Modi unveils statue of peasant leader Sir Chhotu Ram
Sampla(Haryana), Oct 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 64-foot-tall statue of peasant leader Sir Chhotu Ram at his native village Sampla in Haryana's Rohtak district on Tuesday.
After unveiling the statue, Modi paid floral tribute to the peasant leader and visited a museum built in his memory. There, Modi watched a four-minute documentary on the life of Sir Chhotu Ram.
Sir Chhotu Ram, who was born on November 24, 1881, was regarded as a messiah of peasants and was instrumental in empowering farmers in pre-Independence era and getting pro-farmers law enacted. He had fought for farmers' rights during the British rule.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Birender Singh, Union Minister and maternal grandson of Sir Chhotu Ram, were present at the event, besides state ministers Ram Bilas Sharma and Captain Abhimanyu, and Congress MP Deepender Hooda.
Renowned sculptor and Padma Bhushan-recipient Ram Vanji Sutar sculpted the 64-foot-tall statue.
As many as 5,500 farmers of the state donated iron metal, ranging from from half-a-kg to two kgs for the construction of the statue.
The unveiling of the statue assumes significance as elections to Lok Sabha and Haryana Assembly are slated for early next year.
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Air quality worsens in city, AQI settles in 'severe' zone
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi battled toxic fumes on Sunday as the air quality slipped into the 'severe category with a reading of 459, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
A thick layer of smog blanketed the city overnight, leaving people gasping for air.
As per the CPCB, an Air Quality Index (AQI) between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.
On the weather front, the minimum temperature settled at 8.2 degrees Celsius, 0.4 notch below the season's average, and the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 24 degrees Celsius.
The relative humidity was 100 per cent at 8.30 am, the IMD said.
In light of the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, the Delhi Directorate of Education on Saturday directed all schools to conduct classes for students up to Class IX and XI in a hybrid mode
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage-IV actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect to curb further worsening of air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.
