Is India Winning the War Against Pollution? The fight for cleaner air and water intensifies as the nation grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change. From the devastating floods in Assam to the alarming rise in air pollution levels in Delhi, environmental challenges demand urgent action. This week saw crucial discussions on sustainable agriculture and renewable energy sources at the India Climate Change Conference, highlighting the government's commitment to tackling deforestation and promoting biodiversity conservation. But are these efforts enough? Experts warn of looming water scarcity and the need for stricter regulations on industrial emissions. The future of India's environment hangs in the balance, demanding collective responsibility and innovative solutions. Explore Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and the latest updates on environmental policies, climate activism, and the ongoing struggle for a sustainable India. Discover how you can contribute to a greener tomorrow.
Jaisalmer: Across India, people are finding unique ways to honour the armed forces following Operation Sindoor. In the golden sands of the border state of Rajasthan, this tribute takes the form of naming rare Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chicks, born under a special conservation project in Jaisalmer, after key officers and milestones linked to the operation. Names like 'Sindoor', 'Atom', 'Mishri', 'Vyom', and 'Sophia' now resonate through the conservation centres at Sudasari and Sam, where science, strategy and national pride are working together to revive one of India's most endangered birds. This year alone, 21 chicks have hatched under the Project GIB initiative, including seven in May and the latest one on June 1. The naming began with the chick born on May 5 named 'Sindoor' after the military operation. Others followed: 'Atom' (May 9) signifies the mission's strategic power; 'Mishri' (May 19) honours an undercover cyber intelligence officer; 'Vyom' (May 23) is named after Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and 'Sophia' (May 24) is dedicated to Colonel Sophia Qureshi, the two officers led the official media briefing of the operation. "By giving these chicks patriotic names, we are connecting the story of wildlife conservation with the story of national courage," said Brijmohan Gupta, Divisional Forest Officer of Desert National Park. Operation Sindoor was launched early May 7 by Indian military to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in retaliation to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Subsequently, India responded strongly to Pakistan's attempts to target its military and civilian areas with drones, missiles and other weapons. "It's not just about saving a bird, it's about preserving the values that define us as a nation," Gupta added. Once found across India's grasslands, the Great Indian Bustard has been pushed to the brink of extinction due to habitat loss, poaching, and infrastructural threats like power lines. Presently, fewer than 150 remain in the wild, most of them in Rajasthan. To counter this crisis, Project GIB was launched in 2018 as a joint initiative of the Ministry of Environment, the Wildlife Institute of India, and the Rajasthan Forest Department.
KV Singh Deo (centre) and other officials during the inauguration of the DNN lab on Thursday Sourced by the Telegraph A state-of-the-art Deep Neural Network (DNN) Laboratory has come up on the premises of Krystellar Defence and Aerospace in Nayapally, Bhubaneswar. The lab would work in the area of artificial intelligence and next-generation defence technologies. It is designed to promote research in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), artificial intelligence (AI), electronic warfare, cognitive communications, AI-powered space surveillance, hypersonic threat detection, tracking and situational aw ...Read More >
Itanagar, June 6 (UNI) Security forces launched a coordinated operation along the Indo-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh's Longding district, following specific intelligence inputs regarding the movement of armed cadres in the general area of Pongchau circle. As the patrol moved through dense forest, they encountered suspicious movement and issued a challenge. In response, the patrol came under heavy and indiscriminate fire from unknown individuals wielding high-calibre weapons. The security forces responded swiftly and effectively, engaging in an intense firefight, a Defence spokesperson ...Read More >
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged five individuals, including goldy Brar, in relation to the 2024 Gurugram club bombing plot, as revealed in a recently filed chargesheet. This case involves a conspiracy to bomb two clubs, aiming to disrupt communal harmony in Haryana, with the banned terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) implicated. The NIA's investigation highlights the severity of the plot. Those charged include satinderjit Singh (Goldy Brar), Sachin Talian, Ankit, Bhavish, and Randeep Singh. News Directory 3 provides crucial updates on sensitive cases such ...Read More >
A Russian strike on a nine-story building in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded dozens, an official said Sunday (November 17, 2024), as Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack described by officials as the largest in recent months. "Among the eight killed in Sumy, 40 kilometers (24 miles) from the border with Russia, were two children," said Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko. More than 400 people were evacuated from the building. Ukraine's Zelenskyy urges allies to take steps before North Korean troops reach the front The rescu ...Read More >
Kendrapara (Odisha), Jan 14 (PTI) With the annual crocodile and migratory birds' headcount exercise getting underway, the Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha's Kendrapara district would remain shut for nine days from Tuesday. Several teams have been constituted to count the crocodiles and birds in the creeks, rivers, wetland sites and mangrove forests within the park and its nearby areas, an official said. Any form of human activity could disrupt the process, and that is why the national park will remain closed till January 22, he said. The restrictions for visitors will also prevent noise ...Read More >
Ladwa (Haryana) [India], May 22 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday carried out the Tiranga Yatra to honour armed forces for Operation Sindoor. The CM, in his address to the people, stated that the rallies were occasions to pay true homage to the sense of patriotism and sacrifice. "Tiranga Yatra is being organised in Ladwa today. Tiranga Yatras are being organised across the country...These Yatras are not just events but occasions to pay true homage to the sense of patriotism and sacrifice...This Yatra is not just of the tricolour, this is a Yatra of our pledge, brave ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], May 23 (ANI): Criticising the BJP-led NDA government, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha (LoP) Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that India's foreign policy has collapsed. In a post on X, Gandhi raised three questions to the central government. "Will JJ explain, Why India has been hyphenated with Pakistan? Why didn't a single country back us in condemning Pakistan? Who asked Trump to "mediate" between India & Pakistan?" the LoP said. Reposting a video of S Jaishankar's interview with a media outlet, he said, "India's foreign policy has collapsed," he added. Earlier, Gandhi q ...Read More >
Kolkata: Avenging the Pahalgam terror attack, 'Operation Sindoor' was launched and although aerial action was ceased, Indian armed forces are continuing their activities to increase their military strength. Amid this, glass with higher resistance and strength but less weight is being created for bulletproof vehicles, helicopters, ships and several other weapons. A major role in this endeavour is being played by Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute (CGCRI) in West Bengal's Jadavpur area. According to sources, "Research is underway to decrease weight and increase the strength of the gl ...Read More >
New Delhi: Three Indian citizens vanished mysteriously in Tehran. Darkness closed in as hope seemed lost. A ruthless Pakistani gang with potential links to ISI snatched them away, casting a shadow of fear. But relentless Indian diplomats refused to back down. Against all odds, a daring rescue mission ignited. Now, the captives are free, and a chilling game of espionage comes to light. The Punjab-based trio - Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur, Jaspal Singh from SBS Nagar and Hushnapreet Singh from Sangrur - had landed in Iran on May 1. Promised a clandestine route to Australia via Dubai and Tehra ...Read More >
Bikaner, May 22: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Thursday, asserted that the country's enemies have learnt what happens when "sindoor" becomes gunpowder and lauded India's armed forces for creating such a trap that Pakistan was "forced to go down on its knees". In a public address in Rajasthan, the prime minister slammed Pakistan, and said in response to the attack on April 22, "we destroyed nine biggest terror hideouts in 22 minutes". "The world and the enemies of the country have seen what happens when sindoor (vermillion) turns into barood (gunpowder)," he said. He said India is not goi ...Read More >
Ludhiana, Jun 5 (PTI) Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Thursday asserted that there should be no "politicisation" of the armed forces, even as he accused the BJP of milking Operation Sindoor for political gains. "Such politics should not be done. I salute the armed forces. But there should be no politicisation of the army," he said. "Have you ever seen any former prime minister donning a military uniform....? But now the uniform is being used for political gains. It should not happen," he said. Armed forces fight for the country, and they have no connection with politics, he asserted. T ...Read More >
Srinagar, June 7: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, on Saturday, congratulated the University of Kashmir for getting an A++ grade in the NAAC inspection. The Lt Governor extended his heartiest congratulations to the Vice Chancellor, faculty, staff, and students of the University of Kashmir for attaining the prestigious A++ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), and securing an outstanding Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 3.68 on a seven-point scale. Calling it a proud moment for J&K UT, the Lt Governor said, "The A++ Grade places the Un ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): The 17th edition of the joint military exercise 'Nomadic Elephant 2025' between India and Mongolia is currently underway at the Special Forces Training Centre in Ulaanbaatar, the Indian Army said. According to the Indian Army, the training focuses on conducting non-conventional operations in semi-urban and mountainous terrain under a United Nations mandate. The objective is to enhance the operational capabilities of both forces. Participating contingents are actively exchanging best practices in counter-terrorism operations and precision sniping, thereby impro ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 8 (PTI) Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Delhi unit chief Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday visited the demolition site of the Madrasi Camp slum cluster, where they met with displaced residents, and intensified their attack on the BJP over the recent eviction drive. They alleged that Prime Minister Modi's promise to slum dwellers of 'jahan jhuggi wahan makan' - house at the site of their hutment - has "proved to be hollow like many others". There was no immediate response available from the BJP or the Delhi government over the accusations. The Madrasi Camp -- a jhu ...Read More >
Viral video shows AI cameras spotting a herd of elephants. (Photo: X/susantananda3) Elephants in Odisha's forests often face the threat of train collisions on railway tracks, as highlighted by multiple reports over the years. To prevent such accidents, authorities installed four AI cameras in the Rourkela Forest Division. A post on X (formerly Twitter) by Susanta Nanda, a retired Indian Forest Service officer, stated that the use of AI cameras effectively averted another potential accident. In t ...Read More >
Guwahati (Assam) [India], December 11 (ANI): The Combined Annual Training Camp (CATC)-151 for NCC girl cadets of the 60 Assam Girls Battalion and other units under NCC Group Headquarters, Guwahati, commenced on December 9 and will continue until December 18. According to the Defence Public Relations Officer (PRO), the camp aims to promote leadership, discipline, and national pride. The PRO's statement read: "The Combined Annual Training Camp (CATC)-151 of NCC cadets of 60 Assam Girls Bn NCC, Guwahati, and other units of NCC Group Headquarters, Guwahati, under NCC Directorate NER, Shillong, b ...Read More >
Nagpur, May 23 (PTI) India's indigenously developed 'Akashteer' air defence system performed "exceedingly well" during 'Operation Sindoor', said Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) chief Samir V Kamat, who expressed confidence that its success will draw international interest. India had deployed the indigenously developed and fully automated 'Akashteer' air defence control and reporting system, which emerged as the invisible force of new war capabilities during Operation Sindoor, launched against nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "Definitely, our a ...Read More >
Ahmedabad, Jun 6 (PTI) Gujarat Congress general secretary Rajesh Soni was arrested on Friday and charged under a tough section of the BNS for allegedly uploading "misleading" as well as "morale breaking" content on a social media platform related to 'Operation Sindoor', police said. After registration of an FIR on Thursday, the Cyber Crime Cell of the state CID arrested Soni in the wee hours over his controversial posts on the operation launched by Indian armed forces to destroy terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK, said Superintendent of Police (CID-Cyber Crime) Bharatsinh Tank. During the May 7 ...Read More >
Russia's nuclear doctrine has been updated to affirm its nuclear umbrella for primarily the six member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), including an explicit focus on Belarus. The announcement followed a joint meeting of the CSTO's Council of Foreign Ministers, Council of Defense Ministers, and Committee of Security Council Secretaries held in Astana. According to the state news agency TASS, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu highlighted the revisions, emphasizing Moscow's commitment to protecting its allies under the CSTO. The CSTO, formed in 2002 ...Read More >
Imphal, Dec 3 (VOICE) Amidst the hectic search operation by the Army and other security forces and continued agitation by various organisations, the 56-year-old man of the Meitei community remained untraced for the ninth day on Tuesday.A police official said that the Army has deployed over 2,000 soldiers including Assam Rifles personnel and is conducting hectic searches in Kangpokpi and adjoining districts to locate Laishram Kamalbabu Singh, who has been missing since November 25. The Army as part of their search operation deployed tracker dogs, drones and other devices. Several Civil Societ ...Read More >
Pakistan's former Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, recently faced public embarrassment at a United Nations press briefing after he was fact-checked by a reporter for making unsubstantial claims that Muslims were being 'demonised' in India. Bilawal Bhutto, part of Islamabad's diplomatic team at the UN, made the remarks during a press conference to clarify Pakistan's stance on Kashmir. Pahalgam attack was politicised to demonise Indian Mus ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 7 (PTI) Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday dismissed Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's criticism regarding the Delhi Zoo's proposed agreement with the Reliance Group's Gujarat-based wildlife facility, saying such collaborations are routine and aimed at improving animal care and management practices. "Some people have made it a habit to create doubts in the mind of the public at every instance," Yadav said on X in response to Ramesh's remarks. He clarified that the National Zoological Park (NZP), also known as the Delhi Zoo, had signed a memorandum of understa ...Read More >
Jaisalmer, Jun 7 (PTI) To honour the armed forces following Operation Sindoor, a special tribute is taking shape in the border state of Rajasthan - rare Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chicks born under a conservation project in Jaisalmer have been named after key officers and significant milestones linked to the operation. Names like 'Sindoor', 'Atom', 'Mishri', 'Vyom', and 'Sophia' now resonate through the conservation centres at Sudasari and Sam, where science, strategy and national pride are working together to revive one of India's most endangered bird species. "By giving these chicks these ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 7 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday asserted that India has demonstrated a successful strategy to defeat terrorism, laying out five key positions on how the global community can uproot such activities, and assured retaliation against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism while showing zero tolerance against this menace. In an article titled 'We've shown how to defeat terror,' published in an English Daily, Singh reflects on India's response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent response through Operation Sindoor, emphasising the nation's ...Read More >
Sikandar ka Muqaddar Controversy: A scene capturing the flamingos in the recently released Netflix movie has stirred a new row among environmentalists. As per a Free Press Journal report, the greens have alleged that the flamingo shot was captured from a close angle purportedly via a drone. The complaint was made to the Mangrove Cell with a request to take the issue in cognizance legally with the Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner, NRI Coastal police station and CIDCO. A part of the NatConnect Foundation's complaint stated that during the timeline 1:03:44 to 1:03:54 in the movie, a shot captured ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jan 10 (PTI) Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) scientists identified a new pangolin species which diverged from the Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) around 3.4 million years ago, the organisation said in a statement on Friday. The ZSI said the discovery of the Indo-Burmese pangolin (Manis indo-burmanica) sheds light on the evolutionary diversity of pangolins, likely influenced by dramatic geo-climatic changes in the region, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. The study, led by Mukesh Thakur of the ZSI, used cutting-edge genomic tools to analyse mitochondrial genomes. "Thi ...Read More >
Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], June 8 (ANI): ISKCON Siliguri organised a blood donation camp at its campus to honour the Indian Armed Forces for their role during Operation Sindoor. People from various platforms, including Monks, joined the camp on Sunday. DIG SSB Siliguri Frontier AKC Singh said, 'Congratulations to ISKCON Siliguri. Under Operation Sindoor, India taught Pakistan a good lesson. Today, a blood donation camp is being held at ISKCON Siliguri. The country is moving forward. We are no less than anyone else. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) salutes the camp being held. The soldiers of th ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jun 8 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday said his party is ready to come together with anyone who will work to protect the interests of Maharashtra and Marathi manoos, his statement coming amid the rapprochement buzz between the Uddhav Thackeray-led party and Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Talking to reporters here, Thackeray accused the BJP of "swallowing" Mumbai and Maharashtra. He said injustice is being meted out to Maharashtra by the BJP. "We have been saying this consistently. We are ready to work with anyone, any party that is ready to ...Read More >
Indian Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi is visiting Indonesia from December 15-18 to bolster bilateral defense relations. He will meet with Indonesian defense officials to discuss maritime security, joint training, and enhanced operational collaboration. The visit coincides with the ongoing 43rd India-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol, highlighting the growing maritime partnership between the two nations.The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi is set to embark on a four-day o ...Read More >
Sehore (Madhya Pradesh): At a time when the government has launched various schemes to encourage fish farming, the Narmada River and its tributaries have lost 80 species of fish in just two decades, experts say. Excessive mining of sand is the reason behind such a huge loss, they said. According to them, 140 species of fish were available, but only 60 are available now. But many of these species are also on the verge of extinction. Most important of all the fishes, Manasheer, the state fish of MP also called the Narmada Tiger, is on the verge of extinction. Many other fishes, once available ...Read More >