Regional

By Sundeep Pouranik
Raipur, Nov 13 (IANS) Climate change has hit every part of the country and the world. And Chhattisgarh is no exception as the new mothers in many parts of the state are not able to feed their babies in sufficient quantities.


Chhattisgarh's forest cover is more than 44 per cent of the geographical area, ranking third in the country.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) states that the places with industrial areas and collieries, where deforestation is prevalent, more coal is being used and water sources are drying up, are getting affected more by climate change, resulting in the fast spread of many diseases.

According to NFHS, 45 per cent of women in the country are unable to produce milk for their babies, one of the reasons for which is climate change.

The effect of climate change is being seen at a rapid pace in eight cities of the state namely Bilaspur, Raipur, Bhilai, Durg, Baloda Bazar, Raigarh, Korba, Janjgir-Champa and Bastar, resulting in the outbreak of diseases.

In view of this, the Central Government has started the National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) to save trees, protect the rivers and to reduce burning of coal among others.

The NPCCHH will also ensure that pollution is kept in check and reduced in areas with industries and collieries.

Germany's Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research revealed that the risk of climate change is highest in eight states of India including Chhattisgarh due to the increasing temperature every year. The main reason behind it is the decrease in forest area.

According to the research, the coming monsoons will be more powerful and irregular than before, because of which heavy rains are expected between June and September which will further cause a lot of damage to crops like paddy and tur.

A study, published in the Earth System Dynamics (ESD) journal, also suggests that India's agricultural economy will be affected, in which many crops will be destroyed and normal life will be disrupted.

--IANS
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Chennai, Nov 11 (IANS) The Indian Institute of Madras has developed a localised regional weather model to predict rainfall at the ward level and is now being used in the Chennai corporation.

This was a research project of an IIT Madras scholar, Krithiga, to provide weather forecasts for irrigation management and is now being used in Chennai corporation for flood mitigation and accurate prediction of rainfalls at a local level.

The IIT Madras has also validated the project model and implemented it in the Centre for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC) which is run daily. The project data is shared on a daily basis with the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority. IIT Madras sources told IANS that the weather prediction is done on a daily basis seven days a week.

It is to be noted that currently the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) is running a weather model on a larger scale for the entire country and is more specific towards the southwest monsoon which is the primary monsoon for the country. However, with Tamil Nadu's major monsoon being the northeast monsoon which has been erratic for the past few years has led to some grey areas in forecasting of the monsoon.

Sources in IIT Madras told IANS that the premium institute is using the Weather Researching and Forecasting model and has modified it for suiting to the requirements of Southern regions of peninsular India.

The new model is of 4 km resolution while that of the IMD model is 25 km resolution and hence will be able to provide more localised predictions. Even information like whether the rains are upstream or downstream of Chembarambakkam reservoir can also be recorded and provided to the disaster management agency which could be used for a proper flood mitigation and preventing inundation.

Sources in the IIT Madras told IANS that the project which has been implemented in Chennai corporation on a trial basis will be extended to Tirunelveli district. The inflow into the Thamirabarani river is the major forecast to be done as far as Tiruchi is concerned and if the likely rainfall in catchment areas of the river is predicted accurately, it would help dissolve the flood mitigation in that area.

--IANS
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Canberra, Nov 11 (IANS) Sai Rohit Paladugu, a 27 year-old student from Andhra Pradesh, died on the spot after his car crashed into a tree in Australia's Victoria state, media reports said.

Paladugu, who came to Australia in 2017 to pursue higher studies, was a resident of Polakala Yellampally village in Chittoor district, the Herald Sun reported.

Victoria police believe the car was travelling north on the Goulburn Valley Highway on November 3 when it left the road and struck a tree near the Hume Freeway interchange.

They are still investigating and are yet to determine what time the collision occurred.

Investigators are urging anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam footage of the vehicle to contact Crime Stoppers, or submit a confidential report online at www.crimestoppersvic.com.au, the NCR Review reported.

Friends said Paladugu was also working to help his mother and to pay off the education loan taken to come to Australia.

His father had already passed, and he was the sole bread earner.

To support his family, more than $65,000 have been raised through a fundraiser, which is being carried out by Telugu Association Of Australia, SBS Tamil reported.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Nov 11 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to unveil a 108-feet tall bronze statue of KempeGowda in the city on Friday.

On his arrival by a special flight at the HAL airport, the Prime Minister was accorded a warm welcome by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot.

Union Parliamentary Minister for Coal, Mine and Parliamentary Affairs Pralhad Joshi, State BJP in-charge Arun Singh, MP Tejaswi Surya and MLA Arvind Limbavali were also present on the occasion.

During his whirlwind tour spanning about four hours, he will take part in five programmes, including the inauguration of a 108-feet tall bronze statue of founder of Bengaluru city KempeGowda and a public rally.

Prime Minister Modi will arrive at the Vidhana Soudha and pay tributes to the statues of social reformers Kanaka Dasa and Valmiki on the premises.

He will then proceed to the Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station in Bengaluru and flag off the Vande Bharata Express and Bharat Gourav Kashi Darshan trains.

Prime Minister Modi will reach the KempeGowda International Airport in Bengaluru and inaugurate swanky Terminal-2 at 11.30 a.m. He will also inaugurate the KempeGowda statue built in the premises of Bengaluru airport at 12 noon.

At 12.20 p.m., he will participate and address a public gathering.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Pratap Reddy stated that 6,000 police personnel would be deputed to ensure security during the visit of PM Modi to Bengaluru.

PM Modi will leave for Madurai Airport in Tamil Nadu from Bengaluru at 1.45 pm.

--IANS
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Bareilly, Nov 11 (IANS) He had been rescuing snakes for almost 30 years and had earned the name of 'snake man' in Bareilly.

But two days ago, Moti Ram, 60, died after being bitten by a cobra while rescuing it from a house in Teachers' Colony in Rajendra Nagar locality.

The incident was reported to the police as it was an unnatural death, but no FIR or complaint was lodged in the matter.

According to reports, Moti Ram had caught the snake safely, but became a bit relaxed while putting it into the rescue bag during which he was bitten on a finger of his right hand.

The man's condition started deteriorating after the snake bite and he was rushed to a nearby primary health centre, from where he was referred to the district hospital. The victim succumbed during treatment, said the police spokesman.

"He had caught hundreds of snakes in the past years but this time, his luck ran out and he died due to snake bite," said a family member.

Meanwhile, in a related incident, a 30-year-old man died of snake bite in Badaun while playing with the reptile at Kakoda fair organised on the occasion of Kartik Purnima.

The deceased Dharam Veer was apparently enamoured by a snake charmer moving with a snake around his neck.

The victim too tried the same but was bitten by the snake, a police official said.

"Though the snake charmer said the snake is not poisonous, the victim's health started deteriorating after the bite and he was rushed to a local hospital where he succumbed during treatment," he said.

--IANS
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Lakhimpur Kheri, Nov 11 (IANS) A 10-year-old boy was mauled to death by a tiger that strayed away from the Dudhwa buffer zone forests in Uttar Pradesh.

The incident took place on Thursday evening near a sugarcane field in Nimbuabojh village under the Palia kotwali circle.

The boy, identified as Jasim, was reported to have gone to the fields to harvest the crop when the big cat, hiding nearby, attacked and killed him.

The villagers working in the field rushed to his rescue and chased away the tiger.

However, the boy succumbed to the fatal injuries.

Agitated over the incident, the villagers resorted to demonstration.

Palia kotwali in-charge, P.K. Mishra and his staff rushed to the spot and tried to pacify the agitating villagers.

Field director, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Sanjay Kumar Pathak and deputy director, Dudhwa buffer zone, Sundaresh also rushed to the spot and inspected the scene.

Confirming the incident, Pathak said in view of public resentment following the tragic incident, cages to trap the tiger would be set up while elephant patrolling would also be carried out to drive the big cat back to the forests that are just a kilometre away from the human habitations.

--IANS
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Bengaluru, Nov 7 (IANS) Ahead of the assembly polls due early next year, the BJP government in Karnataka is wooing the coastal region with several sops. The state government will offer subsidy to fishermen who upgrade their motor boats from kerosene to petrol, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stated.

Speaking after inaugurating Jan Sankalp Yatra at Udupi on Monday, Bommai said the fishermen's demand for increase in kerosene quota will be discussed with the Central government.

Emphasising that the state government is committed to all-round development of coastal districts, Bommai said that the State budget for the year 2022-23 has provisions for the development of eight fishing ports for the fishing activities.

"In the current year, 100 high speed boats will be distributed of which 40 per cent will be subsidized. Depending upon the response from the fishermen the number of high speed boats will be increased. Measures have been taken for the development of Mangaluru and Karwar posts," Bommai said.

The boiled rice grown by farmers of the coastal region will be purchased and distributed through the Public Distribution System, he added.

Bommai said that over the next five years, Rs 2 lakh crore will be invested in renewable energy in coastal districts.

"Ours is a double engine government. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership in the Centre and B.S. Yediyurappa's leadership in Karnataka, we are confident that BJP will come back to power. The opposition Congress Party is practicing divide and rule policy and people will reject that party. By cheating the minorities, the Congress is playing appeasement politics. It will be difficult for the sitting Congress legislators to retain their seats in the coming Assembly polls."

Bommai noted that the relaxation from the Coastal Regulation Zone norms for the development of coastal areas in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts will ensure development of coastal regions such as employment, economy and more trade.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Nov 7 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday carried out search operations at three locations in Kerala's Malappuram district in a case pertaining to the criminal conspiracy hatched by the office-bearers, members and cadres of no banned Popular Front of India (PFI).

An NIA official said that the PFI members were involved in raising funds from India and abroad through banking channels, hawala, donations etc., which were used for terror and anti-national activities.

"They were committing or planning terrorist acts in various parts of India, including in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The accused persons were conducting training camps for terrorist activities at various locations across the country," the official said.

The NIA had earlier carried out search operations at 39 locations across the country on September 22, during which 20 accused persons were arrested.

During the searches conducted on Monday, incriminating materials, including digital devices, documents etc., were seized.

IANS
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Mumbai, Nov 7 (IANS) A political storm erupted in Maharashtra on Monday as a ruling Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) Minister Abdul Sattar allegedly used foul words against Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule, the daughter of veteran leader Sharad Pawar.

The NCP workers and leaders mounted massive protests in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Aurangabad, Solapur and other places demanding the sacking of the Minister and the resignation of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Rattled by the possible fallout of the agitation, with Shiv Sena-UBT, Congress leaders as also Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) slamming the government, Shinde is understood to have called up Sattar and given him an earful.

Political sources said that the CM even ordered Sattar to call up and personally apologise to Sule and end the matter, as some BJP leaders also commented on the issue.

Earlier, while attacking the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) for its ongoing shrill 'Khokha' (slang for Rs 1 crore), Sattar seemingly lost control and used certain disrespectful words against Sule.

He was apparently responding to Sule's allegations hinting at how the Shiv Sena rebels had allegedly taken '50 Khokhas' to bring down the erstwhile MVA government in June.

Sattar's utterances enraged the NCP activists and many rushed to his ministerial home in Mumbai and his private residence in Aurangabad, staged protests, shouted slogans and pelted stones, smashing several window-panes.

NCP Women's Wing leader Vidya Chavan demanded that Shinde must sack Sattar or seek his resignation within 24 hours failing which they would block his entry to Mantralaya.

The NCP has also written to the Director General of Police and the Maharashtra State Commission for Women demanding stringent action against Sattar.

NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase lodged a complaint against Sattar MRA Marg police, and other activists filed complaints in various police stations in different parts of the state.

Elsewhere, NCP workers blackened or stoned pictures of Sattar, beat up his portraits with shoes, burnt his effigies, and demanded his dismissal from the ministry.

Senior NCP leader Dr. Jitendra Awhad said Sattar is a follower of Islam which always propounds respect for women and other women activists asked that by using such derogatory language, does the arrogant minister even deserve to be called a Muslim.

As the political heat turned up, Sattar went on the defensive, denying that he made any such utterances against Sule while claiming that he was only replying to those who are defaming the BSS with the "50 Khokha" allegations.

"However, if any woman feels that I have offended them in any manner, I hereby withdraw my words and also apologise. I am sorry," Sattar airily told media persons, urging them not to stoke the flames any more.

Sena-UBT leaders like Aditya Thackeray called Sattar 'Abdul Gaddaar' (traitor), Sushma Andhare, Kishore Tiwari, NCP's Clyde Crasto, MNS' Sandeep Deshpande and Congress leaders attacked the BSS for his disrespectful language and demanded stringent action against the errant minister.

Chavan and other women leaders rejected the minister's apology and said they would not settle for anything less than Sattar's dismissal from the state cabinet.

Sattar retorted that though he said nothing objectionable, attempts were being made to defame and target him, and he would not be scared by demands for his sacking/ resignation.

--IANS
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Kochi, Nov 7 (IANS) Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Monday barred journalists of Kairali TV and Media One TV channels from covering a press briefing in Kochin after inviting them.

Sidelining of a section of the media has come under fire from both the CPI-M and the Congress-led UDF.

Khan has been upset with Media One and said that they are settling scores with him over the Shah bano case by giving false news, while Kairali is a party channel.

He said the vice chancellor, whom he had appointed to take charge at the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University of Kerala, had to face law and order issues. There are threats against him also, but he is ready to face it, he added.

Taking on the Left parties for their proposed massive protest march before his official residence by the CPI-M on the 15th of this month, the Governor asked them not to wait till then.

Khan said he is willing to take part in a public debate over what's happening in the state and asked Vijayan also to take part.

He is prepared to quit, he said if the state government comes out with evidence to prove that he is interfering in the governance. It's the other way, he said, adding that the state government is interfering in the functioning of the Raj Bhavan.

"Anyone is free to raise a complaint against him or seek legal redress, if he has violated rules," he asserted.

Turning his ire towards Vijayan, Khan said, he knows who Vijayan is as long ago, when a young IPS officer wielded a pistol, Vijayan had ran away.

Responding to the allegations, CPI-M state secretary M.V.Govindan accused the Governor of taking a position which in no way is "acceptable" and termed it "totally undemocratic".

"A governor has to function in a fair manner with no discrimination and according to the Constitution. Here, the governor is violating everything and is creating tension. But the CPI-M is not going to budge as the people of Kerala are the final deciding authority and that's what we will be doing," said Govindan.

Leader of Opposition V.D.Satheesan said that a person occupying a Constitutional post should never resort to partisan ways of conduct.

"Avoiding a section of the media is a fascist style of functioning and undemocratic and in no way it's acceptable as freedom of the press is of paramount importance," said Satheesan.

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists too have strongly condemned Khan's act announced to stage a protest before the Raj Bhavan on Tuesday.

--IANS
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