Delhi govt to pay Rs 10,000 to workers hit by anti-pollution restrictions
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Labour Minister Kapil Mishra on Wednesday announced Rs 10,000 in compensation for construction workers rendered unemployed due to the pollution-battling GRAP III and GRAP IV measures.
The minister also said all government and private institutions must mandatorily switch to work from home for 50 per cent of the staff from Thursday, or face action.
Addressing a press conference, the minister said GRAP III had been in place for 16 days, and workers affected by the restricted activity during the period will be compensated with Rs 10,000.
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"Similarly, workers will be awarded compensation for the days GRAP IV will remain in place. These benefits will be extended to workers registered with the government. The registration process is ongoing," he said.
The measure excludes workers from hospitals, departments involved in the fight against air pollution, the fire department and other essential services.
Mishra also slammed the Aam Aadmi Party for protesting against the government.
"Their chief minister used to run away during the season, but our chief minister is there on the road. They are indulging in dirty politics. It is our mistake that there is pollution because the problem of 30 years cannot be eradicated within five months," he said.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
