Page 401 - Environment
PM hopes for better opportunities in agri sector
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday expressed confidence that farmers would pave the way for new technology to be imbibed and hoped better opportunities would be created in the agriculture sector. Addressing the three-day 'Krishi Kumbh' on its opening day here via video conferencing, Modi appreciated the UP government for its efforts in augmenting substantially, the procurement of foodgrains. He asserted that farmers are the ones who take the country forward. The prime minister reiterated the Centre's commitment to double the income of farmers by 2022. In this context, he mentioned the series of steps that the government is pursuing to reduce farm input costs and raise profits. He also mentioned that a large number of solar pumps will be installed in farms across the country in the near future. "The Government is working to deliver the benefits of science to agriculture," he said. Modi also said that the Rice Research Centre being set up in Varanasi, is a step in this direction. The ..
Bangladesh to look at minimising delays faced by Indian barges at its ports: Report
Bangladesh will look to arrive at solutions to the problem of delays faced by Indian barges at its ports, industry body Assocham said Friday quoting a top official. The india's neighbouring nation has given a positive indication on minimising delays faced by Indian barges at its ports, the statement said. India's shipping secretary Gopal Krishna during an event said Bangladesh had shown a very positive frame of mind on resolving this issue which is to the benefit of both, largely Bangladesh exporters and the spinoff would be to ship lines and to Indian ports, the Assocham statement said. Krishna said: "Let me place on record that we had flagged this issue very prominently with Bangladesh side and also mentioned that it being a very huge exporter of garments but when we are visiting our ports, the constant demand is that delays in exports is costing Bangladesh economy orders." The statement also said the shipping ministry is awaiting Revenue Department's response on allowing ...
Activists allege conspiracy behind Ganga activist G D Agarwal's death
Activists alleged a conspiracy behind the death of Ganga activist G D Agarwal and demanded the cancellation of hydroelectric projects on Ganga river and its tributaries. Conservationist Rajendra Singh said people have to come together to save Ganga and said the fundamental issue of uninterrupted free flow of river (Aviral Dhara) was being continuously neglected. "The name of Swamiji's killer is Narendra Modi. If he wanted to save him, he would have come and told him, 'We are with you'," Singh told reporters. "He (PM Modi) had said four years ago, 'I am Ganga's son and I do not have to take anything from it now but only give back to the river'. By saying all this, he won all the Lok Sabha seats on the banks of Ganga," he said. A day before Agarwal died, Water Resources and Ganga River Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari had said almost all demands of Agarwal had been met and he had written a letter to the activist to give up his fast. The Centre had come out with a gazette notification
Steep decline in stubble burning incidents this season in Punjab: Official
There has been a steep decline in incidents of stubble burning in Punjab this season as compared to the last year, an official said Friday. "The data from the Punjab Remote Sensing Centre (PRSC) depicts that 3,228 cases of stubble burning were reported across the state from September 27 to October 22, 2018, as compared to 8,420 and 13,358 cases in corresponding period during 2017 and 2016," said Secretary Agriculture Secretary-cum-State Nodal Officer of Anti-Stubble Burning Campaign K S Pannu. He said due to the less incidents of fire, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the state has gradually improved compared to the last few years. Pannu said the "marked improvement" was mainly because of the "positive response" from the farmers. The "environmental friendly initiatives" taken by the state government as well as the Centre to check the menace of stubble burning has also helped, he added. As many as 24,315 subsidised agro-machines are being supplied to the farmers, cooperative societies ...
HC seeks Centre's response on PIL to protect fishermen's rights
The Madras High Court Friday directed the Centre to reply within four weeks to a petition seeking a direction to secure the traditional rights of fishermen and protect their livelihood. A division bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad issued notice to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the Department of Animal Husbandry Dairy and Fisheries on a public interest litigation by Fishermen care, an organisation protecting rights of fisherfolk. It also directed the Centre to file its reply within four weeks. The petitioner claimed that a large number of families living in fishing hamlets for centuries were evicted for setting up information technology companies and industries. It also submitted that commercialisation of the 'no development zone' has led to environmental pollution resulting in a dip in fishery resources and that the fishermen had to take up deep-sea fishing for their survival. The petitioner alleged that coastal areas, where the fishermen community ...
Expecting a polluted Diwali, pollution task force issues advisory for EPCA
Expecting a highly polluted Diwali, a pollution task force headed by the CPCB on Friday issued advisories to a Supreme Court-appointed environment body, suggesting closure of industries, construction and intensified traffic regulation between November 1 and 10.
'Genome-wide study confirms six tiger subspecies'
Tigers indeed fall into six genetically distinct groups, confirms a study that analysed the complete genomes of 32 representative specimens of the endangered animal. These six subspecies include the Bengal tiger, Amur tiger, South China tiger, Sumatran tiger, Indochinese tiger, and Malayan tiger, first proposed in 2004, according to the study published in the journal Current Biology. Three other tiger subspecies have already been lost to extinction, said researchers from Peking University in China. Fewer than 4,000 free-ranging tigers remain in the wild. Efforts to protect these remaining tigers have also been stymied by uncertainty about whether they represent six, five or only two subspecies, they said. "The lack of consensus over the number of tiger subspecies has partially hindered the global effort to recover the species from the brink of extinction, as both captive breeding and landscape intervention of wild populations increasingly requires an explicit delineation of the ...
Crocodile rescued, released in Chambal river
A four feet long mugger crocodile was trapped by the Forest Department in a cage and released on Friday in the Chambal river, home to crocodiles and alligators.
HC dismisses pleas against Aarey metro car shed construction
The Bombay High Court Friday dismissed a bunch of petitions challenging the proposed construction of a car shed for the Mumbai metro rail project. A bench of Justices SC Dharamadhikari and PD Naik held that it had found no illegality in the state's decision to approve the construction of the car shed across a 165-hectare plot in Aarey Milk Colony in the city. It held that the petitioners in the case, some environmental activists and NGOs, had failed to prove that the proposed site for the construction work was part of forest land or an eco-sensitive zone. It, however, directed the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) to follow all conditions imposed by the state and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on the construction work. It also directed the state and the BMC to ensure that the MMRC complied with the restrictions on felling trees, carrying out compensatory re-plantation, and other environmental and statutory norms. "After going through the documents (from the state and
Select CITYWALK Ushers in festivities in the most spectacular and unique style
Bringing in the festive season in style, Select CITYWALK is all set to woo its patrons through a series of activities ranging from Green Diwali decorations to Diwali Bazaar to Magnum Opus Ramayana, Kids Diwali Workshops and sustainable initiatives such as Newspaper collection by schools.Select CITYWALK changes the game this Diwali by celebrating the festival of lights with greenest decoration sever. The entire shopping centre has been embellished with plants with air purification qualities and LED lights. The main highlights of the decorations are the exquisite Bamboo installation in the Central Atrium and the Green house installation created out of 1500 plants at The Plaza.All the plants used in the decorations are live and adequate arrangements have been made for their maintenance to water them during the course of the display. Some of the unique plants include Scindapus, Ferns, Aglaonema and Cordyline among others.Gitanjali Singh, VP - Marketing, Select CITYWALK, said, "Augmenting .
UN presents rebuilding strategy to Kerala Chief Minister
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Yuri Afanasiev, on Friday presented the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The report assessed the damage and loss incurred due to the devastating floods in the state in August.This is the first time the UN has prepared such report in India. According to the report, the state would need about Rs 31,000 crore for recovery and reconstruction. The highest amount would be needed for the reconstruction of roads and transportation (Rs 10,046 crore), followed by housing (Rs 5443 crore), agriculture, fisheries and livestock (Rs 4498 crore), employment and livelihood (Rs 3896 crore), other infrastructure (Rs 2446 crore), irrigation (Rs 1483 crore) and water and sanitation (Rs 1331 crore).The report highlights the international examples and models for building back better Kerala in 16 sectors. It suggests that Kerala could become the first green state in the country by building on the four ...
Rabi sowing begins; oilseeds acreage up 70pc so far
Sowing of winter (rabi) crops has begun and the coverage of oilseeds has gone up 70 per cent to 14.61 lakh hectare so far over the year-ago period, according to government data. Wheat has been sown in 18,000 hectare so far in the rabi season of the 2018-19 crop year (July-June) as against 2,000 hectare in the year-ago period. Sowing of rabi crops begin from October and harvesting from March. Wheat is the main rabi crop. "Wheat sowing will pick up pace in the coming weeks. Right now, the planting is reported in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir," a senior agriculture ministry official said. Among winter crops, planting of oilseeds has been good as farmers have covered 14.61 lakh hectare so far, and much of it is rapeseed and mustard seed, owing to better support price. In the year-ago period, oilseeds were sown in 8.60 lakh hectare. In case of pulses, area was lagging behind at 7.30 lakh hectare so far this rabi season as against 24.17 lakh hectare in the ...
Maneka inaugurates fifth edition of Women of India National Organic Fest 2018
Union minister Maneka Gandhi Friday inaugurated the fifth edition of the Women of India National Organic Festival at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA). The festival is aimed at boosting organic culture and promoting women organic farmers and entrepreneurs. The Woman and Child Development minister said woman entrepreneurs and farmers from across the country are participating in the event and selling their produce. "And for the first time, vegan food and a food court have been introduced. Woman farmers and entrepreneurs from across the country are participating in the festival," she said, adding that the festival is anticipating a sale of Rs 3 crore this year. Last year, there was a business worth Rs 2 crore. Being the country's largest organic festival, it bears witness to the fact that women are the torchbearers of the nation's organic movement, Gandhi said. The 10-day long organic festival, which will be held till November 4, will showcase producers and manufacturers
Waaree Energies bags 60 MW solar project in Vietnam
Solar power solutions provider Waaree Energies Friday said it has bagged a contract to set up 60 megawatt (MW) ground mounted solar project in Vietnam. The project, which is being developed in association with a leading utility scale provider, on turnkey basis, will marks Waaree Energies' expansion to South East Asia market, the company said in a statement. Being developed in Khanh Hoa province of the country, the project has been approved by EVN (Vietnam Electricity) for 60 MW and is expected to generate 106,000 units per year, once commissioned, it added. The power generated will be used for feed-in tariff, which will further aid in adoption of solar energy in the country, which has set a target to set up 12,000 MW of solar power capacity, the statement said. "Waaree Energies has been a preferred EPC player in India, and is committed towards making solar energy affordable and accessible. We plan to extend this commitment globally and are actively looking at ...
Vice President airs concern over farm populism during elections
Expressing concern over farm populism during elections, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu Friday said crop loan waiver cannot be a permanent solution for problems in the agri sector and a long term plan needs to be put in place to tackle new challenges in the sector. His remarks come a day after the Congress reiterated its promise to waive all farm loans if the party came to power at the Centre in 2019. Naidu also stressed that Parliament, political parties, think-tank Niti Aayog and media should pay more attention to farmers' issues amid the rising challenges of climate change and environment degradation in view of growing food demand. "We have a clamour to populism to win over people during elections. That is not going to solve the problem (in agriculture sector). We have a clamour for free power. I am not in favour of free power. ...We also have the practice of asking for farm loan waiver. This cannot be a permanent solution," Naidu said at an event. Waiving crop loans for once will ...
Plane carrying Harry and Meghan aborts landing, flies around
A plane carrying the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had to abort its landing at Sydney airport on Friday evening and flew around because there was another aircraft on the runway. Prince Harry and wife Meghan were returning from a visit to Tonga back to Australia, where they began their 16-day tour of four nations, when a message from the flight deck announced: "There was an aircraft on the runway a little slow to roll so the decision was taken to abort the landing." The flight landed safely a few minutes later. Earlier Friday, the couple dedicated two forest reserves in Tonga. Harry said Tonga is leading by example and "understands deeply" the impact of environmental changes because the islands of the archipelago are directly affected. Harry and wife Meghan visited Tupou College to make the dedication. The high school was founded in 1866 and is believed to be the oldest in the region. It's home to the last remaining forest on Tonga's main island, Tongatapu. The other reserve is on the ...
PM Modi credits farmers for nation's growth
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday credited the farmers for growth of the nation.Inaugurating the Krishi Kumbh Mela in Lucknow via video conference, the Prime Minister said that "We hold a clear view that nobody can take farmers forward, rather it is our farmers who take the country forward."Lauding the initiative of the Uttar Pradesh government, the Prime Minister said that Krishi Kumbh Mela will open new avenues for farmers in coming days.He even expressed hope that there will be record production of food grains during Kharif season.Reiterating the government's commitment to double farmers' incomes by 2022, the Prime Minister said that events such as Krishi Kumbh will greatly benefit the farmers.Krishi Kumbh 2018 aims to promote modern techniques that could help farmers double their income.Japan and Israel will also work as partner countries in the initiative and share their technology with the Indian farmers.Scores of farmers, scientists, experts and entrepreneurs are gathered .
Conduct study on number of vehicles in proportion to road capacity: NGT
Noting the adverse impact of vehicular emissions on the air quality, the National Green Tribunal has directed the transport ministry to conduct a study on the number of vehicles which can be permitted in the national capital in proportion to the capacity of the roads. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the menace of illegal parking and encroachments is a serious issue not only in Delhi but in all major cities. "The question of number of vehicles to be permitted proportionate to the capacity of the roads in a city is vital issue of planning on which a policy is required to be explored in larger interest of environment especially for cities or areas where air quality is not consistent with the norms," the bench said. "This needs to be explored by the Ministry of Transport, Government of India in consultation with the concerned States. It may be advisable to have a Committee of experts on the subject which to examine the issue in time bound manner," it ...
Modi bats for new tech in agriculture sector
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday inaugurated the 'Krishi Kumbh' in Lucknow as he expressed hope that the event will pave the way for new technology to be imbibed in the agriculture sector. Addressing the event via video conference, he appreciated the Uttar Pradesh government for its efforts in augmenting the procurement of foodgrains. Amid concerns over rising level of air pollution in the national capital, Modi emphasised on the need to evolve new technologies and ways that will help eliminate the need for farmers to burn crop stubble. Modi asserted the farmers take the country forward and reiterated his government's commitment to double their income by 2022. He said, a series of steps have been taken to reduce farm input costs and raise profits and noted that a large number of solar pumps will be installed in farms across the country in the near future. The PM said the government is working to deliver the benefits of science to agriculture and the Rice Research Centre being set .
France suspends use of popular pesticide after dozens sickened
The French government on Friday ordered a three-month ban of a widely used pesticide after dozens of people, many of them farm workers, fell ill in western France in recent weeks. The move came after metam sodium was suspected when victims reported burning eyes and respiratory difficulties near Angers, an area which produces huge amounts of lamb's lettuce, also known as cornsalad. The salad green is popular on French and European tables, and producers often spread metam sodium powder on the ground to protect the plants against a wide range of insects. But the product, one of the most widely used pesticides in the US and Europe, is considered a "probable human carcinogen" by the US Environmental Protection Agency and is not meant to be applied directly to plants. There have been at least three outbreaks of illness in the Maine-et-Loire department since September 28, possibly because the product was improperly applied on land that was too dry during a period of unseasonably warm ...