Author: Indmedia

Pune: The city is gearing up for Big Butterfly Month this Sept, with nature groups, citizen scientists, photographers and butterfly enthusiasts preparing to document its rich winged diversity.The month-long initiative will feature guided butterfly walks, species surveys, photography sessions and awareness activities across the city’s hills, gardens, campuses and surrounding habitats, turning everyday green spaces into hotspots for observation and recording.“Butterfly numbers might increase if we have longer spells of sunlight in Sept. In 2024, there were 4,200 butterfly observations and 140 species reported during Sept. In 2025, there was a slight dip, with 3,500 observations and 137 species recorded…

Porvorim: Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Monday informed legislators that the state cabinet has decided to regularise the employment of all contractual employees in the education sector who have completed 10 years of service, including Samagra Shiksha teachers.Sawant told the legislative assembly that even those teachers working under centrally sponsored schemes will be considered for regularisation, with offer letters expected to be issued by Oct.“We will give them offer letters in Oct and make them permanent. In the same way, the school counsellors will also be regularised for those who have completed 10 years. Those who have worked for five…

Bathinda: Punjab assembly speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has conceded that while the Aam Aadmi Party govt fulfilled all the guarantees extended to the people, it could not deliver on its promise of eliminating the drug menace.“Saaria guarantteea pooria ho geiya pat main matava, bhaina vich khade ho ke kahna hai ke chitte wali guarantee sadde to poori ni hoyi. Nahi hoya khatam, ik gal jaroor hai ke hun na koi saada mc, mla, mantri, speaker ya mukh mantri chitte wale di madad ni karda (All the guarantees have been fulfilled, but standing in front of mothers and sisters, I wish…

Lucknow: Issuing a stern warning to criminals operating from outside Uttar Pradesh or from abroad, DGP Rajeev Krishna on Monday said such offenders should not assume they can evade the law by masterminding crimes from beyond the state’s borders.“Criminals cannot think that they will commit a crime and then hide. Those involved in planning or facilitating crimes from outside the state would also face action,” he said.DGP said the police were working on information about people who had taken control of Gogi gang’s operations. He also referred to Shahpuria, whose name had emerged in the investigation and who was believed…

Former BJP MLC Devesh Kumar Patna: The state govt on Monday appointed former BJP MLC Devesh Kumar as vice chairman of the Bihar State Planning Board.A notification to this effect was issued on Monday. Devesh recently resigned as an MLC to accommodate Deepak Prakash, son of Rashtriya Lok Morcha president Upendra Kushwaha. Deepak had remained a minister for more than six months without being a member of either House of the legislature.The Supreme Court has issued notices to the state govt following a PIL challenging Deepak’s continuation as a minister. He was later nominated to the legislative council from the…

Ajmer: On the last day for filing nominations for the Ajmer Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections, Congress was criticised for releasing its candidate list late, after many aspirants had already filed nominations. Of 80 wards, Congress announced candidates for only 78 seats, while the BJP had already directed its nominees to file as official party candidates. Many independents also entered the fray.The nomination process saw large crowds with drums, flags and banners as candidates demonstrated support, while senior BJP and Congress leaders were largely absent from the venue. North Ajmer circle officer Shivam Joshi said security and other arrangements were made…

Nagpur: Corporators in Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) have alleged that officials are refusing to process files for minor development works unless they are accompanied by a standing committee letter. The issue has sparked resentment across party lines, with corporators preparing to raise it with municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar.The controversy comes amid mounting criticism of the standing committee over delays in approving works costing up to Rs10 lakh. Corporators questioned the rationale behind preparing larger proposals when most ward-level requirements involve small projects.Standing committee chairperson Shivani Dani Wakhare has maintained that proposals worth up to Rs10 lakh cannot be cleared merely…

Children face a higher risk as they are more likely to come into contact with stagnant water while playing outdoors Ranchi: Heavy rain and widespread waterlogging have triggered a surge in leptospirosis cases in the city, prompting doctors to advise residents, particularly children, to avoid stagnant and potentially contaminated water.Rani Children’s Hospital has recorded more than 100 cases in the past two months, while the paediatric department of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (Rims) has treated 30 children for the infection during the same period.Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that spreads through water or soil contaminated with the urine of…

Gorakhpur: A 15-year-old girl climbed atop a water tank in Mahadev Jharkhandi Colony on Sunday afternoon after allegedly being upset over a scolding from her mother, triggering a nearly three-hour rescue operation by police.The teenager, a resident of Awas Vikas Shivpur, climbed the tank around 1.30 pm and sat on its edge with her legs dangling, drawing the attention of passersby. Fearing that she might take an extreme step, residents alerted the AIIMS police station.Despite repeated pleas from locals and police personnel, the girl refused to come down. As the crowd swelled around the spot, officers continued trying to persuade…

Thiruvananthapuram: Kudumbashree’s women farmers have recorded a turnover of Rs 10.07 crore through the sale of vegetables and flowers produced under its Onam-season agricultural initiatives, providing a major boost to local farming and women-led enterprises across state.The turnover was generated through more than 2,000 Onam markets organised by Kudumbashree across the state from Aug 20 to 25. Thrissur topped the districts with sales worth Rs 2.85 crore, followed by Palakkad with Rs 1.62 crore and Kannur with Rs 85.50 lakh.Under the ‘Onakkani’ agricultural initiative, more than 33,000 women farmer groups brought 1,580.88 metric tonnes of locally produced vegetables to the…