Category Archives: Green Initiatives/ Environment

Cattle display their ‘majestic’ quotient at fair

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Pollachi :

It was a beauty pageant with a difference. Participants did not do a catwalk on the ramp, but stood in line for the jury to convey their verdict. And these judges were not looking for hourglass figures but were more concerned about the health of their teeth, eyes, knees and hump. For those still wondering what this is all about, it was a cattle show for indigenous breeds held at Samathur near Pollachi on Friday.

The event dubbed Kongunattu Kalnadai Thiruvizha – 2015, held for the first time by Vanavarayar Foundation, had about 700 cattle belonging to nine native breeds brought from villages far and near. “The cattle were judged based on their health and ‘majestic’ quotient,” said a member of the organizing committee. The prize amount ranged from Rs7000 to Rs50,000.

Kangeyam bulls were brought in numbers while other breeds like Unbalachery and Karuva (a kind of goat breed) also participated. “It is difficult to breed native cattle as it is expensive. Only if our agricultural production is healthy we can breed these kind of cattle,” said A P Periasamy, a farmer from Tirupur, whose family has been breeding native cattle for three generations. “We had close to 500 cattle fifty years ago, but now we have only 25 since we are unable to care for them due to fall in agricultural production,” he added.

A dairy farming couple from New Zealand had also visited the exhibition. “India has so many native breeds. These native breeds should be nurtured,” said Dr John Henry Niezen, specialist, Dairy Herd Development.

“We are unaware of the glory of native breeds. Hence many switch to exotic breeds lured by their high milk yielding capacity. What they fail to understand is that the milk of the native cow has more protein,” said Shankar Vanavarayar, Joint Correspondent, Kumaraguru College of Technology. The event is the brain child of Vanavarayar.

“We have come to a sad state where the significance of Kangeyam bulls has been recognized in Brazil where they are being reared in huge numbers, while we have slowly forgotten their value,” he said. Noting that the show and the exhibition was a first step towards spreading the importance of native cattle, he said that by 2016 the foundation has planned to establish a model farm.

“Once the model farm is established, visitors will be educated on the importance of indigenous breeds,” he said.

Dr K Baskrasethupathy, chief manager of ABT Dairy division, an organizer, said that farmers from across western region of Tamil Nadu and several from adjoining Kerala also visited the cattle fair. The fair also had 60 stalls featuring an array of cattle and dairy products. “The feedback from the farmers was great. We also gave them suggestions on feeding and nurturing native cattle breeds,” said Dr R Gnana Sekaran, veterinarian and nutritionist for cattle from Bengaluru. This exhibition will be open till February 7.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / by G. Rajeswari, TNN / February 07th, 2015

Co-optex goes online, sells Rs 2.36L worth products in 2 months

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, World Opinion

Chennai :

Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers Co-operative Society (Co-optex) is slowly gaining the attention of tech-savvy customers. Its e-commerce facility has sold products worth Rs 2.36 lakh in the last two months, with cotton saris the most popular.

The new initiative on www.cooptex.gov.in has impressed many. N Swaminathan of Trichy said, “I never thought a government product would be available online. I thought I will try the quality and design and it was very impressive.” About 2.54 lakh weavers are part of Co-optex, which was established in 1935 and has more than 200 showrooms, including 60 outlets outside Tamil Nadu.

“Co-optex products are sought after, especially during weddings and functions because of the quality. We are trying to use technology to give a new experience to customers, especially youth. We are also focusing on the global market,” said managing director T N Venkatesh, who was instrumental in the makeover.

He said they introduced soft silk sarees with designs and patterns inspired by ancient temples, monuments and historical places. and “also came up with new generation shirts, especially for youth.”

Online figures show customers from other states and foreign countries ordered Co-optex sarees and shirts online. Products are delivered within 24 hours for customers in TN and upto 72 hours for those in other states.

An official said they held discussions with private e-commercial firms to increase sales. “Purchasing online is a trend. Online sales are important especially when real estate costs are going up”. On www.facebook.com/CoOptex, officials interact with customers and showcase their products. A shopping facility introduced by Tamil Nadu Handicrafts Development Corporation, or Poompuhar, on tnpoompuhar.org has also received good response with shoppers able to choose nearly 1,600 items, including bronze, brass, wood and stone carvings.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / January 28th, 2015

Low cost, easy to set up eco-friendly toilets launched

Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Science & Technologies

Coimbatore :

A toilet that can be set up in less than an hour was launched by Pune-based company, Sahyadri Industries Limited, in the city on Friday morning. The eco-friendly toilet has been created as part of the company’s contribution to the Swachh Bharat effort.

The company demonstrated setting up a toilet at Heritage Inn’s conference hall in one hour to prove their point just before the launch. A recent study done by the Ministry of Human Resource Development found that 15% of the government schools in the city lack toilets, and among those which did have toilet facilities, 57% were found to be dysfunctional.

Sahyadri Industries, a manufacturer of fibre cement corrugated and flat sheets, had been toying with the idea of designing an easy to set up pre-fabricated toilet since 2012-13. “However, the project did not take off,” admitted M Sathyanarayana, of Sahyadri Industries.

“We were inspired to restart our efforts last August when the Prime Minister announced the Swachh Bharat initiative. We then sped up the research and designing of this model,” he said. The toilets, sold as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) kits, contain parts to set up three wall panels and a door made of fly-ash and cement. The knots and bolts required to assemble the toilets are provided, so are toilet fittings from reputed companies like Johnson and Johnson. “We also give instructions on how a soaking pit has to be dug up,” said Suresh Kumar, head, sales and marketing in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This toilet can be set up anywhere in less than an hour and can be used immediately.

These toilets which come in 4ft x 4 ft dimensions can last 15 to 20 years if maintained well, says the company. They cost anywhere between 19,000 and 30,000 each. “The cost depends on the materials and specifications requested,” said Kumar. “However, we sell it at the lower cost for government schools and other economically backward schools,” he added.

The main clientele for these toilets seem to be NGOs, who are setting up toilets wherever necessary. “We have sold 1,000 such toilets in Maharashtra and Gujarat,” said Kumar. The product was launched in Gujarat Maharashtra and Karnataka in December, and in Chennai on Thursday.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Coimbatore / TNN / January 24th, 2015

‘Conservation, a vital necessity’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

 

Shekar Dattatri
Shekar Dattatri

Population growth, industrialisation and increased demand for resources in rural and urban areas led to immense environmental destruction, said Shekar Dattatri, wildlife filmmaker and conservationist, on Friday.

Speaking at an event organised by the Chennai Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Mr. Dattatri said the country’s population had grown four-fold since Independence. Due to this, many forest areas had been cleared for agricultural activities, and new industries were being set up, he observed.

“While ancient India had an ethos in which religion, culture and nature were inextricably interwoven, population pressures and the material aspirations of people have considerably eroded these values,” he said.

Speaking about the Western Ghats, he said nearly 65 rivers emanated from the range. Yet, they were being systematically destroyed for short-term gains in the name of economic progress, Mr. Dattatri pointed out. “Conservation is not a luxury, but a vital necessity. While nature can get along just fine without us, we cannot survive without nature,” he said, concluding the talk.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by Special Correspondent / Chennai – January 11th, 2014

Training given in sea turtle conservation

Education, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

J. Vinodh, a home guard in Kadapakkam on East Coast Road, has been assisting the police in patrolling the areas and checking vehicles during weekends. Now, he has learnt to collect eggs laid by Olive Ridley turtles and translocate them properly.

Mr. Vinodh was one of the 75 people who underwent training in protecting and conserving marine resources on Saturday. A total of 17 home guards, 20 forest watchers, six panchayat presidents and 31 sea turtle protection force volunteers underwent the training on Saturday.

Jebastian Emmnuel, a forest watcher who completed the training, will now take care of the coastal stretch between Napier Bridge and Lighthouse. He says: “Earlier, I did not know that when the weather is hot, adequate cover is needed around the spot where the eggs are translocated. I learnt this during the training.”

Forest department sources said a total of 15 field staff, including the wildlife headquarters range officer, underwent the training. The department has proposed to post five persons along the Marina stretch, and another five along the Besant Nagar stretch and along the east coast up to Mahabalipuram. These watchers will help local marine life conservationists to relocate the eggs, rescue stranded turtles along the coast and count dead Olive Ridley turtles.

Supraja Dharini of TREE Foundation said the training was scheduled just before the commencement of the nesting season of Olive Ridleys along the Chennai coast. The training focussed on the integrated sea turtle conservation programme, which is imparted in association with the wildlife wing of the State forest department, she said. Protocols, interaction and exchange of information on sea turtle monitoring and conservation methodologies were part of the training, she added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Chennai / by P. Oppili / Chennai – December 21st, 2014

V Balasubramanian, Vikatan editor and animal lover, dead

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Chennai :

Veteran media personality and Vikatan group chairman V Balasubramanian passed away at a private hospital in Chennai after a brief illness. He was 79. He had served as editor and publisher of Ananda Vikatan, a widely read Tamil weekly founded by his movie-moghul father S S Vasan.

During his tenure, Balasubramanian launched Junior Vikatan, a racy, tabloid-like weekly that set a new trend by dishing out an exciting fare consisting of political reporting, investigative stories and serialized historical novellas.

Balasubramanian became a test case of the extent of legislative privileges when in 1987 the assembly speaker ordered his arrest for publishing on the cover of his magazine a cartoon on legislators. M G Ramachandran was chief minister at that time. While speaker P H Pandian insisted he had “sky high” powers, Balasubramanian stuck to his guns and went to jail.

Observers at the time couldn’t miss the irony of Balasubramanian having produced an MGR-starring film ‘Sirithu Vazha Vendum’ (Live life smiling) earlier.

“He was released in two days after protests erupted all over the country but our editor was not satisfied with that. He filed a lawsuit against his wrongful arrest, asked for token compensation and won his case,” cartoonist Madhan, who served as joint editor of the Vikatan group, said. “He framed the cheque for the compensation amount and displayed it in his room,” said Sudhangan, veteran journalist who started career with Vikatan.

Balasubramanian was an expert farmer, with special interest in the cultivation of high-yielding winter crops. A dog lover, he bred German shepherds. He was a successful aviculturist and is known for having bred many types of parrots.

His father, S S Vasan, was a celebrated journalist, freedom fighter and film magnate – he was the proprietor of Gemini Studios.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Chennai / TNN / December 20th, 2014

Country chicken rearing receives a boost in dist

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature, Resources of Free Materials

Trichy :

Due to changes in lifestyle, the country chicken ‘naatu kozhi’, once a common sight, has largely vanished from the homes in the state.

It has been replaced by the juicier, cheaper and more easily available broiler chicken. However, country chicken varieties are slowly making a comeback in the district, thanks to the efforts of the department of animal husbandry.

Under a scheme to boost country chicken breeding, the department is providing individuals and women self-help groups (SHGs) money and other incentives.

It enables eligible applicants to get Rs 1,29,500 for every unit of native chicken breeding. One unit consists of 750 chickens, which will be given in three dues of 250 each.

Half the money would be provided by banks, which has to be repaid later. The state government and the national bank for agriculture and rural development (NABARD) will provide 25% each of the total cost.

The beneficiaries have to set up a shed and lights to create an atmosphere conducive for chicken breeding. For 2014-15, 160 people are receiving the units, worth Rs 2,07,20,000.

The number of beneficiaries in 2013-14 and 2012-13 were 240 and 35 respectively, with a total cost of Rs 2,80,80,00 in 2013-14 and Rs 40,95,000 in 2012-13.

Unlike broiler chicken, which has been said to create health problems in the long run, country chicken is bred in natural circumstances. Under the scheme, the chickens are fed with greens for healthy rearing. It takes around 75 days for a chicken to attain its full growth of 1.5 kg. Each kilogram of country chicken costs around Rs 300.

District collector Jayashree Muralidharan said that the scheme had benefitted a lot of women and it gave an impetus to rear country chicken.

Dr R Mohanarangam, joint director, department of animal husbandry, said that immunization drops were provided to the country chickens to protect them from diseases.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Trichy / December 09th, 2014

Coconut plucking: women take giant strides

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Inspiration/ Positive News and Features, Nature
A woman undergoing training in coconut plucking at Parangipettai in Cuddalore district.
A woman undergoing training in coconut plucking at Parangipettai in Cuddalore district.

Even though Cuddalore district abounds in coconut trees, the price of coconuts is high. The reason trotted out for such market behaviour is the lack of manpower to pluck coconuts or the high wages the workers demand.

It has created a situation in which even the ripe coconuts are left either to rot on the trees or fall. It has become consternation for the coconut growers to find the workforce on time to harvest, not to speak of the plight of the households having a few coconut trees in their garden.

To overcome the problem, the M.S. Swaminatan Research Foundation (MSSRF) has launched the “Friends of Coconut Tree” programme for farmers and the unemployed youth.

R. Elangovan, Project Officer of the MSSRF, told The Hindu that the six-day training programme organised under the aegis of the MSSRF Village Resource Centre at Parangipettai was intended to help the farmers and unemployed youth learn to climb trees to pluck the coconut.

To start with, 20 persons, including four women hailing from Killai, Nochikadu, Manikkollai and Parangipettai, joined the programme conducted recently. It was conducted in coordination with the Coconut Development Board that provided the device for climbing the trees free of cost.

In-house training

It was a sort of an in-house training as the trainees would stay at the Parangipettai centre throughout the training programme. Besides mastering the tree climbing techniques, they were also taught yoga and pranayam.

Mr Elangovan said the Coconut Development Board had made it mandatory that 30 per cent of the trainees ought to be women.

It was a surprise that four women had come forward to enroll their names in the programme.

One of the trainees, Kausalya, 24, told this correspondent that initially she had hesitation in joining the programme as she lacked courage in climbing tall trees.

But, the device provided by the centre made the job simple and easy. She gained confidence gradually.

However, the centre has prescribed a dress code for women — they should either wear salwar kameez or a pair of trousers to avoid risks.

Mr Elangovan said that after completion of the training programme, Parangipettai Town Panchayat Chairman Mohammad Yunus gave away certificates and the climbing device (free of cost) to the participants.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by A.V. Raghunathan / Cuddalore – December 18th, 2014

Marigold flowers fetch good prices

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Nature

Dindigul :

Marigold flowers that are in full bloom in fields in Dindigul district are bringing good returns to farmers this season.

These orange and yellow flowers are cultivated in Ambaturai, Uthupatti, Kamalapuram, Perumalkovilpatti, Jathikoundanpatti and Theppampatti near Chinnalapatti in Dindigul district. These flowers gain popularity during the wedding season and the Ayyappa season, as they are used in making garlands and in other decorations.

Women and farmers in the region enter the fields early in the morning to pluck these flowers, when they are in blooming stage, and transport them to the markets. A kilogram of these flowers is sold for Rs 50, which is a good price, according to the farmers. The flowers are taken to the markets in Nilakottai and Dindigul district. Senthil, a farmer from Ambaturai, said that these flowers are propagated through seeds, which are first sown in large numbers and later the tiny plants are planted in beds. The flowers gain their colour based on the quality of the soil in which they are grown.

The plants that were cultivated in September have started flowering in late November. The crop in one acre of land produces about 300 to 400 kilograms of flowers once a week, a quantity that most of the farmers consider to be very good.

Kumaresan, a farmer, said that the rains this season had resulted in big buds being produced and the flowering was also good. ‘We expect the price to go up by another Rs 50 as the pilgrimage season progresses,” he added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> City> Madurai / TNN / December 08th, 2014

‘Sthala Vriksham’ to be preserved through cloning

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives/ Environment, Historical Links, Pre-Independence, Nature, Records, All

The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) Department has asked the executive officers of temples and departmental inspectors to adopt cloning to preserve Sthala Vriksham or tree unique to each temple.

Describing every Sthala Vriksham as a unique germplasm, a recent communication of the department urges the officials to take the help of experts from the Agriculture Department or the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) for the task.

Among the prominent examples of Sthala Vriksham are the Kadamba at the Meenkashi Sundareswarar Temple in Madurai; the Vanni at the Magudeshwara Temple at Kodumudi and the mango tree at the Ekambershwara Temple at Kancheepuram, the last two being 3,000-3,500 years old.

The communication, issued by Additional Chief Secretary R. Kannan to HR&CE Commissioner P. Dhanapal, also asks the executive officers to ensure that enough clones are kept in carefully quarantined, separate places in nandavanam or flower garden. Even in private temples, the HR&CE inspectors should take steps to preserve Sthala Vriksham. The operation should be certified by an international body for its quality.

A notice board, giving the Tamil, English, Sanskrit and botanical names of each species with details of the legend, should be put up prominently. It should also give the details of the cloning operation, such as the method used and the persons involved, the letter says, citing the case studies of cloning carried out in the past 10 years, including those of the Vanni of Kodumudi and the mango tree of Kancheepuram.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Tamil Nadu / by T Ramakrishnan / Chennai – December 03rd, 2014