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Dehradun: Even as the four-month-long forest fire season in Uttarakhand is nearing its end, shockingly, the state forest department is still waiting for delivery of 7145 fire safety kits for its field staff, exposing the grim reality of the preparedness on ground. Every year, the period from February 15 to June 15 is considered the most challenging for the forest department personnel, as rising temperatures lead to widespread forest fires and destruction of hundreds of hectares of forest, causing significant ecological loss. Due to this, forest fires have been classified as disasters to ensure that neither funding nor efforts to contain forest blaze face any administrative hurdles. Preparations Begin From December Itself In fact, preparations to control forest fires begin as early as November or December. This includes deploying forest personnel, hiring additional outsourced staff, appointing fire watchers, and identifying cruise stations. A full assessment is carried out, followed by the procurement of necessary equipment. Fire Season Nears End, Safety Gear Yet To Be Delivered Along with the forest department, the Disaster Management department was also responsible this year for procuring certain equipment and supplies for forest fire control. Of all necessities, priority was provision of safety gear for forest personnel. Surprisingly, even as the fire season is drawing to a close, this equipment has still not been delivered. Under the World Bank-funded project 'You Prepare', the Disaster Management Department was tasked with procuring personal protective gear to be distributed to forest personnel. This included 7145 sets of equipment, comprising items like fire-resistant shoes and gloves to protect workers during fire fighting operations. Forest Dept Wrote To Disaster Management Dept As per reports, this safety equipment was to be procured under the disaster relief framework through the Project Management Unit, and a work order had already been issued to the concerned firm. Each crew station was supposed to receive five protective gear kits. The Uttarakhand Forest Department had been waiting for delivery of these kits by the Disaster Management Department and had sent repeated letters requesting urgent availability. Yet, the wait continues. Speaking on the matter, Nishant Verma, APCCF Forest Fire and Disaster of Forest Department said, "A letter has indeed been written to the unit of the Disaster Management Department. However, the department has not yet provided the essential safety gear needed by forest workers engaged in fire control. In fact, the Forest Department has made independent efforts to distribute some equipment to its workers across the state." Shockingly, the monsoon is expected to arrive in Uttarakhand within a few days. The pre-monsoon showers across the state are a hint that the forest fire season will soon end. In spite of this, forest workers continue to wait for essential fire-control equipment from the Disaster Management Department. Sources said even in the coming days, the delivery of 7145 personal protective kits remains uncertain, laying bare the alleged inefficiencies of the government system, despite strict instructions from the state government for all departments to take forest fire management more seriously this year.
SOLAPUR, India (Reuters) - India is likely to produce a record amount of sugar in the next marketing year from October after millions of farmers expanded cane cultivation, encouraged by ample water supplies and declining prices of competing crops, farmers and industry officials told Reuters. The rebound in production would allow the world's second-largest sugar producer to resume exports in 2025/26, they said, after a lack of rain cut cane yields and led to two years of restrictions. Indian exports could cap global sugar prices, traders said, by increasing supplies in the world market at a t ...Read More >
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 >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 2 (ANI): At least 51 people have lost their lives and 22 others are missing in Himachal Pradesh as torrential rains, flash floods, and landslides continue to wreak havoc across the state during the ongoing monsoon season, according to the latest official data. The State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC), under the Department of Revenue, Government of Himachal Pradesh, released a cumulative damage assessment report on July 2, covering the period from June 20 to July 1. The report reveals significant damage to human lives, private properties, livestock, a ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday cleared 10 capital acquisition proposals worth approximately Rs 1.05 lakh crore for procurement of indigenously sourced quick reaction surface-to-air missiles, naval vessels and more. The DAC accorded Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for capital acquisition proposals, including the procurement of Armoured Recovery Vehicles, Electronic Warfare System, Integrated Common Inventory Management System for the Tri-Services, and Surface-to-Air Missiles, according to an official statement from the Defence Ministry. Also R ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 6 (ANI): Rain lashed parts of Delhi on Sunday morning as the India Meteorological Department predicted light to moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms likely to occur over Delhi during the next two days. IMD Delhi in a press release stated, 'Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain accompanied with thunderstorm/lightning likely to occur over Delhi during next 2 days.' IMD said that there is no large change in minimum temperatures and maximum temperatures in the past 24 hours over Delhi. 'The maximum temperatures were in the range of 36-37C and the minimum tem ...Read More >
Itanagar, Jun 7 (PTI) The flood situation in Arunachal Pradesh improved on Saturday with water levels of most rivers receding, even as 33,000 people in 24 districts remained affected, officials said. Twelve people lost their lives and one person went missing in rain-related incidents, including landslides, after the monsoon set in, they said. In its daily report, the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC) said 33,200 people in 215 villages remained affected due to floods and landslides in the state. The water levels of most major rivers and their tributaries were showing a receding trend o ...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 >
NEW DELHI: Monsoon covered the entire country on Sunday, nine days before the normal date, advancing into the remaining parts of Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, west UP and Haryana, IMD said.This is only the fourth time in the past 25 years that monsoon covered NCR and remaining parts of northwest India the same day. The last time this happened was on July 13 in 2021, whereas the earliest date on which such an event took place was June 16 in 2013 -- the day Kedarnath witnessed a major disaster due to cloudburst and flash floods.It has taken monsoon 37 days to cover the entire country this time since its ...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 >
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 >
Haridwar: A woman politician has been arrested for allegedly letting her boyfriend and others repeatedly rape her 13-year-old daughter in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. The horrifying crime, which occurred between January and March, was exposed when the minor bravely confided in her father, prompting a police investigation that led to the arrest of the accused. The accused was arrested with her boyfriend and one more. According to police reports, the minor was gang-raped multiple times, often in the presence of her mother. The minor, who had been living with her father following her parents' separat ...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 >
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], July 7 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has directed that all damage to highways, as well as rural and urban roads, caused by heavy monsoon rains, be repaired on a priority basis and restored to their original condition without delay, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a press release. In a high-level meeting, the Chief Minister emphasised that road networks--crucial for development and daily public transportation--must not remain damaged due to heavy rainfall, and that immediate repairs should be undertaken to ensure their continued operatio ...Read More >
Srinagar, Jun 7 (PTI) Authorities on Saturday barred Eid prayers from taking place at the Eidgah ground and the Jama Masjid in the old city here, while Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq claimed that he was put under house arrest. "Anjuman Auqaf Jama Masjid Srinagar deeply regrets to inform that the authorities have once again disallowed Eid-ul-Adha prayers at the Eidgah as well as at the historic Jama Masjid in Srinagar by closing the gates of the mosque and deploying police personnel outside," the management of the historic mosque said in a statement. ...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 >
Imphal, June 29 (UNI) A series of successful operations carried out by Manipur Police and security forces during the last 24 hours led to the arrest of several individuals involved in vehicle theft, insurgent activity, and the recovery of a significant cache of arms and ammunition. Police arrested a vehicle lifter identified as Syed Riyaj from his residence at Lilong Chaobok in Thoubal District. The arrest was made under Lilong Police Station. Authorities seized a blue two wheeler without registration number, along with a key and an Aadhaar card believed to be linked to the suspect. In a 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 >
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the state police on Tuesday said it has arrested two accused wanted in several bomb blasts and communal murder cases after being on the run for over 25 years. The key accused among the two is Abubacker Siddique of Nagore. He is allegedly involved in the attempt to plant a pipe-bomb during the rath yatra of former home minister LK Advani in Madurai in 2011, among others. Other cases he is allegedly involved include the bomb blast at Hindu Munnani office in 1995 in Chennai, an explosion in Nagore the same year, and coordinated planting of bo ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: BJP MP Kangana Ranaut has come under fire from the Congress for what the party called an "insensitive" response during her visit to flood-affected areas in her Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh. The backlash was sparked by a video shared by the Congress in which Ranaut, while commenting on disaster relief, said, "Whether it's disaster relief or the disaster itself -- I don't have any official cabinet. I have my two brothers who are always with me. That's my cabinet. So, it's just these two."The Congress criticised Ranaut for allegedly treating the situation lightly. "In Mandi, ...Read More >
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], July 7 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that disasters pose the biggest challenges for the future and combating the adverse effects of climate change is a 'pressing concern' for humanity. While presiding over the 9th meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority, the Chief Minister expressed serious concern over the rising incidents of cloud bursts in the State and said that the matter had also been raised with the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah. The Chief Minister stated that over the past few days, Mandi di ...Read More >
Gurgaon: Two days after a law student died and his friend suffered critical injuries when a car knocked them down as they stood near railing on the service lane of Delhi-Jaipur highway in the early hours of Tuesday, a civil engineer was arrested on Thursday.Mohit (31), an employee of a private company in the city, told police that he got drowsy while driving. He is staying at a PG facility in Sector 14.The student who died, Harsh Singhal (25), was a resident of Om Nagar colony. His friend Abhishek Kumar (23), who is from Shanti Nagar in Sector 11, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital ...Read More >
Agartala, June 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a bid to boost the farmers' income, in all 22 foreign improved varieties and 13 indigenous improved varieties of mango are being experimentally cultivated at the Horticulture and Research Centre, at Nagichara in West Tripura, Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Sunday. Addressing the Monsoon Mango Fiesta-2025 at Narikel Kunj in Gandatwisa under tribal inhabited Dhalai district, the minister said that since the BJP government came to power in 2018, around 706 hectares of new area have been brought under mango cultivation throug ...Read More >
Shimla, July 5: The cumulative death toll in Himachal Pradesh's ongoing monsoon season has climbed to 75, combining 45 rain-related fatalities and 30 accidental deaths, including those from road mishaps, electrocution, and a gas explosion, according to official data released by the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC). The State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) released data covering the period from June 20 to July 4, 2025, which showed large-scale destruction across the hill state. The seasonal damage report, covering the period from June 20 to July 4, 2025, paints a grim picture of de ...Read More >
New Delhi, July 5: A massive fire that erupted at a Vishal Mega Mart outlet in Delhi's Karol Bagh area on Saturday, claimed the lives of two men, according to police sources. The incident occurred at a four-storey commercial building located on Padam Singh Road, with the blaze primarily concentrated on the second floor. The fire was first reported at approximately 6:44 P.M. on Friday, prompting a swift response from emergency services. At least 15 fire tenders were deployed to the site to control the flames and carry out rescue operations. Despite their efforts, two fatalities were confirmed d ...Read More >
Kochi: The High Court has directed the Kerala state government to convince the central government that the state deserves more assistance for the Wayanad landslide disaster. The division bench also expressed its readiness to mediate between the central and state governments in this regard. According to the latest figures, the state disaster relief fund holds around Rs 700 crore, but only Rs 61 crore is available for expenditure, as reported by the amicus curiae. Kerala: Court orders inclusion of abetment charges against police officers in Dalit youth suicide case The Kerala state government ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Telangana continues to be among the states with the highest number of forest fire incidents, with a majority linked to human activities rather than natural causes. Forest officials point to negligence and deliberate acts, even within ecologically sensitive zones such as tiger reserves. From November 2023 to January 2024, the state recorded 13,479 forest fire incidents, including large, continuous and recurring outbreaks. Similar figures were reported in the previous two years -- 13,737 incidents in 2021-22 and 13,117 in 2022-23. Only Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Chhattisgar ...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 >
NEW DELHI: Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud has raised some concerns about simultaneous state and parliamentary elections in his submissions to a joint parliamentary committee and called for a level-playing field between smaller and national parties, people aware of the matter said on Thursday. Ex-CJI Chandrachud and another former CJI, JS Khehar, are set to attend on July 11 a meeting of the JPC examining the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, which are intended to roll out simultaneous polls in the country, the pe ...Read More >
Haridwar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sakshi Maharaj on Sunday demanded that hotel, dhaba and eatery owners on the Kanwar Yatra routes should display their names and identities on boards outside their business establishments. The owners, who hide their identities under fake names, on the Kanwar Yatra routes should not be spared, he told reporters here. "Tampering with faith of the Hindu devotees during the Kanwar Yatra will not be tolerated," said the Unnao MP. The food shops on the Kanwar Yatra routes should have a board outside with the names of their owners clearly written on them, h ...Read More >