Archives for June 9, 2025

Sri Vijaya Puram, June 9: Thunderstorm with gusty wind (40-50 kmph) and lightning is likely to occur at one or two places over A&N Islands on June 10. Heavy rain (07-11 cm) is also likely to occur at one or two places over A&N Islands. Thunderstorm with gusty wind (40-50 kmph) and lightning is also likely to occur at one or two places over A&N Islands on June 11. Heavy rain (07-11 cm) is likely to occur at one or two places over A&N Islands on June 12.

Squally weather with surface wind speed reaching 35-45 kmph gusting to 55 kmph is very likely over Andaman Sea & A&N Islands. Sea condition is also likely to be rough. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off Andaman Sea and A&N Islands till June 12, a press release from Directorate of Disaster Management said.

Sri Vijaya Puram, June 9:Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under the Plastic Waste Management Rules mandates Producers, Importers, and Brand Owners—including manufacturers of compostable /biodegradable plastics—to ensure proper processing of their plastic packaging waste through recycling, reuse, or environmentally sound disposal methods (e.g., co-processing, waste-to-energy, plastic-to-oil, roadmaking, industrial composting).
To streamline EPR implementation, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), through the 4th Amendment to the Plastic Waste Management Rules dated February 16, 2022, introduced ‘Guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility for Plastic Packaging’ (Schedule II).
Accordingly, a Centralized EPR Portal has been developed for registration of Producers, Importers, and Brand Owners (PIBOs) operating in more than two States with the CPCB. Those operating in one or two States/UTs must register with the respective State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs)/ Pollution Control Committee. Plastic Waste Processors (PWPs) must also register on this portal as per Section 13(3) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016.
As per the latest amendment dated March 14, 2024, the entities who must register on the EPR portal for plastic packaging are manufacturers of plastic raw materials, importers of plastic raw materials, micro & small producers and sellers of plastic raw materials.
All the producers including micro and small categories, importers, brand owners, manufactures/importers/sellers of plastic materials in A&N Islands should register themselves on the centralized EPR Portal developed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Action, as deemed fit under Environment Protection Act, 1986 including levying of Environmental Compensation as per the Guidelines shall be taken against the defaulter.
Definitions as per Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 (as amended) and Link of EPR portal are as under-
• Producer: A person engaged in manufacturing plastic packaging, including manufacturing intermediate materials for plastic packaging, and those engaged in contract manufacturing of products using plastic packaging for brand owners.
• Manufacturer: A person involved in the production of plastic raw materials, including compostable and biodegradable plastics.
• Seller: A person who sells plastic raw materials such as resins, pellets, or intermediate materials used in producing plastic packaging.
• Importer: A person who imports, for commercial use, any plastic packaging, commodity with plastic packaging, carry bags, plastic sheets, plastic raw materials (resins or pellets), or intermediate materials for manufacturing plastic packaging.
• Brand Owner: A person or company selling any commodity under a registered brand label or trademark.
The link to register in the Centralized EPR portal is:
https://eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in/. Further, the SOP for registration of PIBOs and PWPs can be downloaded respectively in the links provided:
https://eprplastic.cpcb.gov.in/plastic/downloads/SOP%20PIBOS_0001.pdf.

Sri Vijaya Puram, June 9: Empowering animal husbandry farmers with knowledge and skill is crucial to boost animal productivity in the UT. Regular updation of farmer’s knowledge on latest developments and advanced farming techniques is essential for sustainable and profitable livestock farming. The animal husbandry farmers living in remote and far flung areas of these Islands have limited access to information due to poor communication facilities hindering their skill updation and growth.
In order to provide learning opportunities to these progressive farmers, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services has made arrangements to conduct inter-state exposure visit.
Initially, 25 progressive farmers were recently taken to ICAR- National Research Centre on Pig at Guwahati for imparting advanced training on -scientific pig rearing practices. To tap the potential of growth and advancement in the field of piggery, hands on learning opportunity was provided to the progressive farmers in order to enable them to apply the knowledge gained during the training in their own area and farm.
During the training, technical sessions were held, in which, experts shared their knowledge on topics like creeper management, disease management, bio security, artificial insemination, market based farming, breeding, nutrition, waste disposal and feed management. The participants engaged in interactive discussion with experts and gained insights in advanced pig farming techniques and market trends.
Seeing successful animal husbandry practices in action inspired the participants and they reaffirmed their commitment to implement the practices learned during the visit in their farms.
The batch of progressive farmers consisted of farmers from Pulopanja, Makachua of Nicobar District, Chouldari, Rangat,Billiground and Diglipur. The particicpants expressed that the training program was an eyeopener to them and were grateful to the Department for giving them the opportunity.

Sri Vijaya Puram, June 9: One Stop Centre (OSC) under the Directorate of Social Welfare organized an online awareness session on Cyber Security Threats and Cyber Laws with the objective to understand common Cyber Security threats.
The Resource Person, Shri Sanjay Henry, ASI, CID Branch stressed on the importance of the Cyber Security solution by highlighting that growing numbers and sophistication of Cyber threats attacks target user directly and many cyber mishaps stem from a lack of security awareness.
Further, the Resource person also explained the different ways to prevent Cyber Crime, Information Technology Act, 2000 etc.
Ms. Rukhsar Rahim, Para Legal Personnel, One Stop Centre briefed about Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Smti. Neela Baidya, Central Administrator, welcomed the participants and others.
Smti Meenal Rajan, Case Worker, One Stop Centre highlighted the objective of One Stop Centre, which provides integrated support and assistance to women affected by violence during distress both in private and public spaces, a press release from Directorate of Social Welfare said.

Sri Vijaya Puram, Jun 09: The Regional Station, Minicoy of ICAR-CIARI, Mr. Vijaya Puram, in collaboration with ICAR-KVK, Kavaratti, conducted a campaign on Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) for the welfare of farmers of Minicoy on 07/06/2025.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Gladston Y, In-charge, ICAR-CIARI Regional Station, Minicoy, welcomed the gathering and shared his impressions about the campaign. He interacted with the farmers and shared his experiences regarding various activities and technologies of the station, including the use of artificial intelligence in precision farming. The scientific team, Dr. Ajina S.M., interacted with the farmers and provided advisories on fisheries during the monsoon as well as alternative options to increase fish production sustainably. Dr. Thoufeera M.K, Veterinary Surgeon, interacted with the farmers and shared her experiences with poultry and goat farming during the upcoming monsoon. Mr. Shareefuddeen Hassan, Technical Officer, shared his insights on agriculture and horticulture practices suitable for the kharif season. Mr. Arif M.I., Senior Technician and Coordinator of the programme, explained technical know-how and practices to the participants in Mahl (the local language).
At the end of the event, inputs such as vegetable kits were distributed to the farmers. The distribution was attended by officials from the Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, including Dr. Thoufeera M.K, and farmers from different village clusters. In total, 14 male and 16 female farmers received inputs, and 35 people attended the programme.
The programme was organized by Dr. Gladston Y.Dr. Ajina S. M.and Dr. Abhisek Das, KVK with coordination support from Mr. Shareefuddeen Hassan and Mr. Arif M.I. under the guidance of Dr. Eaknath B. Chakurkar, Director, ICAR-CIARI, Sri Vijaya Puram.

Sri Vijaya Puram, June9: In a significant step towards enhancing disaster preparedness, the Directorate of Art & Culture, A&N Administration, in collaboration with the Directorate of Disaster Management, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and other key Departments of the Administration, successfully conducted a mock drill at the historic National Memorial Cellular Jail today.
The exercise simulated a real time earthquake and fire emergency scenario to evaluate the disaster response capabilities, response mechanisms, improve coordination among agencies, and ensure the safety of visitors/tourists and staff in the event of a real disaster.
Tourists present at the site were informed in advance to avoid panic during the drill. The exercise witnessed active participation from multiple Departments, demonstrating swift and coordinated emergency response efforts.
Following the drill, a de-briefing session was held, where representatives from participating agencies shared observations and provided valuable suggestions to further strengthen disaster management strategies to be adopted by the Art & Culture Department. The session was led by the Director of Art & Culture, Ms Priyanka Kumari, who served as the Incident Commander, overseeing the execution of the drill and the review process.
A table top exercise in this regard was also conducted on June 6, 2025, which was participated by all line Departments. The initiative underscores the commitment of the Administration to disaster preparedness and public safety, ensuring that all stakeholders remain equipped to handle emergencies effectively, a press release from Directorate of Art & Culture said.