Page 734 - Environment

20,000 Bihar farmers get input subsidy for organic farming

In a move to promote organic farming in Bihar, more than 20,000 farmers were on Saturday provided agriculture input interim subsidy of Rs 6,000 each directly in their accounts for cultivating organic vegetables.

Govt has proposed 5 per cent GST on ethanol: Paswan

Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution Ram Vilas Paswan today said the government had proposed a tax rate of five per cent on ethanol to the GST Council. "We have proposed to the GST Council to reduce the GST on ethanol to 5 per cent from 18 per cent," Paswan said, adding that the sugar industry was facing problems due to a crash in prices. It was decided in the GST Council meeting, held yesterday, that a separate group of ministers would look into the issue of levy of cess on sugar as well as reduction of GST on ethanol. The Cabinet had, on May 2, approved financial assistance of Rs 5.50 per quintal of cane crushed during the 2017-18 sugar season, in order to help sugar mills clear farmers' dues totalling Rs 20,000 crore. Paswan said that the government had also allowed Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA) scheme in order to facilitate the export of surplus sugar. The Union minister lauded Maharashtra for successfully linking 88 per cent ...

Guj: Hundreds of cows let out to protest lack of govt funding

Hundreds of cows were let out of a 'Panjrapole' (shelter home for abandoned cattle) at Deesa in Banaskantha district by its managers today, to protest the government's failure to provide financial support. Managers of Panjrapoles in the district had earlier threatened to take out animals to government offices, alleging that the government wasn't providing them funds. Banaskantha district magistrate Sandip Sagale imposed section 144 (3) of the CrPC, prohibiting release of cattle. The situation was under control, the authorities said, as the released cows were being herded back to the shelter. "In the last two years, due to floods in the region, fodder has become scarce. A month ago we had appealed to the state government seeking monetary support. The government did not act, forcing us to take this step," said Jagdish Mali, manager of Deesa-based Rajpur Panjrapole, from where hundreds of cows were let out today. This Panjrapole houses around 8,000 animals. Mali, a member of .

Will strive to get work on Godavari project started this year:

: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today said he will strive to get work started on the Godavari inland waterways this year itself adding once the project is completed it will change the economies of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra. "Our department has done feasibility study towards Godavari waterways and I will soon give orders for preparing detailed project report (DPR)," he said after laying the foundation for four national highway projects costing Rs 1,523 crore here. "I will strive to start work on the Godavari waterways this year itself and the Central government will allot an initial funding of Rs 2,000 crore for this project. This is my dream project," the Minister for Road Transport and Highways and Water Resources announced. Gadkari called upon the three states to contribute 10 per cent equity each for setting up a special purpose vehicle (SPV). The minister said he would get the remaining funds at lesser interest rates and asked the three state ...

Gadkari announces Rs 5,500 cr for Hyderabad regional ring road

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday announced sanctioning of Rs 5,500 crore for laying regional ring road around Hyderabad.

Nitish stresses on "rainbow revolution" for agri growth

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said his government is committed to improvements in agriculture which could help farmers of the state in raising their incomes and ensure that there was at least one dish made from products from the state on every Indian's plate. Launching a software for advance payment of grants for agriculture input, said to be the first such endeavour in the country, Kumar said that ever since his stint as the union agriculture minister his thrust has been on a 'Rainbow Revolution' which was wider in its scope than 'Green Revolution' and 'White Revolution'. As part of the scheme for advance payment of agriculture input Rs 6000 each were transferred into the accounts of more than 20,000 farmers for the purpose of organic farming in Patna, Samastipur, Nalanda and Vaishali districts. The occasion was also marked by inauguration of projects worth over Rs 70 crore, all of them relating to agriculture. "A lot of progress has been made by the state in .

NASA sends probe on mission to map out Mars' interior

NASA has moved a step closer to learning about the interior of Mars with the successful lift-off here on Saturday of a new probe.

SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship heads back to Earth

SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship left the International Space Station today carrying 1,800 kilograms of gear and prepared to splash down in the Pacific Ocean by mid-afternoon, NASA said. The white supply vessel detached from the orbiting outpost at 9:23 AM (local time), fired its engines three times and slowly began its journey to Earth. "Release confirmed," said commentator Rob Navias on NASA TV, noting that separation occurred as the ISS was 411 kilometers above the Earth, passing over just south of Australia. "Dragon is safely on its way." A parachute-assisted splashdown is expected off the coast of California around 3 PM (local time), but will not be broadcast on NASA TV. The spacecraft is bringing back a host of science experiments, including lab mice that were studied in orbit to see how their bones changed in microgravity. "Other critical biological samples preserved in science freezers, such as plants, insects and human tissue, have also been transferred into Dragon for ...

Over 700 Uttarakhand villages deserted in 10 years: Report

Over 700 villages in Uttarakhand have been deserted and more than 3.83 lakh people have left their villages in the last 10 years with half of them going out in search of livelihood, according to a report. Sharing the data with the media in the presence of Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, Uttarakhand Rural Development and Migration Commission Chairman S S Negi said however 70 per cent of the migrating population had moved only from one part of the state to another and not outside it. The data forms part of the commission's report on the status of migration in the state over the last ten years which was released by the Chief Minister at his official residence here. According to the data, a total of 3,83,726 people have migrated from their homes in Uttarakhand villages over the last 10 years with 50 per cent of them going out in search of livelihood and the rest due to poor education and health facilities. Since the 2011 census, 734 villages in Uttarakhand have become totally ...

'Some scientists trying to portray fictional narratives as

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today 'some scientists' were attempting to portray fictional narratives as scientific truths and called for instilling the scientific temper in youth so they would keep up with the times. "There are attempts by some scientists to portray fictional narratives as scientific truths. It is essential that a scientific temper be instilled in the new generation so that they will keep up with the times", Vijayan said. He was speaking after inaugurating the "Hall of Ocean", a gallery which presents a comprehensive picture of various phenomenon and mysteries associated with the ocean, at the Regional Science Centre and Planetarium here. Vijayan said the gallery would play an important role in disseminating facts and concerns people have about the ocean. The Chief Minister said he was delighted to observe the steadfast growth of the Regional Science Centre and its initiatives to accomplish such achievements. The gallery also seeks to explain ...

Odisha's agri products to ensure GCC nations' food security: Pradhan

Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said the agri and food processing clusters in Odisha would be linked to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.

Another elephant found dead in Erode district

The carcass of a 15-year-old female elephant was found at Anthiyur today, forest officials said. A veterinarian was called in to conduct an autopsy and the report is awaited. Officials suspect that the elephant might have died due to dehydration. On April 28, a 10-year-old tusker died of starvation in the Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve near here.

Want 'earn while you learn' scheme for agriculture students:

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said that he has asked agriculture universities in the state to prepare a "earn while you learn" stipend scheme for students to carry out field work. Fadnavis said that, as part of the plan, students of agriculture colleges would be required to send agro advisories to farmers, collect data and ensure that a proper mechanism was created to disseminate information to farmers at the ground-level. He told reporters that students would get a stipend, funded by the state government, for this work. "The students will be responsible for sending agro advisories to farmers, data collection and ensuring all the agriculture related schemes and policies reach farmers," Fadnavis said. He said the need of the hour was to ensure correct advisories to farmers in order to avoid double sowing. "We need to create a mechanism for information dissemination and proper communication on the ground," Fadnavis said. He said that the government was

NASA blasts off Mars lander, InSight

NASA today blasted off its latest Mars lander, InSight, designed to perch on the surface and listen for "Marsquakes" ahead of eventual human missions to explore the Red Planet. "Three, two, one, liftoff!" said a NASA commentator as the spacecraft launched on a dark, foggy morning atop an Atlas V rocket at 4:05 AM Pacific time (1635 IST) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, marking NASA's first interplanetary launch from the US west coast. The USD 993 million project aims to expand human knowledge of interior conditions on Mars, inform efforts to send human explorers there, and reveal how rocky planets like the Earth formed billions of years ago. If all goes as planned, the lander should settle on the Red Planet on November 26. Its name, InSight, is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport. NASA chief scientist Jim Green said experts already know that Mars has quakes, avalanches and meteor strikes. "But how quake-prone is Mars? ...

NASA's InSight spacecraft blasts off to Mars

NASA's InSight mission to study the deep interior of Mars blasted off to the Red Planet on Saturday aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Tackling climate change: Global Covenant of Mayors launches it South Asia chapter

To tackle the effects of climate change, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) today launched a chapter for South Asian countries and urged mayors and commissioners from India as well as local governments across the region to join the coalition and commit to moving towards a low-carbon and climate resilient economy. The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy-South Asia (GCoM-SA) aims to support the efforts of cities in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make their communities more resilient toward the effects of climate change. It was launched within the context of the South Asian Cities Summit and with support from the European Union (EU)-funded International Urban Cooperation programme in India and city network partners. GCoM Vice-Chair and former executive secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres, who was the architect behind the historic ...

Animal protection body urges govt to prioritise public safety, animal protection

With a number of children mauled to death by stray dogs in Sitapur in recent months, an animal protection body has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to prioritise public safety and well-being of animals, but said culling the canines was not a solution. The World Animal Protection (WAP) said the state government should investigate what action has been taken to address the menace since the first incident was reported in January. Two more children were mauled to death and another two were injured by stray dogs in Sitapur yesterday. Earlier, three children were mauled to death by dogs in villages near Khairabad town after which the district administration called a dog-catching squad from Mathura. "We understand there is human-animal conflict, however, culling is not the solution. There are humane solutions for dog population management available and the government needs to prioritise public safety and well-being of the animals," Gajender K Sharma, India country director of the group, ...

Forest officials seize 8 ft leopard skin from 2 Bhutan nationals

The forest officers of Belacoba range under Jalpaiguri district of West-Bengal seized an eight ft. leopard skin and arrested two Bhutan Nationals accused of smuggling the same, on Friday night.According to Ranger, Belacoba forest, Sanjay Dutta, the officials got information from a secret source who told them there were two men who wanted to smuggle a leopard skin to Kalimpong.The forest officers immediately intercepted them from Hasimara area in Alipurduar district and seized the 8ft leopard skin, which was kept under a mat inside a private car.After the examination, the forest officers also found several injuries on the leopard's skin which is a huge demand in China and other Asian countries for showcasing and other usages."We have found that the two men named Tenpa Geyltshen and Karma Tenzin residents of Dzongkha Tashiyangtse district of Bhutan also have connections with International wildlife smugglers," Dutta added.After completing all the necessary requirements, the officers will

Ernakulam in Kochi declares month's first Friday as 'Public Transport Day'

In a move to make the city pollution-free, the administration of Kochi's Ernakulam district on Friday declared the first Friday of every month as 'public transport day', a step to encourage people to use public transport system for commuting.As part of the Public Transport Day, the officers including the District Collector K Mohammed Y Safirulla, switched to the public transport modes for commuting to work."We request the people to take the public transports like buses or metro. This not only helps us to reduce traffic but also in reducing the pollution," said Safirulla.He said that over a period of time, this is the only way how sustainable growth of the city can be done. He also urged the young population to choose public transports over bikes and cars.The administration is also trying to bring some training methodology for the bus drivers and conductors, to teach them about driving etiquette for passengers."The Kochi metro serves about 35000 passengers every day. It has greatly ...

NASA mission to study interior of Mars set for Saturday launch

NASA is all set to launch on Saturday the first mission designed to study the deep interior of Mars called the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight).