Page 604 - Environment
Farmers in Himachal using anti-hail nets to protect apple groves
As hailstorm continues to damage the crops, apple farmers in Himachal Pradesh have now have started covering apple groves with anti-hail nets.The farmers said that these nets, which costs them Rs. 600 and Rs. 800 approximately, protect the crops in hail prone areas, like Rohru, Narkanda, Rampur, Jubble, Kotkhai Theog, Kotgarh, and Chopal.Earlier, a dozen of anti-hail guns were installed by the government, which the farmers stated were not so successful.A farmer, named Amar Singh Nalva, said, "The farmers have been benefitted to a great extent by these anti-hail nets. Another benefit of these nets is that it stops the extra growth of the plants."Director of horticulture, Manohar Lal Dhiman said, "The anti-hail nets should be installed before the setting up of the crop after the flowering. With the climate changing, the demand of anti-hail nets has gone up high as this is the best way for farmers to protect their crop with qualitative and quantitative fruits of apple.""More funds are ..
China launches new Beidou navigation satellite
China on Tuesday sent a new Beidou navigation satellite into the orbit on a Long March-3A rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province.
'Zero-budget farming to help double farmer's income'
NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Rajiv Kumar on Monday said that zero budget natural farming (ZNBF) is one of the most potent methods to double the farmers' income by 2022."A paradigm shift is needed in Indian agriculture because if you want to double farmers' income. You have to not only look after the prices, but it is much more important to reduce the cost of agriculture. Zero budget natural farming is one of the most potent methods of achieving it," said Kumar.Highlighting how almost five lakh farmers from different states are already working on zero budget natural farming, the Vice Chairman said, "not only does this have the potential for India, but also has a global appeal and global potential."Talking about how states have been co-operating for the execution of the same, Kumar said that pilots of ZBNF will be initiated here and will then be validated by scientists.Under ZBNF, neither fertilizer nor pesticide is used, rather only 10 percent of water is used for irrigation, as compared ..
Starbucks to phase out plastic straws as opposition to them grows
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Starbucks Corp said on Monday it will begin phasing out use of plastic straws at its restaurants by 2020, giving environmentalists a sizeable victory in their campaign to convince restaurants to abandon plastic utensils.
Gadkari urges Puri to expedite SWM projects in 97 towns along Ganges
Union Water Resources Minister Nitin Gadkari today urged the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to expedite solid waste management projects in 97 towns along the Ganges, according to an official statement. The towns identified for the projects are spread over five states: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. In a meeting with Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Gadkari said ways should be explored for re-using the waste material generated in these towns for example using plastic waste for road construction or making compost and fertilizers. Construction and detailed project report making should be fast-tracked, he said. Gadkari also asked the MoHUA to ensure proper arrangements for tapping of solid waste entering into the river through drains, disposal of the collected waste from ghats and river banks, and door-to-door waste collection. During the meeting, emphasis was given on the need for similar interventions in important towns along .
Goa Minister wants bison herd tranquillised, relocated
After a young woman was killed on Monday in a bison attack, Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane demanded the tranquilisation and relocation of a herd of Indian bison or 'gaur' in Sattari sub-district.
'One farmer one transformer' scheme in Maharashtra from Aug 15
In order to reduce electricity losses, the Maharashtra government will next month launch a new scheme allocating one transformer per farmer, said Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule in the assembly today. The scheme, "one farmer one transformer", will be unveiled on August 15, he said, replying to a debate on supplementary demands of his department. Bawankule said electricity losses are a whopping 50 per cent in some places and the government wants to bring it down to 15 per cent. Two lakh farmers will be given electricity connection for high voltage distribution line which will ensure uninterrupted power supply, he said. Forest Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, while replying to demands of his department, announced a Rs 2 lakh hike in the compensation given to the kin ofpeople killed in attack by wild animals. Each affected family will now get Rs 10 lakh instead of Rs 8 lakh earlier, he said, adding Rs 3 lakh will be given in cash and remaining as deposit. Similarly, ...
Amity University installs on-site solar plants at its campuses
Amity University has adopted onsite solar power in its Jaipur, Manesar and Gwalior campuses in association with CleanMax Solar. CleanMax solar has installed on-site solar plants in its Jaipur, Manesar and Gwalior campuses with a cumulative capacity of 1.8 MWp, CleanMax Solar said in a statement. Based on the 'pay as you go' or commonly known as OPEX' model, the CleanMax Solar has provided solar power to Amity University at a tariff, cheaper than the grid electricity tariff, thereby ensuring cumulative savings of over Rs one crore per annum. "The total solar installations across the three Amity Universities campuses is 1.8 MW capacity, thereby abating 2,265 tonnes of CO2 and which means it has the potential take almost 480 passenger vehicles off road per year," Gajanan Nabar, CEO, CleanMax Solar, said.
Italian energy major makes second oil strike in Egypt's Western Desert
Rome, July 9 (IANS/AKI) Italy's oil and gas giant Eni on Monday announced a second light oil discovery in the Egyptian Western Desert.
Patnaik inaugurates Bhubaneswar Operations Centre
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated several projects including the state-of-the art Bhubaneswar Operations Centre (BOC) as part of smart city initiative. Patnaik inaugurated the command and control centre for the city and the new Smart City Office. He also dedicated the Smart Parks in Saheed Nagar and City-wide Solar Powered Adaptive Traffic Signal System, to the citizens of the Temple City. Along with inauguration of these three completed projects, Patnaik also laid the foundation stone for a Sensory Park for children with special needs in Saheed Nagar and an Integrated Public Service Centre (IPSC) at Bapuji Nagar. The first-of-its-kind centralized command and control centre will monitor, operate, and control existing services of the city. The Adaptive Traffic Signal System, tracking of buses and municipal vehicles along with Grievance Redressal System is being operationalised at present from BOC. The operations centre is envisaged to be developed ...
Union Cabinet okayed Rs 4,500 cr for development projects: NEC secy
The Union Cabinet has sanctioned Rs 4,500 crore for the ongoing development projects in northeast states for a period of three years, beginning financial year 2017-18, an official of the North Eastern Council (NEC) said today. The NEC has to ensure "maximum utilisation" of existing funds for completion of the ongoing schemes, its secretary Ram Muivah said at a plenary session here. "As against a demand for Rs 7,500 crore, the Union Cabinet has approved Rs 4,500 crore for a period of three years. The optimum use of the existing funds would enable the NEC to approach the Ministry of Finance for additional funds during the FY 2018-19," he said. The two-day NEC plenary, with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh as the chairperson, has been organised here to discuss development work with chief ministers and governors of northeast states, in the presence of Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh. Muivah, while talking about the status of the ...
Delhi's peak power demand touches new record at 6,998MW
The peak power demand of Delhi broke previous records to hit an all-time high of 6,998 MW on Monday, the State Load Dispatch Centre (SLDC) reported.
Niti Aayog wants states to promote zero budget natural farming
NITI Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar today made a case for promoting Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)in states, saying it would help in doubling farmers' income by 2022. Under ZBNF, neither fertiliser nor pesticide is used and only 10 per cent of water is to be used for irrigation as compare to traditional farming technique. Farmers use only local seeds and produce their own seeds. Kumar said that states can promote ZBNF under the two farm sector schemes- Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. "50 lakh farmers are working on zero budget farming in different states," he said, adding that not only it has potential for India but it also has global potential. The NITI Aayog vice-chairman was addressing a press conference after meeting with principal secretaries (agriculture) of states, representatives from agriculture universities, institutes, farmers and practitioners. Speaking at the same occasion, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ...
Steel minister directs SAIL to take steps to free land from encroachers
The Steel Ministry today directed state-owned SAIL to take steps to free its land from encroachers in different parts of the country. Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh during a meeting with officials of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) here expressed serious concern over encroachment of land in different plants and units of SAIL in the country, the ministry said in a statement. All encroachments "need to be removed on a priority basis for the next phase of modernisation and expansion of SAIL", the minister said. Singh also directed SAIL officials to issue notices to the encroachers. The state-run steel maker can also take help of law enforcement agencies of the respective states to remove encroachments and illegal constructions, the minister has said. SAIL has five integrated steel plants namely Bhilai Steel Plant in Chattisgarh, Durgapur Steel Plant and IISCO Steel Plant in West Bengal, Rourkela Steel Plant in Odisha and Bokaro Steel Plant in Jharkhand. Besides, it has three
ADB approves USD 503 mln lining project of the Son canal in Bihar
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved USD 503-million lining project of the Son canal in Shahabad-Bhojpur region of Bihar which would benefit the agriculture sector immensely in the region, the power ministry said today. Power and New & Renewable Energy R K Singh today held a meeting with the officials from the ADB and the finance ministry to review the progress of lining project of the Son canal, the ministry said in a release. Singh asked the ADB and the finance ministry officials to fix a timeframe for the completion of the project. It was agreed during the meeting that the finance ministry will give permission to appoint consultants by July 17, 2018, and the ADB consultants will start their work by the end of July, it added. Singh also instructed that process of design study, consultation with stakholders, feasibility report, preparation of tenders etc. should be expedited and the tender for the first phase of the lining of the main canal and branches should be ...
HC rejects Sterlite copper plant's plea for restoring power supply to unit
The Madras High Court today rejected a plea of the closed Sterlite copper plant in Tuticorin for restoring power supply to the unit to deal with an acid leak, observing that the government authorities were already carrying out the work on removal of the chemicals properly. Justices C T Selvam and A M Basheer Ahamed of the Madurai Bench dismissed the petition by the Vedanta group company, seeking temporary restoration of power supply for the unit, which has been disconnected after the government ordered its permanent closure in May following protests. The judges were convinced with the submission of the government that the chemicals, including sulphuric acid, were being removed as per the recommendations of the high-level experts committee. The experts had recommended removal of some chemicals should be made within 90 days, the government counsel said. The judges said there was no need to restore power supply as the government itself was doing the job of removing the chemicals ...
Expedite work of Musi Riverfront Development: CS to officials
Telangana Chief Secretary S K Joshi today asked officials to expedite the works of Musi Riverfront Development project and double bedroom houses for the poor in the city limits. Joshi, who held a meeting with officials, directed that a special officer be appointed to coordinate with district Collectors and government departments in connection with the Musi Riverfront Development works, an official release said. The state government has proposed to develop the Musi, a river currently plagued by pollution and encroachments, on a grand scale. The Musi river flows through Hyderabad and also Vikarabad and other districts. Joshi suggested that a survey to identify encroachments on the Musi riverbed be undertaken, the release said. On the construction of two bedroom houses for the poor in the city, Joshi told the officials to speed up works at 109 places (in the city) where they have been taken up. The Chief Secretary, who presided over the 12th meeting of the Unified ...
Delhi's peak power demand at record 6,998 MW, BSES gears up
Peak power demand in Delhi broke all records on Monday to touch the highest mark of 6,998 MW, and to meet the unprecedented demand, the two BSES distribution companies (discoms) in the capital said they have taken measures like long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and banking arrangements with various states, as well as with neighbouring Bhutan.
Don't congest middle part of Delhi
Coming down heavily on axing trees, the Delhi High Court on Monday recommended civic authorities not to congest middle part of the city and utilise outer part for building residential complex.
HC notice to Centre, TN over elephant menace in human habitats
The Madras High Court today directed the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department to respond to a plea seeking measures to prevent destruction caused by wild elephants in human habitats in the Palani Hills region. Hearing a PIL, first Bench comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice PT Asha ordered the Union and state Forest and Environment Departments to file a report and posted the matter for further hearing to August 6. In the public interest litigation, petitioner A R Gokulakrishnan said a herd of 25-50 elephants was straying into human habitats, where approximately 2.5 lakh families live, and destroy plantations growing banana, butter fruit, mandarin oranges and cash crops among others. Further, the petitioner said he had sent two representations in December last year, seeking remedial measures to prevent the menace of elephants and sought a court direction to consider his pleas.
