Page 779 - Environment
Maha to have pollution-controlling devices in Mumbai, five
The Maharashtra Government is going to install "air pollution controlling" devices in areas of five municipal corporations, apart from 50 locations in Mumbai. "The number of vehicles in the state has considerably increased in the last few years. Pollution levels are especially high at traffic signals, bus stands, railway stations, toll booths, petrol pumps, airports and construction sites," Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam told reporters here. As the high concentration of dust particles in air has increased health hazards, these devices have become necessary, he said. "These devices will be installed in about 50 locations in Mumbai. Also, they will be installed in the areas of Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Chandrapur municipal corporations," Kadam said. The environment minister was speaking to reporters after a meeting with Pune-based Strata Enviro, which manufacturers and installs outdoor 'air pollution controllers'. "Strata Enviro has, on a pilot basis, ...
SingularityU India Global Impact challenge
Further to the state government's 'Kerala Innovation Challenge' policy to find solutions for socially relevant problems, a partnership has been formed between Kerala Startup Mission and Singularity University, to launch SingularityU India Global Impact Challenge. Singularity University (SU) is a global community using exponential technologies to tackle the world's biggest challenges and build an abundant future for all. In line with this mission, the SingularityU India Global Impact Challenge is inviting moonshot innovations and startups in the field of education and environment that can positively impact a billion people over the next 10 years, a press releas said. Singularity University has hosted many successful "Global Impact Challenges" since 2010 in many countries all over the world. To date, the university has hosted 120 Challenges in 45 countries awarding 162 winners, it said. The objective of these challenges is to spur moonshot innovations to solve the worlds .
Employment opportunities to be created in rural areas: U'khand CM
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat today said employment opportunities would be created in the villages of the state to bring development and stop migration from the hills. The chief minister was speaking at the inauguration of the newly-built building of the Uttarakhand Migration Commission in Pauri. Later, during the first meeting of the commission, he said nyay panchayats are being developed as growth centres, which will lead to reverse migration in the remote hill areas. Rawat said the rationale behind the creation of the commission was to bring about development in the rural areas and stop migration from the hills. He asked the commissionto conduct a study of villages which have been vacated due to migration andalso those where reverse migrationhas taken place. The chief minister also asked the commission to encourage farming ofthings peculiar to a particular area such as mango gingerin the Kirtinagar area of the district and tomato in the Tons Valley to make ...
PTC India secures trading of 100% power from Karcham Wangtoo plant
Power trading solution provider PTC India today said it has secured trading of entire saleable electricity capacity of 1,000 MW Karcham Wangtoo Hydro project. The company has completed the sale of remaining 200 MW under the long term PPA (power purchase agreement) of hydro power under Karcham Wangtoo Hydro project to Punjab State Utility on April 1, 2018, PTC India said in a statement. It had already sold 680 MW of the saleable capacity of the power station to the state utilities of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan under long term PPAs. With the sale of remaining 200 MW saleable capacity, entire saleable power of the plant is being supplied on long term basis to various state utilities through PTC India, it added. Having an installed capacity of 1,000 MW, Karcham Wangtoo Hydroelectric project is located on river Satluj in Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh. The project is a run of river plant with pondage, having peaking capability of more than 3 hours and is able to meet ...
Gobardhan Yojna' to be launched from Karnal on Apr 30
Gobardhan Yojna, a central government scheme for managing and converting cattle dung and solid waste into manure and biogas, will be launched nationally from Haryana's Karnal on April 30, an official said today. Gobar is an acronym for Galvanising Organic Bio Agro Resources. Through the scheme, the government aims to ensure cleanliness in villages and generate energy by converting cattle dung and solid agricultural waste into compost and biogas. The scheme was announced by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in his budget speech this year. The government aims to cover nearly 700 districts under the scheme in this financial year. A few European countries and China have managed to produced biogas on a large-scale by effectively utilising cattle dung, the official said. "With the same concept, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken about galvanising organic bio-agro resources in the country and converting waste to energy," he said. "Gram panchayat has a key role in this scheme under which ...
Gobar-dhan Yojana's national launch from Haryana on April 30
'Gobar-dhan Yojana', the central scheme for managing and converting cattle dung into manure and biogas, will be launched at the national level from Karnal in Haryana on April 30, a state government spokesman said here on Friday.
PTC signs PPA with Punjab for 200 mw from Karcham hydro proj
Power trader PTC India today said its has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Punjab state discom for the remaining 200 megawatt (mw) of capacity of the Karcham Wangtoo hydro project. The company had already sold 680 mw of the saleable capacity of the project to the state utilities of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan under long term PPAs. "With the sale of remaining 200 mw, the entire 100 per cent of the saleable power of the project is being supplied on a long term basis to various discoms," it said in a statement issued here. Having an installed capacity of 1,000 mw, the Karcham Wangtoo hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh is owned and operated by Himachal Baspa Power Company, a unit of JSW Group. "The electricity produced from the Karcham Wangtoo project will help the beneficiary states in improving their hydro-thermal mix and will be help in meeting peak load requirement in a cost effective and environment friendly manner," said Deepak
Veerappan gone, but elephants still getting killed due to other reasons, says SC favouring elephant corridors
Stressing on the need to have elephant corridors across the country to reduce animal fatalities due to accidents and other reasons, the Supreme Court today asked the Centre to come out with some "workable solution" in this regard The court noted that the population of elephants, which had declined drastically in southern states due to rampant poaching by notorious forest brigand Veerappan, had risen following his death but now they were being killed "due to other reasons". "You have to do something in this elephant corridor issue. You find out some solution," a bench of justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta told Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, who was representing the Centre. "We cannot tell the elephants where they should go," the bench observed, adding, "they must have a corridor". The bench referred to the incidents of elephants being run over by trains and said that this was not a matter where a judgement from the court was required to be delivered. "Veerappan had ..
Meghalaya may have new roads to save Umiam dam
The Meghalaya government is exploring the possibility of having additional roads in the Guwahati-Shillong route to minimise the vibration caused by vehicular traffic causing harm to the wall of the Umiam hyro-electric dam, the assembly was informed today. The Central Water Commission (CWC) recently expressed concern about the safety of the Umiam concrete dam saying the government may give priority to take up an alternative road, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said. Presently every vehicle coming from Guwahati side has to pass the 220 sq km scenic lake, a tourist attraction, and everyday thousands of vehicles ply by the dam, the first and the main hydro electric project in the state. "We are looking at the possibility of having multiple entry-exit points in the state. The CWC has advised that traffic is to be diverted downstream of the Umiam dam," Sangma said in his reply to the debate on governor's address. The issue of diversion of traffic on Umiam dam, located around 15 .
10 Indian marine products identified for MSC certification
A high-level expert panel, which met here on Friday, has identified 10 India marine products -- including fish, crabs, shrimps and lobsters -- for securing eco-labelling certification of London's Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), an official said.
Exclusive - Biofuels battle: Senator moves to expand small refiner exemption
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lawmakers spearheading efforts to reform U.S. biofuels regulations are considering a blanket waiver for all small refineries, according to four sources familiar with their draft legislation. The move would save some refiners a fortune but would outrage the powerful corn lobby.
10 marine fisheries from India identified as targeted fishery
Considering their commercial value in overseas markets, 10 marine fisheries from India have been identified as the targeted fishery for securing the eco-labelling certification of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), London. The 10 fisheries were identified by a panel of stakeholders in Indias marine fisheries sector, a statement issued by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute said. They included blue swimming crab caught in gillnet from Mandapam, Tamil Nadu; shrimp by trawl from Kollam; red ring shrimp by trawl from Kollam; squid by trawl from Kollam; flower shrimp by trawl from Mandapam; cuttlefish by trawl from Kollam; lobster by trap from Nagercoil and Kanyakumari; skipjack tuna by hook and line from Lakshadweep and Japanese threadfin bream by trawl from the south west coast. The panel of stakeholders includes marine scientists, seafood exporters, retailers and fishermen. The panel also decided to start fishery improvement projects for these fisheries ...
Why NASA sent human sperm to space
With talk of space tourism and even trips to Mars, NASA has launched human sperm to the International Space Station (ISS) to test what happens when it gets exposed to zero-gravity environment.
Ginger (Inferior) Rs.11,000,
Ginger (Inferior) Rs.11,000, Ginger(Medium) Rs.12,500, Ginger (best) Rs.13,500, Turmeric Salem Rs.8,300, Turmeric-Erode(Agmark) Rs.8,700, Nuxvomica Rs.1850, Ambahaldhar Rs.7000, Kolinjan Rs.4300, Kachura Rs.4,000, Kapurkatchili Rs.14,000-17,000. Betelnuts Rs.19,000-20,000, Rice Raw (No.1) Rs.3,400, Rice Raw (No.2) Rs.2,600-2,900, Rice Boiled (Surekha) Rs.3,400-3,600, Rice Jaya (Boiled) Rs.3,400-3,550, Rice Broken Rs.2,300, Wheat Rs.2,525-2,550, Chola Rs.1500-1550, Chillies Rs.10,500-15,000, Bengal Gram Rs.4,800-5,500, Black Gram Rs.6,500-7,000, Gingelly Rs.11,000. Green Gram Rs.6,800-7,700, Horse Gram Rs.6,900, Peas Dal Rs .3,900-4,100, Toor Dal Rs.5,500-6,500, Pepper New Rs.36,300, Pepper light Rs.40,000, Pin Heads (Cheer) Rs.15,000, Sugar (per bag) Rs.3,470/-(all rates per quintal). COIR YARN : Cochin Parur Thin (85 M/Kg) Rs.3,600/- Vycom ThIck 200/Kg) Rs.3,900/-, Choriwal Thin Rs.
Australian scientists go deep into caves to study impact of climate change
Scientists from University of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia are moving into caves to understand how climate change and land use are affecting groundwater resources.
Discharge of sewage into Ganga: NGT asks UP to reply to show cause notice
The National Green Tribunal has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to reply within a week why environmental compensation should not be slapped on it for its "intentional" non-compliance of statutory obligations regarding discharge of untreated sewage water into the Ganga. A bench headed by acting Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim noted that despite its December 2016 order, the parties have not filed their replies. "Member Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), Commissioner and Executive Officers, Mayor, Chairman and Head of the municipality and the concerned Secretary of UP to show cause why they be not directed to pay environmental compensation for non-compliance of the directions issue to them earlier. "Further to show cause why the tribunal should not direct prosecution of all these respondents in accordance with the law," the bench said while posting the matter for May 16. While issuing a show cause notice to the state government, the NGT had earlier said ...
J-K to have 23 forest destinations: BJP Minister Chaudhary Lal Singh
Over 20 destinations have been marked for 'Van Padao' or forest destination, said Jammu and Kashmir's Minister for Forests and Ecology Chaudhary Lal Singh, who today laid the foundation stone of the state's ambitious project here in the district. The minister said all the 23 sanctioned destinations -- a hangout site in a forest area -- will be equipped with all necessary facilities such as fuel pump, eatery point, safe drinking water, washroom. This (Nagrota destination) is one of the 23 Van Padao or destinations sanctioned for J-K and the step will go a long way in providing much needed facilities to the people going on hangouts, Choudhary Lal Singh said while addressing a gathering right after the foundation stone-laying ceremony. Singh also laid foundation stone for the similar facilities at Ban, Khanpur, Jagti and Dhammi. "This is a part of the scheme designed to provide way-side amenities to the commuters and holiday makers", Singh said, adding that all facilities provided here ..
Srinagar-Leh highway opens for traffic
After remaining closed for four months, Srinagar-Leh highway connecting the Ladakh region with the rest of the country was formally thrown open for traffic on both carriageways on Friday.
Ghazipur landfill site saturated, EDMC moves NGT seeking alternative land
The saturation of the Ghazipur landfill site and non-availability of alternative land to manage garbage has prompted the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) to move the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The EDMC today moved an application seeking urgent direction to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to hand over a 130-acre piece of land at Sonia Vihar and a 50-acre plot at Ghonda Gujran for solid waste management facilities on a priority basis. A bench headed by acting Chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim directed the DDA to file its reply before April 23, the next date of hearing. During the hearing, advocate Balendu Shekhar, appearing for the EDMC, said the two pieces of lands were approved and appraised by the Central Pollution Control Board and it should be handed over to the corporation for handling municipal solid waste. Advocate Kush Sharma, appearing for the DDA, told the bench that a detailed reply would be filed by it. "The only available site in EDMC jurisdiction i.e., ...
HPCL gets green nod to set up Rs 136-cr LPG plant in Bihar
State-run HPCL today received the environment clearance for setting up of a new LPG plant with bottling and storage facilities in East Champaran, Bihar that will entail an investment of Rs 136.4 crore. This will be the third LPG plant in the state. Currently, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) has only two LPG plants in Bihar at Patna and Purnia with a bottling capacity of 50,000 cylinders per day. As per the proposal, the HPCL wants to construct mounded storage vessels with a capacity of 1,050 tonnes and bottling capacity of 120 tonnes per annum in an area of 30 acres in Panapur and Kubeya villages in East Champaran district. "The Union Environment Ministry has cleared the HPCL's proposal and granted the environment clearance to the company with some conditions," a senior government official said. The purpose of the project is to increase rural penetration of bottled LPG cylinders in Bihar in a safe and environmental-friendly way. The cost of proposed LPG plant is estimated ..
