The Union Cabinet's nod for the Rs 9,023-crore programme came nearly five months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the project in his Independence Day ...
Terrorism, WMDs, climate change today's critical challenges: Sushma Swaraj
Terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and climate change are the three critical challenges the world is facing today, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday.