Bengaluru, Jan 12: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said that he has asked the Vokkaliga Sangha office-bearers to postpone the meeting on the caste census.

He also warned them to stop squabbling or else he would appoint an administrator in the Sangha.

"A team of our new office-bearers came to meet me. They all came together after reconciliation. I have warned them that if the squabbling continues then I will appoint an administrator in the Sangha. They have agreed that they will work together," Shivakumar said.

Asked whether he held a meeting with the Sangha office-bearers, the Deputy CM said he neither conducted any meeting nor felt the need for it.

"The Sangha office-bearers had decided to hold a meeting regarding the caste census. I have told them to postpone the meeting as it would create unnecessary confusion. I also told them that I would talk to the seer of Adi Chunchanagiri Math Nirmananandanatha Swami about it," he told reporters here.

Vokkaliga is one of the major dominant communities of agrarians in Karnataka which Shivakumar belongs to.

The Chairperson of the Commission for Backward Classes, K Jayaprakash Hegde, submitted the socio-economic and education survey report, commonly known as the caste census report, to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on February 29, 2024.

It has triggered a debate among various backward communities as some have opposed it.

State Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil said on January 2 during the cabinet briefing that the cabinet would discuss the caste census in its next meeting.

Asked about Legislative Council Chairman Basavaraj Horatti’s letter to the Home Minister about transferring the case pertaining to C T Ravi, the Deputy CM said the Home Minister would respond to it.

Ravi, a BJP MLC, is accused of using foul words against Minister for Woman and Child Welfare Laxmi Hebbalkar on the last day of the Legislative Council session in Belagavi on December 19, 2024.

A case has been registered against Ravi in this regard.

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New Delhi, Jan 12: The Centre's panel on Delhi-NCR's air quality on Sunday revoked Stage-III curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) amid a dip in air pollution levels due to favourable meteorological conditions, according to an official order.

Light rainfall in and around Delhi triggered by a Western Disturbance -- weather systems that originate in the Mediterranean region and bring winter rain and snow to northwest India -- significantly improved the city's air quality.

The national capital's air quality index (AQI) stood at 278 at 4 PM on Sunday, 72 points below the 350-mark threshold for the implementation of Stage-III curbs, which include a ban on non-essential construction work.

Another Western Disturbance is likely to affect northwest India around January 14–15.

GRAP Stage 3, which was brought back on Thursday, entails a ban on non-essential construction work. Classes up to grade V are required to shift to hybrid mode under Stage 3. Parents and students have the option to choose online education wherever available.

Under Stage 3, the use of BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars (4-wheelers) is restricted in Delhi and nearby NCR districts. Persons with disabilities are exempt.

Stage 3 also bans non-essential diesel-operated medium goods vehicles with BS-IV or older standards in Delhi.

During winters, the Delhi-NCR region enforces restrictions under GRAP, which categorizes air quality into four stages – Stage I (Poor, AQI 201-300), Stage II (Very Poor, AQI 301-400), Stage III (Severe, AQI 401-450), and Stage IV (Severe Plus, AQI above 450).

Unfavourable meteorological conditions, combined with vehicle emissions, paddy-straw burning, firecrackers, and other local pollution sources, lead to hazardous air quality levels in Delhi-NCR during winters.