Steps against dengue fever

Dengue fever surveillance has been strengthened in the district
following the increased reporting of cases from various parts of the
district.The district-level disease surveillance review meeting held
here on Wednesday decided to intensify preventive action to check the
spread of dengue fever. The meeting was chaired by Additional Director
(Public Health) K.S. Anilkumar. Spraying, fogging, source reduction
and awareness creation would be intensified with the help of local
bodies.

The Hindu, 18th December 2008

More than 1,000 species discovered in Mekong: WWF

Scientists have discovered more than 1000 species in Sotheast Asia's
Greater Mekong region in the past decade, including a spider as big as
a dinner plate, the World Wildlife Fund said Monday.A rat throuht to
have become extinct 11 million years ago and cyanide-laced, shocking
pink millipede were among creatures found in what the group called a
"biological treasure trove".The species were all found in the
rainforests and wetlands along the Mekong River, which flows through
Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand,Vietnam and the southern Chinese
province of Yunnan.One species of pitiviper was firest noted by
scientists after it was found iin the rafters of a restaurant at the
headquarters of Thailand's Kho Yai national park in 2001.The new
species highlighted in the report includes 519 plants, 279 fish, 88
frogs, 88 spiders, 46 lizards, 22 snakes, 15 mammals, four birds, four
turtles, two salamanders and a toad an average of two previously
undiscovered species a week for the past 10 yeard.The report warned,
however, that many of the species could be at risk from development,
and called for a cross-border agreement between the countries in the
Greater Mekong area to protect it.

The Hindu, 18th December 2008

A unique green revolution

Behind the high walls of the Poojapura Central Prison, a green
revolution is in the making. Three acres of prison land are now all
set for cultivating paddy.Agriculture Minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran
on Tuesday launched the 'Ottanjaar' (System of Rice Intensification)
farming in the jail. The Seed Farm at Chirayinkeezhu is providing
'Uma', a paddy seed variety fopr the cultivation.The Minister said
that a revival was needed in the agriculture sector of the State. The
Agriculture Department is in the process of readying fallow lands for
farming, he said. The Department plans to set up 250 demonstration
plots across the State as part of extending the SRI method in paddy
cultivation. The department is also providing Rs.4,000 as financial
aid per hectare.The advantage of this method is that only eight kgs of
seeds are required per hectare, while conventional cultivation methods
require 80-100 kgs. The yield is also better.V.Sivankutty MLA
presided. DGP (Prisons) K.P.Somarajan, IG (Prisons) Paul Leslie and
Agriculture additional director K.K. Ramakrishnan were present.

The New Indian Express, 17th December 2008

New system of farming in Central jail

Thiruvananthapuram: Minister for Agriculture Mullakkara Ratnakaran
joined hands with prisoners at the Central Jail here on Tuesday to
plant paddy shoots, under a project to promote farming on
wasteland.The prisoners will plant and tend to the three acre-farm
inside the jail premises. The paddy seeds will be sourced from the
seed farm at Chirayinkeezh. The project named 'System of Rice
Intensification' has been launched by the Department of Agriculture to
enhance productivity and revive paddy farming.The government will
provide an assistance of Rs.4,000 per hectare. The farms set up under
the project will need only eight kg of seeds per hectare as against 80
to 100 kg in other fields. The department claims that the yield would
also go up significantly.Addressing a function organised to mark the
inauguration of the project, the Minister said the new system of paddy
farming was aimed at converting all the wasteland in the state into
paddy fields. He said demonstration plots would be set up in 250
hectares across the State.Mr. Ratnakaran added that moves were on to
promote vegetable farming among prisoners.V. Sivankutty, MLA, presided
over the function.

The Hindu, 17th December 2008