Page 533 - Environment
Make stand clear on firecrackers, curbing pollution: SC to Centre
The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre to make its stand clear on steps to curb pollution and about the ill-effects of firecrackers on public health, saying that there was a need to strike a balance between the right to health and the right to carry on a trade or profession.
Yamuna again crosses danger mark in Delhi
Almost two weeks after the water level in the Yamuna here receded, the river again started swelling up on Tuesday and has breached the danger mark to touch 205.30 meters.
Need to consider economic, health aspects of people on firecrackers ban: SC
A bench of justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan asked the Centre to file an affidavit giving details of measures to be taken for curbing pollution and what is the effect of firecrackers on the public
Groundnut procurement: Guj complains to Centre about lax Nafed
The Gujarat government today said that it had apprised the Centre about the alleged laxity on the part of the latter's cooperative marketer Nafed in procuring and storing groundnuts in the state. The issue has turned into a political slugfest between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress with the latter calling it a Rs 4,000 crore scam. The Congress had alleged that groundnut procured by various co-operative societies in Gujarat, especially in the Saurashtra region, were adulterated with sand and pebbles. Gujarat Agriculture Minister R C Faldu today said that his ministry had written to its Central counterpart with suggestions on improving the working of National Agriculture Co-operative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED). "In my letter to the Agriculture Ministry, I have suggested that NAFED should act more seriously during the entire procurement process. Since there was some laxity on the part of NAFED (in procuring groundnut in Gujarat), I have apprised the ...
Tribunal awards 13.42 tmcft Mahadayi water to Karnataka
The Mahadayi Water Disputes Tribunal on Tuesday awarded 13.42 tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) of the river water to Karnataka as against its demand for 36.66 tmcft, said an official statement.
4-ft-long python rescued in Delhi's Aya Nagar
A four-foot-long python was rescued after it was found coiled up on a scooter in a residential colony in Delhi's Aya Nagar area, a wildlife conservation NGO said today. The Indian Rock python is currently under observation and will soon be released back into its natural habitat, they said. The Wildlife SOS said on Monday that they were informed about the python by a resident of the colony, following which two expert snake rescuers reached the spot. Seeking shelter from the rain, the python had climbed onto a scooter which eventually created panic among the residents of the colony, the NGO said. During the monsoon season, many reptiles struggle to find a safe habitat in the deforested cities and end up around human habitats. Growing habitat destruction and encroachment is rapidly blurring the lines between cities and forests, said Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO of the Wildlife SOS. Most snakes are burrowing reptiles and they spend most of their time underground, but during ..
Minister, MP, MLA & INTACH oppose water aerodrome in Chilika
An Odisha minister, a ruling BJD MP, MLA and different organisations have opposed the Centre's proposal to set up a water aerodrome in the Chilika lake to promote tourism. The opposition followed an in-principle approval by the Union government to a proposal for setting up of five water aerodromes, including one at the Chilika lake, in the country. Odisha Revenue Minister Maheswar Mohanty, BJD MP Tathagat Satpahty, party MLA Sanjay Dasburma, INTACH and Lok Shakti Abhijan opposed the setting up of a water aerodrome in the Chilika lake. The ruling BJD also declined to welcome the proposal even though the state government in March this year had urged to Centre to set up a water aerodrome in Chilika lake. "Let the detailed project report (DPR) on the proposal come to the fore. We cannot welcome the project unless the party knows its impact on the environment and ecology," said BJD spokesman Sasmit Patra. Revenue Minister Maheswar Mohanty said: "We are opposed to such a ...
Mahadayi award; Karna says it will take appropriate decision
The Karnataka government today said it would take an appropriate decision on the final award of the Mahadayi Water Dispute Tribunal only after studying the report in detail and consulting relevant authorities. The Congress, the ruling coalition partner of Kumaraswamy's JDS, said Karnataka had not been given "full justice", while the opposition BJP welcomed the tribunal recommendations, saying it was a victory for farmers. While Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy was guarded in his response, his brother and PWD Minister H D Revanna, described the verdict as "shocking" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene to meet Karnataka's demand of additional 7.54 tmcft water. "The final award recommendation of the Tribunal is about 12 volumes and (government) will take appropriate decision only after studying it in detail and consulting with all concerned," Kumaraswamy said in a statement here. Kumaraswamy said he has already discussed the issue with officers of the Water ...
Mhadei verdict: BJP claims 'victory', Congress dubs ruling "unfortunate"
The Goa government on Tuesday claimed to have achieved a "major victory" after the Mhadei Inter-state Water Disputes Tribunal in its ruling on Tuesday, allotted 13.42 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) from the Mhadei river basin to Karnataka, as against 36.55 TMC demanded by the southern state.
Agri minister urges Moldova to explore farm imports from India
European country Moldova should consider importing agriculture items, including fruits and vegetables, from India, Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh said today. Singh said this in a meeting with Tudor Ulianovschi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova here. The minister called for strengthening traditional ties between the two countries by promoting closer cooperation in the agriculture sector, an official statement said. During his meeting, Singh highlighted the country's tremendous progress in the agriculture sector. He also spoke about the government's goal to double farmers' income by 2022 through a series of reforms, namely Soil Health Card, organic farming, crop insurance, irrigation, e-NAM etc. "We have achieved food security and have become a net exporter of agriculture commodities," Singh said. The minister said that the agriculture sector has immense opportunities and huge potential for both the countries and there is a ...
A message on elephant conservation through Gond mythological art
Gond artists have only their cultural stories to fall back on, renowned Gond painter Venkat Raman Singh Shyam says while pointing to his artworks on nature and elephants at the Gaj Mahotsav at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) here.
Rains subside in Himachal, road traffic restored
With rains subsiding in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday, authorities managed to restore traffic on almost all major roads, including Chandigarh-Shimla, Chamba-Pathankot and Chandigarh-Manali National Highways, an official said.
CAF Rules will pave way for transfer of Rs 50000-crore green fund to states: Vardhan
The recently-notified compensatory afforestation fund rules will pave the way for transfer of over Rs 50,000 crore to states and boost efforts towards restoration and enhancement of forest wealth, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said today. Noting that the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act will come into force from September 30 this year, Harsh Vardhan said the release of fund to states would help in creating the additional carbon sink to meet the nation's climate action goal of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. The CAF Rules 2018 were notified on August 10. He said that the CAF Bill was cleared by Lok Sabha in 2008, but it could not be passed in Rajya Sabha. "After coming to power in 2014, our government again took up the initiative and introduced the CAF Bill in 2015 and after a lot of debate in Parliament, the Bill was passed in 2016 and the CAF Act was published on August 3, 2016," he said. "The .
Swedish leader voices anger after dozens of cars are burned
Masked youths torched dozens of cars overnight in Sweden and threw rocks at police, prompting an angry response from the prime minister, who denounced an "extremely organized" night of vandalism. Police spokesman Hans Lippens said today that initial reports indicate that about 80 cars were set ablaze overnight, chiefly in Sweden's second largest city, Goteborg, and nearby Trollhattan, an industrial city. Fires were also reported on a smaller scale in Malmo, Sweden's third largest city. In Trollhattan, northeast of Goteborg, where at least six cars were burned, rocks were also thrown at police and roads were blocked. Goteborg is 400 kilometers (250 miles) southwest of Stockholm. Lippens said that because the fires started within a short period of time, "we cannot exclude that there is a connection between the blazes." Photos posted by Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet showed black-clad men torching cars on a parking lot near Goteborg. Sweden's news agency TT said witnesses had seen "masked ..
Ship that hit fishing boat identified
Investigating agencies have identified the vessel that allegedly slammed into a fishing boat off the coast here last week killing some fishermen on board. A joint probe by various agencies, including the Mercantile marine department and coastal police, has identified MV Desh Shakti as the ship that had hit the boat, MMD principal officer-cum-joint director, Ajith Kumar Sukumaran, said. The ship was anchored off Mangaluru coast after it was directed by the Navy which traced it last week. The initial probe had suggested the Indian ship's alleged involvement in the incident. Later, a scientific probe to establish the ship's involvement was conducted by officials of the Mercantile Marine Department, Coastal Police, Forensic Experts and underwater surveyors, the official said. "We have received a report from the probe team that it was M V Desh Shakti that had hit the fishing boat," he sad. Five fishermen were killed and two injured in the incident that occurred on August 7. A
Exclusive: UK's Quercus pulls plug on $570 million Iran solar plant as sanctions bite
OSLO (Reuters) - British renewable energy investor Quercus said it will halt the construction of a 500 million euro ($570 million) solar power plant in Iran due to recently imposed U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
K S Srinivas takes over as MPEDA chief
IAS officer K S Srinivas has taken over as the Chairman of the city-based Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), an agency under the Union Commerce Ministry. Prior to his new assignment, he had served as Joint Secretary in the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers' Welfare in the Ministry of Agriculture, an MPEDA release said here today. He assumed charge of MPEDA yesterday, it said.
WADA head Reedie not to seek re-election
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President Craig Reedie on Tuesday confirmed that he would leave his post in 2019 November.
Only 12 breeding pairs of Australian rare bird left
The last 12 breeding pairs of the beach stone-curlew bird indigenous to the Australasia region are under threat from feral foxes in New South Wales (NSW).
23-yr-old man drowns in Tangri river in Haryana
The body of a 23-year-old man, who had drowned in the Tangri river near Ambala Cantt, was recovered today, police said. The incident took place last evening. According to the police, Shivam was a migrant labourer and had come to Ambala from Faizabad in search of a job. The divers, who were pressed into service to trace him, found his body in the bushes, near the bank of the river. Shivam had fallen into the river, which was in spate. Two of his friends, who were accompanying him, had managed to reach the river bank safely, but Shivam was swept away by the swirling waters. The Tangri river has been flowing in spate since yesterday and the water had also entered some of the adjoining colonies along the banks. It generally remains dry throughout the year, but during the rainy season, especially after heavy rainfall in catchment areas in the hills of Himachal Pardesh, the water level of the river rises.
