Page 34 - Environment
Minor girl killed in leopard attack in J-K's Reasi
A 10-year-old girl was mauled to death by a leopard in a remote village in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Friday. The girl, Ruksana Bano, was feeding cattle near her 'dhok' (mud-house) at Neeram village in Mahore area when she was attacked and taken away by the wild beast Thursday evening, a police official said. He said the body of the girl was later recovered by a joint search party of police, wildlife employees and locals from the nearby forest area and handed over to her family for last rites after completion of legal formalities. Efforts are on to track down the leopard which had caused panic among the local residents by frequently venturing into human habitat from the nearby forest, the official said.
UN General Assembly reverberates with chants of 'Om' to mark International Yoga Day
In a first of its kind yoga celebration, the iconic UN General Assembly hall reverberated with chants of 'Om', 'Shanti' as UN officials and diplomats joined hundreds others to commemorate the International Yoga Day with the underlying message of yoga's valuable contribution in addressing climate change and promoting tolerance and peace. The General Assembly hall, where world leaders come together every year for the high-level UN session, was packed with UN diplomats, officials, yoga gurus and practitioners, children and people from various backgrounds as India's Permanent Mission to the UN organised the commemoration of the 5th International Day of Yoga Thursday. It was the first time a grand yoga event was held inside the iconic UNGA hall, five years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi first proposed to mark June 21 as International Yoga Day in his 2014 address to the annual General Debate from the famed General Assembly podium. The event 'Yoga with the Gurus', with the theme of Yoga .
Disproportionate assets: ACB raids public servants across Karnataka
Karnataka Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials on Friday carried out searches at properties of public servants in the state who alleged to have disproportionate assets.The searches in the state are currently underway, the ACB said.The ACB is conducting searches at premises of Joint Commissioner Tax Narayanaswami M B, Manager at BAMUL Dr Shivashankar, Junior engineer at Panchayath Raj engineering subdivision Arshad Pasha and Assistance Engineer Special subdivision in PWD Channegowda H S.More details are awaited.
With a message of 'No littering', 'Wall of Hope' constructed using 15,000 discarded plastic bottles near Mussoorie
In order to encourage the tourists towards better practice of 'No littering', a 1,500 feet long and 12 feet wide 'Wall of Hope' with a message of 'litter free hills' was constructed using 15,000 discarded bottles in Mussoorie's Bungalow ki Kandi village.The installation was unveiled by the Gram Pradhan of the village Reena Rangal.The design of the wall was suggested by the founder of the Museum of Goa Subodh Kerkar."In order to construct the wall, around 50 volunteers from schools and colleges came forward. Locals of the village also took part in the initiative. They all worked effortlessly to make this project a success," said Arvind Shukla, project manager of Hildaari group, the main team behind this installation.Hilldaari project aims to spread awareness about plastic waste management and the need for creating a plastic-waste free environment.While the Hildaari team thanked waste-collectors, locals and restaurant owners for assisting them in the project, the Pradhan appreciated the
Must shift rail tracks, shutdown quarries to save Gir lions: Guj HC told
Shifting rail tracks out of the Gir forest and shutting down all stone quarries located around it are some of the steps suggested to save lions in a report submitted to the Gujarat High Court Thursday. The Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the forest spread across several Gujarat districts, is the last abode of Asiatic lions in the world. The steps were suggested in the report submitted to the division bench of Justices S R Brahmbhatt and A P Thaker by senior advocate Hemang Shah, who was appointed amicus curiae in the matter by the HC last year when it admitted a PIL over the issue of death of Gir lions. After taking into consideration the findings of the report, the bench asked the state government to file its reply and posted the matter for further hearing on July 11. In his report, Shah pointed out that lions are being run over by trains which ply through the forest area. He said at least 20 goods trains pass through the forest area and most of them run during night, a time when ...
Srei Equipment gets USD 30 million from Netherland bank
Srei Equipment Finance Ltd on Thursday said it has received credit approval worth USD 30 million from FMO, a Netherlands-based development finance bank. "The loan will be fully dedicated to re-financing of green activities of Srei Equipment, primarily through the financing or leasing of equipment used for solar and wind projects," the company said in a release. Srei Equipment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd, has an environmental and social management system in place for over a decade, and this debt investment by FMO will further help the company amplify its ongoing efforts towards responsible financing, it said. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has set an ambitious target to install renewable energy capacities to the tune of 225 GW by 2022.
K'taka: Sadanand Gowda writes to Jalashakti Minister, asks him to release water for Mandya
Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Thursday wrote a letter to Union Minister for Jalashakti, Gajendra Shekhawat to release 2 TMC water from KRS dam in Karnataka's Mandya district.Shekhawat was asked by Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh to help in releasing water immediately "to overcome the loss of standing crop and mitigate the problems of farmers."The Union Minister further said that agriculture is the predominant occupation and the single largest contributor to Mandya's economy."The main crops grown are paddy, sugarcane, jowar, maize, cotton, banana, ragi, coconut, pulses, and vegetables. Moreover, cultivation depends upon the water which is being stored and released through canals from KRS dam," the letter read."Nowadays there is a deficit of natural rain the entire district and the farmers are facing acute shortage of water," it said.Shekhawat has also written a letter to Chairman of Cauvery Water Management Authority, Masood Hussain in this regard.
Maharashtra: farmers sow HT cotton to protest ban on GM crops
Members of Shetakari Sanghtana, a farmers' organization, Thursday sowed aherbicide-tolerant (HT) variety of cotton which is banned in India by way of "civil disobedience" in Jalna district of Maharashtra. The Sanghatana had announced that it was going to sow HT cotton to protest the ban on genetically modified (GM) crops. HT cotton was sown at Revgaon in Jalna tehsil of the district, followed by a sit-in protest, the Sanghatana said in a statement. HT cotton does away with the need of manual weeding as farmers can use herbicides instead and save on labour charges. Agriculture department officers took samples of the cotton that was sown to asecertain if it was a banned variery. HT varieties of bothcotton and brinjal are banned by the Maharashtra governmentsince2015 for fear that GM crops may have harmful impact on humans and the environment. Santosh Mohite, a member of the Sanghatana, argued that GM cotton and brinjal are permitted in many countries as they benefit ...
Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project to be inaugurated by Telangana CM tomorrow
The world's largest lift irrigation scheme Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project will be inaugurated on June 21 by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandra Shekar Rao at Kannepalli Village here, said B Srinivas Reddy, Director, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) on Thursday.Speaking to ANI, Reddy said, "MEIL has successfully engineered the world's biggest pumping scheme in India. To achieve that, we used world-class technology involving the best agencies that have delivered quality.""The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation (KLIP) Project would cater irrigation water to 37.08 lakh acres of land; another 18.82 lakh acres of command area will be stabilized with it. The project requires 7152 MW of electricity to pump 3 TMCs of water daily," Reddy said."In the first phase, 4992 MWs of electricity is being used for pumping 2 TMCs of water. A total of 43 machines are being established for Medigadda, Annaram, and Sundilla Pump Houses, each having 40 MWs capacity. These three pump houses ...
Centre will spend Rs 25 lakh crore to enhance agricultural productivity: President Kovind
In order to enhance agricultural productivity, an investment of Rs 25 lakh crore will be made in the coming years, said President Ram Nath Kovind while addressing the joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday."Only on the foundation of a strong rural economy, it is possible to build a strong national economy. Our farmers are the pillars of the rural economy. All possible efforts are being made by the Central government to provide adequate assistance to the States for agricultural development," said Kovind."Large scale investments have been made to strengthen rural India. In order to enhance agriculture productivity, an investment of Rs 25 lakh crore will be made in the coming years," he said.He said that to double the income of farmers by 2022, several steps have been taken in the last five years. Kovind said that the government has made the agriculture policy both production-centric as well as income-centric."Be it the decision to increase the MSP, or approval for 100 per cent FDI in ..
Avg power usage spikes by 25 per cent in Delhi this summer: Study
The hotter it gets, the more power we use to run air conditioners, which in turn, puts all climate change mitigation and energy security actions in the red, a study has revealed. A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday said the average power consumption in the national capital during peak heatwave days in June increased by 25 per cent compared with the season's average. Environment experts suggested that buildings must be designed for thermal comfort to minimise the use of mechanical cooling systems. The CSE's new study, "A Midsummer Nightmare", based on eight-year trend analysis of electricity consumption in Delhi, said, "Average electricity consumption in Delhi during the peak heatwave days of June 7-12, 2019, increased by 25 per cent compared to the season's average. This trend is expected to worsen nationally as the heat index and climatic stress are continuously increasing." CSE Executive Director (Research and Advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury said if ...
Kerala says TN 'rejected' its offer of 20 lakh litres drinking
The Kerala government Thursday said it expressed willingness to provide 20 lakh litres drinking water to Tamil Nadu, which is facing a water crisis, but the latter has declined it as there was "no need for the help at present." However, Tamil Nadu government denied it has turned down the offer and said Chief Minister K Palaniswami will discuss it at a review meeting being held Friday and announce "an appropriate decision" even as DMK chief M K Stalin urged it to work with Kerala to help the people. Earlier, a release issued by the Kerala Chief Minister's Office in Thiruvananthapuram said: "Since the major water bodies of Chennai has been facing acute water shortage, the Kerala government decided to extend an helping hand." Though chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan's office contacted the Tamil Nadu CMO on the offer, the neighbouring state informed that "at present there is no need for the help, it said. Kerala was prepared to transport 20 lakh litres of drinking water from .
Rooftop solar panels at Aqua Line stations to save over Rs 4 crore annually
Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) is in the process of installing rooftop solar panels at its all 21 stations and power generation through these will help it save approximately Rs 4.37 crore annually, officials said Thursday. Currently, the NMRC is purchasing power from Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) at Rs 6.81 per unit to meet its daily requirements. The cost per unit, once the energy is derived from the solar panels, will be Rs 3.25 per unit, which will result in a direct saving of Rs 3.56 per unit, the officials said. "The estimated annual power generation expected by NMRC through solar panels is 1, 22, 89,754 kWh. The estimated solar capacity of the panels to be installed in the entire network, including the depot, is around 10.021 MWp out of which around 6.811 MWp will be from all 21 stations and 2.5 MWp will be from the depot," NMRC Executive Director P D Upadhyay said. "Currently, the NMRC receives power supply from two sub-stations located at Sectors 83 and 148,
TWAD officials review water situation in 7 districts
Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board (TWAD) managing director C N Maheswaran Thursday convened a meeting here to review the water situation and problem in seven districts of the region. The TWAD officials from Coimbatore, Erode, Tiruppur, Nilgiris, Salem, Namakkal and Karur districts participated in the meeting in which Maheswaran suggested organising meetings to create awareness among the public on the importance of the water, its management and judicious use. As the state received 60 per cent lesser rain this year, the officials from Corporations to Gram Panchayat-levels should arrange to distribute water-starved areas by taking the commodity from water-surplus regions, he said. Also, he suggested carrying out works like repairs of broken pipelines and motor for pumping water on warfooting so that the people should not suffer and ensure that the drinking water reached the most remote areas in the region.
Turkey sends new ship to search for gas off Cyprus as tensions mount
Turkey on Thursday sent a new ship to search for oil and gas off Cyprus, in a move expected to escalate tensions after the EU called on Ankara to stop its "illegal drilling activities". The region near the divided island is believed to have rich natural gas deposits, triggering a race between Turkey and Cyprus's internationally recognised government, which also plans to ramp up its exploratory activities in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish officials said the new vessel is the 229-metre-long (750-feet) Yavuz, which has previously drilled in the waters off several countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Malaysia. Reporters were taken onboard the vessel docked in the port of Dilovasi near Gebze, southeast of Istanbul, before it sailed. It carried the colours of the Turkish flag -- a white crescent and a star on a red background. The European Union on Tuesday lashed out at Turkey over its plans to drill in the area, warning it was preparing "appropriate measures" in response. But Turkey
Rain lashes Ranchi, Ludhiana
With temperatures soaring and heatwaves being declared in various states in the past, Ludhiana and Ranchi woke up to showers of rain, giving a much-needed respite from the scorching heat.Nonetheless, southwest monsoon paved its way in Kolkata, New Delhi and some parts of Bihar as well, reported Skymet.The advancement of monsoon has taken place in view of the formation of a low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal, which is currently over Northeast Bay of Bengal: Skymet added.Some spells of rain were also seen in parts of South Konkan and Goa.Last week, Ludhiana struggled with a massive heatwave with the mercury rising up to 42 degree Celsius.Along with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Ranchi is no exception from the severe water crisis. This year, various ponds and hand pumps dried up in the capital city of Jharkhand due to the underground water falling deeper than ever in the state.
TN demands immediate release of 9.19 TMC Cauvery water
Tamil Nadu on Thursday demanded that 9.19 TMC feet of water should be released immediately in accordance with the recent decision of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee.Participating in a meeting of the committee, chaired by its head Naveen Kumar, officials from Tamil Nadu said the Cauvery Water Management Board on May 21 had recommended release of 9.19 TMC (Thousand Million Cubic) feet of water without delay."This should be implemented immediately," they said.Officials of Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry also participated in the meeting.
Narmada, Yamuna, Mahanadi etc will be cleaned on lines of Ganga: President
The Centre is committed to the cleaning up major rivers like Cauvery, Periyar and Narmada on the lines of its ambitious 'Namami Gange' programme for river Ganga, said President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday."On the lines of river Ganga, the government will also endeavour to clean up other rivers such as Kaveri, Periyar, Narmada, Yamuna, Mahanadi and Godavari," he said in his address to the joint sitting of Parliament.Kovind said that the Central government is fully committed to ensuring the uninterrupted flow of river Ganga and making it pollution-free."Under the Namami Gange scheme, my government will further accelerate the campaign for the closure of drains releasing effluents in the river Ganga," he added.The Namami Gange programme or the Clean Ganga Mission is an integrated mission for Ganga rejuvenation. It has a comprehensive multi-sectoral intervention with multi-stakeholder involvement and adopts a basin based approach which includes Ganga and its tributaries.The initiative aims
Karnataka: Kiran Mazumdar Shaw holds discussions with CM HD Kumaraswamy over infrastructure development
Biocon Chairman Kiran Mazumdar Shaw met Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Thursday to discuss the infrastructure development in Bengaluru.In the meeting, Shaw raised many questions on road safety and management of infrastructure and held discussions on civic issues in the city like garbage, mobility and poor infrastructure.Shaw also gave suggestions to improve the infrastructure on high traffic congestion on the roads, drainage and sewage system management.Moreover, she also highlighted the far-reaching impact of the poor drinking water facility in the city.Distressing over the current scenario of transportation in the capital, Shaw also urged the Chief Minister to take the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) restructuring proposal on board that is to build a proper suburban railway network, as soon as possible.The idea of the formation of a Metropolitan Planning Commission in the state was also proposed by Shaw.The issue of water logging and improper management of ...
NHPC to finalise supply of 2.5 GW for short term through stressed thermal projects
State-owned hydro power giant NHPC Ltd is set to finalise in a couple of months the supply 2,500 megawatt (MW) through various coal-based thermal power plants for short term at a tariff of Rs 4.41 per unit discovered in a reverse auction. NHPC has been appointed as an aggregator by PFC Consultancy through e-tendering for Pilot Scheme-II of the power ministry. The scheme is to facilitate the procurement of power for three years from coal-based power plants that are already commissioned and do not have power purchase agreements (PPAs). Since a PPA is a prerequisite for getting coal linkage, these plants are under stress. A senior NHPC official said, "The tariff of Rs 4.41 per unit was discovered under this scheme through e-reverse auction. As many as 15 bidders were finalised under auction at this tariff. We are in the process of finalising quantum of power to be supplied to different states. This would be completed in couple of months." According to the scheme, NHPC is supposed to tie .