Will fulfil 5 pre-poll guarantees in 1st cabinet meeting: Siddaramaiah after Congress' poll victory
Bengaluru, May 13: Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the incoming government in Karnataka would not only give its stamp of approval for the five pre-poll guarantees announced by the party in the first cabinet meeting itself but also pass an order to this effect immediately.
He also said the mandate given by the people is to give a pro-people administration and not for "enjoyment".
"The five guarantees we have given will be approved in the first cabinet meeting and we will then pass an order," the former Chief Minister said addressing a press conference here.
The Congress has promised to implement 'guarantees' 200 units of free power to all households (Gruha Jyoti), Rs 2,000 monthly assistance to the woman head of every family (Gruha Lakshmi), 10 kg of rice free to every member of a BPL household (Anna Bhagya), Rs 3,000 every month for graduate youth and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders (both in the age group of 18-25) for two years (YuvaNidhi), and free travel for women in public transport buses (Shakti).
He also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had allegedly mocked these guarantees. "Modi said these promises will not be fulfilled as it will burden the state with debts. Modi himself burdened the country with debts. It is the BJP which has pushed the state towards bankruptcy," Siddaramaiah said.
The Congress wrested power from the BJP with a comfortable win in the Assembly polls. According to the Election Commission website at 9.30 pm, the party emerged on top in 135 seats and was leading in one seat.
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Air quality worsens in city, AQI settles in 'severe' zone
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi battled toxic fumes on Sunday as the air quality slipped into the 'severe category with a reading of 459, according to the Central Pollution Control Board.
A thick layer of smog blanketed the city overnight, leaving people gasping for air.
As per the CPCB, an Air Quality Index (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'.
On the weather front, the minimum temperature settled at 8.2 degrees Celsius, 0.4 notch below the season's average, and the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 24 degrees Celsius.
The relative humidity was 100 per cent at 8.30 am, the IMD said.
In light of the deteriorating air quality in the national capital, the Delhi Directorate of Education on Saturday directed all schools to conduct classes for students up to Class IX and XI in a hybrid mode
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has invoked Stage-IV actions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) with immediate effect to curb further worsening of air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.
