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.
New Delhi: In many parts of India, especially when the rains roll in, fish markets come alive. Stalls brim with Hilsa, rohu and catla. The air smells of salt, rain and spice. Families line up to grab fresh catch for dinner. But among these familiar names, there is one fish health officials hope you never find. One that should not be there. One that is banned and dangerous. They call it Thai Mangur. On the surface, it looks like just another catfish. But this breed has earned a notorious reputation. The government has already declared it illegal to farm, sell or consume. It has been blacklisted across the country for one reason - it can make people sick. Gravely sick. Doctors and fishery officers have long warned that Thai Mangur can carry cancer risks. It is not just the fish itself. It is how it is raised. In a surprising number of situations, growers give it spoiled meat, leftover kitchen scraps and even bits of slaughtered birds. They often stir in leafy greens, such as spinach, just to mask the smell a little. What ends up in the ponds flows into the flesh. And that, experts believe, could spell disaster for human health. There is another layer to the alarm. This breed does not belong here. It was brought from abroad. And it has no interest in sharing space. Thai Mangur devours smaller fish, feasts on native species and wipes out biodiversity. The National Green Tribunal had seen enough. It pulled the plug in 2000, banning its cultivation. But the fish never quite disappeared. Across local markets, especially in towns where enforcement is weak, Thai Mangur still shows up. It is cheap. It grows fast. It brings profits. But the cost - ecological and medical - is steep. Studies suggest that this one species alone has caused a 70% collapse in India's native freshwater fish population. In some lakes, traditional fish varieties have simply vanished. The waters turn foul. The fish turn toxic. The food chain breaks. And that is not all. Thai Mangur is a carrier. It spreads parasites like argulosis, which affect other fish in the area. Entire aquaculture systems have crashed because of these outbreaks. Farmers lose their ponds. Villages lose their livelihood. Government agencies, especially fisheries departments in states like Uttar Pradesh, have started crackdowns. Awareness campaigns are ongoing. Some violators have been fined. Others have been warned. But the battle is far from over. So the next time you stop by the fishmonger, take a second look. Ask questions. Know what you are buying. Because behind one cheap fillet could hide a health hazard and an environmental tragedy still unfolding.
New Delhi: Eating a bowl of leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli could significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, especially in elderly women, according to a recent study. The research, conducted by experts from Edith Cowan University (ECU), the University of Western Australia, and the Danish Cancer Institute, found that Vitamin K1, present in green vegetables, may help prevent atherosclerotic vascular diseases (ASVD) -- a major cause of cardiovascular issues. Also Read: Helmet: Two Helmets Now Mandatory with Every Two-Wheeler Purchase: ...Read More >
Ludhiana: As International Plastic Bag Free Day is observed on July 3, rising use of plastics, including plastic bags, are posing an unprecedented threat to bird population. Ornithologists and conservationists are sounding urgent alarms about the growing menace of plastic pollution -- that is choking habitats, contaminating food chains, and pushing several bird species to the brink of collapse.Plastic has turned into a long-lasting hazard in natural ecosystems. Each year, over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, and a staggering amount finds its way into the open environment. ...Read More >
Kolkata: Thirty-four fishermen from Kakdwip in two fishing trawlers were allegedly detained by the Bangladesh Navy in the early hours of Monday for allegedly crossing into Bangladeshi waters while fishing in the Bay of Bengal. According to sources, the two trawlers -- FV Jhor and FV Mangalchandi -- were intercepted about 77 nautical miles from the Fairway Buoy of Mongla Port in Bangladesh.Bangladesh media reported that a Bangladesh Navy patrol vessel spotted the trawlers fishing within their exclusive economic zone and detained the crew along with the boats and fishing equipment. The fishermen ...Read More >
MUMBAI: A directive from the state prohibiting the sale of fish at Sassoon Docks, one of Mumbai's oldest and most active fish landing sites, has stirred the waters for the fishing community, especially Kolis at Colaba and Cuffe Parade. The ban on fish sales, recently imposed by the Maharashtra state fisheries department, is a first at the dock and, according to the Koli community, oversteps the annual ban on fishing during the monsoon from June 1 to July 31. While the community acknowledges the need to prohibit fishing during the monsoon months, as it protects marine biodiversity during the b ...Read More >
Hyderabad: As part of a 170-year-old tradition, tens of thousands of devotees assembled at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds on Sunday to receive the famous fish prasadam on the occasion of Mrigasira Karte. This annual ritual is said to offer relief from respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis.The event, which began at 11 am, was inaugurated by transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar. "For 170 years, the Bathini family has been providing fish prasadam to lakhs. What began in Doodh Bowli has now evolved into a massive event," he said.The state's fisheries department reported over 50,000 token ...Read More >
Patna: A Delhi-bound flight carrying 175 passengers and crew members had a close call when the plane encountered a bird strike soon after taking off from the Jayprakash Narayan International Airport on Wednesday morning. The IndiGo Airlines aircraft, operating the Patna-Delhi route, experienced turbulence shortly after becoming airborne, necessitating its return to Patna.Confirming the incident, airport director Krishna Mohan Nehra said the flight 6E-5009 from Patna to Delhi reported a bird hit after take-off at 8.42am on Wednesday. "Soon after departure, a message was received by ATC (air tra ...Read More >
MUMBAI: The Indian equity indices opened lower on Friday as heavyweights like Axis Bank and Bharti Airtel were among the top losers in the BSE benchmark. At 9.25 am, Sensex was down 171 points or 0.21 per cent at 82, 087 and Nifty was down 35 points or 0.14 per cent at 25, 075. In the Sensex pack, M&M, Tata Steel, Power Grid, L&T, UltraTech Cement, Infosys, Tata Motors, BEL, NTPC, TCS, Trent and Maruti Suzuki were top gainers. Axis Bank, Bharti Airtel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra , HDFC Bank, Eternal (Zomato), HUL, Sun Pharma, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, Titan and Bajaj Finserv ...Read More >
Ranchi: On the occasion of World Environment Day on Thursday, chief minister Hemant Soren appealed to the people of Jharkhand to put a stop to plastic usage. He emphasised the urgent need for collective action from all quarters to promote a sustainable and environment-friendly approach.Addressing the public during environment day programme besides inaugurating the Siromtoli flyover, the CM said that rampant plastic usage was a pressing concern, and efforts were being made to put an end to it. He appealed for a shift towards alternative options to plastic."The time has come to change our habits ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 12 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday, inaugurated India's first Aqua Tech Park in Sonapur, Assam, with an aim to boost fish production. Additionally, this will help in generating earning opportunities in the state of Assam. Also Read | Air India Plane Crash: AAIB Report Preliminary, We Can't Say Anything Definite at This Point, Says MoS Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol (Watch Video). "India's first Aqua Tech Park inaugurated in Sonapur, Assam. Dedicated the Aqua Tech Park,a first of its kind in India which will greatly boost fish production an ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) Two people died and four others were injured after a fire broke out at a house in east Delhi's Old Govindpura area on Tuesday evening, an official said. Police have identified the deceased as Tanveer (28) and Nusrat. A call was received at Jagatpuri police station at 8.46 pm regarding a fire incident at Band Gali, Old Govindpura, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said. When a police team reached the spot, it found that 10 people were trapped inside a residential building that caught fire, the DCP said. With the help of police personnel and fir ...Read More >
New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi's public health department recently wrote to the veterinary department, requesting an examination of the issue of controlling the pigeon population in Delhi.In correspondence dated July 8, additional municipal health officer informed the veterinary department about concerns raised during the June 27 standing committee meeting regarding pigeon overpopulation and potential health risks from their droppings."It is pertinent to mention that there is no data a ...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): Union Minister of Earth Sciences Dr Jitendra Singh, addressing the Monaco Marine Conference on Sunday, reiterated India's commitment to a resilient Blue Economy and pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken about it twice in his two consecutive Independence Day addresses. In a symbolic show of global cooperation for ocean sustainability commemorating the 'World Ocean Day' today, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and Norway's Minister of International Development, Asmund Grover Aukrust, jointly hosted a high-level event on Marine Spatial Planning ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party's Jangpura MLA Tarvinder Singh Marwah on Friday wrote a letter to Delhi's Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, requesting the temporary closure of meat and fish shops along Kanwar Yatra routes during the upcoming holy month of Sawan. In his letter, Marwah highlighted that the Kanwar Yatra is a matter of deep religious faith, during which devotees of Lord Shiva collect sacred water from Haridwar and other holy sites to perform Jalabhishek of Shivlings in their hometowns. He urged the government to maint ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday attacked the Centre and Rajasthan governments over the reported plan to redraw the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve for the reactivation of over 50 mining operations, saying the move would be "ecologically devastating". The opposition party also said that with the Rajasthan and Union environment ministers both being from Alwar, this "double engine" cannot be supporting such a move. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that a plan to redraw the boundaries of Rajasthan's ...Read More >
MADURAI: Likening the custodial murder of Ajith Kumar in Tiruppuvanam to an 'organised crime by police where the state kills its own citizens,' Madras high court lambasted the Tamil Nadu police and said the action against the perpetrators should be more stringent than in normal murder cases.A division bench of Justice S M Subramaniam and Justice A D Maria Clete pointed to 44 external injuries on the person of Ajith Kumar and said no part of the body was spared by the delinquent cops. "Even an ordinary murderer would not have inflicted such kind of injuries," the bench said on Tuesday.The natur ...Read More >
VISAKHAPATNAM: In a first for any zoological park in Andhra Pradesh, the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in Visakhapatnam has successfully hatched 27 bird chicks through artificial incubation, while seven others were hatched naturally. The chicks belong to five bird species, including Blue Gold Macaw, Lutino Parakeet, Peach-Faced Lovebird, Red Junglefowl, and Indian Peafowl. The zoo's veterinary team, including one senior veterinarian, one conservation biologist, and two paravets and animal keepers, carried out the work. Among the 34 chicks, three Lutino Parakeets and four Peach-Faced ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): Sneha Debnath, a 19-year-old girl from Sabroom in South Tripura district, reportedly went missing in the national capital. Following this, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha gave necessary instructions to the police to take immediate and appropriate action on the matter. Also Read | Trump Announces 30% Tariffs on EU Goods as Trade Talks Stall. In a statement posted on its official social media account, the Tripura Chief Minister's Office stated, "The report of Miss Sneha Debnath, a resident of Sabroom, who has reportedly gone missing in New Delhi, has come t ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 18 (ANI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to Bihar on Friday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav stated that the PM was coming to the state to tell lies. झूठ बोलने आज बिहार आ रहे है प्रधानमंत्री मोदी। क्या आप झूठ सुनना पसंद करेंगे? In a post on social media X, Yadav shared a poster of the PM and wrote, Prime Minister Modi is coming to Bihar today to tell lies. Would you like to listen to lies? The PM will visit Bihar Motihari today, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple develo ...Read More >
Patna (Bihar) [India], July 18 (ANI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit to poll-bound Bihar, state BJP President Dilip Jaiswal stated that the Prime Minister will dedicate projects worth over 7,000 crores to the public. Jaiswal asserted that the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for Bihar development will prove to be a milestone in themselves. Whenever the Prime Minister has visited the state, he has brought great gifts for Bihar development... Today too, the Prime Minister will dedicate projects worth over 7,000 crores to the public. The efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Mo ...Read More >
World Chocolate day Chef Vanshika Bhatia (Image source: Unsplash) Who doesn't love chocolate? Whether it's a meal outside or at home, or it's one of those days that can be lifted by a simple block of chocolate (or a whole bar), chocolate has been the trusted warrior to fight off sweet cravings for as long as we have known. But how often have you had a savoury chocolate-y recipe? Chocolate isn't just dessert - this has been Chef Vanshika Bhatia's culinary motto. This World Chocolate Day, Vanshika spotlights chocolate not as dessert, but as an ingredient on par with salt, spice, and umami. Yes, ...Read More >
Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], August 3 (ANI): For the year 2025-26, under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY). Gujarat has been allocated a grant of Rs 50 crore. These approvals have been significantly boosting fisheries activities in Gujarat. It also aims to modernise the sector, improve traceability, and build a robust fisheries management system while ensuring the socio-economic welfare of fishing communities. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the Government of India has approved projects (with multiple components) worth Rs 897.54 crore for Gujarat under PMMSY. Also Read | Delhi Fire: 1 ...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 8 (ANI): BJP MP Gulam Ali Khatana, who was part of the all-party parliamentary delegation to Europe, said that during their recently conclued visit they successfully communicated India's development story and its resolute stand against terrorism, particularly emanating from Pakistan. Highlighting the delegation's key discussions during the tour, Khatana told ANI, 'We discussed how we dismantled the terrorism factory in Pakistan by responding... We also talked about tourism infrastructure, G20 Summit, and projects like the six-lane roads, bridges, solar initiatives, our ...Read More >
Gandhinagar: In households in Gujarat's cities, cereals may take up less space in the grocery bill, but they still dominate the dinner plate. A new Union govt report shows that cereals, while accounting for just 3.8% of household spending, supply 35% of total calorie intake in cities. In villages, their role is even more dominant, making up 43% of calorie consumption while accounting for 4.5% of total spending.Cereals also account for a major portion of protein intake for people in Gujarat.These insights come from the Centre's latest "Nutritional Intake in India" report, which tracks food patt ...Read More >
Ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Durgapur, West Bengal, on Saturday to launch and inaugurate development projects worth over ₹5,000 crore. Key initiatives include the foundation stone for Bharat Petroleum's ₹1,950-crore City Gas Distribution project in Bankura and Purulia, and the inauguration of the ₹1,190-crore Durgapur-Kolkata gas pipeline under the PM Urja Ganga scheme. In run upto 2026 assembly polls, during Prime Minister's visit to Bengal ...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 >
Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], June 29 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in saving Jaipur's Dol Ka Badh forest from destruction. The Rajasthan government plans to convert the forest into a commercial hub, featuring a Prime Minister's Unity Mall, a Fintech Park, and hotels, which would involve cutting down approximately 2,400 trees. Sanjay Singh, in a letter to PM Modi, mentioned that the project is against the 'ideology' of PM Modi's 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' mission and would harm the natural form and ecological balance of the area, exacerbat ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 30 (PTI) Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday said that government think-tank NITI Aayog has withdrawn a working paper on Indo-US Agriculture trade relations. The Aayog in a working paper, titled Promoting India-US Agricultural Trade Under the New US Trade Regime, had suggested that in the aftermath of 'reciprocal tariffs' by the US, India should adopt dual-track approach and selectively reduce high tariffs on non-sensitive agricultural commodities imports from Washington, while also strategically offer concessions where domestic supply gaps exist. "This was the NITI Aayog ...Read More >