Subscribe
India is experiencing a significant deficit in animal fodder, with shortages estimated at 11.24-32 per cent for green fodder and 23 per cent for dry fodder, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Union Minister for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, told the Rajya Sabha July 31, 2024. He was sharing estimates made by the ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi.
The Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs is implementing six centrally sponsored schemes under the Pradhan Mantri Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana for the development and welfare of tribal communities, Durgadas Uikey, Union Minister of State for tribal affairs, informed the Rajya Sabha. The scheme, approved for the period from 2021-22 to 2025-26, has a total budget of Rs 26,135.46 crore.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs does not centrally maintain data on deaths caused by various disasters, Nityanand Rai, Union Minister of State for home affairs, stated in the Rajya Sabha. However, data provided by state / Union territories to the National Crime Records Bureau showed that 730 deaths were recorded due to heat / sunstroke in 2022.
The Department of Fisheries under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana is promoting coastal aquaculture across all coastal States and UTs, Singh told the Rajya Sabha. Projects worth Rs 179.5 crore have been approved, covering activities such as the genetic improvement programme of Penaeus indicus, Broodstock Multiplication Centres for P monodon, construction of brackish water ponds over 1,381 hectares and 20 shrimp hatcheries. Additionally, the Department of Fisheries has approved five Broodstock Multiplication Centres to develop shrimp broodstock. Over the past three years, 5,544 coastal aquaculture farms have been established in coastal states and UTs, according to the Coastal Aquaculture Authority, Singh added.
India’s total marine fish production for 2022-23 was 4.43 million tonnes, an increase of 0.3 million tonnes from the previous year’s 4.12 million tonnes, Singh informed the Rajya Sabha. The ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute reported that overall marine fish production, as measured through marine fish landings, has not shown a declining trend. Furthermore, the Institute’s Marine Fish Stock Status 2022 indicated that 91.1 per cnet of the 135 fish stocks evaluated in different regions were found to be sustainable.
Shripad Yesso Naik, Union Minister of State for new and renewable energy and power, told the Lok Sabha that the scheme guidelines for setting up hydrogen hubs in India under the National Green Hydrogen Mission were notified on March 15, 2024. With an outlay of Rs 200 crore, the mission aims to support at least two hydrogen hubs in India by 2025-26.
Naik informed the Lok Sabha that under the ministry's waste-to-energy programme, central financial assistance is provided for setting up waste-to-energy projects based on applications from project developers. In the past two years, no applications have been received from the northeastern Region. As of June 30, 2024, 64 bio-methanation plants have been set up across the country under this programme.
Coal India Ltd has identified 305 closed, abandoned or discontinued mines, of which 174 have been earmarked for operationalisation after obtaining the necessary approvals and clearances, G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for coal and mines, told the Lok Sabha. Additionally, 109 mines are set for final closure, six for underground coal gasification projects and 16 for temporary mine closure plans.
Three desalination plants, each with a capacity to produce 100,000 litres of fresh water per day, have been established at Kavaratti, Minicoy and Agatti islands in Lakshadweep, Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for science and technology and earth sciences, informed the Lok Sabha.
These plants use Low Temperature Thermal Desalination technology developed by the National Institute of Ocean Technology. Based on their success, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has tasked the Union Territory of Lakshadweep with setting up six more desalination plants at Amini, Androth, Chetlat, Kadmat, Kalpeni and Kiltan, each with a capacity of 150,000 litres per day. Three of these plants, at Kalpeni, Amini and Kadmat, have been recently established.