Dutch firm GX Group announces 500-crore photonics investment in India
Photonics are a key technology used in network equipment, and the base for manufacturing photonic equipment in India is at its nascent stage. GX Group will form a subsidiary in Manesar, Haryana to channel this investment toward its existing facility in Chennai and a manufacturing unit in Rajasthans Bhiwadi.
Rajasthan air quality in 'poor' category after Diwali, AQI hits 318 in Bhiwadi
Following Diwali, a thick smog has enveloped Rajasthan and Delhi, with air pollution levels rising sharply. Rajasthan's overall AQI is 243, with Bhiwadi at 318, while Delhi's AQI stands at 350, with Bawana recording 423. The Commission for Air Quality Management has implemented Stage 2 of the GRAP in the NCR.
Multi-state fake drug racket busted in Uttarakhand, 12 including mastermind arrested
DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) has dismantled a major network involved in the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeit branded medicines, arresting four company owners and plant heads in a significant breakthrough. With these arrests, the STF has now taken the total number of accused to 12, including the alleged mastermind behind the operation. The most recent arrests, a husband-and-wife duo, were made on Friday in Zirakpur, Punjab. STF Senior Superintendent of Police Navneet Singh Bhullar confirmed the arrests, stating, We had been receiving continuous complaints about the exact replication of life-saving medicines and their illicit sale in the market. The use of these fake drugs not only posed severe health risks to the public but also caused substantial revenue losses to the government. He added that Director General of Police Deepam Seth had directed the STF to take stringent action to curb the menace. We immediately instructed our team to work on a high priority to identify this fake medicine syndicate and ensure decisive action, SSP Bhullar said. The investigation gathered pace on June 1, when the STF apprehended Santosh Kumar, who was found with counterfeit wrappers, outer boxes, labels, and QR codes of reputed pharmaceutical companies. A case was registered at Selaqui Police Station in Dehradun, and the probe was later transferred to the STF. Santosh Kumars arrest led to several other key arrests, including Naveen Bansal, Aditya Kala, Devi Dayal Gupta, Pankaj Sharma, and Vijay Kumar Pandey. The inquiry has revealed that Keron Life Science Pvt Ltd, BLBK Pharmaceutical Pvt Ltd, Oxi Pharma Pvt Ltd, and Zentic Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd were manufacturing large quantities of drugs without proper licenses. These medicines were sold to Naveen Bansals fictitious company, Beechem Biotech, located in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. STF also found that to falsely indicate government supply, the MRP 00.00 was marked on the drug bills. Naveen Bansal then re-packaged these unlabelled drugs under branded company names and distributed them in the open market. Further investigation revealed that illegal drug purchases and supplies had taken place multiple times during the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25, showing the large scale of the criminal operation.
