Deaflympics gold medallist Virender Singh Yadav, better known as Goonga Pehlwan, has now decided to return his Padma Shri to the government, showing solidarity with the country's top wrestlers.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said Ganga cleansing programmes have been going on for over three decades with almost no impact on the ground and wondered whether the government wanted to do something during this tenure or would it spill over to the next term.
The incident, initially reported as a stampede, occurred when there was a huge rush of pilgrims to board vessels to reach Kolkata.
Dhami said several acres of land were freed from encroachment during the demolition drive in the 'Malik Ka Bagicha' area of Banbhoolpura.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has been admitted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi due to fever, doctors said on Friday.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday demanded that the Centre review the Ganga water sharing treaty with Bangladesh as "gross injustice" has been meted to Bihar in the treaty.
'I believe that the competent authorities are working on to resolve the issue.'
'One per cent of wealthy people have been handed over 99 per cent of our nation's resources. The rest are mute, helpless and very frightened spectators to this loot.'
Irked by Narendra Modi's remark that why Ganga could not be cleaned like his government had done with Sabarmati, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday hit back, saying they don't need lessons from other states.
'Commentators have said that dealing with allies as equals will make Modi more sensitive.' 'Remember that the people Modi is dealing with are equally autocratic in their own lairs.' 'Further, Modi always has handy the threat of dissolving Parliament and calling for fresh polls.' 'Most of his own party, and certainly his allies and opponents having blown their budgets of efforts and resources in the just concluded elections, have no stomach for this.' 'They are all greatly looking forward to the loaves and fishes of office on offer.' 'That gives Modi an unbeatable advantage in any push-comes-to-shove situation,' explains Shreekant Sambrani.
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders L K Advani and Uma Bharti on Thursday met President Pranab Mukherjee and appealed him to direct the government to ensure uninterrupted flow of Ganga downstream from Tehri dam and save Dhari Devi temple in Uttarakhand from submergence due to construction of a dam.
With Bihar battling floods despite receiving less than normal rains, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking the Centre's intervention as he insisted that desilting the river Ganga is the only solution to avoid the almost annual occurrence of floods.
Dressed in traditional finery, Muslims across India offered prayers at mosques and eidgahs on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on Thursday, marking the end of the holy month of Ramzan.
The maiden voyage has 32 tourists from Switzerland signing up for the entire length of the journey.
The batch of five experts will also play a role as interpreters between India and China sides during border personnel meetings, sources said.
At least 35 bodies, which were ostensibly disposed of in the river Ganga as part of last rites by their kin, surfaced after the water receded near Pariyar ghat in neighbouring Unnao district, prompting administration to order an inquiry into it.
A breach in an embankment along the Ganga caused by recent heavy rainfall which threatened to inundate a large area and affect Maha Kumbh pilgrims in Allahabad, has been plugged by a 60-member team of Army's Red Eagle Division who worked through the night averting a disaster.
Noted environmentalist G D Agrawal, who is on "fast-unto-death" to press for cleaning up of river Ganga, was on Monday referred from BHU to AIIMS in New Delhi after his health deteriorated further.
"It's my destiny to serve Maa Ganga," Prime Minister designate Narendra Modi told Varanasi after an hour-long ceremony on the banks of the scared river.
'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.'
Tourism ministry plans to float hotels on the river to boost tourism.
Only 40 of the 160 projects under the Namami Gange Mission -- a Rs 20,000 crore project for cleaning the river -- have been completed.
The major initiatives of the Modi government have been launched to ensure cleanliness across the country
A group of environmentalists are on a mission to make the Ganga pollution free. They are currently on a journey from Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh to Mayapur in West Bengal, via the river, to create awareness about the issue.
MV Ganga Vilas will begin its journey from Varanasi and sail around 3,200 km in 51 days to reach Dibrugarh in Assam via Bangladesh, traversing across 27 river systems in the two countries, it said.
A portion of a bridge that was built across the Burhi Gandak River in Sahebpur Kamal of Bihar's Begusarai district collapsed and fell into the river, but no casualty was reported.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday took a critical view of some of the key decisions made by the Jawaharlal Nehru government, and said one needs to get out of this "cult worship" that the period from 1946 onwards was "great years" and the country did "splendidly".
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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.
Robin Upadhyay, 48, a resident of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, claimed to have worked in many multinational companies for over 25 years, they said.
'Eddie Murphy was approached for Sanjay Dutt's role, Omar Sharif for Jackie's Shroff's. The title of Khalnayak was Be Negative then. I had started working on the screenplay with Hollywood writers. And then after three-four months...
The Narendra Modi government's ambitious poll promise to depollute river Ganga came under severe scrutiny on Wednesday in the Supreme Court which said it seems that steps taken so far will not lead to cleaning of the country's holiest river even after 200 years.
Passengers rushed to board the Tapti Ganga Express train from Surat railway station in the morning, causing chaos in which some people fainted, Superintendent of Police (Western Railway) Sarjo Kumari said.
'It is Bajrang Punia's personal decision to return the Padma Shri. The WFI polls were held in fair and democratic manner. We will still try to persuade Bajrang to reverse his decision to return Padma Shri.'
Given the tonnes of sewage and filth that have accumulated in the Ganga over the years, this may seem to be a drop in the ocean.
A total 4.16 lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar.
Speaking at the third meeting of the National Ganga River Basin Authority on Tuesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voiced concern over the discharge of 2,900 million litres of sewage in the Ganga every day.
The 77th Independence Day was celebrated with a festive fervour across the country on Tuesday.
"If you get employment, you will watch Reels for half an hour and work for 12 hours," the Congress leader said.
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