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.

The Uttar Pradesh government has announced a 5 per cent increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees ahead of Diwali. With this revision, the DA rate has increased from 58 per cent to 63 per cent, providing financial relief to lakhs of eligible employees across the state.

The revised allowance will be effective from July 1, 2026, according to the government announcement. A government order was also issued on Saturday, November 7.

The enhanced DA will be paid along with employees’ regular November 2026 salaries.

Which employees will benefit from the DA hike?

The decision covers regular state government employees and several other categories of eligible staff.

These include employees of aided educational and technical institutions, regular and full-time employees of urban local bodies, work-charged employees and personnel drawing salaries under University Grants Commission (UGC) pay scales.

The revision is expected to benefit a large section of the Uttar Pradesh workforce ahead of the festive season.

What happens to the DA arrears?

The revised DA rate will apply retrospectively from July 1, 2026. Consequently, employees will also be entitled to arrears for the period preceding the November salary payment.

The government has made provisions for the payment of the arrears for July to October 2026. These amounts will be credited to employees’ provident fund accounts, according to the reported payment arrangements.

The enhanced allowance for November will be reflected in the regular salary for that month.

The decision comes ahead of Diwali and will provide additional financial relief to eligible government employees in Uttar Pradesh.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar was discharged from Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on Saturday after undergoing treatment for a chest and respiratory infection. The 85-year-old leader returned to his residence following a three-day stay at the hospital.

Pawar had been admitted to Breach Candy Hospital earlier this week after being discharged from Pune’s Ruby Hall Clinic. He was initially admitted to the Pune facility on November 2 and discharged on November 4, following which he was shifted to Mumbai for further medical evaluation and treatment.

His hospitalisation had drawn visits from several political leaders and prominent personalities, including Congress leaders Sushilkumar Shinde and Balasaheb Thorat, NCP leader Dilip Walse-Patil, industrialist Gautam Adani and NCP leader Praful Patel.

Sharad Pawar’s hospitalisation and discharge

Pawar was receiving treatment for a chest and respiratory infection during his stay at Breach Candy Hospital. His discharge on Saturday followed the improvement in his health.

The veteran politician had initially complained of persistent cough and chest discomfort before being admitted to Ruby Hall Clinic in Pune. He was subsequently shifted to Mumbai for additional medical evaluation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also spoken to Pawar over the phone to enquire about his health and advised him to take adequate rest.

NCP merger speculation gains momentum

Pawar’s discharge comes at a time when political discussions surrounding a possible merger between the Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) have gained attention.

The political buzz intensified following a meeting between senior NCP leaders and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. The absence of NCP chief Sunetra Pawar and her son Parth Pawar from the meeting also drew attention amid reports of internal differences within the party.

NCP leader Praful Patel had also visited Sharad Pawar at Breach Candy Hospital. However, Patel had rejected speculation that their meeting involved political discussions, saying that he regularly met Pawar and Supriya Sule because of their family ties.

The possibility of bringing the two NCP factions together has therefore remained a subject of political discussion, although no confirmed merger announcement has been made.