The Ministry of Home Affairs office at North Block in New Delhi. File
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday (May 23, 2025) sanctioned a policy to grant the next senior honorary rank to retiring Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel, in the absence of real promotion opportunities. 

The insignia would entail no additional pensionary benefits, the MHA said in an order.

The honorary senior rank would be accorded to constables, head constables, assistant sub-inspectors and sub-inspectors on the day of their retirement. 

“To boost the morale, pride and confidence of the CAPF personnel who have had a long tenure, it has been decided to accord the next senior honorary rank to officials on the day of the retirement. This will entail no additional financial or pensionary benefits,” the order issued with the concurrence of Home Minister Amit Shah said.

To get the honorary rank, the personnel should have had a clean service record and should have received no punishment in the past five years, the MHA said. It added that Vigilance clearance was mandatory to get the rank.

Former Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director-General Anish Dayal Singh, on the day of his retirement on December 31, 2024, said the personnel who benefit from the Modified Assured Career Progression (MACP) but have not been granted promotion in rank due to organisational constraints, may use the insignia of the next senior rank on their uniforms before they retire. 

All CAPF personnel are entitled to at least three promotions during their service. In absence of real promotion, MACP ensures financial benefits of the next senior rank on completion of 10, 20 and 30 years of service.

Women in Lucknow use scarves as a shield themselves from the sun. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

A survey conducted across Indian cities found that 71% of Indians have experienced severe heatwaves. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and CVoter (an international survey company headquartered in New Delhi) surveyed 10,751 people above the age of 18 from December 5, 2024, to February 18, 2025. The survey revealed that Indians have recently experienced extreme heat waves, floods, water shortages and irregular monsoon patterns. These events not only harm lives and livelihoods but also shape how people perceive both climate change and extreme weather, the report said.   

The survey was conducted by a team of researchers: Marija Verner, Jennifer Marlon, Jagadish Thaker, Jennifer Carman, Seth Rosenthal, Yashwant Deshmukh, Gaura Shukla, Emily Richards, Emily Goddard and Anthony Leiserowitz.   

Most respondents in the field survey said they had personally experienced at least one extreme weather event or related impact in the past 12 months. Marija Verner said, “While Majorities of Indians said they had experienced severe heat waves (71%), 60% said they had suffered agricultural pests and diseases, 59% faced power outages, 53% faced water pollution, 52% faced droughts and water shortages, and 52% faced severe air pollution.” 

The survey said that large majorities of Indians are worried about extreme weather or related impacts harming their local area. The paper said, “More than half of Indians say they are “very worried” about extinctions of plant and animal species (61%), severe heat waves (56%), agricultural pests and diseases (62%), droughts and water shortages (58%), water pollution (55%), severe air pollution (54%), and famines and food shortages (51%).” 

Jagadish Thaker said that during the survey, they found that the majority of people think global warming is affecting extreme weather and related impacts in India. “64% Indians said global warming is affecting extinctions of plant and animal species, causing severe heat waves (62%), droughts and water shortages (60%), 59% feel its leading to severe air pollution, water pollution (57%), severe cyclones (54%), famines and food shortages (53%), severe floods (53%), monsoons (52%), and severe storms (50%) are happening a lot.” 

Additionally, 43% of Indians think global warming affects electricity power outages a lot. 

Extreme weather events and related impacts are common and deeply worrisome for many people in India, Emily Richards said. “Climate and weather-related risks are not abstract concerns for many Indians but are part of people’s day-to-day lives. Moreover, worry about local impacts is widespread and reflects people’s experiences with these events. After hearing a definition of global warming, most respondents said it affects these events, especially plant and animal extinctions, heat waves, and agricultural disruptions.” 

However, 32% of people in India have never heard of global warming, the report said. Jennifer Marlon emphasised, these findings highlight the critical need to raise public awareness about climate change and local climate impacts and reinforce the urgency of both reducing carbon pollution and preparing for future extreme events.  

A female wild elephant that was found in ailing condition in a reserve forest area near Coimbatore on Thursday died without responding to treatment on Friday.

Frontline staff of the Forest Department found the cow elephant aged 40 to 42 lying on the ground, while patrolling Boluvampatti block-I reserve forest of Karadimadai forest beat in Madukkarai range around 4 p.m. on Thursday. The animal was unable to move on its own.

Forest Veterinary Officer A. Sukumar rushed to the spot and started efforts to revive the elephant. Essential medicines and glucose were administered to the animal. The treatment could not be continued beyond dusk due to the presence of other elephants in the forests.

An official said that the treatment continued early on Friday and 15 bottles of glucose were administered to the elephant. However, the animal’s condition deteriorated and it died around 12 noon. The official added that the elephant did not feed on fruits given by the staff. It did not have external injuries.

Dr. Sukumar performed the post-mortem examination on the carcass in the presence of Department staff and members from non-governmental organisations.

The veterinarian opined that the death could be due to chronic illness and infection of the uterus leading to severe malnutrition, loss of muscle mass and fat and multi-organ failure. The carcass was left in the wild for scavengers.