New Delhi Mar 26 PTI Aiming to strengthen the night-time economy and promote the food and beverages industry the Arvind Kejriwal government on Saturday said it will provide land for cloud kitchens redevelop major food hubs and bring in a food truck policy in the national capital Presenting the Budget for the financial year 2022-23 Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the government is preparing a policy to allow food trucks to operate at designated places in the city from 8 pm to 2 am This will strengthen the night economy of Delhi and new employment opportunities will be created Sisodia said He said cloud kitchens in Delhi are emerging as a strong part of the restaurant industry and are growing at a rate of more than 20 per cent every year At present there are more than 20000 cloud kitchens in Delhi which provide direct employment to around two lakh people and indirect employment to 50000 people the deputy CM said during his budget speech A cloud kitchen is a restaurant with no physical storefront or simply a delivery-only restaurant In such a set-up people operate in a commercial centralised kitchen where they partner up with third-party delivery service apps such as Swiggy and Zomato to distribute their food to the public Cloud kitchens are one of the sectors that support the night-time economy With a huge potential for revenue generation this sector creates a large number of both direct and indirect job opportunities he said Considering the immense potential for growth and in order to maximize the potential of this industry it is planned to provide land to cloud kitchens with plug and play facilities and ease the number of licenses and regulations in the Budget 2022-23 This industry also has the potential to create 42000 new job opportunities within the next 5 years Sisodia noted He said that new policies to promote traders and employees of the food and beverages industry in Delhi will create more than 60000 jobs in the next five years Major food hubs of Delhi will be identified redeveloped and promoted as a social and cultural heritage of Delhi the deputy CM said The Delhi government is also looking to invest in the retail and food and beverage sectors which are growing at a rate of 25 per cent and have the potential to generate high-income jobs he said A Grade A retail and food hub facility will be developed in Delhi so that the premium shopping experience of world class brands and retail facilities for which people visit NCR can be availed in the capital itself These hubs will be developed using the land available at bus depots and terminals as these are major places that are easy to access and areas with a large number of consumers in Delhi Sisodia said With an aim of creating 20 lakh new jobs in the next five years Sisodia presented a Rs 75800-crore Rozgar Budget for the financial year 2022-23 which focuses on setting up an electronic city and promoting night economy retail and wholesale markets in the national capital The government has identified seven priority sectors for job creation -- food and beverages logistics and supply chain travel and tourism entertainment construction real estate and green energy PTI GVS SMN SMN

New Delhi Jan 21 PTI Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Friday highlighted various aspects of Indias successful tiger conservation efforts Underlining that India has achieved the remarkable feat of doubling the tiger population in 2018 itself four years ahead of the target Yadav said this model of success is now being replicated for other animals such as lion dolphin leopard and snow leopard and the country is on the threshold of introducing cheetah in its historical range He was speaking at the 4th Asia Ministerial Conference to review the progress of the Global Tiger Recovery Programme and commitments to tiger conservation Yadav said the natural resources-dependent community is an important aspect of tiger conservation and the people agenda ranks prominently in Indias conservation efforts The minister said the budgetary allocation for tiger conservation has increased from Rs 185 crore in 2014 to Rs 300 crore in 2022 under the Narendra Modi government and that 14 tiger reserves in India have already received international CATS accreditation and efforts are on to bring in more tiger reserves under it Yadav said the frontline staff constitutes an important pillar of tiger conservation hence India has extended life cover of Rs 2 lakh to each contractualtemporary worker under e-Sharm an initiative of the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Rs 5 lakh health cover under Ayushman Yojana Approximately 43 million man-days of employment are being generated by 51 tiger reserves in India and funds from Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority are being utilised for promoting voluntary village resettlement from core areas of the tiger reserves a statement quoted the minister as saying Highlighting the rise in organised poaching driven by an international demand for tiger body parts and products depletion of tiger prey and habitat loss as key challenges to tiger conservation Yadav said the status of tiger continues to remain endangered the world over and there are country-specific area-specific issues which also affect the feline and hence the situation calls for active international cooperation as well as co-adaptive and active management India is one of the founding members of the intergovernmental platform of Tiger Range Countries Global Tiger Forum and over the years GTF has expanded its programme on multiple thematic areas while working closely with the Government of India tiger states in India and tiger range countries PTI GVS SMN SMN

New Delhi Dec 23 PTI The Delhi Disaster Management Authority DDMA on Thursday clarified that religious places will remain open on Christmas and New Years Eve for celebrations and prayers subject to strict compliance of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour Various communications are being received seeking clarifications about the status of permission for celebrating Christmas festival and New Years Eve in the territory of Delhi in view of the DDMA order as well as instructions issued on Wednesday the authority said in an order On this issue it is to clarify that as per DDMA order no 492 dated December 15 all religious places temples mosques churches gurdwaras etc are already permitted to open for visitorsdevotees to offer prayersdevotion celebrations within such places subject to strict compliance of related SoPs and adherence of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour it said The DDMA which devises COVID-19 management policies for the capital said no separate permission is required for these activities Amid a rise in coronavirus cases and the threat of the new variant of concern Omicron the DDMA had Wednesday directed district magistrates to ensure no Christmas and New Year gathering takes place in the national capital However restaurants and bars will continue to operate with up to 50 per cent of the seating capacity Marriage-related gatherings are permitted with a maximum of 200 people in attendance The DDMA also directed the district magistrates DMs to identify potential COVID-19 superspreader areas ahead of Christmas and New Year All socialpoliticalculturalreligiousfestival related gatherings are prohibited throughout NCT of Delhi All district magistrates and DCPs shall ensure that no cultural eventgatheringscongregation takes place for celebrating Christmas or New Year in the NCT of Delhi the DDMA order stated The national capital logged 125 cases on Wednesday the highest since June 22 when it had reported 134 cases of the infection The district magistrates and deputy commissioners of police have also been directed to tighten the enforcement machinery to ensure people follow social-distancing norms and wear masks According to the Union Health Ministry Delhi has logged 64 cases of Omicron so far of which 23 have been discharged According to officials most of the Omicron patients are fully vaccinated and have mild symptoms PTI GVS SMN SMN

New Delhi Oct 31 PTI The air quality in the national capital remained poor for the fifth consecutive day on Sunday with stubble burning accounting for eight per cent of the capitals PM25 pollution According to air quality forecast agency SAFAR of the Ministry of Earth Sciences over 1734 farm fires were observed in the northwest region of Delhi on Saturday The Central Pollution Control Boards data showed the capital recorded a 24-hour average air quality index AQI of 289 It was 268 on Saturday An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good 51 and 100 satisfactory 101 and 200 moderate 201 and 300 poor 301 and 400 very poor and 401 and 500 severe SAFAR said the air quality is likely to improve marginally over the next two days due to change in the wind direction from northwesterly to southeasterly The Sub-Committee on Graded Response Action Plan GRAP had on Thursday directed authorities in Delhi and NCR states to implement measures under the very poor category in addition to steps listed under poor to moderate AQI category under GRAP The Graded Response Action Plan -- a set of anti-pollution measures followed in Delhi and its vicinity towns according to the severity of the situation -- comes into force in mid-October when air pollution levels in the region start worsening PTI GVS SMN SMN

New Delhi Sep 29 PTI Delhi will witness cloudy skies for the next two days but no rainfall is predicted according to the India Meteorological Department In the absence of rains the maximum temperature has increased by a few notches over the last three-four days On Wednesday it settled at 35 degrees Celsius a notch more than normal Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 267 degrees Celsius in the morning Light rain is predicted in the city in October first week amid a delayed withdrawal of the monsoon PTI GVS SMN SMN

New Delhi Sep 23 PTI Delhi has suggested its surrounding states to shift their public transport vehicles in the National Capital Region to CNG and adopt a policy to promote electric vehicles Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Thursday It has also urged the neighbouring states to ban firecrackers to tackle pollution Rai made the suggestions during an online meeting of NCR states convened by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav Delhi has suggested that neighbouring states shift their public transport vehicles in the National Capital Region NCR to CNG and adopt an electric vehicle policy Rai told a press conference after the meeting He said extension should not be given to thermal power plants in NCR that are operating without emission control devices The minister said he also urged the neighbouring states to spray bio-decomposer on paddy straw as an emergency measure to prevent stubble burning If they dont do it Delhi and the entire north India will have to bear the brunt of stubble burning this year too he said We have also suggested that Haryana and Uttar Pradesh constitute a task force for pollution hotspots in their areas surrounding Delhi for ground visits and focused work he said PTI GVS SMN SMN

New Delhi Sep 20 PTI The Tribal Affairs Ministry has roped in a Jharkhand-based firm to train people belonging to Scheduled Tribes in pearl farming TRIFED an agency under the Tribal Affairs Ministry which markets and promotes tribal products signed a pact with Purty Agrotech of tribal entrepreneur Buddhan Singh Purty for the purpose on Monday The ministry plans to develop 25 clusters of Van Dhan Vikas Kendra VDVK in Jharkhand where pearl farming can be undertaken A VDVK is a centre for skill upgradation and capacity building training and setting up of primary processing and value addition facilities A typical Van Dhan Vikas Kendra includes 20 tribal members and 15 such centres constitute one VDVK cluster The MoU with Purty Agrotech will promote the art of growing pearls among other tribal entrepreneurs across India and tap the potential of this market the ministry said in a statement TRIFED plans to handhold VDVK clusters involved in pisciculture and help them further develop oyster breeding it said The government agency will empanel Purty Agrotech as a supplier of pearls which will be sold through the network of 141 Tribes India outlets and various e-commerce platforms The ministry also signed a pact with e-commerce firm Big Basket for promotion and sale of hand-made authentic forest products sourced by tribals TRIFED by converging with Big Basket can leverage their infrastructure expertise and reach in order to make the organics naturals and Van Dhan products available to a wider clientele across the country the statement said PTI GVS SMN SMN

New Delhi Aug 30 PTI The national capital reported 20casesof the coronavirus and one death on Monday while the positivity rate stood at 004 per cent according to data shared by the health department here The capital had not recorded any fatality due to the infection in the past four days The low number of cases can also be attributed to fewer tests 51387 conducted the previous day With the new cases the overall infection tally in the city climbs to 1437736 Over 1412 lakh patients have recovered from the disease The death toll stands at 25081 Twenty-eight people have succumbed to the disease this month so far The cumulative death toll was 25053 on July 31 On Sunday the city reported 31 coronavirus cases with a positivity rate of 004 per cent On Saturday it reported 29 COVID-19cases There are 375 active cases in Delhi of which 88 are in home isolation The number of containment zones stands at 144 the bulletin said Delhi battled a brutal second wave of the pandemic that claimed a large number of lives with the shortage of oxygen at hospitals across the city adding to the woes On April 20 Delhi had reported 28395cases the highest in the city since the beginning of the pandemic On April 22 the case positivity rate was 362 per cent the highest so far The highest number of 448 deaths was reported on May 3 The city government has been ramping up health infrastructure to prevent a repeat of the crisis witnessed during the peak of the second wave in April and May Steps have been taken to increase the number of hospital beds to accommodate up to 37000patients and to become self-reliant in terms of oxygen supply According to officials around 160 PSA oxygen generation plants with a total capacity of 14811 metric tonnes are being installed at various government and private hospitals in the city While 66 plants are being installed in Delhi government hospitals 10 are being set up in central government hospitals and 84 in private healthcare facilities Around 7000 ICU beds are also being added at government health care facilities in Shalimar Bagh Kirari Sarita Vihar Sultanpuri Raghuveer Nagar and GTB Hospital and Chacha Nehru Hospital At present there are 10000 ICU beds in the capital According to government data 133 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the capital since the inoculation exercise started on January 16 Over 38 lakh people have received both doses PTI GVS SMN SMN

New Delhi Aug 30 PTI Delhi will start implementing a new 10-year action plan by this year end to combat climate change according to officials The Centre had prepared the National Action Plan on Climate Change NAPCC in 2009 and asked the states to prepare their own specific plans However Delhi submitted its plan to combat climate change in 2019 becoming the last state to do so The plan remained mostly on paper and could not be implemented properly It expired in 2020 Now we are due for a new plan a senior official of the environment department said The previous plan focused on six areas including energy transport green cover and urban development and projected a significant decrease in cold days and nights and increase in heavy rainfall events in Delhi For the new plan a German agency is likely to be engaged as a knowledge partner The environment department has requested the Union Environment Ministry to release Rs 20 lakh for the preparation of the plan All extreme weather events of the last 10 years are being analysed to prepare a comprehensive plan which will focus on air pollution greenhouse gas emissions renewable energy transport issues air conditioning heat islands agriculture patterns etc the official said The action plan will identify activities causing increase in greenhouse gas emissions and fix responsibilities of the departments concerned It will set targets to be achieved in phases over the next 10 years All consultations with stakeholders will be completed within two months and the plan will be implemented by this year end the official said The environment department had taken eight years to complete consultations with stakeholders concerned while preparing the previous plan Delhi had recorded its coldest-ever day since 1901 on December 30 2019 Since August last year the city has been breaking weather records every month PTI GVS SMN SMN