Tag: National Capital

The Department of Food and Public Distribution Paddy

Centre Estimates Wheat Procurement At 320L Tonne Wheat, Paddy 100L Tonne

By LokMarg

The Department of Food and Public Distribution held a meeting with the food secretaries of the states here in the national capital to discuss the procurement arrangements for Rabi crops for 2024-25 and Kharif crops of 2023-24.

The Secretary chaired the meeting held on Wednesday.

Various factors impacting procurement such as forecast of weather conditions, production estimates, and readiness of States were reviewed, as per a ministry release put out on Thursday.

After deliberations, the estimates for wheat procurement during ensuing marketing season 2024-25 were fixed in the range of 300-320 lakh tonne. Similarly, the estimates for paddy procurement in term of rice during 2023-24 (Rabi Crop) were fixed in the range of 90-100 LMT.

A quantity of around 6.00 lakh tonne of coarse grains /millets (Shri Anna) has also been estimated for procurement by the States during 2023-24 (Rabi crop). States and UTs were advised to focus on procurement of millets for diversification of crops and enhanced nutrition in dietary patterns.

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare presented their evaluation study on Digital Maturity of State MSP procurement applications. State Governments were advised to adopt or improvise their existing applications in line with the standard and core features of AgriStack portal, for bringing about transparency and efficiency in the procurement system, before start of KMS 2024-25.

This meeting comes at a time when the agitating farmers from Punjab have raised various demands including an ordinance on ensuring legal guarantees for MSPs, besides a series of other demands.

MSP stands for Minimum Support Price. It is the minimum rate at which farmers sell their crops to the government, giving them a sort of income assurance.

In one of the several round of talks with the farmer leaders, a panel of three Union Ministers proposed that government agencies would buy pulses, maize and cotton at the MSP for five years. However, the farmer leaders part of the meeting refused the proposal, saying it was not in favour of farmers. (ANI)

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Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) congress

Delhi: Cong Assures Support To AAP’s Solution On Inflated Water Bills

By LokMarg

The Congress party on Thursday assured its support for the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) one-time settlement scheme for inflated water bills in the national capital.

Earlier today, an all-party meeting was held at the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to discuss the issue.

Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, while addressing the media, took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and alleged that it is leaving no stone unturned in hindering the water bill settlement schemes.

“As you all know, the BJP is leaving no stone unturned in hindering the policies of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). We have talked to the LG, and we also passed a resolution in the assembly. This is an issue that concerns the entire population of Delhi. So, we decided to hold a discussion over it across party lines,” Bharadwaj said.

Delhi Congress President Arvinder Singh Lovely said, “We got an invitation to the all-party meeting regarding the policies of the Delhi Jal Board. It is unfortunate that the Leader of Opposition and the MLAs of the BJP did not show up at the meeting. It reflects that they do not want to get the issue resolved.”

“It is unfortunate that the BJP, which always talks of the country, was not present at the meeting, which was held to discuss issues affecting the common people. We have given our suggestions to the Delhi government,” he added.

Extending support to the AAP’s policies for water settlement bills, he said, “Whatever step is taken in order to extend relief to the people of Delhi, the Congress party will support that. We have always emphasised that no matter which party is in power, we do not agree with the idea of weakening an institution. We want to say that the Congress Party stands with the people of Delhi.”

The Kejriwal government wants to introduce a one-time settlement scheme regarding increased water bills.

Earlier on June 14, 2023, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the ‘One Time Settlement Scheme’ for pending water bills of consumers in the national capital.

With approximately 27.6 lakh consumers in Delhi, 11.7 lakh consumers have been burdened with outstanding dues amounting to a total of Rs 5,737 crore, the CMO stated.

Under the new scheme, effective August 1, the government will completely waive off the pending water bills of 7 lakh consumers. This initiative aims to provide immense relief to those who have been struggling to meet their obligations. (ANI)

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Delhi Chalo March

Massive Troops Deployment To Thwart Farmers’ ‘Delhi Chalo’ March

By LokMarg

As thousands of farmers plan to march towards the national capital during their ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest on February 13, Haryana police have taken preemptive measures, raising several checkposts strategically, deploying 11 paramilitary companies and imposing Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Sirsa.

Briefing about the security measures, Deputy Commissioner Parth Gupta said, “In Sirsa, 40 checkposts have been set up strategically, especially on routes coming in from our neighbouring states. 11 paramilitary companies, in addition to local police, have been deployed. Section 144 has been imposed in Sirsa.”

“Ambulances and fire brigades have been stationed in various places to tackle any situation efficiently… Road coming from Bathinda has been temporarily sealed, and by tomorrow 8-10 most important checkposts will be sealed. Traffic has been diverted on many points of NH-9, to give alternate routes to common people… Internet had been shut down for three days in many districts to maintain law and order, ” he added.

As Haryana share its border with Rajasthan and Punjab which that can be the possible entry points for the farmers heading the tractors and other vehicles administration has made proper security arrangements. Two temporary jails have been created.

State Principal Secretary Vijayendra Kumar said, “Haryana borders Rajasthan and Punjab. Proper arrangements have been made at both the border points towards Punjab. Adequate force has been deployed.

“Strong arrangements have been made this time keeping in mind the events of last time. We are in touch with the DCs and SPs of bordering areas of Rajasthan and Punjab and well-coordinated… Two temporary jails have been created… Alternative routes for ambulances have been opened. 11 additional companies have been deployed,” he briefed further.

Meanwhile, prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC have been imposed for 30 days till March 12 in the national capital.

More than 5,000 security personnel have been deployed along the border with other states. Elaborate security arrangements have been made at the Singhu, Ghazipur and Tikri borders. (ANI)

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Dense Fog Continues To Disrupt Rail, Air Traffic in Delhi

Dense Fog Continues To Disrupt Rail, Air Traffic in Delhi

By LokMarg

The national capital as well as the entire North Indian belt continued to be in the grip of severe cold and fog on Wednesday, with the minimum temperature in Delhi recorded at 10°C.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), very dense fog was reported in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi while moderate fog was observed in isolated pockets of West Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.

“The INSAT 3DR Image of 0530 hrs IST shows Dense Fog layer over South Punjab, Haryana & Delhi seen as white patch overlapped by Medium/High Clouds in Red Patches,” read a post on the IMD’s official X handle on Wednesday.

The central weather forecasting agency informed further that Delhi, which has been experiencing freezing cold over the last few weeks, recorded its lowest maximum temperature and second-lowest minimum temperature in the last 13 years this January.

A thick layer of fog enveloped the national capital as the city woke up another bitterly cold morning on Wednesday.

The weather agency predicted a wet spell over the Western Himalayan Region and adjoining plains till February 4, with the intensity peaking on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Light/moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall/snowfall very likely over Jammu,

Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan & Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand

during next 6 days (30th January to 04th February) and decrease significantly thereafter,” the IMD posted on X.

In Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district on Wednesday, trees and houses were seen covered under a blanket of snow as it received fresh snowfall.

Met officials, meanwhile, forecast isolated heavy rainfall or snowfall over Kashmir Valley, Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday and Thursday.

It also predicted fresh snowfall in Devbhoomi–Uttarakhand–on Wednesday.

Strong surface winds of the order at 30-40 kmph are likely over Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi on Wednesday, according to the IMD.

Later, on Wednesday, the maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to go as high as 24°C while for the better part of the day, the mercury is likely to hover around the 11°C mark, the weather office informed, adding that residents in the national capital will also experience breeze at a speed of 3.66.

Meanwhile, visibility issues were reported from across the national capital as a thick fog descended on the city.

Visuals from multiple locations in Delhi showed locals on streets gathering around bonfires to keep warm.

Speaking to the ANI, a resident in the Red Fort area said commuters were facing hassles as buses were running late and, in some parts, public vehicles were hard to come by because of the bone-chilling cold outside.

“We are lighting bonfires to keep ourselves warm. I fear that this cold might persist well into February. Due to the heavy fog and icy cold, customer footfalls to my shack have come down to a trickle,” a shopkeeper said. (ANI)

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Several Flights, Trains Delayed Due To Dense Fog : Delhi

Several Flights, Trains Delayed Due To Dense Fog : Delhi

By LokMarg

The movement of flights and passenger trains to and from the National Capital continued to remain affected on Friday due to dense fog and adverse weather conditions.

Delays plagued departures and cancellations for domestic air travel and added to the woes of the passengers.

At least 22 domestic departures were delayed, while 5 flights were cancelled, impacting thousands of travellers. International travel appeared relatively unaffected. While 17 international flights arrived in India, only 9 international departures took place.

The mercury dipped to 4.7 degrees Celsius in the national capital on Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

As per the IMD, Lodhi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 4.4 degree Celsius, Safdarjung recorded 4.4 degrees Celsius, while the Ayanagar, Ridge and Palam areas of the national capital recorded 4.9, 3.2 and 7.1 degrees Celsius.

According to Northern Railways, around 34 long-distance trains to Delhi were delayed on Friday due to fog and poor visibility conditions.

Train passengers arriving in Delhi on January 26, faced significant delays, with over 34 trains arriving behind schedule. The Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express topped the list, running a staggering 6 hours and 30 minutes behind schedule. Other notable delays included the Kanpur-New Delhi Shramshakti Express (2 hours 30 minutes late), the Katihar-Amritsar Express (3 hours 45 minutes late), and the Saharsa-New Delhi Vaishali Express (2 hours 30 minutes late).

Rajdhani Express trains were also affected, including the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (2 hours 30 minutes late), the Rajendranagar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (3 hours 30 minutes late), and the Bhubaneshwar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express (6 hours 30 minutes late).

According to the IMD, ‘very dense’ fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 metres is ‘dense’, 201 and 500 metres ‘moderate’, and 501 and 1,000 metres ‘are ‘ shallow’.

Noting the cold wave conditions in parts of north India, IMD, said, “Visibility recorded (at 0830 hours IST of today) (<=200 metres): East Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow, Bahraich and Prayagraj-25, Fursatganj-50 Sultanpur-200; Uttarakhand: Pantnagar-25; Haryana, Chandigarh: Ambala-25, Chandigarh & Karnal-50 each, Hissar-200; West Uttar Pradesh: Bareilly25, Jhansi-50, Agra-150; Punjab: Ambala, Ludhiana & Patiala-50 each, Bhatinda-100; north Rajasthan: Churu & Jaipur-50 each, Bikaner-100, Ganganagar-200; Sub-Himalayan West Bengal: Jalpaiguri & Cooch Behar-50 each; Tripura: Agartala-50; Jammu Division,” (ANI)

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NCR Cold

Delhi: Flights, Trains Delayed Due To Dense Fog, Cold Weather

By LokMarg

Movement of flights and passenger trains to and from the National Capital continued to remain affected on Tuesday due to bad fog and adverse weather conditions.

While several flights were delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport as a layer of fog gripped the national capital. Arond 28 long distance trains to Delhi were also running behind schedule by up to five hours or more.

According to the India Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature in Delhi was expected to be 7 degree Celsius, with a maximum of 18 degree Celsius. However, the recorded minimum temperature in Delhi on Tuesday morning was 6.9 degrees Celsius.

According to Northern Railways, 28 trains, including Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Rajendranagar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Bangalore-Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express, Azamgarh-Delhi JN Kaifiyat Express, Banaras-New Delhi Express, and Katihar-Amritsar Amrapali Express, faced delays ranging from 2 to 5 hours.

IMD has predicted moderate fog till January 26 in the National Capital, with foggy conditions expected on January 27 and 28.

People on Tuesday sat around the bonfire to keep themselves warm as the cold wave continued in Delhi.

Meanwhile, dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to prevail in the morning over parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh until January 26 morning, according to the IMD.

Earlier on Monday, IMD said that shallow fog affected the Jammu division, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, contributing to visibility challenges.

Visibility challenges were evident at various locations. While Jammu Division reported 500-meter visibility, Patiala in Punjab recorded a mere 50-meter visibility. Delhi recorded only 500-meter visibility, impacting flight operations, while Varanasi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh struggled with 25-meter and 50 meters of visibility respectively. (ANI)

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Mahua Moitra

Mahua’s Office: Bungalow Vacated Before 10 AM

By LokMarg

Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra’s office informed reporters that the government bungalow occupied by the TMC leader in the national capital, was vacated by 10 am on Friday before the ‘authorities’ arrived and ‘no eviction’ took place.

“House number 9B Telegraph Lane occupied by Mahua Moitra, was fully vacated by 10 am this morning (January 19, 2024) and the possession was handed over by her lawyers to the Directorate of Estates, who are inspecting and engaged in due process. Premises were vacated before authorities arrived and no eviction took place at all,” Moitra’s office said in a statement to ANI.

Earlier, on Thursday, the Delhi High Court refused to grant relief to the TMC leader and denied her stay on the operation of eviction of the government bungalow.

Moitra challenged the eviction order and sought a stay.

The high court noted that her eviction was not stayed by the Supreme Court. Justice Girish Kathpaliya dismissed the interim application seeking a stay of operation of the eviction order of January 16, 2024.

Dismissing her application the high court stated, “In view of the pendency of the issue of expulsion of petitioner before the Supreme Court and the issue of extension of time to vacate the government accommodation being inextricably linked with that, coupled with the fact that as on date petitioner has no right.”

“This court is not inclined to invoke jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India to restrain the operation of the impugned eviction order. Accordingly, the application stands dismissed,” the HC stated in its order.

“The petitioner having been allotted the government accommodation incidental to her status as a Member of Parliament and that status having ceased upon her expulsion, which expulsion has not been stayed by the Supreme Court despite hearing afforded to her, presently she has no right to continue in the said government accommodation and accordingly, under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, she cannot be granted protection as sought,” Justice Kathpaliya said in the order pronounced on Thursday.

The court stated further that the allotment of government accommodation to the ‘petitioner’ was a co-terminus with her status, which has come to an end upon her expulsion as a member of the Lower House of Parliament.

The court pointed out that no specific rule had been brought before the court pertaining to the eviction of MPs from the government accommodation after they cease to be members.

The petitioner sought retention of her government accommodation on the ground that her expulsion as a Member of Parliament was “contrary to law and the procedure laid down by Section 3B of the Act was not followed and despite the respondent no. 1 (Estate officer) having deferred the decision till resolution of representation of the petitioner by authorities the eviction order was passed”.

It was also submitted that in view of her medical condition and the difficulties she would face during campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, she deserves an extension of time to vacate the government bungalow allotted to her. (ANI)

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Dense fog Delhi

Delhi: Dense Fog Disrupts Flights, 22 Trains Delayed

By LokMarg

Dense fog and severe cold conditions continued to hamper flight and train movements to and from the national capital on Friday morning, causing inconvenience to passengers.

The arrival of nearly two dozen passenger trains to Delhi was delayed by up to 6 hours or more, and several flights were also late due to fog and poor visibility conditions.

As per the India Meteorological Department, the visibility was recorded as low as 50 metres at around 5.30 am on Friday in isolated regions.

This included parts of Punjab, West Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Tripura, Uttarakhand, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and East Rajasthan.

However, as per IMD, the visibility at Delhi’s Palam airport improved from ‘zero’ at 4.30 am today to 50 metres at 5 am and further improved to 150 metres at 6.30 am.

As on Friday at 5.30 am, very dense fog was observed in many parts of Punjab, in isolated parts of West Rajasthan, dense fog was observed in many parts of Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and in isolated parts of East Rajasthan and Tripura.

Also, moderate fog was observed in isolated parts of Uttarakhand, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha on Friday morning.

As many as 22 Delhi-bound trains are running behind schedule following the dense fog conditions in many parts of the country.

According to Northern Railways, five trains namely, Khajaurao-Kurukshetra Express, Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express, Hyderabad-New Delhi Express, Rani Kamlapati-New Delhi Bhopal Express and Kamakhya-Delhi Junction are delayed by around 6-6.30 hours.

At least seven trains are expected to arrive late by around 2-2.45 hours.

This included Amritsar-Nanded Express, Rewa-Anand Vihar Express, Muzaffarpur-AnandVihar Express, Vasco-Nizamuddin Express, Amritsar-Mumbai Express, Jammutawi-Ajmer Pooja Express and Manikpur-Nizamuddin Express.

A delay of around 45 minutes is expected on the arrival of the Chennai-New Delhi Express. In addition to these, as many as nine trains are running behind schedule of around 1-1.45 hours, the railways said.

The long-distance trains namely Saharsa-New Delhi Vaishali Express, Bhagalpur-Anandvihar Express, Rajendranagar-New Delhi Express, Banaras-New Delhi Express, Ambedkarnagar-Katra, Chennai-New Delhi Express, Ferozpur-Mumbai Express, Bikaner-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express and Islampur-New Delhi Magadh Express are among those delayed.

The minimum temperatures in many parts of north India were recorded in the range of 3-6 degree Celsius while parts of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh and Bihar saw a rise in minimum temperatures ranging between 7-10 degree Celsius on Friday morning.

As per the IMD, no significant change in minimum temperatures is expected over Northwest India during the next 24 hours and a rise by about 2 degree Celsius is expected in the next seven days.

Dense fog and low visibility affected several flight operations consecutively for the fifth day of the week.

Several passengers complained of delayed arrival of flights at Delhi airport.

“I have come from Dubai. My flight was delayed due to fog in Delhi,” a passenger at IGI airport said. (ANI)

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Delhi cold

Dense Fog, Flight Delayed, Delhi Wakes Up To Freezing Sunday Morning

By LokMarg

A dense layer of fog gripped the national capital, impairing the movement of traffic as the city woke up to a bitterly cold Sunday.

The minimum temperature in the RK Puram Area was recorded at 7 degrees Celsius in the early hours of the day.

Meanwhile, people on the streets as well as the homeless took refuge at government-run night shelters amid the unforgiving cold and foggy conditions.

The night shelters in Delhi are aimed at providing refuge to homeless people, who live on the streets and have nowhere else to go in the cold. The shelters offer blankets, beds, hot water, and food to those seeking shelter.

On Friday, the city saw the season’s first cold wave day, which, according to the India Meterological Department, is recorded when the minimum temperature goes below 4 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department issued an alert amid the bone-chilling cold.

“Very dense fog layer extends over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, North Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Passengers on highways need to drive extremely carefully and only with fog lights,” the IMD posted from its X handle.

“Journeys need to be halted until fog reduction by morning especially on expressways. Very Dense fog reporting over Amritsar, Chandigarh, Patiala, Ambala, Ganganagar, Palam, Safdarjung, Lucknow with visibility 0 meter since 0230 hrs IST of today,” it added.

The fog is likely to prevail during the morning hours in isolated pockets of northwest India during the next three to four days, the Met agency said.

As the weather forecasting agency predicted dense to very dense fog on Sunday, the Delhi Police urged motorists to drive carefully amid low visibility.

Delhi Police posted from its official X handle, “The Meteorological Department, Delhi, has forecast dense to very dense fog on January 14, 2024, and dense fog on January 15 & 16, 2024. We appeal to all to drive carefully in the fog.”

Meanwhile, as thick fog gripped the national capital, reducing visiting to alarming proportions, several flights were delayed.

Vistara’s Delhi-to-Pune flight was delayed by more than an hour, according to officials. (ANI)

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Dense Fog Continues To Disrupt Rail, Air Traffic in Delhi

Thick Fog Blankets Delhi; Airport Battling Zero Visibility

By LokMarg

Parts of the national capital and its surrounding areas were covered in a thick blanket of fog as temperature dipped to 5.4 degrees Celsius on Friday morning.

Due to the fog cover, the visibility levels in Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport area reduced to zero on Friday morning.

The adverse conditions, however, did not have any major impact on flight operations.

Delhi airport authorities however issued an advisory urging passengers to contact their concerned airline for flight information before leaving for the airport.

“Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are presently normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information,” authorities said.

The CAT III or Category III — an instrument landing system (ILS) that allows aircraft to land in low visibility conditions, operations for takeoffs and landings are necessitated when very dense fog causes poor or zero visibility.

“While landing and takeoffs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” they added.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) also said that visibility dipped to zero at Palam airport at 7:30 am.

Delhi’s Safdarjung Airport (VIDD) also reported 200m visibility in dense fog conditions at 7:30 am, it added. (ANI)

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