Page 931 - Environment
India to launch its 100th satellite on Friday
India would be launching its 100th satellite into the space on Friday along with 30 other satellites, including 28 from six other countries from its spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, said a top space agency official on Tuesday.
Conference on ethical use of animals in academics held
A day-long national conference was today organised to brainstorm about ethical use of animals in academics and regulatory testing in India. The Committee for the Purpose of Control And Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) under the environment ministry organised the conference with the theme - "Implementation of 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement) while using animals in academic research and regulatory testing in India". "The conference deliberated upon elaborating the understanding of animal use in academics, as well as regulatory testing and evaluating the use of alternatives, wherever animals can be exempted from testing. "It also included brainstorming sessions in the form of panel discussions, which had eminent scientists working with animals, versus those working in the field of alternatives," an official statement said. The discussions were focused on evaluating the possibilities of exemption of animal experiments in academics and regulatory ...
L&T commissions 360 MW Bheramara power plant in Bangladesh
Indian multinational Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Tuesday said it has commissioned the 360 MW Bheramara Combined Cycle Power Plant Development Project in Bangladesh.
Naveen orders to electrify all villages by Oct 2
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today asked officials to complete electrification of all villages in the state by Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 this year. Patnaik issued a direction in this regard while reviewing progress of rural electrification in the state, an official release said. "About 28 lakh households will get power by October 2, 2018," it said. Of the total 47,677 villages in the state, 47,655 have got electricity connection and only 22 are yet to get the facility. Though the deadline has been fixed on October 2, departmental officials said electrification of these 22 villages would be completed by the end of this month. Patnaik directed the department to ensure supply of power to 22,000 partially electrified villages. Many villages in Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Koraput, Bolangir, Kandhamal and Gajapati districts remained partially electrified and all the households have not got power like other districts. Patnaik also asked the chief secretary to review ...
Come forward for public transport solutions: Gadkari
Announcing that India will go for intelligent traffic system on all highways, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari today urged automobile makers to find solutions for public transport and vehicles on alternative fuel to curb pollution. The road transport and highways minister also said that work was on full swing on Delhi-Meerut Expressway besides Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways that will minimise the Delhi traffic woes by 50 per cent. "Pollution is a big concern. We need electric vehicle. This type of growth is not only creating accidents but pollution is a big concern. The manufactures have to find out the solution by building vehicle on alternative fuel and electric cars," Gadkari said addressing an event in which Maruti Suzuki India joined hands with the Delhi Police to implement a Traffic Safety Management System. He said there was an spurt in vehicles but to accommodate those India will require an additional highway lane every third year which was not ...
Committee on zero budget natural farming soon: Governor
The Himachal Pradesh government will set up a committee to study the feasibility of zero budget natural farming, Governor Acharya Devvrat said today. "Recommendation of the committee will be followed so that Himachal becomes natural farming state in the countrywithin next four years," he said while while presiding over a meeting at Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Agriculture University in Palampur. Role of the agriculture university will be crucial in this field to carry forward the criticalreform in the sector. The governor appreciated the efforts of scientists of the university in the field of natural farming and urged that they should take lead to make Himachal natural farming state after Sikkim. He said that the past practice of chemical farming and organic farming was not fit in present context. "As far as chemical farming is concerned, the products produced are harmful and poisonous and is also costly. Similarly, cost of production in organic farming is high and it absorbs ..
PM to commence Barmer refinery project next week: Pradhan
Amid political slugfest over construction of a refinery at Barmer in Rajasthan, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will next week do "project commencement" work on the Rs 43,129 crore project. Ahead of the January 16 event at Pachpadra, ruling BJP and opposition Congress were slugging it out to get credit for the refinery. Congress says its then president Sonia Gandhi had laid foundation stone of the refinery on September 22, 2013 and Modi was "re-laying" the foundation stone. Announcing details of the event, Pradhan did not term the event as foundation laying and merely said "work on the project will start" in Modi's presence. "Project ka Shubharambh hoga (project will commence)," he told reporters here. He termed the 2013 foundation laying as "political stunt" as the function was held just days before the model code of conduct for assembly elections came into force on September 27, 2013. "When there was talk of introducing BS-IV and
Government seeks alternatives for animals in drug tests
The government on Tuesday said it was looking for "alternatives" to lab animals for clinical trial of drugs.
Have taken up rescue of missing fishermen with Centre: TN CM
The Tamil Nadu government today said it has appealed to the Centre to continue efforts to rescue fishermen who went missing due to Cyclone Ockhi. Chief Minister K Palaniswami said search and rescue efforts to locate missing fishermen was a task vested with the Centre. "We have appealed to the Centre in this regard," he informed members in the Tamil Nadu assembly. Cyclone Ockhi wrecked havoc in southern Tamil Nadu districts last month, particularly Kanyakumari. The Chief Minister was responding to a query from Leader of the Opposition M K Stalin, seeking information on search efforts as the Defence Ministry had stated that it had called off rescue operations. The DMK leader quoted Governor Banwarilal Purohit's address yesterday, which said that rescue efforts would be continued till every missing fisherman was rescued. Palaniswami said the government had borne the expenditure of Kanyakumari fishermen who volunteered and went on a rescue mission in their own boats to find ..
Airbus says to boost China assembly, but wins no new jet order
PARIS (Reuters) - European planemaker Airbus said it planned to boost the number of planes it makes in China under a deal signed in Beijing on Tuesday to expand co-operation at its Tianjin assembly plant.
'Road projs involving Rs 50K cr to come up in U'khand by 2019'
Announcing a slew of projects for Uttarakhand in next two years, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said 70 roads involving around Rs 50,000 crore will come up in the state by 2019. The Union road transport and highways minister has also reviewed the progress of the all weather road projects, Namami Gange programme and other national highway projects here. By 2019 the state will see construction of a number of roads worth Rs 50,000 crore, including the all weather chardham road project and five projects cleared under the Bharatmala plan, he said. Five border road projects worth Rs 9,700 crore covering a distance of 570 km have been cleared for the state under Bharatmala project and the NHIBCL has been asked to finish the construction of these roads in six months, Gadkari told reporters here. The minister also praised the state government for working actively on the approximately Rs 12,000 crore all weather road projects which interlinks the four famous Himalayan shrines ...
China punishes automakers for environmental offences
China's environment watchdog on Tuesday said it has punished two automakers in Shandong province for producing vehicles that failed to meet emission standards.
'PDD supplies 1,200 MW power to Kashmir'
The Jammu and Kashmir government today said that Power Development Department (PDD) has supplied 1,200 MW electricity despite its total consumer load agreement of 700 MW only. "In Kashmir Valley, the department has been supplying power to the tune of 1,200 MW (megawatt) during peak hours whereas it is duty bound to provide only 700 MW power as per the total consumer load agreements," Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, who holds the charge of Power Ministry, informed the Legislative Assembly. Replying to the question of legislator Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen, the deputy chief minister said it is well known fact that with the onset of winters in valley, usage of heating gadgets by consumer increase manifold. "The rampant use of these heating gadgets overloads the power system in valley, which at present has maximum handling capacity of around 1,200 MW," he said. He further said that this year since inception of winters the department has encountered around 1,900 MW of ...
Illegal mining taking place near Sutlej, Ravi rivers: Pb min
Punjab Cabinet minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa today said that it has come to the notice of the government that illegal sand mining was still being carried out on the banks of Sutlej and Ravi rivers. He said the land, where the unlawful activity is taking place, would be auctioned for mining and it is expected that it would generate a revenue of Rs 100 crore. "Panchayat land is located near Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers. Illegal sand mining near Sutlej and Ravi rivers is taking place which has come into our notice now," the rural development and panchayats minister told reporters. He said that his department had identified about 3,000 acres of such land near Sutlej and Ravi rivers where illegal mining was taking place. "We, in consultation with the mining department, will get this land auctioned for mining which is expected to generate Rs 100 crore revenue for the department," the minister said. He informed the mediapersons that Panchayat elections in the state are due
Warming turning major sea turtle population female: study
Warming temperatures are turning one of the world's largest sea turtle populations in Australia's Great Barrier Reef almost entirely female, running the risk that the colony may not sustain itself in coming decades, a study has found. Sand temperatures determine the sex of turtle hatchlings, with warmer temperatures resulting in more females. During the past two decades, temperatures on islands in Australia's northern Great Barrier Reef have increased to the point "that virtually no male turtles are now being produced from these nesting beaches," said researchers from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries in the US. The study published in the journal Current Biology "raises new concerns over the immediate threats of climate change to sea turtle populations". The results will be important for wildlife managers as they consider strategies to lower incubation temperatures at key rookeries around the world. This may help "boost the ability of local
Airbus, Areva sign agreements in China as Macron visits Beijing
BEIJING (Reuters) - Airbus on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding with China's state planner on expanding cooperation in the aeronautical industry in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, as part of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to China.
Panic grips villages following straying of wild elephants
Panic gripped in nearby villages of this tourist town after three wild elephants, including one calf, strayed and destroyed crops for the last couple of days. The elephants entered the 10 acre farm in Halatti last night and destroyed carrot, beetroot and potato, resulting in a loss of about Rs 10 lakh, police said. The elephants move out of villages during the day and return during night hours, the villagers complained to the forest department.
Egypt building water purification plant in face of shortages
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi says the country is constructing its largest water purification plant to better face future threats of shortages. The announcement comes as tensions with Ethiopia over the African country's building of a massive dam remain unresolved. According to Egyptian state-run dailies, el-Sissi was widely quoted today as saying "the state won't permit a water crisis." Al-Ahram quoted el-Sissi as describing the plant, being built near Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea as the "largest project in history" of water distillation and sewage treatment. Last month, Egypt urged the World Bank to help resolve Cairo's tensions with Addis Ababa as Ethiopia finalizes Africa's biggest hydro-electric plant on the Blue Nile. Egypt says the dam will endanger its water share of the Nile, a claim Ethiopia denies.
JK seeks Centre's nod for Rs 1,850-cr power upgradation plan
Jammu and Kashmir government has sought the Centre's clearance for a Rs 1850.57 crore transmission upgradation plan that seeks to cater to the projected load of 3,000 MVA, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said today. Replying to a question of Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen Shah in State Assembly during question hour, Singh said the transmission plan has been sent to Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for approval. Of the Rs 1,850.57 crore, Rs 414 crore has been earmarked under PMDP and covers upgradation of power infrastructure in Srinagar district, its adjoining areas and industrial estates of Lasipura. This includes construction of three grid sub-stations in Srinagar and another at Lasipura. The department has completed augmentation of Kulgam grid station, he said. An additional source of power of 630 MVA will become available with commissioning of 400 KV Jallandhar-Samba-Kunzar transmission line, and 630 MVA grid station by Sterlite Company at Kunzar by January-end. In ...
New star may help decode Sun's effect on Earth's climate
Scientists have found a star that is almost identical to the Sun, except for the chemical composition, making it a 'Rosetta Stone' for the study of the solar body's variability and effect on the Earth's climate. The spots on the surface of the Sun come and go with an 11-year periodicity known as the solar cycle. The solar cycle is driven by the solar dynamo, which is an interplay between magnetic fields, convection and rotation. However, our understanding of the physics underlying the solar dynamo is far from complete. Now, an international team led by researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark has found a star that can help shed light on the physics underlying the solar dynamo. The star is located 120 light years away in the constellation of Cygnus, and on the surface, the star looks just like the Sun: it has the same mass, radius and age - but its chemical composition is very different. It consists of around twice as many heavy elements as in the Sun. Heavy elements ..
