JAIPUR: After identifying ten more districts with poor water quality in the state, the medical health and family welfare department has decided to conduct a survey to find out the health related problems people are facing due to the presence of fluoride in water.

Jaipur is one of the 10 districts where the department under the National Programme for Prevention & Control of Fluorosis (NPPCF) would conduct a door-to-door survey. Dungerpur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Pali, Jalore, Dausa, Churu, Sikar and Bikaner are the other nine districts where the water quality has raised concerns.

After GAIL found new oil reserves in Ganganagar last month, now Focus Energy last week hit upon huge reserves of gas in three wells in SJL field at RJON/06 in the Shahgarh Bulj area in Jaisalmer at a depth of 3,170m.

Focus Energy is still digging four new wells where the chances of finding gas reserves are high. Focus Energy is using modern technology for exploring oil and gas. The firm has also applied to the state government for making new air strip to ferry the experts in charted planes. The Ministry of defence has also approved it.

Jaipur: The UPA’s mid-day meal programme in Rajasthan is in tatters. The recently released Monitoring Institutions (MIs) report has revealed glaring anomalies in implementation of the scheme with many children in the state not getting any benefits and some actually going hungry.

According to a report, the scheme is not being implemented on a regular basis in some schools in the Pali district. The findings, based on figures between April 2011 and September 2011, were shared recently by the Union HRD ministry.

Jaisalmer: Rajasthan’s desert region has gone from grey to green in little more than a month.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot discussed the State’s partnership programme with the European Union Ambassador and head of delegation to India Joao Cravinho here on Tuesday. Mr.

Barren land glares at you from either side of the national highway from Jodhpur to Jaisalmer. A few dry wild bushes and cacti line the tough terrain.

JAIPUR: The state government on Monday extended the status of scarcity affected areas to 3739 villages of 11 districts. These villages were given this status due failed rabi crop but the extension has been given after witnessing deficient rainfall. The relief activities in these districts villages will now continue till August 15, 2012.

Earlier in March, due to failure of Rabi crop 'scarcity affected' was declared in Ajmer, Barmer, Churu, Nagaur and Jaisalmer districts.

The southwest monsoon in India this year was expected to be 85 per cent of the long-period average (LPA), with Punjab, Haryana, Saurashtra and Kutch regions in Gujarat and western Rajasthan experiencing drought-like conditions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday. The forecast has a model error margin of +/- four per cent.

IMD considers the 50-year average rainfall of 89 cms as the LPA. Addressing reporters a day after it lowered its overall southwest monsoon forecast from normal to deficient, IMD said drought-like conditions were developing in several parts of the country.

JAIPUR: The state government has declared drought in Jodhpur, Nagaur, Barmer, Bikaner and Jaisalmer districts on Wednesday. The five districts have been worst-hit by deficit rain and will remain in the status of 'drought-affected' from August 1 to July 31 next year.

As per the emergency relief plans, collectors of all the above districts have been asked to do an early assessment of the total losses. To get maximum aid, chief minister Ashok Gehlot instructed the officials to mention everything in detail in the letters that will be presented to Centre. He also asked them to take the assessment exercise of losses seriously. To gauge the situation in the state, Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar will visit Jaipur on August 3.

Jaisalmer: Public sector company Oil India Ltd (OIL) has for the first time found oil reserves at Poonam Singh ki Dhani in Nachna area of Jaisalmer 1,230 metre below the ground.

According to sources, digging of oil well is going on at the allotted block RJON 2004/2 NILP/16 in Nachna area for the last few days and good quality oil reserves have been found at a depth of 1,230 metre. Samples of the findings have been sent for testing. OIL will also dig one more well near the existing well to find out if there are more reserves, company officials said.