Page 78 - Environment
As promised, Modi forms Jal Shakti ministry
In the portfolio allocation, which was announced on Friday, a new ministry, Jal Shakti, has been introduced, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's poll promise of providing safe drinking water to people.Member of Parliament from Jodhpur, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who defeated the son of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, will head the Jal Shakti Ministry.It has been created by reorganising the earlier Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, which was held by Nitin Gadkari in the previous government. Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has also been added to it.During an election rally in Tamil Nadu, Modi last month had assured that if voted back to power, his government would ensure the establishment of a separate Jal Shakti Ministry."After May 23, when the Modi Government will once again assume office, there will be a separate Ministry for Jal Shakti. This Ministry will cater to many aspects relating to water," Prime Minister Modi had ...
Shah gets Home, Rajnath Defence, Nirmala Finance
Following is the list of Ministers in the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi:
Dark clouds hover over tannery business in Kanpur (IANS Special)
The tannery business in Kanpur is breathing its last.
Here is the list of ministers and portfolios in Modi 2.0
Amit Shah, BJP national president, is the new Home Minister while Rajnath Singh has been moved to the South Bloc to head the Ministry of Defence.Nirmala Sitharaman has been given the Ministry of Finance and Corporate Affairs.President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, on Friday, directed the allocation of portfolios among recently sworn-in ministers, as advised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Smriti Irani, who defeated Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the Nehru-Gandhi family bastion of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, was made the Minister of Women and Child Development and was also given the charge of Ministry of Textiles, which she headed in the previous Modi government.Here is the list of the council of ministers and their portfolios -1. Faggansingh Kulaste - Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel.2. Ashwini Kumar Choubey - Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.3. Arjun Ram Meghwal - Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; andMinister of State in
Even short trips to polluted cities can make you sick: Study
Even a short stay for travellers in cities with high levels of air pollution leads to breathing problems that can take them at least a week to recover from, according to a study conducted in India, Pakistan and China. Researchers at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine in the US analysed pollution-related coughing and breathing difficulties, and recovery times upon returning home, in healthy, young adults travelling internationally. The finding, published in the Journal of Travel Medicine, is timely given that the number of tourists travelling internationally is expected to grow to 1.8 billion by 2030, according to the World Tourism Organization. "We had several reports that tourists were feeling sick when visiting polluted cities, so it became important for us to understand what was really happening to their health," said Terry Gordon, a professor at NYU School of Medicine. Researchers analysed six measurements of lung and heart health in 34 men and women travelling ...
List of portfolios given to Ministers of State
Following is the list of portfolios allocated to Ministers of State. Ministers of State 1. Faggan Singh Kulaste: Minister of State in the Ministry of Steel. 2. Ashwini Kumar Choubey: Minister of State in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. 3. Arjun Ram Meghwal: Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs; and Minister of State in the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. 4. General (Retd) V K Singh: Minister of State in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. 5. Krishan Pal: Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. 6. Danve Raosaheb Dadarao: Minister of State in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. 7. G Kishan Reddy: Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs. 8. Purshottam Rupala: Minister of State in the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. 9. Ramdas Athawale: Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. 10. Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti :Minister of ...
Japan unveils policy to curb plastic waste before G20
Japan on Friday announced a policy to reduce marine plastic waste, part of efforts to raise the issue at the G20 summit it will host next month. Japan is hoping to cast itself as a leader on the issue, and will reportedly press for an international agreement to reduce the amount of plastic going into the ocean during the Osaka summit from June 28 to 30. "Ocean plastic waste is one of the issues topping the G20 summit agenda, and as the chair of the meeting, we will exercise leadership to solve the matter," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a ministerial meeting that adopted the policy package. But so far the policies are largely theoretical, with no timeline specified for legislation needed to implement some of the programme. Japan is the second largest per capita producer of plastic waste in the world after the United States, and while it has a comparatively high recycling rate, it lags behind on efforts to reduce single-use plastic. Included in the policy is a plan to require retailers
Amit Shah gets Home, Nirmala gets Finance, Defence goes to Rajnath
BJP President Amit Shah will be the new Home Minister in the Narendra Modi government while Rajnath Singh will be the new Defence Minister and Nirmala Sitharaman the Finance Minister.Former foreign secretary S Jaishankar will be the new External Affairs Minister while Smriti Irani has been given charge of Women and Child Development Ministry in addition to Ministry of Textiles she already had in the earlier government.Under the portfolios officially released today, Piyush Goyal gets to retain the Railways portfolio and has also been given Commerce and Industry which was held by Suresh Prabhu, who has been dropped.Prakash Javadekar, who was the Human Resource Development minister, gets to retain the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and will be the new Minister of Information and Broadcasting.
Chennai-Salem Expressway: SC agrees to plea against Madras HC order
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear an appeal challenging the Madras High Court's recent order which quashed the land acquisition proceedings initiated by the Centre and the state government for an expressway project.A bench headed by Justice MR Shah posted the matter for hearing on June 3 after a counsel of the government mentioned the matter for an urgent hearing to stay the High Court verdict.On April 8, a division bench of the Madras High Court had quashed the land acquisition after holding that environmental clearance was mandatory since the project would have an adverse impact on the environment, including water bodies. This judgement was passed by the court on a batch of petitions was filed by advocates, farmers and politicians.The Rs 10,000 crore Chennai-Salem eight-lane greenfield expressway project proposed on a stretch of 277-km passes through agricultural as well as reserve forest land.The project is part of the Centre's ambitious 'Bharatmala Pariyojana - I', which .
UN chief looks forward to working with Modi: Spokesperson
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres looks forward to working with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has begun his second term in office, according to a spokesperson.
Tripura forest dept takes measures to protect vultures
As part of its environment conservation efforts, the forest department in Tripura is planning to set up a vulture colony, with abundant food options and a suitable ecosystem, at Khowai district, where the critically endangered bird was recently sighted. The scavenger bird, which plays a vital role in cleaning up the environment, is suffering a decline in population due to a range of threats, including diclofenac poisoning and habitat destruction. Niraj Kumar Chanchal, the divisional forest officer (DFO) of Khowai, said 26 vultures were spotted at Kalyanpur area along the river bank and more than 10 at Chebri area. We are planning to build a restaurant for vultures in Kalyanpur and Chebri so that these birds do not run out of food. We would supply carcasses of animals at their resting and roosting places, Chanchal told PTI. A survey carried out by former chief wildlife warden Atul Gupta has shown that South Tripura and Sipahijala are the two other districts in the state, .
Adani wins Queensland govt's approval to protect endangered finch bird at coal mine site in Aus
Indian energy giant Adani won a key approval from the Queensland state government of Australia on Friday to protect the endangered black-throated finch bird population as part of its crucial environmental plan at the site of its proposed billion dollar mine project. The victory for the Adani Group's long-delayed mega coal mine project came days after a surprise election win of Australia's pro-coal ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison. The group's country head -- Adani Australia Chief Executive Officer Lucas Dow -- last week said that the defeat of the opposition Labor Party in Queensland, where the project is based, is a clear message to get the project done. Labor Party leader Bill Shorten, who took a firm stand against coal and mining, resigned as his party fared poorly in Queensland, especially in mining communities in the north of the state. The black-throated finch management plan and a groundwater plan were the two persisting hurdles before the Indian energy ...
Rajasthan: LWO gears up to tackle locust attack
After sightings of locusts in villages around Rajasthan's Jaisalmer near the border with Pakistan, the Jodhpur-headquartered Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) is gearing up to tackle any major attack by the tropical grasshopper.Locust attacks have been reported in the region after a gap of 26 years, according to LWO officials."Locusts have been seen in Jaisalmer. These have come in from Pakistan and may spread to places like Barmer, Jaisalmer, Phalodi, Bikaner and Suratgarh. We have used malathion (a chemical pesticide) and are ready with all the required equipment to tackle the locust. Our teams have reached all the circles," Mahesh Chandra, LWO official told ANI here.Chandra added that locusts are generally seen during the months of June and July as it is active from summer to the rainy season."We want to tell people to not panic and inform LWO whenever they see locusts anywhere near them. We have also issued helpline numbers," he said.The last major locust outbreak was reported in
Goa Pollution Board expresses concern over garbage dump fire
The state pollution control authority in Goa issued a show cause notice to the Margao Municipal Council in South Goa for slack efforts to douse the fire which has been raging for several days at one of the state's largest garbage dump at Sonsoddo, located near South Goa's Margao town.
Malaysia PM says global garbage trade 'grossly unfair'
The practice of advanced countries such as the U.S., Canada and Japan sending their non-recyclable waste to poorer countries is "grossly unfair" and should stop, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Thursday. Mahathir comments during a visit to Tokyo on came days after his government announced plans to return thousands of tons of imported plastic waste back to where it came from. "It is grossly unfair for rich countries to send their waste to poor countries simply because poor countries have no choice and maybe it contributes a little to their economy," Mahathir said at a news conference. "We don't need your waste because our own waste is enough to give us problems." China banned the import of plastic waste last year, leading several Southeast Asian nations to become new targets. Japan, a major producer of plastic waste, used to export 1.5 million tons per year, mostly to China. It now ships some to other countries, including Malaysia, while the government and industry seek .
Harsh Vardhan minister again in Modi govt 2.0
Doctor-turned-politician Harsh Vardhan, who handled three portfolios in the last NDA government and initiated a crucial national programme to tackle air pollution, has made his way to the Narendra Modi cabinet for a second consecutive time. Vardhan was appointed Minister of Health and Family Welfare during the Modi government's first stint in 2014 and later, given the charge of the Ministry of Earth Sciences and Ministry of Science and Technology. In May 2017, he was given the additional charge of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change following the death of Union minister Anil Madhav Dave. The sixty-four-year-old was reelected to the Lok Sabha from the Chandni Chowk seat, winning it by a margin of over 2 lakh votes this time. Vardhan as an environment minister initiated the Green Good Deeds Movement in 2018 in which he appealed to organisations and the people to take small positive actions to strengthen the cause of environmental protection. Under his leadership, the .
Patnaik announces Rs 1,330 crore package for Bijepur
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Thursday announced a Rs 1,330 crore package, including plans to provide pucca houses to 34,000 households in Bijepur Assembly constituency, from where he was elected in the recently held polls. Apart from his home turf Hinjili in Ganjam district, Patnaik had also contested from Bijepur Assembly constituency in Bargarh district. He won both the seats. "About 34,000 eligible households having kutcha houses in Bijepur Assembly constituency will be provided with pucca houses," an official in Chief Minister's Office said. As part of the package, two mega pipe water schemes will be executed at an estimated cost of Rs 1,120 crore covering 8 lakh population of 505 villages of Bargarh district where Bijepur is located. "All villages of Bijepur constituency will be provided with piped water supply with household connection in next two years," the official said. A new mega lift irrigation project under Parbatigiri Mega Lift Scheme will be taken .
2nd time Arrah MP R K Singh becomes minister in Modi 2.0
Bureaucrat-turned politician and second time Lok Sabha member from Arrah in Bihar, R K Singh was inducted into the council of ministers of new Modi government Thursday. Singh, who was the minister of state for power, and new and renewable energy in the outgoing government, was instrumental in the launch of household electrification scheme Saubhagya that one of the poll planks of Modi government. According to the power ministry data, around 2.63 crore families were provided electricity connections under the scheme. Singh also played a major role in scaling up India's renewable energy capacity. India has set an ambitious target of having 175 GW of renewable energy including 100 GW of solar energy and 60 GW of wind energy by 2022. India achieved 78 GW of clean energy including 28GW of solar and 36 GW of wind energy as on April 2019. Singh joined the Indian Police Service in 1974 and then Indian Administrative Service in 1975. He was District Magistrate of East Champaran from 1981 to 1983
Substitute LPG by setting up biogas and bio-methanation plants:Env Ministry official to industry
Industries should focus on setting up biogas and bio-methanation plants to substitute LPG, a top environment ministry official Thursday said while asserting that with the rise in demand, it it is imperative that new and alternate mode of energy is put to use. Speaking at a conference, additional secretary of the environment ministry, A K Jain said biogas plants and biomethanation plants should be set especially in the cities. The conference - Waste to Energy and Resource Conservation (WERC) was jointly organized by FICCI along with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. "The ground has been set and it is now for industry and entrepreneurs to take this up in a big way," Jain said adding that industries should explore the possibility of shifting from coal-based electricity to waste-to-energy technologies. He further said that in the last decade, the demand for energy has increased drastically and it is imperative that new and alternate mode .
CM Golay distributes portfolios to his ministers
Sikkim Chief Minister P S Golay on Thursday distributed portfolios to his 11 ministers, three days after they were sworn-in. As per the notification issued by the Raj Bhavan, the chief minister will keep the important portfolios of Home and Finance with him and any other department not assigned to any minister. Kunga Nima Lepcha has been given charge of the Human Resources Development, Law & Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, Land Revenue and Disaster Management departments. Sonam Lama has been allocated Rural Management and Development, Panchayati Raj and Cooperative and Ecclesiastical departments. Bedu Singh Panth has got Tourism and Civil Aviation and Commerce and Industries Departments, while Dr Mani Kumar Sharma has been given Health Care, Human Services and Family Welfare, Social Justice, Empowerment and Welfare departments. Arun Upreti has been allotted Urban Development and Housing Development, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, while Samdup ...