Page 653 - Environment
Munoth Ind to invest Rs 799 cr for making lithium ion batteries in India
Munoth Industries today said that it plans to invest Rs 799 crore in three phases for setting-up the country's first lithium ion batteries manufacturing plant. The company plans to start selling batteries for 50 million smartphones by April 2019 and gradually scale up production to 250 million by 2022 and hire 1,700 people. "We are committed to invest a total of Rs 799 crore in the manufacturing plant. The investment will be raised through debt, equity and internal accruals. We will make batteries initially to cater demand of smartphone segment," Munoth Industries Limited (MIL) Director Jaswant Munoth told reporters here. The first phase of the project will be operational by March 2019, and 2nd & 3rd phases by 2022. "Lithium-ion cell is a core component for mobile phone industry. As of now, Lithium-ion cells are imported and battery packs are assembled in India using the imported cells and with this project of Munoth Industries, we will begin our journey to become a pioneer in ...
Temporary blackout in Crimea after incident at Russian power station
Crimea was temporarily without electricity today following an incident at a power station in Russia, authorities in the peninsula Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014 said. "The whole of Crimea is without electricity. The power supply will be restored within three hours. Please remain calm," Crimea's pro-Kremlin leader Sergei Aksyonov wrote on Facebook. He added the blackout was the result of an incident at a power station in Russia's southern Krasnodar region. "Due to strong voltage surges, the emergency system switched on and disconnected the line," Aksyonov said. Power was progressively restored in the peninsula's largest cities within two hours but problems with mobile phone reception persisted, according to an AFP journalist in Crimea's capital Simferopol. Local media Kryminfo cited Maxim Loyko, the director of Crimea's electricity provider Krymenergo, as saying power will be completely restored by the end of the day. The Russian energy ministry released a statement that almost ...
47 out of 225 projects for cleaning Ganga completed: Gadkari
Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari today said that 47 of the 225 projects for cleaning the Ganga and its tributaries have been completed. At an event here, the minister stressed that the Ganga cannot be clean unless its tributaries are clean. He informed that of the 14 ongoing projects on the Yamuna, a major tributary of the Ganga, two are in Uttar Pradesh (Mathura and Varanasi), 10 in Delhi and two in Haryana (Sonepat and Panipat). Gadkari said the Delhi Development Authority is also creating a 800-acre garden along the banks of the Yamuna in the national capital. "The Ganga cannot be clean if its tributaries are not clean. So, we have decided to take up projects on its tributaries and sub-tributaries," he said. Gadkari said he had also cleared a Rs 37 crore-proposal for a sewage treatment plant for the Sarayu river in Ayodhya. "The work to clean water in Mathura and Vrindavan, the cities of Lord Krishna, is going on. Now, we have also begun the cleaning ...
Air quality ranging between poor to very poor across Delhi NCR region: report
The air quality index has been ranging between poor to very poor across the Delhi NCR region, with the levels peaking at 350 and above at several points between March and May, according to a new report. The CPCB in compliance with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order has released monthly data that highlights the air quality index (AQI) of the Delhi NCR region in the last three months. The report showed that the air quality levels have been peaking at 350 and above at several points between March and May. An AQI between 0-50 is considered Good, 51-100 Satisfactory, 101-200 Moderate, 201-300 Poor, 301-400 Very Poor, and 401-500 Severe. Experts say that the deterioration of air quality is due to dust storm in the west. A few recommendations that the monthly report gave to improve the air quality included control of vehicular emissions, control of road dust and re-suspension of dust and other fugitive emission and control of air pollution from bio-mass burning. The particulates ...
NASA rover falls silent as gigantic dust storm envelops Mars
A NASA rover on Mars has fallen silent as a gigantic dust storm envelops the planet and blots out the sun. Flight controllers tried late last night to contact Opportunity, but the rover did not respond. The storm has been growing since the end of May and now covers one-quarter of the planet. Controllers expect it will be several more days before there's enough sunlight to recharge Opportunity's battery through its solar panels. NASA says the battery is likely so low that only a clock is still working, to wake the spacecraft for periodic power-level checks. NASA launched the twin rovers Opportunity and Spirit in 2003 to study Martian rocks and soil. Spirit hasn't worked for several years. Opportunity, however, has kept exploring well past its expected mission lifetime.
TL govt guidelines to limit plastic use in urban local bodies
In a significant step towards conservation of the environment, the Telangana government today issued guidelines to limit plastic usage in offices of urban local bodies in the state. The guidelines followed a directive by the municipal administration minister K T Rama Rao to all commissioners to curb the plastic menace, a state government release said. In a letter to all heads of departments under the Municipal Administration and the commissioners, Principal Secretary (Municipal Administration) Arvind Kumar urged them to strictly implement the directives on plastic usage. Kumar pointed out that India currently generates around 56 lakh tonnes of plastic waste annually. Plastic menace was also one of the major causes of makingwaste managementa herculean task for the country, he said. "The usage in India is an estimated 12-15 kg per person per annum," he said in the letter. Kumar said several cities and countries around the world have begun banning plastic, especially plastic
Triveni Engineering and Industries update on U.P. Jal Nigam project
Concession agreement for project gets executed and signed
Tata Power Renewable Energy signs PPA with GE for 5MW solar projects
Tata Power will install solar rooftop projects at manufacturing sites located at Durgapur in West Bengal, Pallavaram and Hosur in Tamil Nadu, multi-modal manufacturing site at Pune and upcoming factory at Marhowra in Bihar and maintenance facility at Roza in Uttar Pradesh. The project would be executed on build-own-operate basis.
Pb CM announces Rs 209 cr debt relief for 38,000 farmers; says over 2.77 lakh peasants benefitted in first phase
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today announced the disbursement of Rs 209 crore to 38,000 marginal farmers, who are members of cooperative societies, within the next ten days to complete the first phase of his government's debt relief scheme. The chief minister said that so far 2,77,633 marginal farmers were provided relief to the tune of Rs 1,525.61 crore in the first phase. The amount was transferred directly into their accounts, he said. Providing relief to debt-ridden farmers was a major pre-poll promise of the ruling Congress party in the state. Singh said out of the 3.43 lakh marginal farmers, who are members of the cooperative societies, 27,179 were found ineligible as they were either serving as government or semi-government employees or did not meet the eligibility criteria. Another 19,706 farmers had refused to submit the mandatory self declaration forms, he said. The remaining 38,000 will be provided debt relief within the next 10 days, he said in a statement. Singh .
Cabinet approves agreement with Peru
The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved an agreement aimed at promoting technical cooperation on new and renewable issues with Peru, an official statement said.
Mehbooba Mufti suggests monitoring of developmental schemes
Jammu and KashmirChief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today suggested social, economic and environmental monitoring of developmental schemes and asked for prioritisation of ideas for overall growth and development of society. The chief minister made these observations during a meeting with the members of India Consensus Prioritisation Project (ICPP) who met her here today. The ICPP is a joint developmental issues prioritisation project of the TATA Trusts and Copenhagen Consensus Centre Partnership. Mehbooba stressed on efficient management of funding in the system to ensure a logical outcome of these projects. She said the projects should aim at providing equal opportunities of growth for those areas and sections of society that lag behind in development.
Rajasthan govt to set up bio gas plants linked with cow shelters: minister
The Vasundhara Raje government will set up biogas plants linked with cow shelters across Rajasthan, the state's cooperative and 'gaupalan' minister Ajay Singh Kilak said today. The announcement comes at a time when the state government has been drawing flak from 'sadhus' and cow rearers who have accused it of not fulfilling the promises made in the ruling BJP's 2013 election manifesto on cow protection. Kilak said the state government will initially select 25cow sheltersin the firstphase and provide financial assistance of upto Rs 10 crore to them. Biogas plants with a capacity of over 100 cubic meters set up in cowsheds will produce 5 to 10 metric tonnes of bio-manure everyday, the minister said. Rajasthan will be the only state in the country to set up biogas plants in registered cow shelters running in 25 bighas of land. In the first phase, 25 cow shelters will be selected and Rs 10 crore fund will be provided, Kilak said. He said each selected cow shelter will be provided 50 per ..
Substantial financial aid given to TL, AP
Former Union Minister and BJP MP Bandaru Dattatreya today said that the Centre has provided substantial financial aid to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh under the Deendayal Upadhyay Gram Jyoti Yojana and the Integrated Power Development Scheme in the power sector. The Lok Sabha member from Secunderabad said he was informed by R K Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and New and Renewable Energy, that the Centre was complementing the UDAY interventions with other infrastructure schemes in the distribution sector. The Centre has provided financial assistance of Rs 941.13 crore under DDUGJY and Rs 747.99 crore under the IPDS scheme to Andhra Pradesh, he said in a statement. Similarly, financial assistance of Rs 4,621.20 crore and Rs 743.70 crore has been provided to Telangana under DDUGJY and IPDS schemes to strengthen distribution, Dattatreya said. In addition, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh would also benefit from transfer of power from other power grids to ..
Villagers burn forest after leopard kills boy in U'khand
Around eight hectares of forest land was burnt to ashes by angry villagers in Uttarakhand's Bageshwar district after a leopard mauled to death a seven-year-old boy, the second such incident in three months, police said. The attack took place on Monday evening when the boy had gone out of his home in Harinagri village to answer nature's call while his mother was in the kitchen, Chief Conservator of Forest BP Gupta told PTI. The leopard dragged the boy inside the forest surrounding the house. The next morning, his half eaten body was recovered by villagers 250 metres away, Gupta said. "Angry villagers numbering around 4000-5000 set on fire eight hectares of van panchayat land in the village yesterday," Gupta, who is also the nodal officer for forest fires saidquoting Bageshwar DFO RK Singh. The fire could not be extinguishedas irate villagers did not allow outsides to enter the village, he said. The villagers also blamed thesame leopard for killing a four-year-old boy in the area in ...
Pollution in Pali river: NGT summons district collector
The National Green Tribunal today summoned the collector of Rajasthan's Pali district to explain the steps taken by the administration to control the pollution caused in Bandi river due to textile industries. A vacation bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore directed the collector to be present in person on June 18 and asked him to give a time bound programme to control the discharge of effluents as suggested by a committee formed by it. The tribunal had constituted a monitoring committee of four members which had recommended that no treated or untreated industrial effluent should be allowed to be discharged in river or on adjacent land in any form. It had also said that individual industries should periodically monitor the quality of effluent discharged from the primary treatment facilities for smooth and efficient operation of Common Effluent Treatment Plants. The NGT after perusing the recommendations, had directed the collector to study the committee report and thereafter ..
Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib launches pilot project on reducing air pollution
Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib has partnered with private companies for a pilot project on reducing air pollution. Biotech filters for cleaning polluted air have been installed in an open space on the gurdwara premises with the help of two firms -- Evergen and Airlabs. Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjit Singh GK said, "Usually, we use technology to purify air within a closed room in our offices or homes but this is the first time that an experiment is happening where polluted air in an open space will be cleaned. While the Air Quality Index outside is 170, we can see that the place where the filters (are), it is less than 30," he said. Delhi BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that this project would provide a huge relief to people who are on the roads. "The problem of air pollution is quite severe in Delhi. We have started this project here. This is something that can be installed in open spaces like bus stops so that people can get relief from air pollution. I feel .
SMEV to Centre: Reassess incentive on electric two-wheelers under FAME 2
SMEV, the industry body representing electric vehicles (EV) manufacturers, has urged the government to reassess the proposed subsidy structure under the FAME 2 scheme, on electric two-wheelers.In a letter submitted to the Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises Minister Anant Geete, the Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles (SMEV) pointed out anomalies with regard to the government giving three times subsidy to certain models of e-scooters, that are costlier to own and run vis-a-vis petrol two-wheelers.Sohinder Gill, Director of SMEV, said, "We had earlier pointed out an anomaly in the proposed subsidy on electric two-wheelers. We are now pointing out a bigger anomaly in the proposed subsidy structure."He further said that the Centre is erroneously promoting electric two-wheelers that are not only much costlier to own and run than petrol two-wheelers, but also waste a lot of electricity and the precise lithium.Gill said that the government seems to be keen to give three times
Carcasses of 12 Chinkaras found in Jaisalmer
Carcasses of 12 Chinkaras, a protected animal, were today found in Bhadaria village in Rajasthan's Jaisalmer district, police said. The animals reportedly died due to thirst and hunger and their bodies were strewn across the village in a radius of around 35 km, they added. The bodies were sent to a government veterinary hospital, assistant sub-inspector at Lathi police station, Damra Ram said. Forest ranger Prakash Singh said veterinary doctors conducted a post-mortem and as per preliminary probe, the deers probably died of hunger and thirst. The matter was being further investigated, Singh added. Chinkara (Indian gazelle) is included in the endangered species list.
Raj looks to bring 159 lakh ha area under kharif crops this year
The Rajasthan government looks to bring 159 lakh hectare area under kharif crops this year, state agriculture minister Prabhu Lal Saini said today. The government is making arrangements for 7.5 lakh quintal seeds, 7.75 lakh ton urea among others for farmers. Kharif crops will be sown in 159 lakh hectare area, Saini said. Sowing of kharif crops will start with the onset of monsoon, the minister said further. Depending upon the pattern of monsoon, targets for rabi (winter) crops would be decided. An agriculture department official said that the target is set as per the average of last five years. "Last year, sowing increased and we are hoping a good kharif season this year also, the official added. Last year, 161 lakh hectare area was sown to kharif crops against the target of 158 lakh hectare. Kharif crops comprise rice, jowar, bajra, maize, small millets, pulses like tur, moong, moth, urad, chowla and foodgrains like groundnuts, sesaumum and soybean.
India sells new season cotton crop to China in rare advance deals
MUMBAI/BEIJING (Reuters) - India's cotton exporters have signed contracts to ship 500,000 bales (85,000 tonnes) of their new season harvest to China as the world's biggest consumer of the fibre looks to raise its imports in the next crop year, industry officials told Reuters.
