Page 470 - Environment
Cyclone to hit Odisha at midnight: IMD
A cyclone is set to hit the coast of Odisha near Gopalpur around midnight Thursday. The state government has instructed officials of coastal districts and various departments to be on alert and ready to meet any situation, official sources said. The deep depression is moving at a speed of about 23 kmph and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm shortly, the cyclone warning division of the IMD said Thursday evening. The depression, which was initially over west-central Bay of Bengal and nearby areas, has moved westward and intensified into a deep depression, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin. It now lay centred at about 130 km southeast of Gopalpur in Odisha, the bulletin said. "It (the depression) is very likely to move west-northwestwards. It will cross south Odisha and north Andhra Pradesh coasts between Kalingapatnam and Puri close to Gopalpur around midnight as a cyclonic storm with wind speeds of 60 kmph to 70 kmph, gusting to 80 kmph," Mritunjay .
Punjab cabinet ratifies Shahpur Kandi dam project agreement
The Punjab Cabinet Thursday ratified an agreement signed earlier this month for immediate resumption of work on the Shahpur Kandi dam project. The agreement was signed on September 8 between the Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Commissioner Indus Government of India. The dam is to come up in Gurudaspur district and the ratification was done at the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, an official spokesperson said. The project, aimed to be completed in three years, would generate 206 MW (Megawatt) of additional Hydro Power, leading to irrigation and power benefits worth Rs.852.73 crore annually. With the completion of the project, the Ranjit Sagar Dam in Pathankot would operate its optimum capacity. It would also help in regulating releases at Shahpur Kandi Dam, thus helping improve irrigation facilities to the command area under Uppar Bari Doab Canal (UBDC). Jammu and Kashmir would get its share of water from Shahpur Kandi dam
No precipitative action should be taken on Salem-Chennai highway project: HC
The Madras High Court today made it clear that no precipitative action shall be initiated by the authorities on land acquisition for the proposed Salem-Chennai green corridor highway project. A division bench comprising Justices T S Sivagnanam and Bhavani Subbaroyan issued the directive during the resumed hearing of batch of petitions from land owners and public interest litigation pleas against the eight-lane project. It was responding after counsel for one of the petitioners asserted that four people, who were assisting public in submitting written objections over the land acquisition, had been arrested. "We have made a very pointed observation in several of our earlier orders that nothing should be precipitated by the state government or its officials," the bench said. It also directed the Government Pleader to issue necessary instructions to the officers more particularly those in the field level not to precipitate any problem further, saying the court would view very seriously ...
11 lions found dead in Gir forest, Gujarat govt orders inquiry
The carcasses of 11 lions were found in Gujarat's Gir forest, prompting the state government to order an inquiry, officials said Thursday. All the dead lions were found in Gir (east) division, mainly from Dalkhaniya range in the last few days, an official said. "We have found carcasses of 11 lions from Gir east forest range," said P Purushothama, the Deputy Conservator of Forest, Gir (east). For administrative purpose, the Gir forest has been divided in east and west parts. A carcass of a lioness was found in a forest near Rajula of Amreli district Wednesday, while three more lions were found dead the same day in Dalkhaniya range area in the Gir forest, a senior official said. Carcasses of seven other lions were found in the last few days, he said. "We have collected viscera samples of the dead animals and sent them to the Junagadh Veterinary Hospital and are waiting for the postmortem report," he added. Additional chief secretary of the Forest and Environment Department Dr Rajiv ...
Govt wants eco-friendly chemical & petrochemical units: secy
The central government Thursday said it wants to promote environment friendly chemicals and petrochemical units. Replying to a question about government's thought on the highly polluting sector, Chemicals and Petrochemicals Secretary P Raghavendra Rao said the government will encourage companies which promotes environment friendly units. In the city for a roadshow of India Chemicals 2018 to be held on October 4-6 in Mumbai, Rao said the contribution of this sector to India's manufacturing sector could touch 25 per cent in a decade or so from about 10 per cent now. He said the government was focusing at agro chemicals and petrochemicals sectors. According to industry estimates, chemicals will turn into a USD 384 billion industry by 2025. Government wants more chemicals and petrochemicals parks and it was trying to have conducive environment to encourage investment in this sector. Government was also contemplating to make the Plastic Park and Petroleum Chemicals and ...
Gujarat doubles farmer accident insurance cover
The Gujarat Government on Thursday doubled the personal accident insurance cover of farmers to Rs 2 lakh in case of death and from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh for physical impairment.
Assam govt to bear 2 pc premium of PM Fasal Bima Yojana
Assam government would bear the two per cent premium for farmers to help them reap rich dividends from the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said on Thursday. The PMFBY is an actuarial premium based scheme under which a farmer has to pay a maximum premium of 2% for Kharif, 1.5% for Rabi food & oilseed crops. The state government will provide the premium to enable full insured amount to the farmers against crop loss on account of natural calamities, the chief minister said while chairing a meeting of agricultural department officials here. He directed the agriculture department to ensure complete implementation of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, an irrigation scheme, to ensure improved farm productivity and better utilisation of the resources in the state. Sonowal also directed the department to carry out the registration process of all the farmers of the state and issue them identity cards. Eight progressive farmers ..
In U-turn, Exxon, Chevron to join industry climate initiative
LONDON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum are joining a group of major international oil and gas companies in an initiative aimed at curbing carbon emissions in the sector, they said in a statement on Thursday.
FPO model to help double farmers' income well before target: Minister
The farmer-producer organisation (FPO) model could help achieve the goal of doubling cultivators' income "well before time", a Union minister said Thursday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier talked about doubling the income of farmers by 2022, Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala noted. Some successful FPO models are working in the country and efforts could be made to replicate them or expand their ambit to other regions, he said. "Using this FPO model, farmers are in a position to fix the price of their production and together we need to take this solution forward," he said. Rupala was speaking at the national workshop on 'Making Farmer Producers' Organisations: Smart, Competitive and Sustainable' at the Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management here. "Due to the central government's policies in the last three years, agriculture production is breaking all records and now as PM Modi said, we need to connect agriculture production to the other ...
ArcelorMittal seeks mining lease in Jharkhand, HC asks for Centre's stand
The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the Centre's as well as the Jharkhand government's stand on a plea by the Indian arm of ArcelorMittal challenging the rejection of its application for a mining lease for its proposed Rs 50,000 crore project in the state. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao issued notice to the Ministry of Environment as also the state seeking their responses to the plea which sought directions to the Centre to finalise a mining plan for the Saranda forest division in west Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. ArcelorMittal has sought relief in its appeal against the high court's single judge order disposing of its plea challenging the Centre's January 11, 2017 decision to reject its application for the mining lease in connection with the proposed project to mine iron ore and manganese in the dense forest area. The single judge had disposed of the company's plea saying an alternate remedy was available under the Forest Conservation Act to ...
Jharkhand CM joins people in celebration of Karma festival
People of Jharkhand Thursday celebrated Karma festival with Chief Minister Raghubar Das observing it in Ranchi. In view of the importance of karam tree, 60,000 karam plants are being planted in the state, beginning today, an official release said quoting Das at the Karma puja ceremony. Song, dance, music and nature worship is the identity of Jharkhand. Many trees like neem, peepal, karam etc., are associated with festivals and rituals, the CM said. He said that last year karam tree plantations were announced on Karma puja in Jamshedpur. The tree of this rare species will be planted by campaigning throughout the state. Our ancestors have given us green Jharkhand and cultural heritage. Tribals have made the biggest contribution in protecting the environment. It is our duty to give green Jharkhand to the next generation. We need to be vigilant to save our culture, he said. Das reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made plans keeping the villages, the poor and the .
Apples galore! Bumper crop ready to hit the market
Favourable climatic conditions and the efforts of the horticulture department seem to have borne fruit this season, as farmers in Kashmir get ready to ship out large quantities of apples."1,45,000 hectares of land has apple orchards and this year we are expecting 18,00,000 metric tonnes of fruit production," said the state's Deputy Director of Horticulture Mohamed Yousuf Dar.The department is expecting a huge turnover due to this crop. "With the help of this delicious and world-famous apple crop, we are expecting an annual turnover of Rs 7,000 crore," Dar added.Districts like Shopian, Baramulla, Anantnag, and Ganderbal are known for their apple crop, and harvesting process is in full swing during this time. While farmers have already sent early varieties outside the state and to the local markets of the valley, varieties like American, Maharaji and Chamboora are still in the orchards.Being the main fruit crop, apple generates employment at a large-scale in the valley. A large number ..
Call for sustainable tourism in Puducherry
Management of sustainable tourism from economic, social, cultural and environmental perspectives was needed, a US expert on sustainable tourism Kathleen Pessolano said Thursday. A power-point presentation on 'Sustainable Tourism in Puducherry' was made by Pessolano at a function organised here jointly by the US Consulate General in Chennai and the Territorial Department of Tourism. The field of sustainable destination management was relatively new with ever-increasing domestic and international destination tourists to South India, she said. Hence, it was essential for communities to establish policies and systems, she said. The policies and systems were necessary to thrive while promoting tourism in the years to come, said Pessolano, who is the destination programme director for the UN-backed Global Sustainable Tourism Council(GSTC). Also, private-publicpartnership was required to pool in resources to address shared challenges and generate mutual benefits across various .
HC orders closure of illegal slaughter houses within 72 hrs in Uttarakhand
The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday ordered the closure of all illegal slaughter houses in the state "within 72 hours", besides directing the authorities to ensure that there is no culling of animals in the open. A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Manoj Tiwari issued the order on a public interest litigation by Haridwar resident Parvez Alam, who placed before the court pictures of animals being slaughtered brutally. It was contended in the petition that illegal slaughtering of animals openly on roads and outside authorised slaughter houses is prevalent in the state. The bench observed that the pictures were disturbing and pricked the conscience of the court. "How can the authorities permit the slaughtering of animals in the streets, in villages and towns, is beyond our comprehension. Animals also have constitutional legal rights. The authorities cannot remain mute-spectators towards the slaughtering of animals, that too, in a very beastly manner," the .
Will use forensic evidence to nail electricity thieves: TPDDL
Power discom TPDDL will take the help of forensic laboratory to nail accused in power theft cases where "tampered" meters are burnt to destroy evidence, said a company spokesperson. Forensic testing of burnt meters will provide independent third party certification regarding the exact cause of burning and will establish the difference between deliberate burning and incidents which were caused by faulty internal wiring, cables or overloading, he said. By joining hands with Forensic Testing Laboratory and through foolproof technological interventions, we are trying our best to fight the menace of power theft in our distribution network. said Sanjay Banga, CEO, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited. In the recent past, testing of burnt meters in the forensic lab has enabled the discom to have concrete evidence of deliberate burning, the spokesperson said.
PM to inaugurate fertiliser plant, airport in Odisha
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is slated to launch a slew of projects including a fertiliser plant at Talcher and inauguration of Jharsuguda Airport in Odisha on Saturday, officials said Thursday. During his one-day visit to the state, Modi will also dedicate to the nation mines of the NTPC and the Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) and railway tracks for transportation of coal. Garjanbahal open cast mine of the MCL, to be inaugurated by Modi, has coal block reserve of 230 million tonnes with annual production capacity of 13 million tonnes. It will generate direct employment opportunity for 894 people and indirect job opportunities for 5000, officials said. The Prime Minister will also launch 53.1 km long Jharsuguda-Serdega railway line constructed by the MCL. This line can also be used for passenger traffic. Modi will dedicate to the nation Dulanga Coal Mining Project of the NTPC in Sundargarh district. This is the second mine of the NTPC to be operational and its first in
Indonesia imposes moratorium on new palm oil plantations
Indonesia's president has signed a moratorium on new palm oil development and ordered a review of existing plantations, an official said Thursday, in a blow to an industry blamed for environmental destruction and worker exploitation. Prabianto Mukti Wibowo, a deputy minister at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, said the moratorium, first announced by president Joko Widodo after devastating fires in 2015, will last three years. He told The Associated Press it's needed because many planned plantations are inside natural forests and also to clarify the legal rights of villagers and smallholders. Palm oil, mainly produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, is used in a vast number of products globally from cosmetics to snacks and is a big export earner for both countries, though most of the profits go to a few conglomerates. "In this presidential instruction, all central and provincial governments, including governors, mayors and district chiefs were ordered to re-evaluate permits,"
Kerala govt mulls legislation for Munnar tourism development
The Kerala government is considering enacting a legislation to ensure environment friendly tourism development in ecologically fragile Munnar, which suffered extensive damage in the floods that ravaged the state last month. Addressing reporters here Thursday State Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said objective of the new legislation was to take care of various things including construction activities in the ecologically fragile Munnar, one of the sought after destinations in the state. Munnar, a part of Western ghats in the high range Idukki district, had witnessed large number of landslips and water logging in several places during the floods. Noting that the deluge had badly hit the tourism sector, Surendran said the hospitality industry alone had suffered a loss of Rs 500 crore due to cancellation of trips by domestic and foreign tourists. Over 2,000 houseboats, majority of them in Alappuzha district were out of service, directly affecting more than 15,000 ...
'Green Good Deeds' campaign must be extended to schools: environment ministry official
The 'Green Good Deeds' campaign - a social movement to protect environment and promote healthy living - launched by the Environment Ministry must be extended to schools, an official said Thursday. Additional Secretary, Environment Ministry, A K Mehta also said that 'swacchhta' (cleanliness) is closely linked to the quality of life and health of people and has been an integral part of Indian culture and tradition. "He stated that the Green Good Deeds campaign, comprising 10 small activities to protect the environment, must be extended to schools," an official statement quoted Mehta as saying. He was speaking during a 'swacchhta hi seva' programme organised by the ministry here on Thursday. Earlier this year, Harsh Vardhan had launched the nationwide social movement to protect the environment and promote healthy living. The environment minister had drawn up a list of over 500 green good deeds and asked people to fulfil their green social responsibility. At the event, Director General ..
India rice prices recover; low Thai rates dampen Vietnamese offers
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice export prices in India recovered this week after demand improved, while rates for the Vietnamese variety eased despite the prospect of orders from typhoon-hit Philippines, as Thai rates were more competitive.