AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi dares BJP to celebrate 'Demonetisation Day'
Hyderabad, Jan 2: Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over demonetisation, president of AIMIM (All-India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday challenged the BJP to celebrate 'Demonetisation Day.'
He slammed the Modi government over the reason cited for the demonetisation that was decided upon to primarily check flow of black money, among others. He claimed demonetisation affected the economy.
According to Owaisi, the decision (on demonetisation) was wrong as it led to a decline in the growth of the GDP to 4 per cent in 2019-2020 from 8.3 per cent in 2016-17.
"We want to tell the Prime Minister why don't you celebrate 'Demonetisation Day'. If demonetisation was a success and if they think it was a success we challenge the BJP why don't they celebrate 'Demonetisation Day'. The Prime Minister knows that women, daily wage workers, artisans, drivers, electricians, and masons were affected owing to demonetisation. Why doesn't the BJP celebrate 'Notebandi Divas'," the Hyderabad MP told reporters here.
Quoting a report, Owaisi said 50 lakh people lost employment. "After demonetisation, people took loans. Prime Minister shrunk the workforce and that showed his incompetence. Today, 32.18 lakh crore of currency is in circulation as against 17.97 lakh crore (during that time)," Owaisi said.
The Supreme Court in a 4:1 verdict today upheld the decision to demonetise the Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes by saying the decision-making process was not flawed.
Observing that the decision being an economic policy of the executive cannot be reversed, a 5-judge Constitutional Bench headed by Justice S A Nazeer said there has to be restraint in matters of such a policy and the court cannot supplant the wisdom of the executive by a judicial review of its decision.
Justice B V Nagarathna differed from the majority judgment by invoking the RBI Act, saying the scrapping of high-value currency notes should have been done through legislation not a notification.
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Delhi's air quality worst in country, hits 'severe' for first time this season
New Delhi, Nov 13: Delhi recorded the country's worst air quality on Wednesday as it turned 'severe' for the first time this season, with the AQI soaring to 418.
Bihar's Hajipur, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 417, had the the second-worst reading in the country, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.
Of Delhi's 36 monitoring stations, 30 reported air quality in the 'severe' category, the CPCB said.
In comparison, the national capital's 24-hour average AQI -- recorded at 4 pm every day -- stood at 334 on Tuesday.
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', 401 and 450 'severe' and above 450 'severe plus'.
According to the CPCB data, the city's AQI was in the 'severe' category for three days in January.
On January 14, the AQI was recorded at 447, followed by 409 each on January 24 and 26.
The CPCB said 'severe' AQI affected healthy people and seriously impacted those with existing medical conditions.
The air quality in the national capital had been in the 'very poor' category since it plunged to the level on October 30.
According to the Centre's Decision Support System for Air Quality Management, vehicular emission was the top contributor to Delhi's pollution, with an estimated share of approximately 13.3 per cent.
The other prominent pollutants were PM2.5 and PM10.
PM2.5 and PM10 refer to fine particulate matter in the air, with the numbers indicating their size in micrometres.
PM2.5 are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometres or less, about the width of a human hair. These are so small that these can penetrate deep into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream, posing significant health risks.
PM10 are coarser particles with a diameter of 10 micrometres or less, about the width of 10 human hairs. While not as concerning as PM2.5, these can still irritate the airways and worsen respiratory problems.
Long-term exposure to these particulate matter can increase the risk of heart disease.
