Page 400 - Environment
Governors' panel submits report on doubling farm income
A committee of governors set up by President Ram Nath Kovind submitted a report Friday on approach to agriculture in which it recommended developing climate-resilient and input-efficient crop varieties. Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, who headed the panel, said here that considering various challenges including climate change, degradation of natural resources, saline and water-logged soils, decreasing size of land holdings and lack of adequate storage and processing facilities, the committee has made 21 major recommendations for doubling the income of farmers. According to a Uttar Pradesh government statement, Naik, after submitting the report to the President, said the committee has recommended the development of climate-resilient and input-efficient varieties, incentive grant to set up special agricultural zones and regional hubs for region-specific crops. The cropping plans should be prepared in light of suitability of crops, feasibility and availability of natural resources, he ..
Himachal govt committed to provide better irrigation facilities: Min
Minister of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Kisan Kapoor said the provision of irrigation facilities to the residents of the private areas will be provided at their doorstep. He added that providing irrigation facilities to more farmers is the priority of the Jai Ram government in Himachal. The state minister said, "To make agriculture activities more profitable, it is necessary to expand irrigation facilities in the state. In the next five years, Rs 150 crore will be spent on the renewal of mini irrigationalresources in the state and in strengthening of such irrigational unitsin community areas of the state. There is an arrangement for irrigation through mini streams called Kuhals in most of the farming areas in the Dharamsala constituency area, improvingofsuch irrigation schemes will improve farming conditions." Kapoor was addressing the gathering onfoundationlying stone of the Zheol Drift Irrigation Scheme. He said that a Kuhal shall bebuilt at a cost of Rs 10 lakh in ...
Make sustainability the core of development philosophy: Vice President
Pointing out the sudden rise in natural disasters in India, owing to environmental degradation and climate change, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday said there is a need to make sustainability the core of development philosophy.
Accord highest priority to agriculture: Naidu
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Friday urged policy makers to accord highest priority to agriculture as it provided employment to more than 50 per cent of the population.
Four-feet-long crocodile rescued from UP village
A nearly four-feet-long crocodile was rescued by the Wildlife SOS and the Uttar Pradesh forest department officials and successfully relocated, officials said on Friday. The reptile was first spotted by residents of Garh ka Pura village, Pinahat in a local pond earlier this month. The panic-stricken villagers alerted the forest department who in turn requested the assistance of Wildlife SOS in carrying out the rescue operation. A three-member team of experts from Wildlife SOS along with forest officials set up a trap cage on the banks of the pond. After almost 15 days, the crocodile eventually emerged on Thursday night and was successfully caught. The reptile was kept under observation for a few hours and was released in the Chambal River on Friday. The Mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) also called the Indian or marsh crocodile is listed as 'vulnerable' on the IUCN Reed List and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972. This species is found in ...
In a first, FCI to start rice procurement from Tripura from December
State-owned Food Corporation will start rice procurement for the first time in Tripura from December as the Centre has given in-principle nod after state chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb resolved certain issues in his meeting with Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan here Friday. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) will procure paddy directly from farmers at a minimum support price (MSP) and get it milled at a rate of Rs 15-20 per quintal on behalf of the state government for distribution through the public distribution system (PDS). Tripura produces 12 lakh tonnes of rice, while its PDS requirement is around 2.71 lakh tonnes per annum. In the absence of procurement, rice is being transported from Punjab for PDS distribution in the state at present. "Farmers are not getting benefit of the MSP in Tripura in the absence of FCI procurement. Farmers are selling rice at a lower rate of Rs 12 per kg, whereas the MSP fixed by the Centre is Rs 17.50 per kg rice. We discussed about the need to .
BSNL to deploy pollution detecting smart poles pan India
State-run telecom BSNL has signed an agreement with Nokia to jointly market and deploy smart poles that will detect pollution levels and alert the offices concerned, amid growing concerns over worsening air quality. "We have signed an agreement with Nokia to jointly market and deploy smart poles across the country. These smart poles are capable of detecting pollution levels and alert the concerned office for timely action. It will also sense pollution level in air where stubble burning takes place," BSNL chairman and managing director Anupam Shrivastava told PTI at the India Mobile Congress. Air quality in the national capital deteriorated Friday, gradually inching towards the 'severe' category, as parts of the massive Bhalswa landfill site continued to smoulder. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded the overall Air Quality Index of Delhi at 358 this morning, which falls in the 'very poor' category. Air pollution in Delhi is also attributed to stubble burning in ...
GM wants Trump administration to back national electric vehicle program
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - General Motors Co said on Friday it wants the Trump administration to back a nationwide program to boost sales of zero emission vehicles like electric cars, even as the government has proposed ending California's ability to require more clean vehicles.
Used 'drought-like' in GR as govt not shying away from issue:
The Maharashtra government used the term "drought-like" instead of "scarcity" to describe the situation in 180 talukas of the state as it did not want to "shy away" from the issue, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said. He was speaking Thursday at a farmers' meet organised by Maharashtra Minister of State for Agriculture Sadabhau Khot in Kolhapur district. "Our government is sensitive to the issues of farmers. But why shy away from saying drought when the fact is most parts of the state are reeling under drought-like conditions. So, we changed a government resolution (GR) and declared drought-like situation instead of scarcity in 180 talukas," Fadnavis said. He said the government, after declaring drought-like conditions in these 180 talukas, has begun steps like providing drinking water and waiving off arrears in loans, power bills, educational fees etc. Prioritising work under the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) has also begun in these areas, he said. Lashing out at
Israeli scientists develop method to produce fuel from olive waste
Israeli researchers have discovered a method to turn the waste generated by olive oil production into fuel used by vehicles, the news website Ynet published on Friday.
Delhi chokes, records most toxic air-quality of month
The air quality of the national capital and regions around it dropped severely, with Friday recording worse pollution than what it was a day after Dussehera.
World Bank approves $425 mn to improve Bangladesh bridges
The World Bank has approved $425 million to improve road connections in Bangladesh through building, maintaining and improving rural bridges in a programme that will benefit two thirds of the country's people.
Restoration of health of top soil, optimum use of water major challenges of agri sector: Prabhu
Restoration of health of top soil, optimum use of water and climate change are the three major challenges being faced by the agriculture sector, Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu said Friday. He said the majority of the population of India still depends on agriculture, therefore the ills plaguing the sector have to be dealt with urgently. He was speaking at a function organised to honour the 'father of Green Revolution' M S Swaminathan. The minister said India produces 600 million tonnes of agricultural produce and has the capacity to export the excess production to the world.
Flood-hit Kerala will need Rs 31,000 crore for rebuilding: UN
Flood-hit Kerala would need Rs 31,000 crore for rebuilding, a UN report said. The post disaster needs assessment report prepared by an UN team was submitted to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Friday by United Nations Resident Coordinator Yuri Afanasiev. During the meeting, he informed Vijayan that the UN would assist the state in getting international level technical know how for rebuilding Kerala, which had witnessed widespread destruction when floods ravaged the state in August this year. The UN body has also promised assistance in getting resources from global institutions for rebuilding the state, an official press release here said. According to the report, funds for rebuilding various sectors, include housing (Rs 5443 crore), transport infrastructure (Rs 10,046 crore), agriculture and dairy farming (Rs 4498 crore) and other infrastructure Rs 2246 crore. During the south west monsoon over 400 people had lost their lives and several houses destroyed in the ...
New government study to assess pollution-driven mortality
Union Environment Ministry will soon initiate its first-ever study to assess mortality and acute events due to air pollution starting from 20 major cities this year, officials said.
CSE urges states to come out with action plan to address antimicrobial resistance: CSE
Lauding Kerala's action plan to contain antimicrobial resistance, environment think-tank CSE asked other states to follow the southern state's lead and come forward with their plans to address the AMR crisis. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently unveiled Kerala's Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan (KARSAP), the first by any state, and urged the health department to take steps to reduce the use of antibiotics in the state, according to media reports. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic resistance in particular, is a global public health threat. Antibiotics used to treat diseases are increasingly becoming ineffective because of their overuse and misuse in human health and in the production of food from animals such as chicken, fish and dairy products, it said. Poor management of waste from hospitals, farms, pharmaceutical industry and households also adds to the problem, the CSE pointed out. Responding to the global call
Modi urges scientists to find concrete solution to stubble burning
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged scientists in the country to find a concrete solution to deal with the problem of stubble burning even as he asked farmers to seek out methods to earn money using the agriculture residue.
Pollution norms violated at Delhi's Pragati Maidan
The Delhi government on Friday told the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to take "strictest action" against the violators at the Pragati Maidan re-development site after finding violations of dust control measures including uncovered stacks of building materials and no arrangement to sprinkle water.
Tiger found dead in forest near Hirni River in MP's Seoni
A tiger was Friday found dead in the forest near Hirni River in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district, an official said. Divisional forest officer T Suliya said the tiger's body was found by a patrolling team in a forested area near Hirni River, some 40 kilometres from here. The tiger's post mortem revealed that it may have died due to sepsis of an infected wound on the hind legs, he informed. Suliya said the tiger's viscera had been sent for examination to find out the exact cause of death. The district also houses the Pench Tiger Reserve.
Env min finds 'violations' during Pragati Maidan site inspection, tells DPCC to take action
An inspection team led by Delhi Environment minister Imran Hussain Friday found "serious violations" in norms for dust control at the Pragati Maidan redevelopment site, following which the minister directed pollution control authorities to take strict action, the city government said. The team undertook a surprise inspection at the ongoing construction sites of ITPO at Pragati Maidan, where a new International Exhibition cum Conventional Centre, Executive Accommodation blocks and a tunnel is being constructed, it said. "The team found a number of serious violations of dust control measures at the Pragati Maidan redevelopment site, following which the minister directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to take strict action against the violating agency," the environment department said in a statement Friday. Hussain also directed that no construction site should be left uncovered in Delhi, it said. The Air Quality Index of Delhi was recorded in 'very poor' category Friday by