JAIPUR: The ravines of Chambal, known for being the hideout of dacoits, may finally get to witness some positive growth indicators.

At least that's what chief minister Ashok Gehlot's budget allocation for the agricultural sector envisions. The budget has drawn up an ambitious plan of leveling the land along the Chambal so that it could be allocated to people without farm land in the area. By providing them an alternate source of livelihood the government wants to ensure that people stay away from joining dacoits. The budget has earmarked Rs 25 crore for the leveling work.

LUCKNOW: Taking a step forward, the Uttar Pradesh government has sanctioned Rs 89 crore for the 10-year-long Lion Safari in Etawah.

Admitting that big-ticket investments sound good on paper but create very few jobs, Madhya Pradesh devoted the first day of its three-day investors’ meet on Sunday to micro, small and medium indust

LUCKNOW: The Gangetic river dolphin census and awareness campaign was flagged off by transport minister Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh on Friday.

SOG Probes Whether Accused Are Linked To Int’l Smugglers

Jaipur: The special operations group (SOG) of state police on Tuesday busted a racket involved in smuggling of turtle shells and arrested two persons. The duo were held while they were trying to sell 65 shells to some buyers. The estimated price of these shells is nearly Rs 50 lakh in the international market. The SOG got a tip-off in August that some people belonging to the Kalbelia tribe in Kota are planning to catch and sell turtles once the monsoon recedes. Accordingly, the SOG formed a team and sent decoys to the smugglers, said sources.

Water experts warn that India’s major rivers, including Ganga, Yamuna, Narmada, Krishna, Godavari and Chambal, could soon dry up due to blatant sand and gravel mining being spearheaded by the mining mafia.

So blatant are their activities that the water experts warn entire river systems are being destroyed by their illegal activities.Sand is vital for the health of the river system because it acts like a sponge helping to recharge the water table. Its progressive depletion results in plunging water tables and increased velocity of river flow.

When the State politics is hot with claims and counter claims from the main Opposition Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over illegal mining, the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department

Lion Safari – the dream project of the Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav which was shelved by the previous Mayawati government – is now being revived by the new Uttar Pradesh government.

JAIPUR: The Supreme Court has allowed laying of underground water supply pipelines through the Chambal Ghariyal Sanctuary in Kota to provide drinking water to Bhilwara.

The World Bank-aided project worth Rs 1,363 crore would supply water to Bhilwara city from the Chambal river in Kota and would require an underground pipeline through the national wildlife sanctuary for 16 km.

This time it is not merely crying wolf! The Indian Gray Wolf, inhabiting scrub lands and the ravines along the banks of the Central Indian rivers, needs protection.