Latest news with #Darjeeling
United News of India
2 days ago
- Climate
- United News of India
Day temperatures above normal at few places over Punjab
Pune, June 2 (UNI) Day temperatures were markedly above normal( > 5.1°C) at a few places over Punjab; appreciably above normal (3.1°C to 5.0°C) at isolated places over Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Odisha, west Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh The Day temperatures above normal (1.6°C to 3.0°C) at few places over Gangetic West Bengal and Bihar; at isolated places over Assam and Meghalaya, east Uttar Pradesh, east Madhya Pradesh, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal and Kerala and Mahe and near normal (-1.5°C to 1.5°C) at many places over Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Uttarakhand, Saurashtra and Kutch, Konkan and Goa and south interior Karnataka; at most places over Arunachal Pradesh, coastal Karnataka and Lakshadweep; at few places over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, west Rajasthan, Gujarat region and Rayalaseema; at isolated places over east Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and north interior Karnataka. On Sunday, the highest maximum temperature of 41.9°C was reported at Sri Ganganagar (west Rajasthan). The Southwest Monsoon has been active over Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. It has been subdued over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu and south interior Karnataka. Rain or thundershowers have occurred at most places in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim and coastal Karnataka and at many places in Assam and Meghalaya and Konkan and Goa and at a few places in Haryana, Kerala and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and at isolated places in Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat region, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rayalseema, Tamil Nadu, interior Karnataka and Lakshadweep. Mainly dry weather has prevailed in Saurashtra and Kutch. Following observations for the past 24 hrs were recorded at 0830 hrs on Monday. Temperature (deg.C) Max Min ------ ------ EAST INDIA Agartala 28(-5) 26(+1) Bhubaneswar 38 28(+1) Darjeeling 23(+3) 15(+3) Dibrugarh 27(-3) 23 Gangtok 23(+1) 15(-1) Guwahati 31(-1) 26(+1) Imphal 23(-7) 22(+1) Kohima ----- 19(+3) Kolkata 35(-1) 29(+1) Passighat 25(-5) 22(-1) Patna 41(+2) 28(+2) Ranchi 34(-3) 26(+2) Shillong 23(-1) 18(+1) NORTH INDIA Allahabad 41(-1) 28 Ambala 40(+1) 25 Amritsar 38(-2) 23 Bareilly 37(-2) 27(+1) Chandigarh ------ 24(-2) Dehra Dun 37(+1) 20(-2) Jaipur 40(-1) 26(-2) Jodhpur 38(-3) 30(+1) Lucknow 40 27(+1) New Delhi 38(-2) 23(-4) Shimla 26 13(-3) Srinagar 20(-7) 10(-3) Varanasi 40(-1) 29(+2) CENTRAL INDIA Bhopal 37(-4) 26(-2) Indore 35(-5) 23(-2) Jabalpur 37(-5) 24(-4) Nagpur 38(-5) 27(-2) Raipur 37(-5) 25(-4) Satna 38(-4) 24(-5) PENINSULA Ahmedabad 38(-3) 28 Aurangabad 34(-5) 22(-3) Bengaluru 31(-1) 21 Bhuj 37(-2) 28(+1) Chennai 39 28 Gadag 31(-3) 20(-2) Hyderabad 35(-4) 24(-2) Kanyakumari ----- 25 Madurai 41(+3) 25(-1) Mahabaleshwar 20(-8) 17(-1) Mangaluru 31(-1) 23(-1) Mumbai 32(-2) 26(-2) Panjim 32(-1) 25(-1) Pune 30(-6) 22(-2) Rajkot 38(+2) 27 Thiruvananthapuram 33(+1) 25 Tiruchirapalli 38 27 Vishakhapatnam 38(+1) 28(-1) INDIAN ISLANDS Car Nicobar 32(+1) 26(+2) Minicoy 33(+1) 28(+2) Port Blair 30 28(+3) (Notes: + Indicates is above normal, - Indicates is below normal.) UNI SP UK BM
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
PM Modi addresses terrorism and Sikkim's growth potential in Bagdogra, Bengal
Bagdogra, May 29 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the brutal terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam was an assault on humanity itself, but India's swift and precise response through Operation Sindoor has dealt a decisive blow to terrorism and exposed Pakistan on the global stage. Synopsis Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed Sikkim's statehood celebrations from Bagdogra. He condemned the Pahalgam attack as an assault on humanity. Modi asserted India's unity and resolve against terrorism. He highlighted the destruction of terror hubs in Pakistan. The PM emphasized Sikkim's tourism potential and envisioned its growth as a green model state. Kolkata: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said in Bengal's Bagdogra that terrorists not only attacked humanity and brotherhood in India but there was an attempt to divide Indians but India showed resolute strength and remained united, speaking about the Pahalgam attack. ADVERTISEMENT Modi reached Bagdogra airport on Thursday morning to attend Sikkim's 50th statehood celebration but could not fly to Sikkim due to inclement weather. The PM addressed the people of Sikkim virtually from Bagdogra today. "What terrorists did in Pahalgam, it was not only an attack on Indians but an attack on faith on humanity and brotherhood. Terrorists have snatched happiness from so many families and tried to divide the Indians. The whole world can see India is more united. Becoming united, we gave a clear message," the Prime Minister said from Bagdogra today while addressing the 50th statehood celebrations of Sikkim. "The terrorists have erased sindoor from our daughters. We have given a befitting reply to Pakistan. Terror hubs in Pakistan decimated. They tried to attack our citizens and army bases. We have destroyed their India can do and how quick can it do and to what extent it can do- it has been shown," Modi Prime Minister spoke about Sikkim's growth potential in tourism and various other sectors. "In the next 25 years, Sikkim will be given great height. Sikkim is tourism's complete package. Here we have spiritualism, beauty and culture. There is potential adventure tourism, high altitude trekking and so on. Sikkim will reach the height of growth and it will become a green model state for the world. A state which will progress in organic food export, a state where digital transactions will boom," the PM said."People of Sikkim know the power of tourism. Tourism is not only entertainment but a symbol of diversity," he said. ADVERTISEMENT "It is my dream to make Sikkim a hub for conference tourism and concept tourism," the PM said, adding, "India will become a superpower and Sikkim will contribute to its growth. There is a huge focus on North Eastern states. Recently, there was an NE investment summit in Delhi. Various projects for Sikkim and its development are being undertaken. Atal Setu has made communication with Darjeeling at ease and work is on to connect Kalimpong. Bagdogra -Gangtok Expressway will soon come up" He inaugurated key development projects, including a 500-bed hospital, a mega sports complex and a passenger ropeway. Locals assembled in large numbers and welcomed him, showcasing their culture and preparations. ADVERTISEMENT "In Gangtok, an upcoming Sports Complex will become a hub for bringing out new sports talents and help India reach the Olympic podium. This land gave us Baichun Bhutia. Sikkim's every nook and corner gives us many more sports talents," the PM pointed out. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel) (Catch all the Business News, Breaking News, Budget 2025 Events and Latest News Updates on The Economic Times.) Subscribe to The Economic Times Prime and read the ET ePaper online. NEXT STORY
Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Are you a thermostat or a thermometer?
In every household, workplace, and social gathering, there are two types of people: thermometers and thermostats. Thermometers react to the room's temperature. If the mood is tense, they get nervous. If everyone is excited, they get hyped. If someone's in a bad mood, they absorb that energy like a sponge and sulk, too. Thermostats, on the other hand, dictate the climate. They walk into a room and, without a word, set the emotional temperature. And everyone, consciously or not, adjusts accordingly. And nobody—nobody—does this better than moms. Moms don't just gauge the temperature. Oh no. They set it. If mom is cheerful, the whole house is cheerful. If mom is irritated, everyone treads lightly. If mom is silent—oh, buddy, run, its a 'Category 5 emotional hurricane'. Dads, meanwhile, are often thermometers. They wander into the house, sense tension and say something completely unhelpful like, 'Wow, everyone's in a bad mood, huh?' Boom. Household temperature drops to absolute zero. Kids screaming? Dad gets overwhelmed and yells for everyone to 'calm down.' Mom looking irritated? He tiptoes out of the room to 'check something in the study.' Teenagers? They are the ultimate thermometers. Their moods swing wildly, dictated by a single text message, a cricket practice cancelled, the Indian team losing a match, a teacher saying 'test tomorrow'. Wi-Fi down? The household enters a nuclear winter. Mom, the thermostat, refuses to let the household crumble under teenage climate instability. The moment a teen stomps in, mom adjusts the setting. Increases the 'warmth' by offering a snack and asking about their day. Teen doubles down by rolling their eyes and retreating into their den. Mom retaliates with, 'Since you have the energy to be disrespectful let's clean your room and do your laundry.' And just like that, the temperature is reset. At work, thermostats are the bosses who walk into a chaotic meeting, clap their hands, and say, 'Relax. We've got this.'—and suddenly, people believe them. Thermometers, on the other hand, are the employees who see one person panicking and immediately declare, 'This company is going under.' Not everyone is born with the knack for setting the mood—it's a skill honed over time. Mastering the art of being a thermostat isn't about grand gestures; it's found in the everyday subtleties—a raised eyebrow, a warm smile, an offered snack, or a simple acknowledgment that gently resets the room's energy. Just when mom thinks she's the ultimate thermostat, she visits grandma. Grandma doesn't just set the temperature. She is the sun. Mom walks in expecting to be in charge. But grandma, sitting there with her Pashmina shawl and Darjeeling tea, squints and says: 'You've lost weight. Are you eating enough- come have this sandwich?' On closer inspection, it gets worse, as she says 'You look tired. Are you sleeping well?' And just like that—mom is instantly demoted to a thermometer. punamsidhu@ (The writer is a Chandigarh-based retired Indian Revenue Service officer)
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Business Standard
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
'Indian chai' served at UN event hosted by India for International Tea Day
The aromas and flavors of popular Indian teas permeated the halls of the United Nations headquarters as India hosted a special event to commemorate International Tea Day to highlight the beverage's contribution in empowering communities and fostering inclusive economic growth. The Permanent Mission of India to the UN hosted the high-level event Wednesday on the theme Tea for Livelihoods, Tea for SDGs' to mark the International Tea Day, a celebration of the world's most consumed drink, after water. The event concluded with a special curated tea tasting experience where guests enjoyed a variety of Indian teas, including the famous Darjeeling tea, Masala chai, Assam and Nilgiri teas. India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish, Director of the FAO UN Liaison Office in New York Angelica Jacome, and representatives of Kenya, Sri Lanka and China, the other major tea producing countries, spoke on the occasion and highlighted the challenges faced by the tea growers, especially the small tea farmers. The story of tea in India is not merely one of trade and taste but also one of transformation. What began in the early 19th century from the misty hills of Assam to the slopes of Darjeeling and Nilgiris, India's tea industry has grown to become a cornerstone of rural employment, women's empowerment and export-led development, Harish said at the houseful event attended by UN envoys, senior UN personnel and community members. The UN General Assembly had in 2019 proclaimed May 21 as International Tea Day following a proposal moved by India at the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) Intergovernmental Group (IGG) on Tea in October 2015. The UNGA resolution recognised the long history and the cultural and economic significance of tea around the world, as well as the significant role it plays in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries. India is one of the largest producers and consumers of tea globally and the sector directly employs over 1.5 million workers, the majority of whom are women. It supports over 10 million livelihoods, including small landholder farmers and those engaged in allied industries. For many of these communities, tea is not merely a crop. It's a way of life, a source of dignity, opportunity and hope, Harish said. He also pointed out the complex challenges faced by the tea industry. Climate change is disrupting growing conditions and then, there are rising input costs, Harish said, adding that market volatility and structural inequities threaten the economic viability of small producers who are responsible for over 60 per cent of global tea production. There's also an urgent need to improve working conditions and secure equitable returns, both for labourers and growers. Addressing these challenges requires not only policy action, but innovation and ability to think out of the box, he said. Harish told the audience that the 1911-founded Tocklai Tea Research Institute in India has introduced the Tocklai good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practices standard in 2022, the first ever sustainability certification crafted and adopted in India to usher in a climate resilient tea industry. It integrates good economic, agricultural practices and manufacturing practices and aligns the process with UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) for transformational change in the Indian tea industry, he said. Harish added that in India, technology from AI-driven climate forecasting to drone-based crop management to blockchain -- is also being harnessed increasingly to modernise the tea sector and the entire value chain. FAO's Jacome noted that despite tea's vital role in socioeconomic development, there are pressing challenges that must be addressed. These include climate change, limited market access and poor access to credit and technology, she said. Smallholder farmers are the backbone of the industry, and they're particularly vulnerable. Urgent actions are needed to strengthen their business models while also taking into account environmental and social factors, she said. Vietnam's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Hoang Giang Dang said that in order to truly harness tea's potential for sustainable development, we must invest in smallholder resilience, promote inclusive business models, create favorable conditions for labour and ensure environmental sustainability across value chains. Vithanage Chatura Jeevake Perera, Charge d'Affaires of Sri Lanka, said it is imperative to acknowledge women's contribution in Sri Lanka's tea industry as it could be identified as one of Sri Lanka's prominent production segments, with a higher percentage of women being employed. It is estimated that in the four major tea producing countries - India, China, Kenya and Sri Lanka - around 9 million tea farmers are smallholders. Kenya's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Erastus Ekitela Lokaale said as climate change increasingly disrupts traditional agricultural systems, the resilience of Kenya's tea sector is also being tested. In response, the Kenyan tea sector is progressively integrating climate-smart farming, enhanced agroforestry and community-based land use models. These innovations are vital to ensuring sustainability whilst safeguarding our natural resources. He added that at the global level, Kenya welcomes ongoing efforts to promote fair trade, equitable pricing and mutual learning among tea producing countries, and this is clearly happening here today, referring to the event hosted by India. Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of China to the UN Liu Liquin said tea can be a bond between different cultures and civilisations. We believe that tea and, together with it, the cultural exchanges, could be very good catalyst for people to people exchanges and the peaceful coexistence among different states. He said China is dedicated to working with other fellow member states to make full use of the tea industry and relevant opportunities to boost this kind of mutual understanding, to strengthen international partnership and accelerate implementation of SDGs. Later in the day, China also hosted an event at the UN HQ to commemorate the day.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alt Carbon scores $12M seed to scale carbon removal in India
From a struggling family tea estate to an innovative climate venture, Alt Carbon has raised $12 million in a seed round as it plans to scale its carbon dioxide removal work in the South Asian nation. The climate-tech startup, which locks away carbon for thousands of years through enhanced rock weathering on farmlands, attracted investment led by Lachy Groom, the co-founder of the robotics AI company Physical Intelligence. The journey began May 2020 with a bittersweet homecoming. Siblings Shrey and Sparsh Agarwal drove 16 hours from the eastern state of Kolkata to Darjeeling — a city known for tea farming in the leafy foothills of the Himalayas — expecting to bid farewell to their family's tea estate, Selim Hill, which was facing bankruptcy. Instead, that farewell visit planted the seeds for Alt Carbon, which they officially launched in late 2023. Initially, they explored carbon markets as a way to revive their family business and support other tea estates in the region by generating supplementary income. But during their exploration, they discovered enhanced rock weathering as an approach that could transform Darjeeling's legacy from being at risk of climate change impact to a frontier of climate action. "Within carbon markets, our realization was that a lot of the projects in India, which are more avoidance-based, are of very low quality, and they produce junk credits," Sparsh said in an exclusive interview. Last year, Alt Carbon started its pilot around the Agarwals' family tea estate on about 500 acres of land, which they later scaled up in North Bengal, expanding their scope from tea farms to those of rice and bamboo. The startup aims to expand to 500,000 hectares of land. By 2030, the startup aims to remove 5 million tons of carbon from the region, Sparsh told TechCrunch. Alt Carbon deploys enhanced rock weathering using waste basalt rock dust from mines and quarries in the volcanic igneous province of Rajmahal Traps, located in Eastern India. The rock dust, a waste product from the construction industry, is spread on farm fields where it reacts naturally with rainwater to remove carbon dioxide and add micronutrients to the soil to improve its fertility and health and enhance crop yields. When rainwater containing carbon dioxide interacts with basalt dust, it forms stable bicarbonate ions. These are stored in the soil and eventually flow through rivers to the ocean, where they settle as calcium carbonate, locking away carbon for over 10,000 years. For transporting the specialized dust from source locations to farm fields, the startup relies on rails and diesel trucks and pays for one-way fares as these sources are part of the tea industry's freight transportation system. The startup also avoids emissions from dedicated rock processing by relying on the waste basalt from existing mining and crushing operations. Instead of using the basalt dust alone, the startup has developed a proprietary combination of basalt with other organic ingredients, which it calls Hari Maati (green soil in Hindi), to convince farmers to spread it on their farmlands. Alt Carbon estimates its carbon credits at $270 per metric ton, which Sparsh said is significantly cheaper than direct air capture credits that, he believes, cost roughly $800 a ton. However, he expects the startup to reduce costs within 36 to 48 months. The startup relies on three layers of measurements to understand how much rock is getting weathered and how much carbon is being removed, Shrey told TechCrunch. It begins with measurements to track weathering progress and then moves to measuring water within the soil, groundwater sampling, and river monitoring. The third layer uses proprietary reactive transport models that help track ions transported from the soil to water bodies. The startup also uses machine learning-driven modeling to get carbon removal numbers. Alt Carbon says its models adhere closely to methodologies set by carbon removal registries, including Isometric and They have also received approvals from intergovernmental organizations, including SBTi, ICVCM, and CORSIA. The startup has its labs in Darjeeling and Bengaluru and employs 8 to 10 PhDs, with an overall headcount of 25 employees. It aims to scale these labs and expand its work by doing more soil sample analysis and even setting up a hardware studio for better, high-quality data collection on the ground, using remote sensing. The startup also plans to deploy sensors on the ground to get more insights at a lower cost and in a faster time. All this will come through that seed round led by Groom. Last year, the startup secured a $500,000 pre-purchase by Frontier, and a $1 billion advanced market commitment led by Stripe, Alphabet, Meta, Shopify, and McKinsey. It also recently signed a strategic partnership with a buyer coalition, NextGen, started by South Pole and Mitsubishi Corporation, to scale its enhanced rock weathering. The group also included BCG Group, Swiss RE, LGT, and UBS among its members. Last month, the startup signed an offtake agreement with Japan's shipping company, MOL Group, to purchase 10,000 tons of carbon removal credits. Alt Carbon will deliver its first carbon credits in less than a month through Isometric, Sparsh said.
