Page 683 - Environment
Kumaraswamy meets Narayana Murthy
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy today met Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy and sought his guidance to meet the growing needs of the burgeoning Bengaluru, specially in infrastructure and waste management. During the meeting, Kumaraswamy said he needs Murthy's help in forming an expert committee to look into the problems related to infrastructure and waste management in the city. The proposed committee headed by the chief minister will meet every two months to review the progress, Kumaraswamy said, according to an official release. Murthy expressed his pleasure to be part of the project and assured the Chief Minister that, shortly, he would give his suggestions on the planning and development of infrastructure and effective waste management system for the city. The release quoted Murthy as saying, "I have been keenly following you (Kumaraswamy) and I appreciate your concern for the welfare of the society and farmers in particular." Recalling Kumaraswamy's visit to Israel .
Farmers at several places in Pb, Haryana stop selling vegetables, milk
Farmers today stopped the supply of vegetables, fruits, milk and other items to various cities of Punjab and Haryana as part of a nationwide strike against alleged anti-farmer policies of the Centre. "We are getting very good response from fellow farmers for their support to this agitation. At majority of places in the state, farmers have stopped bringing vegetables, milk and other items to the cities for sale," claimed Balbir Singh Rajewal, president, Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU). "No farmer is being forced by anyone to stop bringing their produce. The farmers have so much anger against the central government that they became a part of this agitation on their own," said Rajewal. The decision to stop supplies starting from June 1 till June 10 was taken by farmers under the banner of Kisan Ekta Manch and Rashtriya Kisan Maha Sangh. A meeting of the coordination committee of these two farmers' organisations, which are umbrella bodies of 172 farmers' outfits, was held here last month to ...
Thailand to send stinky fruit to space
Thailand's space research agency on Friday announced plans to send the durian fruit which is known for its strong, stinky smell, to space by July, as part of a project to produce Thai food suitable for future space travel.
DRI arrests two for smuggling gibbons, exotic birds from B'desh
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested two men for allegedly smuggling gibbons and some exotic birds into the country from Bangladesh. Acting on inputs, the DRI officials intercepted a car near the Indo-Bangla border at North 24 Parganas yesterday. Three cages full of wild animals and 40 exotic birds were found inside the intercepted car, a statement issued by the agency said today. On examination, one cage with two partitions was found to contain two hollock gibbons (endangered species under the Wild life Protection Act, 1972) on one side and two palm civets (another endangered species) on the other side, it said, adding that they were badly crammed up. A second cage, containing 15 colorful rosella birds (exotic in nature) and a third cage containing 27 exotic birds like nandin conure, peach fronted conure, grass parakeets, maroon tailed Conure were recovered, the DRI said. Conure birds are like parakeets -- they are found in Central and South America and also in
ED attaches Sterling Biotech's Rs 4,700cr assets
New Delhi, June 1 (IAN) The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached properties worth Rs 4,700 crore in a Rs 5,000-crore bank fraud case involving Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company Sterling Biotech.
How dunes form on Pluto decoded
Scientists have discovered dunes on Pluto that are likely to have been formed of methane ice grains released into its rarefied atmosphere. Detailed images of the dwarf planet's surface, captured in July 2015 by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, showed that on the boundary of the Sputnik Planitia ice plain, and pushed up against a major mountain range, there is a series of dunes spread across an area less than 75 kilometres across. Scientists from the University of Plymouth in the UK, University of Cologne in Germany and Brigham Young University in the US conducted spatial analysis of the dunes and nearby wind streaks on the planet's surface, as well as spectral and numerical modeling. They believe that sublimation - which converts solid nitrogen directly into a gas - results in sand-sized grains of methane being released into the environment. These are then transported by Pluto's moderate winds (which can reach between 30 and 40 kilometres per hour), with the border of the ice plain and
US warns Beijing on South China Sea
The Pentagon has ratcheted up rhetoric about China's militarisation of islands in the South China Sea, even as President Donald Trump's administration presses Beijing for cooperation on North Korea, the media reported.
'Surprising' methane dunes found on Pluto
Pluto is covered with surprising dunes made of methane ice, which have formed relatively recently despite the frigid dwarf planet's very thin atmosphere, international researchers have said. Pluto's atmosphere has a surface pressure 100,000 times lower than Earth's, which researchers suspected might be too little to allow tiny grains of solid methane to mobilize and become airborne. Yet mild winds blowing across Pluto's surface at speeds of some 19-25 miles (30-40 kilometers) per hour have forged these ripples at the border of an ice plain and mountain range, said the report in the journal Science. "The likely source of the dune grains is methane ice blown from nearby mountains," said the Science report. "Although nitrogen ice cannot be ruled out." The dunes are scattered across a belt-like area some 45 miles (75 kilometres) across, and were spotted with NASA's New Horizons spacecraft when it flew by in 2015, said the report. "When we first saw the New Horizons images, we thought ...
R'sthan min says Congress didn't make efforts to solve water issues
Rajasthan Industries Minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat today said the Congress did not make efforts during its rule to address drinking water problem in the state. Water was not an election issue but it is an issue of Rajasthan where only one per cent water is available of the water available in the country, Shekhawat said at a press conference today, adding the Congress did not make efforts to address drinking water problems. He said Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje launched Jal Swavlamban Yojna to solve water issues and the scheme was being appreciated across the country. He said the state government has earmarked Rs 7,000 crore to link Brahmani river with Banas river and to raise the height of Bisalpur dam. Also, the government is working for Eastern Rajasthan Canal project to address the drinking water requirement in the state, he added.
Nipah virus death toll rises to 16
The Nipah scare has claimed another life in Kerala's Calicut, taking the number of deaths to 16.The scare, created by the occurrence of the virus, has also affected the tourism in the state. However, locals and tourists believe that the situation has been falsely portrayed by the media.News of the presence of the virus was first reported from Kozhikode earlier this week, and now, at least 16 deaths have been confirmed to have taken place due to the "rare and deadly" virus.As the death toll is rising each day, a wave of panic has gripped the state, since the infection spreads through human contact.The state health department issued an advisory for people travelling to the state and urged travellers to be extra cautious while visiting Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur districts.A similar note of caution has also been issued by the Himachal Pradesh health ministry on Thursday after more than 18 dead bats were discovered on Wednesday in the premises of a government school in ...
Sweden supports drought-hit Sahel farmers and herders
Rome, May 31 (IANS/AKI) Sweden will give $9.9 million to drought-stricken farmers and herders in the Sahel where over four million people in the region face growing hardship following drought that decimated farmers' crops and livestock, the United Nations said Thursday.
Blue whale sighted in Red Sea for first time: Egypt
A rare blue whale, the largest animal on Earth, has been sighted in the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba for the first time, Egypt's environment ministry said today. It said on its Facebook page that Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy has instructed observation teams to track the whale and try to photograph it. The blue whale, which can grow up to 30 metres (100 feet) in length, is listed as "endangered" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. It was brought "to the brink of extinction" in the 1960s by intensive hunting, according to IUCN. Hunting has been prohibited by the International Whaling Commission, but the blue whale is threatened by "the declining availability of krill, its primary food source".
World Bank to lend additional $500 mn for rural roads
India on Friday signed a $500 million loan agreement with the World Bank for additional financing for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project to build 7,000 km of climate resilient roads.
Bangladesh 'very concerned' over China building dams on Brahmaputra
Amid reports of China trying to build dams over the mighty Brahmaputra river, Bangladesh today said it is "very concerned" about diversion of water and prepared to participate in a joint water basin management. Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali batted for joint-dredging of rivers and said the prime ministers of the two countries had an extensive discussions on the issue. Responding to a question on China building dams on the Brahmaputra, he said: "On the Brahmaputra basin, we are very concerned about diversion of water and Bangladesh is prepared to join a joint basin management concept where we will discuss the points of water as it flows from the point of origin to the point of exit in the sea." "And naturally, we will be very happy to fully cooperate with all regional joint agencies," he said. Speaking to reporters at an interaction organised at the Indian Women Press Corps in New Delhi, he added Bangladesh believes in joint river basin management both in the ...
Wildlife smuggling racket busted in Bengal
A car carrying exotic and endangered birds was seized in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence sleuths on Thursday, who arrested two people in this connection.
IAF choppers to be used to douse forest fires in Himachal Pradesh
Indian Air Force choppers would be used to douse forest fires in the worst-affected Hamirpur, Chamba and Kangra districts in Himachal Pradesh, state Forest Minister Govind Singh Thakur said here today. The minister said 1,544 cases of forest fires had been reported so far and the estimated loss was Rs 1.16 crore. Major fires had also broken out in Baddi in Solan district, Bhattiyat in Chamba district and Theog in Shimla district in the past 48 hours, he said. The fires had engulfed large areas of the state and claimed four lives so far, including Deputy Ranger Ashok Kumar, and six people were injured in firefighting operations, he said. The IAF has agreed to provide helicopters for dousing forest fires from today in the worst-affected Hamirpur, Chamba and Kangra districts," he told reporters here. Choppers would be useful and effective in areas where fire tenders cannot reach. Three helicopters would lift water from Gobind Sagar, Pong Dam and Kol Dam reservoirs, he added He said while
5-feet snake found in water plant, rescued
A nearly five-foot-long Rat snake was rescued today by Wildlife SOS after it was found inside the Jeoni Mandi water treatment plant here, officials said. The snake was kept under observation for a few hours and later released back into the wild, the Delhi-based wildlife NGO said. It said that as heat wave continues across northern India, various reptile species are being forced to venture out of their natural habitats and seek reprieve from the sweltering heat in cooler places. Staff at the water treatment plant found the rat snake in the bed filter of the facility last night, and the operations team immediately stopped the filtration machine and informed authorities, the officials said. Wildlife SOS was alerted on their 24-hour rescue helpline and two snake rescuers were dispatched to the water treatment plant, they said. The Jeoni Mandi plant is the oldest and largest supplier of potable water in the city. Upon assessing the situation, one of the rescuers lowered himself into the ...
TN Minister takes on DMK for its 'subservient' jibe
Rubbishing arch-rival DMK's oft repated jibe that the ruling AIADMK was subservient to the BJP, Tamil Nadu Minister P Thangamani today asserted the government was firm in getting its rightful due from the Centre and would never compromise on its rights. Listing out 'achievements' of the government in the state assembly, Thangamani, holding charge of electricity ministry, accused the princiapl oposition party of being power hungy. Winding up discussion on the demands for grant pertaning to his ministry, he cited the recent low 1.5 day coal inventory with the state-run power monolith Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO). Thangamani said the coal supplies from the Centre went up and now the TANGEDCO had adequate stocks. Referring to the subservient jibe without naming DMK, the Minister said the replenishing of the coal stock showed that the state government was firm in getting its rightful due from the Centre. "Our rights are never ...
Cochin Shipyard, Kerala govt ink pact to build marine ambulances
Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) today said it has entered into an agreement with Kerala government to construct three marine ambulance for the state fisheries department. The agreement was signed by N V Suresh Babu, Director (Operations) , CSL and S Venkatesapathy, Director, Department of Fisheries in presence of J Mercykutty Amma, Minister of Fisheries, Kerala. "Government of Kerala has signed an agreement with Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) for construction of three Marine ambulance boat for Fisheries Department," the company said in a statement. The vessel will be designed by CSL at its in-house design department. The vessel will be able to complement 2 patients and will have a total crew capacity of seven, including the paramedical staff, it said. The boats will also have various paramedical facilities like examination and nursing room, medical beds, mortuary freezer, refrigerator and medical lockers, CSL added.
Raje distributes loan waiver certificates to farmers
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today said it was first time in the history of the state that a government has waived farm loans of up to Rs 50,000. "The day will be marked in the history of the state as it is first time in the history that the government has waived crop loans of farmers of up to Rs 50,000," Raje said after distributing loan waiver certificates to farmers in Banswara district. She said the government has also issued certificates for sanction of new loan of Rs 50,000. The Rajasthan Crop Loan Waiver Scheme, 2018, will benefit 29.30 lakh farmers and will cost nearly Rs 8,500 crore. She said the state government is working on the path shown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to double the income of farmers. "We have procured crops of Rs 8,900 crore at the minimum support price (MSP) and will disburse Rs 80,000 crore worth interest-free crop loans to the farmer by the end of this year, which will be highest in the country," she said. Under the scheme, loans of 1.09 ..
