Page 60 - Environment
Leopard kills elderly woman in Maha village
A 65-year-old woman was mauled to death by a leopard in Gadbori village in the district early on Friday, forest officials said. The forest department suspects that the same leopard had killed a nine-month-old boy on Sunday in this village in Sindewahi tehsil. "The woman, identified as Gayabai Hatkar, was sleeping outside her house in Gadbori village. The leopard attacked her during the wee hours and dragged her towards the nearby jungle area," S V Ramarao, chief conservator of forests (Chandrapur circle), said. The victim's family members later found her missing from the place and also spotted blood stains in the courtyard, following which they alerted the forest officials. "The woman's body was recovered around 200 metres away from her house...We had recently caged a leopardess from the area and we suspect that a leopard is now creating a menace," the official said. A group of villagers held a protest before the forest officials and stopped them from carrying out the ...
India's forest cover increased by 1% in the last 5 years: Prakash Javadkar
India's forest cover has increased by one per cent in the last five years and similar progress will be made through people's participation, Union Minister for the environment, forest and climate change, Prakash Javadkar has said.Speaking to media during his maiden visit to Mumbai's National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) on World Environment Day on Thursday, he asked people to plant and help grow at least 10 trees as part of their contribution to protecting the environment.Javadkar was on his first official visit to Mumbai after taking charge as minister in the second Modi government. The minister planted three saplings at Gulshan Mahal, the historic building in Films Division that houses a part of NMIC, as part of the celebration of World Environment Day yesterday.Film personalities Anupam Kher, Jackie Shroff, Shyam Benegal, Kiran Shantaram, Varsha Usgaonkar and others were present on the occasion. The Minister expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all artists for coming together and
Outbreak of FAW not that serious, expect normal harvest:
A Mizoram Agriculture department official Friday expressed optimism that the state could expect almost normal harvest as the outbreak of Fall Army Worm (FAW) was not that "serious". Agriculture department Joint director James Lalsiamliana told PTI that the department officials were sent to the maize cultivation areas to gauge the extent of damage by FAW till date and the feedback received from them so far was positive. "We had earlier feared that the attacks of the swarms of FAW on the maize leaves and stems would be highly destructive having extreme adverse effects on the harvest," he said. The joint director said the resilient nature of the maize varieties in the state coupled with the coordinated efforts of the department officials and the maize farmers as well as rainfall were likely to mitigate the damage. He said that majority of the maize plants recovered and grew normally now, resulting in expectation of normal or near normal yield. The FAW outbreak hit the ...
Foodgrain stock in FCI kept safe ahead of monsoon: Paswan
Sitting on a foodgrain stock that is almost two times the required level, the government Friday said the reserves in the FCI godowns across the country have been "kept safe" ahead of monsoon. Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who reviewed the functioning of the Food Corporation of India (FCI), also said its officials have been directed to speed up the construction of modern silos with a capacity to store 10 million tonnes of foodgrain. The government's grain inventory has built up due to record production and procurement in the last few years. The reserves with the FCI are about twice the required level of 41.1 million tonnes, as on June 1. Southwest monsoon has been delayed and is expected to hit Kerala in the next couple of days. Asked if the government has taken measures to handle overflowing godowns during monsoon, Paswan said: "The foodgrain procured by the FCI is not kept open. It is kept safely in the godowns." Some quantity is kept in cover and plinth (CAP) storage and due care .
Russia fines fishing firm running 'whale jail'
A Russian court on Friday fined a fishing firm for illegally capturing killer whales and keeping them in an overcrowded "jail" in the country's far east. The company that supplies sea mammals to aquariums is one of four firms keeping 10 killer whales and 87 Beluga whales in a controversial facility near the port town of Nakhodka. Media have nicknamed it a "whale jail" due to its crammed pens and the company's controversial plans to sell the animals to aquariums om nearby China. A district court in the far eastern city of Vladivostok ruled that the White Whale company violated fishing regulations when it captured three killer whales, also called orcas, and ordered it to pay a fine of 28.1 million rubles (USD 432,000), news agencies and activists said. Local environmental activist Dmitry Lisitsyn, coordinator of Sakhalin Watch group, said he expected similar decisions about the rest of the killer whales and eventually Belugas. The fate of the Russian orcas and Belugas -- highly ...
Odisha allocates additional Rs 3,234 crore for Kalia scheme
Odisha government has allocated an additional Rs 3,234 crore for covering more farmers under the Kalia scheme during 2019-20, officials said on Friday. Under the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (Kalia) scheme, farmers get Rs 5,000 financial assistance per crop. A farm household is entitled to get Rs 10,000 per year for two crops (Kharif and Rabi), they said. According to a notification issued by the Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment department, in accordance with the state Cabinet's decision on May 29 to include 32.34 lakh additional beneficiaries under the scheme, more funds is being made available to ensure that all eligible beneficiaries get benefit. "It has been now been decided that a further additional 32.34 lakh small farmers/marginal farmers/actual cultivators (share croppers)/ landless agricultural households be included in the Kalia scheme during 2019-20, apart from the farm families already assisted in 2018-19, so that no one who .
Nipah Virus: Kerala Heath Minister K K Shailaja meets Harsh Vardhan
Kerala Health Minister K K Shailaja on Friday met Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and discussed the status and preparedness of her state for containment and management of Nipah Virus Disease."As we already have an encounter with Nipah virus last year, the state government was pro-active in dealing with the disease. As of now, the situation is totally under control and there's no need to panic," she told the media.Further, she said, "When Nipah virus hit Kerala last year, we urged the Centre to establish a regional Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) laboratory in Kozhikode district. In May 2019, the Indian Council of Medical Research also granted permission for the same after assessing the eligibility criteria on the ground."The estimated cost for the project would come around 8 crores, however, the minister has assured to extend help from the Centre, she added."Permission to hoist AIIMS in Kerala is something that we have been demanding from the Centre for a long time. I have also ...
OFB generates solar power, reduces power consumption cost
The Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) has significantly reduced cost of electricity consumption by generating solar power in its various units across the country, an official said here Friday. The OFB is working towards achieving the goal of meeting 45 per cent of its total energy requirements through the solar power route, the official said. The use of solar power has significantly reduced OFB's cost of electricity consumption from Rs 463.22 lakh during 2015-16 to Rs 163.78 lakh during 2018-19, he said. "As part of the ongoing efforts to promote ecologically sustainable growth to generate carbon-free clean energy and to reduce expenditure on electricity, the OFB is participating in the National Solar Mission to increase its solar power use to 45 per cent of total consumption," he said. The installation of grid-connected solar power projects in various OFB units have resulted in generation of approximately 1,47,12,072.14 units of electrical power till November 2018, he said.
Teen climate activist Greta Thunberg gets Amnesty prize
Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg was Friday awarded a prestigious Amnesty International prize for mobilising world public opinion on the looming peril of global warming. The 16-year-old issued a statement declaring it "a huge honour to receive Amnesty International's Ambassador of Conscience Award," saying it was recognition for everybody inspired by her "Fridays for Future" movement that has seen students strike from school to take part in climate protests. "To act on your conscience means that you fight for what you think is right," she said. To AFPTV, she said "it's amazing to get recognition like this". Thunberg, a fierce campaigner with a gift for public speaking, has become a figurehead for young climate activists internationally. International organisations often invite her to climate change events in an effort to put a human face on the fight to curb carbon emissions. Last week, she appeared alongside actor and former politician Arnold Schwarzenegger at a ...
Monsoon delayed, don't hurry with kharif sowing: Farmers told
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday said considering the delay in the onset of monsoon, SMS advisories have been sent to farmers in the state, asking them not to hurry with kharif sowing and take up the activity as per the rain predictions. He also said that despite less rains last year, the production of food grain was good due to the water conservation works undertaken in the last few years. Fadnavis was talking to reporters here after chairing a state-level kharif review meeting, attended by IMD officials, divisional commissioners, collectors, ministers and officials from agriculture, co-operative, animal husbandry departments. "Since the monsoon has got delayed, advisories have been sent out in the last three days, in which farmers have been advised not to hurry with sowing operations of cotton, soybean, paddy, sugarcane and take up the activity as per the rain predictions," he said in a press conference. He said five crore SMSs have been sent to ...
20% samples collected from 13 CETPs failed to meet standards in 2018-19, says AAP's Outcome Budget
One out of every five samples collected from the 13 common effluent treatment plants (CETP) in the national capital did not meet the prescribed standards during 2018-19, a document released by the AAP government Friday said. Of these 13 CETPs, five failed to meet the standards of total dissolved solids in June 2018. Fifteen percent of the effluent samples collected from sewage treatment plants failed to meet the prescribed standards, the Outcome Budget released by the AAP government said. The Outcome Budget tracks performance of 567 schemes and programmes of the Delhi government through nearly 2,000 quantifiable indicators. The 26 functional Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations in the national capital recorded air quality in the "severe and severe plus" categories on 24 days in 2018-19, it said. The Environment department issued 1,715 show cause notices and 827 orders for closure to various industrial units for violating pollution control laws. Eighty-three marshals were
NGT stays AP govt's Godavari-Penna interlinking projects for want of environment clearance
The National Green Tribunal has stayed the Andhra Pradesh government's Godavari-Penna interlinking projects due to lack of environmental clearance. A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel rapped the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board and said it has failed to perform its duty to take appropriate action as per law. "In view of undisputed position that neither there is EC as required nor there is Consent to Establish under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the project cannot be allowed till the requisite environmental requirements are met," it said in a recent order. "We restrain the State of Andhra Pradesh from proceeding further with the project in question till the requisite Environmental Clearance, Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate are taken under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention and ..
ICAR panel moots research on insects, tech, drones in farming
A high-level course review committee of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has mooted introduction of research at postgraduate and doctorate levels on edible insects, their therapeutic usage as well as robotic technology and drones in farming. The high-level course review committee comprised seven agriculture experts, and their recommendations were handed over to the ICAR last week after deliberations at state-run Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (JNKVV) here. The committee members comprised Dr Lingaraju S (nematology), Dr A Rehman (entomology), Dr B A Patel nematology), Dr K T Rangaswamy (plant pathology), Dr Makarand Joshi (plant pathology), Dr S Swaminathan (entomology) and Dr AK Bhowmick (entomology). "Now the ICAR will take a call on incorporating the committee's recommendations in the higher level courses," a panel member said. It was tasked to review the course curricula and syllabi for subjects covered under plant protection head - entomology ...
Messe Frankfurt India announces e-waste collection drive on World Environment Day
With Global Exhibition Day and World Environment Day being celebrated internationally on 5th June 2019, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India has announced an e-waste collection drive at their headquarters in Mumbai with an aim to spread major awareness about the lesser known hazards of electronic waste generated in the city."Messe Frankfurt strongly believes in investing beyond business, for the larger good of the society and long-term social and economic development. With Global Exhibitions Day being celebrated together with World Environment Day this year, our objective was to channelize resources towards creating awareness that will help industries and individuals become more environmentally aware and conscious of their carbon footprints", said Raj Manek, Executive Director and Board Member of Messe Frankfurt Asia Holding Ltd.E-waste has been a major threat to the environment with very little knowledge on how to manage it. Mumbai, in particular, tops the list of Indian cities ...
Forest dept having trouble implementing HC order to drug company to plant 1.4L trees
AAP government's forest department is finding it difficult to ensure compliance of the Delhi High Court direction to a drug company to plant 1.4 lakh saplings on the central ridge here, claiming the terrain and topography of the area would not support plantation in such large numbers. According to a report by two local commissioners appointed by the court, the department has claimed that the ridge topography is rocky with very thin top soil and there is space for only 3,500 saplings of deciduous indigenous variety. The high court's order to plant 1.4 lakh saplings came on a plea filed by pharma major Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) seeking contempt action against Venkatanarayana Active Ingredients Pvt Ltd, formerly Nutra Specialities Pvt Ltd, for breach of judicial orders not to manufacture and sell diabetes medication under the brand names used by MSD. After the Indian pharma company admitted to the breach of court orders and apologised for it, Justice Najmi Waziri had imposed a cost of .
Norms go up in smoke as 'illegal' brick kilns mushroom around Taj (IANS Exclusive)
Smoke-emitting chimneys of brick kilns, mushrooming in and around Agra, seem to be the cause for discoloration of the majestic Taj Mahal. Agra at present has 110 brick kilns out of which 47 do not have licence and NOC from the pollution board, says the latest report of the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) on the status of brick kilns.
Include children of forest personnel under scholarship scheme:
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to extend the ambit of the Prime Minister's Scholarship Scheme to include children of forest personnel killed in the line of duty. Gogoi in a letter to the prime minister, which was made available to the media on Friday, said that forest personnel are also government servants who often lose their lives in the line of duty. All forest staffs who work on field, forest guards, beat officers, deputy rangers and forest rangers are uniformed soldiers who have the authority to register cases under certain acts, arrest people, and carry weapons, the Congress MP said. "They are the police guarding our nature who have to routinely battle armed poachers, smugglers, illegal miners and encroachers and are also vulnerable to forest fires, diseases and attacks by animals", he said. India owes a great deal to the guarding of our forest and wildlife resources and as such "I request you to ensure that the government provides
Monsoon may be delayed but will be normal: Fadnavis
Maharastra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday reviewed drought situation in the state and expressed hopes of normal rainfall this year."IMD officials were present at the meeting. They have said that there will be normal rainfall this year and several districts in Maharashtra will receive rainfall. This is good news," said the chief minister after a state-level meeting on Kharif season preparations.Fadnavis, along with his cabinet minister Chandrakant Patil, held a state-level preparatory meeting with farmers on the issue of Kharif crop and reviewed the drought situation in the state."Monsoon will be delayed this year but officials said it will be normal," he said."We are working hard. So our farmers can avail services on time. We also are sending 5 crore messages to farmers to inform them of a delayed monsoon," the chief minister said at the press conference.Extending support from the government, Fadnavis said that banks have been instructed to give loans to farmers."Even if ..
NetBiz Celebrates Environment Day by Giving New Homes for Tulsi Saplings
/ -- The threat to our planet is a global issue that dates all the way back to the industrial era. While skyscrapers, technology, and progress have become buzzwords for universal well-being, Earth has been left to suffer for the effects of urbanisation. Pollutants are swarming into living and working spaces, temperatures around the world are rising with every passing season, flora and fauna species are going extinct, and mankind is forced to face new diseases that are endangering lives in millions. (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/899525/BeatAirPollution.jpg ) (Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/899526/Tulsi_plants.jpg ) This World Environment Day, the challenge is to combat air pollution - a major problem that has already brought in rapid deterioration of the atmosphere we live within. From agricultural waste to vehicle emissions, human sources for air pollution is slowly seeping into our daily lives, in ways that directly or indirectly affect our lifestyle. NetBiz ...
Mizoram continues fight against insect attack on crops
The Mizoram government is continuing the battle against the Fall Armyworm (FAW), an insect indigenous to the Americas, which has caused an estimated loss of Rs 20 crore to the maize crop in over 332 villages in the northeastern state, officials said on Friday.
