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• Experts in Bangalore recently opined that most of the city's 60 million rats are likely to be carriers of the organism which causes killer diseases. Shakunthala Sridhara, expert on rodent control, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, said, "It is vital to launch an immediate rodent control programme to control sur- face as well as sewer rats, since all species of rats, bandicoots and gerbils spread disease."

• The first rural LPG connection was recently released at Thirukkuvalai village in Thiruvarur A T Panneer- selvarn district, Tamil Nadu. Under the concept the'Rural LPG Marketing Vehicle'carries the cooking gas to villages where cylinders are filled and handed over to consumers. The first recipient of the rural LPG was Pavadalsamy, a resident of Thirkkuvalai village.

The Oriental Insurance Company and the State Elephant Owners Association have devised a low-premium insurance plan for domestic tuskers in Kerala. The scheme covers death of the animal due to illness or accident, loss to third party's life and property caused by the animal and injury and death of the mahout.

• A neem-based herbal contraceptive for women developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation has been launched after clinical trials. The indigenously developed cream-based contraceptive, named Nim-76, establishes the efficacy of neem oil in killing human sperms.

• The Delhi government has set up a task group on greening Delhi to suggest measures for controlling pollution levels. The task group's report titled Greening Delhi - an Action Plan 1997-98 was released on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, by chief minister Sahib Singh Verma urging various government agencies and departments to take up massive afforestation drive.

• The Centre has launched a novel scheme to recognise and market eco-friendly products under 'ecomark' label to promote environment- friendly goods. Various products, including toilet soaps, detergents, paper and food items like edible oils, lubricating oils, packaging material, laminates and batteries are among the things that will be labelled with ecomark.

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