Karnataka has over 39 lakh vehicles older than 20 years
New Delhi, Jul 30: Delhi has more than 36 lakh vehicles older than 20 years, the second highest in the country after Karnataka, which has over 39 lakh such vehicles, the Centre said on Friday.
Responding to a query in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Choubey said there are 2,14,25,295 vehicles older than 20 years in the country.
He said these figures exclude vehicles in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Lakshadweep as they are "not in centralised Vahan 4 portal".
While Karnataka has 39,48,120 vehicles older than 20 years, Delhi has 36,14,671, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 26,20.946 such vehicles, as per the data shared by the minister in a written response.
Kerala recorded 20.67 lakh 20-year-old vehicles, Tamil Nadu has 15.99 lakh such vehicles and Punjab 15.32 lakh vehicles, he said.
On being asked about pollution caused by these vehicles, Choubey said no assessment has been made regarding the pollution caused by these vehicles in the country.
The number of 20-year-old vehicles in Delhi assume significance as the Supreme Court had ruled in 2018 that any registered diesel vehicle more than 10 years old, and any petrol vehicle over 15 years old cannot operate in NCR. These rules have been laid down in various orders issued by the NGT (2015) and the Supreme Court (2018).
However, earlier this year, the Centre had proposed a new draft vehicle-scrapping policy, which will allow owners to use their old vehicles after a fitness test and on payment of a higher fee.
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EAM Jaishankar meets Jamaican PM, gifts over 10 BHISHM Cubes
Kingston (PTI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and discussed ways to further deepen "political, economic and people-to-people cooperation."
Jaishankar also conveyed greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Holness.
"Pleased to call on Prime Minister @AndrewHolnessJM in Kingston. Conveyed the greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar posted on X.
"Discussed deepening our political, economic and people-to-people cooperation. Value his commitment towards further strengthening India-Jamaica relations," the post further read.
Also, the external affairs minister handed over 10 BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita & Maitri) Cubes as a gift to Jamaica.
"Formally handed over 10 BHISHM Cubes as a gift from India to Jamaica, in the presence of PM @AndrewHolnessJM, Health Minister @christufton and FM @kaminajsmith," Jaishankar posted on X.
"The BHISHM Cube mobile hospital system, designed for rapid deployment, will help Jamaica during disasters and emergencies. The gift of these cubes is a statement of friendship, a commitment to disaster preparedness, and an outcome of innovation," the post said.
Jaishankar arrived in Kingston on Saturday evening, marking the first leg of his nine-day tour of Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago, aimed at further strengthening India's strategic and cultural ties with the Caribbean nations.
Earlier in the day, he interacted with the Indian diaspora and discussed India's ongoing transformation in infrastructure, human development and technology-driven governance and entrepreneurship with them.
He also highlighted the cricket bond between both countries as India gifted a scoreboard to Jamaica.
A scoreboard was dedicated at Sabina Park in Kingston. It is the home of the Jamaica cricket team and is the only Test cricket ground in the Caribbean island nation.
The minister expressed hope that the new scoreboard would witness many memorable innings, including those symbolising the enduring friendship between the two countries.
Cricket has long been a strong cultural bridge between India and Jamaica, which is part of the West Indies cricket team.
Jamaican players, including Chris Gayle, Courtney Walsh and Michael Holding, have played a major role in shaping the legacy of West Indies cricket in the international arena, contributing to its dominance in earlier decades and its continued global appeal.
