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.
Nashik: Environmentalists have united to take a stand against the large-scale tree felling currently being carried out across the city by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) under the pretext of preparations for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela. Allegations are mounting that centuries-old trees, particularly environmentally significant Banyan trees and other heritage trees, are being cut down indiscriminately. Consequently, efforts are now underway to secure a permanent stay on these activities. According to environmentalists, the Municipal Corporation is projecting a deceptive image with the slogan, "The same tree, but a new location." Although the Mayor has articulated a stance favoring the relocation of trees, the scientific protocols essential for successful transplantation are not being adhered to in full. The tree-felling operations were initiated at the eleventh hour, specifically for the Kumbh Mela, with absolutely no proper planning undertaken beforehand. Branches and timber from felled trees are currently seen scattered across roads throughout the city, a sight that has further fueled the outrage among the residents of Nashik. As per regulations, the relocation of trees necessitates pruning in a specific, prescribed manner. However, environmentalists claim that the pruning executed by the Municipal Corporation is so flawed that the successful replanting of these trees has become virtually impossible. "There is a complete disregard for the scientific protocols required for tree relocation. Furthermore, this is causing immense damage to the biodiversity that depends on these trees," stated environmentalist Sheetal Adke Gole On Tuesday (April 7), the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued a stay on any form of tree felling within the limits of the Nashik Municipal Corporation until 12:00 PM on April 28. Of the 44 trees located on Gangapur Road, 22 had already been cut down prior to this stay order. Advocate Shriram P. Pingale had sent a letter to Municipal Commissioner Manisha Khatri, warning of contempt proceedings. During the Tribunal's next hearing, the Government of Maharashtra will be required to clarify its official stance; a favourable verdict is anticipated only if the technical justifications presented are deemed satisfactory. Environmental activists are no longer willing to settle for a mere temporary stay. They are now demanding a permanent moratorium on tree felling, along with punitive action against the officials responsible for the violations. Preserving Nashik's green canopy is not merely a concern for environmental enthusiasts but a duty incumbent upon every resident of Nashik.
New Delhi: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing from all angles, including sabotage, in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that killed 274 people on board and on the ground last month, Minister of State (MoS) For Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said. Mohol said the black box of the Air India flight AI 171 that has been recovered is in AAIB's custody and will not be outside the country for a thorough assessment. The MoS was speaking at the Pune chapter of the Emerging Business Conclave. "It (plane crash) was an unfortunate incident. The AAIB has begun a full investig ...Read More >
Chandigarh: Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday said the state govt was consistently working to provide better resources to the doctors and quality healthcare services to the citizens.He mentioned that medical colleges were being established in every district.While there were only six medical colleges in 2014, the number has now increased to 15, and nine new colleges are under construction. As a result, MBBS seats in the state increased from 700 in 2014 to 2,185, at present. The state govt aims to increase the MBBS seats to over 3,400 by 2029, said Saini.The CM was addressing a ...Read More >
Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has identified 10 chronic nullah stretches across eight of its 10 zones where citizens are rampantly dumping garbage, nullifying pre-monsoon cleaning efforts and putting thousands of homes at risk of flooding. With 227 open drains spread across the city and rainfall intensifying, NMC officials warn that urban flooding is no longer just a possibility -- it's a man-made inevitability.Despite deploying heavy machines and sanitation teams across key zones, the problem persists. Drains that were desilted only weeks ago are once again clogged with plast ...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 >
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 >
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 >
Navi Mumbai: In a tragic incident that has sparked outrage among environmentalists, a golden jackal was crushed to death by a speeding vehicle around midnight on Sunday near DPS Flamingo Lake, Nerul. The accident occurred on the service road parallel to Palm Beach Road, an area known for its rich biodiversity. According to a volunteer from the Wildlife Welfare Association (WWA), the jackal was hit on its back by an unidentified four-wheeler, leaving it badly mangled. The volunteer rushed to the spot after receiving a distress call around 12 a.m., but the animal could not be saved. The incide ...Read More >
Kolkata, July 5 (SocialNews.XYZ) The West Bengal unit of BJP, under the leadership of its new State party President Samik Bhattacharya is making all efforts to ensure a political rally in the state, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing it, before Trinamool Congress's annual Martyrs' day rally in Kolkata on July 21. An insider from the state committee of BJP said that the week before July 21, the Prime Minister is scheduled to go for an election campaign in Bihar where the Assembly polls are scheduled later this year. "We are trying hard so that the Prime Minister can spare some time ...Read More >
Mumbai, July 5: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he and MNS head Raj Thackeray have come together to stay united as the cousins shared a political stage for the first time after two decades on the issue of Marathi identity and "imposition" of the Hindi language. Addressing a "victory" rally in Worli here to celebrate the rollback of the Hindi language GRs (resolutions) by the BJP-led government, Uddhav hinted at contesting the upcoming civic elections together. "We have come together to stay together. We will together capture power in the Mumbai civic body and Maharasht ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jul 9 (PTI) Rejecting criticism over financial prudence for presenting supplementary demands of Rs 57,509 crore just three months after presenting the budget, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said the state's economic position is robust and fiscal parameters are fine. He said the additional funds would primarily be spent on the Centrally-sponsored development schemes, infrastructure projects, and statutory grants, which will contribute to enhancing the state's productive assets. The Maharashtra government tabled supplementary demands of Rs 57,509.71 crore in the state le ...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: 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 >
NEW DELHI: The Union environment ministry has issued model rules for felling of trees in agricultural land with the objective of supporting states and UT in simplifying regulatory frameworks and promoting agroforestry.It also asked states and UTs to examine the model rules and consider their adoption in order to enhance "ease of doing business" in agroforestry and incentivise farmers to integrate trees into their farming systems without facing undue procedural hurdles.The move will help pulp and paper industries, including newsprint production, besides encouraging farmers to opt for agroforest ...Read More >
Gurgaon: The two-day national conference of urban local bodies (ULBs), held in Manesar, concluded with a formal resolution to enhance the impact of these institutions on national development. Participants highlighted that the core objective of ULBs is to bring about positive change in the urban service delivery framework. The pivotal role of women as key drivers of development within ULBs was also discussed.It was noted that MP has implemented 50% reservation for women in urban local governance. Remarkably, currently, 60 to 65% of women are represented in ULBs there, demonstrating their strong ...Read More >
Lucknow: The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) planted 1,37,312 saplings on Wednesday under the state-wide 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0' campaign.The plantation drive was held at multiple locations, with the main event taking place in Amrapali Yojana, Dubagga.The campaign saw active participation from local residents. MLA Pankaj Singh, who led the drive planted a Red Sandalwood sapling, while mayor Sushma Kharkwal planted a Rudraksh sapling.The plantation was carried out under the supervision of additional municipal commissioner Arvind Kumar Rao.In Bharawan Kala, 14,314 saplings were planted. Jan ...Read More >
New Delhi/Raipur/Ambikapur: President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday awarded seven urban local bodies (ULBs) of Chhattisgarh for cleanliness under the 'Swachh Survekshan 2024-25'. The awards were handed over to deputy Chief Minister and urban administration minister Arun Sao at a programme in Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi. Ambikapur mayor Manjusha Bhagat and municipal corporation commissioner DN Kashyap were also present on the occasion. The 'Swachh Survekshan' is an annual survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to assess cleanliness and sanitation of cities and towns ...Read More >
Pune: As per Pune Municipal Corporation's latest Environment Status Report (ESR) 2023-24, the city houses as many as 55,81,578 trees, with the figures showing a steady annual increase.But for a city that claims to host over 55 lakh trees, deteriorating air quality makes the essential act of breathing rather difficult for residents.Even as the civic body boasts of planting lakhs of trees and expanding the city's green footprint, the on-ground reality is riddled with data inconsistencies, opaque processes and a visibly shrinking urban canopy.Citizens, environmentalists and independent researcher ...Read More >
Nagpur: Despite aggressive promotion of electric vehicles (EVs) under green energy initiatives, Nagpur district continues to grapple with a critical shortage of charging infrastructure. According to official data, there is just one EV charging station for every 515 electric vehicles in the district.The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), which is the sole authority for providing power connections to EV charging points, revealed that 151 charging stations have been set up so far across the district and many of them are private and not available to public. Of these, ...Read More >
Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 13 (ANI): Moradabad Municipal Corporation has made special preparations for the Kanwar Yatra 2025. A huge Shiv Darbar with a 30-foot-long idol of Lord Shiva has been set up to welcome all the Kanwar Yatris. Along with this, a special resting place, a Kanwar Yatra shed, has been made with a capacity of over 100 people. Moradabad Municipal Commissioner Divyanshu Patel said, 'The patchwork on routes to all the significant temples has started by Moradabad Municipal Corporation, and 80 per cent has already been completed... A huge Shiv Darbar with a 30-foot- ...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 >
Exposing the lack of cleanliness in Queen of Hills- Shimla has slipped to third place in the state and plummeted to 347th place nationally out of 824 cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings released on Thursday. The state capital Shimla which was ranked as the cleanest city in Himachal Pradesh since 2015, has now fallen to third place. Theog was judged as the cleanest urban local body (UBL) of the Himachal Pradesh followed by the Nadaun in district Hamirpur. The survey findings show th ...Read More >
Mumbai: Bringing an end to the 10-day-long nail-biting haul since the Mahayuti's win in the Maharashtra elections, Devendra Fadnavis (54) will be sworn in as Chief Minister at Mumbai's historic Azad Maidan at 5.30 pm on Thursday, December 5. His swearing-in comes a day after he was elected leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) legislative party unit in the presence of party supremos. Devendra Fadnavis was born on July 22, 1970. His father, Gangadharrao Fadnavis, was a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from Nagpur, and his mother, Sarita Fadnavis, was a former director of th ...Read More >
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday took strong action against the police officers allegedly responsible for the Bengaluru stampede, suspending several high-ranking officials, including the city's police commissioner. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also announced a one-man commission to probe the lapses that triggered the deadly stampede. "Cubbon Park Police Station police inspector, station house master, station house officer, ACP, Central Division DCP, cricket stadium in-charge, additional commissioner of police, commissioner of police have been susp ...Read More >
Mumbai, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) It was a belligerent, brilliant, and breathtaking performance from the Chennai Bulls, who were crowned the first ever champions of the Rugby Premier League, here in Mumbai, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex. The Chennai Bulls thrashed the Delhi Redz by a scoreline of 41-0 in the final, to clinch the title. In fact, the margin of victory is the biggest across Season 1 of the GMR RPL. Meanwhile, the Hyderabad Heroes, who had finished top of the table in the league stage, came away with a third-place finish, after they won 17-12 against the Bengaluru Bra ...Read More >
Mumbai: Senior BJP leader Ravindra Chavan is all set to become the next Maharashtra BJP chief as he filed his nomination for the post of party's state president on Monday. Mr. Chavan presented the nomination forms to Union Minister Kiran Rijiju, who has been appointed as a central observer for the elections by the BJP. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and outgoing party chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule were present on this occasion. With no other nomination being filed for the post, Mr. Chavan is certain to become the next state president of Maharashtra BJP, said party leaders. The ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: PWD officials who arrived for pruning of trees at Kuravankonam Junction on Tuesday were forced to cut down two trees following pressure from the shop owners in the junction. The trees used to provide good shade and were also a haunt for several birds at night. This is not an isolated incident. Trees are being cut in the name of pruning in several parts of the city without scientifically assessing their health.People with no knowledge about trees often misidentify them as unhealthy and at risk of falling, urging officials to cut back all the branches or the entire tree. This ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, Jul 17 : Ahmedabad was named the cleanest big city on Thursday, followed by Bhopal and Lucknow in the government's annual cleanliness survey, even as Indore, Surat, Navi Mumbai and Vijayawada among 23 cities were elevated to a newly formed 'Super Swachh League Cities' category for demonstrating exceptional performance in sanitation. The results of the Swachh Survekshan were announced on Thursday. According to the government, 14 crore people participated in the survey through face-to-face interactions, the Swachhata App, MyGov and social media platforms in over 4,500 cities. Sevent ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: In a dramatic turn of events, Canadian PM Mark Carney called PM Modi and invited him for the G7 summit that begins eight days from now at Kananaskis in Alberta. Modi accepted the invitation and said he was looking forward to meeting him at the summit.The announcement by Modi on X followed almost a week of suspense over his participation because of a lack of invitation, drawing barbs from the opposition about his possible exclusion from the summit. India is not a member of G7 but Modi has been invited for all summits since 2019. Modi congratulated Carney on his poll win and thanked h ...Read More >