Page 712 - Environment
NMCG director general reviews progress of Yamuna river devp project
NMCG Director General Rajiv Ranjan Mishra today reviewed progress of the Yamuna River Front Development (RFD) project 'Asita', being implemented by the DDA and asked officials to expedite the work, according to a statement. The project is named, Asita, which is another name of the Yamuna river. It aims to restore, revive and rejuvenate its flood plains and make them accessible to the people of Delhi. River Front walks, a major component of the project, will enable people to develop a relationship with Yamuna, it said. A special focus of the project is on reviving the river's bio-diversity in the national capital. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) director general Mishra, along with other officials from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), visited sites that fall in the area being developed under first phase of the project on the western bank of the Yamuna spreading from Old Railway Bridge to ITO Barrage, the statement said. Followed by a detailed inspection of area near Vijay .
NASA exoplanet hunter swings by Moon, clicks first image
On a mission to find thousands of new planets, NASA's next planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), has successfully completed a lunar flyby, bringing the satellite a step closer to searching for new worlds, NASA has said.
NABARD sanctions Solar street lighting system in Arunachal
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has sanctioned LED Solar Street Lighting system for Arunachal Pradesh under its Rural Infrastructure Development Fund with a total grant of Rs 87.83 lakh, an official release said here today. The project would be implemented in the four districts of the state Tirap, Longding, Namsai and Tawang. Chief Minister Pema Khandu launched the scheme here yesterday in presence of NABARD Chairman Harsh Kumar Bhanwala. Bhanwala called on the chief minister and briefed him about the 'Micro Irrigation Fund' with NABARD, which was cleared by the union cabinet recently, the release said. The government on May 16 approved a dedicated Rs 5,000 crore fund under NABARD to bring more land area under micro-irrigation as part of its objective to boost agriculture production and farmers' income. Bhanwala also informed Khandu about various other projects of the NABARD.
Gujarat official claims to be god's avatar, refuses to work
A Gujarat government officer has refused to come to office since he believes that he is the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu - Kalki, and has to "change the global conscience" by undertaking "penance" at home."I am doing penance at home by entering into the fifth dimension to change the global conscience....I can't do such penance sitting in office," Rameshchandra Fefar, who is a superintending engineer with the Sardar Sarovar Punarvasvat Agency (SSPA), has stated in his reply to a show-cause notice issued by his office to him over his long absence.In his reply, he has also claimed that it is only for him that the country is being blessed with good rainfall.Reportedly, he had been served with notice after he attended office only for 16 days during the past eight months.Anticipating that the authorities would not be convinced with his reply, he also stated that he will prove that he is Kalki in coming days."Even if you don't believe, I am indeed the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and
NASA spots Pac-Man shaped crater on Mars
NASA and HiRise team from the University of Arizona have shared an image of a newly spotted crater on the Red Planet.The unusually shaped crater looks like Pac-Man from the popular video arcade game from the 1980s.The Pac-Man shaped crater has been captured using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) in mid-March, Cnet reported.The image shows the impact crater with a crescent-shaped barchan sand dune inside. While Barchan dunes are common on Mars, the newly spotted crater has a rare configuration and over the next few tens of thousands of years, the sand will be blown out of the crater.
UGC directs universities to ban plastic cups, bottles on campus
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all varsities and higher educational institutions to ban use of plastic cups, lunch packets, straws, bottles and bags on their campuses. The directive by the commission comes after the Union Environment Ministry issued an advisory, saying India is the global host of this year's World Environment Day celebrations, the largest UN-led celebration on environment, and the theme for this edition is 'Beat Plastic Pollution'. "Ban take-away coffee cup, lunch wrapped in disposable plastic packaging, plastic bags, disposable food service cups, plates, containers made in polystyrene foam and plastic straws. Restrict single-use plastic water bottle and encourage use of refillable bottles instead," the UGC said in a communication to all vice-chancellors. The commission has also asked varsities to conduct networking activities on mass awareness on disposal of plastic and cleanliness drives under the Swachh Bharat Mission in ...
NTPC puts off solar projects auction amid developers concerns on evacuation
State-run power giant NTPC has deferred auction of 2,000 MW solar capacities to the first week of June as developers have sought resolution of inter-state connectivity issue before going ahead with the sale, sources said. Besides, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) is likely to extend the bid submission for 2,000 MW solar capacities scheduled for the first week of June, industry sources said. The sources said that the NTPC's 2,000 MW solar bid submissions scheduled on May 21, 2018, has been deferred to June first week after considering concerns expressed by developers about difficulties being faced for getting power evacuation connectivity through the inter-state transmission system. The Solar Power Developers Association had written to the Ministry of New and Renewable (MNRE) to extend solar auctions till the issue related to grant of connectivity through inter-state transmission system is not resolved. Developers had also raised the issue in the pre-bid meeting with MNRE
Minister Harsh Vardhan's 'Green Good Deeds' gets global recognition
Green Good Deeds, the societal movement launched by Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan to protect environment and promote good living has found acceptance by the global community.Dr Harsh Vardan at the ongoing 4th BRICS Environment Ministerial in Durban, South Africa had urged the BRICS nations to jointly help in development of a social movement to fight for the protection and conservation of environment.The next BRICS Ministerial on Environment has agreed to include "Green Good Deeds" in its official agenda in the next Ministerial in Brazil and another meeting in Russia said Dr Harsh Vardhan.Earlier in his opening remarks at the Ministerial, Dr Harsh Vardhan had urged the grouping to jointly work for developing a movement around Green Good Deeds."I urge upon the BRICS countries to jointly help in development of a social movement which could be emulated by the rest of the world," Dr Harsh Vardhan told the ministerial delegations from the 5-nation ...
Tripura signs MoU with Spicejet Merchandise to boost pineapple export
To boost the export of pineapples, state-run Tripura Horticulture Corporation Limited (THCL) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Spicejet Merchandise Pvt Ltd during a seminar on processing and marketing of horticultural produce of Tripura.The memorandum is targeted towards providing pineapples to major cities of the country.The 'Queen' variety of pineapples is considered as the pride of Tripura.Soon, this variety is expected to be exported not only to other Indian states but also to different parts of the world including the Middle East countries.Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has decided to make Tripura's sweet pineapples, considered unique in its taste, be made available not only in the domestic market but also abroad so that the local farmers are benefited.Further keeping the queen variety of pineapple in focus, a high-level seminar on processing and marketing horticulture produce was held at Pragna Bhawan.State Agriculture and Tourism Minister Pranajit Singha Roy ...
HP CM reviews progress of Dharamsala smart city project
Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today reviewed the progress of the Dharamsala smart city project worth Rs 2100 crore. "The mega project would not only give a facelift to the town, but also provide world standard basic amenities to the residents and attract more tourists to the place," he said at the review meeting. Thakur said the work on e-nagarpalika under which the masses would be provided digitalised public services was also underway. "Under the smart city project, 228 CCTV cameras would be set up besides installing environmental sensors at four locations and public addressing systems at 10 locations. Smart street lights, utility ducts and foot paths would also be developed in Dharamsala under the project," he said. Urban Development Minister Sarveen Chaudhary said the project was slated to be completed by September 20, 2020.
Farmers forced to sell wheat below MSP in Bihar
Farmers in Bihar are forced to sell wheat at Rs 1,400-1,500 per quintal even though the state government promised them of fair and remunerative prices for their crops.
India, Indonesia look to deepen maritime ties; mull cruise tourism circuit
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jakarta, India and Indonesia discussed developing a cruise tourism circuit between Andman & Nicobar Islands and the Southeast Asian country as part of steps to bolster bilateral ties. Union minister Nitin Gadkari met Luhut Binser Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs of Indonesia, here yesterday and discussed ways to take ahead bilateral relations between the countries, the Shipping Ministry said in a statement today. The prime minister is scheduled to visit Jakarta this month. Pandjaitan, who is on a two-day visit to India met Gadkari to discuss bilateral cooperation in the maritime sector between the two countries, the statement said. Bilateral talks covered a wide range of topics including river rejuvenation, wastewater treatment, generating revenue streams from waste, enhancing shipping linkages between the two countries, developing ports and airports, training on light house technology and development of ...
CM seeks maximum possible funds from Centre for compensating
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today asked the Union government to sanction the maximum possible amount for compensating the farmers hit by pest attacks and the fishermen whose boats were destroyed during Cyclone Ockhi. Fadnavis met a team of Central officials led by Joint Secretary, Agriculture, Ashwini Kumar and discussed the damage suffered by cotton and paddy farmers and fishermen, a release said here. A pink bollworm attack affected the cotton crop in 28 districts and a pest attack on paddy hit the farmers in Sindhudurg, Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli districts, Fadnavis told the Central team. The state government has demanded Rs 3,373.31 crore from the Union government, he said. The Central team visited Marathwada and Vidarbha regions and interacted with farmers to assess the crop damage, the release said.
Vedanta says Indian copper smelter shutdown causing deficit, price rise
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Vedanta Resources Plc's shutdown of its South Indian copper smelter, one of India's biggest, is causing a copper deficit and increased prices in India, its subsidiary Vedanta Ltd said on Friday.
Punjab orders sealing of sugar mill over deaths of fish
Punjab Environment Minister O.P. Soni on Friday ordered the seizure of the security deposit of Rs 25 lakh of a sugar mill in Amritsar after leakage of molasses from the mill led to the death of hundreds of fish in the Beas river. He also ordered the sealing of the mill.
BRICS nations face similar concerns like air pollution, should come together to tackle it: Vardhan
Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan today said BRICS nations face similar concerns like air pollution and climate change and stressed on the need for them to come together to tackle air pollution through technology transfer and requisite capacity building. The minister also called for the judicious use of resources while advocating for bringing secondary resources (waste materials) into production and adopting a Circular Economy (CE) approach. BRICS comprises of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. "BRICS countries should together emphasise on cooperation in air pollution control through technology transfer and requisite capacity building," he said. Vardhan underlined that BRICS nations face similar environmental concerns such as waste management, resource crunch and climate change. He urged the nations to commit to cooperation and collaboration on technology transfer, capacity building and knowledge transfer at the country, regional and global levels. "BRICS countries can ..
BBMB imposes 15 pc cut on water supply to Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
The Bhakra and Beas Management Board (BBMB) today imposed a 15 per cent cut on the water being supplied to Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan from the Bhakra and Pong dams. The decision was taken because of low-level of water in the dams, officials said. Besides, the states have also been asked to be prepared for further curtailment of water supply, if the situation does not improve, officials said. BBMB Member (Irrigation) S K Sharma, "A cut of 15 per cent on water supply has been imposed on Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan because of the low level of water, especially in the Bhakra dam." Officials said a meeting of the technical committee, attended by representatives from the three states and BBMB officers, was held here to review the situation. BBMB has allowed the outflow of about 19,500 cusecs from the Bhakra reservoir to the three states, against the demand for 22,500 cusecs. Partnering states Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan get water from the Bhakra and Pong dams for various purposes, ..
Squall, rain bring down temperature in Kolkata
Normal life was temporarily thrown out of gear this afternoon when a high-intensity squall accompanied by rain uprooted trees and snapped cables, leading to chaos and traffic snarls in parts of the city. The one-minute-long squall, with a wind speed of up to 92 km per hour, was preceded by another 56kmph gust, Regional Met director G K Das said. The squall, accompanied by moderate rain in different parts of the city, led to a fall in temperature from 32.4 degree Celsius to 25.5 degree Celsius, Das said. The Met department recorded 19.8 mm rainfall between 3 pm and 4.20 pm, he said. "Traffic came to a standstill in different areas of the city as trees fell like nine pins during the second squall. At least 25 trees fell in different parts of the city due to the gale," a police officer said. There was no report of ant injury owing to the storm, he said. A vehicle, which was parked on the premises of a private hospital in Burrabazar area, was partially crushed when a tree ...
Delhi to get 6 new city forests
The national capital will get six new city forests by March 2019 under the green budget initiative of the Delhi government, officials said on Friday.
Fish death: Pb min orders seizure of security deposit of sugar factory
Punjab Environment Minister O P Soni today ordered the seizure of security deposit worth Rs 25 lakh of a sugar factory in Amritsar district in the wake of the death of a large number of fish in Beas river. He also ordered the sealing of the Chaddha Sugar Mill of Kirri Afgana from where molasses leaked into the Beas and caused the death of fish. The minister constituted a probe committee and sought a report within three days and warned of strict action if the factory management is found guilty in the investigation report. Earlier, during a meeting of the environment department here, Soni issued clear directives against those flouting the environment rules. He said action would be taken against those industries who were found throwing waste material into drains or rivers. "Action will also be taken against the officials concerned of the municipal corporations and the municipal councils as well," he added. The minister said the government is not against the industries. "In fact, we are ..
