Chandigarh, Nov 14: Keeping in view the rising levels of air pollution in Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar districts of Haryana around the National Capital Territory of Delhi, the Haryana government has decided that all schools will remain closed with immediate effect till November 17.
Stating this here on Sunday, an official spokesperson said that the state government is voluntarily putting a number of measures in operation with immediate effect for the next seven days in revenue districts of Faridabad, Gurugram and Jhajjar falling within NCR area.
The spokesperson said that as per the directions issued in a letter by Chief Secretary-cum-Chairperson, Haryana State Executive Committee to all the Administrative Secretaries in the State of Haryana, Director General of Haryana Police, Divisional Commissioners and IGPS, Gurugram, Faridabad and Rohtak, Deputy Commissioners and SPs Gurugram, Faridabad, Sonipat and Jhajjar, Chairman, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Panchkula, Member Secretary, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, Panchkula, all Government and Private Schools shall remain closed.
He said that with an aim to reduce 30 per cent plying of vehicles on roads which will impact vehicular emissions and also reduce dust in the air, all Government and private offices are advised to work from home. Vehicles older than 10/15 years (Diesel/Petrol respectively) shall be strictly checked with regard to emissions and impounded accordingly, he added.
He also informed that there will be complete ban on all types of construction and development activities. Mechanized Stone Crushers and Hot Mix plants used in construction activities shall be closed. No trash burning by Municipal bodies shall be allowed. Stubble burning shall be prohibited. No manual sweeping of roads shall be allowed, he added.
He said that to control dust pollution, water sprinkling on roads will be done. Deputy Commissioners will constitute joint inspection teams for enforcing the above directions/instructions and shall ensure extensive checking, monitoring and action against the violators as per law/rules/instructions/directions issued from time to time by the Haryana Government.
He said that these guidelines will come into force with immediate effect and remain operational till November 17, 2021. The district administration will ensure wide publicity by MUNADI (beat of drums) within their jurisdiction. Publicity shall also be carried out through press release and social media. Strict compliance of the same directions be ensured by all concerned, he added.
New Delhi, Nov 14: The tenures of the Directors of both the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have been extended up to five years.
According to the Ministry of Law and Justice, the President on Sunday promulgated two Ordinances, the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021, to extend the tenures of the ED and CBI chiefs, respectively up to five years from the existing two years.
The Centre brought both the Ordinances, days before the start of the Winter session of Parliament.
New Delhi, Nov 14,2021: India on Saturday pushed nearly 200 nations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26, to accept a deal which significantly watered down the text on the use of coal with inclusion of ‘phase down,’ instead of ‘phase out’ coal power. The final text urged the nations to accelerate efforts to “phase down” unfiltered coal and “phase out” inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.
The finale, after two weeks of laboured negotiations, came after an intense process of opposition and demand for revision to the final text over the sticking point — a call to accelerate the ‘phase-out’ of unabated coal power, from plants that don’t use carbon-capture technology. India, finding support from China to change the text, offered a new version of the paragraph that used ‘phase-down’ to describe what needs to happen to coal use. This was incorporated into the final text endorsed by almost 200 nations.
The COP26 deal calls on all countries to accelerate their emission cuts by submitting new national plans by 2022, three years earlier than agreed in Paris. The agreement recognises that commitments made by the countries so far to cut emissions of planet-heating greenhouse gases are not enough to prevent planetary warming from exceeding 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures and asks the governments to strengthen those targets by the end of next year, rather than every five years, as previously required.
“I think today, we can say with credibility that we’ve kept 1.5 (degrees) within reach,” said Alok Sharma, president of the COP26 summit. “But its pulse is weak, and we will only survive if we keep our promises.”
The Glasgow Climate Pact has in no way succeeded in going far enough to keep the world below a 1.5 degree Celsius temperature rise, opined Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment.
“The pact’s fundamental and fatal flaw is in the very first page, where it says that it notes the importance for some of the concept of climate justice. We cannot erase the fact that certain countries – the US, EU-27, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Russia and now China – have consumed roughly 70 per cent of the carbon budget, the space in the atmosphere that is available to keep the world below the 1.5 degree temperature rise.
“The challenge is that the world has run out of carbon budget, but some 70 per cent of the world’s people still need the right to development. As these countries grow, they will add emissions and take the world to catastrophic levels of temperature rise. It is for this reason, climate justice is not an add-on concept for some, but the pre-requisite for an effective and ambitious agreement. This lack of understanding is at the core of the problem,” said Narain.
Reflecting the demand of poor and vulnerable countries, the text notes that wealthy nations failed to stump up a separate annual sum of 100 billion dollars, they promised over a decade ago and urges developed country parties to at least double their collective provision of climate finance for adaptation to developing country parties from 2019 levels by 2025.
However, the text of the agreement has no reference to a specific finance facility for the loss and damage climate change has already caused in the developing world and only promises future “dialogue” on the subject.
According to Somesh Kumar, Partner and National Leader – Power and Utilities, Ernst and Young India, financing has emerged as the primary challenge, especially for developing nations, to balance between economic and climate goals.
“Adequate financing combined with seamless technology access can help fast racks clean transition globally. With more than 150 parties submitting updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the CoP 26 acknowledges almost 90 per cent of global emissions and over 90 per cent of global GDP being covered by mid-century net zero or carbon neutrality commitments,” said Kumar.
Nov 13,2021:France on Friday warned Russia against damaging Ukraine’s territorial integrity after the United States shared with European allies its fears of Russian troop movements along the Ukrainian border and of a possible attack.
Four European diplomats told Reuters that US officials had expressed concern over an attack on Ukraine with its European Union allies at a briefing in Brussels. Two said the meeting took place on Wednesday with 30 ambassadors at the level of NATO’s transatlantic alliance.
France’s foreign and defense ministers, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Florence Parly, issued an unusually sharp statement after meeting with their Russian counterparts in Paris.
“The two ministers expressed their concerns about the deteriorating security situation in Ukraine and clearly warned of the serious consequences of further possible damage to the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the statement said.
Earlier in the day, Russia dismissed as inflammatory suggestions that Moscow could weigh in on an attack and accused the U.S. of aggressive moves in the Black Sea.
European diplomats declined to give further details on U.S. reasons or evidence to fear an attack.
In addition, one diplomatic source said that last week at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council – the main political decision-making body within NATO – Karen Donfried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, shared in more detail her recent trip to Moscow. and shared her concern about the troop buildup.
“The patterns of Russian behavior are different from what we have seen before,” a NATO source said without explanation.
“So far, it is unclear whether this military build-up is intended to lead to an incursion into Ukraine or whether it is just another exercise.”
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and says the waters around it now belong to Moscow despite most countries still recognizing the peninsula as Ukrainian.
Russian-backed separatists took control of the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine that same year and soldiers on both sides are still regularly killed in the conflict there.
The Kremlin said it was dependent on Moscow, where it had deployed within its borders. “Such headlines do nothing more than pointless and unfoundedly nurture tensions. Russia is not threatening anyone, ”said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shuigu, in Paris for the talks with Parly and Le Drian, was quoted by TASS as saying that it is important to work with France to scale up the Ukrainian situation.
A rebuke
In another rare reprimand from Moscow, Paris earlier this week accused it of blocking efforts to convene a ministerial meeting between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine aimed at pushing forward peace agreements reached in 2014. France and Germany accused Russia of imposing unrealistic conditions, something Moscow neas.
The European Union this week accused a close Russian ally of Belarus of encouraging thousands fleeing parts of the world to try to cross its borders.
Brussels is expected to impose new sanctions next week, diplomats said. There is no suggestion at this stage that Russia is supporting Belarus functionally, although it has publicly rebuked the EU.
The Russian defense ministry said it had detected six flights of NATO spy planes in airspace over the Black Sea, part of what it described as intensifying reconnaissance by the Western Army.
The Russian military also said it was tracking U.S. naval ships in the Black Sea and accused Washington of studying the region as a possible theater of war.
Returning from Washington, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv and its Western allies have intensified diplomatic efforts to warn Russia against launching a new military attack on Ukraine.
A spokesman at a German foreign office said ministers from France, Germany and Ukraine would discuss the crisis on Monday in Brussels.
Brussels, Nov 12,2021: European Commission spokesman Stefan de Keersmaecke on Friday did not mention Aeroflot among the airlines contacted by the European Union over the migration crisis at the Belarusian-Polish border.
“Several contacts have been established with a number of airlines, including Turkish Airlines, Fly Dubai, Royal Air Maroc, Air Arabia, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Ethihad, Midleestern airlines, Oman Air, Iraqi Airways and Egypt air these are the airlines that have been contacted in the context of the difficulties that we are trying to handle now and all of them have condemned any form of human trafficking,” de Keersmaecker spokesperson told a briefing.
Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that the European Union is discussing sanctions against Aeroflot and Turkish Airlines over their alleged involvement in bringing migrants to Belarus. On Thursday, the European Commission said that Brussels would look into the option of sanctioning airlines engaged in transferring migrants to Belarus as part of the fifth sanctions package against Minsk, expected early next week. Moscow said that media reports of possible sanctions against Aeroflot are unfounded.
New Delhi, Nov 11,2021: India on Thursday said it has taken note of last week’s Pentagon report on China having built a large 100-home civilian village inside the disputed territory on the boundary with India, and added that New Delhi has neither accepted such illegal occupation of its territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, answering media queries on the issue, said the government has always conveyed its strong protest to such activities through diplomatic means and will continue to do so.
He also said that China has been undertaking illegal construction activities on the border areas in the past several years, including in the areas it has illegally occupied over the decades.
He said the government is maintaining a close watch on all developments that have a bearing on India’s security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,
He said: “We have taken note of the US Department of Defence’s report to US Congress which inter-alia also makes a reference to construction activities by the Chinese side along the India-China border areas particularly in the Eastern Sector. Reports had also appeared in the media earlier this year on this issue.
“As we had stated then, China has undertaken construction activities in the past several years along the border areas including in the areas that it has illegally occupied over the decades.
“India has neither accepted such illegal occupation of our territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims. The Government has always conveyed its strong protest to such activities through diplomatic means and will continue to do so in the future.
“Further, as conveyed earlier the Government has also stepped up border infrastructure including the construction of roads, bridges etc, which has provided much needed connectivity to the local population along the border.
“The Government remains committed to the objective of creating infrastructure along the border areas for the improvement of livelihood of its citizens, including in Arunachal Pradesh.
“Government keeps a constant watch on all developments having a bearing on India’s security and takes all the necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the spokesperson said.
The Pentagon, in its China Military Power Report last week to the US Congress, said that despite the ongoing diplomatic and military dialogue between India and China to reduce border tensions, China has “continued taking incremental and tactical actions to press its claims at the LAC”.
It said that in 2020, the “Peoples Republic of China built a large 100-home civilian village inside disputed territory between the PRC’s Tibet Autonomous Region and India’s Arunachal Pradesh state in the eastern sector of the LAC. These and other infrastructure development efforts along the India-China border have been a source of consternation in the Indian government and media”.
New Delhi, Nov 10,2021: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved restoration of Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for the remaining part of the current fiscal and to continue till financial year 2025-26.
Accordingly, the funds under the scheme would be released at the rate of Rs 2 crore per MP for remaining period of FY 2021-22 in one installment and at the rate of Rs 5 crore per annum per MP during FY 2022-23 to FY 2025-26 in two installments of Rs 2.5 crore each.
The government had suspended the MPLADS in the face of Covid pandemic early last year to use the funds for fight against the deadly virus.
“Looking at Covid 19 pandemic situation it was decided one and half year back that funds would be utilised for the fight against Covid 19 pandemic. With the improvement, as far as economic situation is concerned and as you have seen GST numbers and other indicators where the economy is doing well, government has decided to release Rs 2 crore under MPLADS to each MP in the financial year 2021-22,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thankur said while briefing the media on Cabinet decisions.
“From FY23 onward till FY25-26 annually Rs 5 crore grant of this MPLAD scheme would be given to the MPs,”he added.
The Cabinet also approved Rs 17,408.85 crore committed price support to the Cotton Commission of India. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) cleared expenditure for reimbursing losses under MSP operations for cotton during the cotton season (October to September) 2014-15 to 2020-21.
Thakur said that 60 lakh farmers would be directly benefitted across 11 states from the decision.
In another decision to help farmers, the Cabinet approved reservation norms for jute packaging materials for Jute Year 2021-22 under JPM Act, 1987.
Accordingly, 100% foodgrains and 20% of sugar to be packed in jute bags.
The Cabinet also approved mechanism for procurement of ethanol by Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (Oilcos) under Ethanol Blended Petrol programme.
New Delhi, Nov 10,2021: Russia, Iran and the five Central Asian countries joined India on Wednesday in stressing on a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, while calling for non-interference in its internal affairs, in an oblique reference to Pakistan that has sheltered the Afghan Taliban for years and is now engaged with its regime in Kabul.
The Delhi Declaration, issued after talks between National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his counterparts from Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, saw the eight participants also emphasise that Afghanistan’s territory should not be used for sheltering, training, planning or financing any terrorist acts.
The Declaration “reiterated strong support for a peaceful, secure and stable Afghanistan while emphasizing the respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and non-interference in its internal affairs”.
At the Delhi Regional Security Dialogue on Afghanistan, hosted by India, the security chiefs discussed the evolving situation in Afghanistan, especially the security situation and its regional and global ramifications.
The eight security chief condemned the terrorist attacks in Kunduz, Kandahar and Kabul, referring to the suicide bombings carried out by the Islamic State-Khorasan in recent weeks, targeting mainly Shias. Sources in India have said they believe that Pakistan is directly behind the IS-KP and the violence unfolding in Afghanistan.
The Delhi Declaration “condemned in the strongest terms all terrorist activities and reaffirmed their firm commitment to combat terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including its financing, the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and countering radicalization, to ensure that Afghanistan would never become a safe haven for global terrorism”.
They also called for a collective cooperation against the menace of radicalization, extremism, separatism and drug trafficking in the region.
They also “recalled the relevant UN Resolutions on Afghanistan”, in a reference to the UNSC resolution passed on August 30 under India’s presidency, and “noted that the United Nations has a central role to play in Afghanistan and that its continued presence in the country must be preserved”.
They emphasized the importance of ensuring that the fundamental rights of women, children and minority communities are not violated and underlined the need to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.
They also called for humanitarian assistance to be provided in an “unimpeded, direct and assured manner”, and assistance to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
They reiterated the importance of their dialogue and agreed to remain engaged with each other in the future.
Earlier, in his opening remarks, NSA Doval said the developments in Afghanistan have important implications not only for the people of that country but also for its neighbours and the region and called for close consultations among countries of the region.
Iranian security chief Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani¸ in his remarks, appreciated the role of India in participating in the meetings, and said: “I think India has a great role in Afghanistan”.
He said that Afghanistan today “is involved in terrorism, poverty and misery and the crisis of migration and refugees”.
The Kazak security chief Karim Massimov, said that his country “monitors with high attention the threats and challenges that are coming from Afghanistan. With the Taliban coming to power, the situation in that country remains complicated.”
“Terrorist organisations are intensifying their activities, we are strongly concerned with the appearance of the Central Asian fighters,” he said.
Marat Mukanovich Imankulov, the security head of Kyrgyzstan, raised concerns about the activities of terrorist organisations in Afghanistan.
Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, said that multilateral meetings of the secretaries of security organisations on the Afghan issue (such as the Delhi Dialogue) “is an important format that helps to discuss the developing situation in Afghanistan at the highest level’.
He touched upon the Moscow Format meeting held last month, to which India too was invited, and remarked that all the participants of the Delhi Dialogue were also part of the third meeting of the Moscow Format held on October 25 “that confirmed its effectiveness due to the broad representation of stakeholders”.
“In Moscow we laid a good foundation to determine the position of our countries regarding the development of the dialogue with the Taliban as well as to practically coordinate our efforts of all stakeholders of the region,” he said, in reference to the Moscow Format to which the Taliban was also invited.
Nasrullo Rahmatjon Mahmudzoda, of Tajikistan, touching on the long border it shares with Afghanistan, said the current situation in Afghanistan ‘creates extra risk, and the possibilities for growth of drug trafficking, terrorism and criminal activities”.
Charymyrat Kakalyyevvich Amavov of Turkmenistan and Victor Makhmudov the security chief of Uzbekistan also addressed the gathering.
Later, all the security czars made a joint call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.