The Commission for Air Quality Management said that GRAP-III recommendations have been reimposed across Delhi and the national capital region following highly unfavourable meteorological conditions, including calm winds and very low mixing height.

Under GRAP-III restrictions, all schools in Delhi-NCR must switch to a hybrid class mode for students till Class V, and there will be restrictions on the entry of diesel-powered commercial vehicles.

Furthermore, goods vehicles with engines below the BS-IV certification cannot run, except for those used for emergency purposes or to provide essential services, and goods carriers registered outside the national capital cannot, till further notice, enter the city if their engine is below the BS-IV mark.

Individuals with disabilities are exempt from the restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi and the surrounding districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar under Stage III.

In addition, the Delhi and NCR state governments have been instructed to stagger working hours for public offices and municipal bodies during Stage III. Reportedly, the Centre may also implement similar staggered timings for central government offices in the Delhi-NCR region.

At around 2.30 pm the city’s AQI was 366, which is in the higher end of the very poor category. Notably, this is a sharp spike from seven days ago; on December 7 it was 233, which classified it as moderate. Also, three days before that, Delhi’s AQI was at 211.

This improvement in air quality meant the Supreme Court, on December 5, allowed the CAQM to relax anti-pollution measures from GRAP-IV, the strictest of a four-stage Graded Response Action Plan meant to tackle deteriorating air pollution in the national capital region.

Previous month the air quality in Delhi and the surrounding areas was consistently in the severe and very poor category, prompting annual health warnings from medical professionals and triggering a rush of cases before the Supreme Court asking for directions to the government.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress during the debate to mark the Constitution’s 75th anniversary in Rajya Sabha. She accused the grand old party of repeatedly trying to undermine the Constitution through amendments.

Targeting India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Finance Minister referred to the first Constitutional amendment in 1951, adding that it was essentially to curb the freedom of speech and expression. Mentioning that though India even today prides itself on the freedom of expression, she claimed that the first interim government came up with a Constitutional amendment to curb the freedom of speech of Indians. She explained the amendment was because the first Prime Minister deplored press scrutiny of his government even as he publicly praised the freedom of press. 

 Additionally, Nirmala Sitharaman also referred to the arrest of poet-lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri and actor Balraj Sahni in 1949. She pointed out that during one of the meetings organised for mill workers, Majrooh Sultanpuri recited a poem that was written against Jawaharlal Nehru. Therefore, he had to go to jail, she claimed. The Finance Minister asserted that when the poet refused to render an apology and was jailed along with Balraj Sahni, an eminent actor of those days. Taking a swipe at Congress’s Constitution pitch, she added that is the level of tolerance and today they hold the Constitution in their hand and say freedom of speech, there is a sense of fear in our country.

She also remarked that the Congress government banned a book, Nehru: A Political Biography, by Michael Edwardes and a film, Kissa Kursi Ka, in 1975 because it questioned Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, her son and also the Information and Broadcasting Minister then. She added that in 1988 Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses was banned. So, this spree of curtailing the freedom of expression, containing freedom of press happened before 1949 and continues after 1951, she asserted.

Finance Minister Sitharaman said that the amendments brought by Congress governments were not aimed at strengthening democracy but to shield those in power. She said that in the aftermath of the Second World War, more than 50 countries became independent and framed their Constitution. But while many of them have changed it completely, India’s Constitution has stood the test of time, she exclaimed.

She hailed that today they are extremely proud of the way India’s democracy is growing. She underlined that it is time to reaffirm their commitment to build India, that is Bharat, that shall uphold the spirit enshrined in this sacred document.

She further referred to amendments brought in to nullify an Allahabad High Court judgment in 1975 against Indira Gandhi in an election malpractices case. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also referred to the Shah Bano case during Rajiv Gandhi’s term as Prime Minister. After the judgment from the Supreme Court in the Shah Bano case, the Congress passed the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Divorce Act 1986 which denied Muslim women their right to alimony, she noted.

Additionally, referring to the imposition of the Emergency in 1975, she said that the amendments were not about strengthening democracy but protecting those in power.

The swearing-in ceremony of the Mahayuti cabinet is underway in Nagpur in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Reportedly, 39 MLAs are being sworn in as ministers 

Many Shiv Sena and NCP MLAs are set to be inducted into the council of ministers, reflecting the alliance’s push to finalise its governance team. Reports stated that while 20 MLAs from the BJP are set to become ministers, the party is likely to keep some ministerial positions vacant. Furthermore, 13 MLAs from the Shiv Sena quota and 10 from the NCP quota are being sworn in. The list of portfolios is likely to be announced by tonight after the searing-in ceremony. 

Notably, BJP’s state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule was the first to be sworn in as cabinet minister. Another BJP candidate who took oath as a minister was Radhakrishna Vikhepatil, who was earlier with the Shinde party as a revenue minister.

Beside the aforesaid BJP leaders, Girish Mahajan, Ganesh Naik, Chandrakant Patil, Mangalprabhat Lodha, Jaykumar Rawal, Pankaja Munde, Atul Save, Ashok Uike, Ashish Shelar, Sanjay Savkare, Jaykumar Gore, Shivendra Raje Bhosale, Ashish Shelar will take oath as ministers.

From SHIV SENA, Gulabrao Patil, Dada Bhuse, Sanjay Rathod, Uday Samant, Shambhuraj Desai, Sanjay Shirsat, Pratap Sarnaik, Bharatshet Gogawale will be sworn-in as ministers. NCP leaders Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, Dattatray Bharne, Narhari Jhirwal, Manikrao Kokate, Aditi Sunil Tatkare will also take oath as ministers.

Reportedly, the BJP, which holds a significant share of cabinet berths, is expected to bring in new faces during the expansion. Furthermore, the BJP is likely to hand over the housing ministry to the Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra cabinet expansion while retaining the home ministry.

Reports said that both Shiv Sena and NCP are expected to keep the portfolios they held in the previous Mahayuti government, with the Shiv Sena gaining one additional ministry.

Additionally, the BJP is likely to retain major departments like revenue, education, power and irrigation. NCP is likely to keep the finance, cooperative, agriculture and sports portfolios.