Modi will not be the PM in 2019: Rahul Gandhi
Bengaluru, May 8: As all opposition parties have come together against BJP and RSS, Narendra Modi would not continue as the Prime Minister again during 2019, said AICC president Rahul Gandhi.
After inaugurating Samruddha Bharat Foundation at a private hotel in the city on Tuesday, Rahul Gandhi said that after 2019 Lok Sabha election, the BJP would not continue in power at the centre. Even if it came to power with the help of other political parties, leaders like Nithin Gadkari or Rajnath Singh would become the prime minister and Narendra Modi would not continue as the PM again, he predicted.
The Congress would win in Chattisgarh and Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. If the opposition parties are come together, the BJP would face tough time. All opposition parties are against BJP and RSS. Even Sharad Yadav who fought against Congress throughout all these years has changed his mind and has decided to support Congress, he said.
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Centre doubles fines for stubble burning
New Delhi, Nov 7: The Centre has doubled the fine for farmers burning crop residue in view of the deteriorating air quality in the Delhi-NCR region, the penalty going up to Rs 30,000 for those with more than five acres of farmland.
According to the notification, which was published on Wednesday and comes following the Supreme Court's tough stance on the issue, farmers with less than two acres of land will now have to pay environmental compensation of Rs 5,000, up from Rs 2,500. And those with land between two and five acres will be fined Rs 10,000 instead of Rs 5,000.
Unfavourable meteorological conditions combined with vehicular emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources contribute to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during late autumn and winters.
According to a Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) analysis, the city experiences peak pollution from November 1 to 15 when the number of stubble-burning incidents in Punjab and Haryana increases.
Major factors behind stubble burning include the paddy-wheat cropping system, cultivation of long-duration paddy varieties, mechanised harvesting that leaves standing crop stubble in the field, labour scarcity, and the lack of a viable market for crop residue.
Studies estimate that during peak burning periods, farm fires contribute up to 30 per cent of PM levels in the Delhi-NCR region and surrounding areas.
However, according to senior environmentalist Sunita Narain, the episodic burning of crop residue by farmers in winter is not the primary concern for poor air quality in Delhi-NCR. Instead, the persistent and major sources of pollution within the city, including transport and industries, are more worrisome.
