Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Wipro, HCL in race for Rs 1,500 cr India Posts devices project

 IT companies Wipro and HCL Infosystems are in race for supplying 1.3 lakh handheld devices to post offices under a project that is estimated to cost Rs 1,500 crore.

Wipro and HCL Infosystems have qualified for technical bids for supplying 1,30,000 handheld devices to Department of Posts. The vendor for this project as per DoP is expected to be finalised by end of this month," a senior government official told PTI.

The DoP has floated tender for supplying of handheld devices to 1,30,000 post offices located in rural area as part of its modernisation project.

The postal... Read more..

New 1600 kV ultra high voltage research centre at Ambad MIDC

 The Crompton Greaves Ltd (CGL), an Avantha Group company, on Saturday commissioned a 1,600 kV Ultra High Voltage (UHV) Research Centre at its switchgear manufacturing unit at Ambad industrial estate of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC).

The research centre, which is located at CGL's existing unit in Ambad MIDC, covers a carpet area of 21,786 sq ft with a height of 118 ft, electrical-noise-free infrastructure, built with sophistication, intricacy and equipped with the latest state-of-the-art testing equipments. The company has invested around Rs 40 crore in the R... Read more..

The organic food buzz is on

Organic food became the catch phrase at the panel discussion on Food Secure India organised by the Department of Food Chemistry and Food Processing of the Loyola College. While most of the panelists highlighted the need for production of organic food, the audience took the topic forward with a slew of questions on the costs, economic sustainability and the methods though which the organic food production could be taken forward.

Speaking at the event, Amit Vaishnav, Director of Megafoods Madras Private Limited said that post-... Read more..

Biofuel development should not compromise food security, says CFS

Following a week of intense discussions, the Committee on World Food Security stressed the link between biofuels and food security, saying that the "progressive realization of the right to adequate food for all" should be a priority concern in biofuel development.

The world's most important intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder platform for food security and nutrition said biofuel development "should not compromise food security, and should especially consider women and smallholders."

The 7-11... Read more..

India to Create Water Use Efficiency Bureau

The Indian government plans to create a bureau of water efficiency by the end of the year, a senior official said this week. The bureau will help major water users conserve and recycle water.

It will be modeled on the Bureau of Energy Efficiency established by the federal Power Ministry.

It will oversee labeling and certification for urban local bodies and industries that manufacture household water fixtures and appliances, according to M. Satyanarayana, an adviser to the National Water Mission in the Ministry of Water Resources.

Satyanarayana was speaking at an Ocober... Read more..

India caterpillar attack flags risk of climate-linked farm pests

 An infestation of jute hairy caterpillar in parts of India’s Assam state has ruined the crops of several thousand farmers, leaving many facing a bleak future.

According to local farmers, the caterpillars were first noticed on Aug. 13 in jute plantations in the northeastern districts of Nagaon and Barpeta. They quickly multiplied, and the pests went on to destroy large tracts of jute, a natural fibre used in cloth, as well as vegetables.

“It was the first time in our life that we saw so many caterpillars - they numbered in the several thousands and maybe in lakh (hundreds of... Read more..

India and Germany invest $6.9bn in joint renewables venture

 India and Germany are planning investment of INR43,000 crore ($6.9bn) into building the green energy corridors project – a series of wind and solar farms in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu which aim to add 30GW of capacity to the national grid by 2020.

According to the Economic Times, the first phase of the project is expected to cost INR18,000 crore; of which INR10,000 crore will be invested into the two Indian states.

Initial funding for the project is expected to be finalised by the end of the month, with the first tranche of INR2,500 crore expected to come from Germany, which... Read more..

Mumbai, Chennai may reach climate tipping point by 2034: Study

Around 20 years from now, Mumbai and Chennai could routinely start witnessing temperatures hotter than the two cities have experienced in 150 years, an alarming new University of Hawaii study predicting the climate 'tipping points' of various cities around the world has warned.

By 2045, Pune, Surat, Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahmedabad would have joined the ranks of cities showing such climate departure, which means even the monthly dips in temperatures would be hotter than that experienced in 150 years (ending 2005), states the paper published in Nature on Wednesday.

The study, a... Read more..

One country, one grid to become a reality by January

 Come January 2014, the entire country will be served by one power grid, which means that electricity can flow seamlessly from anywhere it is produced to where it is needed and possibly at a lower price too.

India had five regional grids, but progressively four were linked up to form the North-East-West grid, or NEW. Only the southern region remained isolated which, incidentally, was why the South was not affected on July 30-31 last year when the northern grid collapsed plunging the region into darkness.

Power Grid Corporation of India is building a high voltage (765 kV) line... Read more..

Power outage hits ift irrigation schemes

Agricultural fields spread over about four lakh acres in Prakasam and Guntur districts may wither away if the electricity employees continue their agitation. Power supply to a number of lift irrigation schemes has been affected in the last five days after electricity employees launched stir demanding that the Centre government withdraw its decision to create Telangana state.

Farmers, whose crops are covered under lift irrigation schemes, fear that their crops may wither away if water was not provided immediately. There had been no watering of fields since the agitation began on... Read more..

Power play in South Asia to energise India's hold among Saarc countries

After finding favour with energy resource-rich countries such as Nepal and Bhutan, India's proposal for a common power market in South Asia is now gaining traction with power-deficit countries of the region like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

While Indian power companies have a strong footprint in the hydropower sectors of Bhutan and Nepal, estimated to have generation potential of 30,000 mw 40,000 mw respectively, they have now found toeholds in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Pakistan, too, has solicited Indian investment in its power sector.

On Monday, the NTPC signed... Read more..

ADB to Provide $500 Million for Renewable Energy Transmission System in India

 The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $500 million to build a power transmission system needed to deliver clean electricity from wind and solar power projects in Rajasthan in Northwest India to the state and national grids.

“Boosting renewable energy is important for Rajasthan and India to meet fast-growing energy needs in a way that is kind to the environment while also improving the country’s energy security by reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels,” said Len George, Energy Specialist in ADB’s South Asia Department. “The proposed transmission investments will also... Read more..