Page 637 - Environment
Making agriculture sustainable, profitable top priority: Naidu
Making agriculture sustainable and profitable should top the agenda of both central and state governments as food security is the key foundation of national security, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu said here today. He was speaking at the concluding session of the two-day National Consultation on Agriculture at Vaikunth Mehta National Cooperative Institute of Management here. "Farmers have contributed immensely in transforming our nation into an exporter of food grains and we owe a lot to them," he said. Food security is central to national security and farmers are continuously ensuring it, he said. "That is why our nation salutes farmers and says Jai Kisan!", he added. "While farmers are ensuring food security, our armed forces guarding our country are ensuring national security. They have demonstrated highest standards of professional excellence and are among the best in the world. We salute their sense of dedication and say Jai Jawan!, Naidu said. The nation also owes .
To control Gurugram traffic violations, Haryana to issue e-Challans
To control traffic violations, e-Challans (electronic traffic tickets) will now be issued in Haryana's Gurugram on the pattern of the same being done in Chandigarh, an official said on Friday.
Rlys to act against passengers violating Maha plastic ban
The Railways today said that it would initiate action against those violating the Maharashtra government's plastic ban which comes into effect from Saturday. "We are in touch with state government agencies to enforce the ban. After getting the nod of state authorities, we will start penalising passengers who are in possession of banned plastic items," Central Railway Chief Commercial Manager Shailendra Kumar told PTI. Western Railway chief spokesperson Ravinder Bhakar said that its had formed teams to implement the ban and fines would be levied on violators. He added that WR, under the Swachh Bharat Mission, had installed plastic bottle crusher machines at several stations to dispose of plastic waste in an environment-friendly manner. Both WR and CR, along with IRCTC, plan to install such crushing machines at more stations and inside coaches as well, officials said. Shriprakash Kedia, a member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative committee (DRUCC) at Central ...
Sufficient electricity for Delhi, but coal stock still low: Jain
Power supply in the national capital is "sufficient" and the level of load shedding faced in June was the "lowest" when the city's electricity demand hit an all-time high, Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain today said. Interacting with reporters here, Jain also said, the power subsidy scheme for tenants is also likely to be announced soon. "The average load shedding (percentage) for this month (June 1-19) is 0.08 per cent. On June 11 it was 0.13 per cent. The corresponding average figure in 2017 was 0.1 per cent and in 2016 it was 0.23 per cent," according to data shared by Jain. Delhi's peak electricity demand had hit an "all-time high" of 6,934 MW this summer at 3:28 pm on June 8. "It (load shedding percentage) is still lowest in the country. And, our electricity supply is sufficient as of now," he claimed. Jain, however, again cautioned that coal stock in plants had "risen" but still below ideal requirement. "The stock level had dipped to less than a day last month, now the ...
UAE, South Africa team-up for space exploration
Vienna, June 22 (IANS/WAM) The UAE Space Agency and the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) signed an MoU for cooperation in the areas of peaceful exploration of the outer space.
NBCC India appointed as 'implementing agency' for construction of Vanijya Bhawan
State-owned construction firm NBCC (India) Ltd today said it has been appointed as the implementing agency to construct Vanijya Bhawan, to be developed at a cost of Rs 226.83 crore, whose foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Vanijya Bhawan, which will come up on Akbar road in Lutyen's Delhi, will house the commerce ministry. "The total cost of the project is Rs 226.83 crore," NBCC said in a statement. The project will be spread across an area of 4.3 acres with a built-up area of 39,500 square metres, of which ground coverage shall be 22 per cent only. "The Vanijya Bhawan will comprise G+5 stories with two basements and have a parking capacity of 444 cars," the statement said. Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep S Puri said: Vanijya Bhawan will be a green and smart building and will eventually become a global hub for trade promotion and policy. I am confident that NBCC will be able to complete the project by third quarter of 2019. NBCC's CMD Anoop Kumar
Kannur-Mysuru road repair work to be done on war footing:Kar
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was today informed by his Karnataka counterpart H D Kumaraswamy that steps have been taken to repair the Kannur-Makootam-Perumbadi-Mysore road, which links the two states, on a war-footing. The road had been damaged in the recent heavy rains that lashed north Kerala. Instructions have also been issued to restore vehicular movement on the road, Vijayan was informed. The Karnataka government had stopped traffic on the stretch for a month and diverted vehicles through another route after severe damage to the road in the heavy rains. Vijayan had written to the Karnataka chief minister, seeking immediate repair of the road and restoration of traffic on the Thalassery-Mysuru Inter-state highway and had also spoken to Kumaraswamy when they met at New Delhi on June 17, a goverment press release said. On instructions from Vijayan, Principal secretary (Public Works) Kamala Vardhana Rao, met the Karnataka chief minister and Public works ...
AAP up in arms against Centre's redevelopment plan
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj today claimed that the Centre was planning to cut a whopping 17,000 trees in the national capital as part of its redevelopment plan, even as the party mulls a Chipko movement-like protest against the move. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs had yesterday said 14,031 trees would be cut out of the existing 21,040 trees for the redevelopment of seven south Delhi colonies of Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Mohammadpur, Sriniwaspuri, Kasturba Nagar and Thyagaraj Nagar. Bharadwaj claimed that the plan involved construction of flats for politicians and bureaucrats. On being asked whether his party would adopt a campaign similar to the popular Chipko movement, the AAP spokesperson said, "It is a good idea. We will think about it". The Chipko movement was started in Garhwal region of Uttarakhand in 1970s by environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna, under which people embraced trees as and when efforts were made to cut them. Bharadwaj said ...
Prepare Maharashtra integrated water plan by July 15: Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said that the state will have an integrated water plan and directed officials to prepare it by July 15 and place it before the State Water Council for approval. He was speaking at the 5th meeting of the council here today which was also attended by Water Resources minister Girish Mahajan and Industries minister Subhash Desai. During the meeting, Fadnavis approved the water plans for Krishna, Narmada, Tapi, Paschim Vahini and Mahanadi basins. The integrated water plan for Godavari basin was approved by Fadnavis in November last year. With this, the water plans for all six basins in the state now stand approved and it would help in completing pending irrigation projects as well as encourage effective use of water, a statement from the chief minister's office said. He directed that a study group be formed to prepare a Konkan Water Grid proposal in order to save at least 50 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of water from ...
Delhi facing all time high peak power demand
The national capital faced an all time high peak power demand in May and June, compared to the last three years, according to a government data.
60 firms at MP 26MW rooftop solar pre-bid meet
Over 60 prospective bidders from across the country attended the second pre-bid meeting here on Friday convened by the Madhya Pradesh government for its 28 mega watt peak (MWp) rooftop solar project, according to a Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (MPUVNL) statement.
No interim order by HC against felling trees for south Delhi re-development
The Delhi High Court today declined to put on hold the felling of trees sanctioned by the Centre in connection with the re-development of six south Delhi colonies by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) and the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). While refusing to pass any interim order, a vacation bench of Justices A K Chawla and Navin Chawla issued notice to the ministries of Housing and Environment as well as the NBCC, CPWD and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and sought their stand on a plea challenging the environment clearance given to the housing projects. The bench said it was not inclined to grant an ex-parte order at the moment and wanted to hear the NBCC before issuing any direction. It also told the petitioner, an orthopaedic surgeon, that the project was going on for several months while the environment clearances were given in 2017-18. The PIL has sought setting aside of the terms of reference (ToR) and the environment clearances (EC) ...
Weak monsoon delays cotton, soybean sowing in India
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Sowing of summer-sown crops such as soybean, cotton, corn and pulses has been delayed in India due to the slow progress of monsoon rains in central and western parts of the country, raising concerns over output, industry officials told Reuters.
Developing countries need support to combat climate change: India
Reminding the developed world of their commitments to developing countries, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Friday said developing countries need support to combat climate change.
Long-extinct gibbon skeleton found in ancient Chinese tomb
Researchers have identified a new genus and species of now extinct gibbon in the tomb of an ancient Chinese noble woman.
Combating climate change rooted in India's ethos: Swaraj
External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj has reiterated India's commitment to combat the climate change, saying, "it is rooted in our ethos.""Our commitment to combat the climate change is rooted in our ethos, which (our ethos) consider the earth as (our) mother. A majority of the Indian population is dependent on mother earth and its rivers, sea, land including food, health, and energy," Swaraj said while addressing a conference on climate, security and peace in Brussels."We will have to work in coordination with all stakeholders for our collective well being," she added.Swaraj used the occasion to underline the significance of the 2015 Paris agreement."The world needs a similar roadmap (referring to the Paris agreement) for finance and technology, in absence of it, the developing countries will fail in achieving their Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)."The Paris Climate Agreement is an agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) dealing
Developing nations need adequate finances, technologies to combat climate change: Swaraj
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj warned today that all the effort put in by countries to tackle climate change would face a setback if developing nations did not get adequate finances and technologies to translate their political commitments into tangible initiatives. Swaraj during her address at the 'EU High Level Event on Climate Change' here, Swaraj said climate change posed significant development challenges, especially for developing countries. "It can pose a threat to the food and water availability in developing countries, on their nutritional needs, livelihoods, health and well being, and energy security. The response to these challenges must therefore be in terms of solutions that factor in developmental requirements," she said. She said that the capacity of developing countries to translate their political commitments into tangible initiatives and projects gets constrained by lack of predictable, sustained and adequate finances and technologies. "The scale of ...
France eases rules on wine stocks to mitigate weather risks
French vineyards will be allowed under new rules to hold back more of their production each year to protect them in case harvests are damaged by extreme weather including storms and drought. The move comes after a series of fierce hailstorms battered fields across France in May, the latest in a series of weather-related losses that many growers attribute to climate change. The National Institute of Origin and Quality (INAO), which sets the rules governing France's prestigious wine appellations, said yesterday that producers of red and white wines would now be able to stock 20 per cent of their annual output, for a total of 50 per cent over a three-year period. Previously they were allowed to keep just 10 per cent of their stock. "This decision will reinforce the resilience of vineyards against recurrent weather hazards, by playing a role similar to crop insurance," the INAO and the top government official for the Gironde department, which includes Bordeaux, said yesterday. The storage
PM Modi to visit MP tomorrow for various events
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Madhya Pradesh on June 23 to attend various programmes in Indore and Rajgarh districts.He is also scheduled to attend the Madhya Pradesh Shehari Vikas Mahotsav in Indore.During his visit to the state ahead of the upcoming assembly elections, the Prime Minister will inaugurate various urban development projects worth over Rs 4000 crore throughout the state. These include houses under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana, urban drinking water supply schemes, urban solid waste management, urban sanitation, urban transportation and urban landscape projects.Later, the Prime Minister will distribute the Swachh Survekshan-2018 Awards, and launch the Swachh Survekshan-2018 results dashboard.Cleanest cities and best performing states will receive awards from the Prime Minister. One Swachh Innovation, Swachh Best Practice, and Swachh Entrepreneur will also receive awards from him.Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will dedicate the Mohanpura Project to the ...
Developers to get 2 yrs now for implementing solar project
The government has decided to increase to 2 years the time given to developers for setting up solar energy projects, a move which is expected to lead to competitive tariffs. It was 15 months earlier. The power ministry has amended the guidelines for tariff based competitive bidding process for procurement of power from grid connected solar PV power projects on June 14, 2018, an official said. The amendments are related to providing longer time-frame to set up solar projects, he added. Under the new norms, the developers would have to commission solar projects of 250 MW and above within 24 months from the date of signing power purchase agreement (PPA) as against the previous time frame of 15 months. Similarly, projects with capacities of less than 250 MW would be commissioned in 21 months from the date of inking PPA as against the previous time-frame of 13 months. The official said that the new norm would not be applicable to already bid out projects which are under various stages of ..
