Page 702 - Environment
Haryana in 'mission mode' to revive Saraswati river
The Haryana government is working in a mission mode for the revival and rejuvenation of Saraswati river, Haryana Art and Cultural Affairs Minister Kavita Jain said on Wednesday.
Berlin agrees to compensate power firms for nuclear exit
The German government approved a draft law today that paves the way for energy giants RWE and Vattenfall to receive hundreds of millions of euros in compensation for the country's decision to phase out nuclear power. The exact sum has yet to be determined but the environment ministry said the amount was unlikely to surpass a billion euros (USD 1.2 billion). The draft law will bring Germany into compliance with a 2016 court ruling that found energy suppliers had a right to financial compensation over Chancellor Angela Merkel's U-turn on nuclear energy. Merkel's government, which had earlier championed atomic power, decided in the wake of Japan's 2011 Fukushima disaster to immediately close eight of Germany's oldest nuclear plants and to shutter the other nine by 2022. German utility RWE and Swedish firm Vattenfall then sued the government, arguing that they deserved damages for the investments they had made in their power plants and the lost income they would suffer as a result of the .
PM to lay foundation stones for Rs 27K cr projects in J'Khand
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 25 will lay foundation stones for developmental projects worth Rs 27,000 crore from Sindri in Dhanbad, Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said. The prime minister will lay foundation stones for several projects on the completion of four years of the central government. Foundation stones for projects worth Rs 27,000 crore will be laid, Das said at a press conference here. Recalling Modi's speech in 2014 when he lamented that despite the abundance of coal in Jharkhand, there was "darkness" in the state, Das said it is set to change now as the PM will lay the foundation stone for a power plant at Patratu in Ramgarh district. NTPC will be setting up the 3x800 MW thermal plant in the first phase and 2x800 MW in the second phase in collaboration with Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Ltd. The project is worth Rs 18,668 crore. Das said Rs 7,000 crore would be invested to revive the ailing Sindri Fertilizer company. The prime minister ...
Modi to lay foundation stones for AIIMS, power plant in Jharkhand
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday lay the foundation stones for several projects, including an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and a 4,000mw super thermal power plant, among others, an official said on Wednesday.
Captive power players concerned over new draft rules for them
Captive power producers body ICPPA today said the new draft rules for them are against the spirit and provisions of Electricity Act 2003 and deepen the woes of NPA-hit power sector. ICPPA said Electricity Act 2003 provided that Cross Subsidy Surcharge (CSS) should be abolished over the years. However, the proposed amendments are aimed at creating new avenue of earning CSS from captive users. "ICPPA welcomes the improvements from the draft of amendments issued in 2016. At the same time, the proposed changes in rules are in contradiction to basic spirit and provisions of Electricity Act-2003 and policies, and also other laws. "Applicability of these amendments on existing plants will make them sick while power sector is already struggling with NPAs (bad loans)," ICPPA Secretary Rajiv Agrawal told PTI. The purpose of Group Captive Power Plants was to enable smaller industries without much financial power to get benefit of captive power, just like big industries, but the proposed ...
CSE, Amnesty condemn killing of protestors in Tuticorin
A green body today strongly condemned the killing of innocent anti-Sterlite plant agitators in Tamil Nadu's Tuticorin town and said the present situation reflects "complete failure" of environmental governance in the country. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said people's interests should be looked into over the company's business interests as it recommended permanent closure of the plant along with a plan to decontaminate the site and the surrounding environment At the same time, rights group Amnesty International India said the excessive use of force by the Tamil Nadu police is a "damning indictment" of the state government's determination to crush the protests. A man was killed in fresh police firing on anti-Sterlite plant agitators today, while some others were injured in clashes with security personnel in Tuticorin town, a day after 10 people lost their lives in police action. Locals have been agitating for over 100 days now demanding closure of the Vedanta group's ...
Small African nations seek Indian technical support through solar alliance
Small African nations, which have or are yet to ratify the International Solar Alliance (ISA), are looking up to Indian support to build up solar capacity, their Ambassadors said at an expo here.
White paper on environment gets Kerala cabinet nod
The CPI-M led LDF government in Kerala today approved a 'white paper' on environment that lays emphasis on balanced economic and social development while preserving the state's bio-diversity. The state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, approved the document that outlined the state's approach towards protecting and preserving the environment while striving for economic growth. "The main objective is to design an environment friendly economic system and government is committed to preserving clean water, soil, air and bio-diversity," an official release said. Kerala has 44 rivers and most of them were facing various types of pollution, the release said. Solid waste disposal was a severe problem in the state and government would go ahead with schemes under the 'Haritha Kerala mission.' Issues connected with solid waste have also affected the availability of drinking water and its supply. A total of 90,563 solid waste treatment plants have been set up in ...
U'khand forest fire: Officials feel the heat as CM reprimands
At least 295 new forest fires were reported from different parts of Uttarakhand over the last one day, prompting Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to reprimand the officials concerned for their "lack of preparedness". Garhwal region is the worst-hit with the extent of damage being the largest in Pauri district, Chief Conservator of Forest and nodal officer for forest fires B P Gupta told PTI. 295 fresh incidents of forest fires were reported over the past 24 hours. The number of incidents which stood at 741 yesterday has mounted to 1,036 today, the official said, adding efforts are underway on a war footing to control and extinguish the fires. There are 15-16 points mostly in Pauri district where the fire is activeand we are focusing currently on dousing them, he said. Meanwhile, Rawat held a meeting with all the District Magistrates and forest department officers such as the DFOs and the nodal officer via video conferencing to review the situation and expressed his displeasure ...
Tender coconut, mango: Ice creams Indians are gorging over
In the summer months, Indians are going in for ice creams -- mostly tender coconut and mango -- over juices to beat the heat, a new analysis reveals.
Cabinet nod for 4,072 towers in LWE areas for Rs 7,330 crore
To empower security personnel and people staying in the country's Left Wing Extremist (LWE) areas, the Cabinet on Wednesday approved the setting up of an additional 4,072 mobile towers at an investment of Rs 7,330 crore, IT and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said here on Wednesday.
Cabinet approves plan to install mobile towers in Maghalaya for Rs 3,911 cr
The Cabinet today approved installation of 2G and 4G mobile towers in uncovered parts of Meghalaya for Rs Rs 3,911 crore, while raising total fund limit for telecom project in the northeast region. "The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved Implementation of a Comprehensive Telecom Development Plan (CTDP) for the North Eastern Region(NER) in Meghalaya at a total estimated project cost of Rs 3,911 crore," an official statement said. The project will be funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF). The project has provision of 2G and 4G mobile coverage in identified uncovered areas of Meghalaya and seamless mobile coverage along the National Highways in the northeastern state. The Cabinet also approved the enhanced cost of CTDP Project for NER for an amount of Rs 8,120.81 crore. The cabinet had already approved Rs 5,336.18 crore on September 10, 2014 for the project.
Madras HC stops construction at Sterilite's second plant
The Madras High Court on Wednesday stayed the construction work at Vedanta Ltd's second copper smelter plant at Thoothukudi, around 650 km from here.
Cabinet approves MoU between India, France in renewable energy
The Union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and France in the field of renewable energy.The MoU was signed on March 10, during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India.Both sides aim to identify research/demonstration/pilot project between National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE), India and Commissariat aI'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), France in the mutually identified areas.Based on mutual agreement, both parties would work for implementation and deployment of a pilot project in International Solar Alliance (ISA) member countries. Collaboration may occur through several means, including joint research projects, joint research and development, joint workshops, research and technology exchange, including the exchange of domain experts.The MoU also aims for the exchange of expertise and networking of information. It will help in ...
CERC norms for green projects positive for power firms: Report
The norms issued by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) for granting connectivity to renewable energy-based projects proposing to use the inter-state transmission system (ISTS) is positive for power producers, an Icra report said. However, the rating agency noted that the uncertainty persists on availability of adequate infrastructure to evacuate power from wind power projects bid out by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) over the past 15 months. Sabyasachi Majumdar, senior vice-president and group head, Icra Ratings, said, "The notified regulations are positive for developers in the renewable energy sector, as they provide clarity on the procedure and timelines for securing approval for connectivity from the central transmission utility." "Moreover, the regulations accord priority to projects holding letter of award under the tariff-based competitive bidding for granting connectivity," he added. Icra said the regulations have been notified ...
CERC norms for RE projects positive, need adequate transmission infra: ICRA
Power regulator CERC's norms on inter-state connectivity for renewable energy (RE) projects are a positive for developers but adequacy of transmission infrastructure is critical, rating firm ICRA said today. The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), on May 15, notified the procedure for grant of connectivity to RE-based projects proposing to use the inter-state transmission system (ISTS). The regulations have been notified amidst significant uncertainty over the grant of connectivity and long-term open access for winning developers in the recent wind power auctions held by the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). The notified regulations are positive for developers in the renewable energy sector, as they provide clarity on the procedure and timelines for securing approval for connectivity from the central transmission utility," said Sabyasachi Majumdar, Senior Vice President & Group Head, ICRA Ratings. "Moreover, the regulations accord priority to projects holding
China Satellite Navigation Conference opens in Harbin
The ninth China Satellite Navigation Conference opened in Harbin, capital of China's Heilongjiang Province on Wednesday.
Be alert, create awareness about Nipah virus: Raj govt ask officials
In the wake of deaths from Nipah virus in Kerala, Rajasthan government today gave directions to officials to take precautionary measures to check the spread of virus in the state. Health Minister Kalicharan Saraf said that many people the state live in Kerala and they often visit Rajasthani therefore "there is a need to remain alert and create public awareness on the issue." He asked officials to make necessary arrangements for checking the spread of the virus in the state. Nipah virus has so far claimed 10 lives in Kozhikode and Malappuram districts in north Kerala while two more persons who died of high fever are suspected to have contracted the virus. Meanwhile, Kerala government today asked travellers to avoid visiting four northern districts of the state -- Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kannur. In an advisory issued by Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan, it was stated that travelling to any part of Kerala was safe. But if travellers wished to be extra cautious, they may ...
WHO says 9 nations mobilize to prevent possible Ebola spread
The World Health Organization's regional director for Africa says the agency is accelerating efforts with nine countries neighboring Congo to try to prevent the spread of the current Ebola outbreak beyond its borders. Matshidiso Moeti says teams are being deployed to assess preparedness and "immediate next steps" include boosting capacity-building, training and resource mobilization. The top two priority countries are Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, near the epicenter of the outbreak. In the Republic of Congo, for example, WHO is working with government officials "to stop functioning" an active market on its side of the Congo River. Moeti told a World Health Assembly session Wednesday the nine countries "have already initiated their readiness activities." The others are Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.
Hamburg is first German city to order diesel bans
Authorities in Hamburg said today they would ban some diesel vehicles from two major arteries to improve air quality, making the German port city the first to take the long-feared step. "Driving limits for older diesel vehicles can now come into force as planned" thanks to a decision by a top court, the city-state's government said in a statement. A 1,600-metre section of the Stresemannstrasse highway in the Altona district will be closed to older diesel trucks from May 31. Meanwhile both diesel-powered trucks and cars that do not meet the latest Euro 6 emissions standards will be banned from a 580-metre stretch of another major and heavily polluted road, the Max-Brauer-Allee. Exemptions will be allowed for local residents and businesses as well as for delivery vehicles, ambulances and rubbish trucks. The late February decision by Germany's top administrative court that cities could ban older diesels from certain roads to cut pollution has set drivers on edge. Government officials ..
