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Data on farmers’ suicides
National data on the causes of suicides in the farm sector had not been maintained and mentioned separately, G Kishan Reddy, Union minister of state in the ministry of home affairs said in reply to a question by PL Punia in the Rajya Sabha September 21.
The National Crime Records Bureau had not been mentioning the causes of farmers’ suicides since most states had reported ‘nil’ data on suicides by farmers after several validations, Reddy said in a written statement.
Ethanol-blended petrol
Vehicles that used petrol blended with 10 per cent ethanol, were found to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.
Hence, oil marketing companies were blending 10 per cent ethanol in petrol according to its availability and in accordance with government directives, Dharmendra Pradhan, Union minister of petroleum and natural gas told the Rajya Sabha in a written statement.
The Ethanol Blended Petrol Programme was aimed at achieving multiple outcomes such as reducing import dependency, conserving foreign exchange, reducing carbon emissions and providing a boost to the agriculture sector, Pradhan added.
Cycling in cities
Public transport was affected due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in several cities of India. Hence, state governments were asked to suggest ways for promoting cycling in cities, Hardeep Singh Puri, Union minister of housing and urban Affairs said in the Rajya Sabha.
A 107 cities across India registered for the Cycles4Change Challenge announced by the government June 25, 2020.
Tamil Nadu, with 11 cities, leads the list, followed by Karnataka (10), Maharashtra (10) and Uttar Pradesh (10).
These cities are undertaking pilot projects, citizen surveys and participating in capacity building workshops related to the Challenge, the minister said.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu fisherfolk
Various measures had been undertaken by the governments of Kerala and Tamil Nadu to protect their fisherfolk from the impacts of coastal erosion, Pratap Chandra Sarangi, Union minister of state for fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying told the Lok Sabha.
The Tamil Nadu government’s fishery department had constructed sea protection walls and gryones to protect fishing villages from sea erosion, Sarangi said.
The Kerala government had implemented a rehabilitation scheme called ‘Punargaeham’ under which, fisher families residing within 50 metres of the high tide line were being funded to provide them with houses constricted in areas away from the coast, Sarangi added.
Shramik Special trains
Ninety-seven people were reported dead till September 11, 2020, while travelling on board Shramik Special Trains during the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Piyush Goyal, Union minister of railways told the Lok Sabha.
No compensation had been paid as no claim for compensation had been filed in any Railway Claims Tribunal, Goyal added.
BharatNet project
A total of 144,218 Gram Panchayats had been made broadband / internet connectivity service ready as on September 11 under the BharatNet project, Sanjay Dhotre, Union minister of state for communications, education and electronics and information technology said in the Lok Sabha.
Wi-Fi hotspots had been installed at 72,655 Gram Panchayats as part of the project, Dhotre added.