24.06.23

Meghalaya attends Cities in Transition biennial in France

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Meghalayawas invited to be a participant at theCities in Transition Biennial, 2023 in Grenoble, France, from June 8 to 11 to as part of the Cities in Transition Network, a platform to learn best practices from a cohort of over 50 cities from around the world and address challenges in economic, ecological, social, and democratic transitions.
Through the efforts of the Government of Meghalaya and theOffice of the Consul Generalof France in India, this was an opportunity for Shillong City and the state as a whole to bolster its international ties and boost opportunities for knowledge-sharing collaboration.

The need to strengthen alliances between civil Society and was a key message shared across different events in the biennial.


Assam improved in MMR

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The number of maternal death cases in 2022-23 (May-February) was 448 against 680 in the corresponding period of 2021-22, showing a decline of 232 deaths. The number of child death cases in 2022-23 (May-February) has been reported as 5,805, while the corresponding figure was 6,721 in 2021-22 (May-February), a decline of 916 deaths or 13.6%.

Assam has seen a steep (34% ) decline in maternal deaths compared to last year, while child deaths in the state have gone down by 13%, theAssam National Health Mission(NHM) said.

According to the Registrar General of India’s ‘Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality’ for the period 2018 to 2020 released last year, Assam recorded 195 deaths per lakh live births, though it was an improvement from the previous figure of 215 in the period 2016 to 2018. Nationally, there has been a significant decline in theMMRfrom 130 in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20. In 2005, Assam’s MMR was 480 per one lakh live births.

Golden grass items to be exported to Japan

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TheOdishaRural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) and the Jagatsinghpur administration had roped in a Kolkata-based export company to export the golden grass products being made by SHG producers group of Thailo village under Balikuda block. The company purchased golden grass products worth Rs 2.32 lakh on Thursday for export to Japan, saidBipin Rout, joint chief executive officer of ORMAS.
Golden grass , locally called kaincha, is a wild grass found in many parts of the coastal district. It grows to a height of about 5-6 feet and the inflorescent stick, which appears after monsoon, is used for weaving. The golden grass products are eco-friendly, biodegradable and reduce the use of plastic.

1.6 million Green tiger shrimp seeds released into sea off TN coast

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Central Marine Research Institutes regional centre atMandapaminTamil Nadureleased 1.6 milliongreen tiger shrimp seedsinto the sea.

The exercise was carried out under the project, Sea ranching ofgreen tiger shrimp(Penaeus semisulcatus) post larvae (PL) in the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu funded by department of fisheries, Union ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, under the central sector scheme component of the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

The shrimp seeds were released by the staff of Mandapam regional centre in the presence of Dr G Tamilmani, head-in-charge and principal investigator of the project.

A total of 58.24 million green tiger shrimp seeds have been sea ranched in the Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar since the initiation of the project in February 2022. The sea ranching programme was coordinated by senior scientist of the centre Dr B Johnson.

Ernakulam accounts for 33% of Keralas dengue cases

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There is adengue outbreak in Kerala, with Ernakulam district reporting the maximum number of dengue cases in the state. The district now reports 33% of the total confirmeddengue cases in Kerala.

Health experts fear that intermittent rains and untreated garbage added with lack of proper cleaning at homes will lead to extended dengue season (till August instead of July).

State last saw the largest dengue outbreak in 2017, when there was an increase in cases with high mortality. However, Ernakulam reported a few cases and there was no dengue death here. Kerala had reported 21,993 cases and 165 deaths. While in the district there were 494 cases and zero deaths.

However, since 2021, Ernakulam district has been reporting the highest number of confirmed dengue cases and deaths in the state. June this year has seen the highest number of confirmed cases since 2021. However, there is no dengue death in Ernakulam this year.

Mescom will open 1,000 EV charging stations in 5 years

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In the wake of increasing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and charging ,Mescomhas planned to open 1,000 EV charging stations within its limits in the next five years.

In the first phase, the company will open 195 charging stations under PPP mode in Dakshina Kannada, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Udupi districts. While the company has already opened 61 charging stations, the process is underway to identify locations for the remaining stations.

Mescom will give emphasis for the convenience of vehicle owners/ drivers by providing necessary infrastructure while setting up new charging stations. The EV charging stations will be set up by the side of national highways and other government land. Mescom has already set up 61 Type-1 EV charging stations with a capacity of 3.3kv at a cost of Rs 24 lakh.

TS launches millet prasadams for decennial celebrations

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Endowments minister A. Indrakaran Reddy launched the sale of millet prasadam, gold and silver coins featuring Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, and an online ticket booking service as part of the state’s decennial celebrations.

He laid the foundation for the Rayagiri Veda School apart from launching annadana satram, and kalyana mandapam accompanied by energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy.

The Dhoopa Deepa Naivedyam scheme, providing financial assistance for daily rituals, was extended to 2,043 more temples. It now covers 6,661 temples. The scheme’s monthly amount was increased from Rs 6,000 to RS 10,000.

Gold coins are priced at 21,000 (3g) and silver coins at 1,000 (5g). Millet prasadam is available for 40 (80g). Battery-operated vehicles were introduced for senior citizens and the physically challenged at Yadadri temple premises.

Rs 1,450 Crore Investment Through Establishment of Four Companies in AP: CM Jagan

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Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has said investments of a total of Rs 1,450 crore have been made by four companies in Andhra Pradesh, which would provide direct and indirect EMPLOYMENT to over 2,500 persons.

The CM inaugurated via online a Rs 100 crore worth edible oil refinery of the Godrej Agrovet Ltd at Chintalapudi in Eluru district and laid the foundation for the three other companies. He said, “I am glad that the MoUs signed at the global investors summit at Visakhapatnam have been translated into reality.”

Jagan Mohan Reddy also unveiled plaques of a bioethanol manufacturing unit, Kribhco Green Energy Pvt Ltd, that is investing Rs 610 crore and the ethanol manufacturing unit of the Viswa Samudra Bio Energy that would invest Rs 315 crore at Sarvepalli in Nellore district and of a soluble coffee manufacturing unit of the CCL Food and Beverages Ltd at Varadayi Palem Kuvvakolli in Tirupati district, costing Rs 400 crore.

Govardhan Reddy urged the management of Kribhco Green Energy and Viswa Samudra Bio Energy to ensure jobs for the local youth. He said the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Corporation had allocated 289.81 acres and 23.85 acres of land in the Sarvepalli Industrial Park in Venkatachalam mandal for Kribhco Ethanol and Viswa Samudra Ethanol projects, respectively.

Mhaji Lab, Bari Lab award constituted

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The state cabinet on Wednesday constituted the Mhaji Lab, Bari Lab award with a provision of Rs 10 lakh to be conferred for meritorious information Communication technology (ICT) laboratory either in any government or government-aided school in Goa.

To be eligible for the award, an ICT lab needs to be in existence for the last three years, with a minimum of 100 registered active students. Two labs each in the North Goa district and South Goa district will be selected for the award.

The main objective of the scheme is to recognise the hard work put in by the staff of the ICT laboratory and to give impetus and encouragement to them by conferring Awards on them for their contribution to the field of ICT.

UPL to sign MoUs with 15 sugar mills

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Buoyed with the success inMaharashtra, crop protection majorUPLis planning to sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with 15 sugar mills across Karnataka, , Madhya Pradesh, UP, Maharashtra, and Gujarat in FY24 for sustainable Farming practices.

In the past, the company had collaborated with Shreenath Mhaskoba Sugar Mill near Pune for providing its water saving products Zeba and Pronutiva to farmers within the catchment area of the mill, which consists of 70 villages. The farmers have reported a significant increase in their yield and reduction in water usage. The company expects that the use of such products will improve the sugarcane yield by 15% benefitting around 1,200 farmers in Pune.

Zeba is a superabsorbent made out of corn starch which absorbs water 400 times of its body weight, along with the fertiliser and releases moisture when the crop is under Stress. The goal is to save 6 lakh litres of water per acre and reduce fertiliser consumption by 50kgan acre. Over the next three years, company aims to collaborate with 100 sugar mills covering10 lakh acres