JAIPUR: Implementing the order of the high court, the state government has issued directions that all allotments made in the catchment area of water bodies in the state since 1955 shall be cancelled and constructions in such places be demolished.

This was stated in the high court by additional advocate general R P Singh before Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari after submitting a detailed Action Taken Report where it has been said that a reference has been made to the Board of Revenue to cancel all such allotments.

JAIPUR: National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD) on Thursday sanctioned Rs 1355 crore for the construction of roads in rural parts of Rajasthan. The financial support is in the form of soft loans under NABARD's rural infrastructure development fund.

State government is aiming to connect all the villages with population of 250 to 500 with the tar roads. However, out of 2900 eligible villages under the scheme, NABARD will only fund for 1337 villages covering 4822 kilometers. Rest of the villages will be covered from the aid received from World Bank and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

A strategic village, located in the core of the park, moved out

Men are finally making way for tigers in Rajasthan’s celebrated Ranthambhore National Park (RNP). With residents of yet another forest village located in the core moving out on Wednesday, the tigers proliferating in the park will now have more inviolate space, and surely more fun. The Ranthambhore watchers, and there are quite a few, vouchsafe that re-locating Mordoongri, situated in the strategic corridor between RNP and the Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary, should be considered a breakthrough.

JAIPUR: With the number of plasmodium falciparum (PF) malaria cases have increased in the state, the medical health and family welfare department has decided to give artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) to each and every case of malaria PF from this year.

As the risk of malaria spread has increased during monsoon, the department has made ACT available at every block level in the state. The department has directed all the government doctors to give ACT to each and every case of PF malaria.

SC Order Banning Tourism In Core Of Tiger Reserves Has Dampened The Spirits In Raj

Jaipur: The Supreme Court order banning tourism in core areas of tiger reserves till further directions has evoked sharp reactions from forest officials and conservationists the state. Most felt that regulated tourism is a better option than a complete ban. “Regulated tourism is a much better option. We have over the past 10 years controlled much of tourism activities in Ranthambore.

Yet another leak has been reported within a month at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) at Rawatbhata near Kota, exposing workers to tritium radiation, and causing concern among the country’s nuclear energy watchers. The senior management at Rawatbhata, a site getting ready for India’s second-biggest Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) with a capacity of 500 tonnes a year, however, has dismissed the leak as a “routine’ matter.

Four maintenance workers were exposed to tritium radiation last Thursday (July 19), while repairing a faulty pipe in PHWR (pressurised heavy water reactor) Unit 4. The earlier incident, which took place on June 23, reportedly exposed more than 40 persons, working on a coolant at Unit 6, to tritium.

JAIPUR: After lodging 18 FIRs against illegal marble mining in Makrana, the CBI is now preparing to investigate the role of government officials in the matter. CBI officials claimed several officials of Railway Protection Force (RPF), police and mining departments are under the scanner.

Though names of these officials have not been identified in the FIRs, they have a hand in allowing illegal mining in Makrana. Officials said that first mine owners will be quizzed and then the officials will be called for questioning.

JAIPUR: For optimum utilization of available land in Model 4 buildings of the upcoming affordable housing schemes, the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) is planning to construct G+7 high rises. On Thursday, JDA officials gave directions to prepare an expression on interest (EOI) in this regard.In Model 4 affordable housing schemes, the developer will construct the buildings on government land. The JDA has identified 14 such government land in a consolidated area of the city for constructions under this model.

JAIPUR: After mining denuding the topography ruthlessly, there is hope for the Aravalis and Vindhya ranges in the state as Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) undertakes restoration of ecological status through reforestation. The project would also increase green cover, improve water table and augment the economy of the villagers besides reducing dependence on the forests.

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on Wednesday sanctioned Rs 284.33 crore for the first phase of the greening project. The total outlay is more than Rs 900 crore which will be distributed in three phases to the forest department.

The Rajasthan Government has adopted a new wind power policy to facilitate installation of wind energy plants of 3,000 MW capacity during the next three to four years and promote private investments in the sector through a slew of incentives and concessions.

State Energy Minister Jitendra Singh said here on Thursday that the Government-owned power discoms would purchase electricity from the plants at the rates decided by the Power Tariff Regulatory Commission while the investors would be free to sell electricity to any other institution.