News Broadcasting
iTV Network launches ‘Aakhri Boond’, mega water conservation campaign
MUMBAI: While the entire urban India is in the grip of water scarcity; several cities in the country have been grappling to the extent of living the “Day Zero”, when all taps in the city go dry for a day. According to government reports, 12 per cent of India’s population is already living the 'Day Zero' scenario and by the year 2020, major cities like Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and others will reach zero ground water levels and denying over 100 million people access to drinking water as a consequence.
The enormity of the water scarcity can be gauged by the fact that the Union government recently formed a new Jal Shakti (water) ministry, which aims at tackling water issues with a holistic and integrated perspective on the subject. The ministry has announced an ambitious plan to provide piped water connections to every household in India by 2024.
Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has also raised the concern over water crisis in India, iTV Network, India’s fastest growing news and infotainment network launches ‘Aakhri Boond’ ‘every drop counts’(http://www.aakhriboond.com/), an initiative to reach out to the last foothold of the country through all the platforms to sensitize and educate citizens about water conservation.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, during his radio speech on ‘Mann Ki Baat’ has given a clarion call to the citizens of the country to join hands to save water this monsoon. In this endeavor, Shri Narendra Modi is also seeking contribution from media too, being a responsible news network, iTV Network launched ‘Aakhri Boond’ – the first of its kind and the biggest water conservation initiative in the country.
Speaking about the campaign, Mr Kartikeya Sharma, Founder & Promoter, iTV Network says, “Water conservation is the need of the hour, with the current situation, every drop needs to be treated as last, it becomes imperative for every one of us to take it with utmost seriousness. Aakhri Boond is a mission to educate people about water crisis conservation solutions and we are dedicated to fulfill it.” Further, he added about the campaign and says “The campaign would expand rapidly and will open up a whole new range of opportunities such as water conservation and recycling.”
For the campaign, Mrs Aishwarya Sharma, Chairperson, iTV Foundation, says “I pledge to provide all my support for Aakhri Boond campaign, which targets water conservation and recycling of water as Aakhri Boond aims to be the hope for the coming generation.”
In a report on the Composite Water Management Index (CWMI) released by the Niti Aayog in 2018, by 2030, the country's water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual six per cent loss in the country's GDP. Also, as per a UN report, about 377 million Indians lived in urban areas in 2015 and by the year 2030, the urban population is expected to rise to 590 million. The rise in population coupled with unabated groundwater pumping rapid industrialisation, almost 54 per cent of India faced high to extremely high water crisis. According to government report, 70 percent of water in India is contaminated and every year at least 2 lakh people die due to water-related diseases.
During the 360-degree pan-India campaign of Aakhri Boond, iTV Network will sensitize and educate people across pan-India about conservation of water reservoirs, present situation of depleting state of water and adopting steps to save water. iTV network, will be doing a series of activities and programmes on water conservation on multiple platforms including print, electronic and digital media with its millions of viewers. The specialised content will be focused on the seriousness of the water crisis, methods of water conservation, rivers of India and the role models and success stories to establish that it is possible to bring change if all decisively act.
The campaign will focus upon creating awareness to showcase the ground reality and further focus upon sensitizing towards providing solutions and the partnerships between stakeholders to mitigate the situations. iTV Network will also reach out to the masses at a national level and create a community which is aware and is acting towards improvement of the situation.
News Broadcasting
Rising Bharat Summit 2026 spotlights India’s global ascent
PM Modi keynotes two-day event with ministers, diplomats and icons in New Delhi.
MUMBAI: India didn’t just host a summit, it threw a coming-out party for a nation ready to own the global stage. The News18 Rising Bharat Summit 2026, held on 27–28 February in New Delhi, emerged as a high-octane platform for ideas, vision and strategic dialogue, uniting national leadership, global policymakers, industry titans, defence strategists and cultural icons under the theme “Strength Within”.
Prime minister Narendra Modi set the tone with a keynote that framed India’s resurgence as a reclaiming of lost potential built over generations. “In previous industrial revolutions, India and the Global South were merely followers,” he said. “But in the era of Artificial Intelligence, India is a partner in decisions and shaping them.” He highlighted the country’s thriving AI startup ecosystem and the recent AI Impact Summit attended by over 100 nations.
Union minister Piyush Goyal (Commerce & Industry) stressed India’s readiness to scale exports and deepen manufacturing, while Ashwini Vaishnaw (Railways, I&B, Electronics & IT) positioned technology and infrastructure as twin engines of growth, especially in AI and digital trust. Jyotiraditya Scindia (Communications & North East Development) revealed India’s ambition to lead in 6G through the Bharat 6G Alliance and partnerships with over 30 countries.
Global voices added depth: former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo called India’s development “self-sustaining” and strategically vital; ex-UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter asserted India deserves a seat at the great powers’ table; and former US Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez joined ambassadors from Norway, Germany and Sweden in discussions on geopolitical realignment, sustainability and defence preparedness.
Other speakers included veteran investor Ramesh Damani, World Gold Council CEO David Tait, Vianai Systems founder Dr Vishal Sikka, DeepTech Bharat Foundation co-founder Shashi Shekhar Vempati, defence experts Rajesh Kumar Singh, Sunil Ambekar, Patrick McGee, Tom Cooper and Adrian Fontanellaz, plus cultural and sporting icons Kangana Ranaut, Saina Nehwal, PR Sreejesh, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mithali Raj, Anil Kapoor and Yami Gautam.
The summit was supported by Jio Financial Services (Presenting Partner), Phonepe and DS Group (Co-Presenting Partners), Pernod Ricard India and Kia Seltos (Powered By & Driven By), state governments of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand (State Partners), and associate partners including NSE, M3M Foundation and Reliance Industries.
Broadcast live across News18 Network, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, the event reinforced India’s image as a confident democracy and emerging global power proving that when strength comes from within, the world can’t help but watch.
