News on Agra & Current Affairs

Vijay Upadhyay | Agra Over the past five years, Keetham forest, located at the outskirts of Agra, has begun attracting international attention for being the biggest secure home for Indian sloth bears, who have been rescued by the wildlife authorities from the captivity of bear-dancing tribes.  But as the number of rescued bears is growing, the risk of these precious endangered animals falling in the hands of poachers is also rising at a dangerous pace. The bear sanctuary at Keetham, which also holds the distinction of being the world's biggest sloth bear sanctuary, is becoming crowded with sloth bears, who, being territorial in nature, could slip out of the sanctuary limits and come under the danger of falling in the hands of poachers.  Although a UK-based NGO, currently running the bear sanctuary, is doing its best to protect these animals, wildlife authorities of Uttar Pradesh have come up with an innovative idea of containing the bears and other wild animals inside the forest by...

Vishal Sharma / Agra December 29, 2008, 0:00 IST Govardhan Udyog plans to use cowdung to produce particle board. Faced with the task of developing environment-friendly technology for industry due to guidelines issued by the Supreme Court, entrepreneurs in Agra are realising the cost-effective potential of such technologies and innovations. Govardhan Udyog is one such unit which plans to use a non-conventional raw material, cowdung, to produce particle board and pharmaceutical products. The unit was inaugurated this week on the Agra-Delhi national highway near the Mathura refinery, about 55 km from Agra. Company sources said the basic raw material used in the manufacture of particle board will be cow dung. This will perhaps make it the first particle board manufacturing facility using cowdung as the raw material. Govardhan Udyog Managing Director SK Mittal said particle boards were emerging as a viable alternative in designing office furniture and automation products in the country as c...

  Vijay Upadhyay | Agra The residents of Kamlanagar and nearby posh colonies of Agra are undergoing a weird experience these days. No matter how much they offer, housewives living in these colonies are unable to find a kaamwali bai (domestic help), thanks to a social reform movement initiated by Dalit leaders prohibiting women in their community from working as domestic helps in residential colonies. According to Dalit leader Kartar Singh Bhartiya, it was often found that young girls and women, who went out to work as domestic helps in colonies, faced social and sexual harassment. While these women staked their honour to bring food for their kids, male members in their families whiled away their time with most of them becoming alcoholics. Most of the time, they beat up their women leading to serious domestic and social problems.   As a way out, the Jatav community leaders of Nagla Thipuri area of the town have asked Dalit families not to send their women to work ...