Pollution

Delhi consistently features in the list of most polluted cities globally and mitigation measures have tended to focus on the capital although other, smaller cities too confront toxic levels of pollution. The government and judiciary have proactively led the battle against pollution. India is to switch to Bharat Stage VI vehicle emission norms in April 2020 , skipping an intermediate stage.

Although the environment ministry released its muchawaited draft National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) to tackle air pollution in April and opened it up for feedback until May 17, it has contested the count of air pollution deaths in India by global agencies, noting that they are based on estimations and not on primary data from the country.

“Health impact assessment is an action point under the NCAP,” Prashant Gargava, head of the air quality division at the Central Pollution Control Board, said.”we are starting a 20-city study on the health effects of air pollution.”

Activists have slammed the NCAP programme as toothless. “When it is convenient for them, they refer to international studies, when it comes to health impact, they still deny them,” said Sunil Dahiya from Greenpeace India. “The Chinese cities are showing improvement over past years and that is because of the time-bound and sectorial target adapted there which seems to be missing from Indian version of the concept note on NCAP aimed at improving air quality,” he said.

An important feature of the draft NCAP is formulation of air pollution action plans for 100 cities that consistently flout pollution standards that are to be implemented by states. Representatives from state pollution control boards have raised concerns about the absence of specific targets and time frames, lack of reliable data and adequate funds to implement the plan. party had been allotted land, Kriplani said no other party had applied. “We will give land to any party that approaches us,” he said. Pilot said the Congress isn’t aware of this. “How would we know about land allotment when the government did not publish any advertisement or write to party leaders?” He said the Congress has applied for land in a couple of districts but claimed its applications were not being considered.

In two of the 25 districts , Sawai Madhopur and Bikaner, land conversion is underway before the allotment to the BJP is done.

In the remaining eight districts, the allotment is being processed in two ( Baran and Ajmer), the party has acquired private land in two (Jalore and Sikar), it has not applied for land in three (Jodhpur, Alwar and Pratpagarh), and it hasn’t been able to find a plot it likes in Jaipur.

The party is scouting for 6000 sqm land for the party office in Jaipur. Sharma said the party wants land near the present office in the centrally located C-scheme area. The party did not find the options given by the Jaipur Development Authority suitable as they are far away from the city centre, he said. Currently, BJP offices are either in government buildings or have been taken on rent, he said.

In his last rally of the day, addressing voters in Chikkodi, Belagavi district in Northern Karnataka, Modi asked the electorate to vote for BJP so as to have the same party ruling at the Centre and in the state. Accusing the CM of sleeping instead of working for development, he said the elections were an opportunity to change the fortunes of the state.

Two hot-button issues of the day — the agrarian crisis and the rights of Dalits — found mention in Modi’s speeches. In one speech, he claimed the Congress was antiDalit and said India’s first PM Jawaharlal Nehru had campaigned against Dalit icon BR Ambedkar. In another, he said that after forming the government in 2014, his government had discovered that there was no ownership for about 99 agriculture- and irrigation-related projects, including five in Karnataka. He also lauded BJP’S candidate B S Yeddyurappa for introducing a separate agri-budget in the state in his earlier stint as the CM.

Afzal Amanullah, former parliamentary affairs secretary, said: “The Karnataka election campaign is set to become much shriller. And it’s no longer a battle for state but also has larger, national ramifications.”

PM Modi will be again in Karnataka on May 3. religious freedom of these Muslim sculptors. They regularly do Namaz thrice. During the holy month of Ramzan, they strictly follow the Roza. “Though they are working on a Vaishnavaite temple, we also provide them non-vegetarian food once a week but away from the work spot and they do not take up sculpting on that day,” said G Venkat Reddy, the contractor for the work.

Apart from food, each sculptor is paid ₹800 to ₹1,000 per day, depending on his level of skills.

Sheik Jani, 35, who worked on nearly 30 temples, has developed an affinity towards Hindu shrines. “I have worked even on sculpting presiding deities in the sanctum sanctorum in various temples,” he said.

G Kishan Rao, CEO of the Yadadri Temple Development Authority, said the involvement of Muslim sculptors in the project showed the true spirit of unity in diversity of India.