Page 524 - Environment
Telangana CM orders officials to dispatch 500 tonnes of rice
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today asked state government officials to dispatch 500 tonnes of rice to rain-ravaged Kerala. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has thanked Rao for contributing Rs 25 crore financial assistance and officials of the state have also expressed gratitude to their Telangana counterparts for the help, an official release said. In addition to the financial assistance, the Telangana government has also sent water purifying machines and packets of a nutritious food for children in the rain-hit state, it said. "The officials of Kerala requested to help for the supply of rice and the Chief Minister responded immediately," it said. Rao has asked senior officials to dispatch 500 tonnes of rice and the latter immediately made arrangements for it, the release added.
Need to boost crop yield using less resources for doubling farmers income: Niti Aayog member
There is a need to boost crop productivity using less resources for achieving the target of doubling farmers' income by 2022, Niti Aayog member Ramesh Chand said today. He was at Krishi India 2018/Wellness India 2018 expo held at Pragati Maidan here on August 20-22. The expo is being organised by Exhibitions India Group and ITPO. "We should aim to get more productivity from less resource if we want to double farm income by 2022," Chand was quoted as saying in a statement. He also pointed out that export of water guzzling crops like paddy was not in the interest of the nation or its farmers. Chand also talked about rising per capita consumption of edible oils that has led to huge imports of cooking oils. In the inaugural session of expo, Minister of State for Tourism K J Alphons spoke about India being the country of wellness. "The healing powers (of traditional Indian systems of medicines) don't depend on chemicals; it rather depends on the earth. The products that heal us are ...
Address climate change at individual level: Telangana Chief
Action to address climate change begins at an individual level and all citizens can contribute in mitigating its impact, Telangana Chief Secretary SK Joshi said here today. "Climate change is one thing where you should not depend on anyone. All of us have to face ourselves and we are responsible for our own actions. I would say state action plan or national action plan is just the beginning. It should be the individual household action plan," he said. He was speaking at an event on 'climate change and sustainable development'. The individual action begins with consumption patterns being sustainable and how activities in daily life are conducted, he said. Citizens should be responsible in their own actions as individual activities leave a carbon footprint, Joshi said. Madhav Gadgil, a professor, had written a report about the Western Ghats in 1991 on the development process being followed, he said. "27 years, his 'Bhavishya Vani' has come true (an apparent reference to ...
Administration to groups to citizens: all pitch in to provide relief to flood-ravaged Kerala
Individuals, citizens' groups and government officials, including police personnel, in Gautam Buddh Nagar are extending a helping hand as Kerala reels under the fury of floods and rains. Incessant monsoon showers, the fiercest in last 100 years, have claimed 210 lives since August 8 and displaced over seven lakh people in Kerala. Active Citizens Team, a group of social workers with volunteers and members across the district said they are working in tandem with the Trade Union of Guatam Buddh Nagar to collect raw food material. "We are collecting rice, lentils, powdered wheat and biscuits. So far we have gathered around 10 'katte' (each weighing 25 kgs) of rice. Our target is to gather 25 'katte' by August 26," Harinder Bhati, a member of the Active Citizen Team, said. The group, which was formed in 2012 and has over 250 members in Noida, Greater Noida, Jewar and Dadri areas, is also collecting monetary donations. Bhati said they have collected nearly Rs 60,000 and are aiming at Rs ...
Forest dept imposes Rs 5 lakh fine on NCERT for cutting of trees
A fine of over Rs 5 lakh has been imposed on the NCERT for heavily pruning 33 trees and cutting five without permission from the forest department inside its campus on Aurobindo road here, an official said today. Acting on a complaint from an NGO on August 7, a team of forest rangers visited the campus of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) yesterday and found that five trees were cut and 33 heavily pruned, the forest department official said. Cutting and even pruning of trees require permission from authorities under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act. He said the NCERT campus had applied for permission to cut and prune trees, but before the forest department could take a look into the application, the trees were pruned and some cut. A report was submitted on August 8 by the forest rangers who visited the spot and a decision has been taken to impose a fine of over Rs 5 lakh on the NCERT registrar for the cutting of trees, the official said, adding that .
NGT sends Vedanta plea on Sterlite plant to panel headed by former judge
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today remitted mining company Vedanta's plea, challenging closure of its Sterlite copper plant at Tuticorin, to a committee headed by a former judge. A bench headed by chairperson A K Goel said a credible mechanism, through which rival contentions can be balanced and final view taken, has to be evolved. The green panel said that the committee, which will also include representatives of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, may visit the site and consider technical data. The tribunal asked the committee to assume work within two weeks and decide the matter within six weeks. It noted in its order that it cannot be ignored that the copper smelting plant contributed to copper production in the country and employed 1,300 people. "We are of the view that in substitution of the impugned orders, we have to hear before an independent body and remit the matter for fresh consideration before the committee," the bench ...
Malaysia makes record USD 12 mn rhino horn seizure
Malaysia has made a record seizure of 50 rhino horns worth an estimated USD 12 million at Kuala Lumpur airport as they were being flown to Vietnam, authorities said today. Customs officials found the parts in cardboard boxes on August 13 in the cargo terminal of the capital's airport, said Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim, head of Malaysia's wildlife department. The 50 rhino horns weighed 116 kilograms and are worth about 50 million ringgit (USD 12 million), he told AFP, adding that the seizure was "the biggest ever in (Malaysia's) history in terms of the number of horns and value". Vietnam is a hot market for rhino horn, which is believed to have medicinal properties and is in high demand among the communist nation's growing middle class. Trade in rhino horn was banned globally in 1977 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), but illegal hunters have decimated rhino populations to sate rampant demand in East Asia. A single kilo of rhino ...
NGT forms panel to decide fate of Vedanta's copper smelter
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday formed an expert committee headed by a retired judge to decide whether to allow Vedanta Limited to open its Sterlite Copper plant in Tuticorin, which was shut by the Tamil Nadu government on environmental grounds.
More than 1.35 lakh LED lights installed by power discom in north Delhi
Over one lakh energy-efficient LED streetlights have been installed replacing the conventional sodium vapour lamps by the power discom TPDDL in north Delhi. Under the second phase of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) project being executed by Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), more than 52,000 LED lights have been installed, said a spokesperson of the discom. The streetlight project is undertaken in 104 wards of the NDMC. The discom has already completed the first phase with more than 85,000 streetlight points converted to LED lights, he said. "The work in the second phase is also progressing at a full pace in which more than 52,000 LED lights already replaced, taking the total to 1,37,000 points. The second phase is expected to be completed by the end of this month." The project has helped TPDDL in achieving an "incredible" reduction of demand of street-lighting, thereby reducing the overall peak demand by more than 15 MW, translating into a "considerable" ...
SC surprised over report on Punjab spending environ funds to pay lawyers
The Supreme Court today said it was "surprised" over reports that the Punjab government had spent around Rs 86 lakh from the funds meant for compensatory afforestation, to pay lawyers appearing on its behalf before the NGT. "We are surprised that the payment (for the lawyers) was made out of CAMPA," the top court said, adding that if the report was correct, then it was a "misuse" of the fund. The Compensatory Afforestation Funds Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), created under the orders of the apex court on an environment-related matter, was meant to be used for afforestation. A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur referred to a media report which said that environmentalists in Punjab have questioned the Forest Department's move to spend around Rs 86 lakh to pay senior lawyers who were representing the state before National Green Tribunal (NGT) in a matter relating to Rs two crore deforestation case. "We are surprised that amount of Rs 86 lakh have been spent," the bench, ...
Sembcorp's Indian plant wins Bangladesh power supply tender
SINGAPORE/DHAKA (Reuters) - Singapore-listed Sembcorp Industries said its power plant in India won a tender to supply 250 megawatts of power to Bangladesh for 15 years.
Spikes to drive away elephants: SC asks Karnataka to file affidavit
The Supreme Court today asked the Karnataka government to file a detailed affidavit on the steps taken by it to remove spikes and fireballs which are used to drive away elephants, following a direction. The apex court had a few weeks ago termed as "barbaric" the use of spikes and fireballs to drive away elephants and had directed the states to desist from using such methods. The court's directions had come after it was told that these methods were being allegedly adopted in states like Karnataka, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. It was hearing a petition which had raised the issue of tenders for procuring spikes and fireballs allegedly issued in these states. Today, the Karnataka government told a bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur, S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta that in July itself, the state authority had written letters to all concerned officers to remove these spikes and the process was continuing. However, the counsel for the petitioner claimed that Karnataka has ...
Sembcorp wins bid to supply 250 MW power to Bangladesh
Sembcorp Energy India Ltd (SEIL) today said it has won a bid to supply 250 MW electricity to Bangladesh for 15 years. Sembcorp Gayatri Power, a subsidiary of SEIL, bid the lowest among half a dozen power utilities which submitted offers to Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) for the supply. "SGPL has received letters of intent from BPDB confirming its success in both the short term and long term bids, and supply of power is expected to commence soon upon completion of procedural requirements and relevant government approvals," the company said in a statement. It, however, did not reveal the price at which it will supply power to Bangladesh. BPDB had in February invited bids for buying 250 MW power from Indian firms for short duration (August 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019) and long-term (January 1, 2020, and July 31, 2033). Other bidders included Adani Power Mundra Ltd, Hindustan Power, Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd, Meenakshi Energy Pvt Ltd and Odisha Power Generation Corp ...
Gender Equity & Water Management program for govt. officials of Telangana inaugurated by Chief Secretary
A two-day Management Development Programme on Gender, Equity and Water Management aimed at building the capacity of Engineers in the Department of Irrigation and CAD to chalk out future directions in understanding and analysis of water inequalities specifically incorporating the gender component and the role of women was inaugurated today by Shailendra Kumar Joshi, Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana.Present on the occasion were Sh. B Kalyan Chakravarthy, Director General EPTRI; Ian Reid, Chief Academic Officer, ICE WaRM, Australia; Dr. Rajiv Seth, Pro-VC TERI SAS and Dr. Arun Kansal, Dean &Head of Department of Regional Water Studies at TERI SAS.In his inaugural address Shailendra Kumar Joshi, Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana reiterated the need for constant capacity development amongst officials towards water management practices especially with respect to gender equity, women's empowerment and women's rights in water management."As a state, Telangana has been ...
Fishermen refuse Rs 3,000 for saving lives
A leader of fishermen, who have won widespread praise by rescuing hundreds caught up in the Kerala floods, on Monday refused to accept Rs 3,000 offered to each member of the community by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
China says will keep providing aid to Pacific for sustainable development
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will continue to provide aid to Tonga and other countries in the Pacific to help them achieve sustainable development, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday, amid a mounting debt problem in the region.
Centre had denied info on Gadgil report under RTI: Ex-CIC
Information about an ecological report on the Western Ghats prepared by a panel led by noted expert Madhav Gadgil was initially denied under the RTI by the central government citing economic interests of the concerned states, a former CIC said today. Gadgil had headed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) set up by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. In its 2011 report, the panel had recommended classifying several areas of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive. The seven-year-old report has come into limelight following devastating floods in Kerala, after Gadgil said last week that it was a man-made disaster as illegal constructions on river beds and unauthorised stone quarrying in the southern state contributed to the calamity. Speaking to PTI, former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said today that he had asked the MoEF to make the report public in an order passed on April 9, 2012. Gandhi said the order followed a second appeal filed by an .
Optimistic about Mars Opportunity rover, says NASA
There's reason to be optimistic about Mars Opportunity rover that has been silent since June 10, after getting caught in a massive dust storm on the Red Planet that cut off solar power for the nearly 15-year-old rover, NASA said in a statement.
Month after ROB collapse: In a first, rlys orders third party audit of its bridges
Rainfall forecast for next 24 hours at: East: Most places: West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha; Many places: Jharkhand, Bihar; A few places: Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland-Manipur-Mizoram-Tripura; Isolated places: Arunachal Pradesh. North: Many places: East Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand; A few places: West Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, east Rajasthan; Isolated places: Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, west Rajasthan. Central: Most places: East Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh; Many places: West Madhya Pradesh. Peninsula: Most places: Konkan and Goa, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, coastal Karnataka, Kerala; Many places: Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, south interior Karnataka; A few places: Gujarat State, north interior Karnataka; Isolated places: Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu. Islands: Many places: Lakshadweep; A few places: Andaman and Nicobar. Kolkata Max 30.6 (-1.4) dc min 26.6 (0.3) New Delhi Max 33.0 (-0.8) dc min 27.0 (0.7) Chennai Max 35.6 (1.0) dc min 27.6 (2.0) ...
Pest attack, scanty rains to dent India cotton exports: trade body head
MUMBAI (Reuters) - India is likely to export 7 million bales of cotton in 2018/19, down 30 percent from an earlier estimate, as scanty rainfall and an attack of pink bollworms are likely to squeeze crop yields, the head of a leading trade body told Reuters.
