Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced a series of relief measures to farmers in the Thane cyclone-affected Cuddalore district, including a sum of Rs. 210 crore as compensation for damaged crops. Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said standing crops including cash crops over 2.24 lakh hectares had been completely damaged due to the cyclone, which hit the district on December 30, thus severely affecting the farm sector.

Nagapattinam (TN): A two-member Central Team today visited some of the villages in the district that were worst-hit by cyclone Thane and interacted with farmers and affected people.
The Team comprised Manoharan, Director in-charge, Tobacco Development in the Department of Agriculture and Sundramurthi, Superintending Engineer, Water Resources Ministry.  Manoharan later told reporters that the district administration had submitted a report stating paddy crops in over 50,000 hectares and horticultural crops in 450 hectares had been damaged in the district.

BANGALORE, Apr 14, 2011 (IPS) - Military debris dumped into the world’s oceans are hazardous to coral ecosystems, reefs, fish and marine wildlife, say experts, who also warn - in light of the recent tragedy in Japan - that earthquakes and tsunamis could disturb this debris and even wash it ashore.

The government today signed an agreement to prepare digital maps of the country’s seven km wide coastal belt from Gujarat to West Bengal as part of its efforts to delineate the hazard line for coastal regions.

NEW DELHI, Apr 21, 2011 (IPS) - Will India, the world’s biggest manufacturer of the pesticide endosulfan, and also the biggest victim of the toxic pesticide, persist with opposing its ban globally?

A coalition of health and environmental activists fears that the central government is preparing to oppose a ban at the Apr. 25 -29 fifth conference of the parties (CoP) to the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, or ‘POPs Treaty’, in Geneva.