'Namami Gange' team conducts Ganga cleaning drive in Varanasi

Varanasi Municipal Corporation on Sunday set a new Guinness World Record after planting more than 2.5 lakh saplings in less than one hour, a press release said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust, Vishwa Bhushan Mishra, said, "The tradition of Rangbhari Ekadashi is very ancient in Kashi...This tradition is followed in Kashi Vishwanath Dham.

Additionally, the Batuks (young disciples) of the monastery took the Shankaracharya's blessings while raising slogans of "Gau Hamari Mata Hai" (The Cow is our Mother) and "Shankaracharya Ki Jai" (Victory to the Shankaracharya).

"Our counsel informed that the court has stayed our arrest after listening to both sides during the hearing. Our appeal was that the case is fabricated. Surely the judge found substance in our appeal, and so he gave the verdict. That is why we were saying from the beginning to present the truth in the court, and the verdict affirms that the court agrees this case has been false," Swami Avimukteshwaranand said while addressing a press conference.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met Union Jal Shakti Minister CR Patil in New Delhi for a courtesy meeting, where they held detailed discussions on the preparations for the Mahakumbh to be held in Haridwar in 2027 and projects related to the Namami Gange programme.