New Delhi, Dec 3: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the Jammu & Kashmir Government seeking its response on the construction of a new industrial estate at Trenz in Shopian, following allegations that the 500 kanal state-owned land earmarked for the project forms part of the Rambiara river’s flood plain.

The notice was issued by the NGT’s Principal Bench, headed by Justice Prakash Srivastava, with expert members Dr Senthil Veil and Dr Afroz Alam also in attendance. The matter came up for hearing on Tuesday.

Senior Advocate Saurabh Sharma, appearing for petitioner Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat—writer and environmental activist—argued that the 500 kanal (63-acre) site lies barely 30 metres from the Rambiara river and falls “within the natural route of high-flow floodwaters”. He warned that situating an industrial estate at the location could endanger downstream habitations.

“The estate encroaches on one side of the river. This will pose a severe threat to residents on the opposite bank and may lead to flooding of agricultural land and apple orchards across nearly a dozen villages in Shopian and Pulwama,” Sharma submitted.

He also referred to the draft District Disaster Management Plan of Shopian, which identifies one-third of the district as flood/flash flood-prone. Citing the site plan prepared by J&K SIDCO, the counsel said the proposed industrial estate clearly falls inside the flood plain.

After hearing the petitioner’s counsel, the NGT observed that the plea raises substantial questions concerning compliance with environmental norms.

“The original application raises substantial issues relating to compliance with environmental norms. Issue notice to the respondents. The applicant is directed to serve the respondents and file an affidavit of service at least one week before the next hearing,” the bench ordered.

J&K government had approved the establishment of the industrial estate in February 2024 at an estimated cost of Rs 68 crore, on 500 kanal of state land near the Rambiara riverbank.

The case has now been listed for the next hearing on February 24, 2026.

New Delhi, Dec 3: Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha that fake news and AI-generated deepfakes pose a “very serious” challenge to India’s democracy, stressing the need for tougher rules and faster action by social media platforms.

He said misuse of social media had created “ecosystems that do not wish to follow the Constitution or the laws passed by Parliament,” and warned that firm corrective measures were urgently required.

Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the House that new rules mandating takedown of harmful content within 36 hours had already been notified, while a draft rule on identifying and acting against AI-generated deepfakes is under public consultation.

He thanked the Parliamentary Committee led by Nishikant Dubey for its detailed recommendations on strengthening the legal framework.

The Minister said the challenge lies in balancing free speech with the need to protect democratic institutions.

He said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Digital India had transformed access to technology and empowered citizens, benefits that must be preserved while strengthening trust and accountability online.

New Delhi, Dec 03: Gold prices climbed Rs 670 to Rs 1,32,200 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday, as firm global trends and a steep fall in the rupee supported the safe-haven demand, according to the All India Sarafa Association.

On Tuesday, the precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity closed at Rs 1,31,530 per 10 grams.

Traders said the rupee’s slide to an all-time low against the US dollar pushed up bullion prices.

However, silver snapped a six-day winning streak by declining Rs 460 to Rs 1,80,900 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes), as per the association.

“Gold posted modest gains in the domestic markets, supported by a firm global trend and weakness in the Indian currency,” Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst – Commodities at HDFC Securities, said.

On Wednesday, the rupee breached the 90-a-dollar level for the first time to settle at a fresh all-time low of 90.21 (provisional), down 25 paise from its previous close, amid sustained foreign fund outflows and higher crude oil prices.

In the international market, spot gold was trading marginally higher at USD 4,207.67 per ounce, while silver advanced to USD 58.47 per ounce. The white metal during the session went up by nearly 1 per cent to hit a record of USD 58.94 per ounce.

“The sharp decline in the rupee helped cushion domestic gold prices from the earlier correction in international markets.

“As global prices rebounded, the impact of the weaker rupee amplified the gains in the domestic market, resulting in a stronger upside compared to overseas levels,” Gandhi said.

He added that dovish remarks from Federal Reserve officials have strengthened expectations for a 25 basis points rate cut at next week’s FOMC meeting, creating headwinds for the US dollar while providing support for the bullion.

“Investors are awaiting the US ADP private-sector employment report later in the day and the ISM Services PMI, both of which will provide further insight into the economic outlook and potential policy direction and short-term trajectory for bullion prices,” Gandhi noted.

New Delhi, Dec 03: The government on Wednesday said it has withdrawn the mandate requiring mobile manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on all smartphones, citing a sharp rise in voluntary user registrations and growing public trust in the platform.

The Ministry of Communications said the app — designed to protect citizens from cyber fraud and telecom-related crimes — has been gaining strong acceptance, making a compulsory installation rule unnecessary.

“So far, 1.4 crore users have downloaded Sanchar Saathi, helping report nearly 2,000 fraud incidents every day,” the ministry said.

“In the last 24 hours alone, six lakh citizens registered to download the app, marking a tenfold jump in its uptake,” it added.

The government said the mandate was originally intended to ensure that less-aware citizens also had access to cybersecurity tools.

But with the recent spike in voluntary adoption, the rule has now been rolled back.

“Given Sanchar Saathi’s increasing acceptance, the Government has decided not to make the pre-installation mandatory for mobile manufacturers,” the Centre said.

The ministry emphasised that the app is secure, carries no surveillance feature and serves only one purpose — protecting users from fraudsters and helping them report cyber wrongdoing.

It added that people are free to delete the app whenever they want, and that it supports “jan bhagidari” by enabling citizens to participate in fighting cybercrime.

The announcement came hours after Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia strongly refuted snooping allegations in Parliament.

Addressing the Lok Sabha during Question Hour, he said the app cannot monitor users and remains inactive unless someone chooses to register.

“Snooping is neither possible nor will it happen with the Sanchar Saathi safety app,” Scindia said, adding in Hindi, “Sanchar Saathi app se na snooping sambhav hai, na snooping hoga.”

He underlined that the app is meant only to help people protect themselves from digital threats such as fake mobile connections, fraud calls and lost or stolen phones.