“World Record”: INDIAN ELECTIONS 2024: WORLD’S LARGEST ELECTORAL EXERCISE: Poll Body Says Over 64 Crore People Voted In 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: The Election Commission said that over 68,000 monitoring teams and 1.5 crore polling and security personnel were involved in the world’s largest electoral exercise.

India created a world record with 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the Lok Sabha elections this year, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said on Monday.

Addressing a press briefing, he said over 68,000 monitoring teams and 1.5 crore polling and security personnel were involved in the world’s largest electoral exercise.

“India created a world record with 64.2 crore voters, including 31.2 crore women, participating in the Lok Sabha elections this year,” said Mr Kumar.

On social media memes calling election commissioners ‘Laapataa Gentlemen’, Mr Kumar said, “We were always here, never went missing.” “Now memes can say the ‘Laapataa Gentlemen’ are back,” he said.

Mr Kumar said that nearly four lakh vehicles, 135 special trains and 1,692 air sorties were used for conducting the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

“Only 39 repolls took place in the 2024 general elections as against 540 repolls in 2019,” he said.

The CEC further said that Jammu and Kashmir recorded its highest turnout in four decades at 58.58 per cent overall and 51.05 per cent in the Valley.

“Seizures of ₹ 10,000 crore, including cash, freebies, drugs and liquor, were made during the 2024 polls as compared to ₹ 3,500 crore in 2019,” he said

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

source/content: ndtv.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: India’s First Biosphere in a Tiger Reserve

Two environmentalists, Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana created India’s first biosphere in a tiger reserve, called the Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB) within the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand.

Two environmentalists, Jai Dhar Gupta and Vijay Dhasmana created India’s first biosphere in a tiger reserve, called the Rajaji Raghati Biosphere (RRB) within the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand.

About This Biosphere

  • Situated within the Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand, the biosphere overlooks the rocky white Raghati riverbed, nestled in the Shivalik foothills.
  • The biosphere is a 35-acre private forest initiative aimed at identifying and reviving rare and endangered species of native trees while protecting the area from poachers and mining.
    • The land earmarked for RRB was previously barren and in a state of degradation.
  • “Thousands of non-native eucalyptus trees were removed within days of acquiring the land. Subsequently, the land was contoured to retain water, prevent erosion, and promote groundwater recharge.”
  • They are also developing a second biosphere above the Koyna River in the buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve near Pune, Maharashtra, along the Western Ghats.

How did it possible to create biosphere

Jai says “We collected seeds, established a seed bank, and collaborated with biodiversity parks to germinate and cultivate saplings of trees such as haldu, rohini, mala, saal, jamun, pangana, etc, which were then planted across the biosphere,” who has also banned combustion-engine vehicles in the region.

About Rajaji Tiger Reserve

In 1983 the intent notification of Rajaji National Park was issued after merging the three wildlife sanctuaries of Uttarakhand –Rajaji, Motichur and Chilla. It was named after the famous freedom fighter C. Rajgopalachari popularly known as “Rajaji”.

  • Rajaji National Park is spread over an area of 820.42 sq km. Subsequently in 2015, 255.63 sq km area of adjacent reserve forest was added to the area of Rajaji Naitonal Park as buffer zone and whole area of 1075 sq km was declared as Rajaji Tiger Reserve under the provision of Wild Life Protection Act 1972.
  • The tiger reserve provides fresh & clear air and serve as the lungs of the three major ciites of Uttarakhand – Capital city Dehradun, Sacred city Haridwar and Yoga City Rishikesh.

Future Move

Jai and Vijay are also working on a second biosphere atop the Western Ghats. The Koyna River in the buffer zone of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve near Pune, Maharashtra. “It has a very different habitat, different topography, and completely different flora.

source/content: currentaffairs.adda247.com / Adda24/7 (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPORTS / FIRST INDIAN: Find out about Puja ‘The Cyclone’ Tomar , the MMA Fighter who became the ‘First Indian to win a UFC bout’

The 28-year-old MMA fighter has been an advocate for women in sports.

The MMA contest between Puja Tomar of India and Rayanne Amanda dos Santos of Brazil at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Sunday morning was all about jabs, crosses and kicks. Tomar made history, becoming the first Indian to win a UFC match.

Fans tuned in to see Tomar, who has earned herself the title of “Cyclone”, compete in her debut UFC match at 2.30am India time.

While it did seem like the 28-year-old from Budhana, Uttar Pradesh, was being cornered, her adrenaline got the better of her as she went into the last round screaming, “Come on, come on!” and throwing kicks at her opponent. The nerve-wracking three rounds and 15 minutes ended in a split-decision win for Tomar. The scorecard: 30-27, 27-30, 29-28.

My Kolkata lists a few milestones in Cyclone Tomar’s path to the UFC win:

National Wushu Champion

Puja began her combat sports career with wushu, where she excelled and won five national titles. Her success in wushu provided a strong foundation in striking and agility — skills she now uses in her MMA career.

Transition to MM

In 2012, Puja switched to mixed martial arts, debuting with the now-defunct Super Fight League (SFL) in India. She made an impactful start, securing a victory in her first fight, which marked the beginning of her successful career in MMA. She participated in other championships, including Matrix Fight Night and ONE Championship.

Matrix Fight Night Success

After facing four consecutive losses in ONE Championship, Puja joined Matrix Fight Night (MFN) in 2021. She won four bouts in MFN, including a title defence against Russia’s Anastasia Feofanova in July. Her resilience and performance in MFN revitalised her career.

First Indian Woman in UFC

In 2023, Puja became the first Indian woman to land a contract with UFC, the biggest MMA promotion in the world. Her win makes her the first Indian to win a UFC fight, marking a significant achievement for Indian MMA.

Advocate for women in sports

Beyond her achievements in the octagon, Tomar is a vocal advocate for women in sports. She uses her platform to inspire and encourage young girls in India to pursue their dreams in martial arts. She also takes a stand for Indians in martial arts. “I want to show the world that Indian fighters are not losers. We are going all the way up. We are not going to stop. We’ll become UFC Champion soon,” she had said in the Octagon interview.

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)