Page 939 - Environment
RFP floated for assembly, testing of satellites: Govt
A Request for Proposal has been floated for assembling, integration and testing of satellites after an evaluation of the responses of the expression of interest for the purpose, involving the private sector, Union minister Jitendra Singh informed the Rajya Sabha today. The reply from the minister of state in the PMO, Atomic Energy and Space came after he was asked whether the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has issued any tender for assembly, integration and testing of 30-35 satellites. "An Expression of Interest (EOI) was floated for assembling, integration and testing of satellites involving private sector for building satellites of different mass," he said. "After technical evaluation of the EOI, a Request for Proposal (RFP) has been floated. Evaluation of RFP responses is under progress," he added. In reply to another question, Singh said ISRO has been providing commercial launch services for earth observation satellites and small satellites onboard the ...
13 TN fishermen held by SL Navy, CM bats for their release
The Sri Lankan Navy today arrested 13 Tamil Nadu fishermen for allegedly fishing in the island nation's territorial waters, prompting Chief Minister K Palaniswami to urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure their release. In a letter to Modi, Palaniswami sought steps for securing the release of 84 fishermen and over 150 boats from Sri Lanka, including those apprehended today. The 13 fishermen were arrested for allegedly fishing in the Lankan territorial waters off Katchatheevu islet, a senior official said. The Lankan Navy allegedly damaged a few boats and fishing equipment belonging to other fishermen using iron rods, before chasing them away. The fishermen were taken to the Kangesanthurai port along with two boats, the official said. In the letter, the chief minister urged Modi to secure the immediate release of 84 fishermen and 159 fishing boats, including the 13 fishermen and their two mechanised fishing boats. Assistant Director of Fisheries A Manikandan said ...
Address bottlenecks at under-performing units: Par panel to
Concerned over poor performance of some units of state-owned SAIL like Salem and IISCO, a Parliamentary panel today said the steelmaker should address all the bottlenecks which hamper full capacity utilisation of these plants. "...the Committee..are concerned to note the poor performance of Rourkela Steel Plant (RS), IISCO Steel Plant (ISP), Alloy Steel Plant (ASP), Salem Steel Plant (SSP) and Visvesvaraya Iron Steel Plant (VISP) that could achieve only 79 per cent, 56 per cent, 38 per cent, 60 per cent and 33 per cent of their installed capacity of crude steel during 2016- 17," the Standing Committee on Coal and Steel said in its latest report. However, the panel praised the highest-ever hot metal, crude steel and saleable steel output by SAIL during FY17. "The Committee desire that the company should take all necessary steps to address all the bottlenecks which hampers full capacity utilisation of these plants so that the production targets for 2017-18 which are ...
Namami Gange projects worth Rs. 295 crore approved by NMCG
With these approvals, all projects related to sewage management in high pollution load towns along river Ganga have been sanctioned.
World Book Fair to begin from Saturday, focus on environment
With a major focus on environment and climate change, the 45th edition of New Delhi World Book Fair is all set to begin from Saturday.
63 solar micro grids of 1899 kWp aggregated capacity reported to be installed in the country
MNRE has provided financial support up to 30% of the cost of micro/mini-grids systems for installation in the rural areas of the country. The design capacity of micro grid depends upon the requirement to be catered.
Two minor girls die while digging
Two young girls were killed when a mound of earth collapsed on them while they were digging in the Nagla Kanhae village under Mirhachi police station area here today. Shivani (10) and Rajni (8) were buried when the mound collapsed on them, ASP Sanjay Kumar said. The bodies were taken out and sent for post mortem, the ASP added.
Govt monitoring Brahmaputra to detect abnormalities: Swaraj
The government continues to carefully monitor the flow of the Brahmaputra river for early detection of abnormalities and to ensure that corrective and preventive measures are taken, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said today. Replying to a written question in the Rajya Sabha on whether construction of dams by China on the tributaries of the Brahmaputra has contaminated its waters, the minister said the government has noted the Chinese foreign ministry's statement denying such a link and that it was caused by an earthquake in the region and was not a manmade incident. She also said India intends to "remain engaged with China on the issue of trans-border rivers to safeguard our interest, including through an institutionalised expert-level mechanism which was established in 2006". "As a lower riparian state with considerable established user rights to the waters of the trans-border rivers, the government has consistently conveyed its view and concerns to the ...
Reconstruction of Nepal's quake-hit temple hits a roadblock
The reconstruction of the quake-hit Budhanilakantha Temple in Nepal has hit a roadblock due to inadequate budget allocations.According to the Himalayan Times, the temple management committee had sent a proposal to Budhanilakantha Municipality for its reconstruction of 200 million Nepali rupees. However, the budget is yet to be released from the municipality.Uddhav Prasad Kharel, the municipality chief of the region, said that the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) was yet to issue the budget allocation for the temple reconstruction.The Budhanilakantha Temple is popular in Nepal. It is visited by both locals and foreigners in huge numbers. It consists of a full-bust statue of Lord Vishnu, who is sleeping over a Sheshnag (serpent).The statue, which measures at least five metres tall, is a black stone structure carved from a single block of black basalt, positioned in the middle of a 13-metre long recessed pool of water.Nepal was rocked by a massive earthquake in April 2015. It ...
Raveena Tandon urges recycling, preserving to save planet Earth
Actress Raveena Tandon has urged people to save planet Earth by recycling and preserving.
No radioactive waste leakage into Thane creek from BARC: govt
There is no leakage of radioactive waste into the Thane creek from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Trombay, Union minister Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha today. An environmental surveillance programme is carried out regularly at Thane creek for the measurement of various man- made radionuclides in different matrices like water, biota and sediment, the minister of state, who holds multiple portfolios, said in a written reply to a question. "There is no leakage of radioactive waste in Thane Creek from BARC facilities at Trombay. All effluents are treated to bring the discharge levels well below the stringent regulatory limits set by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) before they are discharged from the BARC facilities to the Thane Creek," he said. From the analysis, it is observed that the levels of radioactivity in the creek are "particularly the same as that of natural background", he added. "Hence, there is no hazard to the health of general public .
Indian rice prices gain as Bangladesh traders lap up new crop
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice prices rose this week in top exporter India on robust demand from neighbouring Bangladesh and gains in the rupee, while traders in Thailand pinned their hopes on possible deals with drought-hit Sri Lanka.
India rice prices gain as Bangladesh traders lap up new crop
BENGALURU (Reuters) - Rice prices rose this week in top exporter India on robust demand from neighbouring Bangladesh and gains in the rupee, while traders in Thailand pinned their hopes on possible deals with drought-hit Sri Lanka.
Rejuvenation camp for temple elephants begins
The 48-day annual rejuvenation camp for temple elephants in Tamil Nadu began at Thekkampatti on the banks of the Bhavani river near Mettupalayam in the district. Organised by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the state government, the camp was inaugurated by HR and CE minister, Sevvur Ramachandran and Forest minister, Dindigul Srinivasan by giving jaggery and sugarcane to some elephants. The jumbos will be given nutritious and herbal food, a healthy bath, with shower facility, special medical care, physical exercise, including morning walk, during the camp, which will last till February 20. The camp is a pet project of former chief minister Jayalalithaa. Three veterinarians will be present at the camp to monitor the elephants round the clock, HR and CE department sources said. There would be complete medical checkup and also treatment for specific diseases. Thirtyone elephants from temples and mutts in Tamil Nadu and two from Puducherry are ...
Telangana to give Karnataka 2 TMC water to overcome shortage
The Telangana Government today assured Karnataka it would release up to two TMC (thousand million cubic feet) of water to meet the shortage in Tungabhadra sub basin project area, Karnataka Water Resources Minister M B Patil said. Patil had met Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao requesting him to allow Karnataka to use 3.5 TMC of water under Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (River Assistance Quota) on humanitarian grounds. "They (The Telangana government) said they require 1.5 TMC for standing crops on 7500 acres. They will give us 1.5 TMC to two TMC after meeting their crop requirements," he told PTI after the meeting. As per the KWDT (Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal) award, Telangana's share towards Rajolibanda diversion scheme is 3.501 TMC but this quota has not been utilised so far as downstream of Tungabhadra dam has received good rains leading to sufficient flow in the river in the border of Telangana, he added. Patil said due to scanty rainfall in the ...
Tiger mauls Indonesian palm oil plantation worker to death
A Sumatran tiger has mauled an Indonesian palm oil plantation worker to death, officials said today, the latest in a string of deadly conflicts between humans and animals blamed on rampant deforestation. Jumiatik, 30, was found dead at the plantation in Riau province on Sumatra island Wednesday with horrific bite wounds on her neck and legs, police said. The victim, who like many Indonesians went by one name, was collecting data on pests with two female colleagues before the tiger appeared and chased the trio some 200 metres through the plantation. Her two workmates, who survived the brutal attack, told authorities they tried to evade the animal by scrambling up oil palm trees, but the tiger latched onto Jumiatik's leg and dragged her to the ground. "Jumiatik struggled with the tiger for about 15 minutes," local police chief Iptu Rafi told AFP. "(She) suffered serious injuries on parts of her neck and was eventually killed." There have been several cases in recent years .
Decide on elevated road project within one month: NGT to MoEF
The National Green Tribunal today directed Environment Ministry to decide within a month on environmental clearance for construction of a six-lane Hindon elevated road connecting NH-24 in Ghaziabad or else it would be compelled to pass coercive orders. The green panel also directed the petitioner in the case to provide details of the encroachments near the Hindon Bird Sanctuary. "We direct the MoEF to hold a meeting and take appropriate decision in accordance with law for grant of the environmental clearance within a month," a bench headed by acting Chairperson Justice U D Salvi said. It warned the the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) that if any decision is not taken within a month, it would be compelled to pass coercive orders. The matter will be heard on February 20. The tribunal was hearing a petition filed by Ghaziabad resident Sushil Raghav seeking execution of September 20, 2016 order which held that the road project, being built by the Ghaziabad ...
Australia aims to become top cannabis exporter
The Australian government on Thursday said it aspires to be the world's leading exporter of medicinal cannabis.
Centre confirms receiving proposal for extension of ST areas in Himachal
The Centre has confirmed receiving a proposal for extension of Scheduled Tribes areas in Himachal Pradesh.Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Sudarshan Bhagat informed Shimla Member Parliament Virender Kashyap that his ministry has received proposals for declaration/extension of scheduled areas from the Government of Himachal Pradesh.He said that the proposal has called for the notifying of the entire Trans-Giri area of Sirmour district, Dodra Kwar Sub-Division of Shimla district, and certain areas of Shimla and Kullu districts as Scheduled Areas in Himachal Pradesh for inclusion in Schduled Tribe areasBhagat told Kashyap that Bhot, Bodh, Gaddi , Gujjar,. Jad, Lamba, Khampa,. Kanaura, Kinnara, Lahaula, Pangwala, Swangla, Beta and Beda castes in Himachal Pradesh have been declared as Scheduled Tribes in Himachal Pradesh.Bhagat further said that various states have sent proposals for inclusion of various communities in the list of STs and added that state wise Andhra Pradesh ..
This wearable sensor for plants efficiency measures water
Researchers have developed a tiny graphene sensor that can be taped to plants to measure the time they take to move water from their roots to their leaves.
