Mangaluru: The Sowjanyapara Horata Samiti, which is fighting for justice for rape and murder victim Sowjanya has launched a 'NOTA' campaign, said President Girish Mattannavar, warning political parties that the activists in the group would opt for 'NOTA' (None Of The Above) instead of favouring the party candidates in the Lok Sabha elections this year.

Mattannavar told reporters at the Press Club in Mangaluru on Friday that the panel was demanding justice in several cases of crime especially against women committed across Karnataka, in addition to the crime against Sowjanya in Dharmasthala of Belthangady taluk. Pointing out that the judiciary too has stressed on the importance of spreading awareness among voters about the NOTA option, he called upon the Election Commission as well as the voters to support the campaign conducted by the committee.

While the Election Commission has limited the amount carried by an individual in person to Rs 50,000, the members of the Sangh Parivar are still collecting lakhs of rupees under the pretext of collecting interest over money lent to the people. It is important for the Election Commission to look into this matter, Mattannavar urged.

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Panel leader Prasanna Ravi said during the press meet that the NOTA campaign would be held in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. A NOTA awareness meeting would also be held in Sullia on April 24 for the benefit of the voters, he added.

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New Delhi (PTI): The air quality in the national capital was recorded in the "very poor" category on Sunday morning, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 386, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Data from the CPCB's Sameer app revealed that 16 monitoring stations in the city reported air quality in the "severe" category, while the remaining stations recorded "very poor" levels.

As per CPCB standards, an AQI between 0 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".

The minimum temperature settled at 9.4 degrees Celsius, which is 1.3 degrees above the season's average, while the humidity was recorded at 91 per cent at 8:30 am, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius, with the IMD forecasting a yellow alert for the city due to moderate fog.