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India Leads the City Nature Challenge with 206 Cities Participating

New Delhi: India has emerged as the largest participant in the 9th annual City Nature Challenge (CNC), with 206 Indian cities among the 675 global participants. This collaborative citizen science event, running from April 26 to 29, is organized in India by WWF-India to encourage people to document and share images of wild plants, animals, and fungi using the iNaturalist app.

WWF-India is spearheading this initiative across several states, including Assam, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and New Delhi. Neha Raghav, Director of Environment Education at WWF-India, highlighted CNC's importance, saying, "CNC is a great opportunity to engage people of all ages in citizen science."

In Assam, the event kicked off on Earth Day with youth from various colleges and universities conducting BioBlitzes. Participating institutions include Gauhati University and Cotton University. Archita Baruah Bhattacharyya, State Coordinator for WWF-India in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, noted that CNC 2024 has expanded to include the entire North East, with two main cities—Guwahati and Digboi—leading the effort.

Globally, the CNC has seen rapid growth, with the number of participating cities increasing from 450 in 2023 to over 675 in 2024. Last year, CNC saw over 66,000 participants and nearly 1.87 million observations, with Hyderabad emerging as the top Indian city.

To participate in CNC, individuals can find wildlife, take pictures or sound recordings, and upload them to iNaturalist. This collaborative effort not only contributes to scientific research but also raises awareness about biodiversity conservation. For more information on participating cities and how to join, visit CNC India Website.

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LAKHINANDAN DUTTA's picture

Cnc is helping to save wildlife in city areas
LAKHINANDAN DUTTA's picture

Cnc helping to save wildlife in city areas.

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Gauhati High Court on Friday granted bail to Sanghamitra Bharali who was arrested six months ago on corruption charges.Police arrested Bharli charging her with amassing wealth disproportionate to her known source of income.   
Guwahati police seized a huge amount of rupees to the tune of Rs 70 lakh from a vehicle on Friday. The amount in cash was seized from a Bolero during a routine check at Azara in the outskirt of the city in the afternoon. Three persons inside the vehicle were arrested.
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In yet another major setback for Congress, Tinsukia police on Monday grilled a ruling party MLA in connection with the killing of Gangaram Koul that rocked the state last month. Congress MLA Raju Sahu arrived in the Panitola police station around 10 in the morning where he was grilled for three hours by the police in this connection.Various parties and organizations named him in the sensational murder of local CPI(ML) leader forcing the government to order CBI probe into it.     Raju Sahu's 2011 candidate profile and declared assets, etc.Raju Sahu's 2011 election expenses here.
Two hardcore ULFA militants were killed at an encounter with security forces hours after the outfit observed its foundation day.The fierce gun battle took place at an open paddy field  in Bordoloni area in Dibrugarh district in the wee hours. Police and army raided the entire area in search of a group of ULFA militants who were hiding there for the last three days. Two militants were killed on the spot while two others managed to escape from the spot. Security forces seized a sophisticated HK-37 rifle along with 2 powerful grenades and incriminating documents were seized from the spt.
A woman died and another was injured at an incident of dacoity in Guwahati on Monday.The incident took place in the wee hours at Jyotinagar area in the city when a gang of dacoits stormed into the house of Aloka Kalita and tied the hands of the family members. Aloka was killed in the attack as she resisted the dacoits. Then the dacoits looted gold ornaments and money cash. Police arrived in the spot in the morning but the dacoits vanished from the spot.    
CBI will probe the cases of rhino poaching since 2008 at the Kaziranga National Park. The ministry of personnel, public grievances and pension informed the government on Saturday that the CBI will investigate rhino-poaching cases of the Kaziranga National Park. The CBI take up all cases three to five years old. In 2012, poachers killed 39 rhinos and removed their horns, and in 2013, the casualty figure is 16 so far. The KNP has the world's highest population of one-horned rhinoceros.
National Tiger Conservation Authority is organising a training programme at KNP on April 20 on the subject of investigation and forensic in wildlife offences. The government asked for such a session as knowledge of legal matters on wildlife offences is less among officials. CBI Mumbai Joint Director Keshav Kumar will chair the training.
The government seems to have gone tough with the syndicate which has been responsible for steep rise in the price of some commodities across the state.Guwahati police on Saturday arrested a person charging him with extorting money from the vegetable vendors. He was picked up from Machkhowa area. Police crackdown began from Tuesday where three persons were sent to jail for holding syndicates of fish and eggs. AICC general secretary also gave hint of stern action against the illegal toll gates.
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