<p>Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of News Item titled "Bengaluru stadium to get treated water supply for IPL matches amid crisis" appearing in India Today dated 21.03.2024.</p>
Some state governments, without waiting for a decision by the group of ministers (GoM) on bio-fuels, headed by agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, have gone ahead with their own programme of large-scale plantation of Jatropha. "We have launched our Jatropha plantation programme taking a cue from the Planning Commission's document, National Mission on Biodiesel. We are aware that the GoM on bio-fuels is deliberating the issue. The broad policy of the central government has already been enunciated in the Planning Commission document. The GoM is discussing incentives to be provided and the work of central government agencies in aiding implementation of the programme,' SK Shukla, executive director of Chhattisgarh Bio-fuel Development Authority (CBDA), told FE. The CBDA, which is headed by the chief secretary of the state, has identified 15.7 million hectare out of 201.5 million hectare revenue fallow land in different parts of the state for Jatropha. Chhattisgarh has 170.18 million hectare of degraded forest land in 17 out of 18 districts which can used for Jatropha plantation. "But for this, we need clearance from the Union ministry of environment and forests,' Shukla said. The Indian Railways also owns 7,309.557 hectare land along the tracks and other holdings amounting to 1,096.871 hectare, which can be used for Jatropha, he added. State government agencies have raised about 390 million Jatropha saplings in nurseries and have distributed them free to farmers for planting in 1,55,000 hectare in the last three years. In 2008-09, 200 million Jatropha saplings would be raised in nurseries. Chhattisgarh has also announced support prices for Jatropha seed at Rs 6,500 a tonne, Karanj seeds at Rs 6,000 a tonne and for Jatropha and Karanj oils at Rs 18 per litre. Also, it has framed a new policy for leasing out wastelands to investors. In addition, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is being used for Jatropha plantation. The Bio-fuel Authority of Rajasthan, too, has identified 2,106.8 hectares in 11 districts for Jatropha, said PC Chaplot, of the directorate of extension education in Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology. The state is also exploring the possibility of diverting 2% to 3% farm land for Jatropha in the form of hedges around fields for protecting crops, water harvesting as well as acting as a windbreak. In the south, Karnataka has set up an autonomous Bio-fuel Board with members drawn from institutions, agriculture universities, forest and agriculture departments, industry and NGOs for integrated development of the bio-fuel programme and formulating support prices for seeds, oil and oilcakes, KV Sarvesh, of the state agriculture department told FE.
Factories reportedly going slow on production Steep increase in fertilizer prices in international market Karnataka and Kerala are stated to be heading for a major shortage of chemical fertilizers during the ensuing kharif season with the Union Government yet to finalise the fertilizer prices and consequently the factories going slow on production. Sources in the State Secretariat told The Hindu that the authorities here are in touch with their counterparts in Kerala to finalise a joint move to impress on the Union Government to act with speed failing which it could have serious repercussions in the rural areas arising out of fertilizer shortage. The kharif sowing season normally starts around the same time in Karnataka and Kerala with the southwest monsoon setting in the region more or less around the same time. Fixing fertilizer prices and the quantum of fertilizer subsidy go hand-in-hand and a committee of Secretaries of the Union Government is stated to be pondering over this matter at length following the steep increase in fertilizer prices in the international market .The escalating prices of key inputs in the manufacture of phosphatic fertilizers is stated as one of the factors for the delay. Governor Rameshwar Thakur, during a recent visit to New Delhi, is stated to have impressed upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the need to ensure adequate fertilizer supplies to Karnataka in time. A similar request has also been made to Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Ram Vilas Paswan. The State faced a fertilizer shortage during the last rabi season. When compared with a projected demand of 15.39 lakh tonnes the supply was only 7.18 lakh tonnes. Kharif accounts for nearly 70 per cent of the agricultural production with the rest coming from the rabi crop. Normally, the exercise of building up fertilizer stocks by the authorities commences in the last week of February and the despatch to the dealers commences in the last week of March well ahead of the kharif season, which commences in April. The State has to also ensure the availability of railway wagons to transport fertilizer from the factories to all parts of the State. Unlike Kerala which has a major fertilizer factory (FACT), the only fertilizer plant in Karnataka (Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers-MCF) manufactures only urea. Sources told The Hindu that "the situation is alarming because the fertilizer industry as a whole has not taken any concrete step to produce and stock. We are anxiously waiting with our fingers crossed.'
Even as the Union government is struggling to boost the country's agriculture extension system, pesticide and crop chemical manufacturers have joined hands with rural ngos to promote safe and judicious usage of pesticides among the farmers.
With a click of the mouse, you can obtain plenty of information on any. topic, from the internet. Knowing the English language is necessary in most cases - but not so in the case of this portal - www.indiawater-portal.org/kannada. The water portal, which is co-ordinated by Arghyam, a non profit trust headed by Rohini Nilekani, supplies information - in Kannada -on various aspects of water. It was formally launched by K Jairaj, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, here on Friday Arghyam launched the portal in January this year, and intends to launch more vernacular portals. The Kannada portal, which is totally funded by the trust to the tune of Rs one crore, is also a forum for citizens to air their views concerns and suggestions on water-related issues. The content has been developed by involving practitioners and experts in the field. The government, which has data on water and its related projects, should upload its in: formation on the new website, suggested Ms Nilekani. Interactive forum Trust CEO Sunita Nadhamuni said the website will serve as an interactive forum where discussions, debate and exchange can happen. Citizens can post questions related to water issues, which will be answered by water professionals. Jairaj said that Karnataka has to do a lot of work on accessibility of water, its quality and sustainability. Various projects to improve water supply to villages have been taken up and the government would welcome social audit of the same.
Some recent studies on forest-based common pool resources have interpreted situations in which households choose to spend time on collection from the forest commons for sale and value addition as an income enhancing activity that is independent of the common's role as a safety net. Feb 23-29, 2008
World Bank (WB) has signed a loan agreement with Karnataka government for Rs 259 crore under the Project for Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of water bodies. World Bank (WB) has signed a loan agreement with Karnataka government for Rs 259 crore under the Project for Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of water bodies. An official release here on Wednesday said that the RRR projected was being expanded throughout the country with external assistance. The World Bank loan agreement has also been signed with Tamil Nadu for Rs 2182 crore to restore 5763 water bodies having a cultivable command area (CCA) of four lakh hectare, Andhra Pradesh for Rs. 835 crore for restoration of 3000 water bodies with a CCA of 2.5 lakh hectare. The
There is a good news for fish lovers, as three more species of fish have been discovered in the Western Ghats. According to a press release issued by the Marine Products Export Development Authority, (a unit of Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India), Dr Pramodh P K, the State convener (ornamental fish development) has discovered the new fish varieties. "The fish belonging to Danio, Schistura and Mesonemachelius species have been found in Agumbe region upto Seetha River,' Dr Pramodh said.
You can knock off two more tigers from the 1,411 count. Days after the national tiger count came up with this alarmingly low figure for tigers left in the wild, forest officials have seized two tiger skins
Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao has said the State has sought $200 million more assistance from the World Bank for the Karnataka-State Highway Improvement Project (K-SHIP II). Rao told reporters here on Monday that the Department of Economic Affairs has already given its nod for getting a loan of $200 million from the WB for K-SHIP II. "In addition to this we have sought $200 million more assistance', he added. The Centre has also given its approval for getting a loan of $300 million from the Asian Development Project (ADB) for the same project ie K-SHIP II.
The name Abdul Khader Chaudhury does not strike a chord. But he and two others are allegedly responsible for the fast-dwindling tiger population in India. Chaudhury (69), along with two other notorious wildlife traders from Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh, has reportedly smuggled around 600 tiger skins outside the country, in their association spanning more than two decades. He was arrested by the Karnataka State CID Forest Cell on Sunday, from his house in Hyderabad. He was wanted in Hubli and Haliyal cases.
