All posts tagged: delhi pollution

Delhi EV policy: Only electric auto-rickshaws to be registered in from 2027

Delhi EV policy: Only electric auto-rickshaws to be registered in from 2027

The Delhi government has approved a new Electric Vehicle (EV) Policy that offers a 100 per cent exemption from road tax and registration fees for electric cars priced at Rs 30 lakh or less (ex-showroom), reported the PTI. The policy was approved by the Delhi Cabinet on Monday and will come into effect from 1 July. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the government will invest around Rs 15,000 crore over the next four years to promote electric mobility and reduce vehicular pollution in the national capital, according to the PTI. She said the policy is a major step towards making Delhi a pollution-free city by March 31, 2030. Purchase incentives for EV buyers To encourage more people to switch to electric vehicles, the government has announced financial incentives for buyers, the news agency reported. Under the policy: – Buyers of electric two-wheelers will receive a subsidy of Rs 30,000 in the first year, Rs 20,000 in the second year and Rs 10,000 in the third year. – Buyers of electric three-wheelers will receive incentives …

Benefits on EV purchase, fuel vouchers: Centre approves scheme to cut pollution levels in Delhi

Benefits on EV purchase, fuel vouchers: Centre approves scheme to cut pollution levels in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday announced that the Union Cabinet has approved a scheme aimed at reducing pollution levels in Delhi–NCR. He added that the initiative will improve air quality, promote cleaner transport, and benefit vehicle owners by supporting the shift to less polluting vehicles. Air pollution in the Delhi-NCR remains a severe public health challenge, particularly during winter months. (REUTERS) Here’s everything you need to know about the scheme: The two-year scheme is designed to cut air pollution in the Delhi–NCR region and promote cleaner mobility. It will be funded through the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The scheme will be implemented by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), in coordination with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The total financial outlay for the scheme is ₹9,585 crore, which includes ₹5,041 crore from the Central Government and additional support through tax concessions from participating states. The scheme is expected …

‘Delhi Will Breathe Better’: CM Rekha Gupta Sets October AQI Deadline At Rising Bharat Summit | New-delhi-news News

‘Delhi Will Breathe Better’: CM Rekha Gupta Sets October AQI Deadline At Rising Bharat Summit | New-delhi-news News

Last Updated:February 28, 2026, 21:21 IST The Delhi CM described pollution, traffic and waterlogging as “legacy problems” inherited from the previous regime, insisting her administration had adopted a “scientific roadmap” Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta at the Rising Bharat Summit. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit on Saturday, placed pollution at the heart of her government’s one-year report card, promising that the Capital would breathe “better air” in the coming months. Responding to questions on whether 365 days were enough to claim achievements, Gupta struck a measured tone. “One year is not a long period to list countless achievements,” she said, adding that what gave her satisfaction was that her government had “worked among the people, faced problems head-on and tried to deliver better solutions”. The Opposition, she acknowledged, continues to argue that pollution levels remain unchanged and that traffic congestion still cripples large parts of the city. Gupta countered sharply: “If an 11-year-old government asks a one-year-old government to answer for every problem, is that fair?” She described pollution, …

Toxic air wake-up call: The biggest limiter is I can’t do strenuous training because my lungs are going to be impacted: Tejaswin Shankar | Sport-others News

Toxic air wake-up call: The biggest limiter is I can’t do strenuous training because my lungs are going to be impacted: Tejaswin Shankar | Sport-others News

The window for athletes to train is shrinking in and around the National Capital Region because of toxic air in winter and searing summers. As the country makes a pitch for the 2036 Olympics, The Indian Express spoke to coaches and athletes from a wide range of sports — boxing, wrestling, athletics and para-athletics, cycling, shooting, hockey and also experts — on the impact of the conditions on health and training. International badminton stars, in Delhi last week for the India Open, have complained to the International Olympic Committee about the air pollution, and have cited health concerns. **** The biggest change has been the pollution over the last few years for some reason. I’ve been in Delhi for so many years, I’ve trained pretty much for the last 10-15 years, but I feel in the last seven to eight years, the pollution has for some reason exponentially increased. We know that when there’s more particles in the air, it becomes extremely hard to breathe. Now when you’re doing physical activity and your heart rate …

Sports alarm bells: Toxic air outdoors, indoors not weather proof, International Olympic Committee takes note | Sport-others News

Sports alarm bells: Toxic air outdoors, indoors not weather proof, International Olympic Committee takes note | Sport-others News

* At the India Open last week, international badminton stars questioned Delhi’s place on the global calendar, citing health concerns from the toxic air. Some of them even complained to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). “We can confirm that the IOC Athletes’ Commission has received the information and is in touch,” the IOC told The Indian Express. * Dronacharya Award-winning hockey coach Pritam Siwach is worried. At the Sports Authority of India’s Sonepat centre, dust and toxic air have left her players coughing and allergic. “They fall sick, recover and fall sick again. It doesn’t end,” she said. The doctors are blunt: the air and water are unfit. * Decathlete Tejaswin Shankar said winter training in Delhi is no longer about grit, but pollution. Shankar, who hails from Delhi, left in November to train in Bhubaneswar first, South Africa later and the US now. The “extremely difficult” summer brings no relief. “There are real physiological costs for athletes in Delhi,” he said. * At the premier National Institute of Sport in Patiala, the talk is …

GRAP-3 pollution curbs revoked in Delhi-NCR as air quality improves| India News

GRAP-3 pollution curbs revoked in Delhi-NCR as air quality improves| India News

The Commission for Air Quality Improvement (CAQM) on Thursday said it was revoking the stage 3 pollution curbs implemented under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in Delhi-NCR, as air quality has improved. A layer of smog covers the area around India Gate and Kartavya Path, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the ‘Very Poor’ category by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in New Delhi on Thursday. (ANI Video Grab) According to the CAQM order, the AQI in Delhi has been improving owing to favourable meteorological conditions. The commission cited a forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicating that AQI in the Delhi-NCR area is likely to remain in the “moderate” to “poor” category in the coming days. “The Sub-Committee, accordingly, decides to revoke its orders dated 16.01.2026, for invoking actions under Stage-III (‘Severe’ Air Quality) of Schedule of GRAP (modified on 21.11.2025), with immediate effect,” the order stated. The order further stated that while GRAP Stage 3 is being revoked, the citizens need to “strictly adhere to the citizen …

Why does Delhi monopolise major sporting events even as pollution and player welfare are always genuine concerns? | Badminton News

Why does Delhi monopolise major sporting events even as pollution and player welfare are always genuine concerns? | Badminton News

There were a bunch of conclusions to draw from the horror week at India Open badminton where Delhi’s hosting cred ended up shredded. Whether Delhi ought to host the World Championships in August and subsequent editions of the Super 750 event (it’s the second tier below the topmost Super 1000s) is one of the many intractable questions. India has delivered successful sporting events in the past, including the 2009 Badminton World Championships in Hyderabad and the Commonwealth Games in 2010, where the Siri Fort finale helped the Indian contingent leapfrog England to second place in the medal tally on the back of golds for Saina Nehwal and Jwala Gutta-Ashwini Ponappa, and cross the 100 mark. Even the 2009 Worlds went off smoothly after early jitters about a terror scare. The recent Junior Worlds in Guwahati faced a torrid first day when streaming lags gave the hosts a terrible first look. Bird droppings at the Syed Modi tournament in Lucknow two years back, and foreign players pointing out poor condition of tap water at hotels in …

Anders Antonsen withdraws from India Open citing hazardous Delhi air quality

Anders Antonsen withdraws from India Open citing hazardous Delhi air quality

World No. 3 Anders Antonsen has once again refused to participate in the BWF India Open, citing extreme air pollution in New Delhi as the reason for his withdrawal. In an Instagram Story, the Danish star explained that he believes the city’s current environment is “not a place to host a badminton tournament” and revealed that the Badminton World Federation fined him USD 5,000 after his decision. Antonsen wrote: “Many are curious to why I have pulled out of the India Open for the 3rd consecutive year. Due to the extreme pollution in Delhi at the moment I don’t think it’s a place to host a badminton tournament. Crossing my fingers that it will be better in the summer when the World Championships will take place in Delhi. As a result BWF once again has fined me 5000 usd.” Experts and environmental monitors have highlighted that Delhi’s air quality continues to deteriorate in winter. Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) readings for the capital and surrounding areas have frequently remained in the “severe” to “hazardous” category, …

Danish shuttler Anders Antonsen on pulling out of India Open: ‘Don’t think Delhi is a place to host tournament due to extreme pollution’ | Badminton News

Danish shuttler Anders Antonsen on pulling out of India Open: ‘Don’t think Delhi is a place to host tournament due to extreme pollution’ | Badminton News

A day after women’s singles shuttler Mia Blichfeldt criticised conditions in New Delhi for the India Open Super 750 badminton tournament, her compatriot Anders Antonsen, current men’s singles world No 3, shared his reasons for pulling out of the event. “Many is (sic) curious to why I have pulled out of the India Open for the third consecutive year. Due to the extreme pollution in Delhi at the moment I don’t thinks it’s a place to host a badminton tournament,” Antonsen wrote on an Instagram story. The Dane had pulled out of India Open on January 4, even before the season-opening Malaysia Open, where he entered and lost in the semifinal against world No 1 Shi Yu Qi. Antonsen’s sharp criticism comes on the back of Blichfeldt calling out the playing and training conditions at the IG Indoor Stadium, where the 2026 edition of India Open is being hosted – at a bigger arena compared to KD Jadhav Indoor stadium inside the same complex, where the tournament had been held in the past few years. …

Akums Pharma’s Finance Chief Rajkumar Bafna Steps Down Citing Delhi Pollution | India News

Akums Pharma’s Finance Chief Rajkumar Bafna Steps Down Citing Delhi Pollution | India News

Last Updated:December 28, 2025, 20:41 IST In a resignation letter addressed to Chief Financial Officer Sumeet Sood, Bafna wrote that he was stepping down “due to Delhi Pollution”. The national capital recorded air quality in the “very poor” category on Sunday. (File photo) Delhi-based Akums Drugs and Pharmaceuticals’ Finance chief, Rajkumar Bafna, has resigned from his position after citing rising pollution levels in the national capital in his resignation email, according to documents filed by the company with stock exchanges on December 27. Bafna, who was designated as Senior Management Personnel, will be relieved of his duties effective December 31, 2025, the company said in a regulatory filing. In a resignation letter addressed to Chief Financial Officer Sumeet Sood, Bafna wrote that he was stepping down “due to Delhi Pollution” and requested to be relieved at the earliest. “I would like to inform you that due Delhi Pollution level I m resigning from my position as President Finance. Kindly relieve me asap. If I can be any help during this transition Pls let me know,” …