Priyanka Kakodkar
Thursday, April 12, 2007 (Mumbai)
The corridors of power in Maharashtra have been shaken up by new rules for women bureaucrats.
The rules, which are meant for the All India Services include a mandatory health check up, which is part of the performance evaluation.
However, as part of the health check-up, the new questions that are specific to women officers have sparked a controversy.
The new rules drafted by the Union Personnel Ministry demand that women bureaucrats detail their menstrual history, the date of their last menstrual period and their last delivery in their annual performance evaluation.
They also ask whether the their mammographic and gynaecological tests were normal.
There are nearly 40 women IAS officers in Maharashtra who now plan to send a protest letter to the Centre.
''I think there's absolutely no connection between women's health and performance. And why are men not being asked these questions,'' said I A Kundan, Fee Monitoring Committee.
''I don't think this should be used as a parameter to assess a woman's health and for which she could be penalised,'' said Leena Mehendale, Secretary, Animal Husbandry.
These rules will apply not only to women IAS officers but also to those in the police and forest service, and though the protest may be starting in Maharashtra, it is likely to spread to other states.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Girls to gain a lot from goats in Maharashtra
http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=86919#compstory
The Indian Express Dt 23 May 2007
Girls to gain a lot from goats in Maharashtra
Agencies
Posted online: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at 1427 hours IST
Pune, May 22: Young girls in rural households of Maharashtra will soon have a four-legged friend to promote their health and well being.
Sounds a bit strange. But the state Animal Husbandry Commissioner Leena Mehendale, who has conceived the unique project 'Maitrin' (girl friend) to hand over a she-goat to the families having a girl child, is confident of getting a nod from the state Cabinet, the first of its kind in the country.
Under the scheme, currently awaiting formal clearance from Finance ministry, the Animal Husbandry Department will provide a she-goat to those families in rural areas of the state having girls aged between 8 to 18 years.
Explaining to logic behind the measure to be implemented from coming financial year, Mehendale said that the goat was expected to serve as a means to increase income of the rural families resulting in better nutrition ‘for the traditionally neglected girl child’.
The beneficiary family heads will be told to test the hemoglobin percentage of the girls after a period of one year at government hospitals to know whether they were being looked after well.
"If we find that hemoglobin count has gone up after one year, the concerned family will be given one more female goat as an incentive of sorts," Mehendale said.
The Indian Express Dt 23 May 2007
Girls to gain a lot from goats in Maharashtra
Agencies
Posted online: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 at 1427 hours IST
Pune, May 22: Young girls in rural households of Maharashtra will soon have a four-legged friend to promote their health and well being.
Sounds a bit strange. But the state Animal Husbandry Commissioner Leena Mehendale, who has conceived the unique project 'Maitrin' (girl friend) to hand over a she-goat to the families having a girl child, is confident of getting a nod from the state Cabinet, the first of its kind in the country.
Under the scheme, currently awaiting formal clearance from Finance ministry, the Animal Husbandry Department will provide a she-goat to those families in rural areas of the state having girls aged between 8 to 18 years.
Explaining to logic behind the measure to be implemented from coming financial year, Mehendale said that the goat was expected to serve as a means to increase income of the rural families resulting in better nutrition ‘for the traditionally neglected girl child’.
The beneficiary family heads will be told to test the hemoglobin percentage of the girls after a period of one year at government hospitals to know whether they were being looked after well.
"If we find that hemoglobin count has gone up after one year, the concerned family will be given one more female goat as an incentive of sorts," Mehendale said.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Khel Khel mien badlo duniya -- An inspiration
http://www.sofworld.org/scienceclub/view.php3?id=1403
Science Club
Student Name - Gaurav Arun Pandit
School Name - K.C.COLLEGE
School Address - DINSHA WACHCHA ROAD, CHURCH GATE, MUMBAI
State - MAHARASHTRA
Class - 11
Gaurav Arun Pandit
Please, Contact info@sofworld.org for changes, if any!
Respected Principal,
The undersigned students led by me have decided to start a science club in our collage. We all have decided to name the club as science for society.
We have decided to start this club taking inspiration from a TV Programme on ‘DD National’ named as ‘Khel Khel mien badlo duniya which is hardly watched by viewers due to lack of publicity. We are also influenced by an interview of ‘Mrs. Leena mehendale’ Precident of ‘PCRA’ on ‘Genext’ on ‘DD news’. She told some simple ideas to prevent waste of natural resources to conserve fuels, electricity and other energies and work of ‘PCRA is to achieve this goal. The main aim of the club will be to spread the massage of conservation of fuels, electricity etc. as well as protection of fuels, electricity etc. as well as protection of nature and to hold various projects and to guide people and some junior students about their problems and projects.
We have observed that though we learn science in schools and collages we don’t put it into practice therefore we observe that there is a criminal waste of energy, water, electricity, fuels by educated people leave apart the uneducated ones. Therefore our club will endeavor schools on subjects of conservation of resources. We will impasse upon children to spread the massage in their family amt. to spread the massage in their family and neighbourhood. We will take help of CD’s which are made available to us by well wisher.
We also propose to educate people about this during holidays and vacations. We hope that we will be successful in our work. If this type of clubs function in different parts of our country, they definitely we will become a scient force to reckon with.
We hope that you will bless our club by becoming it’s chief patron.
Science Club
Student Name - Gaurav Arun Pandit
School Name - K.C.COLLEGE
School Address - DINSHA WACHCHA ROAD, CHURCH GATE, MUMBAI
State - MAHARASHTRA
Class - 11
Gaurav Arun Pandit
Please, Contact info@sofworld.org for changes, if any!
Respected Principal,
The undersigned students led by me have decided to start a science club in our collage. We all have decided to name the club as science for society.
We have decided to start this club taking inspiration from a TV Programme on ‘DD National’ named as ‘Khel Khel mien badlo duniya which is hardly watched by viewers due to lack of publicity. We are also influenced by an interview of ‘Mrs. Leena mehendale’ Precident of ‘PCRA’ on ‘Genext’ on ‘DD news’. She told some simple ideas to prevent waste of natural resources to conserve fuels, electricity and other energies and work of ‘PCRA is to achieve this goal. The main aim of the club will be to spread the massage of conservation of fuels, electricity etc. as well as protection of fuels, electricity etc. as well as protection of nature and to hold various projects and to guide people and some junior students about their problems and projects.
We have observed that though we learn science in schools and collages we don’t put it into practice therefore we observe that there is a criminal waste of energy, water, electricity, fuels by educated people leave apart the uneducated ones. Therefore our club will endeavor schools on subjects of conservation of resources. We will impasse upon children to spread the massage in their family amt. to spread the massage in their family and neighbourhood. We will take help of CD’s which are made available to us by well wisher.
We also propose to educate people about this during holidays and vacations. We hope that we will be successful in our work. If this type of clubs function in different parts of our country, they definitely we will become a scient force to reckon with.
We hope that you will bless our club by becoming it’s chief patron.
turtle alert 8 Apr 2005
http://www.ioseaturtles.org/headline_detail.php?id=155
Indian Ocean- South East Asian Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding
Hunt for gas runs up against turtle alert 8 Apr 2005
NEW DELHI, March 20: India's endless quest for gas has run up against
the threat this may pose to one of its favourite turtles. Petroleum
Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has been asked to play judge and decide whether
exploration should continue in an area that the Petroleum Conservation
Research Association (PCRA) claims is the breeding zone for Olive
Ridleyturtles. The PCRA is completely opposed to the idea.
''Though exploratory activities are carried out at a distance of 40-60
km from the (Orissa) coast, their lights could have an adverse impact on
(the) turtles,'' argues PCRA executive director Leena Mehendale in a
letter to Aiyar. She says that the turtles are afraid of artificial
lights and the disorientation could see them heading towards land, resulting
in high mortality. Moreover, during the assessment phase, the gas would
have to be flared for several days. ''This flaring is bound to add to the
problem,'' she wrote. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH),
another wing of the same ministry, disagrees with the PCRA assessment.
For one, it says that heavy lighting is not used during drilling.
''Moreover, the point is irrelevant because the drilling locations are
30- 50 km away from the breeding, nesting or foraging areas... Once the
drilling rig moves away after the completion of operations, there are
no light sources in place,'' it said. The DGH seems keen to explore the
area as there have been promising gas finds along this coastline. On the
other hand PCRA, which was asked to look at the environmental impact of such
activity, is worried about the 70-cm long Olive Ridleys. These smallest
of sea turtles swim northwards from Sri Lanka between November and April
for mass nesting on the Orissa coast. This occurs at three nesting grounds?
Gahirmatha, Devi river mouth and Rushikulya river mouth. These are
precisely the three exploration sites mentioned in the PCRA report.
The DGH disagrees. ''The distance of the drilling locations are at
least 30-50 km away from the outer boundaries of Devi, Rushikulya and
Gahirmatha breeding areas,'' it has said. Mehendale has suggested a detailed
analysis of the impact that the exploration or drilling activity could have on
the turtles. The Environment Ministry's Multi-disciplinary Expert Group,
that visited the exploration sites, could not come to a definite conclusion
either and agreed that there was a ''need for carrying out more
detailed study''.
Mehendale's fear is that once hydrocarbon reserves in this area are
established, permanent fixtures would come up and construction activity
would increase. The appeal is before Aiyar who has called a meeting of
the PCRA, the DGH and the block operators this month before he announces
his decision.
By Biswajit Mohanty, Wildlife Society of Orissa: 21/3/2005
Indian Ocean- South East Asian Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding
Hunt for gas runs up against turtle alert 8 Apr 2005
NEW DELHI, March 20: India's endless quest for gas has run up against
the threat this may pose to one of its favourite turtles. Petroleum
Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has been asked to play judge and decide whether
exploration should continue in an area that the Petroleum Conservation
Research Association (PCRA) claims is the breeding zone for Olive
Ridleyturtles. The PCRA is completely opposed to the idea.
''Though exploratory activities are carried out at a distance of 40-60
km from the (Orissa) coast, their lights could have an adverse impact on
(the) turtles,'' argues PCRA executive director Leena Mehendale in a
letter to Aiyar. She says that the turtles are afraid of artificial
lights and the disorientation could see them heading towards land, resulting
in high mortality. Moreover, during the assessment phase, the gas would
have to be flared for several days. ''This flaring is bound to add to the
problem,'' she wrote. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH),
another wing of the same ministry, disagrees with the PCRA assessment.
For one, it says that heavy lighting is not used during drilling.
''Moreover, the point is irrelevant because the drilling locations are
30- 50 km away from the breeding, nesting or foraging areas... Once the
drilling rig moves away after the completion of operations, there are
no light sources in place,'' it said. The DGH seems keen to explore the
area as there have been promising gas finds along this coastline. On the
other hand PCRA, which was asked to look at the environmental impact of such
activity, is worried about the 70-cm long Olive Ridleys. These smallest
of sea turtles swim northwards from Sri Lanka between November and April
for mass nesting on the Orissa coast. This occurs at three nesting grounds?
Gahirmatha, Devi river mouth and Rushikulya river mouth. These are
precisely the three exploration sites mentioned in the PCRA report.
The DGH disagrees. ''The distance of the drilling locations are at
least 30-50 km away from the outer boundaries of Devi, Rushikulya and
Gahirmatha breeding areas,'' it has said. Mehendale has suggested a detailed
analysis of the impact that the exploration or drilling activity could have on
the turtles. The Environment Ministry's Multi-disciplinary Expert Group,
that visited the exploration sites, could not come to a definite conclusion
either and agreed that there was a ''need for carrying out more
detailed study''.
Mehendale's fear is that once hydrocarbon reserves in this area are
established, permanent fixtures would come up and construction activity
would increase. The appeal is before Aiyar who has called a meeting of
the PCRA, the DGH and the block operators this month before he announces
his decision.
By Biswajit Mohanty, Wildlife Society of Orissa: 21/3/2005
‘Khel Khel Me Badalo Duniya’
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030618/ncr2.htm
Tribune News Service
Infotainment fare with conservation message
Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), an apex body under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gases, has recently produced a 13-episode infotainment TV programme, ‘Khel Khel Me Badalo Duniya’, to convey the message of oil conservation to the masses.
The various aspects of petroleum exploration, refining, research and usage, as well as the different aspects of its conservation have been well discussed and depicted in order to sensitise the people on this vital issue and motivate them to actively conserve precious resources in their day to day life.
In the programme, participants have been asked to choose a topic on the theme of oil conservation and address it in their own special way. Participants include schools and colleges students from different parts of the country. There are some episodes in which teachers and students, young and old, males and females, self-employed professionals and government employed professionals also compete with each other for better idea.
The programme is divided into four segments. The first segment, ‘Kuch Kar Diikhana Hai’, is a performance based round where the participating teams are free to perform dance, drama, mimicry, parody, etc. on the theme of oil conservation.
The second segment, ‘Duniya Badalne Ki Baat’, covers success stories of organisations and persons who have made a difference in the life of others through their determination and sustained efforts.
It is aimed at motivating the youths to emulate and excel in life. Rajendra Singh, who is involved in water harvesting projects in Rajasthan, is featured as one of the success stories.
In the third segment ‘Aakde Bolte Hai’, the participants are shown interesting facts and figures based on energy conservation.
The programme ends with ‘Ek Choti Si Baat’, in which eminent personalities including Jagjit Singh, Swapan Sundari, Sudhir Tailang, Javed Akhatar deliver a message on the theme of oil conservation. The whole programme has been conceptualised by a well-known TV producer Leena Mehendale.
The main anchor of the programme is Kishen Bhutani, a well-known name in the audio-visual circuit.
Input by Nalini Ranjan
Tribune News Service
Infotainment fare with conservation message
Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), an apex body under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gases, has recently produced a 13-episode infotainment TV programme, ‘Khel Khel Me Badalo Duniya’, to convey the message of oil conservation to the masses.
The various aspects of petroleum exploration, refining, research and usage, as well as the different aspects of its conservation have been well discussed and depicted in order to sensitise the people on this vital issue and motivate them to actively conserve precious resources in their day to day life.
In the programme, participants have been asked to choose a topic on the theme of oil conservation and address it in their own special way. Participants include schools and colleges students from different parts of the country. There are some episodes in which teachers and students, young and old, males and females, self-employed professionals and government employed professionals also compete with each other for better idea.
The programme is divided into four segments. The first segment, ‘Kuch Kar Diikhana Hai’, is a performance based round where the participating teams are free to perform dance, drama, mimicry, parody, etc. on the theme of oil conservation.
The second segment, ‘Duniya Badalne Ki Baat’, covers success stories of organisations and persons who have made a difference in the life of others through their determination and sustained efforts.
It is aimed at motivating the youths to emulate and excel in life. Rajendra Singh, who is involved in water harvesting projects in Rajasthan, is featured as one of the success stories.
In the third segment ‘Aakde Bolte Hai’, the participants are shown interesting facts and figures based on energy conservation.
The programme ends with ‘Ek Choti Si Baat’, in which eminent personalities including Jagjit Singh, Swapan Sundari, Sudhir Tailang, Javed Akhatar deliver a message on the theme of oil conservation. The whole programme has been conceptualised by a well-known TV producer Leena Mehendale.
The main anchor of the programme is Kishen Bhutani, a well-known name in the audio-visual circuit.
Input by Nalini Ranjan
kitchen wastes as a source for generating electricity
http://www.domainb.com/industry/oil_gas/20041101_petro.html
India should come out of petro addiction
Our Corporate Bureau
01 November 2004
Chennai: The environment-unfriendly oil and gas era is slowly coming to an end as countries realise the cost, especially the political costs of petro addiction. That requires some disruptive technologies on the energy front.
Delivering the inaugural address at the 'oil and gas meet' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), M S Srinivasan, additional secretary, ministry of petroleum and natural gas, stated that during the last one year alone, oil prices had gone up by 65 per cent, affecting the GDP of developing countries.
The 'oil and gas meet' is being organised as a part of the Energy Summit 2004, organised by the CII-Sohrabji Godrej 'green business centre' on energy efficiency, at Chennai.
According to Srinivasan, the third energy wave - the first being coal and the second being oil and gas - should be diversified and renewable. "The diversification should be in source, usage as well as storage methods," he said. While a hydrogen-based energy economy could be a distinct possibility, he pointed out that storage and discharge of hydrogen was going to be a challenge. According to him, work is in progress on integrating nano-technology with hydrogen.
He also cited the adverse environmental impact created by the uncontrolled use of fossil fuels, such as greenhouse emissions and the resultant climate change. According to Srinivasan, though global warming had been taking place for the past hundred years, it had accelerated only after '80s to the extent that 15 of the 16 warmest years had occurred after the '80s.
Dr Leena Mehendale, executive director, Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), called upon the industry to look at alternative fuels, such as compressed natural gas (CNG), bio-diesel for transportation and other renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy.
She wanted the potential of utilising household kitchen wastes as a source for generating biogas to be examined seriously as Delhi alone would save diesel worth Rs5 per lakh per day by generating biogas from such wastes.
In his theme address, S V Narasimhan, chairman, 'oil and gas meet', said that the 21st century was the "century of gas", with the shift in global trends from using liquid fuels to gaseous fuels, in view of their lower emissions and sulphur content.
K Vasudevan, chairman, Energy Summit 2004 and G Jayaraman, chairman, 'national award for excellence in energy management' also addressed the gathering.
India should come out of petro addiction
Our Corporate Bureau
01 November 2004
Chennai: The environment-unfriendly oil and gas era is slowly coming to an end as countries realise the cost, especially the political costs of petro addiction. That requires some disruptive technologies on the energy front.
Delivering the inaugural address at the 'oil and gas meet' organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), M S Srinivasan, additional secretary, ministry of petroleum and natural gas, stated that during the last one year alone, oil prices had gone up by 65 per cent, affecting the GDP of developing countries.
The 'oil and gas meet' is being organised as a part of the Energy Summit 2004, organised by the CII-Sohrabji Godrej 'green business centre' on energy efficiency, at Chennai.
According to Srinivasan, the third energy wave - the first being coal and the second being oil and gas - should be diversified and renewable. "The diversification should be in source, usage as well as storage methods," he said. While a hydrogen-based energy economy could be a distinct possibility, he pointed out that storage and discharge of hydrogen was going to be a challenge. According to him, work is in progress on integrating nano-technology with hydrogen.
He also cited the adverse environmental impact created by the uncontrolled use of fossil fuels, such as greenhouse emissions and the resultant climate change. According to Srinivasan, though global warming had been taking place for the past hundred years, it had accelerated only after '80s to the extent that 15 of the 16 warmest years had occurred after the '80s.
Dr Leena Mehendale, executive director, Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), called upon the industry to look at alternative fuels, such as compressed natural gas (CNG), bio-diesel for transportation and other renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy.
She wanted the potential of utilising household kitchen wastes as a source for generating biogas to be examined seriously as Delhi alone would save diesel worth Rs5 per lakh per day by generating biogas from such wastes.
In his theme address, S V Narasimhan, chairman, 'oil and gas meet', said that the 21st century was the "century of gas", with the shift in global trends from using liquid fuels to gaseous fuels, in view of their lower emissions and sulphur content.
K Vasudevan, chairman, Energy Summit 2004 and G Jayaraman, chairman, 'national award for excellence in energy management' also addressed the gathering.
New oil find may be Jatropha plant
http://www.hindu.com/2005/08/26/stories/2005082610500500.htm
Other States - Rajasthan
New oil find may be Jatropha plant
Special Correspondent
It grows like a weed in wasteland and is used by rural folks to protect their crops Tribals in Rajasthan, M. P. make use of the oil from Jatropha seeds for lighting lamps
JAIPUR: The new oil find in the desert may be the bio-diesel plant Jatropha, commonly known as "Rattanjot'' in this part of the country. Rajasthan, occupying one-tenth of the country's total land mass but boasting of only one per cent of its water resources, is considered ideal for growing Jatropha Curcus, also known by the names of Pongamia Pinnata, Honge and Karanja.
Jatropha, now spotted as an ideal source of TBO (tree borne oil seed), is already grown in the region. Farmers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have been putting the oil from its seeds to local use before the Planning Commission, concerned with the country's growing expenses over imports of crude--52 million metric tonnes of high speed diesel by 2006-07, decided to set up a Bio-diesel Mission in 2002.
It grows like a weed in the wasteland and is used as a hedge by the rural folks to protect their crops. The tribals in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh make use of the oil from Jatropha seeds for lighting lamps. On a commercial scale, it can be planted on under-stocked forest lands, fallow lands and on farmers holdings as agro forestry along with agricultural crops.
Apart from the areas under the Japanese-assisted Aravalli Afforestation Programme in Banswara and Udaipur, Rattanjot is grown across 600 hectares in Rajasthan. The pilot projects, covering 300 hectares each, are run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Maharana Pratap Agriculture University, Udaipur. The plants consume less water and can also adjust to harsh weather conditions.
"In three years since the Planning Commission took the initiative on bio- diesel, a lot of things have happened. The latest has been the setting up of a bio- diesel credit bank by the PCRA on August 17,'' observed Leena Mehendale, Executive Director of the Petroleum Conservation and Research Association (PCRA), addressing a media workshop on bio-diesel at the Press Information Bureau here on Tuesday.
"The target now is to bring 2.2-2.6 million hectare area under the plant all over the country so that we can start blending 5 per cent bio-diesel extracted from Jatropha seeds with petroleum diesel from next year and take it up to 20 per cent by the year 2011-12,'' Ms. Mehendale said.
The use of bio- diesel results in substantial reduction of unburnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matters. It has no sulphur, no aromatics and has about 10 per cent built- in oxygen which helps it to burn fully, it is being pointed out. Though oil can be extracted from Jatropha seeds by trans-esterification (manually), there are now machineries, varying from 10 litres to 1000 litres a day in capacity, available in the market. "At present everything is on an ad hoc basis. The cultivation of Jatropha has not picked up momentum,'' conceded Ms. Mehendale who said the Petroleum Ministry had already recommended fixing a minimum support price for bio- diesel from the plant. The MSP proposed by the Ministry is Rs.23 per litre.
Once the announcement of MSP was made, at least 20 depots of the Indian Oil Corporation and other oil companies would be procuring the bio diesel. "We expect this to happen soon,'' Ms. Mehendale said.
"There is a need for subsidy and other incentives for the farmers. We have sent a note to the Finance Ministry suggesting Sales Tax exemption for the product for the next three years,'' she said.
Other States - Rajasthan
New oil find may be Jatropha plant
Special Correspondent
It grows like a weed in wasteland and is used by rural folks to protect their crops Tribals in Rajasthan, M. P. make use of the oil from Jatropha seeds for lighting lamps
JAIPUR: The new oil find in the desert may be the bio-diesel plant Jatropha, commonly known as "Rattanjot'' in this part of the country. Rajasthan, occupying one-tenth of the country's total land mass but boasting of only one per cent of its water resources, is considered ideal for growing Jatropha Curcus, also known by the names of Pongamia Pinnata, Honge and Karanja.
Jatropha, now spotted as an ideal source of TBO (tree borne oil seed), is already grown in the region. Farmers of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Andhra Pradesh have been putting the oil from its seeds to local use before the Planning Commission, concerned with the country's growing expenses over imports of crude--52 million metric tonnes of high speed diesel by 2006-07, decided to set up a Bio-diesel Mission in 2002.
It grows like a weed in the wasteland and is used as a hedge by the rural folks to protect their crops. The tribals in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh make use of the oil from Jatropha seeds for lighting lamps. On a commercial scale, it can be planted on under-stocked forest lands, fallow lands and on farmers holdings as agro forestry along with agricultural crops.
Apart from the areas under the Japanese-assisted Aravalli Afforestation Programme in Banswara and Udaipur, Rattanjot is grown across 600 hectares in Rajasthan. The pilot projects, covering 300 hectares each, are run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Maharana Pratap Agriculture University, Udaipur. The plants consume less water and can also adjust to harsh weather conditions.
"In three years since the Planning Commission took the initiative on bio- diesel, a lot of things have happened. The latest has been the setting up of a bio- diesel credit bank by the PCRA on August 17,'' observed Leena Mehendale, Executive Director of the Petroleum Conservation and Research Association (PCRA), addressing a media workshop on bio-diesel at the Press Information Bureau here on Tuesday.
"The target now is to bring 2.2-2.6 million hectare area under the plant all over the country so that we can start blending 5 per cent bio-diesel extracted from Jatropha seeds with petroleum diesel from next year and take it up to 20 per cent by the year 2011-12,'' Ms. Mehendale said.
The use of bio- diesel results in substantial reduction of unburnt hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matters. It has no sulphur, no aromatics and has about 10 per cent built- in oxygen which helps it to burn fully, it is being pointed out. Though oil can be extracted from Jatropha seeds by trans-esterification (manually), there are now machineries, varying from 10 litres to 1000 litres a day in capacity, available in the market. "At present everything is on an ad hoc basis. The cultivation of Jatropha has not picked up momentum,'' conceded Ms. Mehendale who said the Petroleum Ministry had already recommended fixing a minimum support price for bio- diesel from the plant. The MSP proposed by the Ministry is Rs.23 per litre.
Once the announcement of MSP was made, at least 20 depots of the Indian Oil Corporation and other oil companies would be procuring the bio diesel. "We expect this to happen soon,'' Ms. Mehendale said.
"There is a need for subsidy and other incentives for the farmers. We have sent a note to the Finance Ministry suggesting Sales Tax exemption for the product for the next three years,'' she said.
ARRESTS OF WOMEN forced into flesh trade.OPPOSED
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/800602.cms
SC RULING ON ARRESTS OF WOMEN OPPOSED
August 3, 2004 - (Times of India) Human rights activists and city-based social organisations have come out strongly against a December 2003 supreme court (SC) ruling on procedures for arresting women.
The court set aside a Bombay high court ruling, which said that a woman constable must be present during a woman's arrest and that no woman may be arrested between sunset and sunrise.
"The new judgement will help the police and the government inflict atrocities against women, especially those from the lower strata of society," advocate Aseem Sarode told a seminar here on Friday.
Leena Mehendale, former joint secretary of the national women's commission, argued that even though the SC had relaxed the earlier rule, inspectors-general of prisons could enforce the presence of a woman constable while ar-resting women. Mehendale, however, seconded the need for ensuring that no woman suspect is taken into custody after dark.
She called for a strong campaign against the arrest of girls forced into flesh trade. "We have often seen in TV reports that it is the girls who are bundled off in police vehicles to women's homes, as if they are the criminals. This is a greater crime than a constable arresting a woman suspect."
Advocate Ujjwala Pawar called for the need for special lock-ups for women, while assistant police inspector Sushma Chavan said the SC ruling will only facilitate the timely arrest of women criminals, in situations where women constables cannot reach in time.
Noted activist Pushpa Bhave seconded the notion that women, especially from the lower strata, will get a worse treatment from the police after the apex court ruling. The activists drafted a letter of protest to the SC chief justice demanding the presence of women constables while arresting women, a halt to arrests of women after dark, separate lock-ups for women, medical check-up on arrest to be followed by further check-ups every 48 hours and stringent punishment for sexual assault in custody.
Tejashree Sevekari, who runs a voluntary agency for commercial sex workers, and advocate Vijay Hiremath also spoke on the occasion.
From: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/800602.cms
SC RULING ON ARRESTS OF WOMEN OPPOSED
August 3, 2004 - (Times of India) Human rights activists and city-based social organisations have come out strongly against a December 2003 supreme court (SC) ruling on procedures for arresting women.
The court set aside a Bombay high court ruling, which said that a woman constable must be present during a woman's arrest and that no woman may be arrested between sunset and sunrise.
"The new judgement will help the police and the government inflict atrocities against women, especially those from the lower strata of society," advocate Aseem Sarode told a seminar here on Friday.
Leena Mehendale, former joint secretary of the national women's commission, argued that even though the SC had relaxed the earlier rule, inspectors-general of prisons could enforce the presence of a woman constable while ar-resting women. Mehendale, however, seconded the need for ensuring that no woman suspect is taken into custody after dark.
She called for a strong campaign against the arrest of girls forced into flesh trade. "We have often seen in TV reports that it is the girls who are bundled off in police vehicles to women's homes, as if they are the criminals. This is a greater crime than a constable arresting a woman suspect."
Advocate Ujjwala Pawar called for the need for special lock-ups for women, while assistant police inspector Sushma Chavan said the SC ruling will only facilitate the timely arrest of women criminals, in situations where women constables cannot reach in time.
Noted activist Pushpa Bhave seconded the notion that women, especially from the lower strata, will get a worse treatment from the police after the apex court ruling. The activists drafted a letter of protest to the SC chief justice demanding the presence of women constables while arresting women, a halt to arrests of women after dark, separate lock-ups for women, medical check-up on arrest to be followed by further check-ups every 48 hours and stringent punishment for sexual assault in custody.
Tejashree Sevekari, who runs a voluntary agency for commercial sex workers, and advocate Vijay Hiremath also spoke on the occasion.
From: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/800602.cms
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