The Odisha government presented a separate budget for agriculture and allied sectors with an outlay of Rs 7,161.84 crore for 2013-14 exceeding previous fiscal’s budgetary allocation by 27 per cent.

The exclusive budget for the farm sector, unprecedented in the state's history, and second after Karnataka in the country, offers a string of schemes for farmers – Rs 100 crore health insurance under ‘Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana’, Rs 520 crore under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, Rs 290 crore under Jalanidhi and sustainable harnessing of ground water and Rs 42 crore towards input subsidy to farmers.

A memorandum of understanding was signed on Monday between the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, and Transport for London, which is a government body responsible for transport in Gr

Accelerating work on its ambitious 3,300-km-long dedicated freight corridors project, which is being constructed on the eastern and western flanks of the country at the cost of R90,000 crore, the railways has shortlisted two consortiums led by major Japanese infrastructure firms to develop a major portion of the western freight corridor stretch.

The final contract, for the construction of a 640-km-long route from Rewari to Palanpur at the cost of R6000 crore, will be awarded to the firm selected by the end of this month.

Sets Apart 70% Of Land As Open Space

Kochi: With the master plan of the SmartCity project entering the final phase, the project seems to be turning more green. If the first draft proposed 40% open space, Smart-City authorities have asked designers to set apart 70% of the project land for open space in the final plan. According to sources, the SmartCity authorities want the project to be an eco- friendly one. “The project would have received environmental clearance even if 30 to 40% of the project land is open space. But our decision is to provide 70% open space so that the project would be more environmental friendly,” top officials of the project said

The Chinese government plans to allocate 120 billion yuan ($19.11 billion) to fund local transport infrastructure construction in 2013, the Ministry of Finance has announced.

Pune: A recent study by citybased Ela Foundation and MES Abasaheb Garware College, to assess the impact of wind farms on birds at the Bhambarwadi Plateau in the northern Western Ghats, found 27 bird species out of 89 at the risk of collision with the rotor blades of the wind turbines.

Out of the 12 birds (belonging to seven species) that were found dead, five were raptors belonging to three different species. Also, out of five Indian endemic bird species observed in the study area, the Malabar Crested Lark (endemic to the Western Ghats) was recorded in the risk zone. The study also reported a reduction in the birds in the study area due to the increasing wind farm construction and associated infrastructure development. But the drop in the number of birds in the region is gradually reducing.

Marking a major shift in its stand on infrastructure projects in forest areas, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has shot off a number of guidelines to all state governments relaxing green no

The Planning Commission’s Appraisal Has Stressed On Consistent Implementation Of Reforms And Holistic Urban Renewal

Pune: Urban planners and activists have criticized the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for their inapt handling of works done under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM). The PMC has spent crores of rupees meant for renewal of infrastructure to cover up the backlog in the provision of basic urban services, they said.

Only 250 to 300 wolverines roam the US, but the species' habitats are threatened by climate change

Administrator Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Muhammad Hussain Syed said the Rs 570 million grant had been received from Japan Government for construction of Mehran Highway.