Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan

Civil servants must be fearless, apolitical: Somanathan quotes Sardar Patel

April 21, 2026 by WEB DESK TEAM

In 2024, California removed an 18-foot dam from Neefus Gulch and restored 1,600 feet of stream; by January 2026, 8 spawning nests were recorded above barriers salmon had been unable to pass for 70+ years
An Ohio farmer watched gullies repeatedly cut through his family’s 700-acre farm and decided to change how he worked the land; decades later, the family operation has grown to 8,000 acres while becoming a conservation showcase
In 2017, Dubuque turned recycled plastic equal to about 67,000 water bottles into 14 floating islands; the 2,674-sq-ft system now adds plant, fish and bird habitat to Bee Branch Creek
A California retiree began picking up litter alone on daily walks in 2020; six years later, her volunteer group has removed about 750,000 pounds of trash and now organises valley-wide cleanups
An 82-year-old California tea importer spent 53 years on a 2-acre compound with 36+ structures; after decades of permit disputes and a 2024 National Register listing, a court ordered him to leave