India News

Protesting farmers deny they blocked oxygen trucks on way to Delhi hospitals

A senior government official said the protesting farmers were at risk of contracting Covid-19 and the protest sites could become super-spreaders. The official claimed that little social distancing or mask protocol was followed by farmers in the protest.

Published

5 years ago

April 21, 2021

An oxygen supply firm has charged that its oxygen trucks are being forced to take longer routes to reach Delhi hospitals due to blockades at key border points in an obvious reference to farmers protesting farm laws.

After the oxygen supply firm’s claim, a debate has erupted over the morality of the farmers’ protest that began in November-end. Government officials claimed that a major oxygen supplier sought a green corridor for its trucks headed for Delhi, as these vehicles had to take a nearly 100-km detour from the supplier’s unit in Uttar Pradesh due to a blockade at Ghazipur border. A similar situation was being faced at Singhu border while ferrying oxygen from Panipat to Delhi.

The debate also triggered questions like whether farmers should call off their protest at Delhi’s borders and return home in the wake of the spike in Covid-19 cases that has left the capital on its knees and hands?

The farmers have refused to budge, saying they have no plans of going back to their villages and that there is no coronavirus cases at protest sites. The protesting farmers have also rejected that they blocked oxygen supply trucks.

Meenakshi Lekhi, the BJP MP from New Delhi, urged the courts to pass an order to send them back given how the second wave is raging. She said,

“Will the farmers be happy if people die in hospitals because oxygen got delayed? Where does the commitment of the farmers lie?”

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi slams Modi govt’s vaccination strategy, says it’s not less than demonetisation

Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar said it was totally up to the farmers if they wanted to suspend the protest in view of the second Covid wave. He rejected the argument that the farmers’ protest was responsible for the high Covid numbers in Punjab. Jakhar said the Central government has lost all credibility on the Covid front with the BJP throwing caution to the wind in its election rallies. The Centre has lost the moral authority as it first needs to practise what it preaches. No one believes their warnings on Covid when they themselves keep doing rallies.

Senior farmers’ leader and BKU president Balbir Singh Rajewal said farmers would neither call off their protest nor suspend it and go back.

“There is no Covid at all at the protest sites and even one case. So this whole talk is a big conspiracy against the farmers’ movement. The farmers believe that once the farmers go back to Punjab, the government will never allow them to return to Delhi.”

Also Read: Maharashtra: 22 dead in Nashik due to oxygen tanker leak outside hospital

The farmer leader said protesters did not stop any oxygen supply truck while the police were manning the blockade sites and turning away vehicles. There are many roads and routes to Delhi, besides the ones blocked at Singhu and Ghazipur. The farmers have also alleged that other routes have been dug up and barricaded by the police themselves.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, have been protesting at Delhi’s borders for close to five months, demanding the repeal of three farm laws passed by Parliament last year. Several rounds of talks between the Centre and the protesting farmer unions have yielded nothing. The government has offered suspending the laws for 18 months but the farmers want nothing short of the repeal of the laws.

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Maharashtra: 22 dead in Nashik due to oxygen tanker leak outside hospital

India News

Delhi-NCR sees second spell of rain and thunderstorms in four days

Delhi-NCR experienced another spell of rain and thunderstorms on March 18, with IMD forecasting more showers over the next few days.

Published

9 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region witnessed another spell of rain, thunderstorms, and strong winds on Wednesday evening, marking the second such weather event in the past four days.

The sudden change brought relief from unusually high temperatures recorded earlier this month. According to officials, the temperature at Safdarjung — the city’s base weather station — was recorded at 24 degrees Celsius at 7 pm.

The India Meteorological Department had earlier issued an alert predicting light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on March 18. Several areas across the capital experienced gusty winds along with brief but intense showers.

More rain likely over next two days

The weather department has forecast partly cloudy skies for March 19 and 20, with chances of light rain or thundershowers occurring once or twice during the day. On March 21, skies are expected to remain cloudy with the possibility of light showers continuing.

Conditions are likely to stabilise from March 23 onwards, with forecasts indicating a return to partly cloudy to clear skies across the region.

Weather activity across India to intensify

The IMD has also indicated widespread weather activity across multiple regions of the country in the coming days. Rainfall is expected to intensify in several states, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.

In the northeastern region, heavy rainfall is likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya during the early part of the week.

Meanwhile, the western Himalayan region is also set to witness a shift in weather patterns. Himachal Pradesh is likely to receive heavy rainfall on March 19 and 20, while Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir may experience heavy showers around March 20.

India News

Centre pushes states to cut levies to boost PNG adoption

The Centre has asked states to reduce local levies and streamline approvals to accelerate PNG adoption and city gas infrastructure growth.

Published

11 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has urged states and Union Territories to ease local levies and procedural barriers affecting City Gas Distribution (CGD) projects, in a bid to accelerate the adoption of piped natural gas (PNG) as a cleaner fuel alternative.

In a communication sent to Chief Secretaries, Petroleum and Natural Gas Secretary Neeraj Mittal highlighted that high right-of-way charges, road cutting fees, lease rentals and other local levies imposed by urban bodies are discouraging investments in CGD infrastructure.

High costs slowing expansion

The ministry pointed out that the CGD sector, particularly PNG supply to households and commercial establishments, does not receive direct subsidies. As a result, it depends heavily on viable returns, which are being impacted by excessive and inconsistent local charges across states.

It noted that these financial and procedural hurdles are slowing down infrastructure expansion and affecting the broader adoption of natural gas.

Gap between connections and usage

According to the government, while around 12.63 crore PNG connections have been recorded, only about 1.6 crore are currently active. The ministry stressed that improving ease of doing business at state and local levels could help bridge this gap and expand the consumer base.

Officials believe that rationalising levies may initially reduce local revenues but could lead to higher long-term gains through increased gas consumption and economic activity.

LPG shortage adds urgency

The push for PNG adoption comes amid supply constraints in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Oil marketing companies are currently supplying only 20 per cent of normal commercial LPG demand to states.

To address this, the ministry has proposed increasing LPG allocation to 30 per cent for states that implement reforms supporting PNG and CGD expansion.

Reform-linked incentives for states

The Centre has suggested a set of measures that states can adopt to qualify for higher LPG allocations. These include:

Setting up empowered state and district-level committees for faster approvals
Introducing single-window clearance with deemed approvals within 24 hours
Implementing a dig-and-restore model using bank guarantees instead of restoration charges
Eliminating annual rental or lease charges for CGD infrastructure

The ministry said compliance with these reforms would be verified before granting additional LPG allocations.

Industry support measures

The communication also noted that GAIL and its subsidiaries have already allocated full gas supply to the commercial PNG segment to support businesses affected by reduced LPG availability.

The government reiterated that expanding natural gas usage aligns with its broader push for cleaner and domestically sourced energy.

India News

BJP seals Assam seat-sharing pact, Modi to hold 3 rallies in April

BJP has finalised its Assam seat-sharing plan with allies and is gearing up for an intense campaign led by PM Modi and Amit Shah.

Published

11 hours ago

March 18, 2026

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has finalised its seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assam Assembly elections, firming up its strategy alongside National Democratic Alliance partners as campaigning gathers pace in the state.

Under the agreement, the BJP will contest 89 seats, while its allies — Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People’s Front — will field candidates in 26 and 11 constituencies respectively. The distribution has been decided after internal deliberations, with the focus now shifting to candidate announcements and campaign execution.

Campaign push led by top leadership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address three rallies in Assam during the final leg of the campaign. Tentative dates for the rallies are April 1, April 3 and April 6, with events likely to be held in key constituencies.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is also set to spearhead an extensive campaign across the state through March, aiming to energise party workers and strengthen voter outreach.

Candidate selection underway

The party’s Central Election Committee is currently meeting to finalise candidates. Sources indicate that approvals for most constituencies are expected soon, and the BJP may release its complete list of candidates within the next two days.

Ticket distribution remains a crucial exercise, with internal discussions highlighting its potential impact on local political dynamics. Party leaders have also touched upon the proposed delimitation exercise scheduled for 2027, which is expected to have long-term implications for Assam’s electoral landscape.