Latest news with #Prasad
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Shun plastic and use eco-friendly products, urges Collector
District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad on Saturday urged the citizens to strictly avoid plastic items and only use eco-friendly alternatives to protect the environment. He also stressed on the need for collective efforts to fight against plastic ban. The Collector attended 'Swachh Andhra-Swarna Andhra' programme organised by the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) at the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (RRR) centre at Yendada Junction. Speaking at the programme, Mr. Prasad said that the government has been organising 'Swachh Andhra - Swarna Andhra' programmes across the State every third Saturday of the month to raise awareness on cleanliness. He called on citizens to support this cause in large numbers by not using single-use plastics and switch to environment-friendly alternatives. 'Single-use plastic waste often clogs drains and water bodies, leading to serious health risks during the rainy season. Sanitation workers risk their lives to remove plastic waste from drains every day. Plastics entering the ocean are consumed by fish, which eventually enter human consumption and may lead to severe diseases such as cancer,' he said. He urged the public to use alternatives like paper, cloth, jute bags, steel and glass utensils, ceramic plates and cups, and reusable water bottles. He also administered a 'Swachh Andhra Pledge' against plastic and released an awareness poster titled 'Let's End Plastic Pollution Together'. Corporator Lodagala Apparao, GVMC Additional Commissioner D.V. Ramana Murthy, Chief Medical Officer Dr. E.N.V. Naresh Kumar and others attended. Sanitation workers and NGO representatives who contributed significantly helping the city win 'Safaimitra Surakshit Sheher' award were felicitated. He later visited various stalls showcasing eco-friendly alternatives and applauded their efforts.
The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Make government offices plastic-free zones, Vizag Collector tells officials
District Collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad has directed the officials to take the necessary steps to transform all government offices into plastic-free zones. The Collector on Friday conducted a video conference with the officials from various government departments, ahead of the 'Swarnandhra–Swachh Andhra' programme, which is scheduled to be conducted on July 19. During the meeting, Mr. Prasad stressed the need to gradually phase out the single-use plastic items by implementing strict practices. Highlighting the environmental damage caused by the single-use plastic, including water and air pollution, the Collector called for awareness on the issue. He urged the officials to participate with commitment in achieving a cleaner Andhra Pradesh. He said that cleanliness drives should be conducted at all government and private offices, educational institutions, temples, churches, mosques, parks, bus and railway stations, hostels, hospitals, Anganwadi centres and industrial areas on the third Saturday every month. Mr. Prasad stressed the need for maintaining cleanliness in tourist spots. Officials were instructed to submit photographs and reports related to the cleanliness activities conducted in their respective offices and areas.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
In blow to Lalu, SC refuses to stay trials in land-for jobs cases
Lalu Yadav NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Bihar assembly elections , RJD leader Lalu Prasad suffered a setback on Friday with SC declining to stay ongoing trial proceedings against him in land-for-job 'scam' cases, in which CBI charge-sheeted him for allegedly securing plots of land from those who got jobs in the railways during 2004-09 when he was railway minister. When senior advocate Kapil Sibal attempted to discredit the cases against Prasad, lodged in 2022 after more than a decade of the alleged 'scam', by terming it as political vendetta, additional solicitor general S V Raju told a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and N Kotiswar Singh that Prasad's petition for quashing of FIRs in the cases is still pending in the Delhi HC and that the former railway minister has challenged an interim order of HC. Though Sibal maintained with vehemence that 'it is the most unfortunate case' and accused CBI of starting a probe without mandatory sanction under section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the bench said, 'We will not stay the trial. However, we can direct the trial court to dispense with Prasad's personal presence. Let HC decide the main issue.' After investigations, CBI on June 7 last year filed the third and final chargesheet before a special court in Delhi against Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tej Pratap Yadav and daughter Hema Yadav, and others. The case against Prasad and his family members is related to appointments made to Group D positions in 11 Railway Zones between 2004 and 2009.
National Observer
2 days ago
- General
- National Observer
Slow and steady progress in 10-year project to save BC's only native turtle
Menita Prasad knows that turtles don't rate the same kind of attention from the public as a "cute, fluffy mammal." The director of animal care at Greater Vancouver Zoo says that's one reason why British Columbia's endangered western painted turtles deserve special care. The zoo is part of a decade-long project to revive the fortunes of the province's only native freshwater turtle. "How can you not love a turtle?" said Prasad, describing the western painted turtle's "beautiful, bright-red plastron," the underside of its shell. The zoo in Langley, BC, is halfway through the project to collect western painted turtle eggs in the wild and hatch them, to increase their chances of survival when they are released. Prasad said it's been a bumper year for the zoo, releasing more than 550 of the turtles, more than double the annual average. But there's a long way to go to save the species. The 10-year project began in 2019, although Prasad said the zoo had been releasing turtles before that and had freed around 3,000 of them over the past decade. She said she'd rather not reveal the exact release sites. "Believe it or not, people will take these animals to eat them," said Prasad. The turtle is listed as an endangered species by the federal government and red-listed in BC, meaning they face the highest risk of extinction in the province. In addition to predators, both human and natural, the turtles face competition from invasive red-eared sliders, a turtle species that is larger, breeds more prolifically, and is popular in the pet trade. "When people don't want (red-eared sliders) as pets, they have released them into our lakes and ponds that contain western painted turtles," said Prasad, "Unfortunately, because the red-eared sliders are a bit more prolific, they are essentially outcompeting western painted turtles." The recovery operation is a joint program with the Coastal Painted Turtle Project and the BC government. The juvenile turtles are released when they weigh about 50 grams, about the same weight as two double-A batteries. That's big enough to make them hard to eat for invasive predators, including largemouth bass and bullfrogs — when they hatch, the turtles are only about the size of a toonie, Prasad said. She said the project aims to give the turtles "that little extra boost in life to get over the tough times when they would normally be preyed upon." Biologist Aimee Mitchell, a project manager for the Coastal Painted Turtle Project, has been working with the zoo. A report authored by Mitchell says the project aims to recover 10 populations of the turtle and has "consistently met its objectives." But it says the work needs to be ongoing. "Due to the long-lived nature of western painted turtles and their slow reproductive rate it will take further efforts to ensure self-sustaining, healthy populations with the viability to persist into the future," the report says. Prasad said people need to be mindful of the turtles and their nesting sites on freshwater beaches. She said the turtles have a range of personalities, and some seem reluctant to leave when they are released. "You put them in the water, or you put them on the shore, and they linger around for a little bit. It's not a quick dash to run and hide," she said. "They really look around and check out their area, go for a bit of a swim, and then come back to you, and just to see like, 'Oh, what are you doing? Is it OK for me to go out this way?' And then off they go." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025.
National Observer
3 days ago
- General
- National Observer
Slow and steady progress in 10-tyear project to save BC's only native turtle
Menita Prasad knows that turtles don't rate the same kind of attention from the public as a "cute, fluffy mammal." The director of animal care at Greater Vancouver Zoo says that's one reason why British Columbia's endangered western painted turtles deserve special care. The zoo is part of a decade-long project to revive the fortunes of the province's only native freshwater turtle. "How can you not love a turtle?" said Prasad, describing the western painted turtle's "beautiful, bright-red plastron," the underside of its shell. The zoo in Langley, BC, is halfway through the project to collect western painted turtle eggs in the wild and hatch them, to increase their chances of survival when they are released. Prasad said it's been a bumper year for the zoo, releasing more than 550 of the turtles, more than double the annual average. But there's a long way to go to save the species. The 10-year project began in 2019, although Prasad said the zoo had been releasing turtles before that and had freed around 3,000 of them over the past decade. She said she'd rather not reveal the exact release sites. "Believe it or not, people will take these animals to eat them," said Prasad. The turtle is listed as an endangered species by the federal government and red-listed in BC, meaning they face the highest risk of extinction in the province. In addition to predators, both human and natural, the turtles face competition from invasive red-eared sliders, a turtle species that is larger, breeds more prolifically, and is popular in the pet trade. "When people don't want (red-eared sliders) as pets, they have released them into our lakes and ponds that contain western painted turtles," said Prasad, "Unfortunately, because the red-eared sliders are a bit more prolific, they are essentially outcompeting western painted turtles." The recovery operation is a joint program with the Coastal Painted Turtle Project and the BC government. The juvenile turtles are released when they weigh about 50 grams, about the same weight as two double-A batteries. That's big enough to make them hard to eat for invasive predators, including largemouth bass and bullfrogs — when they hatch, the turtles are only about the size of a toonie, Prasad said. She said the project aims to give the turtles "that little extra boost in life to get over the tough times when they would normally be preyed upon." Biologist Aimee Mitchell, a project manager for the Coastal Painted Turtle Project, has been working with the zoo. A report authored by Mitchell says the project aims to recover 10 populations of the turtle and has "consistently met its objectives." But it says the work needs to be ongoing. "Due to the long-lived nature of western painted turtles and their slow reproductive rate it will take further efforts to ensure self-sustaining, healthy populations with the viability to persist into the future," the report says. Prasad said people need to be mindful of the turtles and their nesting sites on freshwater beaches. She said the turtles have a range of personalities, and some seem reluctant to leave when they are released. "You put them in the water, or you put them on the shore, and they linger around for a little bit. It's not a quick dash to run and hide," she said. "They really look around and check out their area, go for a bit of a swim, and then come back to you, and just to see like, 'Oh, what are you doing? Is it OK for me to go out this way?' And then off they go." This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025.
