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Thousands of young and angry people converged on central Delhi on Monday, only to be met by police teargas and lathi-charges in a spiralling protest that started with exam paper leaks and gained traction with activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike. Large parts of central Delhi were gridlocked as the protests gathered pace. Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke was picked up by Delhi Police, the organisation's spokesperson said. "Police brutally cracking down and beating up peaceful protesters, request MPs to stand in support of students on streets," Saurav Das said. Clashes broke out with protesters, some in school uniform, streaming into central Delhi, navigating inner lanes and attempting to find alternative routes to get as close as possible to Parliament. Some police personnel and protesters were injured. Undeterred by the extensive barricading, they walked several kilometres, sometimes joining groups of protesters, shouting slogans stopping to wait for an opport
The Delhi government on Saturday approved replacing the mandatory "Essentiality Certificate" required for opening private schools with a self-certification system, saying the move will simplify the school recognition process and align it with the RTE Act, 2009. According to the Education Department, the decision, approved by Education Minister Ashish Sood, removes long-standing procedural requirements under the Delhi School Education Act and Rules (DSER), 1973, as part of a compliance reduction and deregulation exercise. Under the new self-certification system, applicants seeking recognition for schools will only have to certify that they meet the norms prescribed under the RTE Act, including infrastructure, safety, teacher qualifications and pupil-teacher ratio, instead of requiring prior government approval on whether a school is "necessary" in a particular area. As part of the changes, Rule 44 (3) of the Delhi School Education Rules, 1973, has been amended to do away with the ...
Activist Sonam Wangchuk who was taken to Safdarjung Hospital after a 20-day hunger strike has refused intravenous fluids, oral rehydration solution and other medications despite signs of dehydration and metabolic abnormalities, hospital authorities said on Saturday. He is being continuously monitored and counselled to accept treatment in the interest of his health, they said. Wangchuk, 59, was brought to the hospital by Delhi Police and admitted at 7:40 am with a history of fasting from solid food for 20 days and generalised weakness. There is no history of fainting attacks, the hospital said in health bulletin. At the time of admission, he was conscious with stable pulse, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. Signs of dehydration were seen, it said. Blood gas analysis revealed compensated acidosis with decreased serum potassium with blood sugar of 78 mg/dl. Repeat serum potassium test was similar. Urinary ketones were 1+ at the time of admission which have increased to 3+ by 1 pm,
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has sought Rs 100 crore from the Centre to accelerate the implementation of the PM-UDAY scheme, providing property rights to residents of 1,511 unauthorised colonies in the national capital, according to a CMO statement on Sunday. In a letter written to Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal, the chief minister pointed out that under its responsibilities, the department will establish PM-UDAY (Pradhan Mantri Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana) cells in all 13 districts of Delhi, each headed by an Additional District Magistrate (ADM). The chief minister said an allocation of Rs 100 crore has been proposed for the first phase during 2026-27 to ensure these activities are completed within the prescribed timeline. She cited a detailed breakdown of the proposed expenditure, including Rs 65 crore for developing a modern land survey and mapping system under the DRISHTI-based modern land survey and mapping system initiative
The two-wheeler category presents a bigger challenge for the recently announced Delhi EV policy, which will ban the registration of conventional-engine bikes and scooters from April 2028, with electric penetration in the segment at just 7.3 per cent in Delhi in FY26, according to Crisil Ratings. While the 'April 2028 EV-only registration' requirement provides a clear roadmap for the two-wheeler industry to accelerate investments in electric products, capacity and distribution, internal combustion engine (ICE) models are expected to remain relevant in the near term, Crisil Ratings Director Poonam Upadhyay told PTI. The future growth in Delhi's two-wheeler market will increasingly be linked to EV readiness, she said, responding to a query about the policy's implications for ICE manufacturers, especially in the two-wheeler category. "The impact on ICE manufacturers will vary across segments. In two-wheelers, the transition is expected to be gradual, with EVs accounting for only 7.3 per
The Delhi government plans to expand its ladies special bus service by adding around 50 buses, officials said on Saturday. According to officials, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will run 25 ladies special buses, which will be student-centric U-special, and the remaining 25 will be for Outer Delhi areas. "We plan to start 50 ladies' special buses soon under the PM e-Drive scheme. Initially, 25 of these buses will be deployed in Outer areas and 25 as University Specials," a senior government official said. Officials said the transport department has identified some areas, and work is ongoing for other areas as well. "The ladies special buses would only be for women travellers. We had some ladies special buses running earlier, but now we plan to expand in a more structured way. There will be more safety features in the buses," another official said. The government is also studying the usage of Saheli Pink Smart Cards, and Pink tickets are being analysed to determine corridors
Delhi government has renamed the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, set up for the conservation and redevelopment of Old Delhi, as the Indraprastha Virasat Punarvikas Nigam (IVPN), Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Thursday. Chairing the annual general meeting of the IVPN, Gupta directed officials to expedite the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk, improve parking facilities and build public toilets to enhance public convenience. "Development of Old Delhi should not remain confined to physical infrastructure alone. Instead, heritage conservation, tourism promotion, economic activity, civic amenities, and environmental balance should all be pursued through an integrated approach," Gupta said. With this objective, the IVPN will undertake heritage conservation alongside modern urban development, she said. "The initiative will include conservation of historic buildings, modernisation of infrastructure, solid waste management, traffic management, expansion of tourism facilities and .
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is working on an eight-point development programme to transform Delhi into a sustainable and green city, with a focus on affordable housing, mobility, environment and heritage conservation, officials said on Saturday. The roadmap was discussed at a recent meeting of the DDA's advisory council chaired by Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, which reviewed gaps in the demand and supply of affordable housing, the proliferation of slums and Jhuggi Jhopri clusters and their relocation and rehabilitation, besides the long-pending regularisation and redevelopment of unauthorised colonies. "The council adopted a four-pillar roadmap aimed at building a sustainable, green and liveable Delhi, with the Lieutenant Governor stressing the need for planned growth across housing, mobility, environment and heritage," an official said. During the meeting, key urban challenges, including traffic congestion, pollution, urban flooding, heat islands, redevelopme
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Delhi government's CAG audit of power discoms ordered against the backdrop of a staggering Rs 38,500 crore accumulated over the years as Regulatory Assets (RA) to be recovered from consumers. A partial working day bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and Shree Chandrashekhar took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for power regulator Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for private discoms. On Thursday, the Delhi government ordered a CAG audit of power discoms. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India was to undertake a "strict and intensive" audit of the circumstances under which discoms - BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and Tata Power Delhi Distribution (TPDDL) - had continued without recovery of regulatory assets.