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Agriland
2 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Closing dates extended for US-Ireland agri research partnership
An extension of the closing dates of the 2025 call for proposals in agriculture under the US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership has been announced. The call aims to support Irish and US researchers to collaborate on projects across 12 areas important to agriculture. These include animal health and welfare, animal breeding, antimicrobial resistance, soil health, the bioeconomy, data science for food and agriculture, among others. This is a tripartite partnership between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA in Northern Ireland) and the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA USA). Minister of State at DAFM with special responsibility for research, Noel Grealish said that the partnership "provides a very important mechanism for the collaboration and sharing of expertise and resources between researchers across the three jurisdictions". "This international collaboration can enable our researchers to advance our understanding of complex issues and develop solutions in areas such as mitigating antimicrobial resistance across the food chain, biomanufacturing and the bioeconomy, among others," the minister said. "Last year, my department increased the maximum grant rate to €500,000 for Irish partner institutions involved in successful projects and I would encourage researchers to avail of this unique funding opportunity." The call invites eligible research performing organisations from the Republic of Ireland to submit joint research proposals, with collaborating partners from the US and Northern Ireland, under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) of NIFA. The submission deadline for DAFM and DAERA is four weeks in advance of the stated AFRI deadline for the respective programme area priorities in AFRI's Foundation Competitive Grant Programme. Details of the request for applications (RFA) on the 12 programme area priorities can be found on AFRI's website.
The Hindu
22-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Quality concerns continue to haunt Polavaram project, despite foreign experts' recommendations
Despite repeated recommendations from a team of international experts, it appears no significant steps have been taken to implement quality control measures in the execution of the Polavaram irrigation project. The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti has been persistent in pushing for action, but progress on this front remains sluggish. Six months after the work began on the reconstruction of the diaphragm wall, only 30% of the structure has been completed, and critical quality control mechanisms are yet to be fully operationalised. According to information, the manual and guidelines relating to quality control are yet to be published. A draft manual prepared by the Andhra Pradesh Engineering Research Institute (AFRI) is still awaiting approval from several Central and State-level agencies, including the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Central Water Commission (CWC), Polavaram Project Authority (PPA), and the A.P. Water Resources Department. The delay in approval of the draft manual is due to objections raised by some agencies, sources say. Structural setbacks During the construction of the Polavaram project, serious structural setbacks have occurred, with the old diaphragm wall—built at a cost of hundreds of crores—having been damaged. Additionally, the 'guide-bund', valued at nearly ₹100 crore, suffered damage. Uncontrolled seepage through both the upper and lower cofferdams has caused substantial losses, forcing the government to spend more to manage the excess water discharge. Although work on the new diaphragm wall began six months ago, only 30% of the construction has been completed so far. After much delay, a third-party quality control agency has been selected. Until now, quality inspections were handled internally by the contractor and the State's engineering departments. However, the foreign expert committee, after reviewing the project, emphasised the need for an independent monitoring mechanism, citing the central role being played by the contractor not only in executing but also in designing and reviewing the works. Third-party quality assurance The experts also recommended that a robust third-party quality assurance mechanism should be in place to ensure neutrality and transparency. It took the government nearly six months to finalise the appointment of the third party. Consultations were initially held with reputed institutions like IIT, Tirupati and the National Institute of Building Construction. However, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti did not approve the proposed arrangements, prompting the government to issue tenders. 'Eventually, a Delhi-based firm with over 45 years of experience—ADCO—was selected. This firm will be entrusted with the responsibility of setting up a dedicated laboratory at the Polavaram project site to conduct material and construction quality tests,' sources say. At this juncture, the absence of a finalised manual that defines clear quality standards for various components of the project is a key bottleneck. Experts believe that the roles and responsibilities of each agency, particularly in terms of quality control, must be specified clearly. The manual should lay down unambiguous protocols for testing procedures and assign accountability for each segment of the work, along with the authority responsible. The third-party agency is also expected to set up an independent laboratory with the necessary equipment and resources to conduct real-time quality checks at the site. Until such systems are put firmly in place, concerns about structural integrity and long-term reliability will continue to overshadow the state's most ambitious irrigation project, sources say.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Vigil held in Elizabethtown supports immigrants and refugees
ELIZABETHTOWN — Concern for others continues to circulate throughout the North Country as citizens gathered on the lawn of the Essex County Government Center to bring awareness as to what has been happening to immigrants and refugees. Organized by Adirondack Friends of Refugees and Immigrants, the event was held to counter assertions made by the Trump administration. Compiled by AFRI and supported with fact-checked details were the following: • Immigrants do not increase crime. They are arrested at half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for violent and drug crimes, and one-fourth the rate for property crimes. • Immigrants have a positive impact on the economy and pay more into the system than take out. • Immigrants work at jobs Americans don't want while increasing commerce, which leads to job growth. In addition, immigrants bring different skills to the work force. Immigrants provide cutting edge innovation • Undocumented immigrant taxes shore up and do not deplete federal welfare benefits such as Social Security. 'SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT' AFRI chairperson Cynthia Poppino added to the details such as, '300 green card holders are being detained for organizing protests on behalf of the Palestinian people. Our tax dollars are paying for privatized detention centers which incentivize them to keep detaining refugees and immigrants as long as possible.' AFRI vice chair Bob Harsh brought out numerous points which were accentuated by Bobbi Perez ringing a bell after each statement, to which the gathering responded by saying, 'We shall overcome.' Among Harsh's 14 statements were: We mourn the loss of the Welcome Corps and Catholic Charities programs and the Afghan family that was supposed to come to Plattsburgh; We mourn the loss of freedom of speech; We pray for the protection of birthright citizenship, and for those whose temporary protected status is being revoked; We protest the violations of due process and the disinformation being spread about immigrants. Dick Perez remarked, 'In my heart of hearts I know something is not right. I wake up in the morning and don't know what to do about it, and take one step ahead of the other. Our leaders and president say the least of us don't matter. They are doing everything Jesus Christ told us not to do in treating others. We hear more and more about collateral damage; of those being swept up under the guise of being criminals.' 'THIS IS A VIGIL' As he was about to speak, a shout-out from a passing vehicle exclaimed 'Go Trump! Yahoo!' to which the Rev. Lauren McArthur responded, 'This is a vigil, we don't have to outshout them.' McArthur then continued, 'I remember reading in the Bible an important lesson that we all come from a single seed. We are all one.' Those in attendance then sang, 'This Land is Your Land' and 'If I had a Hammer.' OPPOSING VIEWPOINT Near the conclusion of the rally, Jeremy Armstrong presented a different viewpoint. 'I love my country. We wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't for Biden and Obama (He also blamed his domestic problems on them). We are hurting people; people who pay taxes. You want to repeat history that has ruined us. I don't agree with everything Trump and Elon says; some of their outrageous stuff. 'A lot of our problems start with immigration; the problems they have here in New York state. I agree with having immigrants if they come here legally.' Armstrong spoke of some of misuse he witnessed such as seven people using one person's green card to get paid. 'I don't feel my tax money should go to help them. Our government has been crooked since the 1980s.' Although the rally was intended to emphasize the plight of refugees and immigrants some of the hand-written signs expressed dissatisfaction with other aspects of the current administration. They included: $$$ for Education; No to Project 2025; One Love-The Human Race; Inhumanity is not an American Value. Trump crosses the border of decency; Our America is in distress; and several references to Elon Musk whom they felt should be deported.
