LUCKNOW: With 512 children succumbing to the dreaded Japanese Encephalitis/ Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Gorakhpur Medical College alone this year, the demand for a National Encephalitis Eradication Programme gets louder in eastern UP.

The deadly virus has claimed more than 10,000 lives in the belt since 2006.

LUCKNOW: Year 2011 has been declared as the `international year of forests' by the United Nations. The year will be dedicated to raise awareness about challenges faced by the forests all over the world and motivate people to contribute in forest conservation.

The UP state biodiversity board will also join in.

LUCKNOW: To plant high-quality tree-species in state is the priority of forest department. There is an increase in the demand for timber but it could not be met. There is a growing deficit due to lesser supply of timber. The high-yielding types like sheesham and teak are being planted in several districts to bridge the gap.

The biotic pressure on forests in state is constantly rising.

LUCKNOW: The Upper Ganga Basin Organisation, Central Water Commission, under its Information Education Communication Scheme organised an exhibition with the motto `Save Water' at Lucknow Mahotsav on Tuesday.

The exhibition showcased various sources of water, ways to conserve it and most importantly preventing the existing water from getting polluted.

LUCKNOW: Farmer leader Manveer Singh Tevatia on Monday announced that he along with his supporters will sit on a fast unto death at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi from December 1 in support of their demands to amend the Land Acquisition Act 1894 and to implement UP government's new land acquisition policy with retrospective effect from 1997.

LUCKNOW: Considered a potent weapon for combating Naxalism, the distribution of land titles to tribals and forest workers under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, is not moving at a satisfactory pace in UP in comparison to other states. This, despite chief minister Mayawati's repeated orders to expedite the process. The Naxals mislead tribals living in abject poverty.

LUCKNOW: UP is no longer the poorest state in terms of economic development, believes chief economic advisor to the Central government Kaushik Basu. "UP and Bihar that were termed as laggard have shown remarkable improvement in the last three years.

LUCKNOW: A comprehensive State Action Plan for Climate Change ( SAPCC), complete with details of vulnerable sectors, Green House Gas inventory, strategies, plan of action, timeline and evaluation criteria for UP will be ready by March 2011.

This was decided at the first daylong meeting of the State Action Plan Committee on Climate Change here on Wednesday.

LUCKNOW: The first day-long meeting of the State Action Plan Committee on Climate Change in UP will be held on November 24 in the state capital.

LUCKNOW: The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has sanctioned the work for widening of 20-km stretch of National Highway-24, between the Delhi-UP border and Dasna and making it a 6-lane facility.