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Sustainability Outlook Headlines
No drinking water, electricity and sanitation in 20% of rural houses: ReportOne in five rural households has none of three basic facilities - drinking water, electricity and sanitation - while only about 18% have access to all three. The India Rural Development Report 2012-13 released by Jairam Ramesh on Thursday also shows that while rural poverty has reduced significantly from over 40% to just 26%, there is large variation in poverty reduction between regions, districts and social classes with persistent pockets of deprivation. The Union rural development minister said the significant shift to non-farm labour in rural areas has debunked the notion that... Read more.. Date : Sep 27 Source: Times of India
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Unsold renewable energy certificate count reaches 23 lakh and increasingRenewable energy certificate market is still reeling under tepid demand with over 23 lakh RECs going unsold for past some months. In the last trading at India Energy Exchange (IEX) on Wednesday, 31,148 solar REC and 22,86,976 non-solar REC were left unsold. The trading session at IEX, featured trade of 38,195 non-solar and 5,880 solar RECs with supply far exceeding demand. In the non-solar segment, buy bids of 38,195 RECs and sell bids of 23, 25,171 RECs were received against which 38,195 were cleared at Rs 1,500 per REC. In the solar segment, buy bids of 5,... Read more.. Date : Sep 27 Source: Economic Times
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Oil & Gas Companies Focus Sustainable Growth and harnessing Human Factors in HSEExperts and top brass of oil and gas industry discussed sustainable growth and the importance of human actions in loss prevention. The two day conference organized by Cairn India [BSE -0.34 %] along with the Indian oil and gas Industry, aimed at promoting health, safety and environment (HSE) culture in South Asian countries with a focus on India. With the theme 'collaborate, lead and transform', the Global HSE Conference 2013 brought forth some of the best practices in the areas of HSE. More than 50 global speakers and experts, over 20 CEOs and Managing Directors along with 400... Read more.. Date : Sep 27 Source: Economic Times
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Incubation centre for solar energy trainingSelco Solar, a Bangalore-based social enterprise, would soon set up an incubation centre in Odisha to train young entrepreneurs in solar energy, said its founder and champion of renewable energy Harish Hande. The company has started conducting introductory workshops to select interested youths in various districts of the state, who are keen to work in rural areas. "The state government should withdraw 4% Value Added Tax (VAT) from renewable energy devices and spares to promote solar energy in... Read more.. |
India Green News: India considers talks with US on HFC phase out but resistsPerceiving that the developed countries have through the year been pushing at a piecemeal approach to the global deal, India has put in a submission to the UNFCCC, advocating that all elements of the deal — mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance — should be addressed at the same time as part of a balanced package. (The Hindu, 09/20/13) US environment group seeks India-US cooperation on climate change A leading US environmental action group has outlined... Read more.. |
Niravu Vengeri extends its waste management projectNiravu Vengeri, a collective forum of 100-households will extend its waste management project to Payimbra and Nadakkavu wards of Kurivatoor grama panchayat. The resident association that has been successfully executing the zero-budget waste management has taken steps to implement the project at Nadakkavu Government Vocational Higher Secondary School and Payimbra ward of Kurivatoor grama panchayat. The project will be implemented at the school through National Service Scheme volunteers. While the... Read more.. |
Centre plans a unified exploration policy to avoid RIL-like disputes, may do away with cost recoveryThe government has decided to craft a "perfect" exploration licensing regime which will unify and simplify the policies for oil and gas, coal bed methane and shale, and end the current practice of "cost recovery" which is at the heart of the oil ministry's raging dispute with Reliance Industries [BSE 0.77 %]. Companies that are awarded exploration blocks will have to share revenue from the first day of production, instead of the current system of recovering expenditure before sharing profits with the government. ... Read more.. Date : Sep 27 Source: Economic Times
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Waste is gold: Proper waste management makes perfect business senseAs India progresses on the path of development in this new age of resource scarcity and increasing population pressure leading to increased waste generation, the issue of waste management assumes critical importance. Highlighting the vitality of this issue at the CII Seminar on Waste Management R A Rajeev, principal secretary (environment), government of Maharashtra said, "India currently produces more than 65 million tonnes of waste annually of which more than 90 per cent requires proper treatment. If the plethora of regulations... Read more.. |
Smart grid roadmap makes India part of "elite club"India's Ministry of Power has released its Smart Grid Vision and Roadmap as an integral part of meeting India's growing electricity needs. The roadmap addresses key priority challenges, including curbing power losses and enhancing access to quality, reliable power using smart grid technology to address these issues. The country's smart grid vision encompasses a wide range of capabilities from wide area monitoring systems for transmission through renewable and distributed energy systems and automation to standards and cybersecurity... Read more.. |
Cash-strapped telcos wary of taking green call"Go green" may be a popular theme across the world and across industries, but India's financially stressed telecom operators have not shown much enthusiasm to it so far. Telcos say they can't afford the huge expenses needed to set up capacity to generate alternate sources of energy such as solar, fuel cells or wind in order to meet the telecom department's "stiff " green targets unveiled in January 2012. The government on its part says its targets are liberal and blamed the operators' lackadaisical approach towards adopting green energy. The green policy requires telecom companies... Read more.. Date : Sep 26 Source: Times of India
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Larsen & Toubro bags orders worth Rs 2,683 croreEngineering and construction major Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Thursday said it has bagged new orders worth Rs 2,683 crore in the current month across various segments both in the domestic and overseas markets. "L&T Construction has won new orders worth Rs 2,683 crore during September 2013 across various business segments," the company said in a statement. The firm has bagged orders worth Rs 1,334 crore in the water and renewable energy sector, it said. "Three of the major turnkey orders received are from the Public Health Engineering Department of Rajasthan... Read more.. Date : Sep 26 Source: Zee News
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India's infra trusts to push water, wastewater projectsSeveral water projects are expected to get expedited with the proposed launch of dedicated infrastructure trusts by the Indian Government by the end of the calendar year. The Central Government is working on setting up Infrastructure Investment Trusts, which will manage long-term infrastructure projects. Several of the large water projects on a BOOT basis undertaken on a public private partnership (PPP) mode are long-term ones, typically spanning 20-25 years. The proposed Trust will help several infrastructure companies tide over financial problems and take up water... Read more.. Date : Sep 26 Source: India Water Review
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Now companies to be ranked for their CSR performanceAs India Inc gears up for mandatory CSR spending from the next fiscal, a new index is now in the works for ranking companies on the basis of their efforts and spending towards social welfare schemes. The index, being prepared by the India Institute of Corporate Affairs and leading stock exchange BSE, would rank the companies in different bands and their performance would be monitored dynamically on the basis of their reporting of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities. "The reporting time for CSR activity of corporate India would be financial year 14-15," Indian... Read more.. Date : Sep 26 Source: Economic Times
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Government plans bailout for hydro projectsThe government plans to provide relief to the beleaguered hydropower projects in the country by softening the stiff penalties levied on the developers on account of delays. For every six months’ delay in construction, merchant power sales earmarked from a project are reduced by 5%. In an acknowledgement that projects often overshoot their timelines because of contractual hassles, land acquisition problems, and delays in securing government clearances, the penalty may be levied only if the developer is found to be responsible. India’s power ministry plans to put forward a... Read more.. Date : Sep 26 Source: Livemint
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Sustainable water matters for tourismTourism is not just about visiting new places and gastronomy. It has a crucial role to play in the society is what the tourism managers appear to demonstrate. The theme of this World Tourism Day (Sept. 27) is “Tourism and Water: Protecting our common future”. Like several countries, India too has taken up sustainable tourism initiatives and in Tamil Nadu the tourism department has been underscoring its responsibility and commitment to ensure a sustainable future. In fact, much ahead of this theme decided by the Spain-headquartered World Tourism Organisation, the TTDC has... Read more.. Date : Sep 26 Source: Deccan Chronicle
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Farmers demand permission to produce ethanol from sugarcaneFarmer leaders on Tuesday stepped up their demand for permission to tillers to produce ethanol from sugarcane they produce and sell the byproducts. "The Centre has permitted to blend only five per cent ethanol into petrol, while countries like Brazil and the US are looking towards ethanol as an option for petrol and diesel. There are industries in Maharashtra that export the machinery required to set up industrial units that produce ethanol," said peasant leader Raghunathdada Patil . He was addressing a statewide conference on ethanol held in the city. The meeting was... Read more.. Date : Sep 26 Source: Times of India
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Areva Says India Solar-Thermal Costs Fell 35% Since 2010Areva SA (AREVA) says the cost of building a solar-thermal power plant in India has fallen by about a third since 2010 thanks to local manufacturing. The French company is building a 21-billion-rupee ($336 million), 100-megawatt plant for Reliance Power Ltd. (RPWR) awarded in a December 2010 auction. “Today, when I look at future projects, there is a 30 to 35 percent” reduction in how much it would cost to build a similar project, Siddhartha Ghoshal, managing director of Areva’s local solar unit, told a conference in New Delhi today. “That’s mainly due to the localization of... Read more.. Date : Sep 26 Source: Bloomberg
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India sets target to generate 10000 MW solar energy by 2017India on Wednesday said it has set the target to generate 10,000 Megawatt of power through solar energy by the year 2017. Indian Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said that the first phase of Solar Mission has been very successful wherein 1685 MW of solar power was generated as against the target of 11,000 MW. The Minister informed that government has identified large tracks of land in eastern state of Rajasthan, Kargil and Ladakh in Indian administered Kashmir which had... Read more.. |
India to oppose EU proposal on international flight emissionsIndia will oppose the European Union’s (EU) proposal to tax airlines for emissions at the ongoing International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) general assembly in Montreal. Currently, airlines flying to Europe do not pay any tax on emissions but the EU plans to soon impose this levy on international flights. India declined to accept a revised version of the scheme under which airlines will be taxed only for the distance they travel inside the EU region and not for the whole distance from the... Read more.. |
India and Chile to cooperate on renewable energy developmentIndia and Chile have agreed to enhance their cooperation in the field of renewable energy. Indian Minister of New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and the Chilean Energy Minister Jorge Bunster aim to explore greater opportunities for collaboration between the two countries. According to Farooq Abdullah, India currently has over 30 GW of grid-connected installed capacity using solar photovoltaics (PV) and other renewable sources of energy, and plans to add over 30 GW capacity by 2018. He also emphasizes the success of India’s... Read more.. |
India Allows State Energy Explorers to Produce Shale Oil and GasOil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) and Oil India Ltd. (OINL), the country’s state exploration companies, won government approval to extract shale oil and gas for the first time as Asia’s second-biggest energy user seeks to curb imports. ONGC and Oil India will be allowed to tap shale resources in blocks allotted to the companies more than a decade ago, the government said in a statement, citing a new policy aimed at increasing domestic output of fossil fuels. Shale production will be taxed on par with conventional fields, it said... Read more.. |
Access to clean water: how Dalit communities in India are fighting for change"Patna floods" said the front-page newspaper headline - as if we didn't already know. The rain had hardly stopped since we arrived in the populous capital of Bihar, one of India's poorest states and home to some of the country's most marginalized groups. As we picked our way towards to urban slum we were visiting the other side of the city, the light drizzle turned into a definite pelt against the car roof. Men in longis, knee deep in water, emerged from waterlogged alleys, while motorcyclists held their legs in the air as their bikes splashed through the flooded streets. It... Read more.. Date : Sep 25 Source: The Guardian
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IndoGreenEnviro ships first hybrid wind and solar PV mill to UAEIndoGreenEnviro (Magarpatta City, Pune, India) has exported its first “Windstream SolarMill” to Sharjah, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to demonstrate 24 hour power output through hybrid energy generation. The “SolarMill” hybrid device combines vertical axis wind turbines combined with a solar photovoltaic (PV) panel. SolarMill’s first UAE installation will open the doors for a large market in the Gulf countries, the company expects. Continuous solar and wind power production “SolarMill produces power from sunlight as well as wind and therefore... Read more.. Date : Sep 25 Source: solarserver.com
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WEEKLY UPDATE: TIMELINES FOR PHASE TWO OF THE NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION KEEP EVERYONE GUESSINGAllocations under batch one of phase two of the National Solar Mission (NSM) were supposed to begin in May 2013. However, there has been a significant delay in the process and these allocations have not yet been announced. Officials from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) have been quoted as saying that the documents for phase two of the NSM are now with the union cabinet for approval (refer). NSM expected to be kept on further hold due to the looming elections The capital subsidy scheme is also on a hold creating a void for state governments looking at rooftop... Read more.. Date : Sep 25 Source: Bridge to India
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One-fifth of centrally-funded sewage treatment plants remain non-operationalAlmost one-fifth of the centrally-funded sewage treatment plants in the country are "non-operational", leaving millions of liters of untreated water either sink into the ground as a potential pollutant of ground water or is discharged into natural drainage system causing pollution in downstream areas. Besides, performance of nearly another one-fifth of the total 152 such sewage treatment plants (STPs) is found to be "not satisfactory". The finding is the part of a report of the Central Pollution... Read more.. |
