Rs. 487 cr unspent, people suffer in mining-hit dists
They lack basic facilities like clean drinking water, sanitation and schools, say expers. Read more
Author: admin
Punjab Cabinet approves formulation of the Punjab District Mineral foundation rules 2017
Punjab News Express || August 24, 2017 08:54 PM
CHANDIGARH : The Punjab cabinet on Thursday took a series of important decisions, including formulation of the District Mineral Foundation Rules to ensure implementation of development programmes in the areas affected by mining in the state.
The cabinet also gave ex-post facto approval to issue appointment letters to 1337 candidates out of the existing merit list in the unemployed qualified Teacher Eligibility Test namely PSTET-2. De-reservation of posts in certain categories in the Department of Defence Welfare, approval to the Guardians of Governance scheme and extension, till June 30 next year, to service providers in the Veterinary Department are other key decisions taken by the cabinet meeting held here under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh. Read more
There are significant economic benefits for developing nations by sending children to school instead of work
Even after 70 years of independence, we haven’t been able to send all our children to school. Worse still, there are crores of child labourers in India, and their number is increasing in sectors such as agriculture, mining and domestic labour. “The root causes of child labour are poverty, illiteracy, lack of quality education and resources, and poor implementation of laws,” says Neelam Makhijani, country director & CEO of ChildFund India—a child development organisation. In an interview with FE’s Vikram Chaudhary, she argues that child labour and poverty go hand in hand, and suggests some reform measures that can, over time, eradicate this social evil. Excerpts: Read more
Courtesy: Financial Express
A new port in Kerala sparks fears of sea erosion in coastal villages
The destruction of homes during the monsoon has left residents anxious. But experts say it is too early to blame the erosion on port construction.
When ferocious waves crash over the sea walls and hit the foundation of her home in Valiyathura, a fishing village in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district, Alphonsa begins to say prayers, holding the Bible.
The 60-year-old woman has had sleepless nights for the last three months ever since the sea became rough after the monsoon gathered momentum in the second week of June. The fate of her tiny brick house worries her most. When it was built 10 years ago, it stood more than 500 metres away from the shoreline. But the erosion of the beach has reduced the distance to a mere two metres now. Even the sea wall – a defence structure made of boulders – can no longer protect the house from the sea water that comes flooding in.
Courtesy: Scroll.in
Udaipur’s water threatened by India’s largest reserve of phosphate
Pollution from the Jhamarkotra mines poses a threat to waters near and far, and also causes severe health issues in the miners. Why is there no post facto environment impact assessment?
Huddled in the Aravali range in the southern part of Rajasthan about 26 km from Udaipur, is the largest reserve of phosphate in India. Also known as the Jhamarkotra mines, it is the only commercially exploitable rock phosphate deposit in the country. Phosphate is crucial for the sustenance of fertilizer plants but is available here only between 380 and 600 m below ground level, which can only be reached through deep excavation. The phosphate reserves came up for digging in 1968 when the Rajasthan State Mines and Mineral (RSMM) Corporation initiated open cast mining in the area. The mine, which covers an area of 18.44 sqkm and is divided into eleven blocks, contains approximately 74.68 metric tons of rock phosphate. The land was acquired in the late 1960s and then prepared for mining.
Courtesy: Your Story