South African Indians raising funds for Uttarakhand

Johannesburg: Indian community in South Africa has launched a fund raising drive to contribute to the relief efforts in flood-hit Uttarakhand.

Local welfare organisation 'Atmadaan' and the 'Johannesburg Yuvak Mandal' have launched a collection drive already, while the BAPS Charities organisation is on the verge of launching a national relief fund.


"We are appealing to South Africans to open their hearts and wallets, as they have done in the past with relief efforts for earthquake and tsunami victims in India," said Atmadaan spokesman Ishwarlal Govan.

Indian High Commissioner to South Africa, Virendra Gupta, has lauded the efforts of local organisations in raising relief funds for the victims of the floods that devastating killed thousands of people.

India is grateful for the contributions by South Africans, both with the empathy shown and the material assistance, Gupta said at an event at the Indian Cultural Centre here yesterday.

"The exact extent of the loss will never be known. Many thousands have been simply lost without being able to account for them. But the magnitude of the loss is not in numbers. It is in the trail of tragedy which has been left behind, with huge devastation which will take several months if not years for reconstruction," Gupta said.

Gupta said all funds raised in South Africa will be sent to either the Prime Minister's Relief Fund or to any other organisation which can channel it into the relief effor

ts.

PTI 

Badal offers Rs 10 cr for reconstruction work in U'khand

Dehradun: Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal Friday announced a financial assistance of Rs 10 crore for reconstruction of Kedarnath shrine, Hemkunt Sahib and other Himalayan centres of faith in the wake of the recent calamity.

Badal, who met Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna at the secretariat here, said in these moments of crisis Punjab stands in solidarity with Uttarakhand and will offer all help to the state government in relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Besides announcing a financial assistance of Rs 10 crore for reconstruction of the damaged Himalayan temples, Badal also announced that relief material including 10 thousand tonnes of flour and rice, 100 tonnes of sugar, 10,000 blankets and woollens as per requirements will be provided by Punjab government.

Expressing his gratefulness to Badal, Bahuguna said the Punjab Chief Minister's gesture reflects the country's ethos of helping each other in times of need.

PTI 

BJP MPs to donate a month's salary to flood-hit Uttarakhand

Raipur: BJP's MPs, MLAs and other elected representatives in Chhattisgarh have decided to contribute one month's salary to help flood-ravaged Uttarakhand.

"BJP MPs, MLAs, mayors, corporators and other elected representatives will contribute one month's salary to Uttarakhand government to help relief efforts in the flood-hit region," BJP spokesperson Shivratan Sharma said here on Thursday.

A decision to this effect was taken during a meeting of BJP leaders in the presence of Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and the party's national joint general secretary Saudan Singh this evening.

Teams from the state are already monitoring relief measures and rescue operations in Uttarakhand, he said.

Raman Singh has already announced an aid of Rs 5 crore from the CM's relief fund to Uttarakhand government for the relief and rehabilitation of victims.

According to an official release, over 700 people from Chhattisgarh are safe and at various places in Uttarakhand.

Although the state government is not in a position to know the exact number of pilgrims stranded in Uttarakhand, official sources said over a hundred pilgrims from Chhattisgarh are still missing.


The state government has sent Uma Devi, Resident Commissioner of New Delhi-based Chhattisgarh Bhavan, and Disaster Management Secretary K R Pisda to Uttarakhand to help stranded pilgrims from Chhattisgarh.

Four teams from Chhattisgarh have also been sent to Uttarakhand to evacuate pilgrims from Chhattisgarh.

PTI 

Uttarakhand: Akhilesh Yadav announces Rs. 25 crore relief

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today announced financial help of Rs. 25 crore to Uttarakhand which has seen large-scale damage due to heavy rains and flash flood over the last few days.

"The Chief Minister has announced Rs. 25 crore financial help to natural calamity-hit Uttarakhand state and asked people to provide help to the state in any way," an official release said.

Mr Yadav assured that the state government would provide all help for relief and rescue operation in Uttarakhand.

At least 130 people were killed in the flash floods triggered by incessant rains in Uttarakhand. The toll is likely to rise manifold as thousands are still reported to be missing

Uttarakhand gets Rs 39 cr for disaster management

Dehradun: Uttarakhand government has released Rs 39 crore for disaster management in view of the state's extreme vulnerability to natural calamities during monsoon.

Officials said Rs three crore will be given to each of the state's 13 districts for the purpose.

District Magistrates across the state have been directed to be on the alert and put in place mechanism needed for disaster management in case of an emergency with a stern warning that no laxity in this regard will be tolerated, they said.

Cloudbursts in Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts during monsoon n 2012 had wreaked havoc in a number of villages flattening homes and killing scores of people.

PTI

Monsoon rains ahead of schedule: MeT office

New Delhi: India's monsoon rains are a week ahead of schedule, powering across two-thirds of the country by June 14 and heavier than normal, but the weather office is sticking to its forecast for average rains during the entire four-month period.

Heavier than normal rains can trigger flooding but at this stage in the June to September season, they spur planting of crops. India's biggest concern is drought during a monsoon, with rains crucial for the 55 percent of farmland without irrigation.

The monsoon should cover the whole of India before the usual mid-July timing and their distribution over major crop-growing regions should be fairly even, BP Yadav, a director at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said on Friday.

Rainfall is expected to be at 101 percent of the long-term average in July and 96 percent in August, two key months for the planting and maturing of crops.

The strong start to the June to September monsoon boosts prospects of robust farm output.

That could help the economy and hold down inflation, a critical concern for the coalition government as it readies for a round of state polls this year and a national ele

ction by May 2014.

India is one of the world's biggest producers and consumers of rice, sugar and other food agricultural commodities. A strong monsoon will underpin government confidence harvests will be ample to cover the extra grains needed for its plans for a $24 billion welfare scheme to give cheap food to more of its poor.

The weather office first forecast an average monsoon in April, before the season started, and the continuing absence of the El Nino weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean, which can cause droughts, played a part in its confirmation of that forecast on Friday.

The rains have also been ample over seven southern and western states, including major sugar producer Maharashtra, which were hit by drought last year and need plentiful and timely rain to assist a recovery.

© Thomson Reuters 2013

Pre-monsoon showers bring respite in parts of Rajasthan

Jaipur: Parts of Rajasthan were lashed by pre-monsoon showers on Tuesday, giving relief to people suffering from hot and humid conditions, as Ajmer recorded a maximum rainfall of 50.4 mm.

People in pink city of Jaipur also enjoyed showers as the city witnessed 25.9 mm rainfall this afternoon.

Kota received a maximum rainfall of 2.4 mm.

However, there was no let up in heat wave conditions in rest of the state as Sriganganagar was the hottest with 43 degree Celsius followed by Jaisalmer 41.2, Bikaner 40.6, Churu 39.4, Jodhpur 39, and Jaipur 31.7 deg C.

Showers or squall may hit parts of north-west Rajasthan in the next 24 hours, according to the meteorological department.

PTI

Normal monsoon expected in Karnataka

Bangalore: The southwest monsoon is expected to be normal this season across Karnataka due to favourable atmospheric conditions evident from excess rainfall during the last 10 days, a meteorological official said on Monday.

"The atmospherical conditions are good for normal monsoon this season, which will last till September," regional meteorological director B. Puttanna said.

"As the southwest monsoon had been active since it set in neighbouring Kerala and advanced into the coastal and south interior regions of the state, the rainfall had been above normal," he added.

Since June 1, the state has received 75 mm rainfall, which is 45 percent more than normal in the coastal districts and the Western Ghats region. Rains were also widespread in the south interior and north interior parts of the state.

"However, Chamarajnagar, Chickmagalur and Kodagu districts had less rain. If the monsoon remains active over the next couple of weeks, more rains are expected to make up for any deficit in isolated regions of the state," Puttanna said.

Deficit monsoon and a prolonged dry spell during the monsoon season last year led to severe drought in the state, resulting in water levels dipping to lowest in reservoirs and catchment areas.

"Indications so far are that monsoon rains will be normal this year with prospects of excess rainfall in coastal and the Western Ghats due to low pressure and positive wind movement," the official said.

With the monsoon setting in on time, farmers have taken up sowing operations in those areas where rains have been widespread and above normal.

"Sufficient quantities of seeds and fertilisers have been stocked in the districts for distribution to farmers. Sowing is in full swing in about 30 percent of the areas where rains have been widespread and the rest of the state will be covered by August as the monsoon advances into central and northern districts of the state," state Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said in the legislative assembly earlier Monday.

The state government has formed vigilant teams to check the quality of seeds and fertilisers and prevent sale of spurious seeds and other farm inputs.

IANS

Temperatures drop in North India after rains

New Delhi:Temperatures dropped slightly today at most places across North India after Thursday's rains, even as hot and humid conditions persisted in the region.

Maximum temperature came down in the national capital to settle a notch below normal at 39.3 degrees against yesterday's 43.6 degrees Celsius, but the humidity settled at 77 per cent.

Rains led to a dip in mercury in Rajasthan also, where the monsoon is likely to arrive three-four days in advance as per a Met office forecast.

Bikaner was the hottest place in the state with a high of 47 degrees.

The south-west monsoon will hit Mumbai during next 48 hours and will be normal across the country with overall 98 per cent rainfall, the IMD said, adding that a detailed prediction of it will be made next week.

Temperature also dipped in Punjab and Haryana, but high humidity, up to 100 per cent in some places, left people sweating.

While mercury in Chandigarh stood at 36.6 degrees, two notches below normal, it was recorded in Amritsar at 41 degrees Celsius.

Ludhiana and Patiala had a high of 39.1 and 37.2 degrees Celsius respectively, settling up to 4 notches below normal.

Light to heavy rains continued to occur at isolated places in Uttar Pradesh, leading to decline in the temperature in Faizabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, and Meerut divisions.

While Barabanki and Ambedkarnagar recorded 6 cm rainfall each, Lucknow and Faizabad registered 5 cm each. It was 4 cm rainfall in Basti, 3 cm each in Sultanpur, Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar.

Highest maximum temperature of 45.6 degree Celsius was recorded at Banda.

Pre-Monsoon showers hit Gujarat

Rajkot/Ahmedabad: Parts of drought-affected Gujarat on Friday received rainfall with MeT officials describing the showers as pre-monsoon activity.

"Rain in south Gujarat, parts of Saurashtra, Vadodara and Ahmedabad is (a result of) local phenomenon over the lower level of the Gujarat region.

"Onset of monsoon in the entire state is expected from June 15," a MeT department official said, adding that the showers today was "pre-monsoon activity".

Junagadh district today received 56-mm rain while the rain gauge measured showers of 28-mm in Rajkot district. In Jamnagar district, Jamjodhpur taluka received 14-mm rainfall while Kalavad tehsil (10-mm), too, was in for some showers.

Other districts in the Saurashtra region received sporadic rainfall, the MeT official added.

Many parts of Saurashtra, south Gujarat, Ahmedabad and Vadodara have received rainfall over the last few days. Surat city in south Gujarat received heavy showers.


PTI 

India basks in solar glory

From Ladakh in the north to Madurai in the south, solar power is turning India into a hot destination for clean energy investments from across the globe.

The good news comes at a time when money flow into low-carbon economies is falling across the world. The investment is all the more welcome because India has suffered its lowest economic growth (5%) in a decade.

"The investment in clean technologies increased by 11% in 2012 in India, second largest after China," planning commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia said at the recent clean energy ministerial forum in Delhi.

With around 44% of Indian villages without regular power connection and peak time power deficit of 8-10%, solar power is a viable option for policymakers. In just five years, states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, which get more than 300 days of bright sun in a year, have made the most from solar revolution. Gujarat and Rajasthan have increased their solar generation by over five times in this period, while other states have more than doubled their capacity. Around 700 million square hectares in India have solar installations.

Tarun Kapoor, joint secretary in-charge of solar mission in the ministry of new and renewable energy, said solar power could be cheaper than the conventional coal-based electricity in 2014. The generation cost of solar power has dipped from R17 per unit in 2008-09 to R6.45 in Rajasthan and R6.49 in Tamil Nadu now. It is expected to come down to Rs. 6 by the end of 2013.

The solar energy sector is also seeing a healthy competition between states. Maharashtra first came up with India's biggest solar farm of 125 MW. The record may not stand for long. Madhya Pradesh is gearing up to commission a solar station of 151 MW in August. It would not be a surprise if Gujarat upgrades its solar farm to claim the record.

Though solar energy has taken big strides in recent year, conventional thermal power will remain India's main energy source in the foreseeable future. "One of the (obvious) problems with solar energy is its unavailability in peak hours (early morning and late evenings)," said a planning commission official.

Source : HindustanTimes

Monsoon enters Andhra, to advance further

Hyderabad: The Southwest Monsoon on Monday entered Andhra Pradesh and is likely to advance in the next two to three days, says the met office.

The Monsoon has set in over parts of Rayalaseema region, said the state's disaster management department quoting the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).



The Monsoon, which touched Kerala coast on Saturday, has arrived in Andhra Pradesh two days in advance.

Many places in Rayalaseema and some parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have been receiving rains since Sunday.

The IMD has forecast moderate to rather heavy rain or thundershowers at many places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema and at a few places over Telangana during the next 48 hours.

It has warned that heavy rain would occur at isolated places in the districts of Chittoor, Anantapur, Kurnool and Kadapa of Rayalaseema and Nellore, Prakasam, Guntur, Krishna, East and West Godavari of coastal Andhra Pradesh in the next 48 hours.

Officials said Tungabhadra river in Kurnool district was in spate due to heavy rains and in the upper reaches of Karnataka.

Five people were killed in thunderbolts in Guntur district in south Coastal Andhra on Sunday. Four were injured in lightning near Hyderabad.

Several parts of the state received rains last week under the impact of low pressure area over Bay of Bengal, providing relief from the intense heat.

According to officials, 524 people died due to heat across the state since April 1.

IANS 

Tata Power to add 200-250 MW of solar, wind energy

BANGALORE, INDIA: Tata Power, India's largest integrated power utility company has announced that the company has plans to add 30-50 MW of solar power and 150-200 MW of wind energy in India every year as part of its sustainability initiative.
The total generation from the solar has touched 49.83 MUs and from wind projects has touched 796 MU's till 31st March 2013 said Tata Power in a press release and further added Tata Power's generation through clean sources in India such as hydro, wind and solar today stands at 873 MW.

The release further added that the company total investment in solar and wind energy so far is Rs. 2393 crore and is committed to generating 20-25 percent of its total generation capacity from clean energy sources.
Speaking on Tata Power's commitment to clean and green energy, Anil Sardana, managing director, Tata Power said, "Our solar and wind energy assets are performing well and we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint through "clean and renewable energy" generation. Our aim is to have 20-25% of our generation portfolio from clean energy."
The company also announced that through its 100 percent subsidiary, 'Tata Power Renewable Energy Limited' has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam Limited for Mithapur project.
The company claims that it is also one of the largest wind energy generators in the country with an installed capacity of 397 MW spread across five states viz. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
The Company has recently commissioned 21 MW wind project in Rajasthan.

Source : CIOL

Premlata Agrawal becomes the first Indian woman mountaineer to complete the Seven Summits

New Delhi: The height of her spirit for adventure reached a crescendo as ace woman mountaineer, Premlata Agrawal marked her imprint atop Alaska’s McKinley Peak and planted the Indian Tricolor as completion to scaling the SEVEN CONTINENTAL PEAKS on May 23, 2013. With this, she became the first Indian woman mountaineer to step on the highest peak of North America. She was felicitated for this momentous achievement on her return to India, here in the capital today.

On each of the seven continents, there is one peak that stands above the rest. The Seven Summits present different challenges that have to be overcome with extreme and testing fortitude. Summiting all of them is regarded as one of the world’s biggest mountaineeringchallenge. Seven Summits has become the dream of many climbers, but only a select few have succeeded. Premlata now proudly belongs to this group.

Speaking on her triumphant return, Premlata Agrawal said, “I am extremely proud to have accomplished this achievement on behalf of my country and all the women who live here with courage and determination. This experience has again taught me that if you have the will and focus, no matter where you come from, you can conquer the world.”

Also present on the occasion and the key facilitator for her homecoming was Member of Parliament, Dr. Ajay Kumar from Jamshedpur (Jharkhand); belonging to Premlata’s family’s hometown. Dr. Kumar said, “Premlata has been a reason for us at Jharkhand to be proud since a long time. She is now a national source of inspiration to all and I’d like to offer her our deepest respect and congratulations.”

The unassuming housewife who ventured out of the kitchen to give shape to all mountaineers’ greatest dream, worked towards her passion for heights starting at the age of 35 when she undertook the Dalma (hill) trek 13 years ago. That was the starting point that led to the now famous Thar Camel Expedition, the ascent of Mt Kilimanjaro before setting foot on the world’s highest peak, Mt Everest, on 20th May, 2011. This feat provided her the vision to want to plant the Tri Color on all the Continental Peaks – The Seven Summits.

Ace mountaineer and the first Indian woman to scale Mt Everest, Tata Steel and Ms Bachendri Pal have played a key role in discovering and encouraging Premlata’s talent to be able to achieve success via rigorous training and mental coaching.

Just before Premlata embarked on the ascent of McKinley Peak to cap off her Seven Continental Peaks’ successful climbs, the Government of India awarded her The Padmashree Honor for her trail-blazing achievements.

To quote Premlata further, “Even when foul weather thwarted my initial attempt of planting my National Flag atop Mt Denali, my determination to climb this peak did not fizzle out; instead, it re-bolstered my will to start anew and ascend Denali. What egged me on in overcoming the toughest of obstacles during my ascents was the fire covering my spirit to achieve in the form of our Tricolour wrapped around me, which, I have planted atop each of the seven Continental Peaks with the pride of being an Indian woman.”

“My most cherished desire is to draw forth Indian women out of their routine household chores and imbibe in them the exciting and indefatigable spirit of adventure that will instill in them the confidence to tackle all situations.”

Source : IndianSportsNews

Cool morning in Delhi, day will be partly cloudy

Delhi: It was a cool, pleasant morning in the capital on Saturday with the minimum temperature settling a notch below average at 26.7 degrees Celsius. The Met Office has forecast a partly cloudy day ahead.

"The skies will become partly cloudy in the day and the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 40 degrees Celsius," an official of the India Meteorological Department said.

Humidity at 8.30 a.m. was 69 percent.

Friday's maximum temperature was 40.6 degrees Celsius - average for this time of year, and the minimum was three notches below average at 24.8 degrees Celsius.