Page 511 - Environment
Man mission to space to have 3 crew members; will be in space for 5-7 days: ISRO chief
The Gaganyaan mission to send humans to the space will comprise three crew members who will be in the space for five to seven days, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan said today. In his Independence Day address this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced an ambitious mission of sending an Indian astronaut to space by 2022. India will be the fourth country after the USA, Russia and China to send humans to space. After the take off of the mission, it will reach the orbit in 16 minutes. The crew, while coming back to the Earth, could land in the Arabian Sea off the Gujarat coast or Bay of Bengal or even on land, he added. Addressing a press conference, Sivan said the mission may be executed six months before India completes its 75th Independence Day with the help of GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle. The spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km and the total programme cost is expected to be less than Rs 10,000 crores, he said. Minister of ...
NGT to hear plea challenging Chardham highway project on September 4
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today fixed September 4 for hearing a petition dealing with the environmental clearance issue related to Chardham highway project providing all-weather connectivity to four holy towns of Uttarakhand. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel posted the matter for hearing at 2 pm after taking note of the Supreme Court order which had asked him to grant at least one clear day to finally dispose off the matters. The matter will be hard by a bench of Justices Jawad Rahim and S P Wangdi and expert member Nagin Nanda. The apex court had yesterday acceded to the request of advocate Sanjay Parikh, appearing for petitioner NGO 'Citizens for Green Doon', that the matter be heard by a three-member bench as they had reserved the judgment on May 31. The green panel is seized of the petitions which are dealing with environmental clearances for the project which aims to connect Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri in Uttarakhand. The Centre
India's foodgrain output to touch new record of 284.83 mn tonnes in 2017-18
India's foodgrain production is estimated to grow to an all-time high of 284.83 million tonnes in the 2017-18 crop year ending June, driven by record output in wheat, rice, coarse cereals and pulses after a normal monsoon, according to the Agriculture Ministry. Wheat output has been pegged at record 99.70 million tonnes, rice at Rs 112.91 million tonnes and pulses at 25.23 million tonnes for the 2017-18 crop year, it said. The previous record foodgrain output was 275.11 million tonnes achieved in the 2016-17 crop year. The foodgrain basket comprises of rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses. In its fourth advance estimate released today, the ministry revised upward the total foodgrain production by 5.3 million tonnes from the previous projection of 279.51 million tonnes for the 2017-18 crop year. "As a result of near normal rainfall during monsoon 2017 and various policy initiatives taken by the government, the country has witnessed record foodgrain production in 2017-18," the ...
Centre signs MoU with six states for water project
Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with six states for the construction of the Lakhwar multi-purpose project in the upper Yamuna basin to deal with water crisis.
Cotton output likely to decline by 3-4% this season: CAI
Cotton production is likely to decline by 3-4 per cent this year to about 350 lakh bales following deficit rainfall, decline in acreage and the outbreak of the pink bollworm infestation on crops, according to Cotton Association of India (CAI). "Major cotton growing states are facing issues including deficit rainfall, shifting away from cotton to other crops resulting in decline in acreage and the outbreak of the pink bollworm infestation. This is likely to affect cotton production by 3-4 per cent this year to 350 lakh bales," CAI president Atul Ganatra told PTI. However, Ganatra said, the next couple of months (September-October) are crucial for the cotton crop, and give an actual picture of production. In its July estimate, CAI had pegged cotton output for the ongoing season (October-September) at 365 lakh bales. The deficit rainfall in Gujarat has affected sowing in the state, he said. "In Gujarat, the crops are already affected due to lack of adequate rainfall. The ...
Each resident of Meghalaya village plants one sapling
Residents of Nongtrai village in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district, have planted a sapling in keeping with the "one citizen one tree" initiative of state Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma. About 300 saplings, each tagged with the name of the head of each of the family here, were planted in the community forest here and the proper growth of a plant is the responsibility of the owner. The plantation drive at the village was an initiative of a major cement company as part of its CSR activities and another 700 saplings were planted by the officials of the company. "This is the first time that I have planted a tree and taken a pledge to take care of it. I hope it grows big someday and I will be proud of it," Sona Lyngdoh, an elderly woman in the village, told PTI. Although the village has many trees, the villagers have taken special interest in the Khasi Mandarin species of oranges and the people had planted about 25,000 saplings of it four years ago. The trees are expected
U'khand announces Rs five crore aid to flood-hit Kerala
The Uttarakhand government today handed over a cheque of Rs five crore to the Kerala resident commissioner in New Delhi, an official statement said. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat had made the announcement on August 18 to offer financial assistance to the flood-hit southern state. Additional Resident Commissioner of Uttarakhand Ila Giri handed over the cheque on behalf of the chief minister to Resident Commissioner of Kerala Puneet Kumar in New Delhi, the statement said.
Maha govt sends 50 tonnes of tur dal to flood-hit Kerala
The Maharashtra government today sent 50 tonnes of tur dal as aid to flood-affected Kerala. State Agriculture Minister Chandrakant Patil flagged off the Netravati Express, loaded with 50 tonnes of tur dal, from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) in Mumbai. "Today's supply is in line with the ongoing support to Kerala from Maharashtra in various forms apart from the already-announced help of Rs 20 crore from the state government and Rs 10 crore from the MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation)," Patil told reporters. "The money will be used for infrastructure development and rebuilding the areas, which is a long procedure. This help in the form of tur dal is meant for immediate use as many people will need pulses and food grains so that they can cook and eat," Patil said. According to the minister, a huge stock of biscuits was also sent to the southern state from Sangli yesterday.
TNAU signs pact with institute in Lucknow for Aroma Mission
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here today signed an MoU with Lucknow-based CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatics Plants (CIMAP) to implement the Aroma mission and phytopharmaceutical projects and rural technologies in the state. Both the institutes have also agreed to undertake joint R&D projects in areas of mutual interests. The memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in the presence of Vice-Chancellor of TNAU Dr K Ramasamy and director of CIMAP Dr A K Tripathi. The Aroma mission involves promoting cultivation of aromatic crops for essential oils that are in great demand by the aroma industry. The mission is expected to enable farmers and the aroma industry to become global leaders in the production and export of some other essential oils on the pattern of menthol mint. Under the agreement, CIMAP would provide quality planting material of identified aromatic crops to the farmers in the first year for mutually agreed acreage, a press ...
DLF Foundation embarks on 'Save the Himalayas' initiative
DLF Foundation, the philanthropic arm of DLF Ltd., recently supported the 'Save the Himalayas Foundation' to organize its first international conference titled 'Saving Himalayas through Science and Spirituality'. The other organizations that joined hands with them included WWF-India, Defence Institute for High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Himalayan Environment Science Conservation Organization (HESCO) and Global Interfaith Wash Alliance (GIWA).The inauguration of the conference took place at CIBS auditorium, Leh with several prominent figures from the fields of spirituality, academics, government, civil society and the army gathering to officially release the 'Save the Himalayas Foundation' (SHF) and address the audience on the theme of the conference.The objective of the conference was to bring together an interdisciplinary consortium of experts to focus on discussions on the threats to the Himalayas with respect to climate change, water crisis, development of renewable energy sources .
: Ginger (Inferior) Rs.132,500/-,
: Ginger (Inferior) Rs.132,500/-, Ginger (Medium) Rs.17,500/-, Ginger (Best) Rs.18,500/-, Turmeric Salem Rs.8,500-9,000/-, Turmeric-Erode(Agmark) Rs.9,000/-, Nuxvomica Rs.-----, Ambahaldhar Rs.10,500/-, Kolinjan 14,000-15,000/-, Kachura Rs.------, Kapurkatchili Rs.14,000-17,000/-, Betelnuts Rs.18,000-19,000/-, Rice Raw (No.1) Rs----/-,Rice Raw (No.2) Rs.2,900/-, Rice Boiled (Sulekha) Rs.3,750/-, Rice Jaya (Boiled) Rs.3,200/-, Rice Broken Rs.2,400/-, Wheat Rs.2,850/-Rs.2,900/-, Chola Rs.--------, Chillies Rs.10,800-15,800/-, Bengal Gram Rs.4,500-5,400/-, Black Gram Rs.6,500-7,300/-, Gingelly Rs.11,000/-, Green Gram Rs.7,000-7,600/-, Horse Gram 4,500/-, Peas Dal Rs.5,600-5,800/-, Toor Dal Rs.6,000-6,400/-, Pepper New Rs.36,600/- Pepper light Rs.-------, Pin Heads Rs.------, Sugar (per bag) Rs.3,720/-(All rates per quintal). COIR YARN : Cochin Parur Thin (85 M/Kg) Rs.4,500/-, Vycom Thick 180M/Kg) Rs.5,000/-, Choriwal Thin Rs.7,000/- ==== (NOTE: Commodity and oilsees ...
Food grain output to be record 284.83 million tonnes
Food grain production in the country in 2017-18 crop year will be a record 284.83 million tonnes as per the fourth advanced estimates issued by the Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday.
Shivaji memorial: HC asks Centre, MCZMA to file replies on alleged unlawful clearances
The Bombay High Court today asked the Centre and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to file their responses on the allegations that several clearances for the proposed Shivaji memorial off the Arabian Sea were given unlawfully. A bench of Justices Shantanu Kemkar and Sarang Kotwal directed the authorities to address, in their respective affidavits, all the legal issues raised in a bunch of public interest litigations (PIL) filed in the court challenging the construction of the memorial. The directions came after senior advocate Aspi Chinoy, representing some of the petitioners, informed the court that the MCZMA, the Centre and the state government had granted several approvals to the project in violation of the coastal zone norms. Chinoy told the bench that the state and the MCZMA had granted approvals to the project without conducting a public hearing. Citizens can raise objections and give suggestions on a public project of the aforementioned nature at a ...
WB fisheries deptt aims 18.5 lakh-tonne production in FY19
The West Bengal Fisheries Department is on course to reach 18.5 lakh-tonne production target in 2018-19, Fisheries Minister Chandra Nath Sinha said today. Sinha, who was addressing a CII Fisheries Conclave here, said the state government has chalked out a five-year road map to instill awareness and proper education among the fishermen to go for scientific and modern ways of farming. "In 2017-2018, we managed 17.4 lakh-tonne production of fish. But, we need to raise the production level by several notches in another five years. We need to encourage fishermen to shift to more modern and scientific way of pisciculture. We need to maximise use of ponds in rural areas," he said. Sinha said 1.7 lakh tonnes of fish were exported in 2017-18, including the volume sold to other states in the country. "We have the potential to substantially increase the volume of exports, too, in another five years." He said many ponds in rural Bengal have not been properly used, due to factors ...
India's first manned space mission to send 3 persons
India's first manned space flight - Gaganyaan - is expected to send three persons, including a woman, into the space for seven days and the spacecraft will be placed in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km.
MoU signed on Lakhwar-Vyasi project by stakeholder states
The central government and six stakeholder states signed an MoU today for the construction of Lakhwar-Vyasi multi-purpose project which is likely to address the irrigation and power needs of the partner states. The MoU for the project to be built in upper Yamuna basin area at an estimated cost of Rs 3,966.51 crore was signed in the presence of Union minister Nitin Gadkari, an official release said. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Rajasthan Chief MinisterVasundhara Raje, Harayana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were the signatories to the document, it said. Under the project, a 204 meter concrete dam will be built on the Yamuna river at Lohari village in Dehradun district. The dam will have a water carrying capacity of 330.66 MCM (million cubic metres). This will help irrigate 33,780 hectares of land besides providing 78.83 MCM water
Special Report: Appetite for destruction - Soy boom devours Brazil's tropical savanna
CAMPOS LINDOS, Brazil (Reuters) - When farmer Julimar Pansera purchased land in Brazil's interior seven years ago, it was blanketed in tiers of fruit trees, twisted shrubs and the occasional palm standing tall in a thicket of undergrowth.
Parijat educates farmers in Madhya Pradesh on responsible use of crop protection products
Correct and responsible use of crop protection products by farmers, in terms of selection, dosage, application, safety and storage is of paramount importance for farmers.As a responsible agrochemical company Parijat is deeply committed to play its role in providing training to farmers with regard to responsible use of Crop Protection Products. Continuous and multi-pronged programs are carried on in different parts of the country and these efforts are now being intensified.Starting from May 2018 in Madhya Pradesh a continuous effort has been ongoing, wherein 12000 farmers have been provided training and through channel partners in various talukas and villages of the state. The program has consisted of 30 field demonstrations, 270 farmer sessions in Indore, Dhar, Ratlam, Bhopal, Vidisha, Guna, Hosangabad, Harda, Dabra, Khargone, Katni, Rewa, Sagar and other districts of the state.In its three-month program, representatives from Parijat Industries, Agricultural input dealers and ...
Surging CO2 to make 600mn Indians malnourished by 2050
The soaring levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) due to human activities are making staple crops such as rice and wheat less nutritious, which could result in nearly 600 millions people in India deficient in zinc and protein by 2050, warned a study.
Work on developing critical technologies for human space mission began in 2004: ISRO chief
India's space agency ISRO began work on developing critical technologies to send humans to space way back in 2004 but the project was not on the "priority list", its chief K Sivan said today. However, the political decision to take the project forward was taken by the government, Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced in his Independence Day speech that an Indian would be sent to space before 2022. "The experiments have been going on since 2004 but it was not on our priority list," Sivan told reporters at a joint press conference with Singh. That did not mean the Indian Space Research Organisation was not going to take up this project, he added. The decision to send humans to space was more of a political decision as ISRO's focus had been on undertaking projects that supported critical areas like communication, agriculture and climate, Singh said. "We had planned it and we were waiting for the prime ...
