• The Andhra Pradesh government announced a Rs 1,630 crore afforestation programme on January 30, on degraded land over the next five years. The programme would cover an area of 7.43 lakh ha.

• Power plants generating units of more than 3500 MW capacity will be set up in Haryana during the next five years, it was announced recently. At least 48 liquid fuel-based power generating units of 25 MW each will be set up within two years.

• The Calcutta Municipal Corporation recently decided to seal five tubewells in the Lake Gardens am aft" tests by the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health confirmed more then in them.

• The Orissa government has speed to compensate 125 tribal families whose children died of malnutrition in Phulbani district Orissa, in 1993. The decision was recently communicated to the National Human Rights Commission.

• Desalination plants worth Its 83.33 crore would be set up in Ramnad district of Tamil Nadu. The amount was recently sanctioned by the state government following reports of severe drinking water shortage in the district.

• The European Union announced an estimated Its 108.29 crore aid on January 23 for a project aimed at reducing environmental degradation through community-based forestry conservation in Haryana.

• Four environment research centres will be set up in Kota, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Alwar in Rajasthan to conduct research for pollution control. The state environment minister, Raghuvir Singh Kaushal, announced this while laying the foundation stone in Kota on January 20.

• After eight years of wavering the Centre recently gave permission to the West Bengal government to lay the Teesta-Jaldhaka Main Canal and a key distributory of the Teem- Mahananda Link Canal through two different forests in Jalpaiguri district.

• The Assam government recently imposed a ban on the capture of elephants from the state's reserve forests following increasing incidents of elephant killing by some poachers.