SAFEMA - Appellant have furnished evidence which show satisfactorily that they took all reasonable steps to realise export proceeds : Tribunal (See 'Legal Desk') Companies Act - Winding up petition can be dismissed when contentions raised by parties constitute triable issues as Company Court cannot enter into adjudication of disputed facts of amount due and payable : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Competition Act - In absence of any apparent anti-competitive conduct, decision of purchase or sale of product and quantity thereof is driven by commercial considerations of market players : CCI (See 'Legal Desk') Principal Scientific Adviser chairs meeting to discuss Biomass Cultivation (See 'Corp Brief') India Pavilion at World Hydrogen Summit showcases Green Hydrogen Mission (See 'Corp Brief') Slum Rehabilitation Act - Preferential right to owner is available only when someone other than owner is being preferred and owner has never before been given or availed of right to develop : HC (See 'Legal Desk') CPC - Application can be dismissed as Intervener has already initiated its own remedy by way of independent Execution Petition : HC (See 'Legal Desk') SEBI Act - Appellant has not shown sufficient cause for condonation of delay in filing appeal : SAT (See 'Legal Desk') PMLA - When questions relating to legality of arrest is under consideration, more holistic and libertarian view is to release Chief Minister of Delhi on interim bail for Lok Sabha General Elections : SC (See 'Legal Desk') Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act, 1976 - Order for forfeiture of properties is rightly made as property is occupied through lllegal earning : Tribunal (See 'Legal Desk') Arbitration Act - As petitioner is not notified as 'financial institution' or 'bank' under RDB Act, there is no bar on parallel proceedings to co-exist under A&C Act as well as SARFAESI Act : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Cr.P.C. - Once order issuing process has been set aside, then applicant has no right to file application u/s 482 of Cr.P.C. for quashment of complaint case : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Summer Power demand expected to be adequately met during both day and night (See 'Corp Brief') Competition Act - WordPress.org is justified in taking appropriate action against any developer found non-compliant with prescribed standards and regulations : CCI (See 'Legal Desk') Ministry of Skill signs MoU with Mahindra Ltd to conduct two Pilot Projects (See 'Corp Brief') SEBI Act - Operation of order can be stayed for appellant as he has resigned and has no role to play in decisions made thereafter for continuation of schemes : SAT (See 'Legal Desk') IREDA Global Green Energy Finance IFSC Limited incorporated in GIFT City (See 'Corp Brief') Trade Marks Act - Petitioner has no locus to challenge order as petitioner is not claiming itself to be manufactory in Madhya Pradesh and registration of its label under M.P. Beer & Wine Rules : HC (See 'Legal Desk') SARFAESI Act - Discretion to grant reduction in pre-deposit rests with DRAT and Petitioner has failed to make out any ground for interference : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Constitution of India - Petitioner is entitled for Capital subsidy : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Coast Guard inks MoU with Jindal Steel for boosting indigenous manufacturing capacity (See 'Corp Brief') Companies Act - Winding up proceedings pending before High Courts, which are at nascent stage and have not progressed to advanced stage, can be transferred to NCLT : HC (See 'Legal Desk') PMLA - Considering involvement of applicant in selling fake Remdesivir injection at higher price, applicant is not entitled for anticipatory bail : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Arbitration Act - Any amicable settlement not incompatible with arbitration agreement is encouraged by Arbitral Tribunal : HC (See 'Legal Desk') M.P. Nagar Tatha Gram Nivesh Adhiniyam, 1973 - Order passed by respondents is devoid of merit as land of petitioner is left open for purpose of any future road expansion : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Arbitration Act - Since appellant has failed to establish loss suffered, Arbitral Tribunal rightly rejected appellant's claim in this regard : HC (See 'Legal Desk') PMLA - Arrest order and consequent remand order are not illegal : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Keel-laying ceremony performed at Goa Shipyard (See 'Corp Brief') Companies Act - Winding up proceedings pending before High Courts, which are at nascent stage and have not progressed to advanced stage, can be transferred to NCLT : HC (See 'Legal Desk') SEBI Act - Extension of time can be allowed to SEBI to complete investigation : SAT (See 'Legal Desk') Arbitration Act - Respondent no.3 is not liable for repayment obligations of financial facilities extended by appellant to respondent no 1 company : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Mineral production grows by 8 percent in February (See 'Corp Brief') SARFAESI Act - Court refrains to adjudicate matter on merits when matter is already pending in DRAT : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Coal production in April up by 7.4% (See 'Corp Brief') SEBI Act - Appellants have made case for stay as rigours of directions of SEBI order would adversely affect business of Appellant as well as their clients : SAT (See 'Legal Desk') Trade Mark Act - Marks 'BETSONE' and 'BETASON' are deceptively similar to registered trademark 'BETNESOL' and visually, phonetically and structurally alike, with minimal alterations : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Voting by tribal communities blossoms as ECI's outreach to them bears fruit (See 'Corp Brief') SARFAESI Act - No fault can be found with respondent financial institution invoking Section 14 of SARFAESI Act by approaching District Magistrate, Rewa : HC (See 'Legal Desk') Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs observes Swachhata Pakhwada (See 'Corp Brief')

Locust Control: 5 companies with 15 drones deployed in Rajasthan

Published: Jul 08, 2020

By TIOLCORPLAWS News Service

NEW DELHI, JULY 08, 2020: STARTING from 11th April 2020 till 6th July 2020, control operations have been done in 1,43,422 hectares area in States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana by Locust Circle Offices (LCOs). Till 6th July 2020, control operations have also been done in 1,32,465 hectares area in States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh, Haryana and Bihar by State Governments.

In the intervening night of 6th-7th July 2020, control operations were carried out at 22 places in 7 districts viz. Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Ajmer, Sikar and Jaipur of Rajasthan State and 1 place each in Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh and Tikamgarh districts of Madhya Pradesh by LCOs. Besides this, State Agriculture Department of Uttar Pradesh also carried out control operations at 3 places in Jhansi district, while that of Madhya Pradesh State Agriculture Department at 1 place in Tikamgarh district, in the intervening night of 6th -7th July 2020 against small groups and scattered population of locusts.

Aerial spraying capacity has been strengthened for anti-locust operations.  A Bell helicopter has been deployed in Rajasthan for use in Scheduled Desert Area as per the need. Indian Air Force also has conducted trials in anti-locust operation by using an Mi-17 helicopter. The results are encouraging. IAF started participating in anti-locust operations from 5 th July by deploying the Mi-17 helicopter for aerial spraying in Jodhpur district. This is first of its kind event in the history of locust control in India.

Further, 5 companies with 15 drones are deployed at Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Phalodi in Rajasthan for effective control of locusts on tall trees and in inaccessible areas through spraying of pesticides. India is the first Country that is using drones for locust control. On 21 st May, 2020 MoCA granted conditional exemption to the Government Entity for use of remotely Piloted Air Craft System for anti-locust operations subject to various terms and conditions. Further, on 27th June, 2020, MoCA further relaxed the terms and conditions and permitted the use of engine-powered drone up to 50kg and use of drones during night times also for anti-locust operations.

Presently 60 control teams with spray vehicles are deputed /deployed in State of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh and more than 200 Central Government personnel are engaged in locust control operations. In addition, today 20 spray equipments have reached India.

1. LWO control vehicle in action in Jhalamand, Jodhpur

2. Locust control operation at Viratnagar, Jaipur, Rajasthan

3. LWO control vehicle in operation in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh

4. Spraying for locust control at Chirgaon, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh

5. LWO control operation at Marwa on Jaipur-Ajmer district border, Rajasthan

6. A party of Locust warriors in Nagaur, Rajasthan

No significant crop losses have been reported in the States of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhatisgarh, Bihar and Haryana. However, some minor crop losses have been reported in some districts of Rajasthan

Today (07.07.2020), swarms of immature pink locusts and adult yellow locusts are active in Barmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Ajmer, Sikar and Jaipur districts of Rajasthan State, Jhansi district of Uttar Pradesh and in Tikamgarh districts of Madhya Pradesh.

As per the Food and Agriculture Organization's Locust Status Update of 03.07.2020, many of the spring-bred swarms that migrated to Indo-Pak border before the monsoon rains, some continued east to northern states of India and a few groups reached Nepal. The forecast is that these swarms will return to Rajasthan with the start of the monsoon in the coming days to join other swarms still arriving from Iran and Pakistan, which is expected to be supplemented by swarms from the Horn of Africa in about mid-July. Early breeding has already occurred along the Indo-Pak border where substantial hatching and band formation will take place in July that will cause the first-generation summer swarms to form in mid-August.

Weekly virtual meeting on Desert Locust of South-West Asian countries (Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan) is being organised by FAO. 15 virtual meetings of the technical officers of South West Asian countries have taken place so far.

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