Thanks to its adoption of solar energy to power its traffic signals, the City traffic police have hit paydirt saving a whopping Rs 1.73 crore in energy bill.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M A Saleem, said: “We paid a total of Rs 19.58 lakh to Bescom in 2012. The solar-powered traffic signals, installed since 2001, have helped us a lot. We have solar-powered traffic signals at all busy junctions in City.” “Today we have around 251 timers as energy consumed by solar-powered traffic signals has reduced drastically. There are over 343 regular signals and 42 pedestrian control signals, all of them with LED lights.”

Attero Recycling, India’s sole integrated recycling company for e-waste, has hit upon a novel method of teaching the local kabariwallahs how to handle hazardous waste.

Attero Recycling, founded by brothers Rohan and Nitin Gupta, has developed its own proprietary technology to extract precious metals, including copper, lead and gold, and also recycling hazardous materials emanating from electrical appliances.

Overtakes HP to top in the guide for 2012

Wipro, the Bangalore-based company with interests in consumer goods, electronics hardware and IT services among others, has topped the 'Guide to Greener Electronics’ list for 2012 released by global non-governmental environmental organisation Greenpeace. The company, which previously participated in the Indian edition of the Guide, had made its debut in the international version of Greenpeace’s Guide this year.

Mizuho Financial Group Inc.

Approval for Rs. 3,150-crore package for backward regions in Bihar, Odisha, U.P. and M.P.

The Cabinet on Thursday cleared the National Policy on Electronics 2012, which aims to make the domestic electronic hardware manufacturing segment a $400-billion industry by 2020. “The Union Cabinet today [Thursday] approved the National Policy on Electronics 2012. The draft National Policy on Electronics was released for public consultation and it has now been finalised based on comments from various stakeholders,” an official statement said.

Bangalore The Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT) has urged the Union ministry of environment & forests to address the hindrances faced in the successful implementation of e-waste management rules calling for simplification of the existing regulations.

Some of the issues which have been raised by MAIT relate to multiple reporting authorities. The rules mention obtaining an authorisation from the concerned State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) or PCC (Pollution Control Committee), however, the producers are now forced to take authorisation from multiple states, thus, adding to duplicity in data compilation, MAIT said on Monday. For the companies and SPCBs, this only adds to the administrative burden without adding any value addition.

To protect the Periyar, the lifeline of the state, and maintain its strength and beauty, a river authority should be formed, said E P Yasodharan, chairman, Environment Cell, constituted by the Stan

To give a boost to electronic hardware production, the state government will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Taiwan based Hsinchu Science Park, one of the world’s renowned hubs for semiconductor manufacturing, for exchange of information and technology.

“We may sign a MoU with Hsinchu Science Park within next one month for free flow of information and technology to facilitate establishment of semiconductor units in the upcoming Info Valley complex in Bhubaneswar,” said BK Patnaik, Chief Secretary.