Page 752 - Environment
India loses 23 ha of dryland to drought, desertification per min:Vardhan
Drought and desertification lead to a loss of 23 hectares of dryland per minute in India, resulting further in a loss of 20 million tonnes of potential foodgrain production, Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said today. He said India has nearly 70 per cent of its geographical area under drylands, and about 30 per cent of land is affected by degradation and 25 per cent is affected by desertification. Due to desertification, fertile land becomes desert, typically because of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture. Inaugurating a four-day Asia-Pacific Regional Workshop of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Vardhan underlined the need to achieve Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) by 2030. Under LDN, the amount and quality of land resources, necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security, remains stable or increases within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems. "In India, the total land area under land ...
Cong leaders meet farmers affected by crop fires
Several Congress leaders, led by Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar, assured farmers today that they would get compensation for their crop loss, caused by fires. The other leaders were state minister Sukhbinder Sarkaria, Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra and Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Navjeet Singh Cheema. They visited the villages where wheat crop were recently gutted in a fire at several villages, including Sangatpur Sodhiya, Majri Azeem, Khojey Majaro, Khare, Mirpur and Sidhwan. Interacting with the media, Sarkaria said that state Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had already issued orders to assess the damage and ensure that one was deprived of financial help. Nagra on this occasion said that the affected farmers of the area would be provided adequate compensation.
BJP MLA seeks shifting of controversial Nanar project to
Amid growing opposition to Nanar refinery, proposed to be set up in coastal Maharashtra, a BJP MLA has requested Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that the project be shifted to Vidarbha region for the "viability" reasons. Deshmukh, who represents Katol seat in Vidarbha region, has written a letter to the chief minister seeking shifting of the project. Deshmukh also claimed that Union Heavy Industries Minister and Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete has "assured" a delegation that the project would be shifted to Vidarbha. Addressing a press conference here today, Deshmukh mentioned a number of "advantages" for the government if the project is shifted to the east Maharashtra region. "Shifting the project to Vidarbha is a viable option. The shifting will cut down the cost for the government as well as consumers," the MLA said. The Centre had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between State-owned IOCL, BPCL and HPCL, and Saudi Aramco to jointly develop and build the ...
No reduction in Neelakurinji sanctuary area: Ker Govt ""
Kerala cabinet today made it clear that the total area of the proposed Neelakurinji sanctuary in Munnar in high range Idukki district would be 3,200 hectare as decided earlier. "" A settlement officer would be appointed to sort out the issues connected with title deeds of persons residing within the sanctuary area and to fix legally the area of the sanctuary, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a facebook post after the cabinet meet here. The sanctuary was aimed at protecting its biodiversity especially the 'Neelakurinji', a purplish blue flower which blooms only once in 12 years in Munnar. " Though the LDF government in 2006 had declared the proposed sanctuary, no further progress was made on it due to various reasons including dispute over the boundary and areas to be included in the sanctuary. The present government entrusted Revenue Secretary P H Kurien with the task of carrying out a study on the status of populated areas, institutions and places of worship that
Dilip Buildcon signs agreement with NHAI for Rs 2,992 cr projects
Highways builder Dilip Buildcon today said its SPV has entered into a pact with NHAI for Rs 2,991.70 crore projects in Karnataka. A special purpose vehicle (SPV) Ashoka Mallasandra Karadi Road Private Ltd has entered into a concession agreement with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for four-laning of Tumkur Shivamogga section of NH 206 from Mallasandra to Karadi Village on hybrid annuity mode. The Rs 917 crore project to be undertaken under National Highways Development Project (NHDP) phase IV will be executed in hybrid annuity mode (HAM). The company said another Rs 1,218.50 crore project pertains to four-laning of the Tumkur-Shivamogga section of NH 206 under NHDP phase IV in HAM mode and will be executed by Ashoka Karadi Banwara Road Pvt Ltd SPV. The other project pertains to four-laning of Belgaum Khanapur Section of NH 4A on HAM.
SunSource to set up 2.5MW solar plant at Jamia Millia university
Solar solutions provider SunSource Energy said on Tuesday that it is on course to set up a 2.5MW solar rooftop plant at Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia University, by the end of June 2018.
No farmer will suffer due to late lifting of wheat: Pb food minister
Facing criticism over "slow" lifting of wheat from mandis, Punjab Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu today said the department will ensure timely procurement of each and every grain of the crop. He assured that no farmer would suffer due to late procurement and lifting of wheat crop. Newly-appointed minister Ashu held a review meeting with the officers of his department here today. While addressing the officers, Ashu, an MLA from Ludhiana West, said that it is Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's commitment with the farmers to ensure timely procurement and lifting of wheat crop. He urged the officers to ensure that no farmer suffers due to any delay in procurement and lifting. The minister directed them that they should perform their duty with utmost devotion and honesty so that smooth procurement and lifting of wheat crop can take place in Punjab. He said Punjab being an agrarian state, the farmers are the backbone of state's economy and the department
Over 29 percent of India's area under degradation: Minister
As much as 29.32 per cent of India's total geographic area is under degradation, Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Tuesday.
Over 5,000 Guj farmers battling land acquisition seek 'death'
Over 5,000 people in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district, battling against the acquisition of land by a state power utility, have written letters to authorities seeking permission to die, a farmers' body leader today claimed. "A total of 5,259 people, comprising farmers and their family members from 12 affected villages, have sought "icchha mrityu (right to die) as the land they cultivate is being forcibly snatched by the state government and Gujarat Power Corporation Limited (GPCL)," claimed Narendrasinh Gohil, a local farmer and a member of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, an organisation fighting for farmers' rights. He claimed that the letters, signed by these farmers and their kin, have been sent to the President of India, the Prime Minister and the chief minister of Gujarat. Harshad Patel, Collector, Bhavnagar, said that the farmers had dropped these letters, in which they have demanded permission for "icchha mrityu", at the registry branch of the collectorate. The registry branch .
Use MGNREGA funds for water conservation: PM to panchayats
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today suggested funds provided under the MGNREGA scheme be used on water conservation work for three summer months to curb water shortages in villages and boost farm activities. He also said human power available in rural areas could be harnessed to realise Mahatma Gandhi's dream of a village-centric model of development. Modi urged panchayat representatives to spend funds provided under the rural job scheme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, only on work related to water conservation during the months of April, May and June. "We should work for conserving rainwater. Panchayats should spend NREGA (MGNREGA) funds on water conservation during April, May and June," he said. The PM was addressing a well-attended gathering of tribals and representatives of gram panchayats organised on the occasion of National Panchayat Raj Day at Ramnagar in this tribal-dominated district of Madhya Pradesh. "Every drop of rain should be conserved. This
List steps to control river pollution, HC tells Maha govt
The Bombay High Court today asked the Maharashtra government to apprise it of the steps it proposes to take to curb pollution of rivers in the state. A bench of Justices AS Oka and RI Chagla sought a detailed list of the government's proposed steps on an affidavit, observing that it was the state's constitutional obligation to protect its rivers and improve the quality of river waters. The bench issued the direction while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by an NGO, Vanashakti, seeking an interim order to the state to formulate a policy to protect its rivers. The petitioner alleged that though the government had issued a resolution proposing a plan to protect its rivers in 2009, the same had undergone some modifications, allowing construction of resorts, hotels, etc. along river beds or near river fronts. It also told the court that in February 2015, the Central Pollution Control Board had published a study stating that 49 rivers in Maharashtra were severely polluted. The ...
Mondelez urges cocoa producers to up yields as demand rises
BERLIN (Reuters) - Mondelez, maker of chocolate brands like Toblerone, Milka and Cadbury, is urging governments in Ivory Coast and Ghana to boost cocoa yields to secure long-term supply despite low cocoa prices.
Centre betraying TN on CMB in view of Karna polls, alleges
P Ayyakkannu, spearheading a movement for the need to interlink Southern rivers and also fighting for farmers' cause, today said he hoped that the Centre would constitute the Cauvery Management Board at least after the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections. If this did not happen, farmers would resume their agitation by going to Delhi, he told reporters here. It was evident that the Centre was betraying Tamil Nadu in view of the polls there, Ayyakkannu alleged. Ayyakkannu, along with a few farmers, submitted a memorandum to the Collector. Farmers were opposed to the sales of GM seeds and were carrying out a 100-day campaign against this, he said. District farmers wanted to implement the Anamalai-Nallaru project immediately since a lot of water from these water bodies was going waste to Kerala, he asid.
NGT notice to UP on waste burning at Kaushambi
The National Green Tribunal has issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and its civic bodies after a plea alleged indiscriminate burning of municipal solid waste at Kaushambi area of Uttar Pradesh, despite a ban in force. A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim sought responses from the UP government, UP Pollution Control Board, Nagar Nigam Ghaziabad and others on the issue before May 3. The order came after advocate Sanjay Upadhyay mentioned the matter before the green panel and said that huge stretches of dry grass was put on fire at Kaushambi near the Anand Vihar Metro station recently. The lawyer, appearing for Vardhaman Kaushik who has filed a petition against deteriorating air quality in Delhi and NCR, submitted several photographs showing burning of waste at several places. He said that despite various orders passed by NGT and the undertakings given by the authorities, there was indiscriminate dumping and burning of municipal solid waste at various ...
Bangladesh official says no rush for free trade pact with China
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh is in no rush to sign a free trade agreement with China, a senior Bangladeshi trade official said on Tuesday, though Chinese officials said it would help the poor South Asian country cut its deficit with its largest trading partner.
Cotton prices likely to remain steady during June-October
Cotton prices are likely to remain steady during June-October 2018 due to very tight financial situation prevailing in the spinning sector and comfortable availability of quality cotton, according to the Indian Cotton Federation here. A review of cotton crop situation for the current year 2017-2018 (till September 2018), carried out by ICF directors here suggested that the monsoon would be a major deciding factor for cotton prices during the period. There was total supply of 433 lakh bales as on October one last year, including opening stock of 40 lakh bales, production of 375 lakh bales and imports of 18 lakh bales, ICF president J Thulasidharan said in a release today. With mill and non-mill consumption estimated at 320 lakh bales and export of 69 bales, the total demand was 389 lakh bales, leaving a closing stock of 44 lakh bales, he said.
Caffeine boost: Makers of battery-powered coffee mixture arrested in Vietnam
HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnamese police have arrested five people suspected of using battery chemicals to dye waste coffee beans, the Ministry of Public Security's online newspaper, Cong An Nhan Dan, said on Tuesday, apparently passing the mixture off as black pepper.
Every drop of water should be conserved: PM Modi
At a time when Madhya Pradesh is battling severe drought-like conditions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said every drop of water should be conserved."Think about what you can do for water conservation in the villages. Every drop of water should be conserved. India's development must take place beginning from its villages, and that once India's villages transform for the better, India will change too," Prime Minister Modi said while addressing a public rally at Rampur village in Mandla district on National Panchayati Day.His comments come at a time when many rivers in Madhya Pradesh have gone dry and many have shrunk after which people in more than half of the state are not getting daily water supply.Currently, 132 tehsils in 18 districts have been declared drought-hit.On April 21, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP kicked up a stir after describing the conditions as "no big deal"Prime Minister Modi, in his address, also said people of villages have shown trust in his ...
Giant mosquito found in China
A Chinese entomologist has found a a "horrendous" looking giant mosquito with a wingspan of 11.15 centimetres in southwest China's Sichuan province, the official media reported. Zhao Li, curator of the Insect Museum of West China, said the mosquito, which belongs to the world's largest mosquito species Holorusia mikado, was found in August last year during a field trip to Mount Qingcheng in Chengdu, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. "These mosquitoes look horrendous, but do not feed on blood. The adults have a life span of only a few days and mainly feed on nectar," he said. "There are tens of thousands of types of mosquitoes in the world. Barely 100 species feed on blood and may be a problem for humans," he said. In the western parts of Sichuan, Holorusia mikado, also known as the crane fly, are mainly found in the Chengdu plain and in mountainous areas below 2,200 metres. "They are weak fliers because of their big bodies. When they fly, it is more like hopping. More often than .
SunSource Energy to install 2.5 MW solar plant at Jamia Millia University
Solar project developer SunSource Energy today said it will set up a 2.5 MW solar rooftop at Jamia Millia Islamia University, which would help the institution save around Rs 1 crore in energy cost every year. SunSource Energy is all set to have the rooftop solar facility on the campus of Jamia Millia Islamia University by the end of June 2018, SunSource said in statement. Jamia Millia recently signed an MoU with SunSource Energy Pvt. Ltd. to execute the project on a turnkey basis for the next quarter of a century under the Renewable Energy Service Company model (RESCO). The electricity would be supplied at Rs 3.39 per unit for a period of 25 years. The MoU is in line with the government's target of installation of 40 GWp grid-connected solar rooftops by 2022. The installation of solar panels on over 50 rooftops of various buildings like central library, colleges, and department of Jamia and the hostels has already commenced. Jamia Millia University Vice-Chancellor Talat Ahmed in the .
