Page 333 - Environment
Foundation stone for 50 Food Processing units laid in
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das Thursday laid foundation stone for 50 Food Processing Units worth Rs 271 crore and which will provide nearly 6000 jobs. They also launched Jaivik Jharkhand to facilitate organic farming on the first day of the two-day Global Agriculture & Food Summit being organised here. Addressing the gathering comprised of state ministers, business and foreign delegates and farmers, Singh said that Mahatma Gandhi used to say India is a country of villages and the countrys soul resided there. His clear message was to strengthen the villages after independence, which in turn meant, strengthening the farmers. Stating that the credit of introducing Kissan Credit Card went to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and several other reforms took place like rural road development and in agriculture sector during Vajpayee regime, Singh said Jharkhand government is on the right direction to realise .
EEX to begin 2019 EU carbon auctions from Jan. 7 - EEX
LONDON (Reuters) - EEX will start its 2019 auctions of European carbon permits on Jan. 7, the exchange said on Thursday.
Heatwaves saw output of Indian workforce declining 7% in 2017: Lancet
India saw the output of its workforce decline seven per cent -- equivalent to the loss of 75 billion man hours -- last year due to heatwave conditions, the 2018 Lancet report on health and climate change said on Thursday. The figure is almost four times that of China and a little less than half of the 153 billion manhours lost globally in 2017.
Three held for illegal bird trade in Lucknow
Three persons have been arrested for their alleged involvement in illegal bird trade and 285 parrots of native species recovered from their possession, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) said on Thursday. Following a tip off, the accused were arrested from Chowk area here on Wednesday, the STF said in a statement. They have been identified as Zaid, Ramu and Ranjeet, it said. They used to catch the parrots in Sitapur, Lakhimpur and other districts and would sell them in Lucknow, from where the birds were sent to Kolkata and other places, it added. A detailed probe is underway in the matter, the statement said.
Heatwave death threat soars for elderly, city dwellers
More than 150 million vulnerable people worldwide were exposed to potentially life-threatening heatwaves last year, scientists said Thursday, warning that climate change posed an unprecedented global health risk. In a worldwide stocktake of public health trends, dozens of international agencies said people over 65, those living in large cities, and sufferers of heart and lung disease were all at heightened risk of death or disability from extreme heat. The warning came as the United Nations' meteorological body said that the last four years including 2018 were the four warmest on record. Globally, a total of 153 billion work hours were lost due to heat exposure in 2017, including seven per cent of all labour time in India, the authors said, adding that the cost of keeping people safe from heatwaves was likely to balloon as our planet warms. The outlook is particularly dire for Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, where mounting temperatures and an ageing population produced a ...
Govt wants to make UP number one state in agriculture: Minister
The Uttar Pradesh government will work to make the state a leading agriculture producer in the country, a state minister said Thursday. "Though Uttar Pradesh has made a record jump from 18th place last year to third place this year, as per a survey conducted by a top national magazine, I would only be satisfied when the state attains the highest position in the country," Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said. Admitting that it is a herculean task to attain the first position, the minister said he was confident that the dream will translate into reality through consistent efforts. The direct transfer of subsidies to the accounts of farmers and the government's loan waiver were the reasons for the jump in the state's ranking, Shahi said. The production increased because farmers started investing again as they were free from loan worries, he stated, adding that policies were also simplified. Subsidy and grants worth Rs 456 crore were transfered through direct benefit
ISA is fabulous idea, should be expanded geographically: German Envoy
Germany is in favour of the expansion of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). "This fantastic idea should be expanded geographically," German Ambassador to India Martin Ney said on Thursday.Speaking at an event, Ney pitched for the expansion of the ISA in an effort for all the countries to come together to step up its fight against climate change and promote solar energy. He informed that Germany has applied to become a member of the ISA."The International Solar Alliance is a fabulous idea. This fantastic idea must be expanded geographically. We have applied to become a member of the ISA," he said.On the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Argentina to attend the G20 Summit, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale on Tuesday said that the Prime Minister will request other countries, which are not between Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, to join the ISA.Terming India and Germany as "natural partners", Ney said that there is a lot of mutual trust and equal partnership and Germany .
Sustainable Development Agenda, Paris climate pact unattainable without India's aid: German envoy
The Sustainable Development Agenda for 2030 and Paris climate change agreement are unattainable without Indian cooperation, Germany's Ambassador to India, Martin Ney, said Thursday. Germany also pledged to provide a funding of 765 million euros in 2019 in big ticket projects like Smart Cities mission and Clean Ganga. The ambassador was addressing the media on the 60th anniversary of development cooperation between India and Germany. "India is the among the largest recipients of development cooperation. Without Indian cooperation, goals like 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and Paris climate change agreement are unattainable. India is placed at 131 out of 180 at the World Development Index. Out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, 12 are in India. "But India assumes responsibility for dealing with challenges and we help them enforce the programmes institutionally," the ambassador said. The German Embassy Thursday signed an agreement with the Indian government for investing .
Blue whales worldwide singing little flat: Study
Blue whales around the world are singing a little flat, according to a study which found that increase in their population and climate change may be to blame. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, found that there is a seasonal variation in the whales' pitch correlated with breaking sea ice in the southern Indian Ocean. Researchers from the University of New South Wales in Australia also extended the mysterious long-term falling pitch to related baleen whales and rules out noise pollution as the cause of the global long-term trend. Blue whales have been dropping pitch incrementally over several decades, but the cause has remained a mystery. The study found the same mysterious long-term trend of falling pitch in fin whales and Madagascan pygmy blue whales. Pitch, or the perception of how high or low a note sounds, is a result of the frequency of the sound wave, usually measured in hertz. The study used data from the southern Indian Ocean to rule out noise
Lioness found dead in Guj; big cat death toll climbs to 30 since Sept
A lioness was found dead in Gujarat's Gir forest on Thursday, taking the death toll of big cats to 30 since September, officials said. The carcass of the lioness, aged between 9 and 12 years, was found at the Tulsishyam Range of the forest near the border of Amreli district, Chief Conservator of Forests, Junagadh Wildlife Circle, D T Vasavada said. "A preliminary investigation has revealed that the feline died due to natural causes. There were no injury marks on the carcass," he told PTI. The carcass has been sent for postmortem to ascertain the exact cause of death, Vasavada added. Prior to this, 29 lions, including cubs, have died in and around the Gir forest during the last three months due to infighting, pneumonia, Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) and Protozoa infection. As many as 23 big cats had died in Gir in a short span of three weeks in September. Later, six lion cubs were found dead in different parts of the forest on separate occasions. Following the outbreak of CDV infection .
India Expected To Achieve 100% Household Electrification By End Of This Year
A total of eight States have achieved 100% saturation in household electrification under Saubhagya namely Madhya Pradesh, Tripura, Bihar, J&K, Mizoram, Sikkim, Telangana and West Bengal. Thus total 15 States in the country now have 100 % household electrification, noted RK Singh, Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and Renewable Energy.
China mulls stockpiling pork to support farmers hit by swine fever
BEIJING (Reuters) - China may soon buy pork for its state reserves to support farmers struggling to sell their pigs amid an African swine fever epidemic that has ravaged the nation's hog herd, according to people who attended a government meeting this week.
Vision document on protection of Taj will be finalised soon: SPA tells SC
The School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in Delhi, which is preparing the vision document on how to protect Taj Mahal from pollution, on Thursday informed the Supreme Court that the process of the project is nearing finalisation and will be submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government within a few days.On declaring Agra a heritage city, Uttar Pradesh government told the Apex Court that a study is being conducted by Ahmedabad-based Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology on declaring areas surrounding the Taj Mahal as heritage, and it will take some more time to finalise it report.The Uttar Pradesh government on July 24 submitted a draft vision document to the Supreme Court on the restoration of Taj Mahal. The state government assured the Apex Court that it will take several steps for the conservation of the heritage structure.The proposed draft vision also envisages declaring entire area near Taj Mahal a plastic-free zone including ban on bottled water, impose a complete ...
NGT directs DJB to complete sewerage network in Inderpuri by May 31, 2019
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to complete sewerage network work in Inderpuri here by May 31 next year. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed DJB to furnish a performance guarantee of Rs five crore with the Central Pollution Control Board within one month to ensure that there is no further lapse in this regard. The green panel made it clear that the amount will be forfeited if the work is not completed and operationalised on or before May 31, 2019. "We direct the DJB to ensure completion of the work of 'Improvement of Sewerage network of Inderpuri and nearby areas' and 11 million gallons per day Sewage Pumping Station/ Lifting Station at Satya park positively on or before May 31, 2019," the bench said. The tribunal directed that steps be taken at the earliest for disposal of municipal solid waste and cleaning of drains in the area and for ensuring cleaning of garbage and the drain and de-silting may be done at least ...
Rockefeller Christmas tree lit in New York
The Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Centre here has been lit up, marking the traditional start of the holiday season.
ISRO puts sharp-eyed HysIS, 30 foreign satellites into orbit (Roundup)
India on Thursday put into orbit its own earth observation satellite with a sharp eye, the Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS), and 30 other foreign satellites in text-book style.
Adani presses ahead with controversial coal mine in Australia by self-financing
Indian energy giant Adani announced on Thursday that it will self-finance its controversial coal mine in Australia and major works on the "scaled back" project will start "imminently after eight years of court challenges from environmental activists and delayed approvals. Adani Mining chief executive officer Lucas Dow said the Carmichael mine in Queensland would initially begin on a small scale and "ramp up" to a capacity of 27.5 million tonnes a year less than half the size of the approved project. "We have finance and we are ready to start," Dow said. "Adani Mining's Carmichael mine and rail project will be 100 per cent financed through the Adani Group's resources," he said. "We will now begin developing a smaller open-cut mine comparable to many other Queensland coal mines and will ramp up production over time." "Preparatory works at the mine site are imminent," he said in a statement said. "We have already invested 3.3 billion dollar in Adani's Australian businesses, which is a ..
Domestic Grape Exports To China Expected To Increase By 200% In Next Two Years
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) in association with PHDCCI have made a prognosis, stating that the exports of Indian grapes to China are likely to increase by 200% both in quantity and value terms by 2020. Currently, the estimated exports of Indian grapes away to China are pegged at 600 million tonnes.
ISRO to launch GSAT 11 on Dec 5 from Guiana Space Centre
After the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) 31 satellites successfully soared into the skies, the space agency on Thursday announced to launch GSAT 11, the heaviest satellite made by India on December 5 at 2ISRO chief K Sivan congratulated the team after the successful launch of HysIS (Hyperspectral Imaging Satellite) and other 30 satellites on PSLV-C43 from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.He said, "We are happy to announce that the satellites launched successfully. It is mainly because of the ISRO team's hard work along with the excellent review mechanism which is in place. I want to congratulate all of them for this successful launch."Talking about future plans, Sivan told media, "In the next mission, we are going to have another spectacular mission of GSAT 11, the heaviest satellite India has made. It is going to be launched from France's Guiana Space Centre on December 5 this year at 2:08 am.""Subsequently, in December itself we are planning to have another ...
Adani says to fully fund its troubled Australia coal project
(Reuters) - India's Adani Enterprises will fully fund its coal mine and rail project in Australia itself, the company said on Thursday, taking a big step closer to building the long-touted project that has faced fierce resistance from green groups.
