Page 329 - Environment
GM CEO to meet with U.S. lawmakers over job cuts
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Motors Co Chief Executive Mary Barra plans to visit Capitol Hill next week to discuss the company's plans to halt production at five plants in North America next year and cut up to 15,000 jobs, two congressional aides said on Friday.
Maha to consider allowing import of sand to meet rising demand
In view of a ban imposed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on dredging of sand from rivers and rising demand from the construction industry, the Maharashtra government is considering allowing import of sand. Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil gave this information in the Legislative Council here Friday while replying to a debate on a calling-attention notice moved by Vinayak Mete (BJP). Sudhir Tambe (Congress) urged the government to promote the use of fly ash generated by thermal power plants as artificial sand. The minister said the government has cleared a proposal to allow use of fly ash in construction of houses, roads, dams and in other construction activities. Leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde (NCP) said the use of fly ash in construction activities has not been tested properly. To another question, minister Patil said the government has hiked per brass quantity of sand for construction of houses for personal use from two brass to five brass. On illegal ...
UN Secretary-General lauds PM Modi for his commitment on climate change
United Nations Secretary-General Antonia Guterres thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his commitment to tackling climate change."Thank you @narendramodi for your commitment to tackle climate change and for your support for the Paris Agreement. It was a pleasure to see you again. #G20," Guterres tweeted.The two leaders met on the sidelines of the ongoing G20 summit to discourse on multiple issues including climate change.Foreign Secretary Gokhale said that the UN Secretary-General specifically acknowledged the fact that India played a very major role in climate change negotiations. He also acknowledged that the Indian Prime Minister had taken a number of concrete steps towards addressing climate change in his own country.Apart from mentioning the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as one of the major initiatives of India towards climate change, Guterres also recalled the environmental impacts of the Swachh Bharat Mission and other campaigns that he witnessed during his recent ...
Touring exhibition to mark 60 yrs of Indo German development cooperation
A touring exhibition was launched here Friday to mark 60 years of Indo German development cooperation, a release said. The exhibition showcases historical landmarks of bilateral cooperation such as how IIT Madras and Polio immunisation programme were set up with financial contribution from Germany, . Besides, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna in 2008 and a 125-MW solar power plant in Sakri, Maharashtra, were also among the successful achievements of the past six decades, the release said. The exhibition will move to Bengaluru, Kochi and Chennai in 2019. "Touring exhibition shows the long-standing relationship between both the countries. We will continue to work towards further strengthening the bilateral relations between the two nations," Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Wolfram Klein said. "Germany has technological capacity to cater to the needs of the huge Indian market. We have been working in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency among ...
Arms, ammunition recovered from Jharkhand village
A large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered during an anti-Naxal operation around Jagdishpur village in Palamau district on Friday, security officials said. A massive operation was launched in the Naxal-affected areas in and around the village during which security personnel recovered the arms and ammunition kept hidden in Kulhiya and Kothia forests, Commandant of CRPF, U D Sharma told PTI. Among the recovered explosives were three rifles, two country-made pistols, detonators, gelatin powder packets and posters, he said. The explosive materials were aimed for use against the security personnel, Sharma added.
UN: Polio remains global emergency, eradication at risk
The World Health Organization says the ongoing attempt to eradicate polio remains a global emergency amid an increase in cases for the first time in years and a worrying number of outbreaks sparked by the vaccine. After an expert meeting convened by the UN health agency this week, experts said Friday that failing to wipe out polio in the next few years could lead to a resurgence of the crippling disease. An international initiative to eradicate polio began in 1988 but efforts have stalled in war-torn countries and WHO and its partners have missed repeated deadlines to stop the virus. WHO said the polio epidemics in Afghanistan and Pakistan were particularly worrying. The number of cases in Afghanistan has almost doubled this year and polio is increasingly being found in the environment.
Jharkhand farmers' income to grow four times by 2022: CM
Enthused by the response at the Global Agriculture and Food Summit, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Friday said the state would be first in India where farmers' income would increase four times by 2022.
Elephant calf dies at rescue centre
An elephant calf died at a rescue centre at Kapilas in Odisha's Dhenkanal district on Friday, six months after it was rescued from a forest, an official said. The 10-month-old calf, which had been rescued from Chhendipada in Angul, was under observation at the centre, Kapilas Forest Ranger Darsania Bhoi said. The reason behind the death is yet to be ascertained, he said, adding, the calf was sick for the last few days. Three days ago, another ailing elephant calf, rescued from Hindon forest sub-division area, had died during treatment for an infection.
India expects outcome of upcoming climate summit to be balanced and consistent with Paris pact
India is expecting that the outcome of the forthcoming UN climate summit in Poland will be "balanced, inclusive and consistent with the principles" of the Paris agreement, a senior Environment Ministry official said Friday. The official asserted India will not create obstacles but will facilitate a "positive" outcome. Noting that India wants its "basic concerns" to be met, the official said the critical points, for India, include making the issue of differentiation a part of the dialogue at the summit, giving pre-2020 climate action discussions importance and seeing some conclusion on the issue of finance both in terms of actual availability and its commitment. Asked whether India can be pressured to revise its climate action commitments in the wake of the recent UN's Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change report, the official said India's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) goals are very ambitious "but as a country we would like to do better than what we have ...
Jharkhand to sign MoUs with Patanjali on agriculture
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Friday said the government would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved to market organic farm products of the state. Jharkhand government has also planned to set up a Centre for Excellence in collaboration with Israel for training of farmers from the state, he said. The state government will build organic production clusters in all the 24 districts to promote organic farming, Das said. The products would be sold under the brand name 'Jharkhand Jaivik' launched on Thursday, he said on the concluding day of the two-day "Global Agriculture & Food Summit" organised here. "An MoU would be signed with Patanjali for marketing of all organic products of the state. Farmers need not worry about market now," Das said. Baba Ramdev, who was present at the programme, said Patanjali will buy honey, wheat, rice, pulse, vegetables and other products grown through organic farming. He said the state has ...
China's coal project in Serbia raises climate change worries
A foul smell permeates the air in this gray mining town. People rarely open their windows as thick smoke billows from the huge chimneys of Serbia's main coal-fired power station. Things are only getting worse for residents living close to the Kostolac power plant complex in eastern Serbia, which is being expanded with a USD 715 million loan from a Chinese state bank and constructed by one of China's largest companies. When US President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew from the Paris agreement on tackling global climate change in 2017, China was seen as the champion in the battle to cut carbon emissions and prevent a global environmental catastrophe. Experts say China is tackling pollution at home by implementing renewable energy projects and reducing the use of coal, by far the most polluting fossil fuel. But abroad, China is pursuing a different strategy. Chinese companies are the world's largest investors in overseas coal plants. They are involved in building about a fifth of new ...
Army Colonel attacked by bear in Uttarakhand, airlifted to Delhi
A Colonel posted in Uttarakhand was seriously injured after an attack from a bear in the Joshimath region, officials said on Friday.
Dalmia Bharat Cement develops new chemically modified cement
Dalmia Bharat Cement on Friday claimed to have developed a chemically modified and environment-friendly variant of cement for infrastructure projects. The company has already filed a patent for engineered speciality cement, Executive Director Sujit Ghosh said. "We have come out with engineered cement, which is chemically modified and targeted at high performance infrastructure projects that would require only three days of curing instead of three-four weeks," Ghosh said on the sidelines of an ICC-organised conference on cement. Curing is a process to maintain the correct moisture level in concrete to achieve a desired strength and durability. "We have already filed for patent for this variant of cement. It will benefit infrastructural as well as large-scale housing construction in the country, as completion time for these projects can be reduced by a month," he said. The company has put to use this variant of cement in the Chennai airport. Ghosh said the modified variant
Manipur govt needs to take steps to put the state in better
Manipur government needs to take steps like harnessing solar and wind power, strengthen human resource and keep transparency of accounting system to put the state in a better economic trajectory, Chairman of 15th Finance Commission N K Singh Friday said. The north eastern state is getting close to reasonably high rate of economic growth, he told a press conference here. Singh said solar and wind power can be gainfully utilized by Manipur. Human resource may be strengthened by better education quality, establishing more medical, nurses training and paramedic institutions for which there is demand across the world. If this was done the youth of Manipur need not travel long distances for getting educational opportunities, he said. He called for making the accounting system more transparent and aligning the fiscal deficit management trajectory within a time frame. Singh said if the steps were taken Manipur would see double digit growth and become the best among the special ..
EMMVEE inks pact with Swedish firm Spowdi for mfg, supply of solar water pumps
EMMVEE Photovoltaic Power Private Limited Friday said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Swedish firm Spowdi for manufacture and supply of solar water pumps. Bengaluru-based EMMVEE specialises in developing photovoltaic modules and systems for on-grid and off-grid applications. "Today we signed an MoU with Spowdi which is a Swedish company manufacturing solar water pumps," EMMVEE Managing Director Manjunatha D V said. The pact was signed between Manjunatha and Henrik Johansson, CEO, Spowdi, at 'Sustainability by Sweden - Showroom India' event here. As per the pact, Manjunatha said his company will assemble the solar pumps at its facility in Bengaluru, besides manufacturing some components. It will be a 70 watt solar pump which can draw 25,000 litres of water per day, he added. He further said that looking at the rising cost of power, a pump run on solar energy can help farmers reduce their dependence on electricity. Those living in urban regions can also replace ...
Jharkhand to sign MoU with Patanjali for marketing organic
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Friday said the government would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved to market organic farm products of the state. The state government will set up organic production clusters in all the 24 districts to promote organic farming, Das said. The products would be sold under the brand name 'Jharkhand Jaivik' launched on Thursday, he said on the concluding day of the two-day "Global Agriculture & Food Summit" organised here. "An MoU would be signed with Patanjali for marketing of all organic products of the state. Farmers need not worry about market now," Das said. Baba Ramdev, who was present at the programme, said Patanjali will buy honey, wheat, rice, pulse, vegetables and other products grown through organic farming. He said the state has the capability to become leading states in agriculture, and Patanjali will work with the state government in making the farmers prosperous. The chief ..
Ayyakannu-led farmers stage nude protest at Kisan rally
A group of farmers from Tamil Nadu Friday staged a 'nude protest' at the Kisan rally on Parliament Street here by lying in front of the stage after placing bones and human skulls on their bodies. About 1,300 members of the National South Indian River Interlinking Farmers Association reached the national capital in the early hours of Thursday and were carrying seven skulls and bones, said their leader P Ayyakannu. He said the skulls and bones were of the farmers who committed suicide. Nine farmers, without clothes, lay down in front of the stage by keeping bones on their bodies, and demanded profitable price for agricultural produce, waiver of loans, interlinking of rivers and pension for farmers over 60 years. Ayyakannu claimed that they also ran in front of the stage to press for their demands. They are among the thousands of farmers, who marched to Ramlila Ground on Thursday and to Parliament Street on Friday, to press for their demands of debt relief and remunerative prices for ...
IIT Kharagpur study confirms healing of Antarctic Ozone hole
Amidst the pressing issue of global climate change, a study conducted by a group of scientists at IIT Kharagpur has come up with new data that they claim confirm "healing' of Antarctic Ozone hole, a statement said on Friday.
HC allows tunnelling work for Mumbai Metro 3 to proceed
The Bombay High Court Friday allowed digging and tunnelling work near two Parsi temples in south Mumbai for the third phase of the Mumbai Metro project to proceed. The Parsi community had objected to the work on the ground that it would cause damage to the temples, which were heritage structures, and the sacred fire pits and wells therein. A bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice M S Karnik allowed the tunnelling work to proceed after the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) assured it that no damage would be caused. The bench imposed certain restrictions to ensure that the temples were protected. Pronouncing its verdict, the bench vacated the stay imposed in May on the tunnelling and digging work for the Metro 3 project. The MMRC had told the court that it was incurring a loss of Rs 4 crore for every day the work was stayed. The petitioners, representatives of the Parsi community, requested for a stay Friday, saying they were going to approach the Supreme Court against the ..
Submit report on bio-diversity park by ISKCON in Mathura: NGT to CPCB
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to submit a report on setting up of a bio-diversity park by ISKCON in Mathura where the organisation is building a 70-storey temple. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the apex pollution monitoring body to furnish a report within a month on whether conditions stipulated in the environment and forest clearances were being adhered to or not by the trust which was directed by the green body to build the park . "It will be appropriate to seek a report from the Central Pollution Control Board about the steps taken in compliance of order of this tribunal dated July 31, 2018. We direct Central Pollution Control Board to do so," the bench said. The tribunal had, on July 31, given a green signal to the construction of the temple but directed the trust managing construction of 'Sri Vrindavan Chandra Mandir', as part of its social responsibility, to undertake development of at least
