Latest news with #Chitta
News18
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Arya Babbar Stresses The Need For Sustainability On World Environment Day
Last Updated: Arya said he has eliminated single-use plastics from his daily life, including plastic bottles, supermarket bags, and straws On the occasion of World Environment Day 2025, several television celebrities have been opening up about their efforts to live more sustainably. Among them is Arya Babbar, who plays Kalikant Thakur in Jagriti: Ek Nayi Subah. The actor has made conscious lifestyle changes to reduce his environmental impact, from eliminating single-use plastics to switching to eco-friendly alternatives and encouraging those around him to do the same. Arya Babbar told ETimes, 'During a trip last year, I reached the hilltop, which should have been pristine. Instead of clean air and untouched beauty, I was greeted by plastic wrappers and discarded bottles. That stayed with me. It made me realise that even the remotest corners of nature aren't safe from the reach of our waste. Since then, I've promised myself to be part of the solution." Commenting on the steps he has taken, Arya shared that he has completely eliminated single-use plastics from his daily routine—including plastic bottles, supermarket bags, and straws. To further reduce waste, he now uses compostable liners at home and carries a solid shampoo bar while travelling, avoiding plastic packaging even on the go. The actor added, 'It's not about overhauling your life overnight's about making thoughtful choices that align with a cleaner future. I regularly have conversations with friends and family about the little swaps they can make. ' To him, it's about being conscious, consistent, and a part of something larger than oneself. Every small move counts, as Aarya believes that if we keep waiting for change to arrive from somewhere else, we will be waiting much too long. Arya Babbar plays a prominent role in Jagriti: Ek Nayi Subah, a gripping tale centred around a member of the marginalized Chitta community who dares to defy age-old traditions in a bid to empower her people. Her journey pits her against a powerful leader with mafia connections, setting the stage for a high-stakes battle for change. The show also stars Rachana Mistry, Sagar Parekh, and Vijendra Kumaria in lead roles. First Published: June 05, 2025, 17:34 IST
India Gazette
5 days ago
- Health
- India Gazette
HP Police conducts anti-drug campaign in state, recover drugs; several cases registered
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 3 (ANI): As per the instructions of the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, during the ongoing anti-drug campaign conducted by Himachal Pradesh Police, 10 cases have been registered against drug dealers in the state in the last 24 hours. Of these, 4 cases were registered in Kullu district, 2 in Bilaspur, 2 in Baddi, 1 in Shimla, and 1 in Dehra. According to a press release from Himachal Pradesh police, large quantities of hashish, opium, Chitta, and stolen poppy have been recovered. In these cases, a total of 78,820 illegal opium plants have been destroyed on the spot by the police in three cases registered at Banjar police station in Kullu. In the cases registered in Baddi, 40.148 kg of stolen poppy (poppy husk) were recovered from a local individual. Additionally, in the other two districts, 868.76 grams of Charas (cannabis) and 39.35 grams of Chitta (heroin) were recovered. Action is being taken against the accused involved in all the above 10 cases under the Narcotic Drugs Act, and the investigation of these cases is proceeding on a priority basis. The public is requested to provide any information related to drug abuse in the state to the police through the Drug Free Helpline 1908. This campaign by the Himachal Pradesh Police is an effort to break the supply chain of drugs and eliminate criminals' economic power. Earlier on Sunday, the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested a Nigerian national in connection with the possession and intended distribution of 282 grams of cocaine. The arrest was made during a targeted operation in the Old Mahabir Nagar area of Tilak Nagar, Delhi, following specific intelligence inputs. Deputy Commissioner of Police, ANTF (Crime Branch), Apoorva Gupta, stated that the accused, identified as David Leanne, was caught carrying a bag containing a yellow-coloured powdery substance. A field test conducted on-site by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team confirmed the substance to be cocaine, classified as a commercial quantity under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. A case has been registered under FIR at the Crime Branch Police Station, and further investigation is underway. (ANI)
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Drug menace is Punjab's biggest challengesays Punjab Governor Kataria
Over nine months into his office, Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria has been striving towards evolving a community-driven approach to combat the drug menace, which has plagued the State for decades. Mr. Kataria, who has been holding 'foot-marches', aimed at raising awareness, garner public support and transform the fight against drugs into a people's movement, in an exclusive interview with The Hindu feels that Punjab, which was once a leading State, particularly in industry, trade and agriculture, is now lagging, and the menace of drugs prevalent in the State is a matter of immediate concern. Even as Punjab's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government asserts that the State is on the verge of becoming 'drug-free', Mr. Kataria believes it's a long way to go before achieving success in complete drug eradication from Punjab. He says it's amazing that on the one hand, the conviction rate under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act is a tad above 85% in Punjab, yet on the other hand, the drug menace had continued to grow its feet. Not mincing his words, he says, 'It's quite clear that unless there's a political patronage and involvement of police, the drugs trade can't be sustained for a long period, and in Punjab it's been flourishing for a long time.' 1. You have completed nine months in Punjab. What, according to you, are key problems/challenges plaguing Punjab? Punjab, which was once a leading State, particularly in industry, trade, and agriculture, is now lagging behind, and the menace of drugs prevalent in the State is a matter of immediate concern, especially as the youth is getting hooked on it. The prevalence of 'Chitta', a synthetic drug made from heroin and other forms of drug abuse, is widespread and curbing it is the biggest challenge. I realised the gravity of the situation (drug menace) during my visits to villages in those districts of Punjab that share an international border with Pakistan. In my interaction with members of village committees, some women shared distressing experiences surrounding the drug addiction of their children and its impact on the entire family, and they urged me to find a way to save their children. They said all their other issues and problems could wait but drug addiction is causing a havoc in their lives. It's amazing to notice that on the one hand, the conviction rate under the NDPS Act is around 85% in Punjab, yet on the other hand, the drug menace had continued to grow its feet. While the State government and its agencies have been working to eradicate the menace, I feel that to eradicate this problem, it requires people's extensive support. The war against drugs needs to be transformed into a people's movement to achieve success. I have been embarking on foot marches, interacting with religious heads, scholars, etc, to inject momentum into the fight, and people are supporting it because it's their pain. It's not my campaign, it's people's campaign, and the focus is to educate and empower communities, especially youth, to lead a healthy and drug-free lifestyle. 2. What according to you, are the reasons behind Punjab's drug menace, and why is it difficult to curb it? I see two immediate reasons: first, it's the smuggling of drugs through drones and other means into the Indian territory from Pakistan. Pakistan does not have the courage or capability to fight a direct battle with India, and this we saw in the recent conflict during 'Operation Sindoor'. Pakistan has been fighting a proxy war by the way of sending drugs by various means to create disturbance in the country and target our youth. Secondly, some people may get annoyed with me, but it's true and aptly clear that unless there's a political patronage and involvement of police, the drug trade can't be sustained for a long period, and in Punjab, it has been flourishing for a long time. I, however, appreciate that the State government has been in action mode against the drug menace for the past couple of months. As far as difficulty in curbing it is concerned, among several other reasons, one is that some people, especially from the poor section, believe that drug trade is a road to easy and quick money with relatively less effort, and this is a big push for them to engage into smuggling and peddling of drugs. Also, while these 'peddlers' do get caught, the drug-smugglers or the 'big fishes' hardly get caught, and hence the drug trade network continues to flourish. 3. Ruling Aam Aadmi Party leaders assert that Punjab is on the verge of becoming a 'drug-free' State soon. What's your take? I don't think that it's going to happen immediately, there's a long way to go, but yes, some steps by the governments are encouraging. In Punjab, as per my understanding, there are around 200 villages so far, where people have initiated campaigns such as 'Our village-Drug free' or 'Our Institution-Drug free'. But, whether they have become '100% drug free' can't be ascertained immediately, but it certainly shows people's awareness and sentiments of fighting against the drug menace. The Centre had launched the 'Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan' in 2020, which is a good initiative. 4. Punjab has been witnessing a rise in migration. What is the reason? Do you see it as a matter of concern? The charm of a foreign land, better income, have been among a few temptations behind rising migration from Punjab, but apart from these, the concern among parents about their children getting addicted to drugs here has emerged as another key factor behind the rise in migration from Punjab. Several parents are sending their children away to foreign countries, fearing their kids could get addicted to drugs in Punjab. There's no doubt it should be a serious concern for everyone. 5. Key political parties in Punjab have opposed the upcoming delimitation exercise of Parliamentary constituencies on population-based criteria. What's your take? This issue has to be dealt with keeping in mind the entire country and not just one State, and some formula or criteria will have to be devised that is acceptable to all. Historically, our culture has always created a bond of unity across the country. I am sure the country will continue to stand united with a consensus on such and other issues. 6. Punjab shares an international border with Pakistan, and hence, it faces several challenges due to its strategic location. Do you think the Centre should consider giving a special financial package to the State? I firmly believe that a financial package should be given to Punjab, being a border State, to give a fillip to the industrial sector and to resolve other problems. I am making efforts in this regard. Earlier, there was the Border Area Development Fund for the growth and development of the State's six border districts. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reiterated several times that border villages are very important. We are making efforts, and I believe this fund will be back.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Tiny plasma jets on the sun drive the elusive solar wind, Europe's Solar Orbiter reveals
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Solar scientists have found tiny, short-lived jets of energy on our sun to be the primary drivers of the solar wind, marking a step toward decoding our star's elusive behavior and, eventually, refining predictions of its storms. The "solar wind" refers to pockets of energetic particles blasted out from the sun. These particles are occasionally directed toward Earth, like last summer when a rare cluster of such storms rained on our planet and sparked breathtaking auroras across the globe — likely the strongest auroras we've seen in centuries. The solar wind can also affect our planet in a negative way, however, such as through the disruption of GPS signals and other technologies that are reliant on satellite and radio communications; it can also threaten the safety of astronauts in Earth orbit. Still, the precise origins of the solar wind have proven difficult to pinpoint. This is partly because the "footprints" carried by the charged particles in the wind — features that scientists suspect would reveal unique signatures of the regions on the sun that give rise to the solar wind — are often distorted by the time they reach Earth. Previous research revealed that tiny jets emerging from large, dark gaps in the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona, drive the fastest solar wind particles despite being a trillion times weaker than the sun's most powerful flares and lasting no more than a minute. These so-called "picoflares" are ubiquitous and are powered by magnetic field lines that stretch into space rather than loop back to the sun's surface, serving as cosmic highways that allow superheated plasma particles to escape the sun's magnetic grasp and launch outward at hypersonic speeds. "The energy content of a single picoflare jet that lives for about one minute is equal to the average power consumed by about 10,000 households in the U.K. over an entire year," Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany previously told However, scientists have found that tracking down the source of the slower component of the solar wind to be more difficult. Now, a new analysis by Chitta and his team, using up-close data from the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft, provides compelling evidence that these picoflares are also supplying energy to the slower solar wind. "We were very surprised to see that the same tiny plasma jets appear to be driving both the fast and the slow solar wind," Chitta said in a recent statement. "Previously, we had assumed that different processes are at work." To reach their conclusions, Chitta and his colleagues studied data collected by Solar Orbiter in late 2022 and early 2023, when the spacecraft had made its scheduled close approaches to the sun. During these passes, the probe managed to get roughly 31 million miles (50 million kilometers) from our star, allowing its onboard cameras to capture high-resolution images of the jets in coronal holes as well as direct measurements of the solar wind. By combining these observations, "the researchers could directly connect the solar wind measured at the spacecraft back to those exact same jets," ESA wrote in a statement. "This is the first time that we can say for sure that at least some of the slow solar wind also comes from tiny jets in coronal holes," the agency added. Until now, the origin of the solar wind had been elusive." Related Stories: — Solar Orbiter spacecraft captures sharpest views yet of sun's surface (images) — NASA's launching a new sun mission this month: 'PUNCH is going to see a total solar eclipse' — NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory back online after 2024 data center flood Forthcoming close approaches to the sun by Solar Orbiter, which occur roughly twice a year, could shed more light onto how the picoflares launch the solar wind, the statement read. This research is described in a paper published Feb. 5 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
