Page 343 - Environment
Workers demand that Bosnian coke plant threatened with closure stays online
SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Hundreds of workers at the Balkans' leading metallurgical coke producer took to the streets of Sarajevo on Friday in protest after the company was ordered to halt production due to environmental concerns.
Rs 48,000 cr transferred in farmers' accounts in 4 years: CM
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Friday said his government deposited Rs 48,000 crore in farmers' bank accounts directly over the last four years. Around Rs 21,000 crore were distributed to farmers under the loan waiver scheme, while another 27,000 crore were given under various direct benefit transfer schemes, he said. He was speaking at the inauguration of Agro Vision Exhibition here. Talking about the government's flagship Jalyukta Shivar water conservation scheme, Fadnavis said, "Maharashtra witnessed 124 percent rain fall in 2013-14 and the agricultural production was 137 lakh metric tons that year. "Last year Maharashtra witnessed only 84 per cent rainfall, 40 per cent less, but the agricultural production was 180 metric tons...This happened due to creation of decentralised water structures which enabled water supply in villages," he said. The irrigation potential is increasing in the state, the chief minister said. "The Gosikhurd irrigation ...
Demonetisation didn't affect purchase of seeds: Union Agri minister
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on Friday denied claims that demonetisation prevented farmers from purchasing seeds. Some media reports had claimed that a report by the Agriculture Ministry conceded that farmers could not buy seeds due to the cash crunch in the wake of note-ban in November 2016. There was no ban on use of scrapped currency to buy seeds, the Union minister said, adding statistics show that purchase of seeds increased after demonetisation, compared to the previous year. "There was no ban on purchase of seeds with the (scrapped) Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes. In the year before demonetisation, 308 lakh tonnes of seed was bought by farmers, while it reached 348 lakh tonnes during the year in which demonetisation was implemented," Singh said at the Agro Vision Exhibition here. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who also attended the event, alleged that sugarcane factories in his state were closing down because of the "lackadaisical attitude" of ...
UP will switch to bio-fuel very soon: Yogi Adityanath
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said that in the coming years "Bio-fuel" made from the sugarcane would be used widely in the state for running various industries, adding that that switching over to the green-fuel will also boost the economy.He said that in the last 15-20 years the successive governments who ruled the State lacked the will to work for the farmers and the poor.Claiming that under his government 121 sugarcane mills are running and farmers' bill worth Rs. 40,000 crore was waived off.Yogi was addressing the 10th edition of Agrovision at Nagpur on Friday in which his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari were also present.Yogi said that it was only after the efforts of BJP-led government at the Centre and Maharashtra that lives of thousands of farmers in the Vidarbha region have drastically improved in last 4 years."The farmers of Vidarbha region were forced to commit suicide due to the apathy of previous regimes ..
CM inaugurates Narendra Nagar bypass
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat Friday inaugurated Narendra Nagar bypass, builtas part of Uttarakhand's ambitious all weather roads project, saying it will not only make chardham pilgrimage more convenient but also rid Narendra Nagar of its frequent traffic jams. Underscoring the strategic importance of the stretch, the Chief Minister congratulated the BRO for building the vital road on time. "It is wide enough even for the landing of helicopters and fighter aircrafts," he said. "Apart from being strategically very important, the road will also make the annual chardham pilgrimage easier and rid Narenera Nagar of its frequent traffic jams," Rawat said. Better roads will also boost tourism, he said and announced that it will be named after erstwhile Tehri royal and former MP Manvendra Shah. The 4-km stretch was built by the BRO at a cost of Rs 22 crore, BRO DG Lt Gen Harpal Singh said. Uttarakhand's ambitious, over eleven thousand crore rupees, all weather roads project was ...
American national survived one attack as arrow hit Bible
Few hours before he was killed by members of a protected tribe in the Andamans, American national John Allen Chau survived an arrow attack by a short-statured tribesman as it hit the Bible he was carrying, his diary noting has revealed. The hand-written notes of Chau, who was killed when he tried to enter the prohibited North Sentinel Island, also mention that he wanted to acquaint the tribespeople with the message of Jesus Christ. Director General of Police, Andaman and Nicobar, Dependra Pathak, told PTI on Friday that Chau "appeared to be a staunch believer" (of Christianity). The 13-page notes of Chau, handed over to the police by his local contact Alexander who has been arrested in connection with his killing, have details of his trip to the island without permission. The notes written in incongruent sentences in English throw light on his misadventure. The DGP said that as part of the probe, a police team on Friday made a trip towards the Sentinel island with Alexander, whom ...
Political will around world to fight climate change is 'meagre and weak': CSE
Advocacy group Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has expressed apprehension that climate change impacts in India will only get worse, even as it termed "meagre and weak" the current political will around the world to address the issue. The remarks on Friday by CSE's Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan came in the backdrop of a recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report that said countries like India would be worst affected by climate change. Noting that the future of India will be "incredibly grim" in the face of increased temperatures and extreme weather events, Bhushan said the research shows that India is already one of the most vulnerable countries as far as climate change is concerned. "Research done by CSE estimates that between 1901 and 2017, India has warmed by almost 1.2 degrees Celsius which is more than the global increase in average temperature," said Bhushan at a media briefing here ahead of the Conference of Parties on climate change in ...
Big Oil digs North Sea's 'final frontier'
LONDON (Reuters) - "Little hope of THIS rock ever producing oil," BP geologist Bill Senior scribbled in 1977 on a note assessing a recent oil discovery in a distant corner of the North Sea.
Air quality drops to very poor, no improvement likely
The air quality deteriorated to 'very poor' in the national capital and areas around it due to low wind speed and marginal effect of stubble burning in neighbouring states.
AP govt serious about use of only recommended ACs: Official
: The Bureau of Energy Efficiency has asked all state governments to ensure implementation of its recommendation to use only air-conditioners with a default temperature at 24 degrees Celsius, as part of efforts to save energy. The AC manufacturers have already been asked to set the recommended temperature-level in their products and all commercial establishments told to mandatorily use only such machines. In a communique to the state governments, the Director General of the bureau Abhay Bhakre asked them to ensure strict implementation of the recommendation. Andhra Pradesh State Energy Conservation Mission said in a press release here Friday that the trade establishments include hotels, shopping malls, airports, offices and government buildings among others. Principal Secretary (energy) Ajay Jain said the state government is serious about enforcing usage of appliances with the set temperature-level. Chief executive officer of the Energy Conservation Mission ...
Rare species of snake worth Rs 9 crore rescued in Bengal, one arrested
A person was on Friday arrested from West Bengal's Murshidabad district for trying to smuggle a rare species of takshak snake (gecko) worth Rs 9 crore, police said.
Centre delaying aid to flood-hit Kerala, says CM
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday expressed dissatisfaction with the way the Centre has acted to rebuilding the state after it was hit by the worst floods this year.
Solar power plant inaugurated in Ramgarh civil court
Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Mishra Friday inaugurated a 100KV capacity solar power plant in Ramgarh civil court campus, which is a part of the proposed e-court. He inaugurated the plant in presence of Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice Aniruddha Bose. Addressing the judges of the high court, Ramgarh civil court and members of Ramgarh Bar Council, Justice Arun Mishra said focus should be on alternative sources of energy to protect environment. "Pollution has become a serious threat and it is our duty to protect the environment through using environment friendly source of energy," he said. Justice Aniruddha Bose expressed his pleasure on starting utilisation of solar power in courts.
Delhi government launches portal for spotting location of cluster buses
Delhi bus commuters will now be able to spot locations of cluster buses at intervals of 10 seconds with the help of open transit data (OTD) which will be shared on a dedicated portal launched by the Delhi government Friday. Delhi becomes the first city in the country to open up transit data of city buses, that will provide static and real time data through the website -- www.otd.delhi.gov.in -- including geo-coordinates of bus stops, route maps, timetables, and real time GPS feeds of bus locations every 10 seconds, said a government statement. "This initiative will provide a lot of useful information at the finger tips of citizen and encourage more and more people to switch to public transport, thereby impacting pollution," Delhi Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said. In the beta version launched Friday, real-time data of around 1,700 buses operated under the Cluster scheme will be provided. Data on DTC and Delhi Metro feeder buses is also expected to be added shortly, the statement .
Heritage Fest to be organised in Bengal's Chandernagore
A Heritage Fest will be organised in West Bengal's Chandernagore, a historic town by the Hugli river on November 25 by local project team in partnership with the University of Liverpool and IIT Kharagpur, a statement said on Friday.
'Easing envt clearance approvals for bldgs to boost launch
The recent notification of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change allowing local bodies to stipulate environmental conditions while granting building permission will improve the launch pipeline and save time and cost for developers. As per the notification, municipalities, development authorities and district panchayats can stipulate environmental conditions while granting building permission for building or construction projects more than 50,000 sq mt and less than 1,50,000 sq mt of built-up area. "This can prove to be an impetus to the housing and construction sector. It will not only ease the approval process by substituting the environment clearance approval with self-declaration for certain projects, thereby improving the launch pipeline and saving on the time and cost for developers but will also improve the ease of doing business," Icra vice-president and Group head Shubham Jain said. He further said this development will partly underpin the ...
Delhi's air quality deteriorates; back to 'very poor' category
Delhi's air quality slipped back in to 'very poor' category Friday due to accumulation of pollutants owing to low wind speed, even as authorities warned further increase in pollution level on Saturday. The overall air quality index was recorded at 337 which falls in the "very poor" category, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Five areas in Delhi -- Anand Vihar, Wazirpur, Bawana, Jahangirpuri and Mundka -- recorded severe air quality, according to the data. While as many as 23 localities recorded 'very poor' air quality and six 'poor', the data said. The level of PM2.5 (or particulate matters 2.5 -- particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres) was recorded at 205 and the PM10 level was recorded at 379, it said. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'. According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather ...
Japan Emperor performs last harvest ritual before abdication
Japanese Emperor Akihito has given thanks to the gods for a bountiful autumn harvest, the last time he will perform one of most important annual palace rites before abdicating next spring. Akihito conducted the Niiname ritual on Friday at an Imperial Palace shrine illuminated by torchlight as ancient music was played. He offered harvested rice and other items to the gods, thanking them for the harvest and praying for peace for the nation. Some of the rice was harvested by Akihito from a field inside the palace grounds. The rest was offered by farmers from around the country. Akihito is to abdicate on April 30 and will be succeeded the following day by his son, Crown Prince Naruhito.
Chant Vedic mantra to improve crop yield: Goa govt to farmers
The Goa government is promoting a novel technique to improve crop yield: asking farmers to chant ancient Vedic 'mantra' (hymns). The state government has started advising farmers to adopt 'cosmic farming' in which they need to chant 'Vedic mantra' for 20 days in the farm for better quality and quantity of their crop, an official of the agriculture department said Friday. He said the government has been holding talks with institutions like the Shiv Yog Foundation and Brahmakumaris who have expertise in this field. Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai and Agriculture Director Nelson Figueiredo recently visited Guru Shivanand in Gurgaon in Haryana, the promoter of Shiv Yog Krishi, to see how 'cosmic farming' can benefit farmers in Goa, he said. "The agriculture department wants to tread the path of organic and eco-friendly farming. It has been holding talks with propagators of cosmic farming and other believers of similar activities, which can increase the farm yield in an .
Pink bollworm attack: Seed firms asked to compensate farmers,
The Maharashtra government has asked seed companies to pay a compensation of Rs 1,147 crore to the farmers whose crops were affected by the pink bollworm, a pest, in the Kharif season last year. In a written reply in the Legislative Assembly, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Chandrakant Patil said Thursday that the third instalment of compensation was disbursed through the Revenue and Forest department on November 1. Twelve cotton seed firms have now moved the Bombay High Court against the government's order to compensate, and the court has granted a stay to the payment of compensation to remaining farmers, the reply said. In Buldhana district, cotton crop on 1.75 lakh hectares was damaged by various pests including the pink bollworm, Patil said in reply to another question. Farmers had complained that low-quality seeds were responsible for the plants getting attacked by the insect. The government then announced a compensation of Rs 6,500 per hectare, to be paid by seed
