‘40% Of Smokers Want To Quit The Habit’

Jaipur: Alarmed over several deaths reported in the state due to cancer caused by tobacco consumption, the medical, health and family welfare department has launched a massive anti-tobacco awareness campaign in rural Rajasthan, which is one of the biggest campaign in the country covering over 9,000 gram panchayats. It is an apparent move of the health department to capitalize on the state’s machinery for the noble cause by clubbing the anti-tobacco campaign with the state government’s “Prashasan gaon ke sang” campaign, which was launched on Thursday.

The Rajasthan Government’s Forest & Environment Department has submitted a proposal to the National Tiger Conservation Authority for relocation of two tigress sisters from Ranthambhore National Park to Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district in view of the big cats being unable to mark their territories after their mother’s death.

The two tigresses, now aged two years each, were orphaned when their mother, T-5, died after a fight with another tigress in Kachida area of Ranthambhore. The cubs, artificially fed for some time, have many times strayed near human habitations, giving rise to fears that they may come into conflict with humans.

JAIPUR: Residents of Pink City woke up to the coldest morning of the season on Monday when the city recorded a minimum temperature of 2.3 degrees Celsius, almost 5 degrees below the normal minimum. In most places of the state, shivering cold conditions threw life out of normal gear with Churu recording minus 2.7 degrees and Mount Abu recording minus 0.5 degrees - the two most coldest places in the state.

The two places were followed by Pilani which recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius, Karauli 0, Sriganganagar 0.4, Vanasthali 0.8, Dausa and Rajsamand 1.5, Bharatpur 1.9, Fatehpur 2.1, Bikaner 2.6, Chittorgarh and Sawai Madhopur 2.8, Bundi 3, Udaipur 3.2, Pali 3.6, Sikar 3.8, Jaisalmer 4, Kota 6.2 and Jodhpur 6.9 degrees Celsius.

Jodhpur: The vulture population at two most important congregation sites of the bird (which is now endangered) in the state is going down. One site is in Jodhpur, where vultures, especially migratory ones, are decreasing due to unavailability of carcasses; while the second site is in Bikaner where these birds die after being crushed under trains.

Jodhpur’s Keru was once a favourite spot for both resident and migratory vultures, since it was a dumping ground for carcasses on which the vultures could feed.

Jaipur: For the wildlife lover who cannot travel to Ranthambore or Sariska every now and then, the Jhalana forest area is proving to be a great alternative. The panther spotting at the forest makes up for the lack of tigers.

And, if the proposal to declare the forest area as a sanctuary comes through, it would be another feather in the cap for Jaipur, a much sought-after tourist destination in the country.

JAIPUR: Temperatures continue to plummet across Rajasthan and on Sunday two places recorded a minimum temperature of below 0 degree Celsius, while at least six places in the state recorded below 1 degree Celsius even as two people died in Bundi due to the severe cold.

Churu in the plains and Mount Abu in the hills remained the coldest areas in the state, recording a minimum temperature of -2.2 and 0 degrees Celsius respectively, the Met said on Sunday. In Churu, where the minimum temperature was 2.2 degrees below freezing point, normal life was badly affected.

JAIPUR: Workers and villagers went on the rampage on Friday at Hindustan Zinc Limited's Dariba plant in Rajsamand after two of their colleagues died of severe burns and suffocation following leak of carbon monoxide from a boiler.

At least nine other workers were injured in the incident. They are undergoing treatment at a hospital in Udaipur. Angry labourers and villagers set ablaze parts of the administrative block on the plant's premises, a police van and two private vehicles besides hurling stones at the police force and the company's staffers. Some policemen also sustained minor injuries.

An ambitious food fortification programme launched in Rajasthan this past September benefiting school children through the mid-day meals scheme will be expanded this year to cover about 10 lakh children. The centralised kitchens are supplying fortified soya dal analogue containing additional micronutrients under the project.

The State Government is implementing the project in collaboration with Jaipur-based Institute of Health Management & Research (IIHMR) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). Mid-day meals were added to the programme after its successful execution through the public distribution system for common citizens, women and children having low levels of nutrition.

The 'water ATM' can process 1,000 litres in an hour

As dawn breaks, two queues start forming at the only petrol pump in Lakshmangarh, a small town in Rajasthan’s Alwar district. One, obviously, is of people waiting to get their vehicles’ fuel tanks refilled. The other is in front of a simple metal box mounted on the petrol pump’s boundary wall. People like to call it an ATM machine. But, instead of dispensing cash, it gives them clean drinking water.

Cold wave conditions intensified across the state on Saturday, especially in the border districts. Many stations registered a dip of 4-6 degrees in both day and night temperatures.