Page 4 - Sustainable Development

EU lawmakers reject 50% chemical pesticide usage cut by 2030 proposal

European Union lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a plan to reduce the use of chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030 and to ban all pesticide use in areas such public parks, playgrounds and schools. After a series of amendments watered down the proposal of the EU's executive Commission, the bill was rejected in a 299 to 207 vote, with 121 abstentions. It buried the bill for good and any new proposal would need to start from scratch after June elections for members of the European Parliament. This is a bitter blow for the protection of the environment and public health. To put it bluntly, the majority of MEPs put the profits of big agri over the health of our children and the planet, said Sarah Wiener, a Green lawmaker who was rapporteur for the proposal. There is not going to be a new sustainable use of pesticides regulation, Wiener said. The European Commission said last year that current rules limiting the use of pesticides were too weak and had not been applied consistently across the

Adani Green adopts robotics for solar operations, water conservation

Adani Green Energy Ltd (AGEL) will install robotic cleaning technology for its 4,830 MW of operational solar capacity that will help save 595 million litres of water annually, the company said. At present, 2,070 MW, or 30 per cent, of its operational 7,043 MW solar and hybrid capacity is covered by robotic cleaning technology, which conserves 283 million litres of water annually, AGEL said in a statement. Deploying robotics technology for the entire 7,043 MW operational capacity will help save around 880 million litres water annually, it said. AGEL is deploying water-free robotic cleaning system to minimise water consumption for the maintenance of solar modules. AGEL plans to implement this across its operational solar, hybrid sites (solar capacity of hybrid) and its future projects, especially in arid and dry regions like Rajasthan, and Kutch in Gujarat, where renewable water sources are scarce. The company said, "4,830 MW of AGEL's solar portfolio will be covered by robotic clea

Centre to speed up cleanliness drives after earning Rs 1,162 cr from scrap

The Centre has earned Rs 1,162 crore from scrap disposal during its special cleanliness drives and plans are afoot to further accelerate it with the help of the states, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said on Monday. The cleanliness campaigns carried out at over four lakh sites have resulted in weeding out nearly 96.10 lakh files, including electronic files, besides freeing up 355.50 lakh square feet of space, which can house a huge shopping complex or a mall, he said. "As much as Rs 1,162.49 crore has been earned through disposal of office scrap, including e-waste such as old computers and other electronic items. The cleanliness drive has become India's largest campaign for institutionalising 'swachata'," Singh told PTI. He said without spending a significant sum, the government has been able to earn so many crores of revenue through the cleanliness campaign, "which, in my opinion, is a huge success". The revenue of Rs 1,162.49 crore was earned in the three ..

Himachal govt launches Rs 680 cr job scheme linked with green initiatives

Unemployed Himachali youth above the age of 23 years will be given a 50 per cent subsidy on loans to purchase e-taxis and e-buses with no collateral guarantee under a state government scheme to generate employment and promote green initiatives. In case the cost of the e-taxi is Rs 20-lakh, a subsidy of Rs 10 lakh will be provided, and these e-taxis would be attached to various government departments. A monthly income of about Rs 40 thousand will be ensured, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday. Launching the e-taxi scheme under the first phase of Rs 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi Self-Employment Start-up Yojna and a website of the Transport Department to facilitate online registration, he said the scheme for the youth was one of the key promises made in the Pratigya Patra of the Congress Party. In a statement issued here, he said that 500 permits would be issued in the first phase, and the number of permits will be increased as per the demand in the near future. The governm

Vedanta group firm Hindustan Zinc partners with Inland EV Green Services

Vedanta group firm Hindustan Zinc on Monday said it has partnered with Inland EV Green Services for deployment of 10 electric vehicle trucks. The move aims at reducing carbon emissions and promote cleaner modes of transportation. Dedicated to the inter-operations transport of concentrates, these eco-friendly trucks reaffirms the company's commitment to green and sustainable practices, it said. These trucks have a charging capacity of 20 to 100 per cent in just 90 minutes, the company added. "Our collaboration with Inland EV Green Services Pvt Ltd represents a significant step forward in our decarbonisation journey," Hindustan Zinc CEO Arun Misra said.

Tata Realty in an expansion mode, in India and international markets

Has over 50 projects across India, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives

Development of sustainable jet fuels must to decarbonise economy: Murmu

The development of sustainable jet fuels is a much-needed step to decarbonise the economy and there is also the need to rapidly adopt new propulsion technologies such as electric, hydrogen and hybrid at a large scale, President Droupadi Murmu said on Saturday. Speaking at a conference in the national capital, she also emphasised that the decarbonisation of aero-propulsion is an onerous task "we will have to undertake because climate change and global warming are threatening the very existence of humans". According to her, the development of sustainable jet fuels is one of the much-needed steps to decarbonise the economy but it is hardest to achieve because traditional fuels are of very high density. "Finding non-fossil sustainable resources which could replace these traditional fuels should be the priority objective because we are approaching a climate tipping point. To reduce our carbon footprint, we need to rapidly adopt new propulsion technologies at a large scale, such as ...

Adani Green aims to achieve operational capacity of 11 GW in FY24: CEO

Adani Green Energy Limited (AGEL) has a planned capex of Rs 14,000 crore and aims to achieve operational capacity of 11 GW in FY24, its CEO Amit Singh said. The company has an operating renewable energy (RE) portfolio of 8.4 GW across solar, wind and hybrid capacity, the company official said in an investor presentation. "With plans to deliver 2.8-3 GW capacity in FY24, the company's operating portfolio will increase to 11 GW. In FY24, the company has indicated a capex of Rs 14,000 crore," Singh said. A large part of the capacity addition will come in Khavda in Gujarat where the company has deployed a workforce of more than 5,000 people. The company plans is to add 5 GW of RE portfolio every year from FY25 onwards, he added. "We have the largest operating renewable portfolio in India. We are ramping up our execution capabilities as we prepare for our next phase of growth. We are working extensively on our next milestone of developing the largest RE cluster in the world in Khavda

Okaya to partner with IOC to install over 2,500 EV chargers across India

Okaya EV Chargers plans to set up 2,550 electric vehicle chargers across India in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) at an investment of Rs 125 crore, the company said on Tuesday. As many as 362 such chargers have already been installed in over 20 states in a step towards bolstering the electric vehicle infrastructure in the country, according to Okaya EV Chargers. The chargers being set up comprise a diverse range of high-and low-voltage options, including 3.3-kw and 7.4-kw chargers, 30-kw wall-mounted CCS (combined charging system) 2 DC fast chargers, as well as 60-kw CCS2 DC fast chargers, the company said. "This partnership aligns with our vision of creating a sustainable ecosystem for electric vehicles in India. Our advanced charging solutions will empower EV users with convenient and efficient charging options, said Anshul Gupta, Managing Director at Okaya EV Chargers. The total investment for this initiative is pegged at Rs 125 crore, reflecting the substantial

For sustainable growth of nations, WB's Gill calls for data-driven policies

Middle-income countries like India need to make policies based on reliable data to get into the league of high-income nations in next 3-4 decades as achieving sustainable growth will become harder, World Bank chief economist Indermit Gill said on Thursday. Addressing an event here, Gill said, to grow into higher-income countries, MCIs (Middle Income Countries) will have to reduce deficits in their mid-sized firms. "(Going forward) economic growth will get harder for middle-income countries like India, not easier... If you (middle-income countries like India) want to get into high-income country in the next 3-4 decades then you will have to make policies based on reliable information," he said. Gill pointed out that relatively few countries (31) have grown into high-income countries between 1990 and 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set an ambitious target of making India a developed nation by 2047. According to the World Bank, the world's middle-income countries (MICs) are a

Uber announces challenge to fast track sustainable mobility adoption

Ride-hailing app Uber on Tuesday announced a startup challenge that searches for innovative solutions to fast track adoption of sustainable mobility in the country. The 'Uber Sustainovate', in partnership with startup India and Nasscom AI, is geared to award ventures that produce the best workable ideas to accelerate the transition to sustainable mobility in the country. "The winning startup would be awarded a grant of USD 120,000 (about Rs 1 crore), and the top 3 entries would be awarded mentorship sessions with the tech leadership of Uber in India in order to help them sharpen their skills and competencies," it said, announcing the startup challenge. "As the leading ridesharing company, Uber is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040 and has been continuously working to reduce tailpipe emissions. With the aim to promote an ecosystem where startups are incentivised to work on emergence of sustainable solutions, Uber Sustainovate will provide a platform for visionary ...

G20 & beyond: Multilateral banks take centre stage

As Multilateral Development Banks lead the charge to achieve sustainable development goals, here are four clear paths they should follow

17 measures undertaken by NGOs, communities in India contributing to SDGs

Strong belief in Indian approach to achieve sustainable development was underlying tone of high-level meets organised by Reliance Foundation, ORF, UN India office, Permanent Mission of India to UN

India poised to be leader in sustainable tech: Honeywell chief scientist

The Indian economy is developing very fast and the country is poised to become a leader in sustainable technologies, a senior official of American technology firm Honeywell has said. India is an emerging economy, which provides an opportunity to directly build sustainable infrastructure, instead of building it using legacy technologies that are now being abandoned in places like the Europe in the United States, Honeywell, Corporate Chief Scientist, Sustainability Technologies, Gavin Towler told PTI. "There are some parts of India, some regions in India now that actually have very high levels of renewable power, and very low levels of fossil fuel intensity. I think India is poised to become much more of a leader in sustainable technologies," Towler said on the sidelines of a company event. India's historical cumulative emissions from 1850 to 2019 amounted to less than 4 per cent of cumulative carbon dioxide emissions of the world from the pre-industrial era, despite being home to 17

Diesel vehicles will not yet be out totally: Siam president Vinod Aggarwal

Lots of discussions happen between industry and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. For example, now discussions are happening on ethanol blending; and on LNG availability, says Aggarwal

NITI Aayog, UNDP partner to further India's sustainable development goals

Cooperation will include SDG localisation, data-driven monitoring, and aspirational districts & blocks, among others

UNDP to assist India in reaching its sustainable development goals

United Nations Development Programme and the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region signed an MoU formalising the collaboration

Sustainable development top priority of J-K admin, says L-G Sinha

Sustainable development and environment conservation is the top priority of the Jammu and Kashmir administration, which is making "honest efforts" to address the challenges of climate change, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said on Sunday. Sinha was speaking at the launch of the Green Jammu and Kashmir Drive 2023-24 at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) here. He informed that while four crore saplings were planted in the past three years, another 1.75 crore will be planted this year. "Sustainable development and environment conservation is our priority. Protection of natural resources is in the DNA of our society, culture. With the whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, we are making honest efforts to address the challenges of climate change," he said. The drive has become a major contributor to increasing the Union Territory's green cover, strengthening the ecology and building a healthier society, Sinha said. "In the past three years, we have been able to plant more th

PNB launches 'Project PNB PALAASH' for environmental sustainability

Punjab National Bank (PNB) on Monday announced the launch of its environmental initiative 'PNB Palaash', an eight-month period campaign to embrace sustainability. The campaign would lead to cost savings and operational efficiencies through measures such as energy and resource conservation, paper reduction, waste management and streamlined digital processes, PNB said in a statement. Acknowledging the need for integrating sustainability into every aspect of lives, PNB managing director Atul Kumar Goel said, "As a leading bank in the industry, undertaking environment-friendly initiatives not only aligns with our corporate social responsibility but also presents significant opportunities for business growth." The primary objective of this project is to actively contribute to conservation endeavours, foster the adoption of sustainable practices, and promote active employee engagement, he said. Under this initiative, it said, one lakh plus employees of PNB will plant minimum two saplings

L&T completes transition of $150-mn credit into sustainability-linked loan

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Monday said it has completed the "transition" of a USD 150-million term loan into a sustainability-linked loan with Bank of America. Such loans incentivise corporate houses' sustainability performance with lower interest rates. "The sustainability-linked loan (SLL) reiterates L&T's continued commitment to its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals," the infrastructure major said in a statement. The transaction for the sustainability-linked loan (SLL) was completed on June 30, 2023. R Shankar Raman, group CFO and whole-time director of L&T, said the company continues to focus on achieving water and carbon neutrality by 2035 and carbon neutrality by 2040. The company's long-term strategic plan also outlines the ESG road map towards this goal. "This transition to SLL with Bank of America is yet another step in that journey and underlines our intent on the ESG front," he said. India-based L&T is a USD 23-billion multinational engaged .