Is India Winning the War Against Rising Non-Communicable Diseases? The latest health statistics paint a concerning picture: diabetes, heart disease, and cancer rates are climbing, impacting millions across the country. From rural healthcare access to the burgeoning urban health crisis, challenges remain significant. This week, we delve into the crucial initiatives underway – government policies, technological advancements in telemedicine, and the rising role of preventative healthcare – that aim to address this national health emergency. Experts weigh in on the effectiveness of current strategies and the critical need for increased public awareness campaigns targeting lifestyle diseases. Are these efforts enough? Explore Abtak.com's in-depth coverage on healthcare in India and discover the vital information you need to protect your well-being and the future of public health. Stay informed; stay healthy.
Panaji: With 10 arms, riding on a lion and a force of nature, comes Maa Durga every year to people's doorsteps, ushering in a sense of community, celebration, and culture. For the next five days, she is a mother, a companion, and a symbol of strength. While Durga puja is celebrated with thunderous pomp and glory in West Bengal, a glimpse of that energy can be seen here in the Durga puja festival in Panaji, a tradition started by the Bengal Cultural Association (BCA)."We started this tradition in 1981. There's another Durga puja festival that happens in Vasco, started by the Bengali community there, in 1977-78. We decided to have our own Durga puja here in Panaji," said Bishwajit Chakraborthy, president of the BCA.The BCA formed a Durga puja festival committee in 1981, under the patronage of the Dempo family, with Vasantrao Dempo as the first chairman of the committee.To facilitate the puja festivities seamlessly, every year the BCA forms the puja committee in May, with Shrinivas Dempo as its chairman, along with a vice-president, secretary, and a puja convener. "Every individual in the committee is delegated with an area of responsibility right at the start, such as pandal decorations, catering for food, and cultural performances," said Uttam Hazra, BCA secretary.Every component of the festival is monitored and managed meticulously. The Durga idol is sculpted locally in Vasco. However, the drummers and the priest are brought in from Bengal to perform puja rituals with authenticity. "The puja items and other things which have a deep value to us come from Bengal. The lighting and the decorations are also sourced locally from the city," said Chakraborty.The festival begins from Shashti - the sixth day of Navaratri, with 3,000 to 4,000 visitors every day.The iconic Sindoor Khela, which happens on the day of Dusherra, is the main attraction for visitors. After the 'symbolic immersion' takes place, the married women of the community apply Sindoor to each other. "The Sindoor Khela is the essence of Durga puja. It is the heart of our festivities," said Hazra.
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, June 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The city of Puri in Odisha is bracing for the famous Ratha Yatra, as holy siblings -- Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadra -- prepare to embark on their nine-day sojourn from their abode, the 12th-century shrine, to Gundicha Temple on June 27. Devotees, gripped with ecstasy, will pull the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra -- Nandighosh, Taladhwaja, and Darpadalan respectively -- for around 3 km to the Gundicha Temple, believed by some legends to be the birthplace of the Chaturddha Murti (Lord Jagannath, Lord Balab ...Read More >
Angul (Odisha), June 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) The sacred festival of Rath Yatra was celebrated with great devotion and traditional splendor at Jagannath Temple in Dev Bhumi, Jindal Nagar, Angul, drawing thousands of devotees to witness the divine journey of the Chaturdha Murti -- Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Sudarshan. The day commenced with Mangala Arati at the Anasara Bedi, followed by a series of age-old rituals like Mailam and Tadapa Lagi. Devotees thronged the temple premises from early morning, immersing themselves in spiritual chants and devotional hymns. The highlig ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Mysuru Dasara is set to run for 11 days this year -- a rare extension driven by celestial alignment and cultural planning -- with the inaugural ceremony on Sept 22 and the grand Jamboo Savari taking place on Oct 2, coinciding with Vijayadashami and Gandhi Jayanti.Chairing a high-level meeting at Vidhana Soudha Friday, chief minister Siddaramaiah said, "Mysuru Dasara in 2025 will be celebrated for 11 days, due to a unique astronomical occurrence -- the Panchami tithi (fifth lunar day) will appear on two consecutive days, Sept 26 and 27, a rare alignment that hasn't occurred in nearly ...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 >
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar has written a strongly worded letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, criticising General Education Minister V Sivankutty for walking out of a function held at Raj Bhavan on June 19. The Governor described the incident as a breach of protocol and an insult to the constitutional office. The letter, dated June 26, refers to an awards ceremony for the Bharat Scouts and Guides, where Sivankutty -- who also serves as President of the Association's Kerala chapter -- objected to the presence of a garlanded portrait of Bharat Mata on the stage, ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar, June 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan on Friday asserted that owing to the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the Ratha Yatra was held in Puri without any major incidents or disruptions this year. "No major incidents occurred during this year's Ratha Yatra, which is the biggest blessing of Lord Jagannath on all of us. The devotees may have faced some minor problems but no major incidents or disruptions had taken place," said the law minister. On Friday, barring some minor delays during the Pahandi ritual of the deities, all other the rituals related to the Rath ...Read More >
Puri: Lord Jagannath and His Siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra were adorned with 208 kg gold ornaments during the 'Suna Besha' ritual on chariots Sunday, an integral part of the annual Rath Yatra festival in Puri. The devotees can have 'darshan' of the deities from 6.30 pm to 11 pm, said the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). According to temple sources, the deities adorn around 30 different designs of ornaments which include gold, diamond, silver and other precious metals. "Initially, around 138 designs of ornaments were used during the era of King Kapilendra Deb in 146 ...Read More >
Amritsar: BJP MP Nishikant Dubey from Jharkhand has claimed that Britain assisted India in executing the 1984 Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, stoking a new controversy.In a post on X on Monday, Dubey alleged that then PM Indira Gandhi "launched an attack on the Golden Temple in collaboration with Britain", with British Army officers present in Amritsar.He uploaded a classified British document, "Sikh Community", claiming that on Feb 23, 1984, the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office mentioned in a letter that the Indian govt had sought British advice over a plan to remove Si ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 10 (ANI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that he stands firmly in favour of holding elections, following the Supreme Court's decision allowing the Election Commission of India (ECI) to carry on with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar. He urged those involved in the case to explore alternative legal avenues for justice and 'wait for the consequences' for the time being. 'The matter was in the Supreme Court. The court has given its decision. Now, we have to wait for the consequences. Those who we ...Read More >
Guwahati (Assam) [India], June 28 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on his visit to the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati on Saturday shared the development project aimed towards making the trip to the temple more accessible and time-efficient He said, 'A ropeway will be constructed from Kamakhya station to Kamakhya temple and another ropeway will be constructed from Sonaram field to Kamakhya temple. Work on both ropeways is going on. The process of floating a tender has already been done. A feasibility study for many other ropeways is going on.' The construction of both ropeways to ...Read More >
Srinagar- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Saturday said foreign countries were told clearly during the post-Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach that in case of a fresh provocation, India would repeat its action. Speaking at a discussion at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Tharoor said Indian delegations which visited foreign countries in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor managed to convey that India acted with restraint and responsibility. "In other places, we actually were able to get some very high-placed people to say not only that they respected and supported India's right of self- ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], November 28 (ANI): India has expressed its concern over the escalating incidents of violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and desecration, and damage to their places of worship, and has also called on the interim government there to ensure the safety of minorities. In a response to question asked by RJD MP AD Singh, Minister of State for Ministry of External Affairs, Kirit Vardhan Singh in a written reply to Rajya Sabha, stated that the "primary responsibility" for the protection of life and liberty of all citizens of Bangladesh, including minorities, "rests with ...Read More >
New Delhi: Alleging "blatant misuse" of agencies to defame its leaders, AAP on Thursday questioned why the first information report filed against former Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain was being kept under wraps and "selective" press notes were being leaked to the media.Bharadwaj, who is Delhi AAP convener, alleged that only two former ministers were named in the case without any reasonable cause while all the officers of the health and public works departments, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, were spared. "Is the FIR so baseless that BJP ...Read More >
Guwahati (Assam) [India], June 28 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on his visit to the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati on Saturday shared the development project aimed towards making the trip to the temple more accessible and time-efficient He said, "A ropeway will be constructed from Kamakhya station to Kamakhya temple and another ropeway will be constructed from Sonaram field to Kamakhya temple. Work on both ropeways is going on. The process of floating a tender has already been done. A feasibility study for many other ropeways is going on." The construction of both ropeways to ...Read More >
Bengaluru, June 29 (PTI) Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said the government would respond in accordance with the law to the High Court notice regarding the proposed 'Cauvery Aarti' near the Krishna Raja Sagara (KRS) reservoir in Mandya district. The Karnataka High Court had issued the notice on Friday in response to a petition challenging the event, citing potential ecological and safety concerns. "Whatever it is, we will respond as per the law. No one will obstruct prayers. Some have concerns, and the government will do what's necessary to address them... we conduc ...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 >
New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare & Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday inaugurated the 11th edition of the India Maize Summit, organized by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in association with (IIMR) Indian Institute of Maize Research. Speaking at event, Chouhan emphasized that 'Farmers' sewa is our mool mantra,' reaffirming the government's commitment to farmer-centric policies. He outlined a multi-pronged strategy to boost maize production, and increase farmer incomes, while ensuring environme ...Read More >
Baramulla, Jul 5: Hundreds of mourners from Delina and its neighbouring villages Saturday participated in the Muharram procession, the 9th day of the month of Muharram-Ul-Haram at Delina area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district. The procession was one of the series of processions being held in the month of Muharram, the first month of Islamic calendar. Dressed in black and carrying flags bearing religious inscriptions, participants from the villages of Hygam, Bulgam, Bohripora, Syedpora, Uri, Boniyar and other villages marched from new Imambargah through the National Highway NH-1 to the ma ...Read More >
Kolkata: Tata Group & Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran met chief minister Mamata Banerjee at state secretariat, Nabanna, to discus key matters, including potential investments in West Bengal. This meeting follows Mamata Banerjee's Singur movement, after which the Tatas pulled the Nano project out of Bengal in 2008. Chief Secretary Manoj Pant was also present at the meeting today. Chandrasekaran's visit comes a day after the Bengal government announced plans to host a 'Business & Industry Conclave' in Kolkata after Durga Puja. "There was discussion on several important issues. It would b ...Read More >
Chandigarh: Punjab chief ministerBhagwant Mann on Thursday said the government will table a bill in the assembly on Friday to introduce harsher punishment for religious sacrilege. However, the law will not be enacted immediately, as the government plans to hold consultations with stakeholders before finalising the legislation.Mann said the decision was taken in a meeting of the cabinet earlier in the day. After the legislation is tabled, Punjab govt will gather suggestions on the law from stakeholders, including religious organisations and people, he added.Sources said said the new legislation ...Read More >
New Delhi: The razing of a Durga temple in Dhaka's Khiliket area has cast a long shadow over India-Bangladesh ties, reviving questions about the safety of religious minorities in post-Hasina Bangladesh. With reports attributing the demolition to pressure from radical Islamist groups, the incident on Thursday represents a potential inflection point in India's foreign policy approach toward its eastern neighbour. "We understand that extremists were clamouring for demolishing the Durga temple in Khilkhet, Dhaka," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during a regular media ...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 >
Puri, Jun 26 (PTI) The Puri seer on Thursday accused the West Bengal government of misusing the name of Lord Jagannath for commercial gains rather than religious devotion. Addressing a press conference here, the Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, said, "The West Bengal government is misusing the name of Lord Jagannath for commercial purposes. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee does not have the religious sentiment required to name the Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham'." Clarifying his remarks, the 81-year-old seer pointed out that Puri's economy is significantly supp ...Read More >
Guwahati (Assam) [India], June 28 (ANI): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on his visit to the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati on Saturday shared the development project aimed towards making the trip to the temple more accessible and time-efficient He said, "A ropeway will be constructed from Kamakhya station to Kamakhya temple and another ropeway will be constructed from Sonaram field to Kamakhya temple. Work on both ropeways is going on. The process of floating a tender has already been done. A feasibility study for many other ropeways is going on." Also Read | Kolkata Rape Case: Law C ...Read More >
Kolkata: A NITI Aayog summary report on Bengal, showing a map of Bihar instead of the state on the cover page, prompted CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday to write a strongly worded letter to its vice-chairman, Suman K Bery, demanding an immediate "clarification and apology"."I am writing with deep concern and unequivocal disapproval that in the 'Summary Report for the State of West Bengal', published by NITI Aayog and available on its website... the map intended to represent the state of West Bengal has depicted the territory of Bihar in its place," the CM wrote.Later in the day, the page was no ...Read More >
"If you behave in this manner, I will not allow you to raise points on issues in future. I had always believed in giving you the space and you must reciprocate," the Speaker said to the BJP members.The BJP legislators then walked out of the House. Chief Whip of BJP Shankar Ghosh told PTI: "We wanted to bring an adjournment motion. Everyone must be aware of how attacks at puja pandals took place in Metiabruz, Falakata during Durga Puja and Lakshmi Puja and at Beldanga during Kartik Puja. The situation is alarming. West Bengal is not Bangladesh." ...Read More >
The damaged Hanuman statue lying on the ground in the Birbhum temple.Source : X@SuvenduWB Amid the purported violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, a Hanuman Temple in Bengal's Birbhum district was allegedly vandalised on Thursday night. Sharing a video of the vandalism, West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari slammed the Mamata Banerjee government for alleged "inaction" against "anti-Hindu" miscreants. The video showed the idol of Lord Hanuman on the ground with pieces of it scattered around. "Last night miscreants vandalised the Lord Hanuman Temple at Indragachha More, Purandarp ...Read More >
The Raja Ram idol was consecrated at the Ram Jamnabhoomi complex in Ayodhya. The Ram Darbar, featuring idols of Sita, Lakshman, and Hanuman, was also inaugurated. The event coincided with Ganga Dussehra, months after Ram Lalla's consecration. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other priests conducted the ceremony. Devotees gathered, chanting 'Jai Shri Ram'.The idol of Raja Ram was consecrated and the Ram Darbar inaugurated at the Ram Jamnabhoomi complex on Thursday, a major step tow ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): India has expressed dismay over Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus-led interim government's decision to allow demolition of a makeshift Durga Temple in Khilkhet in Dhaka, saying that the governnment instead of providing security to the temple, projected the episode as illegal land use and allowed the destruction of the temple. Addressing a weekly media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the action has resulted in damage to the deity before it was shifted. When asked about Temple demolition in Bangladesh, he sai ...Read More >