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Delhi sets aside `1300
crore for development of unauthorised colonies
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The Government of Delhi has allocated `1300 crore for development and construction works in unauthorised colonies of the city during the fiscal year of 2022-23. Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, said that all such localities will have sewer lines by the end of 2022. The budget set aside `5766 crore for the housing and urban development sector. Installation of CCTV cameras, street lights, and construction of roads, sewers, parks, among others has been completed on priority basis in the unauthorised colonies of the city.
CM inaugurates projects
worth `271 crore for
Ahmedabad
Chief Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel laid foundation and inaugurated housing and development projects worth `271 crore for the city of Ahmedabad. He inaugurated Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana at Odhav, Indiranagar and dedicated the development projects worth `271 crore to the city. CM Patel also inaugurated housing projects worth `179 crore, water supply projects worth `47 crore, and heritage projects worth `1 crore.
NeWSCAN Over 20 private universities sign pact to commit to SDG goals
PANAJI: In a first of its kind event, a coterie of private universities and Higher Education Institutes has signed a pact to work towards attaining UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). A three-day PACT2030 Conclave was held in Goa during 10-12 March, 2022. At the end of it, Goa Declaration was signed, wherein the signatory institutes pledged to strive towards achieving India’s Net Zero target, in their cities and institutions. Pact 2030 is the culmination of several discussions between QS I-GAUGE, a UK based private company, which rates higher education institutes and academic institutions. As a formal initiative, it was launched in November 2021.
Some universities, which are part of the declaration, are O P Jindal Global University, Alliance University, IIHMR University, Chandigarh University, Chitkara University, World University of Design, and NIMS University. The conclave was organized by QS I-GAUGE and was co-hosted by the University of Petroleum and Energy Studies (UPES), Uttarakhand, and Kalasalingam Academy of Research and Education (Deemed to be University), Tamil Nadu. The first keynote address was delivered by Anil Prakash Joshi, Founder, Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization, who said that the government needs to initiate Gross Environment Product just like Gross Domestic Product to keep the environment safe.
Haryana budget proposes 3 dedicated development funds
CHANDIGARH: The Government of Haryana presented a `1.77 lakh crore budget for 2022-23. The budget proposed setting up of three dedicated funds to achieve fiscal consolidation by unlocking the economic potential in various sectors to open fiscal space. The three dedicated funds include Climate & Sustainable Development Fund; Research & Innovation Fund; and Venture Capital Fund.
The Climate & Sustainable Development Fund aims to achieve green development objectives, including solid and liquid waste management, controlling water and air pollution, eliminate stubble burning, recycle plastic and undertake circular economic activities among others. The Research & Innovation Fund has been established to support scientific activities and scholarships in universities and other educational institutions, as well as economic enterprises in the public and private sectors. This will help in connecting science and scholarship to decision-making, investment, and to leverage growth. The Venture Capitalist Fund will promote entrepreneurship and assist youth in establishing startups with financial assistance as well as developing market linkages.
Among other announcements made during the budget speech, Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar announced that the Pinjore garden will be revamped with a sound and light show and Bhakti Music festival shall be organised for Surajkund Crafts Mela. He also announced initiation of project estimated at `52 crore for the development of Adi Badri temples and facilities for the pilgrims.
NeWSCAN Kerala budget lays foundation for major development works
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: K N Balagopal, Minister of Finance, Government of Kerala, presented the state’s budget for the financial year 2022-23 in the Legislative Assembly. The budget, which was fixed at `2000 crore, boosts the development projects in the fields of health, IT, infrastructure, transport, and tourism. `150 crore have been set aside for the Water Metro project, while `200 crore is for the Cochin International Airport Ltd. `100 crore has been allocated for IT infrastructure development. `10 crore has been set aside to procure a Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessel and another `10 crore for ‘Operation Breakthrough’ to contain waterlogging in Kochi. Ten key infrastructure development projects in the state, including the Kochi Metro and integrated urban regeneration and water transport system received `507 crore. `90 crore has been allotted for Startup Mission and `28 crore for an electronic hub. In a bid to cut carbon emissions and minimize the impact of global warming and climate change, Balagopal announced that 50 per cent of ferry boats in the state will be converted to solar powered boats. Subsidy of `15,000 has been proposed for conversion of fossil fuel powered autos to electric. `10 crore has been allocated to use in studies and promotion of re-use and recycling in the construction industry.
NEW DELHI: Nielsen, a Data analytics firm, said that the Indian Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry witnessed a consumption slowdown in urban markets and de-growth in rural areas of India in 2021. It cited the sector being hit hard by higher inflation levels as the reason.
In 2021, the FMCG industry went for double-digit price growth in three consecutive quarters to protect its margins, which converted into a price-driven growth of 17.5 per cent in comparison to 2020, the report said. According to the FMCG Snapshot released by Nielsen IQ’s Retail Intelligence team, the FMCG industry witnessed a consumption de-growth of 2.6 per cent in October-December quarter due to inflationary pressure and other macroeconomic factors.
The Nielson report added that price rise continues to impact small manufacturers, where the number of small manufacturers, having a turnover below Rs 100 crore dropped by 13 per cent due to the difficulty of continuing operations with higher costs. However, large and medium manufacturers stayed stable through the year. The report added that the pace of opening new FMCG stores was double in the last two years in comparison to the preCOVID years.
According to the report, the overall slowdown is caused by 4.8 per cent volume de-growth in traditional trade in both urban and rural markets.
In a first, Surat in Gujarat has developed roads made out of steel waste. Built by Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India, the research project is an initiative of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Central Road Research Institute and supported by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Steel, Government of India. The road not only utilizes industrial waste that would otherwise go to landfills, but is also sturdier and more durable. The pilot road at Hazira Industrial Area, Surat is a kilometer long and has six lanes. The steel road is being touted as an environmentally sustainable, potential replacement for road construction material.
Panel warns against scrapping of GO 111
A three-member committee, which was set up to examine the effects of scrapping (Government Order) GO 111, has warned the government against it. The government has been lobbying to scrap the order, which will allow for unrestrained construction and industrial activity around the area. Emptying them out of all water is likely to make the catchment area prone to earthquakes. According to Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, the reservoirs have fallen into disuse and therefore, the government order protecting them is redundant.
SC Projects worth `31.5 crore launched in Karnal
Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar laid the foundation stones for five Smart City Projects in Karnal worth `31.5 crore. A synthetic hockey ground would be built at the cost of `14.05 crore. Foundation Stones of 21 parks were also laid, which will be developed at `5.82 crore in Sector 32 and 33. Among other projects are a community center and yoga shed at Sardar Milkha Singh Hockey Stadium, construction of 63 roads and lanes of Phoosgarh and reparation of others.
Nahan Highway in HP gets India’s first Rolling Guardrail system
NH 907A, from Nahan to Kumarhatti in Himachal Pradesh gets India’s first Rolling Barrier Guardrail System to avoid accidents. It is a pilot project of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India and installed by the National Highways Authority of India. The system is meant for accident prone roads, especially hairpin bends in the hilly areas. The barriers are supposed to push the vehicle back towards the road, while their luminescent color will make it visible to the drivers at night. It will also minimize casualties by absorbing collision shock energy and converting it into rotational energy.
Nations sign up to end Nations sign up to end plastic pollution plastic pollution
NAIROBI: At the United Nations Environment Assembly held in Nairobi, Heads of State, environment ministers and other representatives from 175 nations signed a resolution to end plastic pollution. The nations decided to form an international legally binding agreement by the end of 2024.
Based on three initial draft resolutions from various nations, the resolution establishes an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) which will begin its work this year as it aims to complete a draft of legally binding agreement by the end of 2024. The agreement, as a legally binding instrument, is expected to reflect diverse alternatives to address the full life cycle of plastics, the design of reusable and recyclable products and materials, and the need for enhanced international collaboration to facilitate access to technology. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) stated that it will convene a forum by the end of this year, which will be in conjunction with the first session of the INC. The forum will facilitate sharing knowledge and best practices in different parts of the world.
Inger Anderson, Executive Director, UNEP, said that this is the most significant environmental multilateral deal.
WHO and GoI to set up Global Centre for Traditional Medicine
NEW DELHI: The World Health Organisation (WHO) informed about the agreement signed between WHO and the Government of India to establish the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The onsite launch of the centre will take place on April 21, 2022.
Traditional medicine includes indigenous knowledge and practices such as acupuncture, ayurvedic medicine and herbal mixtures as well as modern medicines. The Global Center for Traditional Medicine center will be in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India. The center aims to harness the potential of traditional medicine from around the world through modern science and technology to improve the health of the planet and people. It will focus on four areas of evidence and learning; data and analytics; sustainability and equity; and innovation and technology, in order to integrate the rich traditional knowledge systems in global science.
The Government of India will support the centre with investment of USD 250 million. Referring to the collaboration, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi said that the agreement between the Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organisation is a commendable initiative. He said that the centre will help in providing the best healthcare solutions to the world by leveraging rich traditional practices.
NeWSCAN Abu Dhabi launches incentive-based plastic bottle return scheme
ABU DHABI: As part of its ongoing efforts to achieve a more sustainable life in the city, Abu Dhabi launched a new initiative titled ‘Points for Plastic: The Bus Tariff’. The initiative was launched by the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) of the Department of Municipalities and Transport in Abu Dhabi. It encourages citizens to obtain free trips on public buses by gaining points each time they hand in empty plastic bottles, which are then used to pay for bus fares. The goal is to increase the uptake of public transport in the city along with ensuring organized collection of plastic bottles. The city has partnered with
Environment Agency – Abu
Dhabi Waste Management Centre
‘Tadweer’, and DGrade. DGrade is a UAE based organization that specializes in recycling plastics into different industrial materials by using environmental friendly and sustainable technologies. The empty plastic bottles are to be deposited in DGrade machines and a voucher containing points is obtained for each plastic bottle handed in. Abu Dhabi Waste Management Center will then be responsible for delivering the bottles to recycling centers.
A plastic deposit machine will be installed at the main bus station in Abu Dhabi where passengers can get points on their ‘Hafilat’ personalized bus card in return for empty plastic bottles. The campaign aims to increase recycling rates with the help of cooperation between relevant strategic partners.
Most people in the world breathe polluted air: WHO
GENEVA: Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) says that about 99 per cent of the global population breathes polluted air beyond the permissible limit. 6000 cities monitor air quality, but people still breathe polluted air. This means, while cities are more cognizant of this massive environmental issue, the quality of air continues to plummet globally.
The scientists have discovered that air pollution poses risks to human health at far lower levels than earlier thought. Consequently, WHO has revised its air quality guidelines. The value for particulate matter (PM) has been reduced by two, and for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) by four.
According to the data, 4.2 million people die from air pollution, in addition to 3.8 million deaths linked to household smoke from dirty stoves and fuels. The data also indicates that people for low and middle-income countries are at a greater risk of health hazards from air pollution.
This calls for an urgent need to tackle air pollution. Some of the steps suggested by the WHO to governments are, revise and implement national air quality standards according to the latest WHO Air Quality Guidelines, build safe and affordable public transport systems and pedestrian- and cycle-friendly networks, implement stricter vehicle emissions and efficiency standards, enforce mandatory inspection and maintenance for vehicle, etc.
Waste Remediation to be done by Maharashtra govt
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India has approved a budget of `433.72 crore for the Government of Maharashtra’s ‘Legacy Waste Remediation Proposal’. Legacy waste deposited in garbage dumpsites over the years is a major problem of cities all over India. Not only do they pollute the environment, but also occupy valuable land. To deal with this problem, 28 urban local bodies of Maharashtra have submitted proposals to the state government for remediation of these dumpsites (3.7 MT of waste). The city intends to clear 2.6 crore metric tons of legacy waste through remediation, in turn, clearing up 355 acres of land.
Delhi govt goes digital, distributes tablets to all sitting MLAs
Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia announced that all the 70 MLAs of Delhi Assembly will get tablets for all official purposes. The move to work digitally is part of an automation project. This twopronged strategy is aimed at achieving efficiency as well as adopting environment-friendly practices. From now, all official matters from tabling bills, raising questions, monitoring of questions and answers in the assembly to tracking of members’ attendance, etc. will be done digitally. Members will also be able to attend sessions virtually.
G Square, a real estate developer launched Tamil Nadu’s first Integrated Smart City, which spreads across an area of 120.7 acres. This is a first-of-its-kind project in the country with world-class amenities that includes a helipad. The city is located along the Salem-Kochi Highway (Coimbatore bypass). It will be the first integrated smart city in the state with 1663 villa plots and 26 commercial plots spread across 120.7 acres along with 150 world-class amenities. Coimbatore is part of the Smart Cities Mission launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India.
Delhi CM flags off fleet of e-autorickshaws
Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi and Kailash Gahlot, Minister of Transport, Government of NCT of Delhi flagged off a fleet of electric autorickshaws from the IP Depot. At the inauguration, the Chief Minister said that about 3500 people will drive these autos out of which 500 will be women drivers. He also spoke about the growing popularity and sale of electric vehicles. This past year, 10 per cent of the total sales were EV.
NeWSCAN Environment ministry launches ‘Prakriti’ to tackle waste production
NEW DELHI: Several green initiatives were rolled out by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India to tackle the issue of plastic waste generation. Bhupinder Yadav, Minister for Environment, Government of India launched ‘Prakriti’, a mascot for promotion of plastic waste management. It aims to spread awareness about elimination of single use plastic by advocating for small changes in daily life for more sustainable living.
India generates about 3.5 million tons of plastic waste annually, which has also been linked to air pollution, Yadav added, emphasising the pressing need to deal with this issue. The Central Pollution Control Board has also announced that all single use plastic products will be banned from July 1, 2022.
Various other green initiatives were also launched, including National Dashboard on Elimination of Single Use Plastic and Plastic Waste Management, to bring all stakeholders under one umbrella. It will manage single use plastic and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) portal to improve traceability, accountability and ensure EPR compliance by producers and brand owners. A mobile app for SingleUse Plastics Grievance Redressal was also floated. Industrial production of Graphene from waste plastic was another initiative to promote more industries to up cycle plastic waste.
NEW DELHI: After being passed by the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, President Ramnath Kovind gave his assent to the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Bill, 2022. President Kovind cleared the bill to merge all three municipal corporations of Delhi into a single corporation, which was trifurcated in 2012 during the government of former Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dixit. As per the sources, the unified municipal corporation will be equipped for more efficient functioning. It is also expected to allow for better utilisation of financial resources which will help in the reduction of liabilities and expenditure on three corporations. Some other amendments are also cleared in the original act (The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957) to ensure greater transparency, improved governance and efficient delivery of civic services in the capital. The division of municipal corporations was not done evenly in terms of territory and revenue generation potential, as a result, there was a huge gap in the resources available for the corporations, sources said.
NeWSCAN Kolkata to build India’s first underwater metro tunnel by 2023
National Water Awards held in New Delhi
KOLKATA: The Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation, which is building the Kolkata East-West Metro Line, is to build India’s first underwater metro tunnel inside the Hooghly river to establish the connectivity between Howrah and Kolkata. The tunnel will be fully functional by 2023.
Out of the total 16.6 km long stretch, 520 metres will be constructed 33 metres below the river bed. Mithun Ghosh, the site supervisor, said that there will also be walkways in the tunnel to facilitate the exit of passengers in case of emergency. He added that important passenger work has been done for the tunnel, keeping in mind any technical issue inside the tunnel. Almost 80 per cent of the work of EastWest Howrah Metro station is finished and full services are expected to begin by 2023, he added.
These trains will also be the deepest run underground metro trains in the country. The 16.6 kilometer stretch between Sector V in Salt Lake and Howrah Maidan has been built below 500 houses. The depth of the railway tracks will be 27 meters at Esplanade, while it will be 17 meters by the time the trains cross Sealdah station.
NEW DELHI: The third National Water awards were held in New Delhi. The President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented the awards and launched ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Campaign 2022’. The awards were constituted in 2018 by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India and recognize efforts in water conservation and water resource management by states, urban and rural local bodies, and other organizations. A total of 57 awards were presented across 11 categories. Some of the awardees were: ♦ Best State - Uttar Pradesh ♦ Best Urban Local Body - Vapi Urban
Local Body, Gujarat ♦ Best NGO - Gramvikas Sanstha,
Aurangabad ♦ Best Industry - Trident Ltd, Punjab ♦ Best Industry for Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) Activities -
HAL, Bengaluru, Karnataka ♦ Best Institution/RWA/Religious organization for Campus usage - Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, Jammu ♦ Best Water User Association - PanchGachiya, Hoogly, West Bangal In addition to the awards, ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain Campaign 2022’ was also launched by the President. He urged everyone to work on this campaign with dedication and make it a success, emphasising the role of sarpanchs and district magistrates for motivation and involvement of communities.
Gujarat increases budget for urban development
In the Gujarat State Budget 2022-2023 presented by Kanubhai Desai, Minister of Finance, Government of Gujarat, the budget allocation for development of urban infrastructure has gone up by 19 per cent. Gujarat spends 6 per cent of its budget on urban development which is amongst the highest in the country. This year, the budget allocation has been stepped up to `12,639 crore, a third of which will go towards Swarnim Jayanti Mukhymantri Shehri Vikas Yojana. This scheme provides amenities to urban areas like water works, sewage works, and construction of sewage treatment plants. The program is intended for provision of infrastructure in municipal corporations, municipalities and urban authorities.
Fresh DPR for Dal Lake conservation
The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is planning to frame a fresh detailed project report for the conservation of Dal Lake in consultation with the experts. It has been noted that the Jammu and Kashmir Lake Conservation and Management Authority has been only carrying out de-weeding around the Shar-e-Kashmir International Conference Centre as it has the distinction of hosting important functions for both government and private crowds. Recently, the Government of India had allotted `273 crore as grants towards the rehabilitation of Dal and Nigeen Lake. However, the condition of the lakes continues to deteriorate.
