downtoearth-subscribe

INDIA

The Union government is expected to sanction about Rs 4,000 crore per annum for implementing various watershed programmes throughout the country, says G B Singh, deputy director general, National Resource Management of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (icar), New Delhi.

The Taj Mahal, which has been exposed to pollution, rain, and extreme weather conditions for years, will get a facelift under a Rs 93-lakh international collaborative programme.

India's environment minister Suresh Prabhu has reconstituted several expert committees, which give clearance to new projects. These committees are almost entirely headed by former senior bureaucrats, despite the fact that the ministry's notifi-cation stresses that the chairpersons of the committees have to be environmentalists of repute.

The Indian government is yet to give a formal approval to a new mechanical booster device that can save about 30 per cent fuel in four-wheeled automobiles. The technique was patented in 1989 by an Indian technologist.

The Indian Meteorological Depart-ment has forecast a normal monsoon for the 11th consecutive year. However, the department says that El Ni

Related Content