National
Air quality in Delhi improves, NGT defers decision on odd-even (Roundup)
New Delhi, Nov 17 (IANS) After a long period of heavy pollution, the air quality in the National Capital Region on Friday improved to “poor” category as concentration of Particulate Matter (PM) decreased. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) deferred to Tuesday hearing on the Delhi government’s plea on exemptions on the odd-even traffic scheme.
On Friday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) registered the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi-NCR at 299 at 7 p.m. as compared to 362 at 6 p.m. on Thursday.
Notably, seven of 17 monitoring stations of the CPCB in Delhi found air quality in those areas in the “very poor” bracket while remaining stations in Delhi showed air quality in “poor” category.
In neighbouring Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram, AQI ranged between “poor” and “very poor”.
The major pollutant PM2.5 or particles with diameter less than 2.5 micro meter, recorded 299 units – putting it in “poor” category while PM10 concentration was found at 202 units – considered as “poor”.
Mahesh Palwat, Director of Skymet, a private weather forecast agency, said air quality had improved due to winds from north-west and cyclonic formation in Rajasthan.
“The western disturbance has moved away from hills and hill states have witnessed rainfall and snowfall. So winds from north west with speed of up to 15 kmph are bringing pollution levels down,” Palawat said.
Due to relatively cooler and drier winds, smog would not form and temperature would to go down by 2-3 degrees Celsius, he added.
Palawat also said the possibility of increase in pollution due to dust storm in Saudi Arabia and UAE was ruled out as recently formed western disturbance over Pakistan would obstruct it.
System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), weather forecasting body under Ministry of Earth Science, has predicted levels of PM2.5 and PM10 in Delhi to remain in “very poor” and “moderate” categories, respectively, on Saturday.
The NGT on Friday vacated its stay on construction activities in Delhi-NCR and ordered the concerned neighbouring states to submit an action plan to tackle the pollution menace in two weeks’ time. However, it deferred the odd-even matter to Tuesday.
The Supreme Court-monitored Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) on Friday wrote to the Delhi government that there was “land available for parking of 2,000 buses within available infrastructure” but no additional buses were procured.
On Friday, Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi Anil Baijal held a meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot and EPCA officials to tackle the air pollution situation.
In a tweet, the LG said “Emergency measures lifted but measures like prohibition on open burning of garbage, mechanical sweeping of roads, increased frequency of metro and ban on use of generator sets to continue and to be strictly enforced by all agencies.”
Later, Delhi government sent a release saying the transport department had finalised the roll-out plan for the procurement of 2,000 CNG propelled standard non-AC buses (1,000 each for DTC and Cluster scheme).
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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