Page 755 - Environment
65.08 lakh tonnes wheat procured in Haryana at MSP by govt agencies
As many as five government procuring agencies and traders have procured over 65.08 lakh tonnes of wheat so far this season at minimum support price (MSP) in Haryana. The procured grain arrived in the 'mandis' till yesterday. The procurement process was running smoothly in the 'mandis', a spokesman of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department said here today. Giving details of the wheat procured by government agencies, he said that over 26.29 lakh tonnes has been procured by Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited (HAFED), whereas Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department has purchased more than 18.73 lakh tonnes of wheat. He said that Food Corporation of India has purchased over 7.97 lakh tonnes of wheat and Haryana Warehousing Corporation has purchased over 12.08 lakh tonnes of the crop. The spokesman said that district Sirsa was leading in wheat arrival where over 7.59 lakh tonnes of the crop had been procured followed by ...
Haryana CM orders special girdawari for crop loss
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar ordered a special girdawari (revenue survey) today to assess crop loss caused by fire due to high-velocity winds. Last week, the state police honoured six personnel for saving the wheat crop of a farmer from fire by dousing the flames with tree branches in Fatehabad district. While addressing farmers and dealers at a function here, Khattar said the state government is also working on different alternatives to increase the prescribed limit for procurement of mustard and bajra. The chief minister congratulated farmers for a bumper wheat production in the state. In the previous season, about 74 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was procured while this season, 65 lakh metric tonnes of wheat has already been procured and the procurement process would continue for ten more days, he said in an official statement released here. Talking about mustard procurement, Khattar said the central government procured 25 per cent of the total production for ...
Centre, Chhattisgarh obstructing Mahanadi river water: Naveen
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today hit out at the BJP-led governments, at the Centre and in Chhattisgarh, accusing them of obstructing the flow of the Mahanadi river water into Odisha. Charging the BJP with being instrumental in depriving Odisha of its share of Mahanadi river water, the BJD president asked his party workers to go to the people and tell them about the circumstances leading to decline in the flow of the Mahanadi river water, the lifeline of Odisha, to the state, Patnaik said at a symposium organised by the ruling BJD on Mahanadi water issue here. "Mahanadi river has dried up in Odisha as both the BJP government at the Centre and in Chhattisgarh have blocked the flow of its water into our state," Patnaik said. Though Chhattisgarh claimed that it was releasing Mahanadi water into Odisha, flow of the river in our state has been substantially hit due to construction of barrages and dams in upper catchment areas by the neighbouring state, he ...
India, China to work together on counter-terrorism, climate change
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday that both New Delhi and Beijing have agreed to work together on the issues like terrorism, climate change, sustainable development and global healthcare.After holding bilateral talks with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sidelines of SCO foreign ministers' meet, Swaraj, while addressing a joint press conference here, said, "We (India-China) agreed to work together on issues like terrorism, climate change, sustainable development, global healthcare etc."Swaraj further said China has also agreed to share data on Sutlej and Brahmaputra rivers in 2018."China has confirmed data sharing on Sutlej and Brahmaputra rivers in 2018. As it directly affects lives of people living there we welcome this," she said.The foreign minister also announced that Kailash Mansarovar Yatra will resume this year through Nathu La.Earlier in the conference, minister Wang Yi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a meeting with Chinese President Xi .
Bids for Moser Baer Solar likely this week: Resolution professional
Bids for the assets of bankrupt Moser Baer Solar are likely to be invited this week, according to resolution professional Arvind Garg. The company owes over Rs 1,000 crore to a clutch of lenders. The debt turned dud following which it has been referred to the National Company Law Tribunal. The company has been referred to NCLT under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Moser Baer was dragged to the New Delhi bench of the tribunal by the state-run Central Bank of India after it defaulted on over Rs 114-crore loan. The tribunal had last November allowed the insolvency plea of Central Bank. When the case was admitted, the tribunal had appointed Ritu Rastogi as the interim resolution professional and the board was suspended in November 2017. The company has an installed capacity of around 250 MW, but it and has an infrastructure t0 develop 500 MW. We hope to invite expressions of interest this week and we expect a good response considering the good quality assets that Moser Baer Solar has,
Mahindra Electric, Meru tie up to deploy EV cabs in Hyderabad
Mahindra Group arm Mahindra Electric and cab service Meru today announced a joint electric vehicle (EV) pilot project in Hyderabad which would be replicated in other cities eventually. On the occasion of Earth Day, Mahindra Electric and Meru today announced collaboration for initiating a pilot EV project in Hyderabad with the intention to replicate the model in other cities soon, a joint statement by Mahindra Electric and Meru said. Under this pilot project, Meru will be deploying eVeritos - the all-electric sedan by Mahindra. Mahesh Babu, CEO of Mahindra Electric, said, This is definitely going to make it easier for the city to adopt EV technology and will also be in line with our constant endeavour to make EVs more accessible to a larger urban population." We believe that innovative and unique partnership models, like this pilot, is what is going to lead the way towards sustainable transportation in urban cities. We are now looking forward to working with Meru to have this project ..
Collective work needed to mitigate climate change: PM Modi
On the occasion of World Earth Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for collective work to mitigate the menace of climate change.The Prime Minister took to Twitter and said, "On #EarthDay, let us reaffirm our commitment towards creating a better planet for our future generations. Let us work together to mitigate the menace of climate change. This would be a great tribute to our beloved Mother Earth."In another tweet, he complimented those who are working towards promoting harmony with nature."I compliment all those individuals and organisations who are working towards promoting harmony with nature and ensuring sustainable development. #EarthDay," he added.Echoing similar sentiments, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu urged the citizens to do their bit for the environment."In Amaravati, we are focussing on providing green cover, promoting electric vehicles and energy efficient appliances to make the city eco-friendly. This #EarthDay, we urge the citizens to do their ...
Bedi joins hands with students on World Earth Day"
Puducherry Lt Governor"Kiran Bedi joined hands with students of various educational institutions and volunteers of NGOs to ensure that there was sustained protection of the environment, on the occassion of World Earth Day here today. During her address at the botanical garden in Odiansalai, Bedi asked the participants to ensure that there was sustained protection of the environment. She instructed the officials of the Department of Agriculture maintaining the garden to make sure it was free from plastic waste and garbage. The Lt Governor also joined students in drawing paintings on walls, highlighting the importance of environment and protection of Mother Earth. Planting of saplings marked the World Earth Day celebrations in the Union Territory.
Mamata urges people to end plastic pollution
In a tweet on the occasion of Earth Day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has urged people to put an end to plastic pollution to ensure a clean environment. "On the occasion of Earth Day, let us pledge to keep our environment clean. We can take a step in this direction by putting an end to plastic pollution," Banerjee tweeted this morning. Earth Day is an annual event celebrated worldwide on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection.
To be ready in 500 days, Eastern Peripheral Expressway boasts of many firsts
The Eastern Peripheral Expressway -- which is expected to provide major relief to Delhi from vehicular pollution -- is set to be completed in a record time of 500 days as against a sanctioned target of 910 days, NHAI officials said.
Greens see red in draft coastal rules; Goa shack owners happy
The Centre's new draft rules governing the country"s coastline have evoked a mixed reaction in Goa where environmentalists expressed concern over the norms while shack owners said their business will get a boost. Early this week, the environment ministry issued the draft Coastal Zone Regulation (CRZ) Notification, 2018. The notification, which proposes expanding land area for development activities and tourism infrastructure while also simplifying the procedure for CRZ clearances, has been uploaded on the ministry"s website for public comments. It has classified areas with a population density of more than 2,161 per sq km as per 2011 Census as CRZ-III. In such areas, 'no development zone (NDZ)' - measured from the high tide line on the landward side - has been reduced to 50 metres from the existing 200 metres from the HTL. In areas with a population density of less than 2,161 per sq kms, designated as CRZ-III B, the NDZ continues to be 200 metres from the high tide line ..
Siddaramaiah's lie in affidavit calls for action: Sadananda Gowda
Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Sunday demanded action against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for having lied in the affidavit filed ahead of the state assembly elections.Speaking to ANI, Gowda said, "As a Chief Minister, it is his responsibility to stand above others. So when he himself gives false information in affidavit then he is certainly entitled for action by the concerned authority."The former Karnataka chief minister also noted that the false affidavit brings bad name to the whole state.On Saturday, Karnataka BJP tweeted a photo of the affidavit filed by Siddaramaiah, wherein he declared he doesn't own any social media account."#LiarSiddu at it againHe lied to people of Karnataka for 5 years. He has continued the lying streak with @ceo_karnataka too@siddaramaiah says he has NO Twitter or Facebook idMr. CM, you also 've NO honesty, NO integrity, & most importantly, NO chance of returning to power," the tweet read.Siddaramaiah filed his nomination from ...
If you can protect one tiger, you can create a jungle: Filmmaker S. Nallamuthu (IANS Interview)
She was often hailed as the "Tiger Queen", and was easily the world's most documented and famous feline. But what made Machli unique was that she helped break the "monster" myth and showed that even the stunning wild cat could be human-friendly -- thereby also sending out a larger conservation message.
Work together to mitigate climate change menace: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appealed to everyone to work together to mitigate the menace of climate change as a way to pay tribute to the environment on Earth Day.
Draft CRZ rules: Opening fragile coastal areas for real estate will affect ecology, fishing, says experts
Opening fragile inter-tidal areas for real estate and infrastructure development would have a huge bearing on coastal ecology and livelihood from fishing, researchers said after the Environment Ministry came out with a new draft for coastal regulations. The draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2018, proposes expanding land area for development activities and tourism infrastructure, while simplifying the procedure for CRZ clearances. Taking a critical view of the proposed rules, experts said there are two sets of problems with the new draft -- the process used for framing it and how it opens up coastal spaces for infrastructure development. The draft notification is on the ministry's website and comments have been sought from the public within 60 days. The recently uploaded draft has evidently been drafted by "Delhi-based babus" who are "uneducated" about the sea and have never experienced its violent energy, Chennai-based writer and social activist Nityanand Jayaraman, ...
Primacy to tourism affecting tiger habitats: Centre to Rajasthan govt
Citing cases of disappearance of tigers in Rajasthan, the Centre has alleged that tourism has assumed primacy in the state over basic ecological tenets resulting in dispersal of the big cats. Further, in spite of capacity building of frontline forest personnel, monitoring was not up to the mark and periodically tigers were reported missing, it said. "Even today, it has been reported that tiger ST-5 is missing and ST-11 was reported dead in spite of intensive monitoring," Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Harsh Vardhan said in a recent letter to Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. In the letter, he said a two-phased project titled monitoring of re-introduced tigers in the Sariska Tiger Reserve was instituted in joint collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of india (WII) and the state of Rajasthan. The project was designed with the overreaching objective of monitoring re-introduced tigers and in process ...
Forest cover in India grew by over 6,700 sq km: FSI DG
Forest cover has increased by 6,778 sq km in the country during the last two years, with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala making a significant contribution, according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI). "The growth in forest cover can be attributed to plantation and conservation activities, both within and outside the recorded forest areas," FSI Director General Saibal Dasgupta told PTI here. Improvement in interpretation due to better radiometric resolution of the recent satellite data from Resourcesat-2 also helped in making the observation during 2015-17, he said in an interview. Dasgupta said Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala have contributed to an increase of 2,141 sq km, 1,101 sq km and 1,043 sq km forest area respectively. He said the total forest and tree cover in India, according to the current assessment is 8,02,088 sq km, which is 24.39 per cent of the country's geographic area. "The present assessment shows that 15 states/UTs have above 33 per cent of the ...
UAE participates in 34th Space Symposium in Colorado
Washington, April 21 (IANS/WAM) A high level delegation representing the UAE Space Agency participated in the 34th Space Symposium this week in Colorado.
11 killed in China as boats capsize
Eleven people were killed and six others were missing after two boats overturned today in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said. The accident happened at about 1:40 pm when two dragon boats overturned during a practice session while rehearsing for a race today on Taohuajiang River in Guilin. Fifty-seven people fell into the water and 40 of them were rescued. Rescue work continues. Authorities in Guilin said villagers in Dunmu organised the practice session without notifying police beforehand. Two organisers have been detained, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Conserve earth for posterity: U'khand gov
Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul asked people today to collectively resolve to stop the pollution caused by plastics if they wished to conserve the earth for posterity. "For the safe future of our children, the earth must be protected and conserved. We must collectively resolve to make efforts towards this," he said in a message on the eve of World Earth Day celebrated on April 22. The theme for the occasion this year is "End Plastic Pollution" and everyone must contribute towards achieving this goal, Paul said. "Plastic is polluting our forests, rivers and oceans. Its ill-effects were being felt on human life. Earth for Indians is equivalent to "mother" and we must save it for posterity by changing our behaviour towards it," he said. The governor asked people to reduce carbon footprint, use minimum of paper, plant trees, use CFL or LED bulbs, save water and use recyclable products.
