Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday inaugurated the Rs 2,400-crore Kerala Solid Waste Management Project (KSWMP) as part of the second phase of 'Malinya Muktham Navakeralam' (garbage free) campaign here.
Addressing a gathering, Vijayan said the southern state was being urbanised at a rapid pace and urged everyone to join hands to achieve a garbage-free Kerala.
"According to certain reports, at least 90 per cent of the state's population will be urbanised by 2035. There are opportunities as well as challenges in this regard. Adapting to modern techniques for waste management is part of addressing the challenges," Vijayan said.
Local Self Government minister, M B Rajesh, presided over the function where Industries Minister P Rajeeve, unveiled a new design for material collection facilities (MCFs) and resource recovery facilities (RRFs), developed by architect G Shankar.
Congress leader and Ernakulam MP, Hibi Eden, launched a new Grievance Redressal Mechanism developed by

National Green Tribunal, NGT

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formed a panel and asked it to submit an action-taken report regarding solid waste management in Haryana's Hisar district.
The NGT took the step after hearing a petition that claimed that the Municipal Corporation of Hisar had violated rules. It alleged that the corporation collects household waste without segregation and its garbage disposal vehicles do not reach all households, because of which people are forced to dump garbage in the open.
A bench of Acting Chairperson Justice Sheo Kumar Singh noted that according to the data before the tribunal, there was 1.3 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of legacy waste in Hisar, which was because of a gap between waste generation and processing.
The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, said before proceeding further, it deemed fit to call a report on the matter from a joint committee consisting of the Hisar collector and a representative of the Haryana 

Clean Ganga

All drains carrying discharge from villages located on the banks of the Ganga river will be geo-tagged to prevent solid waste flowing into the river, according to an official document.
The information on the geo-tagged drains will then be shared with urban local bodies, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs and rural Swachh Bharat Mission (G) for initiating immediate action.
In a meeting held last month, a senior NMCG official informed that due to the construction of a tunnel at Uttarkashi in Uttarakhand, debris was being dumped along the banks of the Ganga, which was causing an increase in the level of solid waste pollution in the river water.
He also pointed out that at many locations along the banks of the Ganga, solid waste is being dumped, which is making its way into the river water.
This is creating problems in treatment of the waste water at STPs (sewage treatment plants). In this regard, the secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, stated that funds under AMRUT 2.0 could be 

waste management

The Tamil Nadu government will be campaigning in all the other major cities of the state for litter-free cities

smartphone, mobile, consumer, digital, online, telecom, internet, connectivity

The Minister also asserted the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, Cancer, Malaria, TB in the state and called for better cooperation to eradicate such diseases from the state

Kochi Mayor A Anil Kumar on Saturday said that the Civic body will challenge the National Green Tribunal order which awarded Rs 100 crores in environmental compensation against Kochi Municipal Corporation for alleged continuing neglect of its duties resulting in a fire at a waste dump site in Kochi."Kochi Corporation will challenge the NGT order. An appeal will be filed in consultation with legal experts. We will look at all possible legal avenues," said Kochi Mayor M Anil Kumar.Calling for a vigilance inquiry  &  3-pronged inquiry into the Brahmapuram fire incident, Kumar said, "The wrongdoers, if any, will naturally be found out. The entire cost of extinguishing the fire at Brahmapuram was borne by Corporation. The amount will be told in the coming days".The Tribunal stated that, according to a media report, Kochi city was choked on account of a fire at the waste dump site on March 2, 2023, which led to a crisis situation. A warning was issued to the residents to stay indoors ...

Hydrogen, H2, clean energy, carbon emissions

In the meantime, the firm is also in talks with other state municipalities across India to implement and set up similar plants in the future

world bank

The aid will be financed by the Global Environment Facility, a multilateral funder of green endeavours in developing countries which comprises UN affiliates and national entities

food waste

An integrated soil waste management project worth Rs 148.68 crore has been sanctioned for Ambernath, Ulhasnagar and Badlapur towns in Maharashtra's Thane district, local Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde said on Friday.
This is the first instance in the state where three civic bodies have come together to build such a "cluster project", claimed Kalyan MP Shinde, who is Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son.
Addressing a press conference, he said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will contribute Rs 128.88 crore, while the rest of the project amount would be shared equally by the civic bodies of Ambernath and Ulhasnagar.
The Badlapur civic body will not have to shell out money as it has given 23.80 acres of land for the project, he added.
"The population of the three towns is 12.50 lakh at present and will rise to 17 lakh by 2037. The integrated soil waste management plant will have a capacity to treat 600 tonnes per day when it starts operations. This can be raise

DRY waste, waste management, NEPRA

Kerala will soon have Solid Waste Management (SWM) Engineers to handle the waste management issues and help the urban civic bodies to find lasting solutions to the growing menace of solid wastes

The company will launch its Rs 300-crore IPO again on December 21 in a price band of Rs 313-315 per share

The Washington-based lender approved $200 million for the Sindh Resilience project and $100 million for the Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency project

Delhi MSW Solutions Ltd to expedite the project

plastic, waste

The National Green Tribunal has slammed authorities for failing to act on reducing solid waste and asked chief secretaries of all states and Union territories to appear before it from March 1 with status reports of their actions and immediate future plans.
It asked the chief secretaries to review their solid waste management actions within a month. The tribunal directed them to remain present with their reports on different dates, starting from March 1 at 2pm when Jammu & Kashmir chief secretary has been asked to appear.
It noted that India generates over 1,50,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day, with Mumbai being the world's fifth most waste generating city.
"Yet, only 83 per cent of waste is collected and less than 30 per cent is treated. According to the World Bank, India's daily waste generations will reach 3,77,000 tonnes by 2025. Unless the problem is tackled, its impact on health and lives of citizens can be devastating. It is high time stern measures are taken not .

About 450 mn people to be covered; rubbish control through segregation

Those who are investing in foreign stocks, mutual funds, or cryptocurrencies abroad will have to pay more TCS if they spend beyond Rs 7 lakh  in a financial year.

mutual fund

Asian Games 2023, Day 7 Highlights: India thrashed Pakistan 10-2 in hockey and beat them 3-2 in Squash to win the men's team gold. The contingent finished with 10 Gold, 14 Silver and 14 Bronze medals

Rohan Bopanna and Rutuja Bhosale were highlights for India's September 20, Day 8 at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. Photo: SAI

Rohan Bopanna

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Vande Bharat train

India must press on with its response to international questioning and criticism by Canada and allies

India Canada

The hike in prices is likely to hurt consumers as the gas distribution companies are expected to increase prices of CNG and PNG

natural gas pipeline

Asian Games 2023 Highlights, Day 5: India won gold, silver and bronze in Shooting, Wushu and Equestrian respectively to finish with a total of 25 medals and lie in the 5th place in the medals tally

Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Singh Cheema and Shiva Narwal

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

According to Ravi Nathani, an independent technical analyst, the Nifty Metal index seems to be trading in a range-bound manner, with a negative bias; whereas, the outlook seems positive for the Pharma

Technical Analysis

Apple also has a rigorous testing process in place that's meant to catch any pitfalls before the iPhone goes into mass production

The Apple iPhone 15 Pro

Vedanta Ltd.'s parent, Vedanta Resources, will remain the holding company, the people said. Deliberations are ongoing and no final decisions on the structure or timing of the de-merger have been made

Vedanta refinery

The Indian Railway is introducing the '14 minutes of miracle' concept for speedy cleaning of trains from October 1, starting with 29 Vande Bharat trains at their respective destination stations across the country.
It will be formally launched by the Railway Ministry Ashwini Vaishnaw at the Delhi Cantt. Railway Station.
Vaishnaw told reporters that the Vande Bharat trains will be cleaned within 14 minutes under the initiative to improve their punctuality and turnaround time.
It is a unique concept and happening for the first time in the Indian railways, the minister said.
The initiative is based on the concept of '7 minutes of miracle' at various stations such as Osaka, Tokyo, etc. in Japan where bullet trains are cleaned and made ready for another journey within seven minutes.
The service has been made possible by enhancing the cleaning persons' efficiency, skills and working attitude without increasing the number of front-line workforce already engaged in this activity, the minis

Vande Bharat Express

Indian Railways is going to introduce ramps in trains for the convenience of wheelchair users and senior citizens, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday.
Releasing the pictures of the newly designed ramps, Vaishnaw told reporters that these have been used at the Chennai railway station and found to be helpful for passengers who require a ramp.
"We will start its use in Vande Bharat trains very soon and later, in all other trains," the minister said, adding that a system is being worked out to let passengers raise a need for a wheelchair at the time of booking tickets.
"An alert can be generated and passed on to the respective railway stations for keeping a ramp ready for such passengers," he added.
The ramp can be easily placed at train doors and because of its width and low gradient, wheelchair users will find it easy to use it, the minister said.
Vaishnaw also said that during its trial, feedback received from passengers was extremely positive and encouraging.

indian railways, IRCTC, Cancellation

The Uttar Pradesh government has told the Supreme Court that "no fault" has been found on the part of the police in an ongoing probe into the killing of dreaded gangster and former Lok Sabha member Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf in Prayagraj on April 15.
In a status report filed in the apex court, the state of Uttar Pradesh has said it has left no stone unturned to ensure a fair and impartial investigation into the incident and other cases, including the killing of gangster Vikas Dubey and various police encounters since 2017, raised by the petitioner.
Ahmad (60) and Ashraf were shot dead at point-blank range by three men posing as journalists while police personnel were escorting them to a medical college for examination on April 15. The entire shooting was captured live on national television.
In its report, the state has given details of the status of cases mentioned in the plea filed by advocate Vishal Tiwari, who sought an independent probe into the killing of Ahmad and ...

Supreme Court

The Graded Response Action Plan -- a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the Delhi-NCR region in the winter season -- will come into force on Sunday.
The Commission for Air Quality Management, an autonomous body tasked with improving air quality in Delhi and the adjoining areas, had made crucial changes to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) last year and again in July this year.
The new changes include strict restrictions on the plying of overage vehicles and a complete ban on the use of coal and firewood in eateries, restaurants and hotels when the air quality index (AQI) breaches the 200 mark.
BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers will be immediately banned in Delhi and Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar if the Air Quality Index (AQI) crosses the 400 mark.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body formed under an Act in 2021, had amended the GRAP in July last year to ensure proactive implementation of anti-air ...

Delhi air quality index continues to be 'very poor' ahead of Diwali

Delhi, Delhi air quality, Delhi AQI,

The world's highest motorable road at 19024 feet Umling-la' scored another world record by successfully hosting the world's highest international fashion show, an official said on Saturday.
The fashion show, held on Thursday under Vibrant Ladakh festival, saw participation of international models from 14 countries, the official said.
He said the event was organised by Union Territory Ladakh Administration and Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, in partnership with Ladakh Art and Entertainment Alliance and supported by Indian Army and Border Roads Organisation.
With the participation of international models including two Ladakhi models, the Umling-la fashion show aimed at symbolising and promoting the vibrant culture of India espoused in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' and the highly valued GI tagged Pashmina of Ladakh, all rooted in the promoting sustainable and responsible tourism, the official said.
He said the costumes donned by the models introduced the colour palet

Fashion, Indian Luxury Brands, Lifestyle, Designers

solid waste

Kerala CM Vijayan launches Rs 2,400 cr solid waste management project

Solid waste management in Haryana's Hisar, panel to submit report to NGT

Govt to geo-tag drains along Ganga to prevent discharge of solid waste

Tamil Nadu govt launches drive for solid waste management awareness

US keen on alliance in connectivity, solid waste management with Mizoram

Will challenge NGT order: Kochi Mayor on Rs 100 cr compensation imposed

TGBL joins hands with PMC to extract clean, green hydrogen from waste

World Bank grants $8.86 mn to improve Lebanon's solid waste management

Integrated soil waste management plant to be built by Maha civic bodies

Kerala civic bodies to have solid waste management engineers soon

Antony Waste aims second shot at listing after failure of IPO in March

World Bank okays $300 mn loan to Pak to tackle climate change, solid waste

Chhattisgarh commissions its largest solid waste processing plant

Submit status report on solid waste management: Green panel to states, UTs

New solid waste disposal rules to focus on public facilities