‘Forest man of India' wants tree plantation to be taught at schools

First India Bureau

POLICE

Rescue Three Women From Prostitution Racket In Thane Dist

Thane: Police have rescued three women from a spa center in Kashimira, Thane district, which was being used as a front for a prostitution racket. Two men, who worked as a manager and a sweeper at the facility, were arrested. The owner of the spa center is also facing an FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Immortal Trafficking regulations.

KALYAN ZONE OF THANE HAS PENDING POWER BILLS OF `127 CR

Thane: The Kalyan zone of Thane district has pending power bills worth Rs127 crore, according to officials from the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company

(MSEDCL). An MSEDCL official said, Rs100.33 crore is pending with 3,31,275 consumers, while Rs27.17 crore is pending with 48,225 others whose electricity sup- ply has been disconnected for non-payment. He also added that MSEDCL offices will remain open during the weekend before March 31 to facilitate payment of pending bills.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government is contemplating setting up a network of informers to check illicit liquor trade, the state legislative Assembly was told. Responding to a question by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar on Monday, state Excise Minister Shamb huraj Desai list ed various steps being taken by the govt in this regard.

“We plan to set up an in formers’ net work on lines of

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one the police have. These informers will give information about illicit liquor trade operating in districts. Those who supply information may also receive monetary rewards," Desai said.

While posing query during question hour, Pawar suggested that the state excise department can have a network of informers to stop illicit liquor trade and a proposal to this effect had been under discussion when he handled the department.

Nagpur: Environmental activist Jadav Payeng, popularly known as the “forest man of India”, has said that children across the globe should be taught to plant trees by schools and to love mother earth. The Padmashri awardee rued that young minds are not taught to love and respect mother earth at schools. "The school curriculum across the world should teach the children to plant trees. Children should get practical knowledge of plantation as it will prove helpful to turn the earth

Jadav Payeng said that young minds are not taught to love and respect mother earth green. While the new National Education Policy of India has included this aspect, it will take some time to trickle down before it is practised," he told on the sidelines of the C-20 meeting in Nagpur.

Payeng said he and a team of 50 people are working on a project to plant trees on 2,000 hectares at the Majuli island in Assam, which will provide food to elephants, rhinoceros and deer in the forest. Majuli is a river island in the Brahmaputra river in Assam. Payeng had planted and tended trees on a sandbar of the river Brahmaputra over decades turning it into a forest reserve. The forest, called Molai forest after him, is located near Kokilamukh of Jorhat.