Page 561 - Environment

States asked about giving flowers offered in temples to widows for earning livelihood: Centre to SC

The Centre today told the Supreme Court that it has asked all states to respond to a suggestion on widows, living in shelter homes, using flowers offered in temples to earn a livelihood by making perfume, coloured powder or incense sticks. A bench comprising Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta was also informed by the government that it would not be possible to have convergence of several schemes meant for destitute women and widows due to several issues, including cultural diversity. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) A N S Nadkarni told the bench that the Centre has already informed all the states on the issue of floral offerings in temples across the country and some states have responde as well. He said that repair works of widow homes at Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh was almost complete and maintenance of such homes across the country would be done by the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Ltd (HUDCO) and the states would give their respective contribution in this regard .

UPS partners with LA-based startup to develop electric delivery truck

(Reuters) - United Parcel Service Inc said it would partner with a Los Angeles-based company to develop an electric medium-duty delivery truck, as the package delivery company expands its fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Bangladesh PM opens satellite ground stations

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday officially opened two ground stations for "Bangabandhu Satellite-1", the country's first.

How carbon leak may have led to human civilisation

An increase in the activity of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Southern Ocean could explain the mysterious growth of human civilisation 11,000 years ago, says a study.

Jharkhand govt to buy milk produced by state's farmers to

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said that the state government would buy milk produced locally as part of the goal to double the income of the farmers by 2022. The CM said that by increasing milk production the farmers of the state could tap a whopping Rs 400 crore rural economy which presently was going to milk supplied from other states. There will be no need to find a market to sell milk to the cattle owners. The government will buy milk through Medha Dairy, he said. "With the arrival of 400 crore rupees in rural economy, the prosperity of the villagers will increase. By 2022 the aim of doubling the income of farmers will be met, an official release said quoting Das. Das was speaking after inaugurating the Cattle Feed Plant, laying foundation stone of the Product Dairy Plant and introducing free Gift Milk Programme for school children here. He said 'Gift Milk Programme' is going to be a major step towards giving nutritious food to the children. It is being

Rawat asks people to stop using polythene

Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today urged the people of Uttarakhandto stop using polythene bags, warning that the government would sternly deal with the polythene users from tomorrow. The use of polythene bags does not only pollute the environment but also causes immense harm to the agriculture, animals and birds, said an official release, quoting the chief minister. Making an appeal to the people to stop using polythene bags to keep the state clean, the chief minister said stern action would be taken against polythene users from August 1. Noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made cleanliness and sanitation a mass movement, he asked people to make their contribution to the campaign by stopping the use of polythene.

No consent given to AMD for exploratory drilling : Meghalaya

Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong today denied that his government has not given its consent to Atomic Mineral Division(AMD) for exploratory drilling of minerals in uranium-rich Wahkaji village in South West Khasi Hills district. The statement came in the wake of three AMD officials, including a scientist, being assaulted last week at Wahkaji where they were involved in exploratory drilling of minerals. The state government has instructed district deputy commissioner I Laloo to seek clarification from the AMD in this regard, Tynsong told PTI. Stating that no consent was given to AMD for exploratory drilling of uranium deposits, he said the state cabinet has unanimously decided to stop all such activities in South West Khasi Hills district. The decision would be reverted only if the people feel that there is a full proof mechanism and protection from the radiation effects of uranium, Tynsong said. The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, a tribal ...

MP govt launches mobile app for farmers

Farmers in Madhya Pradesh can now claim damages for crops, seek guidance and register themselves for various welfare schemes through a mobile application, which was launched here today by the state government. Addressing a press conference, Minister for Revenue, Science and Technology Umashankar Gupta also said the state government had sorted out 12 lakh revenue-related cases in the last few months. The BJP government had last year launched "Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana"--a direct benefit transfer scheme--for farmers in the wake of the widescale protests by the agriculturists seeking better prices for crops. "Now, the farmers can make self-declaration about the crops they have sowed, so they can get proper compensation in case of damage caused to crops. Farmers can also avail copies of maps of land owned by them," the minister said, adding that all information related to the land of the farmers would also be available on the app. The minister listed various features of the ..

CM to launch drive to plant over lakh saplings tomorrow

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao would launch a drive to plant 1,00,116 saplings at Gajwel near here tomorrow as part of the state governments green campaign 'Haritha Haram.' State Chief Secretary SK Joshi, who held a meeting with officials on 'Haritha Haram' (green necklace), stressed the importance of providing water facility and geo-tagging the plants to ensure their growth, an official release said. The campaign was launched with the aim of increasing green cover in the state from the present 24 per cent to 33 per cent. Under the programme, which began in 2015-16, 81.60 crore saplings had been planted in three phases till 2017-18. The target is to plant 40 crore saplings in the fourth phase (2018-19).

Beijing urges Washington to refuse Taiwan President's stopover in US

The Chinese government on Tuesday urged Washington not to allow Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen to make a stopover in the US during her official visits to Belize and Paraguay, a day after Taipei said she would transit through Los Angeles and Houston.

Yeddyurappa seeks to know Gowda's contribution as PM

BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa today sought to know what contribution H D Deve Gowda had made as the country's Prime Minister. Yeddyurappa made the remarks while addressing Lingayat seers who staged a demonstration at Belagavi against alleged injustice meted out to North Karnataka. The seers demanded an overall development of North Karnataka but did not support bifurcation of the state. "Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda has asked what contribution (former chief ministers) Nijalingappa, S R Bommai and Veerendra Patil have made for North Karnataka. While giving such statements, he should think what he had contributed as the prime minister of India. We should avoid making accusations and counter-accusations," Yeddyurappa said. A large number of Lingayat seers, including Shivalingeshwara Swamiji of Nidasoshi Math, Chandrashekhar Shivacharya Swamiji of Hukkeri and Naganur Rudrakshi Math pontiff Siddharam Swamiji, took part in the protest. Yeddyurappa, however, did not

Faith versus flood fear at Kerala's Iduki dam

The Idukki dam, where the water level is inching up towards the danger level, has come to symbolise the tenuous ties between faith and the fear of floods. A 'puja' was performed on Tuesday, praying for the dam gates to remain shut so that nearby areas escape flooding. The last time the gates were opened was in 1992.

Floodwater washes away Yamuna's stink, experts say river 'healthiest' this year yet

The water quality in the Yamuna has improved significantly due to a rise in inflow of floodwaters, and the river at its "healthiest" state this year yet, experts have said. The improvement is largely due to the increased oxygen content of the water which cleanses the river and helps keep pollutants in check, they said. One of the most important rivers in the country, Yamuna passes through Uttarakhand, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. It merges with the Ganga at Allahabad. Yamuna has earned the unpleasant distinction of being one of the most polluted rivers in the country, but experts said the quality of water has improved in the last two days due to increased flow. Yesterday, the water level in Yamuna surpassed the danger mark of 204.83 metres, forcing evacuation of around 10,000 people from the low-lying areas, after around 5,13,554 cusecs was released by the Hathini Kund barrage. Experts also highlighted that the water quality improves every year during monsoon, when the river ...

Mars set to appear brighter tonight

Don't forget to look up and catch a glimple of a brigher Mars tonight as the Red Planet makes its closest approach to Earth in 15 years on Tuesday when the two planets will be 57.6 million kilometres apart.

Bacteria too can become extinct: Study

Bacteria go extinct at substantial rates, according to a study which contradicts the widely held notion that the microbes rarely die off because of their very large population. The study, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, used massive DNA sequencing and big data analysis to create the first evolutionary tree encompassing a large fraction of Earth's bacteria over the past billion years. "Bacteria rarely fossilise, so we know very little about how the microbial landscape has evolved over time," said Stilianos Louca, a researcher at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. "Sequencing and math helped us fill in the bacterial family tree, map how they have diversified over time, and uncover their extinctions," Louca said. The researchers estimate between 1.4 and 1.9 million bacterial lineages exist on Earth. They were also able to determine how that number has changed over the last billion years - with 45,000 to 95,000 extinctions in the last million years .

Garment industry seeks lifting of ban on polybags

Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) today appealed to the government of Tamil Nadu to exempt polybags from the list of banned plastic items, as the restriction would affect the garment industry. In a letter to the State Chief Minister K Palaniswami, a copy of which was released to the press, president of the association Raja M Shanmugham said there were no environmental issues with polybags, which were recycled and used for packaging of garments meant for the export and domestic markets. "There is no alternative to polybags when it comes to packaging," he said. "We wish to note that polybag is included in the list of the banned plastic items... polybag is used for packaging of the garments meant for the export and domestic markets. So, the ban of polybags will bring the garment industry to a standstill as there is no alternative to packaging of the garments," Shanmugham said. Even environment-conscious countries insist on use of polybags for packaging, he said. However,

Cane arrears to farmers down to Rs 16,600 cr: Govt

Sugarcane arrears to farmers have come down to Rs 16,600 crore from the peak of Rs 23,232 crore in May-end due to various measures taken by the government to help the sugar industry, Parliament was informed today. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs C R Chaudhary said the liquidity position of sugar mills has improved with increase in the ex-mill prices of sugar to Rs 30-33 per kg from 24.5-26 per kg in May. The cane price arrears peaked to Rs 23,232 crore at the end of May based on the State Advised Price (SAP) fixed by the state governments, he said. On the basis of the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) announced by the Centre, the peak arrear was Rs 14,538 crore. The minister said that the arrears were high due to fall in sugar prices because of record production. "As a result of various measures taken by the government, the cane price arrears have come down to Rs 8,153 crore and Rs 16,600 crore on FRP and SAP basis, respectively, as on .

No plan to create satellite towns around major cities: Govt

The government is not considering any proposal to create satellite towns around major cities in the country, Parliament was informed today. The information was shared by Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri in a written reply in Lok Sabha. "The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has no proposal to create satellite towns around the major cities in the country," Puri said.

Solar water pumps can help India surpass 100 GW target :Report

India can surpass the target of attaining 100 GW solar energy by 2022 provided it replaces all traditional water pumps by solar water pumps, said a study. According to the report, these grid-connected, net metred solar pumps will also play an important role in providing secondary income to farmers, while giving them access to quality power for irrigation. The analysis was released at a conference hosted by Greenpeace India, GERMI, and IWMI-Tata Program to discuss necessary steps for successful implementation of KUSUM a government scheme promoting solar irrigation pumps. At present, while the 60 GW target for large scale solar is on track, the 40 GW target for rooftop solar is still to gather momentum, with only 2.4 GW of total rooftop capacity installed as of March 2018, it said. A preliminary assessment shows that replacing 100 per cent of all agricultural consumption in the next five years would require a total solar PV installed capacity of close to 150 GW. This is far more than ..

Safeguard duty on solar cells likely to increase bid tariffs, says ICRA

Safeguard duty imposed by the government on imported solar cells is likely to push up solar bid tariffs and may not increase domestic manufacturing capacity of these items in the near term, credit rating firm Icra said today. Following the recommendations of the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), the finance ministry issued a notification yesterday, imposing 25 per cent safeguard duty on solar cells (assembled into modules or not) imported from China and Malaysia. Sabyasachi Majumdar, Group Head - Corporate ratings, Icra, said: "The imposition of safeguard duty is likely to increase the bid tariffs to Rs 2.9-3.1 per unit for the upcoming bids. For the project already bid out, the amendment to bidding norms approved in April 2018 allowing pass-through of changes in taxation, duties and cess would allow the developers to pass through the tariff increase to the off-takers. "However, the timely approval by the regulators and pass-through of the tariff increase to the off-takers