Home Minister Amit Shah honours Olympic champion Mirabai Chanu
New Delhi, (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday felicitated Olympic champion Mirabai Chanu here for bringing laurels to the country in weightlifting.
The 27-year-old sportsperson, appointed as additional superintendent of police in her home state Manipur after the recent win, was honoured during the 51st raising day celebrations of the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), a central government think tank.
Shah presented the athlete with a shawl and memento.
He said Chanu brought honour for the country by winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympic games and is now a proud member of the police force.
I thank her for her hardwork and dedication, the home minister added.
"This is a small gesture by BPR&D to welcome her (Saikhom Mirabai Chanu) to the fraternity on behalf of the Indian police," an official statement said on Friday.
Chanu had clinched a silver medal in the 49kg category weightlifting that opened India's account at the recently-concluded Tokyo Olympics. India won a total of seven medals at these games.
The home minister also gave away trophies and medals for excellence in training to winner states/UTs and central police organisations and forces, and seven authors who wrote on policing subjects in Hindi.
The BPR&D, an organisation under the Ministry of Home Affairs, was founded in August, 1970.
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Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
