ED conducts raids in several areas of West Bengal over sand smuggling racket
Kolkata (PTI): The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday started simultaneous raids at various places in West Bengal, targeting individuals and businesses found to be allegedly involved in a sand smuggling racket, a senior official said.
ED teams raided offices in Kolkata’s Bentinck Street area, Lalgarh and Gopiballavpur in Jhargram district, while another search operation was conducted at the residence of a businessman in Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman district, he said.
"These raids are part of our investigation into illegal sand mining. The ED operations started from early morning,” the official said.
The ED sleuths are combing through business records, financial documents, and properties linked to the racket, he said.
The residence of a sand trader in Murugashol under the jurisdiction of Asansol South police station, is being searched as part of the probe, the ED official said.
The businessman is accused of operating sand quarries across multiple districts and engaging in financial transactions worth crores of rupees, he said.
"Allegations against him also include financial irregularities in government-owned sand ghats and illegal money laundering," he said.
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India achieves major milestone in wind energy; capacity now 56 gigawatts: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): India has achieved a major milestone in wind energy, with the country's wind energy generation capacity exceeding 56 gigawatts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
In his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi also said the country must save electricity and adopt clean energy.
“India recently achieved a major milestone in wind energy. India's wind energy generation capacity has now exceeded 56 gigawatts. In just the past year, nearly 6 gigawatts of new capacity have been added,” he said.
Underlining that solar and wind energy are essential for India's development, Modi said, “It is not just about the environment; it is about securing our future, and we all have a role to play in it.”
On April 22, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, said that India has recorded its best-ever year in wind energy capacity addition, with a historic 6.1 GW added during 2025-26.
India currently ranks fourth globally in wind energy, with more than 56.1 GW installed capacity and an additional 28 GW under implementation.
Emphasising the vast untapped potential of the sector, Joshi highlighted that India's wind energy potential at 150 metres hub height is estimated at nearly 1,164 GW.
He expressed confidence that with sustained efforts, the country will achieve 100 GW wind capacity by 2030 and 156 GW by 2036, contributing significantly to the net-zero target by 2070.
Joshi also underlined that wind energy plays a critical role in stabilising India's energy system, particularly due to its peak generation during evening and night hours, which aligns with high demand periods.
He noted that nearly 45 per cent of wind power generation occurs during peak demand hours, making it a vital complement to solar energy.
