PUNE: The state government has drafted a plan to produce 80,000 quintal seeds for coming monsoon. The state cabinet has cleared the plan and the instructions have been issued to regional offices.

The seeds of jowar, bajra, rice, wheat other cereals and oily seeds are part of the project. The farmers, who would join the programme and produce seeds at their farm will get assured purchase price of Rs 500 per quintal. The state has so far sanctioned Rs 4 crore for it.

PUNE: The much-delayed Pune metro rail project got a funding of Rs 10.01 crore in the Union Budget on Thursday. The Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations, that have proposed the project in association with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, have already made provisions in their respective budgets for the year 2013-14.

The budgetary head, 'Pune Metro', figures in the list of projects of the urban development department for the first time this year in budget. The total funding of Rs 10.01 crore has been bifurcated into three components.

PUNE: Pimpri Chinchwad municipal commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi presented a draft budget of Rs 3,248.14 crore for 2013-14 on Thursday.

Task Involves Door-To-Door Inspection Of Houses, Spraying Insecticides And Creating Awareness

Pune: The Rs 1 crore ‘zeromosquito project’ of the Pune Municipal Corporation this year will become operational next month. This is the second time that the civic body approved the project’s implementation. A work order for the project was issued to Dhankawdibased Deesha Agency on February 26.
“We have issued the work order to the agency to carry out indoor vector control programme under the zero-mosquito project, on February 26.

Pune: The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) has proposed a credit outlay of Rs 79,451.58 crore for Maharashtra in the 2013-14 fiscal.

Kolhapur: A fresh study of the earthquake-prone areas in the Koyna-Warna reservoir area is under way. A team of scientists from the CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, has arrived here and is expected to study the areas where seismic activity has been prevalent at low or medium intensity.

The scientists will use the Airborne LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and photographic data acquisition and processing system for geomorphological and structural studies. The one-month study will focus on the tectonic activities around the Warna and Koyna dams.

Pune:The country’s food safety and standards regulator has allowed use of higher levels of caffeine in energy drinks. The set standard of 145 parts per million (ppm) of caffeine has been relaxed up to 320 ppm for energy drinks, said Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials on Thursday.

The regulator, however, has stipulated that manufacturers infusing energy drinks with higher amounts of caffeine will have to print warnings such as-—‘caffeinated beverage’, ‘use not more than two cans a day’, ‘ingredients of this product consumed through other sources may also be kept in view’, ‘not recommended for children, pregnant and lactating women’, ‘not for persons sensitive to caffeine,’ and ‘caffeine consumed through this and other sources not to exceed 160 mg per day’—prominently on the label of the energy drink products.

Buses Of Euro IV Model To Be Provided By Pvt Contractors For 7 Years

Pune: Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), the city public transport company, which is facing problems about maintenance of buses and lack of adequate depots, is planning to hire 500 Euro IV buses. The buses will be provided by private operators and PMPML will pay them charges on per kilometer basis.

PUNE: Over six lakh people living in eastern parts of Pimpri Chinchwad are likely to benefit as the work on a decade-old water pipeline project from Nigdi to Krishnanagar approaches completion. The work was delayed due to land acquisition problems.

The water supply department had laid pipes from Sector 23 in Nigdi to the sump in Krishnanagar and further till Bhosari more than a decade back. However, the work in Triveninagar was pending for the last three to four years due to difficulties in acquiring land.

To Devise Strategies For Diseases Caused By Air Pollutants, Harmful Ultraviolet Radiation

Pune: City-based Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) plans to devise mitigation strategies for respiratory and skin diseases caused by air pollutants and harmful ultraviolet radiation, with help from medical institutions in the city. The institute plans to use the data generated by its system of air quality forecasting and research (SAFAR) for the purpose.

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