Page 717 - Environment
Foodgrain production to be record 279.51 million tonnes: Government
The foodgrain production in the country this year will be a record 279.51 million tonnes, an increase of 4.4 million tonnes over last year, the Agriculture Ministry said in its third advance estimates released on Wednesday.
Ashok Gehlot targets BJP over fuel price rise post Karnataka polls
Amid intense jockeying for power in Karnataka, Congress national general secretary Ashok Gehlot hit out today at the BJP saying that fuel prices that remained stagnant for 19 days have started rising again after Karnataka election result. After a 19-day pre-Karnataka poll hiatus, petrol price was hiked on May 14 by 17 paise a litre and diesel by 21 paise as PSU oil firms began passing on the spike witnessed in international rates to consumers. "Fuel prices remained stagnant for 19 days and have started rising again. What is surprising is that government has now resumed daily price revision of fuel right after Karnataka elections 2018 came to an end. How did government manage to keep prices stable for 19 days?," Gehlot said in a statement. Gehlot also tweeted on the issue, saying the rising fuel price was a huge burden for common people and held the BJP responsible for the situation. It is bewildering to note that government is fleecing public of its hard earned money. Since BJP has ...
Cabinet approves Rs 5,000 crore for micro-irrigation expansion
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved an initial corpus of Rs 5,000 crore to set up a dedicated fund under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) to expand the area under micro-irrigation.
Foodgrain production at record 279.51 MT in 2017-18: Govt
India is estimated to have harvested a record 279.51 million tonnes (MT) of foodgrains in the 2017-18 crop year ending next month, up 1.6 per cent from the previous year, on good monsoon and higher support price, the government today said. The country achieved an all-time high production in all four foodgrains -- rice, wheat, coarse cereals and pulses -- during 2017-18 crop year (July-June), according to the third advance estimates released by the agriculture ministry. "Total foodgrains production in the country is estimated at 279.51 million tonnes which is higher by 4.40 million tonnes than the previous record production of foodgrain of 275.11 million tonnes achieved during 2016-17," an official statement said. In the second advance estimates released in February this year, the ministry had projected foodgrains production at 277.49 MT tonnes for the current crop year. The bumper crop has led to a steep fall in prices of some agri-commodities like pulses and sugar causing distress ..
NASA CubeSats beam back 'classic portrait' of Earth, Moon
NASA's first mini satellites to travel into deep space have beamed back an image of the Earth and the Moon, which appear as a 'pale blue dot' and a tiny white speck floating in space. NASA set a new distance record for CubeSats on May 8 when a pair of CubeSats - tiny satellites - called Mars Cube One (MarCO) reached one million kilometre from Earth. One of the CubeSats, called MarCO-B used a fisheye camera to snap its first photo on May 9. That photo is part of the process used by the engineering team to confirm the spacecraft's high-gain antenna has properly unfolded. As a bonus, it captured Earth and its moon as tiny specks floating in space, researchers said. "CubeSats have never gone this far into space before, so it's a big milestone. Both our CubeSats are healthy and functioning properly. We're looking forward to seeing them travel even farther," said Andy Klesh, MarCO's chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US. The MarCO spacecraft are the first CubeSats ...
Punjab CM moots 5 pc budget cut for other depts to shore up education revenue
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh mooted today a proposal to cut down the budget of all other departments by five per cent each, in order to arrange additional revenue for education, which he described as "critical for the state's development and progress". The initiative, the chief minister said, would help raise an additional Rs 887 crore for education, whose budgetary allocation currently stands at 14 per cent of the total outlay at Rs 2,916 crore. The additional budget for education would raise the total to Rs 3803 crore, making it 21 per cent of the overall outlay. "Education is the most vital engine of the state's growth and the Congress government in Punjab would take all possible steps to improve the education system, including five per cent reduction in the budgetary allocation for other departments, if needed, to raise its investment in education," Singh said. The chief minister was speaking at the Agri Conclave 18, hosted by a private TV channel here, an official ...
HC seeks Centre's reply on PIL against municipal solid waste rules2016
The Delhi High Court today sought response of the Centre on a PIL which has challenged the municipal solid waste rules to the extent they hold individuals and not local bodies liable for non-segregation of garbage at source. While passing the order, the court asked the petitioner society, Sach, as to what was wrong with the public segregating the waste they generate as it was being done all over the world. "It should be a duty. It is high time citizens do their duty. In our country, people only have rights and no duties," a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said. It issued notices to the ministries of Environment and Urban Development and sought their stand on the plea by September 24. The court also appointed Sunita Narain, director of Centre for Science and Environment, as an amicus curiae to assist it in the matter. The petition has claimed that under the Municipal Solid Waste Rules of 2000 the responsibility of segregation of garbage was with the
Cabinet approves MoU between India, Equatorial Guinea in medicine
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday gave its ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Equatorial Guinea for Cooperation in the field of traditional systems of medicine.The MoU on the same was signed on April 8 during President Ram Nath Kovind's visit to Equatorial Guinea.The MoU will enhance bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The financial resources necessary to conduct research, training courses, conferences and meetings and deputations of experts will be met from the existing allocated budget and existing plan schemes of Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani and Siddha).The traditional systems of medicine in India are well organised, codified and well-documented. These systems hold tremendous potential in the global health scenario.The Ministry of AYUSH having the mandate to promote, propagate and globalise these traditional systems of medicine has taken effective steps by ...
NHempCo plan to cultivate industrial hemp, set up plants
: Bengaluru based start-up firm Namrata Hemp Company(NHempCo) proposes to cultivate industrial hemp and set up processing and manufacturing plants in Telangana and will soon submit plans to the government for pilot projects, a top company official said today. "We have prepared the proposal and will submit it to the state government very soon and expect the Telangana government to approve the pilot for cultivation of hemp in 25 acres and hemp processing and manufacturing plants in 15 acre," NHempCo Founder and MD Harshaavardhan Redi Sirupa told reporters here. NHempCo is looking for the approval of a pilot project on hemp cultivation and setting up first hemp factory in Nalgonda or Mahabubnagar districts (of Telangana) and will make an initial investment of Rs 15 crore towards it, he said. The company also planned to collaborate with agriculture and horticulture department to build up PPP model towards cultivation of industrial hemp on barren lands held by the government,
NASA shares CubeSat version of 'pale blue dot' image
NASA has just shared a new version of the famous "pale blue dot" image originally snapped on February 14, 1990 by the agency's Voyager 1 spacecraft from its perch at that time beyond Neptune.
NCP corporator sits on hunger strike for cleaning Mithi river
A woman corporator of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today sat on an indefinite fast outside the office of civic chief Ajoy Mehta in the corporation building demanding speedy cleaning of the Mithi river ahead of monsoon. The clogging of the 15-km river was considered as one of the major factors responsible for the 2005 Mumbai deluge. Protesting NCP corporator Dr Saeed Khan, who represents flood-prone Kurla suburb, also demanded the work to construct a retaining wall along the river be expedited. She alleged the civic body, headed by the Shiv Sena, has failed to construct the retaining wall in the last 12 years. "Even after the court ordered the BMC to construct retaining wall in 2005, the work has not yet been completed. Piling work is going on to build the wall. The incomplete work of piling is so shoddy that it has created more mess around the area near the river. If not cleaned, the mess could lead to havoc during the monsoon," Khan said. The river, ...
Cabinet approves National Policy on Biofuels - 2018
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Sugar imports from Pakistan miniscule: Commerce ministry
India imported just 1,908 tonnes of sugar from Pakistan since April this year, the government said today, rebutting opposition charge that large quantities of the sweetener are being shipped from the neighbouring nation. Till May 14 in this fiscal, import of sugar from Pakistan is mere 1,908 tonnes for a value of USD 0.657 million. In 2017-18, sugar import stood at 13,110 tonnes valuing USD 4.68 million, the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which is under the Commerce Ministry, said. "Import from Pakistan has been very miniscule as compared to total production in the country and exports from India," the DGFT said. Sugar production of India, the world's second largest producer, is estimated at record 32 million tonnes in the 2017-18 marketing year (October-September) as against 20.3 million tonnes in the previous year. The annual domestic demand is 25 million tonnes. The DGFT said that the country exported 1.75 million tonnes of sugar in 2017-18 and 2.4 lakh tonnes so far this
Guwahati now has India's first solar powered railway station
Guwahati now has India's first railway station run by solar power.The project of installing solar panels was commissioned last year in April 2017.Around 2352 solar modules with a capacity of generating 700 kwp has been set up over the roof of the Guwahati railway station. have been installed at the roof-top solar power plant.The solar-powered station is aimed at reducing carbon-footprint as well as cut down power costs drastically.Around 6.3 lakh kg carbon dioxide emissions have been cut off between April 12 last year to May 10 this year.The project cost is estimated to be Rs 6.7 crore, as per Indian Railways. The solar power plant will save Rs 67 lakh worth of electricity.With an average power generation capacity per day is 2048 KWh, the solar panels till date have generated a total of 7,96,669 KWH of electricity.
Beijing's air, water quality improved in 2017: report
Beijing saw better air quality and more "good air" days in 2017, an official report said today, even as the Chinese capital, which bore the brunt of heavy air pollution for years, continues to be shrouded by bouts of hazardous smog in the last few years. Average density of PM2.5 in Beijing stayed at 58 micrograms per cubic meter of air in 2017, down by 20.5 per cent compared to the average level in 2016, and a decrease of 35.6 per cent compared to 2013, a report by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said. The city has met the goal set by the government in 2013, the report said. Density of three major pollutants - sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and PM10 - also dropped sharply to 8, 46 and 84 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down 20 per cent, 4.2 per cent and 8.7 per cent respectively compared to 2016. The capital saw 226 good air days in 2017, 28 days more than in 2016. The number of heavy pollution days decreased by 16 to 23, according to the report. However, ...
EU concerned about 'collateral damage' from U.S.-China spat - commissioner
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Europe is concerned about collateral damage it may suffer from America's escalating trade spat with China, an EU official said as he criticised Washington for breaking a years-long push to force Beijing to cut steel and aluminium exports.
Chimps sleep on cleaner beds than humans: Study
Chimpanzees appear to keep tidier sleeping arrangements than humans do, according to a study that evaluated the microbes and insects found in the treetop beds that chimps make each night. "We know that human homes are effectively their own ecosystems, and human beds often contain a subset of the taxa - or types - of organisms found in the home," said Megan Thoemmes, a PhD student at North Carolina State University in the US. "For example, about 35 per cent of bacteria in human beds stem from our own bodies, including faecal, oral and skin bacteria," said Thoemmes, lead author of the study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science. The researchers wanted to know how this compares with some of our closest evolutionary relatives, the chimpanzees, which make their own beds daily. Researchers in Tanzania collected swabs of 41 chimpanzee beds, or nests. The swabs were used to test for microbial biodiversity. At 15 of the nests, researchers also used vacuums to sample the diversity
Chimps sleep on cleaner beds than humans: Study
If you think humans sleep on cleaner beds than other species, think again. According to a study, chimpanzees, our closest evolutionary relatives, keep their sleeping arrangements tidier than us.
Vegetable oil import up 3.5 pc in Apr at 13.86 lakh tonnes
Vegetable oils import rose by 3.5 per cent in April to 13.86 lakh tonnes, according to industry data. Imports of vegetable oils (edible oil and non-edible oil) stood at 13.39 lakh tonnes in April 2017, according to Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA). Edible oil imports rose to 13.68 lakh tonnes from 13.24 lakh tonnes, while non-edible oils imports increased to 17,850 tonnes from 15,475 tonnes during the period under review. "The overall import of vegetable oils during November 2017 to April 2018 is reported at 73,18,295 tonnes compared to 71,38,265 tonnes, up by 2.5 per cent," SEA said in a statement. Edible oil year runs from November to October. During November 2017 to April 2018, the overall palm oil import has increased to 45,74,098 tonnes from 43,06,135 tonnes, thanks to withdrawal of export duty by the Malaysia. "Since October 2016 and onwards, landed price of RBD (refined) palmolein and CPO (crude palm oil) have remained more or less the same, encouraging import of .
Fadnavis approves filling up of 36,000 vacant posts
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis gave his approval today to fill 36,000 vacant posts in different departments of the state government, especially in agriculture and rural development departments. During the budget session of the state legislature held earlier this year, Fadnavis had announced that total 72,000 vacant posts will be filled in two phases over the next two years. As part of that, 36,000 vacancies will be filled in the first phase, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. The move is aimed at strengthening the government machinery in rural areas, it said. According to the statement, priority will be given to agriculture and rural development departments for the development of agriculture sector, improving the farmers' lives and providing essential infrastructure in rural areas. The decision to fill the vacancies was taken to ensure that the government schemes for the welfare of farmers and strengthening of the agriculture sector ...
