Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday and discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, diplomatic developments and efforts aimed at restoring peace.

The conversation also covered India-Ukraine bilateral cooperation, with both leaders agreeing to further strengthen ties between the two countries.

Modi reiterates India’s position on Ukraine war

During the telephone conversation, PM Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to contributing towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Modi reiterated India’s consistent position that the conflict should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. He also conveyed India’s readiness to contribute to efforts aimed at achieving a peaceful resolution.

Modi said he thanked Zelenskyy for sharing his perspective on the ongoing conflict, including its humanitarian aspects and the various efforts being made to restore peace.

Zelensky briefs Modi on diplomatic developments

Zelenskyy said he briefed Modi on the latest diplomatic developments ahead of upcoming peace talks in Abu Dhabi.

The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was preparing for the agenda of the meeting and maintained that Russia should demonstrate a similar willingness to de-escalate the conflict.

Zelenskyy also said Modi had repeatedly conveyed, including directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin, that the time had come to end the war rather than continue it.

India-Ukraine ties also discussed

Beyond the conflict, Modi and Zelenskyy reviewed their countries’ wide-ranging bilateral cooperation and agreed to strengthen India-Ukraine ties further.

Zelenskyy also said discussions touched on food security and the disruption of grain exports through the Black Sea. He said India was ready to help mediate efforts to establish food corridors, with the two sides agreeing to keep their teams in contact on this and other bilateral issues.

The call comes as diplomatic efforts continue around the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with talks in Abu Dhabi forming part of the latest efforts to explore a path towards ending the war.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday extended greetings to the people of Uttarakhand on the occasion of the state’s Foundation Day, praising its spiritual heritage, natural beauty and development journey.

In a message posted on X, PM Modi described Uttarakhand as a land enriched by spiritual consciousness, mountain landscapes, sacred rivers and the Char Dham. He also highlighted the state’s distinct identity rooted in its cultural heritage.

PM Modi highlights Uttarakhand’s development

The Prime Minister credited the people of Uttarakhand for the state’s progress, saying their hard work, talent and progressive outlook had helped it reach new heights across different sectors.

He expressed confidence that Uttarakhand would continue to move rapidly along the path of development. PM Modi also wished happiness, peace and prosperity to the people of the state on the occasion.

Why Uttarakhand celebrates Foundation Day

Uttarakhand Foundation Day is observed every year on November 9. The state was formed on November 9, 2000, after being carved out of Uttar Pradesh, becoming the 27th state of India. Dehradun serves as its capital.

The Himalayan state is popularly known as Devbhoomi, or the Land of the Gods. It is home to the four major pilgrimage sites of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath, collectively known as the Char Dham.

Yogi Adityanath also greets Uttarakhand

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also extended greetings to the people of Uttarakhand on Foundation Day.

Yogi highlighted the state’s natural beauty, folk culture, spiritual heritage and tradition of valour. He also said that Uttarakhand was setting new benchmarks for development under the guidance of PM Modi and the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Delhi-NCR witnessed a sharp deterioration in air quality on Diwali night as thick smoke blanketed several parts of the region and visibility fell. Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 373, in the “very poor” category, at 11:05 pm on November 8, according to data cited from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Several parts of the capital, however, recorded AQI levels above 400, placing them in the “severe” category. Areas reporting such levels included Alipur, Bawana, Burari, Chandni Chowk, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, Rohini and Vivek Vihar, among others.

Delhi-NCR air quality on Diwali night

The pollution was not restricted to Delhi. At 11:05 pm, Noida’s average AQI stood at 319, while Ghaziabad recorded 360. Gurugram and Faridabad recorded AQI levels of 280 and 297, respectively.

According to the CPCB classification, an AQI between 301 and 400 falls under the “very poor” category, while 401 to 500 is classified as “severe”.

The Air Quality Early Warning System had predicted that Delhi’s air quality was likely to remain in the severe category from November 9 for the next few days.

GRAP Stage 3 already in force

Ahead of Diwali, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had enforced Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR as a pre-emptive measure.

The move came amid forecasts of worsening air quality around the festival.

Despite restrictions, concerns were raised over compliance with pollution-control measures and the continued use of firecrackers.

Environmentalist questions pollution data

Environmentalists also raised questions about whether official AQI readings fully reflected the pollution being experienced across neighbourhoods.

Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari questioned the reliability of government pollution data and pointed to differences between official readings and measurements from independent AQI monitors. She also raised concerns about data gaps at several monitoring stations on November 6.

Kandhari alleged that 11 monitoring stations had experienced data gaps, including 22 missing hourly PM2.5 readings and 27 missing PM10 readings. She specifically mentioned outages at IIT Delhi, Nangloi and NSIT Dwarka.

The concerns come as Delhi enters another period of severe winter pollution, with smoke, poor dispersion conditions and emissions contributing to deteriorating air quality.