Page 79 - Delhi

Delhi largest green belt among metros, pollution down since AAP govt: Rai

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Friday the national capital has the largest green belt at 23.6 per cent among big metro cities, and asserted that pollution levels in the city have reduced since 2014 through sustained efforts. Rai responded to a query by an MLA about the number of trees planted and the decrease in pollution levels in the last five years in Delhi during the ongoing Winter Session of Delhi Assembly. "Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had made a resolve and promised the people during last polls that in five years two crore new trees will be planted. And in four years that target has been met," Rai informed the Delhi Assembly. Rai added that the plantation drive will be intensified in the remaining one year. On the issue of pollution, Rai shared the data on PM10 and PM2.5 levels, saying on average there has been a 31 per cent reduction in pollution levels since the formation of the AAP government. In 2014 , the yearly average of PM10 stood at 324 and st

Parl security breach: Manoranjan had no criminal background, say Police

Manoranjan D, one of the two men who jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitors' gallery on Wednesday, was associated with a social media page 'Bhagat Singh Fan Club" and appeared to be a "revolutionary type", police sources said. The 33-year-old Mysuru resident, along with Sagar Sharma from Lucknow, had shouted slogans and released yellow smoke from canisters that triggered panic and chaos in the House. Soon after the Parliament security breach incident, Mysuru police swung into action and started an investigation to find out the background of the Bachelor of Engineering graduate. The probe revealed that he was associated with 'Bhagat Singh Fan Club' , police sources said on Thursday. "We didn't come across any criminal background. He was a very quiet person but looking at the books he read, he appeared to be a 'revolutionary type'," an ACP told PTI. Another police officer said Manoranjan seems to be an admirer of Bhagat Singh, a freedom fighter who was executed by the ..

Watch: Man with bunny helmet rides a bull on Delhi road, internet reacts

A video posted on Instagram by a user named Bull Rider captures a man confidently riding a bull on the bustling roads of Delhi, all while sporting a rabbit-themed helmet

CNG price hiked by Rs 1 per kg in Delhi-NCR from today: Check new rates

The price of compressed natural gas (CNG) has been increased to Rs 76.59 per kg in Delhi-NCR; the new price of CNG in Noida is now at Rs 82.20 per kg, and Rs 81.20 per kg in Greater Noida

Delhi AQI: Air quality in several parts of Delhi 'very poor' on Thursday

Delhi pollution news today: The AQI at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was recorded at 345 on Thursday at 7 AM and RK Puram saw an AQI of 360

DDA housing scheme: EWS, LIG flats in Dwarka sold out on day 1 of booking

Around 1,500 flats were booked in Dwarka, Narela and Lok Nayak Puram on the first day of booking for the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) recently launched housing scheme on Monday, officials said. Flats in Sector 14 of Dwarka in economically weaker section (EWS) and low-income group (LIG) categories were completely sold out, they said. The registration for the scheme, under which flats are being offered on a first-come, first-served (FCFS) basis, began on November 24 and will close on March 31, 2024. The booking of flats began on December 11. "Around 1,500 flats booked till now in Dwarka, Narela and Lok Nayak Puram under the FCFS housing scheme on day one till now, which includes over 1,100 EWS and around 400 LIG flats. Total registration under FCFS scheme is around 12,500," a senior DDA official said. Under the housing scheme, more than 32,000 flats of different categories have been put up for sale.

Delhi excise 'scam': Court extends judicial custody of Sisodia till Jan 10

A court here on Monday extended till January 10, 2024 the judicial custody of AAP leader Manish Sisodia in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Special Judge M K Nagpal also sought responses from Sisodia and other accused on an application filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking permission to file additional documents in the case. The judge directed the accused persons to file their replies to the application by December 10. The court also directed the ED to provide hard copies of the 540 pages of additional documents to the accused persons before the next hearing on January 10. During the proceedings, the court also adjourned the hearing on an application moved by the ED seeking day-to-day hearing in the matter. The judge noted that the case is currently at the stage of scrutiny of documents and that the trial will begin after this stage is over and charges are framed against the accused persons. "The application shall be taken up at

Delhi govt plans WhatsApp-based bus ticketing system on metro routes

The Delhi government is planning to launch a WhatsApp-based bus ticketing system in the national capital on the lines of the Delhi Metro, officials said. They said the Transport Department of the city government is working on rolling out the digital ticketing system for DTC and cluster buses. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) already has a WhatsApp-based ticketing system in place. The service was launched in May this year and subsequently extended to all corridors of the rapid transit system, including the Gurugram Rapid Metro. There will be a cap on the number of tickets a user can generate. For purchasing Delhi Metro tickets, passengers have to send a message with the text Hi' to +91 9650855800 on WhatsApp or scan the provided QR code to effortlessly purchase metro tickets using their smartphones across the whole network. Ticket cancellations are not allowed in WhatsApp ticketing. A marginal convenience fee is applied to transactions made via credit or debit card, while no

Gandhi Nagar traders threaten to shut down market over user charge by MCD

Traders on Sunday staged a demonstration in East Delhi's Gandhi Nagar and threatened to shut down the popular garment market against the MCD's collection of user charge to lift garbage against set norms. No immediate response was available by the civic body when approached for a comment. Around 100-150 shopkeepers, who were joined by Gandhi Nagar ward councillor Priya Kamboj, staged a demonstration in the market alleging that the MCD was randomly collecting a user charge of Rs 1,000 from shopkeepers flouting rules. "The MCD is randomly collecting a user charge of Rs 1,000 from shopkeepers in the Gandhi Nagar market without complying to the rules. There is mismanagement in the collection process as shopkeepers are being charged regardless of their shop size," the BJP councillor said. As per the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, commercial properties have to pay a user charge ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000 depending on the size of the plot or its seating capacity. The BJ

Namo Bharat RRTS train trial conducted from Delhi's Duhai to Modi Nagar

After commencement of the 17 km priority section of the Regional Rapid Transit System that covers Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Meerut, a trial run of the Namo Bharat train was conducted from Duhai to Modi Nagar South on Sunday. The train departed from Duhai station, reached Murad Nagar station, and then continued to cover the distance of about 12 km to Modi Nagar South. "At present, the Namo Bharat trains are undergoing a trial run to test the track and traction. Initially, the train is being operated manually under the Train Control Management System. The train covered the distance from Muradnagar station to Modi Nagar South at a minimal speed. Later, it was brought back to Duhai while slightly increasing its speed," a statement from the National Capital Region Transport Corporation said. The 25 km-stretch between Duhai and Meerut South RRTS station is the next section of the corridor that will be opened for the public after the priority section. The section has a total of four stations

INDIA bloc to meet on Dec 19 in Delhi, to work on 'Main Nahin, Hum' motto

Evolving a "core positive agenda", seat sharing and a programme to hold joint rallies are among the main challenges before the opposition INDIA bloc that will be taken up at its next meeting in the national capital on December 19. "The 4th meeting of the leaders of INDIA parties will be held on Tuesday December 19th, 2023 in New Delhi at 3 pm," Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X on Sunday. The parties intend to move forward with the unity theme - "Main Nahin, Hum" (We, Not Me) - as a counter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the meeting, a senior leader of the Congress said. The meeting is being held in the backdrop of the Congress' poor show in the just concluded assembly elections, where it suffered humiliating defeats in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, while the BJP asserted that people have affirmed their faith in "Modi's guarantees" and will re-elect his government in 2024. The challenge before the opposition parties now is to come out wi

Keeping me in custody serves no purpose, AAP's Sanjay Singh tells court

AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Saturday urged a court here to release him, saying no purpose will be served by keeping him in further custody in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam. Singh's counsel made the submission before Special Judge M K Nagpal during the hearing of his bail application. He told the court that he was not required for further investigation and that the probe against him was over. "The ED has already filed its charge sheet against me after the completion of the investigation. I'm not required for the custodial interrogation any further. There is no purpose to keep me in further custody," Singh's counsel told the court. During the arguments, the ED said the probe was ongoing and if released on bail, Singh could hamper the investigation and tamper with the evidence as well as influence the witnesses. In the course of hearing on bail application, the fifth supplementary prosecution complaint filed against Singh was also taken out from a se

Milk bank, AI-driven civic monitoring among proposals in MCD's next budget

The MCD's budget for next fiscal will see the establishment of its first Lactation Management Unit, or Milk Bank, and use of Artificial Intelligence for monitoring of civic amenities. The civic body has in its budget estimates for 2024-25 provisioned funds for construction of around 20 school buildings in different zones of the city. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi on Saturday presented a budget estimate of Rs 16,683.02 crore for the year 2024-25 with estimated income to be Rs 15,686.99 crore. The civic body saw a spike of Rs 400 crore in the revenue, as it earned Rs 2,417 crore in the financial year 2022-23 -- the highest revenue in the history of the Corporation through property tax, according to the MCD. The MCD's first milk bank will be set up in Swami Dayanand Hospital, it said. The corporation has proposed a pilot project for Preet Vihar, East Patel Nagar, and Kotla Mubarakpur wards for the extension of civic services through artificial intelligence. It proposed to const

LIVE: Cong holds meeting to review party's performance in Assembly polls

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Anti-collision system Kavach deployed on 1,465 route km, 139 locomotives

The sections include Lingamapalli - Vikarabad - Wadi and Vikarabad - Bidar section (265 Rkm), Manmad-Mudkhed-Dhone-Guntkal section (959Rkm) and Bidar-Parbhani section (241Rkm)

Delhi cabinet reshuffle: Atishi gets Law dept, now overseeing 14 portfolios

The Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's recommendation for the same was approved by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, said the Delhi government on Friday

LIVE: Top Congress brass reviews poll defeats in Chhattisgarh, MP

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Gender parity in Delhi's higher education declined in in 2020-21: Data

The gender parity index in higher education in the national capital declined to 1.04 in 2020-21 from 1.16 in 2018-19, according to data published by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics. Gender parity index (GPI) is defined as the ratio of number of females to males enrolled in a given stage of education. The index ideally should be between 0.97 and 1.03, as per the report 'Women and Men in Delhi 2023'. However, the number of female students per 100 male students in important educational programmes in Delhi has shown a rise. Comparing the data recorded across various higher education courses in 2012-13 and 2020-21, it was observed that the GPI increased from 0.84 to 0.9 in PhD, 0.73 to 1.02 in postgraduate, 1.03 to 1.11 in undergraduate, 0.51 to 0.73 in PG Diploma and 0.53 to 0.84 in Diploma programme in regular mode of education. Of the total students in Delhi, around 90.1 per cent opted for general course as compared to technical or professional courses which include 92 p

Unemployment rate in Delhi higher than national level for men, women

The unemployment rate in Delhi was higher with almost double in case of females as compared to the country's average, said a Delhi government report. According to the 'Women & Men In Delhi-2023' report, the unemployment rate was 5.1 per cent for males and 6.0 per cent for females in Delhi in 2021-22 while at all India level it was 4.4 per cent for males and 3.3 per cent for females. The broad employment status showed that 33.1 per cent of working men in the city were self-employed, 63 per cent were in the regular wage/salaried employee category, and 3.5 per cent were in the casual labour category. Among the female workers, only 17 per cent were engaged in the self-employed category while 83 per cent were in the regular wage/salaried employee category, said the report. Industry-wise, out of total female workers, 59.74 per cent were engaged in 'other services' followed by 'trade, hotel and restaurant' (14.73 per cent) and 'manufacturing' (14.19 per cent) in 2021-22. In case of male

Delhi's population projected to rise to 26.5 mn by 2036, says report

The national capital's population is projected to rise up to 2.65 crore, comprising 47.34 per cent women, by 2036, as per a Delhi government report. According to the report titled Women & Men in Delhi-2023', by 2036 the population of Delhi has been projected to be 2,65,91,000 1,25,89,000 females and 1,40,02,000 males. Women will account for 47.34 per cent of the city population in 2036, as compared to 48.78 per cent at the national level, it stated. Delhi is one of the fastest growing cities in the country due to the rapid pace of urbanisation. As per the Census 2011, Delhi's population was 1,67,87,941, 78,00615 females and 89,87,326 males, it said. Women's population in Delhi is 46.47 per cent of the city's total as per the 2011 Census, which is lower than the corresponding national figure of 48.53 per cent. Delhi's sex ratio is projected to rise from 868 (in Census 2011) to 899 in 2036 but would still be lower than the national sex ratio which is projected to increase from 943