Page 733 - Environment
BJP will get absolute majority in Karnataka: UP Minister
The BJP will get absolute majority in the Karnataka assembly election slated for May 12, Uttar Pradesh Minister Surya Pratap Shahi said here today. The Minister for Agriculture, Agriculture Research and Agriculture Education said the possibility of a hung assembly in Karnataka was out of question and that the BJP would "get handsome majority". He was responding to former prime minister and JD(S) leader H D Deve Gowda's remarks that his party would not support either the BJP or the Congress in case of a hung assembly. The minister said that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh was improving after the BJP assumed office in the state. He said that the Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, initiated by the prime minister will be beneficial for farmers.
102 villages in Jammu region "un-electrified": Minister
Over hundred villages in Jammu and Kashmir are "un-electrified", the state's Power Development Minister Sunil Kumar Sharma has said adding efforts were on to ensure power supply reaches them by the end of next month. Sharma's comments come a week after the Centre claimed all villages in India had access to electricity. A total of 102 villages in Jammu region remain un-electrified and all out efforts are on to cover these villages. We are hopeful of electrifying these villages by June 30 this year, Sharma told reporters here yesterday. He said the work to electrify these villages was on at war footing as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it his priority to provide electricity to each and every household in the country. "In my home constituency (Kishtwar), 44 villages are without electricity, he said. To meet the deadline, he said the department had deployed the Indian Air Force (IAF) to reach inaccessible areas. I am quite confident that by June 30, all the left out villages of ...
UP govt working to double farmers' income by 2022: Shahi
Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi today said the state government is working towards doubling the income of the farmers by 2022. Shahi, who was in Bulandshahr today to lay the foundation stone of Kisaan Prashikshan Kendra (farmers training centre), in a statement said, "the endeavour of the UP government is to double the income of the farmers by 2022. The Kisaan Prashikshan Kendra will help the farmers to train themselves in various nuances of farming. The new Kisaan Prashikshan Kendra has been built at a cost of Rs 18.5 crore, and this is going to benefit farmers in a major way". The agriculture minister also said that 500-600 farmers will be imparted training in a month at the centre.
Shepherd injured in landmine blast near LoC in JK
A shepherd was critically injured today when he accidentally stepped on a landmine near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said. The landmine went off when Pervaiz Ahmad (30) was grazing his cattle in the forest area of Dehri Dabsi in Mendhar sector, a police official said. Ahmad was rushed to a hospital and is in a critical condition, the official added. The landmines are laid along the LoC to prevent infiltration of terrorists from across the border and sometimes these get dislocated due to rains.
Himachal earmarks Rs 25 crore for zero budget natural farming
Himachal Pradesh has earmarked Rs 25 crore in its budget for promotion of zero budget natural farming and the government will support scientists to carry out research in this regard, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said.
Torrential rains hit Manipur
Torrential rains over the last two days have disrupted normal life in Manipur.
CCTV cameras, high mast lights installed at Gurupriya Bridge
Closed circuit television cameras and high mast lights are being installed at the newly-constructed Gurupriya Bridge in Maoist-hit Malkangiri district to ensure protection of the bridge in view of naxal threat. At least six high resolution CCTV cameras are being installed to ensure protection of the bridge, built at a revised cost of over Rs 172 crore, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Jagmohan Meena said. Powerful high mast lights are also being put on the entire stretch of the 910-metre-long bridge, which will link 151 villages located in the cut off Chitrakonda area, the SP said. The bridge will also help security forces during the ongoing anti-Maoist operation in the area, police said. The control room of the CCTV cameras will be located at a Border Security Force (BSF) camp in Janbai ferry point to monitor movement of suspicious elements, including naxals in the area, the SP said. Arun Kumr Sahu, executive engineer in the works department in Malkangiri, said work
In a first, NASA's Mars probe taking mini satellites to deep space
A pair of briefcase-sized spacecraft known as CubeSats are making their way into deep space for the first time, sharing a ride with NASA's InSight Mars lander. The US space agency has received radio signals indicating that the first-ever CubeSats headed to deep space are alive and well. Engineers will now be performing a series of checks before both CubeSats enter their cruise to deep space. Mars Cube One (MarCO) is a pair spacecraft that launched along with NASA's InSight Mars lander on May 5 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California. InSight is a scientific mission that will probe the Red Planet's deep interior for the first time; the name stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport. The twin MarCO CubeSats are on their own separate mission: rather than collecting science, they will follow the InSight lander on its cruise to Mars, testing out miniature spacecraft technology along the way. Both were programmed to unfold their ...
Gujarat: Man arrested for allegedly poaching chinkara
A man was arrested for allegedly poaching a chinkara in Amreli district of Gujarat, a forest department official said today. "During patrolling last night, our officials arrested a man for killing a chinkara (Indian gazelle) near Bhad in Dhari taluka," said T Karuppasamy, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Gir (East) Division. Forest officials reached the spot soon after the animal was shot dead by three poachers using a country-made pistol, Karuppasamy said. The officials nabbed one of them while the other two managed to flee, he said. "An FIR was lodged against them under section 9 (2) of the Indian Wildlife Act, 1960 for illegal hunting, and further investigation is underway," he said.
NASA sets off InSight spacecraft to dig deep into Mars
National Aeronautics and Space Administration on Saturday (local time) launched InSight spacecraft to Mars to investigate the interior parts of the red planet.As reported by the CNN, Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations (Insight) was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in United States' California.Atlas V 401 rocket was used to launch InSight which is the first outer space robotic explorer to study the interior of Mars, as told by a NASA announcer via NASA TV. The rocket also carried two suitcase-size spacecraft, designed to orbit Mars.InSight embarked on a six-month journey will is expected to land upon Mars on November 26 joining five other NASA spacecraft operating on Mars.Insight is on a mission to put earthquake-measuring devices known as seismometers on the plant's surface to feel for "Marsquakes".These Mars tremors would help to reveal the underground rock layer of the planet. The data received could be compared to Earth.
Water of River Ravi should be restricted to India: Khattar
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said that he has urged Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to chalk out a plan to restrict the water of River Ravi from flowing to Pakistan.Interacting with media, the Haryana Chief Minister said that the water of River Ravi which originally belongs to India, should be utilized for the people of the region."I have written a letter to the Chief Minister of Punjab asking them to take some step to prevent the flow of the water of River Ravi. We have also ordered our officials to come up with some proposal on the same, so that we can use the water for the people of Haryana and Punjab," Khattar said.Under the provisions of the Indus Waters Treaty signed by India and Pakistan in 1960, the waters of the eastern rivers -- the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, had been allocated to India.While that of the western rivers --the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab to Pakistan.
Lunar rock points to hidden water reserves on Moon
Scientists have found a mineral in a lunar meteorite that points to the presence of abundant hidden reserves of water ice under the surface of the Moon, which could be potentially useful for future human exploration. A team from the Tohoku University in Japan found the mineral, called moganite, in a lunar meteorite discovered in a desert in northwest Africa. Moganite, a crystal of silicon dioxide, is known to form on Earth in specific circumstances in sedimentary settings from alkaline fluids. It has never before been detected in samples of lunar rock. Researchers believe the mineral formed on the surface of the Moon in the area called Procellarum Terrane, as water originally present in lunar dirt evaporated due to exposure to strong sunlight. "For the first time, we can prove that there is water ice in the lunar material," said Masahiro Kayama from Tohoku University, who led the study. "In a moganite, there is less water, because moganite forms from the evaporation of water. That's ..
One more elephant dies of electrocution in TN
In the second such incident this month, an elephant died of electrocution when it came into contact with an illegal high voltage electrified fence at a farm in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) in the district, forest officials said today. The male elephant was found dead near the farm land in Elanchi village under Kadambur forest in STR yesterday and a veterinarian declared it died of electrocution, they said. A case had been registered in this connection and a search was on for owner of the farm, Krishnasamy, police said adding the fence had been put up to protect the crop. The incident comes close on the heels of a similar tragedy on May 3 when a male elephant, believed to be 11 years old, was electrocuted in Neithalapuram village in the STR. It too had come into contact with an illegal high-voltage fence erected to prevent animals from entering farm lands and damage crops. The latest incident is also the third elephant death recorded in the district in as many days ..
Flexible smart patch can help track marine life
Scientists have developed a thin smart patch that can withstand twisting, shearing and stretching, even when exposed to high pressures in deep waters and could make studying the behaviour of marine animals easier and more informative. The patch called Marine Skin is based on stretchable silicone elastomers that can withstand twisting, shearing and stretching, even when exposed to high pressures in deep waters. "The integrated flexible electronics can track an animal's movement and diving behaviour and the health of the surrounding marine environment in real time," said Joanna Nassarm, who was a PhD student in the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia at the time of the research. Being able to monitor and record a range of environmental parameters is vital in the study of marine ecosystems. Yet existing systems for tracking animals in the sea are bulky and uncomfortable for animals to wear. "Using simple design tricks and soft materials, we were ...
New tech purifies water using sunlight
Scientists have developed a new technology that uses the sunlight to purify water with near-perfect efficiency. The idea of using energy from the sun to evaporate and purify water was reportedly described by Greek philosopher Aristotle over 2,000 years ago. By draping black, carbon-dipped paper in a triangular shape and using it to both absorb and vaporise water, researchers have developed a method for using sunlight to generate clean water with near-perfect efficiency. "Our technique is able to produce drinking water at a faster pace than is theoretically calculated under natural sunlight," said Qiaoqiang Gan, an associate professor at the University at Buffalo in the US. "Usually, when solar energy is used to evaporate water, some of the energy is wasted as heat is lost to the surrounding environment. This makes the process less than 100 per cent efficient. Our system has a way of drawing heat in from the surrounding environment, allowing us to achieve near-perfect efficiency," said
Now, railways' 12,066 acres of unused land up for grabs
Nearly 12,066 acres of surplus land of railways are now up for grabs. The national transporter has written to 13 states asking them to either buy or exchange these land parcels for developmental projects. A letter written by the Railway Board last month to the chief secretaries of West Bengal, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and Assam, stated that they send in proposals to use these land parcels which have remained unused. "These land parcels can be used by the state governments for construction of highways, roads or any other useful purpose... "The amount payable for the land will be in all cases be its market value on the date of transfer... The land can also be transferred to the state government on the basis of exchange of land with state government land which may be useful to the railways on equitable cost basis, said the letter, a copy of which is with PTI. Railways also said .
Animals, birds reel under heat; wildlife lovers worried
The rapid urbanisation, depleting greenery and shrinking water bodies are taking a toll on animals and birds in the city, especially during the summer season, say animal rights activists. There has been a rise in the number of birds and animals suffering from heat-related ailments during summers, as per data collected by The Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) here in the last five years. In 2014, the NGO recorded 1,431 cases (including 589 dogs, 213 cats and 629 birds) of animals suffering from dehydration in city. The figure went up to 1,512 (628 dogs, 222 cats and 662 birds) in 2015, 1,564 (652 dogs, 236 cats and 676 birds) in 2016 and 1,686 (710 dogs, 258 cats and 718 birds) in 2017, as per BSPCA, which was formed in 1874 to provide help and relief to all animals in Mumbai. Some other animals like flamingos, foxes, jackals, tiger cubs and turtles were also brought for treatment to the hospital run by the organisation. "With the increase in ...
Rajasthan CM calls for strengthening radar system
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has called for strengthening the state's radar system so that timely alerts can be issued for natural calamities.
Centre to provide Rs 2,000 cr for Godavari waterway
Union Minister for Road Transport and Water Resourceas Nitin Gadkari on Saturday announced that the Central government will sanction Rs 2,000 crore for inland waterway on Godavari River.
Alert sounded for fishermen in Kerala, Lakshadweep
The Fisheries Deputy Director of Ernakulam region on Saturday warned the fishermen in Kerala and Lakshadweep of the south-west wind.A south-west wind at the speed of 35 km to 45 km is expected to hit the coasts in Kerala and Lakshadweep.It will hit the region during the next 24 hours.Further details are awaited.
