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Maha Kumbh Mela
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said that under previous governments, land mafias had illegally occupied several sacred sites in Prayagraj, severely undermining their sanctity. He emphasised that during the Maha Kumbh, these sites, including Akshay Vat, Saraswati Koop, Patalpuri, Shringverpur, Dwadash Madhav, and Bhagwan Beni Madhav, were freed from mafia control, allowing devotees to visit them throughout the year. Speaking at the 'Manthan: Kumbh and Beyond' event organised by RSS-linked media 'Panchjanya' and 'Organiser' in Lucknow, CM Adityanath said that the Maha Kumbh showcased India's cultural strength and the true essence of the Sanatan Dharma while also transforming Uttar Pradesh's "negative image". Adityanath said that Prayagraj, the land of the world's first Gurukul, had been overrun by mafias under past governments. He said that Akshay Vat was confined and nearly destroyed during the colonial rule, depriving devotees of its darshan for 500 ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Mauritius President Dharam Gokhool on Tuesday and the two leaders exchanged views on deepening the special and close bilateral ties. Modi, who arrived here Tuesday morning on a two-day State Visit, called on Gokhool at the State House. "Had a great meeting with His Excellency Mr. Dharambeer Gokhool, President of Mauritius. He is well acquainted with India and Indian culture. Expressed gratitude for inviting me to be a part of the National Day celebrations of Mauritius. We discussed how to further boost bilateral ties across diverse sectors," Modi said in a post on X. During the meeting, the two leaders exchanged views on deepening the special and close bilateral ties between India and Mauritius, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. They recalled the shared history between the two countries and the existence of strong people-to-people linkages, it added. Prime Minister Modi noted that it was an honour for him to attend the National
The central government on Monday cited a new report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in Parliament and said the water in the Ganga at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj was fit for bathing during the recently concluded Maha Kumbh. Triveni Sangam is where the Ganga meets the Yamuna and Saraswati rivers. The government also said it had provided a total of Rs 7,421 crore to the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for cleaning the river in 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 (until March 9). In response to a question from Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria and Congress MP K Sudhakaran, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that according to the CPCB report, the median values of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and faecal coliform (FC) at all monitored locations were within the permissible limits for bathing. DO refers to the amount of oxygen in water, BOD measures the oxygen needed to break down organic matter and FC is an indicator of sewage ..
A new report by the Central Pollution Control Board submitted to the National Green Tribunal has said that as per statistical analysis, the water quality during the recently-concluded Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj was fit for bathing. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report said the statistical analysis was necessitated because of "variability of data" in the samples collected from the same locations across different dates and on different locations on the same day, because of which these did not reflect the "overall river water quality throughout the river stretch". The report dated February 28 and uploaded on the tribunal's website on March 7 said the board had conducted water monitoring twice a week from January 12 onwards, including on auspicious bathing days, at five locations on Ganga river and two locations on Yamuna river. "There is a significant variability in the values on various parameters, viz pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and fecal ...
Manoj Kumar, Chairman of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) stated that a national-level exhibition was organised at Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh from January 14 to February 27, 2025.As a result of PM Modi's 'Khadi Revolution,' the exhibition recorded historic sales of Khadi products worth Rs 12.02 crore.He added that the exhibition featured 98 Khadi stalls and 54 village industry stalls, which collectively recorded sales of Rs 9.76 crore in Khadi and Rs 2.26 crore in village industry products.To strengthen the 'New Khadi for New India' movement, Kumar distributed 2,050 bee boxes, honey colonies, and toolkits to 205 beekeepers across six states via a video conference from KVIC's Rajghat office in Delhi.While addressing the distribution program, KVIC Chairman Kumar highlighted that in alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of spreading the 'Sweet Revolution' across villages, the 'Honey Mission' has .
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday supported the remarks of a Sambhal police officer that while Holi comes once a year, Friday prayers take place every week. Adityanath said the official may have spoken as a "pehelwan", but what the Arjun awardee said was correct. The chief minister, speaking at the India Today Conclave here, thanked religious leaders for deciding to hold Friday namaz after 2 pm. He said namaz could be offered after 2 pm, and people who wish to do so before that can pray at home. Whoever wants to go to a mosque should mind the Holi colours, he said. Holi this year will be celebrated on a Friday. Sambhal Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhury had said that Holi is a festival that comes once a year, whereas Friday prayers take place 52 times in a year. If anyone feels uncomfortable with the colours of Holi, they should stay indoors on that day. Sambhal had witnessed communal violence in November last year. The opposition Samajwadi Party has accused t
More than 50,000 people who were separated from their families amid the massive crowd of devotees at the 45-day Maha Kumbh were successfully reunited with their loved ones, the UP government said on Sunday. According to a statement issued by the government, during the Maha Kumbh Mela, more than 66 crore devotees from every corner of the country and abroad took a holy dip in the Ganga and Sangam. During this time, 54,357 people who were separated from their families were reunited. The number of women among those who got separated was higher. This time, the state government had set up digital lost and found centres to quickly reunite the lost people with their families during Mahakumbh. Through these centres, more than 35,000 devotees were reunited with their families during Mahakumbh. During 'Amrit Snaan' -- 598 devotees on Makar Sankranti, 8,725 people during Mauni Amavasya, and 864 people on Basant Panchami were reunited with their families with the help of digital lost and found
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday hit out at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for raising questions over Uddhav Thackeray not attending the recently concluded Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. Talking to reporters, Raut also criticised Shinde's political acumen and said the BJP should train the deputy CM on how to ask questions. Because of Shinde's blunders, the BJP and its leaders are getting "exposed" more than Uddhav Thackeray, the Rajya Sabha member claimed. Shinde's Shiv Sena is a constituent of the BJP-led ruling Mahayuti in the state. The Maha Kumbh was held at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh from January 13 to February 26. On Shinde targeting Sena (UBT) head and former CM Uddhav Thackeray for not attending the Maha Kumbh, Raut said, "Shinde should ask this question first to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. If Bhagwat, as a Hindu, has not visited the Kumbh to take a dip, why target Uddhav Thackeray?" Raut also said he had never seen pictures of RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar,
The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a special Rs 10,000 bonus and the 'Maha Kumbh Seva Medal' for 75,000 police personnel who served during the "historic gathering", Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday. The personnel will also receive a one-week phased leave as a token of appreciation for their efforts in managing the grand religious event, he said. Speaking at a special event at the Ganga Mandapam, CM Adityanath praised the police force's patience and discipline, acknowledging the challenging crowd management during the 45-day pilgrimage. "Our personnel were even pushed by people at times but they displayed remarkable resilience and patience," he said. Describing the Maha Kumbh as the world's largest and most historic gathering, Adityanath credited its success to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary leadership and the collective efforts of the security personnel. He highlighted how the event seamlessly blended faith and economy, drawing 66.3 crore devotees
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday likened the massive Maha Kumbh congregation to the newly awakened consciousness of a nation breathing freely after breaking the shackles of a slavery mindset. "The Maha Kumbh has concluded. The 'mahayagna' of unity has concluded," he wrote in a blog, a day after the mega religious exercise concluded. Modi said more devotees than were ever imagined took the holy dip in Sangam, asserting that India is now forging ahead with new energy and that this points to a change of era which will write a new future for India. The prime minister offered apology to "Mother Ganga, Mother Yamuna, Mother Saraswati" as well as people, who he said are a form of God to him, for any shortcoming in the services rendered. He noted that making such a massive arrangement was not easy. At least 30 devotees had died during a stampede at the Maha Kumbh, which drew devotees in huge numbers from across the country. The Uttar Pradesh government has said that over 65 crore