New Delhi (PTI): Bone-chilling temperatures greeted people on Thursday as the national capital recorded its coldest morning of the season. Safdarjung, the city's primary weather station, recorded its lowest January minimum since 2023 at 2.9 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature had dropped to 1.4 degrees Celsius on January 16, 2023.

Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 2.3 degrees Celsius, while the mercury at Lodhi Road settled at 3.4 degrees Celsius. The Ridge station reported a low of 4.5 degrees Celsius, and Ayanagar logged 2.7 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature recorded at Palam was its lowest since 2010. The second lowest was recorded on January 7, 2013, when the mercury had dropped to 2.6 degrees Celsius.

All weather stations in Delhi recorded temperatures way below the normal, pointing to the persistence of cold wave conditions across the city. The national capital has been reeling under cold wave conditions for the past four days, and it is expected to persist even tomorrow.

The maximum temperature on Thursday is expected to hover around 21 degrees Celsius.

Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 349, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

An 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'.

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Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka Governor has called for a comprehensive examination of concerns over the state government’s decision to award only grades, without marks, for the third language in the SSLC examination, following a representation highlighting its potential impact on academic engagement and linguistic diversity.

In a communication to state Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, Secretary to Governor R Prabhu Shankar forwarded a representation submitted by the Association for Preservation of Local Languages, Bengaluru, which raised apprehensions about the policy’s implications for students, teachers and the broader education system.

“I am directed to forward herewith a copy of a representation submitted by the Association for Preservation of Local Languages, Bengaluru, which has been addressed to the Governor of Karnataka, concerning the recent decision to award only grades, without including marks, for the third language in the SSLC examination,” the letter stated.

The representation underscored the importance of the third language in promoting linguistic diversity, awareness and intellectual development among students, while cautioning that a shift to a grading-only system may inadvertently diminish the academic importance of the subject and affect students’ motivation to engage seriously with it.

It further reflected concerns among teachers, parents and educationists regarding the long-term implications of the move on the quality and inclusiveness of school education in the state.

“The Governor has taken note of the issues raised in the representation and desired that the matter be examined comprehensively, keeping in view its academic and administrative aspects across the education sector,” the communication said.

The Chief Secretary has been requested to examine the matter in consultation with the Department of School Education and other concerned authorities and “take such action as deemed appropriate in the larger interest of students and the State’s educational objectives,” it added.