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.

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.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju slammed Congress General Secretary and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech in the Parliament boring. The Union Minister said that Priyanka Gandhi made such remarks as she is new to the Parliament, and she did not understand the Prime Minister’s vision. 

Reacting to the PM’s 100 minute speech, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra compared it to a double period of Mathematics in school, mentioning it to be unengaging and lacked novelty. She further remarked that the Prime Minister has not spoken anything new. She claimed that the Prime Minister has bored the Parliamentarians. 

Responding to Gandhi’s remarks, Kiren Rijiju defended PM Narendra Modi’s address, stressing its significance. He added that maybe Priyanka Gandhi did not understand what the Prime Minister was saying, but everything Narendra Modi said was correct. 

He emphasized that PM Narendra Modi outlined 11 mantras for making India a developed nation. The Union Minister further underlined that the mantra is not for any single party but a collective mission, which all have to follow. Kiren Rijiju stated that they must work together to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat by 2027. He added that whatever PM Modi said, they need to unite and make India a developed nation.   

Speaking during the Lok Sabha debate on the 75-year journey of India’s Constitution on Saturday, Kiren Rijiju accused the Congress of failing to honour Dr BR Ambedkar appropriately. He also demanded an apology from the party to lessen its sins, alleging that the Congress initially excluded Ambedkar from the cabinet and later made him lose the 1952 parliamentary election. He further questioned why the Bharat Ratna was conferred on Ambedkar only in 1990, decades after his contributions. 

The Union Minister dismissed claims that minorities lack safety and rights in India. Mentioning Article 15 of the Constitution, he stated that India has always ensured equal rights and opportunities for all, including minorities. He added that India is one of the first countries to grant universal suffrage. He also highlighted that the Constitution protects the freedom of religion and minority interests.