Page 442 - Environment
Kaushal seeks scrapping of notification declaring 4,180 sq km of Uttarakhand 'eco-sensitive'
Social activist Avdhash Kaushal Thursday demanded scrapping of a Centre's notification declaring nearly 4,180 square km of area from Gomukh to Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand "eco sensitive", saying the step would revive the stalled hydel power projects in the state andboost investment here. A 2011 notification by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has declared a total area of 4179.59 square kilometers, covering the entire watershed of about 100 km stretch of the river Bhagirathi from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi, an eco-sensitive zone. Kaushal sought junking of the notification two days before a major investment summit being organised by the state government on October 7 and 8 here. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to inaugurate it. A Padmashree awardee, Kaushal demanded revocation of the notification, saying it has stalled16 hydro-electricity projects with a total capacity of 1,743 MW in the notified zone from Gomukh to Uttarkashi, a development which is not conducive to the ...
Himachal offering land at Re 1/sq.m for renewable projects: CM
Himachal Pradesh is offering land at a rate of Re 1 per square metre to woo investors to set up renewable energy projects in the state, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said on Thursday.
Parijat Industries on mission to make India green again
As part of its commitment towards the environment, Parijat Industries has been supporting tree plantation drives as one of its CSR projects in an alliance with Radhika Anand and her "Mission Falvan fruit for all" project.Under the aegis of this program, Radhika has planted more than 250,000 fruit trees in different Indian states including Punjab, Haryana, Gujrat, Maharashtra, Bihar etc.As a defence personnel's daughter, Radhika lived her childhood and youth in Cantonments and she said that she picked up her passion for the environment from the verdant trees and green campus of cantonments.Radhika has been working with the environment for over two decades, and recently she was awarded as Green Ambassador for NSG (National Security Guard). She is the founder and CEO of her self-funded venture "Plantology" to take up green initiatives across India."We continue to look forward to active support for planting trees and fruit trees nationwide. We believe the private sector can play a ...
India, France sign two agreements for renewable energy innovations in country
Two agreements have been signed between India and France to foster the development of renewable energy innovations in the country, such as high-efficiency solar panels, power storage, e-mobility and smart grid management. French Minister Brune Poirson signed two cooperation agreements between the French Development Agency (AFD), the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Bollor-Blue-Solution and their Indian partner, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), according to an official statement Thursday. These agreements will foster the development of renewable energy innovations in India, such as high-efficiency solar panels, power storage, e-mobility and smart grid management, it said. Poirson also visited the French stand at the RE-Invest Expo at the India Expo Mart, Greater Noida to highlight the participation of French companies and encourage them. Major French companies are particularly present in the renewable energy sector in India, such as EDF, Engie, ..
Bharat Fritz Werner sets up new facility in Hosur
Bengaluru-based machine tools manufacturer Bharat Fritz Werner Ltd has set up a Rs 50-crore manufacturing facility in Hosur in Tamil Nadu, managing director of the company Ravi Raghavan said. The facility, spread across 60,000 square foot, would integrate the existing foundry with machining capability, he said in a statement. The company was the first to receive the necessary approval through the Tamil Nadu government's single- window clearance facility, he said. The manufacturing process at the facility would ensure cost efficiency, increased manpower productivity, he said. Bharat Fritz Werner has always been a leader when it comes to introducing newer technologies and environment-friendly initiatives, he said. "Manufacturing is a core sector that maps the growth of a country. We wish to lead the industry in raising the bar for manufacturing processes and hope that together we can enable progress...", he said. Early this year, the company, which is part of the Kothari ..
Shift Gir lions to Palpur-Kuno sanctuary in MP, local people
Following reports of deaths of lions in Gir Sanctuary in Gujarat, local people staged a protest at Sheopur in Madhya Pradesh Thursday, demanding that some of the big cats be shifted to Palpur-Kuno sanctuary and saved from extinction. 'Kuno Abhyaranya me Sher Lao Sangharsh Samiti' (Committee for agitation to bring lions to Kuno sanctuary), led by its chief and Congress leader Atul Chouhan, held a protest here. As per the Gujarat forest department, 23 lions have died at Gir Sanctuary since September 12. At least 11 of them have succumbed to a virus infection, officials have said. Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary in MP's Sheopur district is considered a part of the same Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests eco-region. The protest at Sheopur featured donkeys carrying banners which read "Sher de do, hame le lo" (Take us (donkeys) in exchange for lions) and "Gir ke Sheron-ko virus se bachao, Kuno pahunchao" (Protect Gir lions from virus, sent them to Kuno.) "In the last ten ...
Maiden India-Vietnam naval exercise held in Bay of Bengal
The maiden joint exercise of Coast Guards of India and Vietnam was held on Thursday in the Bay of Bengal off the Chennai coast, a Defence Ministry statement said.
Archaeologists find how nutmeg was used 3,500 years ago
Archaeologists have found the earliest-known use of pumpkin spice nutmeg which was used as a food ingredient 3,500 years ago.
Empower Cotton Corporation of India, SIMA tells union minister
Southern India Mills' Association (SIMA) Thursday appealed to Union Textile Minister Smrithi Irani to empower Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) to curb alleged malpractices by cotton ginners. Following the poor ginning practice, cotton varieties in the country have been rated as one of highly contaminated and seed coat (trash) content in the world, SIMA said in its representation to Irani. The malpractices adopted by some of the ginners have affected the value and quality of the final products thereby affecting the spinners and farmers, SIMA chairman P Nataraj said. The ginnners were allegedly mixing cotton waste in the virgin cotton, producing cotton with high trash content and adding water to increase the lint weight, he explained. However, he appreciated the efforts taken by the minister and CCI chairman and managing director for bringing quality norms. To check the malpractices, the SIMA chief said the CCI should be empowered to make periodical inspection of the ...
No appetite to change Paris climate deal: UN Environment chief on US withdrawal
There is no "appetite" to change the historic Paris agreement on climate change and it is "ridiculous" for anyone to term it unfair, UN Environment chief Erik Solheim has said, referring to US President Donald Trump's claim the deal was unjust and favours India and China. Solheim said the US is "absolutely wrong" in thinking that India and China got a sweeter deal in the French capital in 2015. The Paris agreement aims to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping the global temperature rise this century under two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. It also aims to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Trump has repeatedly blamed India and China for his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord last year, claiming the agreement would have made the US pay for nations which benefited the most from the deal. Announcing to withdraw from the deal in June last year, Trump said the accord would ..
Farmers who win Nobel prize in natural farming to get Rs 100
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu Thursday said farmers from the state would be rewarded with Rs 100 crore if they won Nobel prize in natural farming. He said the government has set a goal of achieving 100 per cent zero-budget natural farming (ZBNF) across the state by 2024. Addressing a training programme for farmers in ZBNF, the Chief Minister said five lakh ryots have taken up cropping under this method in the state this year. "Our aim is to bring all farmers and all cultivable land (8 million hectares) in the state to ZBNF in the next five years. In five years, every village will become a bio-village. Our ultimate vision is to bring all 60 lakh farmers in the state into ZBNF," the Chief Minister said. "AP farmers should become role models to the world in natural farming. We should win Nobel prize in this and whoever wins that will be given Rs 100 crore," Chandrababu added. Noting that the average lifespan in India was 65-69 years now, the Chief ...
Punjab CM urges Centre for CCL release for paddy purchase
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday urged the Centre for timely release of Cash Credit Limit (CCL) for the ongoing paddy procurement season in the state, following which Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan assured him of time-bound resolution of all pending issues.
Puducherry seeks to procure rice locally
Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy on Thursday met Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan and demanded permission for the union territory to procure rice locally from the farmers directly.
Parker Solar Probe completes first Venus flyby: NASA
NASA's historic mission to solve the mysteries of the Sun has successfully completed its flyby of Venus, the US space agency said.
Asia Rice: India rates dip, Thai traders eye new deals
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices in India fell for a second week on sluggish demand, while rates in Thailand were propped up by lower supply and expectations of new orders from Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.
Punjab mulling barring farmers engaged in stubble burning from contesting panchayat polls: Minister
The Punjab government is considering a proposal to make farmers ineligible for contesting panchayat election if found guilty of stubble burning, a senior minister said Thursday. The government is taking stringent steps to stop burning of stubble and paddy residue,Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said here. Stubble burning is a major cause of air pollution in north India, particularly the national capital, during the winter. The Punjab government has appointed a large number of nodal officers and issued instructions for imposing penalties and taking legal action against erring farmers, he said. "At the same time, the government is also considering a proposal to amend the Panchayati Raj Act...to make farmers ineligible for contesting panchayat election if found guilty of stubble burning," he said. Bajwa said that the practice of stubble burning is not only polluting environment but the soil is also losing its fertility day by day. The Punjab ...
HC seeks Centre's response to plea for drinking water for traffic police
The Delhi High Court has asked the Central government and the city administration to file their response to a plea for ensuring clean drinking water and sanitation facility for traffic police officers doing their duty on the roads.
Tripura in 'take off' position to attract investments from
The development of infrastructure and better connectivity has enhanced Tripura's potential to attract major investments from Bangladesh and other countries, a Bangladeshi diplomat said Thursday. Tripura is now in "take off" position for major investments from Bangladesh and other countries, Assistant High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Tripura Md. Shakhawat Hussein told reporters here. Tripura is strategically positioned in the Northeast to become a major transit hub, he added. He hoped that Feni bridge would come up soon from where Chittagong port could be accessed. A bridge on the river Manu, near the Sabroom sub-divisional town in South Tripura district is being constructed by the government of India to connect with Chittagong port in Bangladesh. A 15 km long rail line is also being constructed by India for connecting Agartala with Akhaura, which would serve as a major connecting route with the nneighbouring country and the North East. The project is likely to be ...
Draft policy on mariculture moots GM species in closed systems
A draft national policy on mariculture formulated to ensure sustainable farmed seafood production for the benefit of food and nutritional security of the nation has suggested farming of genetically modified (GM) species in closed mariculture systems. The draft National Policy on Mariculture (NPM) 2018 also seeks to provide additional livelihood options to the coastal communities for a better living. "...the policy allows farming exotic and genetically modified species in closed mariculture systems after stringent risk assessment and monitoring," the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) said here Thursday. The draft NPM had been formulated by an expert committee set up by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) with CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan as chairman. In order to address the seed scarcity, innovative schemes will be developed for the setting up of hatcheries, seed farms, rearing units and specific pathogen free (SPF) or genetically ...
Maharashtra cuts VAT on petrol by Rs.2.50/litre
Within hours of the Centre announcing reduction in prices of petrol and diesel, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced slashing VAT on petrol by Rs 2.50/litre.