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The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
VMC Commissioner calls for stricter ban on single-use plastic
Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner Dhyanachandra H.M. on Saturday said that it is a matter of pride that Vijayawada secured fourth place in the 10 lakh+ population category as the Swachh Super League city, out of 4,589 cities that participated in the Swachh Survekshan-2024 survey. Speaking at 'Swachh Andhra – Swarna Andhra' programme in Satyanarayanapuram on Saturday (July 19), he said that the award belongs to people, sanitation workers, officials who contributed to maintain cleanliness in the city. He also called for a ban on single-use plastics of less than 120 microns. 'Starting from government offices, schools, colleges, a mandatory plastic ban should be implemented with the cooperation of the people and business organisations. There should also be awareness among people about ill-effects of plastic,' he said. Explaining the effects of single-use plastic, the Commissioner said that it causes health problems for not only human beings but also for aquatic animals. It takes about 400 years for a plastic cover to decompose. He encouraged people to use jute or cloth bags instead. About 1,170 kg of seized plastic was displayed during the programme. Fines have been introduced for a stricter implementation of the ban, the Commissioner said. Later, the Commissioner handed over cloth bags to those who gave away plastic at a counter specially set up for this programme. Later, school students participated in a rally to plant saplings to reduce pollution and create awareness among the people about the ban on single-use plastic. Meanwhile, at a press conference, Mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi lauded the efforts of people and sanitation workers in getting an award for the city. She said that it was a first time that the city received an award in the category of cities having population of more than 10 lakh. The first three spots went to Indore, Surat and Navi Mumbai, and Vijayawada has secured the fourth, she said, expressing happiness. Ms. Bhagyalakshmi recalled that this is the second time, first being in 2021, that she received an award from the President. The city has also received an award in the 'Garbage Free City' category. Deputy Mayor Bellam Durga, Sailaja Reddy and YSRCP Floor Leader Venkata Satyanarayana were also present at the press meeting.
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Unclean public toilets upset Trichy's gains
Trichy: Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, the national cleanliness ranking done by the Union govt, has placed Trichy in 49th spot among 95 cities participating in the 'big cities' category (population of 3-10 lakh). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now While Trichy retained the state's cleanest city tag in the category by scoring 8,239 marks, the overall state-level rank based on scores has slipped from '1' in the previous survey to '2' now. Coimbatore, which participated in the million plus population category, secured 8,347 marks and climbed to the top spot. Low scores in cleanliness of public toilets and source segregation of waste were blamed for Trichy's slide. Out of a total 12,500 marks, the survey earmarked 10,000 marks for 10 sections and 54 indicators including visible cleanliness, segregation and transportation of waste, access to sanitation, and citizen feedback. While Trichy scored full marks in remediation of dump sites, cleanliness of residential areas, cleanliness of market areas, and cleanliness of water bodies, the city did not score any marks in cleanliness of public toilets and only 14% marks in source segregation. Door-to-door waste collection has earned 70% marks for the city, despite the civic body outsourcing waste management. Despite scoring high marks in categories such as waste processing where several other participant cities scored low, nil mark secured by Trichy in upkeep of public toilets has helped other cities steal a march over it. Thus far, Trichy remained undisputed leader as state's cleanest city irrespective of the category. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Meanwhile, in the certification category for which 2,500 marks were assigned, Trichy secured ODF++ (Open Defecation Free) certification. This means that all community toilets are functioning and well-maintained, and sewage is not dumped in open drains. In Garbage Free City (GFC) category, which assesses cities for construction and demolition (C&D) waste management, no major TN cities including Trichy and Coimbatore scored marks out of 1,300 marks. Trichy corporation officials have expressed shock at the scores awarded in maintenance of public toilets. The city has around 400 public and community toilets maintained by SHGs. They wondered how the city could get zero in cleanliness of public toilets after being certified as ODF++. "We registered our disappointment for the scores in maintenance of public toilets and sought re-evaluation. Perhaps data could have been wrongly uploaded, we are awaiting a positive response," an official source said.
India Today
3 days ago
- Business
- India Today
UP cities shine in Swachh Survekshan rankings; Lucknow ranks third cleanest city
Uttar Pradesh has achieved historic success in the ninth edition of Swachh Survekshan 2024-25, securing top rankings and prestigious awards across multiple awards were presented by President Droupadi Murmu during a grand ceremony at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on Thursday. State Urban Development Minister A K Sharma received the honours on behalf of the made history by becoming the first city in Uttar Pradesh to earn a 7-star Garbage Free City (GFC) rating. It secured the third position in the Clean City Award category for cities with a population of over 10 lakh. For this remarkable achievement, Lucknow was honoured with the Presidential Prayagraj was declared the Cleanest Ganga City, recognised for its dedicated efforts in maintaining cleanliness around the river, especially during large events like the Mahakumbh. Agra, Gorakhpur, and the Mahakumbh 2025 initiative also received the Award of Excellence, reflecting the state's strong focus on urban received double honours, securing third place in the Safai Mitra Surakshit Sheher category and fourth among cities with a population between 3 to 10 lakh. The city also received a 5-star GFC rating, showing its progress in waste management and safety for sanitation six cities in Uttar Pradesh now among the top 20 cleanest large cities in India, all with above 5-star ratings, the state has emerged as a national leader in urban cleanliness was named the Emerging Clean City of Uttar Pradesh, ranking 32nd nationally. The city has achieved a 5-star GFC rating, marking a major step in its journey toward sustainable urban earned the 10th spot among cities with populations between 3 to 10 lakh. In the medium city category, Bijnor and Shamshabad secured 29th and 95th places, respectively. These results highlight the state's effective sanitation strategy across different city Pradesh also won the Swachh Mahakumbh 2025 Award for its innovative sanitation plans for the upcoming Mahakumbh, combining cultural values with modern cleanliness A K Sharma said that this success reflects the Yogi government's strong commitment to creating clean and livable cities. He praised the contributions of citizens, municipal bodies, and local leaders, while highlighting achievements like Lucknow's 7-star rating and Prayagraj's Ganga mission director Anuj Jha noted key improvements, including verified door-to-door waste collection rising from 48% to 62%, and waste processing increasing to over 85%. He said the state's performance now exceeds national standards in almost all Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department credited the success to strict monitoring, training, and local efforts. With strong momentum, Uttar Pradesh is aiming to become the cleanest state in the country.- EndsMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Uttar Pradesh
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Swachh Survekshan: Kanpur ranks 13, gets Water Plus cert
Kanpur: Kanpur, showing a remarkable improvement, earned the 13th rank in the Over 10 Lakhs Population City category in India for its performance in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 survey. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In another achievemnt, the city grabbed the third position among 88 cities under the Ganga Town special category. Acording to the govt release on Thursday, Kanpur has also been awarded the Water Plus certificate in the ODF category and fifth place in Garbage Free City category in the survey. According to the data collected under the Cleanliness Survey-2024-25, the door-to-door collection was 96 per cent, sorting of garbage 79 per cent, 100 per cent marks in garbage generation and its processing and 95 percent points in development of the dumping site. The city also earned 100 per cent points in cleaning of residential, market areas and water corporations and secured 87 per cent marks in cleaning public urinls. Municipal commissioner Sudhir Kumar commented that Kanpur municipal corporation had pledged for continuous development in cleanliness of the city with the target of 'Healthy Kanpur and Clean Kanpur.' All the efforts will be focussed on achieving this target and further improvement in the cleanliness, he added. Mayor Pramila Pandey expressed happiness over the city's ranking and said that more efforts were needed to achieve the top spot in the Swachh Survekshan. The KMC would make serious efforts in this direction, she added. In 3 to 10 lakhs City category Mirabhayadar, Bilaspur and Jamshedput ranked first, second and third place respectively. Uttar Pradesh's cities performed impressively in the overall Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings. Among the Million Plus Cities category, Lucknow Municipal Corporation secured the third place nationally with a score of 12,001. Agra stood at 10th place with 11,532 points, Ghaziabad at 11th slot with 11,514 points and Prayagraj at 12th with a commendable total score of 11,292.
Economic Key
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Key
Garena Free City rolls out mobile pre-registration in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa
Garena has officially kickstarted the pre-registration for Free City, an open-world adventure game, on iOS and Android. Developed and published by Garena, the multiplayer role-playing game invites players to immerse themselves in the dynamic Free City, where they can compete to dominate the districts through strategy-driven street battles and unique character-driven storylines. Following a soft launch in Argentina last December, fans and players in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa can now pre-register for Garena Free City on the App Store, Google Play, and to be among the first to access the game upon release. Early registrants will also receive exclusive in-game rewards, including the sleek Marauder Hyena sports car. Check out the official Garena Free City Trailer here: Link Players begin their story as part of an elite squad, assigned with carrying out high-stakes missions against rivals, collaborating with companions as they traverse the city. Key features of the game include: ● Open-world adventure: Players are welcome to carve out their own paths in the expansive Free City. ○ With the added ability to glide through the city using a drone, players can seamlessly hunt for mystery boxes with talent points that grant skill sets for more fun ways to explore the world. ○ Be it taking on district and stronghold challenges, exploring profession options and street gigs for extra cash, or uncovering the stories behind the city's NPCs, every corner of the city offers something new. ● Ultimate customization: In Garena Free City, players are given full freedom to personalize their experience, from designing character appearances and outfits to customizing their weapon skins. A vast selection of vehicles is also available for players to fine-tune. Players can create up to four unique characters per account, each with the freedom to live out different personas and story arcs in the same world. ● Diverse game modes: Garena Free City is designed to foster social interactions through numerous game modes to accommodate different playing preferences. These include: ○ PvP and PvE: Players can engage in adrenaline-filled battles in the Team/Solo Deathmatch, Arms Race, and Cash Grab Arena, where quick thinking and strategic combat are essential. ○ Casual Games: Players can also dive into fun and light-hearted modes like the obstacle-filled Entertainment Challenge or Bomb Royale, where the last player standing wins. ○ Racing Games: Players can test their driving skills in the classic racing mode, competing on challenging tracks to prove themselves as the ultimate racer. ● Socially engaging gameplay: Through Garena Free City's in-game world channel, players can form alliances with fellow 'citizens' on the same server and complete community challenges together. Players can also join or create their own squads to unlock exclusive missions and build personalized hangout spots within the vibrant virtual community. Garena Free City is set for a global launch later this year, and will be available in multiple languages, including English, Arabic, French, Turkish, Spanish, and, and more. For the latest Garena Free City news, check out our official channels: Facebook – Instagram – YouTube – TikTok . ظهرت المقالة Garena Free City rolls out mobile pre-registration in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa أولاً على المفتاح الاقتصادي.
