Bhatkal students explore career paths at INF Launchpad 2025
Bhatkal: Around 270 Class 10 students from five schools in Bhatkal participated in INF Launchpad 2025, a one-day career and leadership camp organised by the Indian Nawayath Forum (INF) on Thursday at Ameena Palace. The event aimed to guide students on career choices, scholarships, competitive exams, and essential life skills.
Through interactive sessions, multimedia presentations, and quizzes, the camp offered a lively and engaging learning experience. Every participant received a certificate of participation, adding to the sense of accomplishment among students.
The programme concluded with a valedictory ceremony at 4:45 p.m. Chief guest Mohammed Rafi Pasha, Deputy Commissioner of GST, Bengaluru, and author of several books on competitive examinations, praised INF for its commitment to nurturing young minds and assured continued support for similar student development initiatives.
Ameen-e-Mudassar, CEO of CIGMA and a leading career counsellor in Karnataka, commended the organisers for their meticulous planning and noted that the three months of preparation behind the camp reflected in its smooth execution.
Presiding over the event, INF President Aftab Husain Kola expressed concern over the low participation of Muslims in higher education, pointing out that they constitute only 6% of total enrolments and less than 3% among successful Civil Services candidates in 2024. “These numbers underline the urgent need for focused educational efforts,” he said.
Key sessions were led by Ameen-e-Mudassar, Suhail Babu, experiential educator and leadership facilitator from Tirur, Kerala, and Shamsuddin Usman Shaik, Taluk Minority Extension Officer, Bhatkal. All speakers appreciated INF’s initiative for blending learning with motivation.
The event began with a qiraat by Hafiz Mohammed Abyaan Akrami, followed by a welcome address by Mohammed Adil Nagarmath, INF General Secretary. Saalim Kola coordinated the event, with Tanveer Motiya serving as co-coordinator. A vote of thanks was proposed by Saalim Kola, marking the end of an inspiring day for Bhatkal’s young learners.
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Illegal sand mining has created environmental crisis in National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary: SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday said rampant illegal riverbed sand mining has created an "environmental crisis" and wreaked "havoc" in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary, causing a grave risk to the gharial (long-snouted crocodile) preservation project.
Slamming the states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh for their utter failure in dealing with the issue, the apex court directed them to install high-resolution Wi-Fi-enabled CCTV cameras along all routes frequently used for illegal sand mining in the area.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta directed that live feed of such surveillance cameras shall be placed under the direct control, supervision and operational oversight of the superintendent of police or the senior superintendent of police of the concerned district and the divisional forest officer.
It said these officers shall ensure continuous and effective monitoring of the CCTV feeds by designating appropriate officers.
"It can't be gainsaid that the issues involved are of great concern in as much as the rampant illegal mining activities in the river bed have created an environmental crisis and havoc in the National Chambal Gharial Sanctuary causing a grave risk to the very project of gharial preservation of which the state governments themselves were proponents and were under an obligation to foster and promote," Justice Mehta said while pronouncing the order.
The bench directed the authorities in these three states to initiate prompt and necessary action under law if any instance of illegal mining or allied activities comes to light.
It said the authorities shall ensure seizure of vehicles or machinery found involved in illegal sand mining and also initiate prosecution of persons involved in it.
The bench, which passed several other directions, posted the matter for hearing on May 11.
The top court passed the order in a suo motu case titled 'In Re: Illegal sand mining in the National Chambal Sanctuary and threat to endangered aquatic wildlife'.
The National Chambal Sanctuary, also called the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400-sq km tri-state protected area.
Besides the endangered gharial, it is home to the red-crowned roof turtle and the endangered Ganges river Dolphin.
Located on the Chambal river near the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the sanctuary was first declared a protected area in Madhya Pradesh in 1978 and now constitutes a long and narrow eco-reserve co-administered by the three states.
On March 13, the top court took suo motu cognisance of news reports about rampant illegal sand mining on the banks of the Chambal river.
