KOLKATA, Feb 12- The state government today decided to lift from tomorrow the ban on trading and transportation of chicken and eggs imposed on 5 February, except in the 48 blocks and five municipalities where the avian flu had broken out. Poultry products would be allowed in and out of Murshidabad and Birbhum - the first to have been hit by the flu - only from authorised farms, though the ban would continue to be in force in 22 affected blocks in the two districts.
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 11: The UPA Government's proposed shift to a nutrient-based fertilisers subsidy from a product-based regime will be a gradual one in the 2008 -09 financial year. According to sources, since the new subsidy regime may lead to price revision of the fertiliser products, the "implementation of the new regime could be gradual'.
Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Limited has officially taken over the responsibility of carrying out water supply works in Kathmandu Valley from Sunday. The responsibility to manage valley's water supply was given to the firm established as per the public-private partnership concept following pressures from the Asian Development Bank and other donors to the government to handover the water distribution responsibility in Kathmandu valley to an autonomous body. This was also the main precondition of the Melamchi Drinking Water Project.
Environmentalists at a discussion yesterday urged the government to declare February 14 as Sundarbans Day. They said the Sundarbans with its rich bio-diversity is protecting the southwestern region of the country from natural calamities, but the forest resources are being plundered, threatening ecological disaster. The largest mangrove forest in the world must be preserved in its natural form as it is essential not only for our survival but also for the existence of the mankind, they added.
Opening the door to further claims for compensation by hepatitis C sufferers, the health ministry released a report Friday upping the number of people administered tainted fibrinogen blood-clotting agents in Japan to 8,896. However, it is not known how many of them have suffered liver disease as a result. Of the 8,896, only 3,632, or about 40 percent, have been told by medical organizations that they were given the contaminated fibrinogen blood products to stop bleeding, mainly during delivery, ministry officials said. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry worked out the figure in a nationwide survey on about 6,600 medical institutions to which the fibrinogen blood products were supplied. Of the medical institutions, 1,622 have kept medical records, operative notes or prescription documents that could help hepatitis C sufferers seek benefits from the government and drugmakers. This represented an increase of some 1,100 from the ministry's previous survey in 2004. This may lead to an increase in the number of people who can seek compensation from the government. Health minister Yoichi Masuzoe on Friday criticized the ministry's 2004 survey, saying the checks should have been more thorough. Earlier, hepatitis C sufferers who filed damages suits against the government and drugmakers estimated that only up to 1,000 people could prove they had been administered tainted blood products, based on the 2004 survey. Hepatitis C sufferers had earlier reached a compromise agreement with the government to end their court battle under a new law that provides blanket relief measures for the sufferers. The accord calls for providing benefits to sufferers who can prove they received contaminated blood products if the causal relationship between their hepatitis C and the products are confirmed. Under the law, sufferers will receive compensation ranging from
KOLKATA, Feb. 17: The state government plans to recover the huge costs of conducting feasibility studies in Nayachar Island from its potential investors. But the funds have to come from its own coffers for the time being. The proposed chemical hub would require extensive studies such as geographic mapping, geological and geophysical as well as oceanographic studies and environment impact assessment to get clearance.
Bhopal, Feb 18: The time-bound implementation of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition to Forest Rights) Act 2006 and Rule 2007 is underway with full intensity in Madhya Pradesh. The state government has sanctioned Rs eight crore 60 lakh so that the Act can be implemented within the deadline without any hindrance. Commissioner Tribal Development has been made the budget controller of this amount sanctioned from emergency fund.
Even as the Congress is battling the BJP Government within the State Assembly and outside over the "inadequate' relief package for farmers affected by the frost and extreme cold conditions in Rajasthan, the party is leading a large group of the victims this Thursday to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. The party's strategy seemingly is to extract some concrete announcements from the Centre in favour of the farmers in general and the frost-hit in particular.
Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance (BATA) yesterday urged the government to increase taxes on the tobacco products in the coming budget to check the massive use of tobacco in the country. "Taxes on all tobacco products including dried tobacco leaves, 'gul' and 'zarda' have to be increased for effectively controlling the use of tobacco,' said Consumer's Association of Bangladesh (CAB) General Secretary Kazi Faruk at a press conference at Jatiya Press Club.
New Delhi: In what could be a fresh headache for government, a petition challenging the constitutional validity of a pet UPA project, the Forest Rights Act aimed at giving land rights to traditional forest dwellers, has been filed by prominent wildlife groups in Supreme Court.
Goa's Movement Against SEZs Convenor Matanhy Saldanha Tuesday warned GMAS would be forced to launch second stage of its agitation if the State government failed to get all SEZs, including the three notified ones, cancelled immediately. In a statement issued today, Saldanha said the Board of Approval at the Centre had contradicted the statement of Commerce Ministry that SEZs would not be imposed on the State and more so when the Government does not want it. BoA recently issued show-cause notices to 12 SEZs asking why the approval granted to them should not be withdrawn stating that the move was in line with the principle of natural justice. At the same time the Board deferred the decision on de-notifying the three notified zones giving its promoters a new lease of life. The above moves of BoA have not gone well with GMAS whose Convenor charged the former of contradicting the public statement of Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath who had said SEZs would not be imposed on the people of Goa if they don't want them. In the statement, Saldanha said the decision of BoA on 12 SEZs and the move seeking consultation with the State Government on three notified ones smacked of double standards. "If BoA takes any decision contrary to the will of the people, GMAS will be forced to construe that the former (Board) and the Union Commerce Ministry are involved in underhand dealings in connivance with the State Government to approve SEZs,' Saldanha declared. He, however, said GMAS was pleased with Cipla's plan to shift from Keri to some other place in the country. We request the promoters of other two notified SEZs to voluntarily leave Goa as the zones are shunned by Goans, he remarked. Meanwhile, the convenor said a meeting has been fixed on February 27, at 11.30 am to take up the subject.
Like other developed urban local bodies of the country, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation is also expected to get more teeth with the increasing necessity to implement the 74th constitutional amendment, advocating the empowerment of the local civic bodies. Whereas the demand for empowerment is growing from inside the civic body, the ambitious Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) has also made it mandatory to implement the 74th constitutional amendment, before granting sum for the urban infrastructure developmental projects to the city. The State government would be the implementing agency of the constitutional amendment. At present, the city is expected to get Rs 447 crores for its various projects. The sources in the GMC said that the State government might be interested in implementing the amendment in the coming days. "In a letter from the Guwahati Development Department (GDD), SN Barman, Joint Secretary to the Government of Assam has asked the GMC to furnish the detailed action plan and activity mapping on the 18 subjects concerning the civic amenities to be regulated by the urban local body after the amendment.' The government letter has also asked the GMC to give the details of expenditures on the 18 subjects till January 31, 2008. The eighteen subjects mentioned in the letter are urban planning, regulation of land, planning for economic and social development, road and electricity, water supply, solid waste management, fire service, urban forestry, safeguarding the interest of the weaker section of the society including the physically handicapped and mentally retarded, slum improvement, urban poverty alleviation, parks, gardens and playgrounds, protection of cultural, educational and aesthetic aspects, burial grounds and cremation grounds, cattle ponds, prevention of cruelty to animals, birth and death registration, street lighting, bus stop and public conveyance and slaughter houses, said the sources. In a recent rapid training programme that was held with the basic objectives of building awareness and understanding on the context, mission, objectives and significance of reforms under the JNNURM, the experts from the Administrative Staff College of India stressed on the need of introducing the 74th amendment and specially the role and requirement of political will in this regard.
The minister for agriculture, Mr N. Raghuveera Reddy, said an Agriculture Regulatory Commission would be appointed to decide payment of bonus for various crops in the state. Speaking to newsmen here on Thursday, he said that the state government has decided to pay minimum support price and bonus for various crops. Mr Raghuveera Reddy said the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, and he had studied various benefits being provided to farmers in China, Israel, America and other countries. The minister said the government has decided to directly pay bonus to farmers. He said subsidy and bonus would be directly credited to the bank accounts of farmers as was being done in other countries. The minister said the government would initiate a discussion on establishment of regulatory commission in Legislative Assembly and Council. After taking into consideration suggestions given by farmers unions, Opposition parties and experts, the government would take steps to help farmers, the minister added. He said a study was also being conducted to help tenant farmers, who were facing problems. The minister said for the first time in the country loans were being directly given to tenant farmers in the state. So far, loans were given to 75,000 tenant farmers in the state, he added. Mr Raghuveera Reddy said there were more tenant farmers in Prakasam district. He said 50,000 ideal farmers would be selected and 4,500 rythu sanghams would be formed in the state. The minister said specific plans would be formulated to strengthen agriculture from village-level. Mr Raghuveera Reddy said it was shameful for Telugu Desam (TD) leader N. Chandrababu Naidu to announce that he had a great plan to help farmers. The minister said that state farmers were unhappy with the statement of Mr Naidu, who during his nine-year-old rule had detested farmers. Mr Raghuveera Reddy said the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) leaders had resigned from their posts due to fear that they would lose their existence in Telangana. He said the Congress was ready to face by-elections in the seats vacated by the TRS leaders and the party would abide by the decision of the people.
The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) is responsible for planning, promoting, coordinating, and overseeing the implementation of environmental and forestry programmes in the country.
The Ministry of Water Resources is responsible for laying down policy guidelines and programmes for the development and regulation of country's water resources. The main function of the Ministry is the overall planning, policy formulation, coordination and guidance in the water resources sector.
<p class="rtejustify"><em>The significance of Rio + 20 does not lie in any document but in the new direction provided to global governance, whose focus should be on patterns of natural resource use, and
State Pollution Control Board, Assam is an autonomous statutory organization constituted on 2nd June, 1975 under the provision of section 4 of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974 with
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The main objective of M.P. Pollution Control Board isto maintain water, air and soil in healthy and usable condition for various purposes.10 Regional Offices, 4 Sub_Regional, 3 Single Window System,
