Page 421 - Environment

PSU distributes 100 bags of cattle feed, 700 kg mineral mix

Two months after torrential rains ravaged Kerala, a state run unit launched its programme of free 100 bags of cattle feed and 700 kg mineral mix to help dairy farmers whose business has taken a hit in the calamity. The project, named 'Snehasparsham' ('Touch of Love'), was inaugurated by the Kerala Feeds' Managing Director B Sreekumar at a function in this town of the hill district that was one of the worst hit in the August deluge. At a function in the district cooperative bank here, five farmers were handed over Kerala Feed's Keramin a mineral mix meant to improve reproductive efficiency in cattle. The rest 95 in the lot will get their share directly from the company this month, Sreekumar said. The selected farmers were identified by the state dairy development department. Kerala Feeds Snehasparsham project is being carried out in seven districts, worst-affected by the floods, Sreekumar said. To be carried out in three phases, Monday's function marked the start of the

Power Ministry announces Rs 100cr award for states for early household electrification

The Power Ministry Monday announced Rs 100 crore award for states that would complete the household electrification early under the Saubhagaya scheme. Apart from discoms, the employees would also collectively get Rs 50 lakh award for completing the task of electrifying household under the Rs 16,320 crore Saubhagaya scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year in September. "We have decided to award states for early completion of household electrification work under Saubhagaya scheme," Power Minister R K Singh said after a review meeting of the scheme with state representatives here. The minister informed that there are three categories of states to compete under the scheme which include special category states (northeast and other hilly states). Besides, the states would be categorised in two other broad categories - one pool of states would have those where number of households to be electrified are less than 5 lakh. Another pool of states would cover states that have ...

Farmers have suffered, but Khattar govt not bothered: Surjewala

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala Monday charged the Khattar government in Haryana of being "insensitive" to the plight of farmers whose crops have been damaged by the recent rains and hailstorm in the state. Surjewala wondered if the BJP government in the state was delaying the "special girdawari" or revenue survey to assess loss caused to paddy, cotton, sugarcane and bajra crops to "benefit" the private companies operating under the Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). "Is the Khattar government not conducting a special girdwari to benefit the private companies in the Fasal Bima Yojana," he asked. Surjewala, a legislator from Kaithal, alleged that while farmers were being deprived of minimum support prices (MSP), untimely rains and hailstorm that destroyed 25-40 per cent of their crops had added to their misery. "The farmer is facing insurmountable misery and exploitation as an autocratic Khattar government has become a mute spectator. By not conducting a special girdawari, the ..

Punjab CM advises farmers to abide by NGT laws on stubble burning

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday extended his sympathies with the farmers of the state over the prohibition on stubble burning but told them that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) laws must be followed.Addressing a presser here, Singh said, "This is a law of National Green Tribunal. My sympathies are with the farmers, but law is law and the law must take its course. I have written twice to the Prime Minister, Agriculture Minister and the Food Processing Industries Minister to compensate farmers who do not burn stubble with an additional Rs 100 per quintal."Singh further stated that if the Centre does not provide Rs 100 per quintal compensation to the farmers, it will be difficult to control stubble burning. Although many farmers have stopped burning stubble as they have resorted to converting it into bio-fuel, the practice still, to a limited extent, remains active in the state, the chief minister added.As autumn sets in, bringing along with it the harvesting ...

Britain's Cuadrilla starts fracking for gas after seven-year pause

LONDON (Reuters) - British shale gas company Cuadrilla has started fracking for natural gas in northwest England, seven years after the practice was halted in Britain for causing earth tremors.

Sikkim CM seeks global effort to make agriculture organic by 2050

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on Monday called for global cooperation to make agriculture totally organic the world over by 2050, citing the achievement of his Himalayan state in northeastern India.

Zika virus cases in Rajasthan rise to 72

Twelve new cases of Zika virus were detected in Jaipur Monday, taking the total number of infected people to 72, a Rajasthan health department official said. The figures were issued after a review meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) medical and health, Veenu Gupta. "Sixty out of the total 72 patients are healthy after treatment," the official said after the meeting where measures required to contain the situation were discussed. Most of the cases have been reported from Shastri Nagar area here where fogging and other anti-larvae activities are being carried out to prevent the spread of the virus, he said. So far, door-to-door survey of 96,000 households has been conducted in Shastri Nagar and neighbouring localities. Mosquito larvae was found in the area, the officer said. He said 68 challans, amounting to Rs 44,000 penalty, were issued after finding larvae in houses. The state health department has also issued an advisory for pregnant women staying outside the ...

Need to appoint more women in farm extension services: Agri Min

Women farmers are playing a significant role in the development of the farm sector and more females should be appointed in extension services to empower them further, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said Monday. Addressing an event to mark Mahila Kisan Diwas here, the minister said women farmers have to be empowered for the growth of the agriculture sector and the rural economy. About 400 women from 26 states participated in the two-day event that started on Sunday. Mahila Kisan Diwas is celebrated on October 15. Singh said of the total farmers in the country, about 14 per cent are women. The minister lauded the contribution of women in the development of agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, animal husbandry and beekeeping sectors. Singh pitched for appointing more women in agriculture extension service and said the Centre would write to states on this matter. In order to bring women in the agriculture mainstream, he said the government has allocated more than 30 per cnet of ..

Lion found dead in private farmland in Gir forest

A sub-adult lion was found dead Monday in a private farmland in a village under the Gir forest division in Junagadh district of Gujarat, an official said. The carcass is three to fours days old and was found near Hasnapur village in Visavadar range of the Gir (west) forest division, he said. "A sub-adult lion aged between 2-3 years was found dead in a private farmland. The dead body was three to four days old and putrefaction had started," said a Gujarat forest department official. He said nearby areas were scanned and no signs of unnatural death reported. The carcass was sent for post-mortem which will ascertain the exact cause of the lion's death, the official said. The death comes at a time when 23 lions have died in the Gir sanctuary, a majority of them due to viral and bacterial infections, since September 12, putting the state government in a spot of bother. These deaths were reported from the Dalkhaniya range of the Gir (east) division in Amreli ...

'Household access to clean cooking fuel increased by 32% under BJP rule'

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday asserted that households having access to clean cooking fuel has increased from 55 per cent four years ago to 87 per cent now due to central government's determined efforts to provide universal access to clean cooking fuel to the poorest of the poor.Pradhan made these remarks while addressing the India Energy Forum in New Delhi on Monday. He highlighted the benefits of Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) and termed it as a tool that empowered poor women.He said, "Through the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana our government is aiming to provide universal access to clean cooking fuel to the poorest of the poor in the country. Innovative delivery models, technology and policy of direct subsidy, have ensured we surpassed the target of 50 million households in three years, well ahead of scheduled time. We have also increased the target to reach 80 million households. Putting things in perspective households having ...

States to get Rs 100 Cr award for being efficient under Saubhagaya scheme

The Power Ministry Monday announced Rs 100 crore award for states that would complete the household electrification early under the Saubhagaya scheme. Apart from discoms, the employees would also collectively get Rs 50 lakh award for completing the task of electrifying household under the Rs 16,320 crore Saubhagaya scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year in September. "We have decided to award states for early completion of household electrification work under Saubhagaya scheme," Power Minister R K Singh said after a review meeting of the scheme with state representatives here. The minister informed that there are three categories of states to compete under the scheme which include special category states (northeast and other hilly states). Besides, the states would be categorised in two other broad categories - one pool of states would have those where number of households to be electrified are less than 5 lakh. Another pool of states would cover states that have ...

Minister Kadam irked on seeing plastic bags in use at Shirdi

Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam ordered immediate action Monday after noticing that some devotees were using plastic bags, banned in the state, at the temple town of Shirdi. Kadam visited the famous Saibaba temple at Shirdi in Ahmednagar district Monday. On his orders, officials of the Shirdi Municipal Council recovered a fine of Rs 5,000 each from two shop keepers who provided plastic carry bags to devotees. The minister chided municipal authorities for not implementing the ban on plastic bags in the town. Earlier, 1,200 tonnes of plastic garbage was generated in the state daily, but the amount is now halved after the ban came into effect in June, the minister told reporters.

Sterlite Power commissions power transmission project in J-K

Sterlite Power Monday announced commissioning of a power transmission project in Jammu and Kashmir which will ensure reliable power supply especially during winters in the Kashmir Valley. The 414-km long project, the Northern Region Strengthening Scheme 29 (NRSS 29) which was one of the most challenging transmission projects globally, will ensure reliable power access for the Kashmir Valley by augmenting the state's transmission capacity by at least 33 per cent, a company statement said. The project was commissioned two months ahead of the schedule to allow benefits to be reaped during coming winter, it said. The company deployed helicranes in the Pir Panjal range to overcome challenges of high altitude, snow and inaccessible terrains. Proper planning has been done to ensure the line can sustain the elements during harsh winters in the valley, the company said. Sterlite Power Group CEO Pratik Agarwal said that the company surmounted numerous challenges to finish the project ahead of ..

SMA Solar CEO steps down, to be replaced by deputy

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - SMA Solar, Germany's largest solar group, on Monday named Juergen Reinert, deputy chief executive and board member for operations and technology, as its new CEO, replacing Pierre-Pascal Urbon, who is leaving after seven years at the helm.

New mechanism will forewarn depletion in air quality: Vardhan

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan on Monday informed that Indian scientists along with scientists of the US and Finland have developed a mechanism which will soon be able to forewarn depletion in air quality.Speaking at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Vardhan further elaborated that three institutions, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (Pune), IMD and meteorology centre in Noida, will work together on the air quality issue. These institutions will help to calculate, take measures and give a three-day prior warning about depleting air quality.The air quality in Delhi has been on a fall in the past few days. According to the data released by the National Air Quality Index, the quality continued to remain between moderate and poor on Monday with a drop in airspeed.Vardhan said, "We follow a 'Graded response action plan' under which various steps are taken keeping in mind the degree to which the air quality depletes. There are 40-45 .

Punjab CM lays stones for five projects in Amritsar

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday laid the foundation stones for five infrastructure projects worth Rs 127.86 crore in Amritsar, and announced an additional Rs 50 crore for tubewells to ensure supply of water in the holy city.

Punjab CM lays foundation stones for 5 projects in Amritsar

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday laid the foundation stones for five infrastructural projects, worth Rs 127.86 crore, in Amritsar. He also announced an additional Rs 50 crore for tubewells to ensure seamless supply of clean water in the holy city, pending the completion of the canal water supply network, an official statement said here. A slew of tourism development projects, totalling Rs 187.47 crore, were too announced for the city, it said. The chief minister pressed the button to lay the foundation stones, by remote, of two Railway Over Bridges (RoBs), one Railway under Bridge (RUB) and a flyover besides, extension of the existing Bhandari Bridge. The projects, said the chief minister, would go a long way in boosting the infrastructure of the old town and reducing traffic congesting. Further noting that big cities like Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala were facing acute water problems, the chief minister announced his government's decision to provide canal ..

Emergency action plan to curb Delhi pollution comes into effect

The Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) on Monday started implementation of a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) to control air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.

Trump: Climate change scientists have 'political agenda'

President Donald Trump has backed off from his claim that climate change is a "hoax", but accused climate scientists of having a "very big political agenda". The comments by Trump, who in June last year pulled the US out of the historic Paris Agreement on climate change, was made during an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes. It come less than a week after climate scientists issued a final call to halt rising temperatures. Last week's report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) - the leading international body evaluating climate change - warned the world was heading towards a temperature rise of 3C. In an interview, Trump accused scientists of having a "very big political agenda" and asserted that he does not want to put the US, the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, at a disadvantage in responding to climate change. Asked whether he still thinks climate change is a hoax, Trump said, "I think something's happening. Something's changing and it'll change back ...

China purrs over white tiger triplets

Three playful white Bengal tiger cubs are charming visitors as they clamber around their enclosure at a zoo in China. The rare, blue-eyed triplets were born nearly three months ago at the Yunnan Wildlife Zoo in Kunming, and made their public debut in early October. "The oldest one -- the largest -- is very naughty and has a real appetite. He's the naughtiest. The youngest is like a baby, she's gentle. She never wins when fighting for food," zookeeper Hao Li said. The cubs' busy mother is getting a helping hand keeping her youngsters from getting hungry, with keepers always ready to step in with a bottle. The tigers' white fur is a genetic variation of the common orange Bengal tiger. The mutation seldom occurs in the wild, but the zoo is home to 41 cats of this rare white variety. There are currently more than 2,500 Bengal tigers outside captivity, most of them in India, according to conservation group World Wildlife Fund. A competition is being held to name the three newborns, with ...