Sustainability Outlook Headlines

NTPC solar auction tariffs hover at Rs. 2.8

Tariffs hovered at Rs 2.79-2.80 per unit at NTPC’s latest auction for 750 MW at Ananthapuram Solar Park in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday, with bidding continuing at the time of going to press. 

The tariffs are already below those offered at solar auctions conducted so far this year, although still above the record low. 

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To curb pollution, Telanagana to move to e-vehicles

In order to curb pollution, the Telangana government announced that it will soon introduce electric vehicles in Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC) in Hyderabad.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday said that the government will encourage use of electric vehicles in the city to make it pollution-free. “We need to encourage 100 per... Read more..

Ghaziabad plans to start electric buses, shortlists four routes

The private player roped in by the UP government for introducing battery-operated e-buses, conducted a traffic survey on Wednesday and chalked out possible routes. The project is in the nascent stage as GDA is yet to deduce a financial model that would be adopted for the project.

According to Ritu Maheshwari, vice-chairperson, GDA, “ The genesis of introducing e-buses in the city could be traced to just... Read more..

ReNew Power files for IPO that could raise $1 billion

ReNew Power Ltd filed for an initial public offering on Tuesday that could raise more than $1 billion in one of India's biggest listings so far this year.

Goldman Sachs and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) are among the backers of ReNew, which has about 3,921 megawatts of operational wind and solar power generation capacity and another about 1,668 megawatts under development.

Dubai’s Relam Investment to invest $300 m in India

Dubai-based Relam Investment on Tuesday announced its entry into the Indian market with an initial commitment to invest $300 million in the real estate and technology sectors over the next five years.

The company will make India as it’s hub for investments in Southeast Asian markets, its chairman and managing director Sultan Ali Rashed Lootah said.

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Madhya Pradesh Gets India's First Smart Cities Control Centre

In a major step towards realising the centre's smart city mission (SCM), the Madhya Pradesh government on Tuesday launched the country's first Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) for all seven smart cities of the state in Bhopal.

The ICCC, installed in a building in Barkheda area of the state capital, would enable the authorities to monitor the status of various smart civic amenities in real-time... Read more..

Web-based mapping to identify polluters

The pollution control board (PCB) has launched a first-of-its-kind web-based mapping for a waterbody and network of sewers, manholes and drains as part of sanitation survey being undertaken for Karamana river.

PCB is executing the survey with the help of a mobile app ‘Envisan’ developed by Kerala State Remote Sensing And Environment Centre. The Socio-Economic Unit Foundation, an NGO which is conducting the... Read more..

Survey of India to aid National Mission for Clean Ganga using GIS technology

The National Mission for Clean Ganga has brought on board Survey of India to facilitate Ganga rejuvenation using GIS. To aid the mission, SoI will map the entire stretch of the Ganga using GIS technology and provide high-resolution maps to the government. SoI intends to complete the job within 15 months. The high-resolution maps so provided by SoI will help the government to get minute details of sewage and effluent discharge outlets and identify pollution hot-spots up to 10 km on both sides of the river. It... Read more..

Central Pollution Control Board directs captive power plants to comply with new emission norms by December 31, 2018

The Central Pollution Control Board has directed 21 companies in Telangana and 30 companies in Andhra Pradesh to comply with new emission norms on captive power plants by December 31, 2018, or face action as per Environment Protection Act. And this may also include closure. The list comprises cement, pharma, sugar, infra, solvent and other companies from both Telugu states.

The companies were asked to set up... Read more..

Enforce rules to eliminate single-use carry bags: Centre to states

Being the global host of this year's World Environment Day (June 5) with 'Beat Plastic Pollution' as its theme, the Centre has written to all states and Union Territories (UTs) to undertake a massive campaign against use of single-use plastics and enforce rules to ensure elimination of plastic carry bags of less than 50 microns in thickness.

Though the Centre had banned polythene bags below 50 microns in... Read more..

Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy Launches Chapter for South Asia to Combat Climate Change

To combat the adverse impact of climate change, the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) has launched a chapter for South Asian countries and urged mayors and commissioners from India as well as local Governments across the region to join the coalition and commit to moving towards a low-carbon and climate resilient economy.

The Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy-South Asia... Read more..

PM2.5 in Mumbai in 2017 was six times the safe limit: SAFAR study

The level of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 – a pollutant that can enter the lungs and cause health ailments – in the city in 2017 was 60µg/m3, six times the World Health Organization’s (WHO) permissible limit, according to a three-city pollution study.

WHO’s annual safe limit for PM2.5 is 10 µg/m3 and the annual limit for India is 40µg/m3.

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