The Gurugram traffic police’s road safety campaign “Challan Nahi, Salaam Milega” (No Challan, Only Salute) has been shortlisted for the SKOCH Award, officials said, recognising the initiative’s approach of promoting responsible driving through awareness rather than penalties.
Gurugram traffic police initiative promotes responsible driving through recognition instead of penalties; ceremony on March 28 in Delhi. (HT Archive)
According to an official communication dated March 11, the campaign, also referred to as “Drive Right Shine Bright (Challan Nahi Salam Milega)”, has completed all evaluation stages under the SKOCH governance and public service recognition programme.
The award ceremony will be held during the 106th SKOCH Summit on March 28, 2026, at Silver Oak Hall, India Habitat Centre, in New Delhi, where the Gurugram traffic police team has been invited.
The SKOCH Award follows a multi-stage independent evaluation process that includes review of project documentation, presentations before a panel of experts, and public voting on the SKOCH platform. According to the communication issued by the SKOCH Group, the Gurugram traffic police initiative successfully cleared all stages of the evaluation. The process assesses projects on parameters such as innovation in governance, scalability, impact on public service delivery, and measurable outcomes before final shortlisting for the award.
Dr Rajesh Mohan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic), said the programme aims to create a positive behavioural shift. “The initiative also uses technology such as automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to identify drivers who consistently follow traffic rules. These drivers are then recognised as ‘Traffic Heroes’,” he said.
The campaign encourages compliance with traffic rules by recognising disciplined drivers who follow norms such as wearing helmets and seatbelts, maintaining lane discipline and stopping at signals, traffic officials said.
Since the launch of the campaign, 14 disciplined drivers have been identified and recognised as “Traffic Heroes” for consistently adhering to traffic rules, including maintaining lane discipline, wearing helmets and seatbelts, and stopping at traffic signals, officials said.
The “Challan Nahi, Salaam Milega” campaign was launched on June 10 last year and has since been implemented across major intersections and high-traffic zones in Gurugram. Over the past 10 months, the traffic police have conducted several awareness drives, recognised disciplined drivers, and encouraged citizens to volunteer as “Traffic Mitras” to support road safety initiatives.
The Meghalaya Board of School Education has postponed two of its class 12 exams in the West Garo Hills district, where clashes broke out between tribal and non-tribal groups over the nomination process for local council polls, an official said.
Two class 12 Meghalaya board exams postponed in violence-hit West Garo Hills (Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)
The music and anthropology papers of the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate Examination (HSSLC), scheduled for March 11 and 12, were postponed, he said.
The examinations in the remaining districts of the state will continue as per schedule.
“The HSSLC examinations, scheduled for March 11 (Music) and March 12 (Anthropology), stand cancelled for West Garo Hills only. The same shall be rescheduled for some other dates to be notified later,” Meghalaya Board of School Education’s Director Accreditation and Controller of Examinations TR Laloo said.
Over 29,000 students are appearing for the Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate Examination conducted by the board this year.
The decision to defer the examinations in the district came as curfew was imposed amid a volatile situation in parts of the district, following incidents of violence.
The precautionary measures were taken to ensure the safety of students and examination staff, Laloo said.
Two persons were killed in police firing on Tuesday during clashes between tribal and non-tribal groups over the nomination process for local council polls in the district, prompting the government to impose curfew and call in the Army, another official said.
Veteran actor Zeenat Aman took a walk down memory lane and shared a video from her “personal favourite” song Oh Diwano Dil Samhalo from her 1979 film The Great Gambler. Taking to Instagram, Zeenat posted the clip, which featured her dancing wearing a red outfit.
Zeenat Aman has given several hits such as Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Don, and Yaadon ki Baraat.
Zeenat Aman talks about her song Oh Diwano Dil Samhalo
Zeenat recalled her dancing days and said that the romantic number Do Lafzon Ki Hai Dil Ki Kahani became the most widely loved song among audiences. The song, Oh Diwano Dil Samhalo, was sung by legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle. It captures what Zeenat called “the confidence and sass of a woman who knows her desirability.”
She wrote, “Another hit from The Great Gambler! Do Lafzon Ki was the movie’s most loved song by popular consensus, but this one is my personal favourite. None of that drippy romance stuff here. Just the confidence and sass of a woman who knows her desirability!”
Zeenat opens up about song’s choreography
The actor also reminisced about the styling and choreography of the song sequence, which featured multiple costume changes. One particular outfit, a shimmering gold track-pant set, stood out in her memory.
“The sequence had three outfit changes, of which the shimmering gold track-pant set (not featured in this clip, but you can find it on YouTube) tickled me the most! Not only was the outfit completely over the top, the hair team decided to give me a short pageboy wig to go with, and the dance master decided to add in some high kicks for good measure,” she added.
Zeenat talks about her dancing skills
Zeenat also said that dancing was never her strongest suit in her film career. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she said she never received formal dance training, which sometimes influenced how directors approached choreography for her songs. Ending her post on a playful note, Zeenat invited fans to revisit the clip and guess the voice behind the song.
“As I’ve mentioned before, I wasn’t a very confident dancer as I never had formal training unlike most of the actresses of the time. Still, i could ‘groove’ and many a director realised it’s better to leave me to my own swaying device than frustrate themselves trying to coax complicated choreography out of me! Anyway, enjoy this snippet. P.S: can you guess who sang this number?” concluded her note.
About The Great Gambler
Directed by Shakti Samanta, The Great Gambler starred Amitabh Bachchan in a dual role- as Jai, a skilled gambler working for an underworld don, and Vijay, a CID inspector, whereas Zeenat played the character Shabnam in the film. The film’s music was composed by the late RD Burman.
Zeenat’s latest projects
Zeenat became a household name during the 1970s and 1980s after winning the title of Miss Asia Pacific International pageant in 1970. Zeenat has given several hits, including Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Don, Yaadon ki Baraat, Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Qurbani, Dostana, and Dharam Veer.
Fans will see Zeenat next in Bun Tikki, produced by Manish Malhotra’s production banner Stage5 Productions. Directed by Faraz Arif Ansari, the film also stars Shabana Azmi and Abhay Deol.
A 33-year-old man was arrested Monday for allegedly sexually assaulting his six-year-old neighbour in Noida’s Sector 113 on Saturday, police said.
The suspect was booked under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act at the Sector 113 police station on Sunday night. (Representational image)
Police said victim lives with her parents and 11-year-old sister. The family, originally from Bihar, earns their livelihood as daily wagers.
According to a police officer involved in the investigation, the suspect called the girl while she was playing outside on Saturday afternoon and touched her inappropriately.
“The victim’s elder sister was at home at the time. When her parents returned from work in the evening, they noticed a change in the child’s behaviour. Upon counselling, she disclosed the incident,” the officer said, asking not to be identified.
On Sunday, the parents filed a police complaint. The suspect, also a native of Bihar, was booked under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act at the Sector 113 police station Sunday night. “He was arrested and was produced before the court,” said Vipin Kumar, station house officer, Sector 113 police station. Further investigation is underway.
The minor’s father told HT, “When I returned home from work late Saturday evening, I observed that my daughter was terrified. When I counselled her, she somehow gathered courage and revealed that my next-door neighbour took her inside his home by offering ₹10 and a cold drink. Inside his home, he inappropriately touched my daughter and when she shouted out loud, he left my girl.”
“Subsequently, we approached the suspect’s house, who lives in the adjacent street, along with my daughter. As soon as she spotted him, she got scared and identified him. The suspect, who appeared to be drunk when I approached him, refused to indulge in any discussion,” he said, adding, “I along with my family had moved to Noida around five months back. My daughter has been scared since the incident took place. We don’t know much about the suspect. But we were informed that he was residing in the area before we moved.”
Rapper-turned politician Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen, is set to become Nepal’s next prime minister as the official vote count nears completion. Millions of Nepalese cast ballots Thursday during the first national election since youth-led protests toppled the country’s previous leader last year.
Balendra Shah greets supporters in Damak, Nepal, after his election as Nepal’s next prime minister.
The winner
Balen’s party is heading toward a clear majority of the 275 seats in parliament, results from the Election Commission showed on Sunday.
The 36-year-old former mayor of Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital, handily defeated Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, the 74-year-old former prime minister. Violent Gen-Z protests propelled by frustration over corruption and a lack of jobs prompted Oli to resign from the post in September.
Balen’s centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party has promised to create more than a million jobs over the next five to seven years and to double per capita gross domestic product to $3,000 over the same span.
During a January interview before he launched his campaign, Balen said the old parties had failed to deliver and as prime minister he would focus on good governance and ending corruption.
The backdrop
Nepal’s election took place while the wounds of the protests, which left nearly 80 people dead, were still fresh.
Balen’s emergence has given hope to many in a country that has been stifled by corruption and cronyism. A social-media campaign last year that focused on so-called nepo babies contrasted the lifestyles of elite families with the hardships of ordinary Nepalese.
Many Nepalese say that Balen, a civil engineer, could extend the success he had as mayor of Kathmandu to the rest of the country. In Kathmandu, he helped solve waste-management problems, improve streets for pedestrians and preserve the city’s cultural heritage.
The stakes
Wedged between Asian giants India and China, Nepal’s economy has lagged behind in recent years.
With a per capita GDP of roughly $1,500, the country relies heavily on remittances from overseas workers and tourism, particularly expeditions to Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks. With little manufacturing, Nepali people still live off farming, even as the population has become more educated.
Youth unemployment in Nepal, a country of 30 million, stands at nearly 21%, far higher than other countries in the region. About one million Nepalese left their country last year to work or study abroad.
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has affected Gulf countries that host about two million Nepali migrant workers, could hamper Nepal because of its reliance on remittances. With the conflict potentially disrupting shipping and oil supplies, the new government in Nepal will have to deal with higher energy prices that could accelerate inflation and harm the country’s fragile economy.
Global markets remain focused on crude oil prices even as the infrastructure necessary to keep millions of people alive now sits directly in the line of fire in the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran that has spread to wider West Asia/Middle East over the past week.
Crude oil rates are shooting up. (AFP)
Missiles and drones currently curtail crude production across the Persian Gulf, but analysts warn that water, not just oil, represents the resource most at risk in the arid but energy-rich region.
A week of strikes on vital infrastructure
Within a couple of days of the start of the conflict with Israeli and American airstrikes on Tehran on February 28, the fighting quickly moved towards critical life support systems.
Iranian strikes on Dubai’s Jebel Ali port on March 2 landed about 15 km from one of the largest desalination plants in the world. This facility produces the vast majority of the drinking water for the city’s residents. Iran has since said it does not intend to target any places in the UAE or Oman, Bahrain and other neighbours other than the US military bases.
But the Fujairah F1 power and water complex in the UAE suffered damage as missiles and drones were intercepted, and the falling debris caused damage. Kuwait’s desalination plant also reported impacts, news agency AP said. These incidents appeared to follow attacks on nearby bases or ports.
On Sunday, Bahrain accused Iran of indiscriminately attacking civilian targets, and said one of its desalination plants was damaged.
In an attempt to cool regional tempers, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian offered an apology to neighbouring states for attacks on US bases within their borders. When Donald Trump said the apology meant an admission of defeat, Iran reiterated that it would still attack areas that have US bases.
Accusations and counters: ‘A new precedent’
The targeting of water facilities involves multiple claims and counter-claims, much like the rest of this conflict that’s seen use of unmanned military hardware at times being guided by AI. In this modern context, an age-old practice of cutting supplies has come into play.
Iran claims a US airstrike damaged a desalination plant on Qeshm Island in the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the strike cut the water supply for 30 villages. He warned that the US set “a dangerous new precedent”.
But Ali Al Nuaimi, chairman of the UAE’s National Defence Committee, said his country would not strike civilian targets if it entered the war. “The UAE recognises the Iranian people as victims of their own regime,” he also said.
Analysts say the strategic importance of these water facilities cannot be overstated. Michael Christopher Low, director of the Middle East Centre at the University of Utah, described the Gulf states as “saltwater kingdoms“. “Everyone thinks of Saudi Arabia and their neighbours as petrostates. But I call them saltwater kingdoms. They’re manmade fossil-fueled water superpowers,” Low told the Associated Press.
“It’s both a monumental achievement of the 20th century and a certain kind of vulnerability,” he noted. Dependency on these systems is nearly total for several nations, reports the regional news outlet Iran International. Desalination provides approximately 90% of all drinking water in Kuwait; this figure stands at 86% in Oman and roughly 70% in Saudi Arabia.
Water at the heart of power
Many of the desalination plants are physically integrated with power stations. Attacks on electrical infrastructure can therefore simultaneously halt water production.
David Michel, a senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, described this as an “asymmetrical tactic”.
“Iran may lack the capacity to strike the US or Israel with equal force. Instead, it imposes massive costs on Gulf countries to pressure them into calling for a cessation of hostilities,” he said.
More than 90% of the Gulf’s desalinated water comes from just 56 plants, according to a CIA report of 2010, which said each of these plants is extremely vulnerable to military action or sabotage, reported AP. A leaked 2008 US diplomatic cable highlighted the fragility of the Saudi capital Riyadh in particular; it warned that Riyadh would require evacuation within a single week if the Jubail desalination plant or its associated pipelines suffered serious damage.
That was then, though. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have since invested in pipeline networks and storage reservoirs to cushion short-term disruptions. Smaller states like Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait possess far fewer backup supplies, AP reported on Sunday.
How water plants work, why they are vulnerable
Most plants use reverse-osmosis (RO) systems to remove salt from seawater. This involves pushing water through ultra-fine membranes to produce the freshwater necessary for cities, industry, and hotels.
The infrastructure is not foolproof in the first place, as it faces long-term threats beyond military strikes. Climate change increases the likelihood of intense cyclones and storms in the Arabian Sea, which could overwhelm drainage systems and damage water plants on the coast. Furthermore, the desalination process itself is energy-intensive.
It produces significant carbon emissions and releases highly concentrated brine back into the ocean, which harms marine habitats, AP reported citing experts.
Iran remains extra vulnerable as, after five years of extreme drought, water levels in Tehran’s reservoirs have plunged to 10% of their capacity, the news agency said. Unlike its neighbours, Iran still relies heavily on rivers and underground aquifers; it operates only a small number of desalination plants. Efforts to expand this infrastructure are hampered by US-led international sanctions too.
What history, law say
The targeting of water facilities challenges a global convention too. International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, prohibits the targeting of civilian infrastructure indispensable for survival. This includes drinking water facilities.
During the 1990-91 Gulf War, retreating Iraqi forces sabotaged Kuwaiti desalination facilities. They also released millions of barrels of oil into the sea. This massive slick threatened water intakes across the entire region. Kuwait was left largely without fresh water and required years to recover.
