Tag: Arvind Kejriwal

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Delhi: AQI Severe; Noida Records 529 AQI, Gurugram At 478

By LokMarg

The air quality in Delhi continued to remain in the ‘severe’ category on Saturday, for the third day in a row, even though a slight improvement was noted in the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital, which stood at 431 this morning.

On Friday during the corresponding morning period, the AQI of the capital city was recorded at 472.
Also, areas in the national capital region (NCR) area – Noida and Gurugram at 7 am this morning recorded an AQI of 529 and 478 respectively both in the highly toxic ‘severe’.

Dhirpur in West Delhi recorded an AQI of 534.

On Friday, SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) said that stubble-burning accounted for 34 percent to Delhi’s particulate matter (PM) 2.5 pollution.

Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.

People of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) complained of choking and ‘eye burning’ due to smog and air pollution leaving people gasping for breath.

Earlier on Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann held a press conference and urged the central government to come forward and lead measures to check severe smog in the national capital region.

Kejriwal and Mann said that the AAP governments are in Punjab and Delhi. This is not the time to raise fingers or abuse each other. If they say, Kejriwal is responsible and we say they are responsible, this will not solve the problem of smog in NCR, they added.

“We do not want to play blame game, we are responsible (for smog in NCR)”, they added.

CM Kejriwal announced that primary schools in Delhi would be closed from November 5.

Besides, the outdoor activity of students of the above fifth standard has been banned.

The Delhi government is also mulling implementing the odd-even norms for plying of vehicles in Delhi to contain the pollution caused by vehicular emission, he added.

However, the forecast predicts that the condition of air quality in Delhi and nearby regions will continue to deteriorate further and expects improvement from November 5.

“Air quality is likely to remain within ‘Severe’ today and likely to improve tomorrow to ‘lower end of Severe’ and from 5th onwards air quality is likely to improve further to ‘Very poor’ due to upper-level wind reversal that prevents inflow of stubble-related pollutants. Higher surface wind speed on 5th Nov is likely to disperse pollutants,” said a press release. (ANI)

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Goyal On Uniform Civil Code

Failing On Every Front: Goyal Lashes Out At AAP

By LokMarg

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday lashed out at the Aad Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the national capital, accusing it of ‘failing on every front.

Amid the escalating war of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the AAP over the fast declining air quality in Delhi, the senior BJP leader claimed that the ‘hollow propaganda’ of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his party had been exposed and the people were saddened by the government’s failed promises.
Goyal said the people will give a fitting reply to the AAP government’s failed promises in the upcoming electoral battles. Buoyed by its resounding mandate in Punjab, the Kejriwal-led party will contest the upcoming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat in a bid to extend its national footprint.

Speaking to ANI, the union commerce minister said, “Delhi government is failing on every front. The people will give a befitting reply to this. The people of Delhi are saddened by the hollow propaganda.”

The senior BJP leader claimed that the people in the national capital are determined to bring his party back to power not only at the Centre but also in Delhi in the next Assembly elections. “The people of Delhi have made up their minds to bring the BJP back to power at the Centre and the union territory. We are all set to come back to power,” Goyal said.

The BJP and the AAP are currently embroiled in a blame game on the worsening air quality in Delhi, which the former has blamed on alleged rising incidents of stubble burning in Punjab.

However, the AAP hit back claiming that Punjab was being singled out when other states, including the BJP-ruled Haryana, were also to blame for the prevailing situation. In a joint press conference with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday, Kejriwal said stubble burning was a ‘North Indian problem’ and the central government needs to step in and find a sustainable solution to the problem.

The BJP had earlier accused Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia of corruption in rolling out the new liquor policy. While Sisodia is facing a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI, the new liquor policy has since been rolled back and the old policy restored.

The AAP had, however, denied any foul play and accused the BJP-led Centre of a witchhunt against Sisodia. (ANI)

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AQI Delhi

Delhi Wakes Up To Thick Smog, AQI Dips To Severe

By LokMarg

Delhiites woke up on Thursday to a thick envelope of smog as air quality in the national capital and in adjoining regions, dipped into severe category again.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital at 8 am was at 364 (in the ‘Very Poor’ category) and at 7 am the recorded AQI stood at 408 (‘Severe’). Unfavorable meteorological conditions with slower wind speed and sudden spikes in farm fire incidents are attributed to the dip in air quality.
An AQI between 401 and 500 is categorized as severe.

Noida, which is part of the national capital region, slipped to an AQI of 393, in the ‘very poor category, while Gurugram’s AQI stood at 318 and continued to remain in the ‘very poor category, as per data released by SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) India.

An AQI range between 0 to 100 is considered good, while from 100 to 200 it is termed moderate and from 200 to 300 it is poor. AQI ranging from 300 to 400 is said to be very poor.

North Delhi Air Quality recorded the poorest as almost all the stations in the region displayed AQI above 400.

Most of the stations in the capital have an AQI above 300 with the exceptions of a few like Mandir Marg in central Delhi.

According to data by SAFAR, Dhirpur in Model Town plunged to an AQI of the 457-a level at which even healthy people can fall ill.

The AQI near IGI Airport (T3) also stood in the ‘Very Poor’ category today at 346. On Wednesday, the AQI in the area was recorded at 350.

With air pollution worsening in the national capital, Delhi authorities halted all construction work and demolition activities till further orders.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has urged the Delhi government to shut schools till air quality improves. (ANI)

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Delhi Air Quality

Delhi Govt Shifts Blame On People Over Worsening Air Quality

By LokMarg

“People” of Delhi are responsible for the bad air quality of the national capital, said Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday.

“I appeal to people if possible work from home and avoid taking out private vehicles. 50% of the pollution is from vehicles. People shouldn’t burst crackers,” Rai told reporters here.
The air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the ‘very poor category on Wednesday morning as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city stood at 354.

Noida, which is part of the national capital region, slipped to an AQI of 406 and continued to remain in the ‘severe’ category, while Gurugram’s AQI stood at 346 and continued to stay in the ‘very poor category, as per data released by SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) India.

The deteriorating air quality in the Delhi NCR region remains a problem around this time of the year. It also becomes a contentious issue with various state governments blaming each other for what has now become an annual problem.

The burning of agricultural waste in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, according to analysts, is one of the primary reasons for the rising air pollution in the region.

“Stubble burning in Punjab is happening due to Centre as they didn’t support Punjab govt, farmers to stop it” added Gopal Rai, the Environment Minister in the AAP-led Delhi government.

Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 to 500 or above it is considered as severe.

“I request the UP and Haryana governments to form a regional special task force to reduce air pollution in areas adjoining Delhi like Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Noida. The pollution problem is not the state’s problem. It happens due to the air system that develops” Rai said while urging the governments of BJP-led governments of the states adjoining Delhi.

Meanwhile, last week, Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas intensified efforts to ensure enforcement and compliance with its directions after the air quality of the national capital plunged to the “severe” category on Friday.

Environmentalist Vimlendu Jha told ANI that severe category AQI is very dangerous for health and it affects even healthy people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases.

“In such circumstances, the school should be closed and outdoor movement should be prohibited because severe category AQI impacts all aspects of life,” Jha said.

As per the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the commission has been informing and sensitizing all stakeholders (industrial houses, commercial establishments, construction agencies, State Govt/ GNCTD agencies, ULBs in NCR, and the public at large) about the preventive, mitigative and restrictive actions required to be taken under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

Stage-I and Stage II of the revised GRAP were invoked by the Commission on October 5 and October 19 respectively.

“Besides GRAP and a comprehensive “Policy to curb air pollution in NCR”, various statutory directions, advisories and orders including have been issued by the Commission from time to time for appropriate measures by various agencies concerned,” the Ministry had said in a statement. (ANI)

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Kejriwal To Give Rs 5000 Monthly To Workers Affected Due To Construction Ban

By LokMarg

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has directed the labour minister of the national capital Manish Sisodia to grant monthly financial assistance to each construction worker who has been affected because of paused construction activities.

“Construction activities have been stopped across Delhi in view of pollution. I have directed Labour Minister, Sh Manish Sisodia, to give Rs 5000 pm as financial support to each construction worker during this period, when construction activities are not permitted,” Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Previously, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas on October 30 (Saturday) had imposed a ban on activities related to construction work in the wake of the deteriorating air quality of the National Capital Region.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) sub-committee had decided to implement Stage III of GRAP in the entire NCR in a move to prevent any further deterioration of air quality on Saturday.

The air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Wednesday morning as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city stood at 354.

Noida, which is a part of the national capital region, slipped to an AQI of 406, and remained in the ‘severe’ category, while Gurugram’s AQI stood at 346 and at the ‘very poor category, as per the data released by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) India earlier this morning.

Air Quality Index from 0 to 100 is considered as good, while from 100 to 200 it is moderate, from 200 to 300 it is poor, and from 300 to 400 it is said to be very poor and from 400 too 500 or above it is considered as severe.

A little less poor air quality in Delhi’s satellite cities gave some respite to the people, but it is only a relative term from the previous day.

While comprehensively reviewing the overall air quality parameters during Saturday’s emergency meeting of CAQM, the Commission noted that due to unfavorable meteorological conditions with slower wind speed and sudden spike in farm fire incidents, it is considered necessary to implement Stage III of GRAP with immediate effect in the entire NCR.

The CAQM further noted that the winds are forecasted to be CALM in the coming days and the wind direction is likely to change course frequently. Thus, there is a high likelihood of the pollutants getting trapped in the region and not getting dispersed effectively.

Further, the CAQM appealed to the citizens of NCR to cooperate in implementing GRAP and follow the steps mentioned in the Citizen Charter under GARP. Apart from that, a 9-point action plan as per Stage III of GRAP was made applicable in the entire NCR.

The 9-point action plan includes steps to be implemented/ ensured by different agencies and Pollution Control Boards of NCR and DPCC, as per the official statement. (ANI)

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revised fare for Auto Rickshaw and Taxi in Delhi

Delhi Govt Approves Revised Auto Rickshaw, Taxi Fares

By LokMarg

In the wake of rising CNG fares in Delhi over the last few months, the Delhi Government Friday approved the revised fare for Auto Rickshaw and Taxi in Delhi. This comes as a relief to nearly two lac Auto Rickshaw and Taxi drivers who had to bear more cost due to recent hikes in the CNG prices.

With the approval of the Delhi Government, the new fares for Auto Rickshaw and Taxi shall be applicable once these are notified in the coming weeks.

The last revision in the Auto Rickshaw fares happened in 2020 while that for Taxi which includes Black and Yellow Taxi, Economy taxis and Premium taxis, happened nine years back in 2013. In 2020, while the fare of CNG was Rs 47, it has now increased to Rs 78 by October 2022. Delhi’s Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had received many representations from the Auto Rickshaw and Taxi associations/unions on this issue.

Hence, a committee of 13 members was formed in May 2022 to review and recommend the fare in the wake of the increasing rate of CNG, Cost and maintenance of Auto rickshaws and Taxi, and various other issues affecting the net earnings of Auto rickshaws and Taxi drivers.

The committee recommended revising the fare for Black and Yellow Taxi and Economy Taxi which was then reviewed and approved by the Delhi government. The committee also recommended not changing the existing fare for the Premium Taxi category to avoid them being too expensive for the users.

The revised fare approved by the Delhi government for Auto Rickshaw would be Rs 30 for an initial 1.5 Km, which was earlier Rs 25, The per Km fare (after the meter down) has been increased to Rs 11 from Rs 9.5, extra luggage has been revised to Rs 10. While the waiting charges per min remain undisturbed.

However, the revised fare approved for the taxies for meter down for an initial 1 Km (AC and Non Ac) have been increased to Rs 40 from Rs 25 (AC and Non Ac), and per Km fare (after meter down) has been increased to Rs 17 from Rs 14 (Non AC) and Rs 20 from Rs 16 (AC). (ANI)

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educational reformist Sonam Wangchuk kejriwal

Pictures Of Gods On Currency: Kejriwal Writes To Modi

By LokMarg

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to put pictures of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi on currency notes stating that “it is a desire of 130 crore Indians.”

“I have written a letter to the Prime Minister, and have requested him on behalf of 130 crore Indians that the Indian currency notes should have photos of Lakshmi and Ganesha apart from that of Mahatma Gandhi,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi along with the letter.
“It is the desire of the 130 crore people of the country that there should be a picture of Mahatma Gandhi on one side and of Ganesh and Lakshmi on the other side of the Indian currency. Today the economy of the country is passing through a very bad phase. Even after 75 years of independence, India is counted among the developing and poor countries. There are so many people still poor in our country. Why?” Kejriwal said in his letter to PM Modi.

Emphasizing that there is a need for the blessings of God to make our efforts fruitful, the Delhi Chief Minister said, “On one hand, we all countrymen need to work hard and on the other hand, we also need the blessings of God so that our efforts are fruitful. Only with the confluence of the right policy, hard work, and God’s blessings the country will be on the path of progress.”

Kejriwal further said that since he had demanded to put Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi on banknotes there has been tremendous support from the general public.

“I publicly demanded this in a press conference. Since then there has been tremendous support from the general public on this issue. People are very excited about it. Everyone wants this to be implemented immediately,” he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kejriwal has appealed to Prime Minister Modi to consider including the images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh on currency notes in India to “improve the economic situation of the country”.

“Today I appeal to the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Indian currency there is a photo of Gandhi ji, let that be, on the other side of currency, a photo of Shri Ganesh Ji and Lakshmi ji should be put.

“As I said we have to make a lot of effort to improve the economic situation of our country. But also with that, we need blessings from Gods and Goddesses. The whole country will get blessings if on currency notes, there is a photo of Ganesh Ji and Lakshmi ji on one side and Gandhi ji on other side,” Kejriwal said in his address.

“If Indonesia can do it; choose Ganesh Ji, so can we… I will write to the Centre tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to appeal for it… we need the Almighty’s blessings apart from the efforts to settle the economic condition of the country,” Kejriwal said.

Lord Ganesha is inscribed on the 20,000 rupiah note of Indonesia.

However, the Delhi Chief Minister faced backlash for his remark from several Opposition parties including the BJP.

Both BJP and Congress slammed the Delhi Chief Minister and termed his statement “vote bank politics” ahead of Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

Notably, India’s foreign exchange reserves during the week that ended on October 14 fell to an over two-year low of USD 528.367 billion, a drop of USD 4.5 billion from the previous week.

In the preceding week, the country’s foreign exchange reserves were at USD 532.868 billion, RBI data showed.

According to RBI’s data, India’s foreign currency assets, which are the biggest component of the forex reserves, declined by USD 2.828 billion to USD 468.668 billion during the week.

The value of gold reserves dropped by USD 1.5 billion to USD 37.453 billion during the week.

The value of India’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund declined by USD 149 million to USD 17.433 billion during the week under review, the RBI data showed. The reserves have been falling for months now because of RBI’s likely intervention in the market to defend the depreciating rupee against a surging US dollar.

For the record, the Indian rupee has been weakening over the past few weeks to hit fresh new all-time lows as the US dollar strengthened against major global currencies. (ANI)

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Anti-Dust Campaign: 253 Notices, ₹32.4L Worth Of Fines Issued

By LokMarg

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai chaired a review meeting with Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Environment Department officers to take stock of the Anti-Dust Campaign on Wednesday.

It was observed in the meeting that 6,868 construction sites had been inspected by officers under the Anti Dust Campaign. At the same time, notices/challans were issued to 253 sites; and fines of Rs 32.4 lakh were imposed for violation of guidelines issued at construction sites, said a press release.
Minister Gopal Rai stated, “In order to reduce the pollution of Delhi during the winter season, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the Winter Action Plan on 30 September. On the basis of this, the concerned departments have started work to implement it on the ground, added the statement.

Under the Anti Dust Campaign, the teams are constantly visiting construction sites. These teams will ensure that the construction guidelines are followed there. It is necessary to implement 14 norms on construction sites. The campaign was launched on October 6 and will run till November 6. If any site refuses to follow the rules of dust control, action will be taken against it as per law, added the statement.

According to the NGT guidelines, a fine ranging from 10,000 up to 5 lakh will be imposed for violation of the rule on the construction sites. If there is a severe violation then the construction site will be shut.”

Environment Minister directed the officials of the Environment Department to take daily reports from the teams regarding the Anti Dust Campaign. So far 6868 construction sites have been inspected. A total of 253 notices have been issued and fines of Rs 32.4 lakh have been imposed for non-compliance with guidelines at some construction sites.

Minister Gopal Rai appealed to the people of Delhi that if they find any irregularities in the construction/demolition work, then they should complain about it on Green Delhi App. (ANI)

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If Kejriwal Goes To Pakistan, He Will…: Dikshit

By LokMarg

Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit on Wednesday took a jibe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his appeal to the Centre to include photos of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Laxmi on currency notes.

“He is B team of BJP and RSS. He doesn’t have any understanding. It is his vote politics. If he goes to Pakistan, he can also say that I am Pakistani, so vote for me,” Dikshit told ANI.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider including the images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh on currency notes in India to “improve the economic situation of the country”.

“Today I appeal to the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Indian currency there is a photo of Gandhi Ji, let that be, on the other side of the currency, a photo of Shri Ganesh Ji and Lakshmi Ji should be put. “As I said we have to make a lot of effort to improve the economic situation of our country. But also with that, we need blessings from Gods and Goddesses. The whole country will get blessings if, on currency notes, there is a photo of Ganesh Ji and Lakshmi Ji on one side and Gandhi Ji on another side,” Kejriwal said in his address.

“If Indonesia can do it; choose Ganesh Ji, so can we… I will write to the center tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to appeal for it… we need the almighty’s blessings apart from the efforts to settle the economic condition of the country,” Kejriwal said.

India’s foreign exchange reserves during the week that ended on October 14 fell to an over two-year low of USD 528.367 billion, a drop of USD 4.5 billion from the previous week.

In the preceding week, the country’s foreign exchange reserves were at USD 532.868 billion, RBI data showed.

According to RBI’s data, India’s foreign currency assets, which are the biggest component of the forex reserves, declined by USD 2.828 billion to USD 468.668 billion during the week.

The value of gold reserves dropped by USD 1.5 billion to USD 37.453 billion during the week.

The value of India’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund declined by USD 149 million to USD 17.433 billion during the week under review, the RBI data showed. The reserves have been falling for months now because of RBI’s likely intervention in the market to defend the depreciating rupee against a surging US dollar.

For the record, the Indian rupee has been weakening over the past few weeks to hit fresh new all-time lows as the US dollar strengthened against major global currencies. (ANI)

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Kejriwal's Bail

Put Images Of Lakshmi-Ganesha On Currency Notes: Kejriwal Appeals PM

By LokMarg

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider including the images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesh on currency notes in India to “improve the economic situation of the country”.

“Today I appeal to the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Indian currency there is a photo of Gandhi Ji, let that be, on the other side of the currency, a photo of Shri Ganesh Ji and Lakshmi Ji should be put.
“As I said we have to make a lot of effort to improve the economic situation of our country. But also with that, we need blessings from Gods and Goddesses. The whole country will get blessings if, on currency notes, there is a photo of Ganesh Ji and Lakshmi Ji on one side and Gandhi Ji on another side,” Kejriwal said in his address.

“If Indonesia can do it; choose Ganesh Ji, so can we… I will write to the center tomorrow or the day after tomorrow to appeal for it… we need the almighty’s blessings apart from the efforts to settle the economic condition of the country,” Kejriwal said.

Lord Ganesha is inscribed on the 20,000 rupiah note of Indonesia.

India’s foreign exchange reserves during the week that ended on October 14 fell to an over two-year low of USD 528.367 billion, a drop of USD 4.5 billion from the previous week.

In the preceding week, the country’s foreign exchange reserves were at USD 532.868 billion, RBI data showed.

According to RBI’s data, India’s foreign currency assets, which are the biggest component of the forex reserves, declined by USD 2.828 billion to USD 468.668 billion during the week.

The value of gold reserves dropped by USD 1.5 billion to USD 37.453 billion during the week.

The value of India’s Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) with the International Monetary Fund declined by USD 149 million to USD 17.433 billion during the week under review, the RBI data showed. The reserves have been falling for months now because of RBI’s likely intervention in the market to defend the depreciating rupee against a surging US dollar.

For the record, the Indian rupee has been weakening over the past few weeks to hit fresh new all-time lows as the US dollar strengthened against major global currencies. (ANI)

Read More:http://13.232.95.176/