Month: January 2026

Bhubaneswar witnessed a troubling contradiction in 2025 as significant conservation achievements by the Odisha Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department were overshadowed by a series of corruption cases involving forest officials across ranks. From foresters and deputy rangers to divisional forest officers, multiple arrests and vigilance raids exposed what officials described as deep-rooted corruption within a department otherwise credited with notable wildlife protection successes. The most recent case emerged on December 27, when forester Niranjan Satpathy, aged 59, was arrested just five months before his retirement. Satpathy, who began his career in 1988 with a modest salary, was posted in Koraput at the time of his arrest. Vigilance officials alleged that he had amassed ass...

    Large parts of India welcomed the New Year with sharply contrasting weather conditions, as biting cold gripped north India, fresh snow covered the higher reaches of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, and heavy rainfall swept across Mumbai. The first day of 2026 highlighted the intensity and spread of winter systems influencing different regions of the country. In north India, severe cold conditions dominated the morning as Delhi and the surrounding National Capital Region continued to reel under low temperatures and poor air quality. The national capital remained enveloped in dense smog, with air quality staying in the “very poor” category. Delhi had ended 2025 by recording its coldest December day in six years, with the maximum temperature plunging to 14.2 degrees Celsiu...