PUNE: Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) aims to identify sites for successful development of tidal and floating solar power projects in the country with the help of Korea Water Resources Corp

PUNE: The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has persistently ignored reports on biodiversity concerns and risk assessment studies along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway prepared by e

PUNE: Deforestation and destruction of important flora that binds the soil on slopes have damaged the hill slopes along the Pune-Mumbai expressway, says environmentalists and scientists.

Noted ecologist and Western Ghats expert Madhav Gadgil said the usage of earthmoving machinery for creating terraces for cultivation must be avoided in ecologically sensitive areas like Malin.

Policy To Focus On Strict Implementation Of PCPNDT, Edu

The girl child is the focus of the new child policy that the Child Rights Protection Commission is drafting and which will be implemented by September-end. The draft includes measures to improve the female sex ratio, eliminate female foeticide and adopt zero tolerance for female infanticide.

50% DROP IN OLIVE RIDLEY NESTS ALONG KONKAN COASTLINE

Pune: Industrial activity around coastal areas has cast its shadow on the nesting season of the endangered Olive Ridley turtle this year. There has been a disturbing 50 % drop in the total number of nests along the coastline in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts and experts hope the activity would pick up before the nesting season ends in March. Those working in this region and in the field of turtle conservation have counted 36 Olive Ridley nests along the coastline of the three districts. They say that large scale development in the vicinity of ecologically critical coastal areas and sea pollution are largely responsible for the drop in numbers this year.

77.4 % OF CLASS V STUDENTS UNABLE TO SOLVE SIMPLE SUMS FROM CLASS III

Pune: An annual national survey in 2012 of school-going children’s ability in mathematics and reading has put Maharashtra right at the bottom with just about 22.6% of the total number of Class V students surveyed able to solve simple arithmetic problems from their Class III books. The national average was 24.8%. Educationists blame the Maharashtra’s poor score to the many childfriendly reforms, such as the no exam rule, the government has introduced in the education system but has failed to implement them properly.