LUCKNOW // Hoping to smash world records, hundreds of thousands of Indians jostled for space in Uttar Pradesh on Monday in a bid to plant 50 million trees over 24 hours.
Officials distributed millions of saplings to be planted across India’s most populous state. Besides helping India’s efforts to increase its forest cover, they are also aiming to get into Guinness World Records for the most trees planted in a day. The current record is 847,275, set in Pakistan in 2013.
More than 800,000 people — including students, lawmakers, government officials, housewives and volunteers from non-profit organisations — headed out on Monday to plant the saplings at designated spots along country roads and highways, rail tracks and forest lands.
Uttar Pradesh’s top elected official, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, said that planting 50 million trees would raise awareness and enthusiasm about afforestation and environmental conservation.
“The world has realised that serious efforts are needed to reduce carbon emissions to mitigate the effects of global climate change. Uttar Pradesh has made a beginning in this regard,” Mr Yadav told volunteers in the city of Kannauj, 250 kilometres south-west of the state capital, Lucknow.
India’s government is encouraging all 29 states to start tree-planting drives to increase the country’s forest cover as part of commitments made at last year’s climate change summit in Paris.
The government has designated more than US$6.2 billion (Dh22.8bn) for tree-planting across the country, in keeping with its pledge to push India’s forest cover to 95 million hectares by 2030.
In Lucknow’s Kukrail Reserve Forest, eighth-grader Shashwat Rai said he was planting a “peepal”, using the local name for the fig species Ficus religiose.
“I’ve read in a book that this tree releases maximum oxygen,” Rai said. “There is so much pollution in the city, we need trees that produce oxygen.”
Rai said he would be checking on the tree frequently. “I don’t want this plant to die,” he said.
The long-term survival of trees planted in such mass campaigns remains a concern, officials said.
The sites where the trees have been planted would be monitored through aerial photographs taken at regular intervals to check how many of the saplings were thriving, according to senior forest official Sanjeev Saran.
Usually, only 60 per cent of saplings survive, with the rest succumbing to disease or lack of water, officials said.
Meanwhile, auditors from Guinness World Records were moving around in the state to check on the numbers. “We are trying to maintain full transparency,” Mr Saran said.
“They are out in the field and are supervising the plantation drive,” he said. “We do not know who they are or where they are at this point in time. They are working incognito, and this suits us.”
Last year, Uttar Pradesh entered Guinness World Records for the largest distribution of saplings by donating more than 1 million trees that were planted at 10 locations in the state.
* Associated Press
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
Infobox
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August
Results
UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets
Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets
Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets
Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs
Monday fixtures
UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain
Book%20Details
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Tu%20Jhoothi%20Main%20Makkaar%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
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