Page 661 - Environment
Ramgarh crater caused by meteorite impact, claim experts
From 19th century, Ramgarh Crater has evoked interest of geologists and now a team of scientists is here to solve the mystery of its origin and believe they have evidence to prove it was caused by meteorite impact. With a diameter of 3.2 kilometers and elevation of more than 200 m above the surrounding terrain, it was first discovered by Geological Survey of India in 1869. Around a century later in 1960, it was recognised as 'Crater' by Geological Society of London. A four-member team of Geological Survey of India (GSI) and National Trust for Art and Culture Heritage (INTACH) central office, New Delhi was at the site today trying to collect evidence related to the origin of the crater, located in Ramgarh village of Baran district. "'A huge meteorite of about three kilometers diameter about 75,000 crore years ago is likely to have fallen here creating a trench of about 4 km diameter," Professor Vinod Agrawal of the team said today. According to experts, there are two recognised craters
Opposition trying to mislead people: Khattar
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar today urged the people to remain vigilant of opposition leaders who may try to "mislead" them through "cycle rally, jail bharo andolan and rath yatra". The chief minister was interacting with representatives of people from Pai and Habri villages in Kaithal district today, an official release said. Notably, while former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and state Congress chief Ashok Tanwar have launched separate rath and cycle yatras to highlight alleged failures of the Khattar government, principal opposition INLD has launched a 'jail bharo' agitation on the SYL canal issue. The release quoted Khattar as saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would soon announce the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops at 1.5 times their production cost as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission. In order to address the problem of overflowing of ponds in different villages, the state government has set up a Pond Management Authority, under
G7 summit kicks off in Canada amid trade disputes with US
The Group of Seven (G7) summit, which kicked off here on Friday, is expected to be a tough meeting between the US and its allies amid raising concerns over US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
Himachal receives financial assistance of Rs 84.13 crore under NDRF
The Himachal government has received a financial assistance of Rs 84.13 crore from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Finance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said today. Thanking the Union government for releasing the aid, Thakur said the state experienced constant rainfall, cloudbursts and landslides leading to severe losses to life, property and crops during the monsoon season in 2017. All deputy commissioners and departments concerned like Agriculture, Horticulture, MPP and Power, Irrigation and Public Health, PWD and Education had submitted detailed loss and damage reports. Based on these, a comprehensive Memorandum of Losses was prepared and submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs for financial assistance, the chief minister said. He added that after the receipt of the detailed memorandum, an Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) was deputed to visit calamity-affected areas for spot assessment from December 28 to 30,
India, Russia can jointly work in 3rd countries in nuclear energy field: India's envoy
India and Russia can work together in third countries in various fields including nuclear energy and talks are presently in a preliminary stage, India's Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran said here today. India has signed an agreement with Bangladesh for civil nuclear cooperation, under which India has extended expertise and project support for its Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) which will be built with Russian technology. Bangladesh's first NPP is equipped with two VVER reactors of 1,200 megawatts each. These reactors are similar to the Kudankulam NPP in Tamil Nadu. In an interview with the state-run TASS news agency, Saran, who has recently been appointed the Deputy National Security Advisor, also touched upon the subject of the Rooppur NPP in Bangladesh. Asked about how exactly is India going to participate in the NPP, he said that the trilateral agreement provides various options for India's participation in the Rooppur NPP including training of personnel, participation in ...
Def minister inaugurates solar power plant at Heavy Vehicle
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today inaugurated a 16 MW solar 'PV power plant' set up by the defence PSU Bharat Electronics LTD at the Heavy Vehicle Factory in Avadi here. The power plant set up on a 80 acre land, at a cost of Rs 105 crore, would meet the captive consumption of the HVF and Engine Factory Avadi (EFA). The plant would inject power at 110kV to the Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Ltd's 110 kV Sub-Station. This is expected to lead to an annual savings of Rs 45.41 million for HVF. "Solar power generated here is given to TNEB (Tamil Nadu Electricity Board) at less than Rs five thus providing over Rs four crore savings. Great contribution by Bharat Electronics and Ordnance Factory at Avadi," she said in her official twitter handle after formally inaugurating the plant. The new plant would provide green energy to the factory and promote GreenIndia, she said in another tweet. Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL), under the 'Viability Gap Funding Scheme', is ...
Self-help groups to get National Awards on Monday
Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar will confer the National Awards on best performing self-help groups (SHGs) under Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) here on Monday, an official statement said.
India contributes $250K to UN's landlocked countries programme
India has contributed $250,000 to the UN to fund a review of its programme for landlocked developing countries.
BSES gears up for Delhi's summer power demand at record peak
Peak power demand in Delhi this summer has broken all records to touch the highest mark of 6,934 MW and the two BSES distribution companies (discoms) in the capital have taken measures like long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) and banking arrangements with various states, as well as with neighbouring Bhutan, BSES said on Friday.
NFC's new production facility to be set up at Kota
The Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) here is setting up a new production facility at Kota in Rajasthan at a cost of around Rs 2,000 crore, NFC's Chief Executive Dinesh Srivastava said today. "Kota plant is coming up.Civil work is going on...Initial project is nearly Rs 2,000 crore plus... This is the new project (Kota) Rs 2,000 crore plus," he told reporters on the sidelines of NFC Day-2018. NFC, Hyderabad is engaged in the manufacture and supply of fuel assemblies and reactor core structural components for all the operating Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) in the country. In addition, NFC supplies all sub-assemblies for the first Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), NFC sources said. The Kota plant makes 'tubes', which is a part of the process of manufacturing fuel, he said. Referring to the Centre's decision to construct 10 indigenous pressurized heavy water nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 7,000 MW, Srivasatva said the NFC
Khattar begins direct interactions with people of cities, villages
As part of a special public contact programme, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is directly interacting with the people of the state's major cities and big villages, he said today. So far, eight road shows have been held under the 'Ek Nayi Shuruwat-Mukhya Mantri Se Sidhi Baat' programme in different cities and mahagrams-- big villages with over 10,000 inhabitants, the chief minister said. All the events attracted a huge crowd, he added. The programme is being implemented in different stages and was initiated in four mahagrams of Kaul, Dhand, Pai and Habri of Pundri assembly constituency today. Speaking in Kaithal where he interacted with public representatives of Panchayati Raj institutes, Khattar said he will visit a total of 50 mahagrams spread across the state. The Haryana government has in place a Mahagram Yojana, under which sewerage management of 126 villages is being done to provide the people of villages with facilities at par with urban areas, he said.
Raj canal project to benefit 13 districts: Raje
The Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project will address the drinking water and irrigation requirements of 13 districts in the state, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said today. While speaking at a public programme, Raje said that the state government was working on the Rs 37,ooo crore project to provide drinking water to Sawaimadhopur, Karauli, Dholpur, Dausa, Tonk, Bharatpur, Kota, Bundi, Alwar, Baran, Jhalawar, Ajmer and Jaipur. Under the project, water from rivers like Parvati, Kalisindh, Mez and Chakan will be supplied to these districts for drinking and irrigation purpose, a state government release said.
Hry govt steps up to protect local fauna in Kurukshetra
The Haryana government is setting up Swarn Jayanti Brahm Sarovar Community Reserve on 89.368 acres of land in Kurukshetra district for protection of local fauna and flora, and conservation of traditional and cultural values of the site. It is to be set up in Thana village of the district under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, an official spokesman said here today. The proposal for eco-restoration was prepared by the Forest Department in consultation with the Bombay Natural History Society, he added. A budget of Rs 7.35 crore was approved for it, the official said. He added that main activities to be carried out under the eco-restoration are construction of boundary wall and wire mesh fencing, construction of mounds for turtles, construction of interpretation centre, establishment of recreation parks, construction of nature trails and paths, disposal of village sewage and establishment of a training centre.
Cotton production may drop to 35 mn bales in CY 2019: Report
Cotton production in the country is expected to be lower at 35 million bales in cotton year (CY) 2019 (October to September) due to decline in area and an expected 10 per cent rise in prices, a report said today. "The domestic cotton crop output is expected to moderate to 35 million bales in CY 2019 after a reasonably good CY 2018, owing to a decline in domestic cotton acreage to 114 lakh hectares, compared with 122 lakh hectares estimated for CY 2018," rating agency Icra said in the report. The Cotton Association of India in its April estimate had pegged the production for CY 2018 at 36 million bales. Icra said decline in cotton output, improvement expected in domestic consumption and global cotton deficit expectations for CY 2019 are likely to keep cotton prices firm by 10 per cent. Moreover, the agency said, the decline in acreage will be led by key cotton growing regions in the west and south, where farmers are shifting to alternate crops like soybean as they ...
Need to chalk out strategies to double farm income: Guj Dy CM
The Gujarat government will have to chalk out strategies to ensure that the income of farmers is doubled by 2022, state Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel today said. He said that the state would have to use scientific methods to increase crop production, manage water from the Narmada Sardar Sarovar Dam for irrigation efficiently and improve the quality of fodder grown on "gaucher" (waste land used for grazing) land to achieve this aim. Patel was speaking on the second day of the three-day "Chintan Shibir", a brainstorming session of the state government, which began here yesterday. He said that efforts would also have to be made to increase milk production. Patel suggested the spraying of fodder seeds aerially on "gaucher" land to ensure quality fodder for livestock. State Chief Secretary J N Singh reiterated the government's resolve to double the income of farmers by 2022, when the country celebrates its 75th Independence anniversary. State Agriculture Minister R C Faldu
Rs 665 cr collected as fine from power defaulters in Hry
The vigilance wing of the Haryana Power Department has recovered a record Rs 665 crore through the fine imposed on bill defaulters, some of whom also indulged in theft of electricity, during the 2017-18 fiscal. Over 95,000 cases of electricity theft were reported during the financial year 2017-18. In 2018, till May 2,24,678 cases of electricity theft have been detected by the team. Director of the Vigilance Wing K K Sharma congratulated the vigilance team and the officials of Power Utilities on this achievement. The SP of the vigilance wing, Balwan Singh Rana, said theft of electricity is also a major crime and a hindrance to the progress of the state, which is why a special campaign was launched last year for its prevention. With the support of the people of the state, maximum cases of electricity theft were reported as compared to all the previous years, he said. "With the joint efforts of the vigilance team and the officials of the power utilities, over Rs 337 crore was recovered ..
Firemen stumble on ancient Greek relics
Greek firemen fighting a blaze stumbled on a large stash of more than 200 ancient relics hidden by smugglers, the culture ministry said today. The find was made on Thursday in Locris, central Greece, an area known for illegal archaeological activity, the ministry said. "Most of the items, of which there are over 200, date from the first half of the fifth century BCE," a statement. "They were hidden in bushes, wrapped in plastic bags. Some were covered in soot but most were intact." They included clay vessels, a bronze mirror and figures of men, women and animals. Equipment to clean and repair broken objects was also found nearby, suggesting the area was a smuggler hideout.
Fiji's pearl pioneer leads the way in sustainable luxury (June 8 is World Oceans Day)
From the serene environs of the country's second largest island Vanua Levu, Justin Hunter's uniquely hued pearls in green, blue, chocolate, aubergine, gold, burgundy and more, are not just selling Fiji's story to the world, but setting an example for promoting sustainable luxury among ethical consumers, thereby giving a push to the global blue economy.
'New method to convert atmospheric CO2 into fuel'
Harvard researchers have found a cost-effective way to remove emitted carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and turn it into fuel. Direct air capture technology works through giant fans drawing ambient air into contact with an aqueous solution that picks and traps carbon dioxide. Through heating and a handful of familiar chemical reactions, that carbon dioxide is re-extracted and can be used as a carbon source for making valuable chemicals like fuels or for storage via a sequestration strategy. Scientists from Harvard University in the US and Carbon Engineering, a Canadian CO2-capture and clean fuels enterprise, is already achieving both CO2 capture and fuel generation. The technology will soon be able to produce gasoline and jet fuel from little more than limestone, hydrogen, and air, researchers said. It aims at the eventual construction of a vast, industrial-scale network of carbon scrubbers, capable of removing greenhouse gases directly from the atmosphere. "Electricity from solar ..
Bengal allocated Deocha Pachami coal mine
West Bengal has been allotted the Deocha Pachami Harinsingha Dewanganj coal mines - the world's second largest coal mine - located in Birbhum district by the Centre, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today. "I am very happy to share with all of you that after a long wait of three years, #Bengal has got the allocation of the Deocha Pachami Harinsingha Dewanganj Coal Mines in Birbhum District," Banerjee tweeted. She said, "With an estimated reserve of 2,102 million tonnes, it is the second largest coal mine in the world." Banerjee said the mining project has the potential of generating nearly one lakh jobs in Birbhum and neighbouring districts, and added that it would also involve investments worth Rs 12,000 crore in the intermediate run. "Altogether, there will be a huge socio-economic development of Birbhum, the neighbouring districts and the entire state," she said. The chief minister said necessary administrative infrastructure had already been set up to start the project. The ...
