India will spend more than $290 million cleaning up two iconic lakes in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), which have been polluted during decades of neglect and a separatist revolt, India

In the wake of the deteriorating condition of tourism in the country, the Punjab government has increased the budget allocation for the Tourism Department to Rs 163 million for 11 new schemes during the financial year 2009-2010.

The allocation for the previous year 2008-09 was Rs 100 million. The hike in allocation thus amounts to 63 percent.

The recent health indicators for child and mental health mortality in Pakistan reveal that the country falls far below international standards, which require instant and careful consideration for effective long term planning, says a report by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC).

The government has allocated a mere Rs 1.5 billion for the Drought Recovery Assistance Programme (DRAP) and the Drought Emergency Relief Assistance (DERA) in the 2009-10 budget.

The government has allocated Rs 6.484bn for health, which is 18 percent higher than Rs 5.490 made last year. An allocation of Rs 5.708 billion has been made for hospital services, Rs 469 million for public health services, Rs 65 million for medical products, appliances and equipment, Rs 241 million for health administration and Rs 2 million for R & D health.

The government has reserved Rs 60 billion for the water sector in the budget for the year 2009-10, which amounts to 14 percent of the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

Ignoring bio-safety norms and business ethics, the cotton growers have sowed about 70 percent BT Cotton seed in different parts of Punjab and Sindh province, sources told Daily Times Tuesday.

President Asif Zardari has directed the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) to build a large sewerage dam, where industrial waste would also be collected and filtered, after which the water obtained would be used for parks and trees in the city as part of the Green City plan, Sindh Minister for Fisheries Zahid Ali Bhurgari told Daily Times.

Talks between Pakistan and India on the controversial Kishanganga Hydro Power Project have broken down, a private TV channel quoted Pakistan Indus Water Commissioner Jamaat Ali Shah as saying on Friday.

Talking to media in Islamabad on his return from India, Shah said the issue of the Kishanganga project came under discussion at the request of India but no progress could be made.

Pakistan has joined International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) after signing the statutes in Berlin to become the 87th member of the newly set up world body on renewable energy.