Page 9 - Rekha Gupta

Our govt will bring modernisation plan for mandis: Delhi CM Rekha Gupta

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said that her government would bring a modernisation plan for mandis, a day after she visited the Azadpur Mandi. "There are lack of facilities in mandis across Delhi. The previous AAP government did not do anything for providing facilities to mandis. There are many labourers and traders working here but there is no cleanliness and no safety," she charged. Gupta alleged corruption in functioning of the mandis and promised to bring a modernisation plan for them. "Our government will bring a modernisation plan for mandis. We will work towards making tight arrangements for security of these mandis," she told reporters.

AAP-BJP spar over worsening air quality after dust storm batters Delhi

A sudden dust storm from Rajasthan engulfed Delhi, pushing air quality into the 'poor' zone and igniting a sharp political blame game between AAP and BJP

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta lauds contribution of mothers, nurses on Mothers' Day

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday lauded the contribution of mothers and doctors on the occasion of Mothers' Day calling them the two pillars of life. Addressing 400 women at an event, the chief minister said, "One battle is fought at the border, carried on our soldiers' shoulders. But the other lies within society, against bad habits, unhealthy practices and negative thinking. That too, we must fight." She underlined the need to view each citizen as a national asset. "If every one of our 140 crore people works with dedication, some for their families, and some for the country, India will certainly move forward," she said. Gupta also spoke about the growing concern of obesity, especially among women, and emphasised the importance of prioritising one's health and diet. "Obesity must end. Women often focus on caring for everyone else, but during COVID-19, I realised that we must take care of ourselves first," she said. "After God, if there's anyone we place our trust in, it

Delhi Commission for Women to be revived soon, says CM Rekha Gupta

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday said that the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), which has been inactive for some time, will be revived soon. Addressing the gathering at Rashtriya Mahila Aapke Ghar Jan Sunwai, CM Gupta said that women in distress look to the government for support, and currently, nearly 1,500 such cases are pending. "That's why the Delhi Commission for Women...will be reactivated and will begin functioning again," Gupta said. At the event, organised by the National Women Commission, she also shared a recent complaint received during the public hearing at her residence, where a parent reported that some boys had been harassing their daughters despite a formal complaint being lodged. "Such people will keep making mistakes, but it is our responsibility to take action against them," she said. To enhance women's safety, CM Gupta said 50,000 CCTV cameras will be installed at identified dark spots across the city. She explained that dark spots are not just areas wit

Delhi CM calls for faceless GST system, seeks resolution of Rs 80K cr dues

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday stressed on making the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system "faceless" and transparent, while highlighting that Rs 80,000 crore of GST dues of the Delhi government are pending due to disputes and other reasons. Addressing the third Accounting Standard Day organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), Gupta said she had instructed GST officers not to summon businessmen to their offices if they are already appearing in court. "Make our system faceless. Tax should be collected in a hassle-free manner," she said. She praised the Chartered Accountant (CA) community for its crucial role in resolving tax disputes and contributing to economic growth. "Only the CA community can help resolve all these issues," she said, referring to the pending GST dues. Recalling her first budget as Chief Minister, Gupta said it was the first time that a budget of Rs one lakh crore was presented despite the government's treasury being nearly

Ayushman Bharat sees 28K registrations for elderly in a week: Delhi CM

Over 28,000 elderly, aged 70 years and above, in Delhi have registered within a week under the Ayushman Bharat Vaya Vandana Yojna that gives a health cover of Rs 10 lakh, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday. Flagging off a mobile van for registrations under the health insurance scheme in RK Puram constituency, she said Rs 5 lakh cover is provided by the Centre and the Delhi government will top it up with an additional Rs 5 lakh. The chief minister said that since the launch of the scheme in Delhi on April 28, over 28,000 registrations have been done in the last five days. Mobile vans will operate in each of the 70 assembly constituencies for registering eligible senior citizens. Applicants only need to carry their Aadhaar cards and mobile phones for registration and nothing else is required, she said. "The Delhi government will ensure registration of each eligible elderly person in Delhi under the scheme because their blessings are invaluable for us. Vaya Vandana is a uniqu

Delhi gets 400 new electric buses; CM calls it a step towards cleaner air

Apart from reducing pollution levels in the city, Delhi's Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy 2.0 is also expected to create up to 20,000 jobs

Delhi CM calls rain a wake-up call, blames AAP's 'development backlog'

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta termed the pre-monsoon showers on Friday a warning sign for the capital's crumbling infrastructure, blaming it on the "decade-long development backlog" created by the previous AAP government. Taking a dig at Arvind Kejriwal, she said the AAP chief was oblivious to the problems of waterlogging and broken trees as he would be busy with his "sound-proof" sleep in the "Sheesh Mahal" -- a term the BJP gave to the former chief minister's official residence accusing it of unnecessary opulence. Gupta who visited Majnu Ka Tila area following heavy rainfall in the city stressed the need for planned urban growth to prevent such recurring crises. The city was hit by waterlogging and traffic disruptions, many due to fallen trees due to the early morning rain and storm on Friday. A house collapse in Najafgarh killed a woman and her three children as many busy road stretches, including Minto Bridge and ITO, were waterlogged, causing heavy traffic jams. The chief

Delhi starts 20-day cleanliness drive, bans plastic in markets, temples

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched a 20-day intensive cleanliness drive across Delhi, promising a visible transformation in public spaces under the "triple-engine" government model. She also announced a ban on the use of single-use plastics in religious places, schools, and markets. The cleanliness campaign, which begins Friday, will focus on large-scale waste segregation, removal of encroachments, and strict daily monitoring. "Civic officials will be held accountable for areas falling under their jurisdictions. No garbage, debris or encroachment will be tolerated in public places," Gupta said at a press conference. The announcement came after a high-level meeting chaired by Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena at Raj Niwas, attended by district magistrates, deputy commissioners, DCPs and senior officials from civic bodies. "All top officials, including DMs and DCPs, must visit their areas daily and submit compliance reports. Cameras will monitor every corner of the ...

Massive fire at Dilli Haat-INA market guts several stalls, no casualties

A massive fire broke out at the Dilli Haat, a popular market, at INA in South Delhi on Wednesday night, an official of the Delhi Fire Service said. Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra said that the fire has been brought under control and that there was no immediate report of any casualties in the incident. An official in the Delhi Fire Services said, "We received a call regarding fire at Dilli Haat Market INA at 8.55 pm and have deployed 13 fire engines at the spot. Further operation is underway." Several stalls were gutted in the fire. Smoke was seen bellowing from the stalls and flames leapt towards the sky as the blaze swept the popular art and craft mart. A senior police officer said that a police team immediately rushed to the spot and started further investigation. Meanwhile, Minister of Art, Culture and Language of Delhi Kapil Mishra in a post on X said, "The fire at Delhi Haat has been brought under control. There are no reports of any casualties in the fire. "Fire depart

Delhi Cabinet to decide on hospital staff outsourcing in a meeting today

The Delhi government, in a meeting scheduled on Tuesday, is likely to take a call on the Health Department's proposals regarding outsourcing of staff through PSUs and equipping hospitals with MRI machines using a PPP model, official sources said. The proposals will be discussed in the Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, scheduled for 12 noon, they said. The Health Department seeks to centralise the outsourcing of staff required for documentation and other formalities at government hospitals and other health facilities of the government by roping in public sector undertakings (PSUs), they said. Presently, the hospitals and other facilities like clinics hire these personnel through private placement entities, said an official. The other proposal is regarding the installation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines through a public-private partnership to meet the growing demand for such crucial scans, he said. There is a shortage of MRI machines in government

Delhi slum fire: CM Rekha Gupta mourns deaths, says govt helping victims

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday condoled the loss of lives in a fire at a slum in northwest Delhi's Rohini and said the government is taking all necessary measures to help the affected people. The local MLA and the sub-divisional magistrate immediately reached the spot to coordinate relief efforts, including provision of mobile toilets, medical assistance and food for the affected residents, Gupta said in a post on X. Two children died and five people were injured in the massive fire that gutted over 800 densely packed shanties in the jhuggi cluster this morning. Thick plumes of smoke billowed into the sky as firefighters toiled for three hours to douse the flames. Gupta expressed her "deep sadness" over the tragic incident and extended her condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. "We are monitoring the situation to ensure that timely support and rehabilitation are extended to every affected individual. The government of Delhi stands firmly with all those impact

Delhi govt to allow ads on 100 footbridges to fund their maintenance

The Delhi government has decided to allow advertising on around 100 Foot Over Bridges (FOB) in a bid to generate additional revenue for their upkeep. The Public Works Department (PWD) minister Parvesh Verma has directed the department to start working on the project and come up with a proposal so that the extra revenue could help in the better maintenance of these FOBs, which are built on the main roads with heavy traffic flows. "The idea is to generate just enough revenue for the proper maintenance of the FOBs. Currently many of these are in a poor condition, with their lifts and escalators requiring repairs and overhead plastic roof cracked and discoloured. Through the advertisements, we will fund the upkeep of the bridges," Verma said. "The plan is to have a revenue-sharing model with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, which will give the NOC (no objection certificate) for this project. Currently, there are just a few FOBs -- like the one at Akshardham -- where advertising is ..

Lack of water is a huge problem for the people of Delhi: CM Rekha Gupta

In her speech, CM Gupta announced the commencement of several infrastructure projects in slum areas and underdeveloped blocks, including pipeline installation, street and drain construction

Delhi govt ensuring no Pakistani stays beyond deadline: CM Rekha Gupta

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said the Delhi government is ensuring strict compliance with the Centre's order to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline set for them to leave the country. India announced on Thursday that all visas issued to Pakistani nationals will be revoked from April 27 and advised Indian nationals residing in Pakistan to return home at the earliest, as tensions between the two countries escalated over the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, on April 22. According to sources, the home minister personally called up the chief ministers of all states and asked them to ensure that no Pakistani stays in India beyond the deadline. "The Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India, has revoked all Visas issued to Pakistani Nationals, except Medical, Diplomatic & Long-Term visas, with effect from 27th of April, 2025," Gupta said in a post on X. "The existing medical visas shall also stand invalid after 29th of April, ...

Delhi to expand bus fleet with 2,080 electric vehicles, retire 1K old ones

The Delhi transport department is set to add 2,080 electric vehicles to its bus fleet over the year, an official said on Monday. It currently operates around 7,000 buses in the city. But around 1,000 of those are set to get off road this year with some already being retired. "We have signed a memorandum of understanding with five different concessioners to procure 1,040 buses. For the second set of 1,040 buses, we will sign agreements soon. Once they start rolling out, it would plug the gap created due to decommissioning of ageing buses," said a transport department official. According to the plan, 1,040 buses will be added to the fleet in the first phase under the Centre's National Electric Bus Programme (NEBP). The scheme aims at introducing e-buses across the nation. The second lot of 1,040 buses will be part of the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) scheme. The scheme aims to incentivise over 14,000 e-buses across nine major cities with

Delhi govt unveils Heat Action Plan 2025 amid soaring temperatures

Launching the plan, Delhi CM Rekha Gupta said that it is a critical initiative to safeguard our citizens, especially the most vulnerable, from the escalating dangers of extreme heat

Delhi CM flags off 1,100 GPS tankers to boost summer water supply

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday flagged off 1,111 tankers fitted with a location tracking system to boost water supply in the city during the summer. The system will enable the tankers' location to be tracked on an IT dashboard from the Delhi Jal Board headquarters. "This is a step towards complete transparency. This is not the final solution, we will work on a new town plan to provide water from the tap to every resident," Gupta said during the ceremony marking 60 days of her government in Burari. Water Minister Parvesh Verma, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, BJP MPs and MLAs were present at the event. In its budget for the 2025-26 fiscal, the Delhi government has allocated Rs 9,000 crore for the water sector. This amount includes allocation for installing smart meters, reviving water bodies, laying pipelines and desilting drains, among others, Gupta said. "We have deployed 50 super sucker machines across the city to deal with sewer overflow. The previous ..

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta orders probe into Mustafabad building collapse

Arrangements have been made for proper treatment of all the injured, said the CM

Delhi govt to launch anti-pollution drive with tankers, border checks

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday said the government will roll out a comprehensive framework to tackle the rising pollution levels which will include deploying 1,000 water tankers with sprinklers, installing anti-smog guns in high-rise buildings and setting up CCTV cameras and LED screens at the city borders to prevent the entry of old vehicles. He said the roadmap will outline the city's strategy to fight pollution from 2025 to 2026. Sirsa said one of the key goals is to bring PM2.5 levels down. "We are installing water mist systems at various hotspots to clean the air and help particulate matter settle. This initiative has already shown success over a five-kilometre stretch in Dwarka," he said. The government is now expanding the project to 13 identified hotspots across the city. To intensify dust suppression, over 1,000 GPS-enabled water tankers with sprinklers will be deployed. "These tankers will move to areas with high pollution levels. Their route