The ravines, which are sharp, steep mud hillocks, stretch over three states - Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, once home to several dreaded dacoits have long been the subject of several projects and government schemes to make them agriculturally viable.
'70 per cent of sewage flows untreated into the river along its entire course. Hardwar and Rishikesh remain two of our holiest cities. Then why has the government failed to do anything?' 'If Modi can do with the Ganga what he has done with the Sabarmati, that will be a major achievement.'
A large number of devotees are taking a holy dip at the Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers in Allahabad on the auspicious occasion of ''Mauni Amavasya'' on Sunday.
The Maha Kumbh began on Monday morning with lakhs of devotees as well as ascetics and religious leaders of various orders converging on the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical river Saraswati in Allahabad for a holy dip on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
Rediff.com takes a look at the grand preparations ahead of the mega festival, just 16 days away, as pilgrims and god-men have already started congregating at the holy site.
The farmers entered the national capital riding their tractors and trolleys and proceeded towards Kisan Ghat where heavy police deployment has been made.
Over two crore Hindu devotees took their cherished holy dip at the 'Sangam' in Allahabad on Sunday on 'Mauni Amavasya', widely believed to be the most auspicious of all days at the 55-day long Kumbh Mela.
On Tuesday, November 20, 2018, 34 years and 19 days later after the horrific crimes, two men were sentenced to death and life in prison for their involvement in the anti-Sikh riots of 1984 in which over 3,000 Sikhs were killed. It was the first verdict after the riots-related cases were reopened by a Special Investigation Team in 2015. In his novel Man With The White Beard, Shah Alam Khan recalls a calamitous time in India's history.
Rediff.com takes a look at some stunning pictures of the previous Kumbh Mela festivities.
The eight-week-long festival is beginning from Monday, in which thousands of devotees will bathe at the Sangam -- the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
He also washed the feet of sanitation workers at the 'Swachh Kumbh, Swachh Aabhaar' programme in Prayagraj.
Of the thousands of railway bridges in India, 36,470 are more than 100 years old, and 6,680 are more than 140 years old! But of these, only 21 rank on the Heritage Directorate of the Indian Railways because for them heritage isn't necessarily a function of age, says Bibek Debroy.
Rediff.com's Priyanka travelled to the Tibetan camp in Majnu ka Tila, which has virtually been sealed off to prevent Tibetans from coming in the way of the visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Ashish Sharma wonders what kind of services low skill people provide to high-skill people who increasingly spend more time in virtual worlds, thanks to ongoing wealth gains at the top.
Curiosity is brewing with recovery of 50 more bodies from river Ganga in Unnao on Wednesday, taking the number of such recoveries over the last few days to 100 and prompting the Centre to ask Uttar Pradesh government what was happening.
The apex court also expressed concern over the historic monument being infected by insects and asked the authorities, including ASI, what steps they have taken to prevent this.
Modi asked Delhiites not to repeat the "mistake" of voting for AAP.
The last time the Bachchans visited the city was a decade ago.
For villages in Sambalpur, revisiting old ponds has meant a return to prosperity.
Army and civil administration personnel along with teams of National Disaster Management and NGOs are engaged in relief and rescue operations in the region.
'Nobody will be saved if you don't stop this ideological and political-strategic bulldozer.'
Cricketer-turned-politician and Bharatiya Janata Party Member of Lok Sabha from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu hit out at the Union government and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupender Singh Hooda for their inability to provide immediate relief to thousands of people in Ambala, Kurukshetra, Sirsa and three other districts of Haryana, who have been affected by the recent flash floods caused by breaches in Satluj Yamuna link cannal and Ghaghar river.
In the Northeast, while three people died in Assam, two each lost their lives in Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram in rain-related incidents.
Construction delays, inclement weather, red tape if these were not enough reasons to worry Indian Olympic Association chief Suresh Kalmadi in the run up to the Commonwealth Games, then a possible dengue outbreak in New Delhi is sure to break him down to tears.
People visit riverbanks during the festival to pay obeisance to the sun god at dawn as well as dusk, preferably just prior to the sunrise and sunset.
A snowy fishing village in Greenland, a vulture soaring through the sky in Spain, and a trio of actors gearing up for an opera performance in China all make up the award winners in the 2019 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year awards. Chosen from thousands of entries, the winning snap is called Winter in Greenland and was taken by Weimin Chu. It depicts the fishing village of Upernavik in northwestern Greenland. Chu will receive $7,500 (Rs 5.21 lakh) and a post on National Geographic Travel's Instagram account, @natgeotravel. Here we present the winners in each of the three categories.
Overall, this is one of the best monsoon India has had in five years with the rain deficit at just 2 per cent. However, in East and the Northeast India, the overall rainfall deficit is as high as 21 per cent.
Delhi gets more water than Paris, according to a report of the Planning Commission. If the national average water supply for cities is 140 litres per capita, Delhiites guzzle 240 litres per capita. But Delhi, which empties the river Yamuna as it enters the city to fulfill its water needs, says it is facing a water shortage of the intensity of a crisis.
Films that amazed Aseem Chhabra at the El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt.
'Panipat has all the meat for a political drama meets war movie. But in Ashutosh Gowariker's failure to process its complexity, the material never rises beyond a mediocre hurray to the Maratha manoos,' says Sukanya Verma.
The tribunal also refused to give an urgent hearing on a fresh plea seeking stay on the three-day event on the banks of river Yamuna from Friday, alleging that AOL has not taken permissions from the competent authority as directed by the tribunal.
Developers announce new projects, vacant land being unlocked
Here's a recap of moments captured in India in the last week.
'Somehow the Flying Sikh has endured in people's memory.'
Rich tributes were offered to Rajiv Gandhi amid singing of hymns at Vir Bhumi, the memorial to the departed leader on the banks of river Yamuna.
Delhi Metro, Yamuna-expressway and Tata Power's Mundra ultra mega power project in Gujarat are among the six ventures that have figured in the list of world's most innovative, impactful infrastructure projects prepared by international accounting firm KPMG.
The event is expected to start on Monday.
Nearly 30 per cent work on casting of the monumental bronze statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, billed as the world's tallest sculptural work, has been completed, says noted artist Ram Sutar.
Uniformed policemen of Uttar Pradesh lowered their guns as the last post was sounded by another set of cops as a mark of respect to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was cremated in Allahabad with state honours on Monday noon.
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