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.
Berhampur: Forest officials in Odisha's Ganjam district have rescued a two-month-old barking deer (Indian muntjac) from a house at Gunakhala village under Badagada forest range. The operation, carried out in the Ghumusar South forest division, also led to the seizure of two country-made guns, a knife, and explosives from the premises. After being rescued, the fawn was immediately shifted to the veterinary hospital at Sorada for treatment and will be released into the wild once declared fit, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Vipasha Parul said on Sunday. "We suspect the house owner is involved in poaching activities. Firearms and other materials recovered indicate their possible use for hunting wild animals in the region," she said. The house owner managed to flee during the raid. A case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and a search is underway to trace him. The barking deer, also known as the Indian muntjac, is listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, which affords it the highest level of legal protection. Forest officials believe the rescued fawn may have been captured from nearby forests, possibly with the intention of being reared and later killed for its skin and meat.
Kushnepalli Forest Range Officer P. Dayakar stated that a case has been filed against Athram Bapu and Kudimetha Lachanna from Oddugudem for killing a wild boar. The two were caught sharing the boar's meat at a stream during a raid conducted by forest department officials, who had received a tip-off about the incident. Macherial: Two persons were booked for allegedly poaching a wild boar at Oddugudem village in Vemanapalli mandal on Thursday. Kushnepalli Forest Range Officer P Dayakar said that a case was registered against Athram Bapu and Kudimetha Lachanna from Oddugudem for killing a wild ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Concerns have been raised following the report of another tigress' death in Karnataka on Saturday, coming close on the heels of the shocking incident involving the death of a tigress and her four cubs. According to forest officials, the latest death has been reported from the Gundre Forest Range in Bandipur, located in Chamarajanagar district. Authorities, based on preliminary investigation, have stated that the tigress, estimated to be between 4 and 5 years old, appears to have died of natural causes. However, the post-mortem report is awaited for confirmation. The carcass was d ...Read More >
Kolkata: A two-member National Commission for Women team on Sunday visited the south Kolkata law college where a student was allegedly gang-raped last week.The team, accompanied by a videographer, was initially denied entry and asked to produce a formal order. After an hour-long discussion at the college entrance, the team, led by Archana Majumdar, was allowed in under two conditions -- no access to the crime scene and no videography permitted.The visit lasted 10 minutes. "We were denied access to the crime scene and other floors. I will include this in my report," said Majumdar, who was the f ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Zeenat, the three-year-old tigress from Maharashtra brought to Odisha's Similipal last year under translocation project, is believed to be pregnant after mating with a melanistic male tiger named T-12 Mahabal in May this year. If her pregnancy is confirmed, Zeenat would deliver cubs around August or September this year, said Prem Kumar Jha, Odisha's Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife). Love blossomed after Zeenat was released into the wild in April this year. She made the forests between Yamunagarh and Gudugudia in Similipal her new home. In May, she came across a r ...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 >
Bengaluru: In an incident of concern, the unnatural death of a tigress and her three cubs, probably due to poisoning, came to light in the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka's Chamarajanagar district on Thursday. Addressing media persons in Bengaluru, Forests, Ecology, and Environment Minister Eshwar Khandre announced that an investigation has been ordered into the incident and officials have been directed to submit a detailed report within three days. The probe will be conducted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF). "Karnataka stands second in the count ...Read More >
Balasore (Odisha) [India], July 18 (ANI): Forest officials in the Similipal South division of Odisha arrested seven persons for their alleged involvement in a leopard skin trafficking racket, the Office of DIG of Police, Eastern Range, Balasore, said on Friday. The accused were found to be in possession of three leopard skins, which were seized by the investigating team. The investigation revealed that the leopard skins were being kept at the homes of the accused for worship, with the belief that it would bring them wealth. The seized skins are currently undergoing forensic analysis to deter ...Read More >
MUMBAI, Oct 31 -- Indian customs officers have arrested a plane passenger after discovering two endangered gibbons stuffed inside a checked bag, the latest animals seized from smugglers at Mumbai's airport. One of the tiny apes from Indonesia was dead, while the other, in a video shared by Indian Customs, was seen cradled in the arms of an officer, softly hooting before covering its face with its arm. Customs said the passenger, who had travelled from Malaysia via Thailand, was given the rare apes by a wildlife trafficking "syndicate" for delivery in India. Officers acting on "specific inte ...Read More >
RAIPUR: A furious sloth bear attack left a father-son duo dead and injured two others, including a deputy forest ranger, in Korar forest range of Kanker Forest Division in Chhattisgarh. The disturbing live video of the attack, which was captured by some journalists/villagers present at the site during the sloth bear's second attack went viral on social media. The sloth bear, believed to be infected by rabies, made the first attack on 45-year-old Sukhlal Darro around 11 am on January 18, said Divisional Forest Officer, Kanker, Alok Bajpai. Darro and another person identified as Ajju Kureti, ...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 >
BENGALURU: To address the issue of cattle grazing inside forests, particularly in Male Mahadeshwara Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, the Karnataka Forest Department is taking the CSR fund route to empower farmers. As a pilot project, 10 families residing around MM Hills have been selected, and given hybrid cattle breeds like Jersey and Holstein Friesian for dairy activities. They have also been made to sign an undertaking that they will not take their cattle for grazing inside forests, and if found doing so, action will be initiated against them under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Fores ...Read More >
Karnataka: With a steady increase in the tiger population at the Male Mahadeshwara Hills (MM Hills) Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka's Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre has directed officials to begin the process of declaring the region a tiger reserve. He emphasized the need to first collect public opinion from the local communities before proceeding with formal proposals. Chairing a high-level meeting with senior forest officials, including the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, at Vikasa Soudha today, Minister Khandre instructed the depar ...Read More >
BHOPAL: She never mated, yet raised generations of calves. She survived brutal attacks, lived through blindness, and stood as a matriarch in the forests of Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh for over three decades. But when Vatsala died this week, the gentle elephant did so just short of global recognition - because of one missing document.On Tuesday, Vatsala collapsed into a pit near Hinauta Elephant Camp and could not rise. Her body finally gave way. Forest officials said she was more than 100 years old - a contender for Guinness Book of World Records - but could not secure the title. "Wi ...Read More >
KURNOOL: Once feared as one of the ferocious predators roaming the hill tracts of Rayalaseema, wolves appear to have vanished from across Andhra Pradesh. Sources in the Forest department reveal that there have been no sightings or evidence of wolves in any district of AP for over a decade and a half. The department had carried out intense surveillance and deployed special teams in select forest zones. But there has been no trace of the elusive carnivore. Traditionally, wolves have thrived in the forest landscapes of Lankamala, Nallamala, and Seshachalam, as well as the scrub forests of Anant ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Following the poisoning of five tigers at MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, forest minister Eshwar Khandre on Tuesday ordered an audit of tiger mortality in various tiger reserves (national parks) and wildlife sanctuaries of Karnataka. Delving into the activities of the wildlife wing, shortly after sending errant forest officials of MM Hills sanctuary on compulsory leave, the minister sought within 10 days a complete review of tiger deaths over the past five and a half years.As per the All-India Tiger Estimation report of 2022, Karnataka stood second in the country in tiger population, w ...Read More >
Puri: Despite travel uncertainties due to recent conflicts in some parts of the world, people from Europe and elsewhere have reached Puri to witness the annual Ratha Yatra of the sibling deities.As non-Hindus are not allowed inside the 12th-century Jagannath Temple, the Ratha Yatra provides a rare opportunity for devotees across the world to see the deities in their full glory atop their majestic wooden chariots."Back home, we are surrounded by uncertainty and fear. But here, I found peace. I came because this is my only chance to see Lord Jagannath. He comes out for the whole world. This is v ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) The Environment Ministry has strongly rejected allegations by forest rights groups that it is attempting to "subvert" the Forest Rights Act (FRA), calling them a "gross misunderstanding of facts" and asserting that it remains committed to both environmental protection and the welfare of forest-dependent communities. In a recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 90 forest rights organisations had accused the ministry of trying to undermine the FRA and demanded that Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav clarify his reported statement that the "FRA leads to ...Read More >
Bhopal, July 12 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a poignant development from Kuno National Park, a Namibian female cheetah named 'Nabha' has died following injuries sustained during a hunting attempt within her 'Soft Release Boma'. Boma refers to an enclosure, particularly in East and Southern Africa. She was among the 20 Cheetahs who were transported from Namibia in the second phase of India's ambitious 'Cheetah Reintroduction Project' in two batches on September 17, 2022 and February 2023. The 8-year-old cheetah had been under medical care for a week after suffering severe fractures in both the ulna an ...Read More >
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], September 14 (ANI): Hyderabad Police arrested two men late on Saturday night after seizing 10 kilograms of deer meat and three pairs of deer horns from their possession. The officials said the accused were caught while attempting to transport the wildlife products in a four-wheeler. Also Read | Urvashi Rautela, Ex-Trinamool MP Mimi Chakraborty Summoned by ED in Illegal Online Betting App 1xBet Case. According to police, credible information was received on September 13, 2025, around 11:00 pm, that two men were carrying deer meat and horns in a vehicle. A poli ...Read More >
Aizawl, Sept 30 (PTI) Wild boars died in Mizoram's Kolasib district due to African Swine Fever (ASF), an official said on Tuesday. Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department's Deputy Director Esther Lalzoliani said the highly decomposed carcasses of wild boar were spotted by locals in the jungle near Saipum village earlier this month. Locals then informed the department, which sent a team to the village to collect samples, she said. "The bone marrow of the wild boars was tested by the department, and they were found to be positive for ASF. The bone marrow samples were also sent to the Colle ...Read More >
Guwahati: National Green Tribunal (NGT), in an interim order issued on Saturday, stayed the Assam govt's directive to divert 1,600 Assam Forest Protection Force (AFPF) personnel to assist the police during the upcoming assembly elections.The govt order, issued by the special chief secretary, had instructed AFPF staff to report to the additional director general of police by April 3.A two-member NGT Eastern Zone bench, comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Ishwar Singh, issued the interim stay in response to a petition filed by advocate Gaurav Bansal.Conservation ...Read More >
The video, reportedly filmed near a college in the Bagalur area, shows the individual standing still in one position with little visible response to his surroundings. The post accompanying the video described the situation as alarming, warning that a so-called "zombie drug" had entered the city. "Disturbing! The deadly 'Zombie Drug' (Xylazine-laced substance) that turns users into motionless, trance-like zombies has now entered Bengaluru. Alarming reports emerging from Bagalur near Nitte College ...Read More >
Berhampur: Environmental activist Medha Patkar on Saturday joined the Save River Rushikulya movement in Ganjam district and called for safeguarding natural resources, including rivers and forests."The rivers, whether small or big, are our mother. We have to protect them," said the 71-year-old while addressing gatherings at Potalampur, near Chhatrapur and Berhampur.The meetings were organised by Rushikulya Banchao Kriya-anusthan Committee (RBKC) and the Centre for Climate Justice, spearheading an agitation against the construction of a dam over Pipalapnaka river under Sorada block in the distri ...Read More >
India has launched an investigation after an endangered tigress and her four cubs were found dead in a protected forest in the southern state of Karnataka, an official said Friday. State forest minister Eshwar Khandre said the "unnatural" deaths were "extremely tragic and distressing" and that an investigation team had been formed. Local media reports said forest officials suspected poisoning. The tigress had reportedly killed a cow days earlier, and poison may have been laced into the carcass ...Read More >
Bengaluru: For the two police constables, who entered a cave in the Ramathirtha forests, following a foot trail in the forest, it looked like a story directly from the Jungle Book. Some idols and flowers on them indicated that someone had made a cave temple, but when they went further inside, they encountered a four-year-old white girl, without any clothes on her body. Petrified by the sight, thinking that they had entered some haunted cave, the constables rushed back and informed the senior officers, who were waiting a few meters away from the cave. When the others rushed in, the girl was no ...Read More >
Chennai: Madras high court has clarified that private self-financing medical colleges are required to pay only a stipend, and not a full salary, to in-service govt doctors pursuing postgraduate or super-specialty courses under the govt quota.A division bench of Justice R Subramanian and Justice K Surender passed the order while partly allowing a batch of appeals moved by Karpaga Vinayaga Medical College and others. They challenged a single judge's order that directed private colleges to pay salaries to in-service doctors studying in their institutions.The appeals were moved based on a GO dated ...Read More >
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday clarified that the state is expanding arms licence services, not handing out guns, amid growing concerns from experts that higher gun prevalence could increase risks of injury, death, and wildlife poaching. The clarification came amid a plan to let indigenous residents in identified "vulnerable" areas apply online via Sewa Setu. Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge! Meanwhile, public-health and conservation experts caution that higher gun prevalence is associated with increased risks of ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: A YouTuber from Odisha's Mayurbhanj district has been arrested for allegedly cooking and consuming the meat of a protected monitor lizard, a rare species, and sharing a video of it on social media. The accused has been identified as Rupa Nayak, a resident of Asanbani village. According to sources, Nayak found a dead lizard on a roadside near Banta while returning from Bhadrak, took it home, cooked it, and posted a video of the process on Facebook and YouTube. The video quickly went viral, prompting the Forest Department to initiate an investigation and register a case suo motu. ...Read More >
Guwahati, May 29 (PTI) A man, suspected to be a poacher, was killed in an encounter with forest guards and police in Assam's Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve, an official of the park said on Thursday. Firearms and ammunition were also recovered from the encounter spot, the official said. Acting on specific information of a possible armed attack by poachers on the frontline staff stationed at Balidubi camp in the Agoratoli range of the park, a joint operation was launched by the police and the forest department on Wednesday night. All forest camps near the area were put on high aler ...Read More >
Guwahati, Jun 6 (PTI) Assam's flood situation remained critical on Friday with over 4.43 lakh people in 16 districts still suffering from the deluge even as major rivers, including the Brahmaputra, were showing a receding trend, according to an official bulletin. There was no report of fatality due to the floods during the day, though a person was reported missing in Kamrup (Metro). The current first wave of floods, along with landslides, triggered by heavy rainfall, has so far claimed 21 lives in the state. The floods have affected 1,296 villages under the 54 revenue circles in 16 district ...Read More >