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.
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules 2026 began in Bhopal on Wednesday, with the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) launching strict enforcement across multiple wards. Special teams have been deployed to penalise violations, signalling a firm approach to improving waste segregation practices in the city. According to the BMC's Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) cell, despite the strict rollout, the success of the initiative will depend on how quickly infrastructure and public awareness catch up with policy enforcement. Four-way segregation mandated, system yet to catch up Under the new rules, residents must segregate waste into four categories: wet, dry, sanitary and hazardous. While collection staff have begun instructing households to comply, most public spaces, including parks and markets, still have only two or three types of dustbins, making proper segregation difficult. Confusion over disposal in public areas The lack of updated infrastructure has led to confusion among citizens. Items such as sanitary waste, expired medicines and e-waste do not have designated bins in many locations, raising concerns about effective implementation. Fear of fines, awareness still low The BMC has warned of spot fines for non-compliance, littering, spitting and improper disposal of pet waste. Bulk waste generators, such as hotels and malls producing over 100kg of waste daily, are under strict monitoring. However, many residents said awareness about the new categories and disposal methods remains limited. Authorities promise upgrades Officials said outdated bins will be replaced in the coming weeks, and awareness campaigns are underway to educate citizens about the colour-coded system: green for wet waste, blue for dry waste, red for sanitary waste and black for hazardous materials. Quote "Dustbins placed along the roads are our responsibility. Municipal staff ensure that the waste is segregated before it is collected from these bins. At the same time, efforts are being made to improve waste management in large colonies and institutions."
Mumbai: The death toll in Monday's BEST bus crash rose to seven and the number of injured to 42 even as the driver, Sanjay More, booked for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, claimed he had noticed a spark and mistakenly accelerated the bus instead of applying brakes. Seeking More's custody, police said they want to investigate if he intentionally used the vehicle as a weapon. The bus on Route 332 had accelerated on a congested 200m stretch near Kurla station hitting vehicles and pedestr ...Read More >
Pune: The civic body's clean-up drive across the city earlier this month saw numerous encroachments razed and citizens fined for littering. At the same time, the activity raised a key question: Although the civic body holds citizens responsible for cleanliness, is it staying accountable for the uncleared garden waste across various areas?Fallen branches, palm fronds, leaves, uprooted bushes and even certain felled trees have taken over roadsides, pavements and empty open land plots for a while now, especially after Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) pre-monsoon tree trimming activity.According ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu will present the 'Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024-25' on July 17, marking the 9th edition of the annual urban cleanliness survey, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said the event will honour the cleanest cities across India and recognise the relentless efforts of urban local bodies (ULBs) in advancing the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U). A total of 78 awards will be presented this year across four categories -- Super Swachh League Cities; Top three clean cities in ...Read More >
Eco Recycling has expanded its e-waste and lithium-ion battery recycling capacity in Maharashtra by 18,000 metric tonnes, reaching a total capacity of 31,200 MTPA. The new plant, located in Vasai, supports India's E-Waste Management Rules, 2022, and aligns with the Extended Producers Responsibility framework. Eco Recycling, a prominent waste management entity, announced on Friday that it has augmented its capacity for repurposing e-waste and lithium-ion batteries by 18,000 metric tonnes with the ...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 >
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 >
Mumbai: Two months since the BMC started a dedicated drive to collect domestic hazardous waste, nearly 2,000 housing societies, women's hostels, beauty parlours, and educational institutions registered for the initiative.Currently, an average of 1.7 tonnes of such waste is collected daily and transported to six plasma incineration facilities within BMC's jurisdiction for safe and scientific disposal. This includes adult diapers, sanitary pads, pet waste, discarded medicines, and used waxing sheets, PPE kits, and facial masks.Mumbai generates an estimated 80 to 100 tonnes of domestic hazardous ...Read More >
Meerut: Solid waste management is a huge challenge confronting human settlements but Mohiuddinpur village in Meerut has found a solution to this problem. The panchayat here has set an example for others to emulate by not only disposing off the waste to generate power but also earning revenue in the process. The village is earning an annual revenue of Rs 10 lakh which is an example in resource generation. The village has around 1200 residences that also house some tenants. The population here is around 12,000. The interesting aspect is the blueprint prepared by the panchayat that ensures effec ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 15 (PTI) President Droupadi Murmu will present the 'Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024-25' on July 17, marking the 9th edition of the annual urban cleanliness survey, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry said the event will honour the cleanest cities across India and recognise the relentless efforts of urban local bodies (ULBs) in advancing the goals of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U). Also Read | India Raises Pahalgam Terror Attack at SCO Meeting: EAM S Jaishankar Calls for 'Uncompromising Position' on Combattin ...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 >
New Delhi: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi continued to show lacklustre results in the Swachhta Survekshan. In the assessment of cities with populations exceeding 10 lakh (or million-plus cities) for 2024-25, it placed 31st out of 44. This follows the 2023-24 performance in which Delhi ranked 90th among 446 cities in the category of urban areas with populations above one lakh. MCD had aspired to rank in the top 10 in this category in 2024-25, but fell far short.Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh argued that until last year, the Aam Aadmi Party was at the helm in MCD and no progress was reported in vari ...Read More >
Mumbai: Recycling of packaging material into something useful and lasting for the community is an initiative that represents the kind of sustainable thinking Mumbai needs, said Jeetendra V Pardeshi, Superintendent of Gardens, BMC. "Such partnerships can bring sustainability into public spaces, and the public can actively participate in this transformation," Pardeshi said on Thursday, about a set of garden benches, made entirely from recycled Tetra Pak cartons, that were donated to Patwardhan Park in Bandra. The inauguration of the benches marked the start of a campaign to collect used bevera ...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 >
The cities were evaluated based on 10 parameters and 54 indicators. Indore has retained its top position as the cleanest city in India for the eighth consecutive year. Surat and Pune were second and third. President Droupadi Murmu conferred the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Award on the city at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. The cities were evaluated based on 10 parameters and 54 indicators. The Centre said that the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 adopted a smart and structured approach to assess urban clea ...Read More >
Jammu- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday reviewed the ongoing restoration work of the historic Mubarak Mandi complex, which was the power centre of the Dogra kings in Jammu, and stressed on enhancing its heritage appeal. The Mubarak Mandi Complex is one of Jammu's most significant architectural heritage sites and is envisioned as a comprehensive cultural centre, housing museums, conference venues and heritage hospitality services. Accompanied by Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani and MLA Yudhvir Sethi during the visit, the chief minister was briefed in detail on the multi-phas ...Read More >
Kolkata, July 19 (SocialNews.XYZ) Alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking people in Odisha, Assam and Delhi after being branded as illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators, the Special Intensive Review (SIR) and the necessity of Opposition unity on these issue are likely to be the important matters that would be raised by the Trinamool Congress in the meeting of the INDIA Bloc this evening. The meeting will be attended virtually by the Trinamool Congress General Secretary and the party's Lok Sabha member, Abhishek Banerjee, as decided by the party leadership at the last moment. "The harassment of Ben ...Read More >
Gurgaon: MCG additional commissioner Yash Jaluka directed bulk waste generators (BWG) across the city to ensure proper disposal of waste by private agencies who are assisting them. Giving these instructions in a meeting held on Friday, he said it is often observed that BWGs hand over their waste to private agencies, which only sort valuable items and dump the remaining waste on roads, drains, vacant land or public places. This, he said, not only affects cleanliness of the city but also poses a threat to public health."Under the Solid Waste Management Rules-2016, it is the legal and moral respo ...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 >
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh IT and Human Resources Development Minister Nara Lokesh on Friday hailed the successful implementation of the state-wide 'Mega Parent-Teacher Meeting (PTM) 2.0' programme. Expressing gratitude to all stakeholders, he credited the collective efforts of government and private schools, colleges, education officials, staff, headmasters, teachers, students, parents, donors, alumni, public representatives, and officers from various departments for making the event a success. ...Read More >
Mumbai: The state govt on Thursday ordered a stay on the Rs 12 crore aspirational toilets construction contract. Industries Minister Uday Samant said an inquiry will be conducted and a report will be submitted in 30 days, but till then, work on the toilets will be stayed. Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar ruled that the state govt must direct municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani to conduct a probe against additional municipal commissioner (City) Ashwini Joshi, who is pushing the aspirational toil ...Read More >
Jammu, Jul 18 (PTI) Senior officials of the Jammu and Kashmir government reviewed the arrangements for the smooth conduct of the 13-day-long Budha Amarnath pilgrimage in Poonch district that will begin on July 28. Deputy Inspector General of Police Tejinder Singh reviewed security in Poonch and stressed ensuring the safety of the devotees. "The first batch will depart from the Bhagwati Nagar basecamp in Jammu on July 28, moving towards the Mandi tehsil in Poonch in a regulated convoy amid full security arrangements," a spokesperson said. Jammu Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar and Inspec ...Read More >
Bhubaneswar: Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday announced an ambitious plan of planting 7.5 crore saplings across the state within a year. Speaking at the state-level celebration of World Environment Day at the OUAT Agriculture Education Hall in city, the CM emphasised the importance of public awareness and collective responsibility in protecting nature and ending plastic pollution. "A healthy environment is essential for a healthy society," he said.Addressing the rising threat of single-use plastic, the CM urged citizens to support a mass movement to eliminate plastic from daily li ...Read More >
BENGALURU: BBMP marshals deployed at lake security and supervision wing, ward monitoring and Indira Canteens are working without salaries since March. The situation has arisen after Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited was carved out of BBMP for garbage management. Their salaries are usually given through the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society and each marshal is paid Rs 17,500 monthly. "Supervisors say the delay is due to a set of procedures. Earlier, the amount was given to the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society towards payments from BBMP. Now the files have to be cleared from BWSML to ward mars ...Read More >
Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): Marking the Cooperatives Year, a two-day national seminar will be inaugurated on Friday at the Swarn Jayanti Auditorium of Vikram University. Farmers from five major states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Goa are set to participate in the seminar, 'Dairy Development in Madhya Pradesh: Possibilities and Challenges', under the joint aegis of the Indian Dairy Association (DA) West Zone, and Vikram University (VU). Researchers, students, milk producers from across the country, where over two lakh cooperative societies function, along with experts ...Read More >
Mumbai: The plan for parking lots in Breach Candy and Bhulabhai Desai Road submitted by the residents association, for which site visits were also carried by the police and local civic officials, has hit a road block as the area is still under the Coastal Road department and yet to be handed over to the D ward office of the BMC. The parking projects are undertaken by local ward office, and roads and traffic department of the BMC, however, untill the area is under the Coastal Road department, the implementation of the overground parking lots seems unlikely. The BMC had asked the Breach Candy ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): President Droupadi Murmu will be conferring the prestigious Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 Awards at a national ceremony organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) at Delhi Vigyan Bhawan on July 17 (Thursday), according to an official statement from the ministry. The awards will be given in the presence of Union Minister Manohar Lal and Minister of State, MoHUA Tokhan Sahu, the statement added. Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 marks the ninth edition of the world largest urban cleanliness survey. This event will unveil the cleanest cities of urban In ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Indore has once again emerged as India's cleanest city, securing the top spot in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 for the eighth consecutive year. The results of the Central government's annual cleanliness survey were announced in New Delhi, where President Droupadi Murmu conferred the awards at a ceremony organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs at Vigyan Bhawan. Surat and Navi Mumbai followed Indore, grabbing second and third positions, respectively, reaffirming their strong performance in urban sanitation. In the 3-10 lakh population categor ...Read More >
Lucknow, Jul 17 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh's capital city has secured the third position in the category of urban spaces with population exceeding 10 lakh, while Prayagraj was adjudged the Cleanest Ganga City in the ninth edition of the Swachh Survekshan. Lucknow also became the first city in the state to achieve a 7-star Garbage Free City rating in the 2024-25 survey. Gorakhpur achieved double success, ranking third in the Safai Mitra Surakshit Sheher category and fourth among cities with a population between 3 to 10 lakh. Agra has been recognised as the Emerging Clean City of Uttar Pradesh, securi ...Read More >
Shimla, Jul 17 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to remove encroachments on forest lands, including the fruit-bearing trees, all across the state and not limit it to some areas. The order was passed by a division bench consisting of Justices Vivek Thakur and Bipin C Negi on Wednesday after the Advocate General placed on record fresh instructions issued by Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, informing that 2,456 apple and other fruit trees have been felled from forest lands in Chaithla village, and 713 and 490 trees in Rohru and Kotgarh forest divisions, r ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has started deactivating the Aadhaar card of the dead to prevent their misuse. UIDAI has deactivated more than 1.17 crore 12-digit Aadhaar numbers so far. This information was given in an official statement issued on Wednesday, July 16. Under this initiative, UIDAI has started a new service on My Aadhaar portal for registered deaths in 24 states and union territories, so that people can report the death of their family members. The statement said, "To maintain continuous accuracy of the Aadhaar database, UIDAI has taken steps to ...Read More >