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New Indian Express
11-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Centre approves final survey for new railway line bringing Sikkim closer to national network
NEW DELHI: In a landmark move that brings Sikkim one step closer to realising its long-cherished dream of rail connectivity, the Ministry of Railways has approved the Final Location Survey (FLS) for a new railway line from Melli to Dentam via Jorethang and Legship. The ambitious project, set to be executed by the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR), has been allocated a sanctioned budget of around Rs 2.25 crore. Sharing the update with this the TNIE, ED (I&P) at Railway Ministry, Dileep Kumar on Sunday said, 'This move marks a major step forward in expanding rail connectivity to the southern and western regions of Sikkim'. Highlighting the strategic significance of what would be Sikkim's second railway line, Kumar added that the rail route is designed to bridge a crucial infrastructure gap linking remote areas such as Dentam, located near the Indo-Nepal border at Chiwabhanjyang, with the national railway network. Kumar further said that Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has personally directed the initiation of the survey and expedited the process to bring this long-pending demand closer to reality. The push for this line has been a consistent effort by Sikkim's Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba, and the Modi government's approval of the survey has added a pace forward on this project.
Time of India
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Global agreement reached to eliminate hazardous pesticide chlorpyrifos with exemptions for India and other countries
. NEW DELHI: In a significant decision, countries across the globe on Saturday struck a major deal to eliminate the use of one of the most hazardous pesticides , Chlorpyrifos, with certain exemptions, under the Stockholm Convention at the ongoing meet in Geneva. India, which opposed its complete elimination at this stage, will continue to use it for another five years as per its registered uses for 12 crops, including rice, wheat, gram, sugarcane, beans, cotton, mustard, brinjal, onion, apple, barley, and groundnut, to deal with certain pests and termites. Over 40 countries, including all 27 European Union (EU) nations, the UK, and the US, have already banned the use of Chlorpyrifos on food crops. India, during the negotiation, pitched for exemptions, arguing the need for its use in certain crops in the absence of alternatives. The country, along with other nations, including Russia, Kenya, Zambia, and Costa Rica, also favoured exemptions for ensuring food security . Though India and many countries will continue to use it for select exempted purposes in the cultivation of certain crops while dealing with pests, the decision will ultimately push the users to look for alternatives in the final goal of complete elimination of the use of Chlorpyrifos, a highly toxic organophosphate pesticide with harmful effects on health and the environment. The decision was taken at the ongoing Conference of the Parties (COPs) to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) Convention in Geneva, being held to galvanise global efforts to manage hazardous chemicals and waste in an environmentally sound manner. Experts who have been tracking the development at the Convention welcome the listing of Chlorpyrifos in Annex A (meant for elimination) of the Convention but expressed their concerns at the long list of exemptions. 'The world can no longer turn a blind eye to the overwhelming scientific evidence on Chlorpyrifos. Its global elimination is a critical step toward safeguarding public health, environmental integrity, and the rights of future generations,' said Dileep Kumar of the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) India. "We support a broad spectrum evaluation and speeding up the separation of highly hazardous chemicals for elimination. The survival of life, including biodiversity, is at stake. Also, national govts have to take up their own independent physico-chemical and ecotoxicological evaluation to propose such chemicals for elimination,' said Narasimha Reddy Donthi, a public policy expert. The specific exemptions allowed under the decision include 18 crop-pest complexes (rice, maize, wheat, sugarcane, onion, peanut, barley, cabbage, chickpea, cotton, pineapple, and rapeseed, among others); control of leaf-cutting ants for agricultural use; control of locusts; control of ticks in cattle; and wood preservation against borers and termites in building foundations.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
HT City Delhi Junction: Catch It Live on 3 May 2025
What: The Artistry of Resilience – A Tribute to Workers (Photo Exhibition) Where: Museo Camera, Shri Ganesh Mandir Marg, DLF Phase IV, Sector 28, Gurugram When: May 3 to 18 Timing: 11am to 7pm Entry: Free Nearest Metro Station: Phase 1 (Rapid Metro) What: Festival of Ideas / We are the ocean | Bigger Than Us Where: Alliance Francaise, ML Bhartia Auditorium, 72, KK Birla Lane, Lodi Estate When: May 3 Timing: 6.30pm Entry: Free Nearest Metro Station: Jor Bagh (Yellow Line) A post shared by The Trialogue Company (@thetrialoguecompany) What: Meera – Beyond Devotion Where: LTG Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, Mandi House When: May 3 Timing: 4.30pm Entry: Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House (Blue & Violet Lines) What: IMF Mountain Film Fest | In Search of Kasturi – Musk deer Where: CD Deshmukh Auditorium, India International Centre, Lodhi Road When: May 3 Timing: 6pm Entry: Free Nearest Metro Station: Jor Bagh (Yellow Line) What: Swathi Smriti 2025 | Vidwan VR Dileep Kumar (Carnatic Vocal) Where: Samvet Auditorium, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Janpath (Near Western Court) When: May 3 Timing: 6pm to 8.30pm Entry: Free Nearest Metro Station: Janpath (Violet Line) A post shared by Folkroom Inc. (@ What: Kun Faya Kun – Sufiana Shaam Qawwal Nizami Bandhu ke Naam Where: Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg, Mandi House When: May 3 Timing: 4pm & 7pm Entry: Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House (Blue & Violet Lines) What: Best of Gupta Ji ft Appurv Gupta Where: Comedy County, HA-109, Vishwakarma Road, Hazipur, Sector 104, Noida When: May 3 Timing: 5pm Entry: Nearest Metro Station: NSEZ Noida (Aqua Line) What: Dhoop – Designed by Adhya & Mukesh Where: The Kendra Art Gallery, Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra (SBKK), Copernicus Marg, Mandi House When: May 2 & 3 Timing: 10am to 7.30pm Entry: Free Nearest Metro Station: Mandi House (Blue & Violet Lines)
New Indian Express
01-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Indian Railways launches specially designed Digital Clocks at 1337 stations
NEW DELHI: In a first-of-its-kind move, Indian Railways has unveiled an ambitious plan to install specially designed digital clocks at 1,337 railway stations across the country. These clocks will not only display time with absolute precision but will also reflect the ethos and aesthetic identity of Indian Railways, symbolising innovation and national pride. The initiative aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of enhancing digital infrastructure and is being rolled out under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, which focuses on the redevelopment and modernisation of 1,337 stations nationwide. To bring this unique project to life, the Ministry of Railways has launched a national design competition, inviting entries from professional designers, college students, and schoolchildren. The aim is to select innovative yet practical clock designs that can be standardised across all railway stations while representing the values of Indian Railways. Speaking to this newspaper on Thursday, Dileep Kumar, Executive Director (Information & Publiciand publicityMinistry of Railways, said, 'There areMore37 stations which are developed under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, and initially we will ,install the finally sgn of digital clock at each othat has been selected f these stations and their platforms.'
