Page 713 - Environment
Putin says Russia to continue gas shipments via Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin said today that Russia intends to continue natural gas shipments via Ukraine despite a planned second pipeline to Germany. "We will continue gas shipments (via Ukraine) as long as they are economically justified," Putin said during a press conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. For her part, Merkel said that "Ukraine's role as a transit country should be maintained and Germany is ready to play its role." Russia's Gazprom plans to build a second pipeline under the Baltic Sea to Germany, called Nord Stream 2, that would give it more possibility to reduce transit of gas through Ukraine to Europe when it is finished in 2019. Germany has supported the project, but Merkel last month shifted gears to say that Nord Stream could not go forward without guarantees for Ukraine. Ukraine has so far rejected proposals from Gazprom that would reduce the volumes of gas shipped through the country. Russia has previously shut off deliveries to Ukraine in ...
BPCL to set up LPG bottling plant in Balangir
State run oil marketing company Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) today said it will set up an LPG bottling plant at Barkhani in Odisha's Balangir district at a cost of Rs 103 crore. BPCL already has an LPG bottling plant at Khurda in Odisha and this will be the second such unit in the state. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thaawarchand Gehlot are scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the bottling plant on May 21, Regional LPG Manager (East) Atul Kumar and Head Infrastructure T/F (East) Manas Mohanty said in a press meet. The LPG plant will be constructed on 23 acres of land at Barkhani village, around 12 km from Balangir railway station. With a capacity to produce 42 lakh cylinders per year, the plant is expected to be operational by March 2020, the two officials said.
India, EU experts to discuss measures to tackle air pollution, deliberate on NCAP
Indian and European experts will gather in the national capital to brainstorm possible measures to tackle air pollution in India and deliberate on the draft National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) recently announced by the Environment Ministry. The two-day conference on the 'EU India Air Quality Initiative' on May 21 and 22, being organised by AETS, France along with TERI, and supported by the European Union (EU) and the Environment Ministry, will also strive to find solutions to improve the local air quality. The event will mark the culmination of the workshops organised in 2017 in Goa, Raipur and Bangalore, where the EU shared its best practices and experiences in addressing the issue of air pollution. "The government's newly announced NCAP will also be up for discussion in the two-day conference. It will also propose multiple strategies to address this menace," a statement said. The draft NCAP has been framed by the Environment Ministry with an overall objective of a comprehensive ...
I am Kalki Avatar, can't come to office, says govt officer
A Gujarat government official has claimed that he is Kalki, the tenth incarnation of Vishnu, and can't come to office because he is conducting a "penance" to "change the global conscience". Thanks to his penance, the country is getting good rains, said Rameshchandra Fefar, superintending engineer with the Sardar Sarovar Punarvasvat Agency (SSPA), in reply to a show-cause notice served to him. The notice and his bizarre reply have gone viral. "Even if you don't believe, I am indeed the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu and I will prove it in coming days. I realised that I am Kalki Avatar when I was in my office in March 2010. Since then, I am having divine powers," Fefar said, speaking to media at his Rajkot house today. In his reply to the show-cause notice issued by the agency three days ago, Fefar, who is in his late 50s, stated he could not come to office as he is busy with penance. "I am doing penance at home by entering into fifth dimension to change the global ...
Goyal urges railways, power, coal ministries to work in coordination for 24X7 power supply
To ensure 24X7 power supply to people, Union Minister Piyush Goyal today urged ministries of railways, power and coal to work in coordination and also asked power plants to increase their plant load factor (PLF), an official statement said. Plant load factor is the amount of power a plant is producing as against its total capacity. In this regard, Goyal, who is minister of railways and coal, chaired a detailed review meeting with R K Singh, Minister of State (IC) for Power and New and Renewable Energy here, the Ministry of Coal said in a statement. "Goyal stressed on the necessity to increase PLF of various power plants of the country. He said all pithead plants with sufficient coal supply should run at 100 per cent PLF. (He) urged that team work and better coordination among ministries to ensure 24X7 power supply for the people of India," it said. According to the statement, the minister has also instructed the officials of the three ministries to keep a close vigil on the power ...
: Ginger (Inferior) Rs.12,500/-,
: Ginger (Inferior) Rs.12,500/-, Ginger (Medium) Rs.14,500/-, Ginger (Best) Rs.15,500/-, Turmeric Salem Rs.8,500/-, Turmeric-Erode(Agmark) Rs.9,000/-, Nuxvomica Rs.-----, Ambahaldhar Rs.9,500/-, Kolinjan 14,000-15,000/-, Kachura Rs.------, Kapurkatchili Rs.14,000-17,000/-, Betelnuts Rs.18,000-19,000/-, Rice Raw (No.1) Rs----/-,Rice Raw (No.2) Rs.2,950/-, Rice Boiled (Sulekha) Rs.3,750/-, Rice Jaya (Boiled) Rs.3,300/-, Rice Broken Rs.2,400/-, Wheat Rs.2,550/-, Chola Rs.--------, Chillies Rs.10,000-15,000/-, Bengal Gram Rs.4,500-5,500/-, Black Gram Rs.6,200-6,800/-, Gingelly Rs.11,000/-, Green Gram Rs.7,500-8,200/-, Horse Gram 4,100/-, Peas Dal Rs.4,000-4,300/-, Toor Dal Rs.5,500-6,300/-, Pepper New Rs.34,700/-, Pepper light Rs.-------, Pin Heads Rs.------, Sugar (per bag) Rs.3,080/-(All rates per quintal). COIR YARN : Cochin Parur Thin (85 M/Kg) Rs.4,700/-, Vycom Thick 180M/Kg) Rs.5,000/-, Choriwal Thin Rs.
Goyal instructs officials to closely monitor power situation
Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday instructed officials from the coal, power and railway ministries to "keep a close vigil on the power production and supply situation" in the country.
Himachal launches riverfront cleaning campaign
The Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology and Environment (HIMCOSTE) on Friday launched a 20-day Riverfront Cleaning Campaign by involving over 1,000 schoolchildren of eco clubs under the National Green Corps Programme and a World Wide Entertainment (WWE) former champion as the brand ambassador.
BPCL to set up second LPG bottling plant in Odisha
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) will set up its second LPG bottling plant in Odisha in Balangir district, an official said on Friday.
NASA study shows freshwater decline in India
India is among the world's major hotspots which has seen a serious decline in the availability of freshwater due to overuse of water resources, reveals a new study that combined an array of NASA satellite observations of Earth with data on human activities.
PIL to protect Yamuna river bed from illegal construction: HC seeks Centre stand
The Delhi High Court today sought the Centre's stand on a plea seeking a direction to authorities to stop illegal constructions on the Yamuna flood plain, near the Nigam Bodh Ghat area here, to protect it from being depleted further. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), Yamuna River Development Authority and North Delhi Municipal Corporation, seeking their replies to the PIL by September 25. The petitioner, N K Gupta, in his plea alleged that a hospital was being constructed illegally on the Yamuna river bed by a registered society -- Sant Parmanand Blind Relief Mission. In his plea filed through advocate Shivesh Singh, he said that the construction was permitted by changing land use of the area in 2012. The petition sought directions to the authorities to immediately stop the construction being carried out on the "river bed/flood plain of Yamuna" and protect .
100 stray dogs culled in Telangana, case registered
An FIR was registered today following a complaint alleging that nearly 100 stray dogs were culled and dumped in a forest area, police said. The complaint was lodged by a non-governmental organisation(NGO) on May 16, saying unidentified persons were picking up street dogs from Meerpet area and 'killing' them at the nearby Kongara forest, they said. A case was registered under the Animal Cruelty Act and also under relevant sections of IPC, they added. About 100 carcasses were found near the forest, police said. Veterinary doctors conducted a postmortem and sent the samples to a laboratory, police said, adding reports were awaited.
Floral replica of dam star attraction at Ooty flower show
A floral replica of Mettur dam is the cynosure of all eyes at the 122nd edition of the Udhagamandalam annual flower show, inaugurated today by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami. The model of the dam, which drew a large number of people to the show, was made up of nearly one lakh white and yellow carnation, native to the Mediterranean region, a six-foot tall Barbie doll dressed up with nearly 1,500 archit flowers and 1,000 coronation flowers. A selfie spot was set up for tourists and youth. Nearly 180 varieties of flowers such as Inca marigold, French marigold, sylvia were on display in over 50,000 pots. Palaniswami went around the botanical garden, where the show was being held. Ministers S P Velumani and Thangamani accompanied the chief minister.
Human pressure destroying world's protected land
One-third of the world's protected land is in a state unlikely to conserve endangered biodiversity thanks to intense human pressure, says an international study that offers a shocking reality check on efforts to avert a biodiversity crisis.
Development of Jharkhand with the help of natural resources
There are some states in the country that are very rich in natural resources but in spite of this, the development of these states has not taken place on the scale which is expected.Jharkhand is one example, where there is immense natural wealth. The state is well known for its minerals such as mica, copper, uranium, bauxite and coal that are found in infinite quantities.According to one figure, 40% of the country's minerals come from Jharkhand. Despite this, in the name of development it is counted as one of the backward and ailing states of the country. Not only this, it is also surrounded by forests of India's largest tribal-dominated state.The only means of tribal's livelihood is forest wealth. But, due to its lack of policy use, there is a loss in both environment and economic forms. At the same time there is a bad effect on the livelihood of the tribals. While on one hand you have deforestation, on the other hand, the land of the tribals is being snatched.However, special ...
Delhi govt to plant 20 lakh saplings this monsoon
The Delhi government has set a target of planting 20 lakh saplings this monsoon and develop six new city forests in the national capital under 'green budget' initiative. The government will also remove Mexican mesquite tree species known as 'Vilyatee Kikar' in Central Ridge Area between SP Marg and Vande Matram Marg as part of its initiative to make Delhi 'Kikar-free' announced in the 2018-19 Budget, according to a statement. In a meeting today, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain reviewed the work for achieving the greening target for the current fiscal under the green budget. "In the meeting, the department informed that total target of 20.13 lakh saplings (8.67 lakh tree saplings + 7.20 lakh shrubs + 4.25 lakh sapling for free distribution to public) is fixed for the current financial year for all 20 greening agencies and departments," the government said in a statement. It stated that a campaign will be launched in June, under which the RWAs, market associations and NGOs ...
Cryptocurrency may light up renewable energy in Moldova
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Moldova, a small, landlocked country in eastern Europe, imports three-quarters of its energy and has seen its energy prices rise by more than half in the past five years.
Protesters in Manila slam China's activities on disputed isles
A group of protesters gathered at the Chinese consulate in southern Manila's Makati district on Friday to criticise Beijing's activities on disputed islands in the South China Sea.
Is it possible to get 100 percent of our energy from renewable sources?
The questions regarding renewable energy are never-ending.Is there enough space for all the wind turbines and solar panels to provide all our energy needs? What happens when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow? Won't renewables destabilise the grid and cause blackouts?A study conducted by the Lappeenranta University of Technology explored these questions and came to some interesting conclusions.The researchers doubted the feasibility of many of the recent scenarios for high shares of renewable energy, questioning everything from whether renewables-based systems can survive extreme weather events with the low sun and low wind, to the ability to keep the grid stable with so much variable generation.The scientists then hit back with their response to the points raised by Heard and colleagues. The researchers analysed hundreds of studies from across the scientific literature to answer each of the apparent issues.They demonstrated that there are no roadblocks on the way to a ...
None of our members are going away: JD(S)
Amid alleged horse-trading attempts being by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Janata Dal (Secular) MLA GT Devegowda confirmed that none of their members were 'going away', irrespective of the amount of money being offered."Rs. 100 crore or Rs. 200 crore, our MLAs are with us. None of our members are going away," he told ANI.Devegowda further claimed that the Congress and JD(S) MLAs, who were brought to Hyderabad this morning, would leave for Bengaluru this evening or tomorrow early morning.Amid the fiasco regarding the formation of government in Karnataka, MLAs of both the Congress and JD (S) were shifted to Park Hyatt Hotel in Hyderabad from Bengaluru's Eagleton Resort, fearing defection to the BJP.Kerala Tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran earlier invited Congress and JD(S) MLAs from Karnataka to their state to avoid alleged horse-trading and poaching bid by the BJP.On a related note, the Supreme Court directed a floor test to be conducted tomorrow at 4 pm for Karnataka Chief ..
