Page 754 - Environment
MRF to provide rain guarding materials to marginal farmers " "
Major tyre manufacturing" company, MRF Limited today announced it will provide rain" guarding materials, free of cost, to the marginal farmers of" Karnataka during the current year. The company said it has identified seven cooperative societies and rubber processing societies as channel partners for implementing the programme. With four months of heavy rainfall, marginal farmers in" Karnataka were unable to eke out their living tapping rubber" due to their inability to afford rain guarding materials. Considering the hardship, MRF has decided to extend support to such farmers, the company said in a release here. MRF Limited Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Arun" Mammen said, "We have decided to cover 8,005 hectares of" rubber plantations in Karnataka having more than 32 lakh" rubber trees for rain guarding this year. About 7500 farmers" will be benefitted (with the programme)." A company spokesperson told PTI that the rain guard" material is for rubber trees and the ...
Reforms essential to strengthen power sector in AP: Minister
: Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu today said reforms were essential to strengthen the power sector in the state. There were some financial constraints in the power sector in the state and an amount of Rs 2,500 crore was allotted in the budget to support the power sector as against the request made for Rs 4,500 crore, he told reporters here. The state stood first with regard to surplus power in the nation and the reforms introduced after bifurcation helped in achieving power reforms, he added. The minister said an amount of Rs 2,500 crore was given as power subsidy to farmers in the state. He further said many new industries were coming up in the state because of surplus power and availability of land. Ramakrishnadu laid the foundation for a 33/11 sub-station at Chediga village in Kakinada rural mandal.
Govt exploring sugar cess, GST cut on ethanol, subsidy to growers: Paswan
With cane arrears to farmers mounting, an informal ministerial panel today explored options such as production-linked subsidy, imposition of sugar cess and reducing GST on ethanol to help sugar mills in clearing dues worth Rs 19,000 crore to sugarcane farmers. Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today held a meeting to discuss ways to deal with huge cane arrears to growers. The meeting was also attended by senior officials of PMO and ministries of agriculture, commerce, food, petroleum and finance. "Sugarcane arrears have touched about Rs 19,000 crore. We discussed this issue. There were several suggestions like production linked subsidy, sugar cess and reduction of GST on ethanol from 18 per cent to 5 per cent," Paswan told reporters after the meeting. He said, the government has not decided anything now and there could be one more meeting before finalising Cabinet proposal on this issue. Paswan .
Leopard captured in JK's Ramban
A two-year-old leopard was caught alive by a wildlife team with the assistance of locals in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, a senior official said today. The leopard ventured into a human habitation at Hirni hall in Khadi area last evening and was captured after a three hour long operation, Wildlife warden Majid Bashir told PTI. He said the leopard was on a tree when some villagers noticed it and informed the wildlife department. A team was immediately rushed to the scene and the wild beast was caught with the help of locals, the officer said. Officials said the presence of the leopard caused panic among railway workers who reside in quarters in the village. No one was injured and the leopard was taken away by the wildlife department. Bashir said the big cat was subjected to medical examination and was found normal.
Cleaner Cooking Fuel for 300 Million by 2021 - Randeep Agarwal
Globally, there are approximately 1.4 billion people without access to electricity and 2.7 billion people who rely on solid fuel (wood, crop residue, dung and coal) for cooking. The use of these traditional cooking fuels creates several significant problems, including deforestation, with a resultant loss of biodiversity and the elimination of carbon sinks which could offset global warming. There are also an estimated 4 million attributed deaths annually due to the negative health effects associated with indoor air pollution. Approximately 30 percent of those who cooked with solid fuels (820 million people) resided in India alone.The use of solid cooking fuels creates several significant problems. In 2012, resultant indoor air pollution was the cause of more than 4.3 million premature deaths, more than 60 percent of which were women and children. In many parts of the world, women are responsible for the collection of firewood and are specifically impacted by this burden.There is ample .
DDA ready to grant 2 sites for setting up waste plants, CPCB tells NGT
The Central Pollution Control Board told the National Green Tribunal today that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had granted in-principle approval for the allotment of land at Sonia Vihar and Ghonda Gujran here for solid waste management facilities. Both the sites fall in Zone-O (river and water-body area) where NGT had prohibited construction and said that any activity would require its prior sanction. The apex pollution monitoring body told a bench headed by Acting Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim that based on a National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) report and its analysis, an area of 88 acres at Sonia Vihar and a 42.5-acre plot at Ghonda Gujran can be given to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) for handling and processing waste. The tribunal directed advocate Kush Sharma, appearing for the DDA, to file its response in a week on the issue and posted the matter for hearing on May 3. The CPCB told the bench, "Competent authority DDA has approved, .
Diu Smart City becomes first to run on 100% Renewable Energy during Daytime
To improve traffic management in Bengaluru Smart City, a prototype of an intelligent traffic management solution is currently being tested in collaboration with the Electronics City Township Authority (ELCITA). It will provide traffic information that is currently unavailable, and help improve management of commuter traffic. It involves capturing video streams from several cameras and processing them using artificial intelligence so that typical traffic management tasks such as vehicle detection, traffic density estimation and control of traffic lights can be automated for real-time performance.
Business briefs
GSK Consumer Healthcare today said it has appointed Rahul Kapoor as executive vice-president-HR for India sub-continent (ISC) region. Kapoor will succeed Ongmu Gombu, who has been promoted as vice president, HR Operations Lead, Asia. Based in Gurugram, Kapoor will report to Arun Sehgal, vice president-HR, Asia Pacific and will support Navneet Saluja, Managing Director, GSK Consumer Healthcare. He joined GSK India in 2008 and after a successful stint, in July 2014, he became the HR Business Lead for Consumer Healthcare Asia. Prior to GSK, Rahul has worked with ITC and GE. Rahul holds a MPM in HR from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune. Ongmu joined GSK in 2015 from Baxter Healthcare. She started her HR career with Essar Oil and thereafter worked for multinationals including Duracell, Gillette and P&G in India, the US and the Middle East. *** *** *** Rapid Metro Gurgaon ties up with Amplus Energy for solar panel installation * Rapid Metro Gurgaon today said it has in
HC refuses interim stay on amendment to Trees Act
The Bombay High Court today refused to grant an interim stay on a recent amendment that allowed chiefs of civic bodies in Maharashtra to decide applications seeking felling of trees below 25 in number, but said the powers should not be "misused" and must not be used in a routine manner. As per a recent amendment to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, any proposal to cut trees below 25 in number can be placed before the concerned civic body commissioner. Proposals for cutting more than 25 trees would be sent to the Tree Authority of that particular civic body. A division bench of Justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla was hearing a petition filed by an activist, Zoru Bhathena, challenging validity of the amendment--section 8(6)--and sought an interim stay on implementation of this section. The HC observed that while prima facie it found merit in the challenge to section 8(6) of the Act, it would not be feasible to grant an interim stay ...
Mughal road reopens for traffic
The Mughal Road, connecting the twin districts of Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region with South Kashmir's Shopian district, was reopened for traffic after 4-day long closure due to landslides and snowfall in high altitude areas. The Mughal Road was reopened yesterday, police officials said. The traffic was allowed on both sides of the road. The traffic on the road is plying from Poonch and Shopian districts and Shopian-bound vehicles left Bufliaz this morning, they said.
Swaraj meets Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday met Vice President of China Wang Qishan along with the top officials of both the countries in Beijing, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.They then held a brief meeting with the officials.Earlier on Monday Swaraj briefed media at an event named 'Contribution of Hindi in the Friendship of India and China', in which she asserted on the importance of understanding the language of both the nations, to overcome communication barriers.Yesterday, she also said both New Delhi and Beijing have agreed to work together on the issues like terrorism, climate change, sustainable development and global healthcare.Swaraj is on a two-nation visit to China and Mongolia, as part of which she will participate in a ministerial-level meeting of the SCO, where India became a full member in 2017.Issues including the 2017 Doklam's standoff between India and China along with terrorism, climate change, sustainable development .
Rlys, civic body review monsoon preparedness works in Mumbai
Senior railway officials today said that pre-monsoon works, to ensure heavy rains don't stall train traffic in the metropolis and adjoining regions, had begun and a review was carried out by the civic body chief and general managers of Western and Central Railways. The work, officials said, involves the cleaning of drains and culverts that run beneath the rail tracks, removal of muck, trimming of branches of trees, surveying hilly areas for loose boulders and provision to drain out excess water from low-lying rail areas in case of heavy monsoon rains. "The Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner and GMs of WR and CR have reviewed monsoon preparedness works. The civic chief has promised all help to the railways to ensure that heavy monsoons do not disrupt train traffic," a senior civic official said today. Chief spokesperson of CR, Sunil Udasi, said, "The preparatory work for monsoon started from February-March 2018. We have cleaned 79 culverts. An additional opening at ...
HP CM urges Centre to clear projects for preserving state's resources
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today urged Union Environment minister Harsh Vardhan to grant clearances to Himachal Pradesh government projects aimed at preserving the state's natural resources. In a meeting in New Delhi, the Union minister assured the chief minister that the Centre would give its full support to the efforts of the Himachal Pradesh government in this direction, according to a press release issued here. "The state environment, science and technology department had submitted two projects of estimated cost of Rs 1,644.32 crore to the Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry through NABARD," the chief minister informed Vardhan. Thakur said, "Rs 1,125.32 crore is for the project on water conservation and community management of natural water resources and Rs 492 crore is for climate-based forest management." Efforts will also be made by the Centre to provide technical and financial clearance for the two projects after detailed study, the release read. Thakur ...
Lakes on Mars dried up 3.5bn years ago: Study
The discovery of cracks on the surface of Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover in early 2017 are evidence of lakes that likely dried up 3.5 billion years ago, confirmed a study, revealing details about the red planet's ancient climate.
Punjab finally waking up to decibel danger
Noisy wedding celebrations, high-pitched religious fervour and other ear-splitting nocturnal festivities have become a nightmare for peace-loving citizens of Punjab. Finally, the state's lawmakers and authorities seem to be waking up to the pervasive civic nuisance.
Ex-New York Mayor pledges $4.5mn towards Paris accord
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said that he would cut a cheque for $4.5 million to fulfil the US's financial commitment to the Paris climate accord, the media reported.
Shilpa Medicare receives EU-GMP certification for facilities at Raichur and Jadcherla
From Austrian Agency, AGES
Bloomberg offers to meet US climate deal shortfall
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he will pay $4.5 million to cover the lapsed US financial commitment to the Paris climate accord.
Shortage of non-BT seeds in Maha, admits minister
"Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Pandurang Phundkar today said farmers in the state would have to use BT seeds for the Kharif season as non-BT seeds are not available in the market at present. "We have directed agriculture universities and agriculture research centres to develop non- BT seeds. Presently, non-BT seeds are not available in market. As a result, farmers will have to use BT seeds with precaution for some time," he said. Phundkar was addressing a meeting on management of pink bollworm infestation that had damaged cotton crop of farmers in Vidarbha and part of Marathwada regions recently. The meeting discussed precautions to be taken while using BT seeds for sowing. Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told the meeting that workshops for welfare of farmers will be conducted across the country from May 2. Phundkar said sufficient non-BT seeds would be made available to farmers in the next two years. The minister later told reporters that around one lakh
16-ft king cobra rescued in Odisha village, released in forest
A 16-feet king cobra was rescued by forest officials today from Pendarabadi village in Odisha's Ganjam district and released in the natural habitat of Changudidei hill under Digapahandi forest range area, forest officials said. The villagers noticed the snake in a farm field and informed the forest department staff, who rushed to the spot with the volunteers of Peoples For Animal and rescued it. It was later released in the nearby Changudidei hill area, said forest range officer of Digapahandi, Paramananda Panigrahi. The length of the rescued king cobra was around 16 feet and a female, the PFA spokesman said. The king cobra is a species of poisonous snake and the world's longest venomous snake. He said the animal welfare organisation had rescued three king cobras from the area in the last one year and all of them were released in Changudidei hill. A 12-feet king cobra was rescued from Bhramarapur and another measuring 18 feet from Pudamari area. Besides the king cobras, .
