11.12.21

TTDC to engage more workforce to produce quality tea

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The Tripura Tea Development Corporation (TTDC) will engage more workforce in the coming season for quality plucking of green leaf from tea estates to ensure better price for all the stakeholders associated with the state’s century-old .

For the past few years, poor plucking has hit the state’s tea industry the most, fetching an Average price of Rs 200 plus per kg in the auction markets – Kolkata and Guwahati. Now, the TTDC wants to increase the average tea price to more than Rs 300 per kg.

For the past few years, the tea industry has been gaining momentum due to proactive initiatives taken by the TTDC. “Despite the Corona pandemic, the state produced 4.45 lakh kg of tea in the year 2020 whereas it was only 1.72 lakh kg in 2017 and 2.98 lakh kg in 2018. It shows a lot of good works were put in place in the past few years”, he pointed out.

Naturally, overall turnover has gone up significantly in the state. The turnover has enhanced to Rs 10.50 crore in 2020-21 from Rs 5.46 crore in the year 2019-20.

Assam govt to develop medical science curriculum in vernacular language

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TheAssamgovernment has pushed for developing medical science curriculum in vernacular language during the fifth general council meeting of the Srimanta Sankardeva University ofHealthSciences on Sunday, which was attended by chief minister and chancellor of the university.

A release from the chief ministers office stated that the general council, after a detailed discussion, took several key decisions aiming at boosting the academic Environment and bringing in a robust administrative mechanism at the university.

CM Sarma emphasised the need for a permanent campus of the university in the meeting to streamline its functioning. He asked the VC and chief engineer, PWD (health and Education) to ensure early completion of the initial process for construction of administrative building with a boundary wall of the university on the land provided by the government for the purpose at Baihata Chariali so that the administrative and basic academic activities can be carried out from the campus within a period of two years.

Endangered Brydes Whale Carcass Found At Odisha Coast

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Endangered Brydes Whale Carcass Were Found Nearby The Puri Border And Ganjam Districts Of Odisha.

Highlights:

The 48-foot-long female whale was buried near the shore, whose Exact cause of death can be determined only after getting a post-mortem report.

There are 3 or 4 Rorqual species of Brydes whale. As the number and its Classification remain unclear due to a lack of definitive information & research, it is called Complex.

Common Brydes whale is a more extensive form occurring worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters.

Sittang or Edens whale is a more diminutive form, restricted to the Indo-Pacific.

A more diminutive & coastal form of B. Brydei is found off southern Africa.

Tamil Nadu: Sea food high on export menu

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Braving the choppy waters the sector faced globally, seafood exporters in Naduhad a decent haul in the first seven months of this fiscal. They earned $758 million in exports, nearly 80% of the $973 million export target set for 2021-22 by the Centre.

This despite the Covid-inflicted troubles that had hit production, the steep increase in freight cost, the non-availability of refrigerated containers on time due to cartelisation by shipping lines, not to mention China conducting nucleic tests on seafood imports from India.

Its a labour-intensive Industry, employing mostly Women the 40-odd seafood exporters in Tamil Nadu employ more than 30,000 people. But despite a 1,076km coastline, Tamil Nadu accounts for a mere 15% of the total $7.8 billion Indian seafood exports targeted for this fiscal.

Tamil Nadu is proactive. It has identified seafood exports as one of the champion sectors for boosting exports and helping the state achieve its $1 trillion economy target by 2030. We made a detailed presentation to finance ministerPalanivel Thiaga Rajan. He and Fisheries ministerAnitha Radhakrishnanhave promised all support for us, says K V V Mohanan, Tamil Nadu president of the Indian Seafood Exporters Association.

Tamil Nadus 15% share of seafood exports includes transfers fromAndhra Pradeshthrough the Chennai port. Aquaculture (mostly shrimp) contributes almost 70% of the export kitty, with capture fisheries accounting for the rest. Aquaculture production in TN has been dropping for the last few years, while other states such as Andhra Pradesh have upped output. The hatcheries sector, which originated in Chennai, has fallen victim to extortion by anti-socials with political support. As a result, the industry went virtually into hibernation over the past 10 years in the state, the industry delegation told the ministers.

Kerala on bottom rung in trash pickup

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Keralarecorded the lowest collection efficiency in solid-Waste Management among all states and Union territories for 2018-19 and 2019-20, as per the data presented inLok Sabhaby the minister of state for Environment, forest and https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change,Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

Keralas recycling capacity of hazardouswastealso dropped from 9.64% to 2.38% between 2016-17 and 2019-20 although the hazardous waste generation in the state increased by over 700% in the same period, the figures show.

The figures for efficiency of the waste collection show that Kerala recorded 19% and 25% for 2018-19 and 2019-20, respectively. Going by the figures, Kerala is the only state which has recorded way below 50% efficiency in waste collection in the country.

The table does not provide information onBiharand Gujarat, however, a majority of states have recorded efficiency of above 80%. Even with regard to the treatment of waste generated in the state, Kerala records 52% for 2019-20.

The data presented in Parliament has been sourced from theCentral Pollution Control Board. The pitiably low Percentage of collection efficiency as shown in figures could also be a result of poor data management in the state.

Charging stations for e-vehicles to come up across Karnataka

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One of the biggest barrier to electric vehicles has been the lack of charging stations, butKarnatakawill soon have an answer for this. The public sector electricity supply corporations have started work on opening EV charging centres at important government offices and other places like fuel stations, tourist spots among others.

One of the ambitious announcements made in the state budget 2021-22 is the setting up of 1,000 charging centres for electric vehicles that will be established under the public private PARTNERSHIP. Now, this initiative has been undertaken by the state electricity supply corporations (ESCOMs). For example, in five districts of its jurisdiction Mysuru,Hassan,Kodagu, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Ltd has proposed 150 such centres, while Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited, which has its jurisdictions over four districts i.e. Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikkamagalur, and Shivamogga, has proposed such centres in 170 locations.

Telangana has medicines, but lags on ventilator front

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While medicine and other essentials in the battle against Covid-19 are readily available in the state, the Centre has pointed out thatneeds to improve on theventilator front.

Telangana like Jharkhand, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Nagaland, and Rajasthan is experiencing a shortage of ventilator consumables.

The state is also one of 14 states, which though it has trained personnel, has less than half the number of ventilators installed. Other such states include Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Manipur, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland.
Telangana has 1,708 delivered units and 1,565 installed units.

Andhra Pradesh: Infrastructure worth Rs 33,000 crore to come up in housing layouts

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In a step towards adopting the Indo-Swiss energy efficient building technology in construction of the proposed 28 lakh houses in the state, theAndhra Pradeshhousing department in coordination with the AP State Energy Conservation Mission (APSECM) is conducting a national seminar on Eco-Niwas Samhitha ( for residential buildings) in Vijayawada on December 16.

The BEEP, a bilateral cooperation project between the Union Ministry of Power and the Swiss government, is being implemented by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency in coordination with APSECM. The BEEP is conducting training on Eco-Niwas Samhitha to around 13,000 engineers and employees in housing and village/ward secretariat departments in a phased manner.

As per the estimates, about Rs 33,000 crore will be spent on the creation of permanent Infrastructure in YSR Jagananna Colonies that includes roads, drains, water supply, electrification, underground Internet cabling, etc. The electrification works alone need about Rs 7,080 crore.

Goa: Rs 16 crore project to channel water in mining pits to farms

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Chief ministerPramod Sawanton Sunday laid the foundation stone for a Rs 16-crore project to pump outwaterin the pits of closed mines, stagnated over the years, and utilize it for agricultural purposes.
Ceremonies were held at Surla and Velguem in Bicholim for the project. It would benefit around 1,000 farmers in the mining belt.
Sawant said the government aims to bring in the state by launching this first of its kind project across the country.

Chief minister informed that the water stagnated in about 10mining pitswould be more than the availability in Anjunem dam reservoir. If this water is channeled using modern techniques, around 350-hectare area will come under the green zone, he said.
Sawant announced that the project will be funded through the district mineral fund.

FRA activists fume over state govts move to monitor CFRs

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The Vidarbha Livelihood Forum, a consortium promoting Forest Rights Act (FRA), has opposed the state governments decision to set up convergence committees to prepare management plans to effectively and transparently implement community forest rights (CFRs) offered under the FRA.

Till the end of August 2021, of the 11,842 CFR claims, the district level committees (DLCs) have approved 8,133 in Maharashtra. For better monitoring and effective implementation, the tribal development department issued a GR on November 22,
directing to set up convergence committees at gram panchayat, taluka and district levels.

These committees will prepare management plans of CFR villages and work will be done as per the plan. The plans will have to be approved by the taluka level and district level committees, which will include officials from the forest, revenue, Irrigation, PWD, Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture, animal husbandry and departments.