Meghalaya boosts pollution tracking, unveils real-time air quality monitoring system in Byrnihat
Shillong (PTI): Meghalaya has ramped up air-quality surveillance in the industrial town of Byrnihat - flagged in recent assessments as one of the country’s most polluted towns - with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma inaugurating a Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) in Ri-Bhoi district, officials said.
Located along the Assam-Meghalaya border, Byrnihat has featured among India’s worst pollution hotspots in studies by IQAir and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, they said.
The newly installed CAAQMS will provide real-time data on major air-quality indicators, helping authorities take timely corrective action and frame evidence-based policies, the officials said.
Earlier in Shillong, Sangma, who also oversees the Forests and Environment Department, chaired a review meeting of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) to assess its functioning and streamline operations.
“We had positive discussions and reviewed the working of the board. We also discussed steps to streamline its functioning to make it more effective,” he said, adding that a follow-up meeting will be held in January to outline measures for expanding the board’s mandate.
The chief minister also inaugurated a zero liquid discharge effluent treatment plant and a 47 kW grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic system at the MSPCB office, before visiting the board’s laboratories, the officials added.
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India, Brazil set bilateral trade target of over USD 20 billion in 5 years
New Delhi (PTI): India and Brazil on Saturday set a bilateral trade target of more than USD 20 billion in the next five years, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, focussing in the areas of critical minerals and security.
Modi said the relations between India and Brazil have long benefitted from President Lula's visionary outlook and inspiring leadership.
He also noted that Brazil is India's largest trade partner in Latin America.
"We are committed to taking the India-Brazil trade beyond USD 20 billion in the next five years," the prime minister said in his media statement after the talks.
He asserted that when India and Brazil work together, the voice of the Global South becomes stronger.
Modi also said both countries agree that terrorism and its supporters are enemies of the entire humanity.
