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Indian News

Air quality improved during lockdown in India, study shows

There was a 40 per cent reduction over the national capital, New Delhi. In India alone, about 16,000 premature deaths occur annually due to exposure to poor air quality. The study also found Land Surface Temperature (LST) over major cities in India substantially declined in contrast with the previous five-year average (2015-2019) with day temperatures being up to 1°C cooler and those at night up to 2°C cooler.

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India brings forward target of 20 pc ethanol-blending in petrol to 2023

”The Central Government hereby directs that the oil companies shall sell ethanol-blended petrol with a percentage of ethanol up to 20 per cent as per the Bureau of Indian Standards specifications, in the whole of the States and union territories,” the Oil Ministry said in a Gazette notification.

”This Notification shall come into force with effect from the 1st April 2023”.

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Miners still trapped in Meghalaya coal mine, rain hampers rescue efforts

The district administration has identified five miners four from Assam and one from Tripura who were trapped at the coal pit in the remote Umpleng area of Sutnga Elaka since Sunday when a dynamite blast had led to the flooding of the coal mine.
Environmental activist Agnes Kharshiing said, people will not speak out ” as they are under pressure from the coal mafia which does not want the true extent of the tragedy to be made public”.

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AM Best maintains negative outlook on India non-life insurance

However, in fiscal year 2021, despite India’s GDP contracting by approximately 8%, the non-life insurance market achieved a positive, albeit muted, growth rate of over 5%. Prospectively, AM Best expects the trajectory of non-life insurance premiums in India to continue to be one of growth over the long term with rising consumer awareness and accessibility of insurance products.
Factors that could lead AM Best to revise its segment outlook to stable from negative include evidence of sustainable improvement in underwriting performance, supported by better pricing discipline, as well as an improved balance of overall earnings and stabilised economic indicators.

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2.21 lakh hectare of crops damaged in Cyclone Yaas in Bengal, says Mamata

”Around 2.21 lakh hectare of crops and 71,560 hectare of horticulture have been damaged in West Bengal by Cyclone Yaas. The state has incurred a total loss of more than Rs 20,000 crore,” she told reporters at the secretariat.

Banerjee on May 28 submitted a report to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the damages caused by the cyclone, and sought a Rs 20,000-crore package for redevelopment of the worst-affected areas.

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