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Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Aravalli Green Wall project: Haryana set to kick off efforts to revive 25,000 hectares of degraded forest areas
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Centre's Aravalli Green Wall project on Thursday, the state government in Haryana will kick off efforts to restore 25,000 hectares of degraded forest area. The Aravalli Range has long been hailed as the 'lungs' of the National Capital Region (NCR). On Thursday, the Prime Minister 'will lead a special tree plantation initiative at Bhagwan Mahavir Vanasthali Park in Delhi at 10:15 am, reaffirming India's commitment to environmental stewardship and green mobility' to mark World Environment Day, according to a statement from the PMO. 'The PM will plant a Banyan sapling under the Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam initiative. This will be part of the 'Aravalli Green Wall project' which aims to reforest the 700-km Aravalli range,' read the statement. In Haryana, a total of 24,990.16 hectares of Recorded First Area (RFA) land will be targeted for treatment in the first phase of the project. While 3,852.73 hectares of land will be targeted in Faridabad, a total of 6,063.73 hectares of land will be targeted in Gurgaon. Gurgaon Divisional Forest Officer Raj Kumar told The Indian Express that intensive restorative plantation efforts in the district will begin soon. 'With Thursday's launch, the project in Haryana will also be kicked off. Proper plantation towards intensively restoring the degraded forest areas is most conducive during the monsoons, which is when our efforts will truly begin on priority,' he asserted. The Aravalli range encompasses five other districts in Haryana: Nuh, Mahendragarh, Rewari, Mahendergarh, and Charkhi Dadri. The Aravalli range and buffer zones account for 3.11 lakh hectares (38.7%) of the total geographical area of these districts (8.05 lakh hectares). Nuh has the largest area under RFA with 14,606 hectares. Meanwhile, Charkhi Dadri is not being covered in the current phase due to a negligible recorded forest area (28 hectares), said officials. 'Site conditions in Haryana vary significantly, with patches having hilly terrain with high degradation and sparse vegetation requiring both SMC [soil and moisture conservation] work and plantations. For the treatment area, the state has proposed a restoration model for the rehabilitation of degraded areas, beginning with soil and moisture conservation efforts in the first year. Restoration will involve plantation, soil moisture conservation, check dams, percolation ponds, and seed sowing,' reads the government document titled 'Detailed Action Plan – Aravalli Landscape Restoration'. The Indian Express on Wednesday reported that Delhi CM Rekha Gupta will join the PM for planting a tree in the Capital's Ridge area as part of the launch. The Rs 16,053-crore project aims to create a buffer zone of 5 km around the mountain range, covering 6.45 million hectares. It is slated to help in meeting India's key climate goals of creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through improving tree and forest cover. Extending from Southwest Gujarat in Champaner to Northeast Delhi and Haryana, the Aravalli range acts as a natural barrier against incursion of sand, loo, and dust from the Thar desert.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Muktsar cracker unit blast: Owner's son, labour contractor arrested
The Muktsar police on Saturday arrested two more persons in connection with the illegal firecracker unit explosion in Fatuhiwala village that claimed the lives of five migrant workers and left 28 others injured early on Friday morning. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Akhil Chaudhary confirmed the arrests of Navraj Singh, a resident of Singhewala village, and Raj Kumar, a labour contractor from Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The two have been booked for allegedly violating safety norms and operating an unlicenced firecracker manufacturing unit that led to the deadly mishap. 'Navraj is the son of Tarsem Singh, who was arrested on Friday. Both are co-owners of the unit. Preliminary investigation reveals that Navraj had applied for a firecracker manufacturing licence but did not obtain one. Despite this, operations continued illegally,' SSP Chaudhary said. Most of the workers at the illegal unit were reportedly hired by Raj Kumar, who was present at the site during the blast but fled the scene and went into hiding after the incident. He had switched off his mobile phone and evaded arrest until Saturday. According to the first information report (FIR) registered at the Lambi police station, Sukhchain Kaur, wife of Tarsem Singh, has also been booked under multiple charges including culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 105 IPC), voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous means (Section 118(2) IPC), and criminal act done by several persons with common intention (Section 3(5)), along with violations under the Explosives Act and the Factories Act. The land where the illegal factory was operating is registered in her name. The explosion razed a two-storey structure located in the fields near the boundary of Fatuhiwala and Singhewala villages. Authorities are awaiting a forensic report to determine the exact cause of the blast. 'Our teams acted swiftly to apprehend the key accused. We are now investigating how the accused procured explosive materials without having a valid license,' added SSP Chaudhary. Survivors' statements have been recorded, and police say more arrests could follow as the probe continues.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
World No Tobacco Day observed in city
Ranchi: Sadar hospital and the department of community medicine and Tobacco Cessation Centre at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday held awareness programs to mark the World No Tobacco Day. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The theme, "Bright Products, Dark Intention: Unmasking the Appeal", shed light on the deceptive marketing practices of the tobacco industry and severe health hazards caused by tobacco use. Civil surgeon Dr Prabhat Kumar, said, "Around 1,15,000 people die each month in India due to tobacco use. We urge individuals to seek help from Sadar's Tobacco Cessation Centre. " Rims director, Raj Kumar, citing GLOBOCAN 2012, stated, "Out of 150 cancer cases per 1 lakh people, 35 are directly linked to tobacco use, including lung, oral, tongue, bladder, and pancreatic cancers." Ranchi: Sadar hospital and the department of community medicine and Tobacco Cessation Centre at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday held awareness programs to mark the World No Tobacco Day. The theme, "Bright Products, Dark Intention: Unmasking the Appeal", shed light on the deceptive marketing practices of the tobacco industry and severe health hazards caused by tobacco use. Civil surgeon Dr Prabhat Kumar, said, "Around 1,15,000 people die each month in India due to tobacco use. We urge individuals to seek help from Sadar's Tobacco Cessation Centre. " Rims director, Raj Kumar, citing GLOBOCAN 2012, stated, "Out of 150 cancer cases per 1 lakh people, 35 are directly linked to tobacco use, including lung, oral, tongue, bladder, and pancreatic cancers."
Express Tribune
23-05-2025
- Health
- Express Tribune
Measles claims territory in District East
The future of a nation relies heavily on the health and well-being of its children, who must be protected from childhood diseases through rigorous vaccination drives. Unfortunately, in Sindh, where routine immunization remains a challenge, diseases like measles continue to nip the buds of the country. According to the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) of the Sindh Health Department, over 5,000 children have been brought with symptoms of measles across hospitals in Sindh, where 31 children have died between January and April 2025. Furthermore, across seven districts of Karachi, 2,242 children were brought to different hospitals with symptoms of measles, the presence of which was confirmed through a laboratory test in 948 children. While speaking of the recent epidemic, Dr Raj Kumar, Project Director of the EPI at the Ministry of Health, confirmed that the outbreak was concentrated in District East, where out of 407 suspected cases, 247 children were confirmed to have measles. "Conversely, in the Central district, 476 children were brought with symptoms of measles, out of which 100 children were confirmed carriers. Five deaths occurred in Karachi, all of which were reported from District East," claimed Dr Kumar, while speaking of the area where no vaccination drive against measles has been conducted this year. One such grieving parent was Amer Ali, father of 4-year-old Hasnain, who succumbed to measles. "My son was under treatment at a private hospital since the past 15 days. When his condition worsened, he was brought to the NICHD hospital, where he passed away. He had developed pneumonia along with measles, which caused him severe respiratory distress. Although we had administered both doses of the measles vaccine to our son, we still could not save his life," cried Ali. Similarly, parents of another child brought to the emergency ward at Lyari Hospital revealed that their son had been experiencing fever and a rash on his body for several days. "When the child was brought to the emergency ward, the doctor informed that he had contracted measles. Our boy received medical treatment at the emergency ward, and luckily his condition has improved," said the parents. According to Dr Waseem Jamalvi, President of the Pakistan Paediatric Association Sindh, even today many children in the province remain unvaccinated against measles. "If routine vaccination is ensured, the incidence of measles can be reduced. Parents are not getting their children vaccinated against measles. While some get the initial vaccinations, many miss out on the measles vaccine. The Health Department has a sufficient supply of the measles vaccine and has made it available at every EPI centre. Children who are not vaccinated against measles are more likely to contract the disease. Therefore, all parents are urged to get their children vaccinated against measles and complete the full course of protective vaccinations against 12 diseases," implored Dr Jamalvi. Likewise, Dr Ikram Sultan, a health expert also attributed the rapid spread of measles to the low vaccination rate. "Measles is highly contagious, and despite vaccination, the number of children affected by measles is increasing. However, not vaccinating children against measles is a major reason behind the spread of this epidemic. Some affected children are those who were vaccinated, but due to weak immunity, they fell ill. Babies who are not breastfed or are suffering from nutritional deficiencies have weakened immunity and are at risk of acquiring measles. In Pakistan, children are administered measles vaccine at 9 and 15 months of age. If a child receives both doses of the vaccine, they can be effectively protected against measles," said Dr Sultan. "The Health Department of Sindh will launch a special campaign in October, in which 8,226,945 children will be administered the measles vaccine. Under the EPI program, children are given two doses of the MMR vaccine to protect against measles, mumps, and rubella," announced Dr Kumar.
United News of India
19-05-2025
- Business
- United News of India
Myntra targets diaspora in overseas push
Myntra targets diaspora in overseas push 19 May 2025 | 4:56 PM Bengaluru, May 19 (UNI) In a significant step towards global expansion, Indian fashion e-commerce platform Myntra on Monday announced the launch of its international shipping operations, beginning with Singapore. The company aims to reach 12–15 per cent of the Indian diaspora in the city-state by offering over 100 Indian fashion brands through its platform. see more.. Raj Kumar steps down from IDBI Bank board 19 May 2025 | 4:55 PM Mumbai, May 19 (UNI) IDBI Bank Ltd on Monday announced that Raj Kumar has ceased to be the LIC Nominee Director on its Board with effect from May 18 upon completion of his term. see more.. Kottayam-Kochi Rubber Market Rates 19 May 2025 | 4:50 PM Kottayam, May 19 (UNI) Following were the Rubber Market rates announced by the Rubber Board here today per quintal. see more..
