LUCKNOW: A small fry from the coastal belt of India could prove a potent weapon in the battle against the menace of Japanese encephalitis in eastern Uttar Pradesh. This small killer fish, Gambusia, is known for devouring mosquito larvae - 100 to 300 per day. So, the UP government has added it to its armoury for controlling mosquitoes, which are primary responsible for the spread of the dreaded disease that has claimed more than 5,000 lives in the past seven years.

LUCKNOW: Lucknow Municipal Corporation's decision to rope in experts from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur to examine the works done under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, one of Centre's, is likely to put the centrally-appointed monitoring committee under a scanner. This is because all the works carried out in the state capital went through the monitoring of the committee appointed by the central government. And, it was on the basis of the monitoring committee's reports that funds were released by the Centre.

LUCKNOW: Faced with a host of complaints pertaining to drainage and sewerage works executed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), the Lucknow Municipal Corporation on Monday decided to get the works examined by a technical agency. Municipal commissioner NP Singh said that if possible the works will be examined under the technical guidance of experts from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K).

LUCKNOW: The UP government on Monday cleared projects worth Rs 602 crore to check the dreaded Japanese encephalitis which has claimed more than 5,000 lives in the past seven years. An inter-departmental committee headed by chief secretary Jawed Usmani finalized the projects for 20 affected districts of the state.

The seers congregated at the Ganga Mukti Mahasammelan at Beniabagh Park on Monday evening and displayed their determination to continue their struggle until the flow of water in river Ganga is maintained undisrupted and the holy river becomes free from pollution. Apart from seers, thousands of locals and heads of other religious groups also arrived to extend their support to the ongoing stir for protecting river Ganga.

LUCKNOW: After three years of functioning without an industrial policy in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government is ready with its new draft Industrial and Service Sector Investment Policy (ISSIP) for 2012. Currently open to consultations with industry stakeholders, the policy, in its new avatar, aims to clock an industrial growth of 10%, create 25 lakh new jobs annually, ensure equal development of all regions of the state and make UP the most sought-after investment destination in the country.

LUCKNOW: National Rural Health Mission's Project Approval Board has given UP more than what it asked for. The board not only sanctioned funds for projects worth Rs 3,187.57 crore, it also allowed the state to add unspent balance of about Rs 700 crore. Therefore, NRHM fund allocation for 2012-13 would be around Rs 4,500 crore - highest in the country for any state and highest ever for UP in the last seven years.

LUCKNOW: Taking a serious view of the receding groundwater resources in the state, Uttar Pradesh government has said it would suspend subsidies for digging new borewells in 108 development blocks. Making the announcement on Tuesday, state minor irrigation minister Paras Nath Yadav said the decision was made on the basis of the Groundwater Assessment Report 2009 where 76 blocks in UP have been identified as "over exploited'', while 32 have been marked as "critical'' blocks.

LUCKNOW: The state government will make a presentation on the National Rural Health Mission before the Union health ministry's project approval board on Thursday. The presentation will decide the allocations for UP for the financial year 2012-13. The proposal was finalized in the NRHM general body meeting held in mid-April. Headed by chief secretary Jawed Usmani, the apex body of NRHM approved the project implementation plan (PIP) worth Rs 3787.57 crore for the new fiscal. In 2011-12, UP's plan size for NRHM was about Rs 3,127 crore.

LUCKNOW: The routine immunisation campaign is all set to get its due attention. State unit of National Rural Health Mission has fixed annual targets for routine immunisation. Mission Director, NRHM, Mukesh Meshram said, "We have fixed targets for all health indicators of which routine immunisation is an important one. By the end of 2013 we hope to raise routine immunisation coverage to 50% and take it to 90% by the 2017, when the second phase of NRHM ends."