249 new coronavirus cases in Delhi: positivity rate 0.42 pc

 

Delhi on Friday reported 249 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,34,773. The number of new cases reported came out of 58,725 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 31,093 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 27,632 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.42 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 5.98 per cent.

6 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,841. 6 deaths were recorded on Thursday, 9 on Wednesday, 7 on Tuesday, 5 on Monday and 9 on Sunday.

267 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,22,381 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 98.04 per cent. 

The recoveries outnumbered the new cases by a bleak margin on Friday. Active cases declined by 24 in the last 24 hours. Delhi has now 1,551 active cases.

Out of the total 8,701 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 7,999 are vacant. A total of 583 patients are in home isolation.

Delhi: Highest number of cold wave days recorded in January since 2008

 

The city of Delhi experienced many cold wave days in January. Till now, the national capital has recorded a total of 7 days when minimum temperature in Delhi was dropped to 4 degrees Celsius or less. 

The Safdarjung observatory had recorded two consecutive cold wave days on Friday and Thursday. Minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius and 3.8 degrees Celsius on Friday and Thursday respectively.  

This month, the lowest minimum temperature of 1.1 degrees Celsius was recorded in Delhi on January 1. 

Earlier in January 2013, the city had recorded 6 days with minimum temperature falling below 4 degrees Celsius. In January 2008, the city had seen cold wave on 10 days. 

The cold wave days had happened due to dry and cold northwesterly winds coming from snow-capped mountains in Himalayas. 

As far as forecast is concerned, the city is expected to witness cold wave on January 30 and 31 as well. Even if that happens, the record of 2008 won't be broken.

Closed for dead birds, Dwarka residents now demand reopening of park

 

Sector 9 residents are demanding opening of a DDA park located behind Ganpati Apartments in Dwarka. On January 8, the park was closed after finding of some dead birds in the premises.  The residents said that the daily users of the park are now confined to their societies and it should be opened. 

President of Federation of RWAs in Sector 9 (FORWAS), KS Bhati said, “Seniors are mainly in trouble se they are now confined to their flats and societies. They used to use the leisure period by visiting the park. They are now asking to open it. We are talking to the authority in this regard.”

FORWAS has also written a letter to the area SDM in this regard and requested to open the park as soon as possible. 

General secretary of FORWAS, MK Singh said, “Now the park should be opened as there are no dead birds in the park now. This is one of the busiest parks and only one in the locality. We request the authority to do the needful. We have sent a letter to SDM and waiting for any initiative regarding this.”

As shared by Singh, representative of Councillor of the area was also called by FORWAS at the site and the subject was discussed. “ We have asked him to look into the subject and take our side to the concerned authority,” said Singh.

The particular park is under the jurisdiction of DDA. On the subject, Deputy Director of Horticulture, DDA Dwarka, FS Chahar said that the park would be opened again after the order from the Animal Husbandry department.

Delhi Police issues traffic advisory for Beating Retreat ceremony

 

As the Beating Retreat ceremony is planned at Vijay Chowk on Friday, the Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory for commuters in Delhi.

The traffic restrictions will be in place from 2 pm to 9.30 pm. Vijay Chowk will be closed for the general public. No traffic movement will be allowed on Rafi Marg between the roundabouts of Sunehri Masjid and Krishi Bhawan.

The advisory mentioned that parking facilities will be available for people who want to see the illumination at Vijay Chowk behind the water channels between Rafi Marg and at C Hexagon after 7 pm.

There will be no traffic movement on Raisina Road from Krishi Bhawan roundabout towards Vijay Chowk, beyond Dara Shikoh Road roundabout, Krishna Menon Marg and Sunehri Masjid roundabouts towards Vijay Chowk.

The advisory asked the people to take alternate routes like Ring Road, Ridge Road, Aurobindo Marg, Madarsa 'T' Point, Safdarjung Road, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Rani Jhansi Road, Minto Road among others.

Buses will also be diverted from the restricted routes between 2 pm and 9.30 pm. Due to the ceremony, the entry and exit gates of Udyog Bhawan and Central Secretariat Metro stations will be closed from 2 pm to 6.30 pm. 

Delhi reports 199 new coronavirus cases; positivity rate 0.34 pc

 

Delhi on Thursday reported 199 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,34,524. The number of new cases reported came out of 57,993 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 31,247 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 26,746 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.34 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.01 per cent.

6 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,835. 9 deaths were recorded on Wednesday, 7 on Tuesday, 5 on Monday, 9 on Sunday and 10 on Saturday.

119 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,22,114 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 98.04 per cent. Delhi has now 1,575 active cases.

Out of the total 8,729 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 8,018 are vacant. A total of 645 patients are in home isolation.

Cold wave recorded in Delhi with minimum temp of 3.8 degrees C

 

Cold wave returned to Delhi again as minimum temperature dropped to 3.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning. The drop in temperature happened due to cold, dry westerly winds blowing across the city.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature drops to 4 degrees Celsius. A severe cold wave is when the minimum is 2 degrees Celsius or less.

On Tuesday as well, cold wave had gripped the national capital as the minimum temperature dropped to 2.1 degrees Celsius, which was seven notches below normal. 

As per an IMD official, cold wave is likely on Friday as well. The minimum temperature is expected to be around four degrees Celsius.

A cold day was recorded on Sunday when the maximum temperature had dropped to 15 degrees Celsius. It was six notches below normal.

96 new coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate 0.32 pc

 

Delhi on Wednesday reported 96 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,34,325. The number of new cases reported came out of 29,855 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 8,023 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 7,281 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.32 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.04 per cent.

9 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,829. 7 deaths were recorded on Tuesday, 5 on Monday, 9 on Sunday, 10 on Saturday and 7 on Friday.

212 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,21,995 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 98.05 per cent. 

The recoveries outnumbered the new cases on Wednesday. Active cases declined by 125 in the last 24 hours. Delhi has now 1,501 active cases.

Out of the total 8,744 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 8,023 are vacant. A total of 670 patients are in home isolation.

Delhi govt orders resumption of OPD services for non-Covid patients

 

The health department of Delhi government on Wednesday ordered to resume the normal OPD services at all the hospitals in the national capital. The OPD services were hit in the last 10-11 months due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The move has come as there has been a significant decline in the new coronavirus infections and the situation gets under control. 

This has come as a relief for the non-Covid-19 patients as they can now take the OPD services. Ward admissions will also be allowed and surgeries will also resume.

An official informed the health department has ordered the management of the hospitals to resume the services as it was prior to the coronavirus pandemic. “The medical superintendents and directors of all the hospitals have been asked to resume the services from Thursday itself,” he said.

However, the prescribed guidelines for Covid-19 will be in place at the hospitals. The patients visiting the hospitals will have to follow the guidelines like wearing masks, maintaining social distancing etc.

Petrol prices continue to scale record highs in Delhi

 

As the oil marketing companies (OMCs) increased the prices by 25 paise a litre, the petrol prices scaled new record high of Rs 86.30 per litre in Delhi on Wednesday.

On the other hand, the diesel prices were also hiked by 25 paise to Rs 76.48. Diesel prices had touched an all-time high of Rs 81.94 per litre on July 20 last year.

In January, the petrol prices were increased by Rs 2.59 per litre whereas diesel by 2.61 per litre in Delhi. 

As the prices started increasing in January, the ministry of petroleum and natural gases had requested the finance ministry to reduce the taxes imposed on fuel prices. 

The taxes on petrol and diesel have been increased by Rs 13 and 16 respectively in the current financial year.

Republic Day: Floral tributes paid to martyrs at Noida Shaheed Smarak

 72nd Republic Day was celebrated at Noida Shaheed Smarak with proper adherence to Covid-19 guidelines at Sector 29 on Tuesday. 

Lt Gen GL Bakshi, Chairman of Sanstha offered floral tributes to 38 martyrs of Gautam Budh Nagar on the base of the cenotaph.

Lt Gen SK Singh, CEO of Shaheed Smarak, Col Chibber, Flt Lt Sharma, Vijender Thappar with families and other NOKs of martyrs, Jayoti Rana, Principal and students of Army Public School; Lt Gen Surinder Verma, Lt Gen Khurana, Maj Gen DK Sen, Brigs Bali, Vaid, Cols IP Singh,Venish Rai, Mohinder Singh, Commander Narindet Mahajan; members of Executive Committee of Sanstha, and citizens of Gautam Budh Nagar paid floral tribute.

Speaking on the occasion, Cdr Narinder Mahajan said, “The National Flag and flags of three services were fluttering majestically, adding to the great ambience of the memorial.” 

“Annual Wreath Laying Function will be on February 19, 2021,” he informed.

 

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On R-Day, Dawoodi Bohra community gifts upcycled plastic planters

 On the occasion of the 72nd Republic Day, women members from the Dawoodi Bohra community gifted upcycled plastic planters to Usha Kiran Study Centre in Sector 141, Noida.

It was part of the community’s worldwide campaign ‘Turning the Tide Against Plastic Pollution’. 

The women volunteers are part of Happy Nests, which is an initiative to build a strong network of Dawoodi Bohra women from all walks of life and varied skills to come together with a focus to work towards a healthier and safer environment.

“This pandemic has provided us an opportunity to revisit our relationship with nature and its ecosystems. It has reminded us of the importance of reducing waste and adopting a more circular lifestyle,” a Happy Nests member Batul Shakir said.

“Moved by this urgency, our volunteers are undertaking a host of events to empower and educate women to repurpose plastic waste into decorative pieces and artefacts,” he added.

Under a global campaign titled 'Turning the Tide Against Plastic Pollution', Bohra volunteers across different towns and cities in India and abroad are cleaning beaches and rivers alongside undertaking local waste segregation programs. 

R-Day celebrated with great respect at different societies in Dwarka

 Republic Day was celebrated with great respect and fervour at different societies of Dwarka on Tuesday. At many societies, the residents gathered together and unfurled the tricolour. 

The participants included senior citizens, women and children. Children were dressed in tricolour as they participated enthusiastically in the events.

Republic Day 2021 was celebrated at Dream Apartments, Sri Agrasen Apartments, Brahma Apartments, Radhika Apartments, Crescent Apartments, Delhi Apartments and DDA SFS.

Here are the glimpses from the celebrations at different societies:

Dream Apartments in Sector 22

Sri Agrasen Apartments in Sector 7

Brahma Apartments in Sector 7

Radhika Apartments in Sector 14

Crescent Apartments in Sector 18A

Delhi Apartments in Sector 22

DDA SFS Pocket 1 in Sector 6

157 new coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate plunges to 0.24 pc

 

Delhi on Tuesday reported 157 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,34,229. The number of new cases reported came out of 64,973 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 36,236 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 28,737 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.24 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.06 per cent.

7 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,820. 5 deaths were recorded on Monday, 9 on Sunday, 10 on Saturday, 7 on Friday and 8 on Thursday.

218 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,21,783 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 98.03 per cent. 

The recoveries outnumbered the new cases on Tuesday. Active cases declined by 68 in the last 24 hours. Delhi has now 1,626 active cases.

Out of the total 8,949 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 8,203 are vacant. A total of 703 patients are in home isolation.

Dwarka: Various new amenities inaugurated at Radhika Apartments

 

Various new amenities were inaugurated at Radhika Apartments in Sector 14, Dwarka. They were inaugurated by the area Councillor and Chairman of Standing Committee, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, Raj Datt Gehlot. 

On the occasion, he with the team of RWA of the society and the residents inaugurated newly developed open air gym by SDMC in a park inside the society. 

Newly constructed security guard room by the RWA and the ongoing development works of storm water drains by the SDMC were also inaugurated.
Residents and RWA interacted with Gehlot and shared about their grievances of the society. Raj Datt Gehlot assured the people to make the problems resolved as soon as possible.

President of RWA, Jaipal Singh Yadav with his team and and ex-president of RWA, SS Chowhan with his team interacted with Raj Datt Gehlot on further developmental works of the society and the surrounding areas.

Kejriwal says health infrastructure didn’t collapse during pandemic

 

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday hailed the health infrastructure of the city and the management of the Delhi government in handling the coronavirus pandemic. 

He said that Delhi was worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic but the health system did not collapse due to many reforms in recent years and better management.

Kejriwal said, “Health infrastructure collapsed in many developed countries and cities like New York when the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak but measures like home isolation prevented such a situation in Delhi.”

Addressing at a Republic Day function, he said that over 3.12 lakh people recovered from the disease while being in home isolation. 

“Home isolation was started in Delhi. First plasma in the world was also opened in the national capital. So far, 4,929 people have received plasma therapy,” he said.

The CM said that tax revenue had dried up due to the coronavirus pandemic but the Delhi government continued to pay salaries to its employees and also continued its flagship schemes including free power supply.

Kejriwal shared that 38 lakh households got zero power bills, while 14 lakh domestic consumers received zero bills for water supply in the last billing cycle.

Cold wave likely to return for next three days in Delhi

 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that minimum temperature is expected to fall in Delhi from Monday. 

The weather department also said that the cold wave conditions are likely to return from Monday. 

On Sunday, Delhi experienced a cold day as maximum temperature fell to 15 degrees Celsius which was six notches below normal. It was also the lowest this month. The minimum temperature was recorded at 8.8 degrees Celsius.

A cold day is declared when the minimum temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below the normal.

As per the IMD, the minimum temperature is likely to fall by three to four degrees Celsius in the next three days. An official said that a cold wave is expected in the city on Tuesday. 

He said, “Western disturbance will result in widespread snowfall in the upper hills of Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. As a result, cold and dry winds coming from the peaks will bring the temperature down to four degrees Celsius.”

185 new coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate 0.30 pc

 

Delhi on Sunday reported 185 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,33,924. The number of new cases reported came out of 62,307 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 36,965 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 25,342 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.30 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.12 per cent.

9 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,808. 10 deaths were recorded on Saturday, 7 on Friday, 8 on Thursday, 10 on Wednesday and 10 on Tuesday.

315 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,21,375 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 97.02 per cent. 

The recoveries outnumbered the new cases on Sunday. Active cases declined by 139 in the last 24 hours. Delhi has now 1,741 active cases.

Out of the total 9,054 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 8,267 are vacant. A total of 748 patients are in home isolation.

Massive fire breaks out at Ghazipur Dairy Farm area

 

A massive fire broke out at east Delhi’s Ghazipur Dairy Farm area on Saturday afternoon. More than 50 shanties were engulfed in fire, officials said.

The information about fire reached fire officials at 1.41 pm. Following which, 17 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to control the blaze.

Many shanties were gutted in fire. The fire was controlled by the fire tenders at 2.50 pm.

The cooling process began after the fire was controlled.

More details are awaited on this.

DDA allots parking spaces for flats under 2019 housing scheme

 

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has allotted free parking spaces to owners of 1,214 flats in Vasant Kunj under the 2019 housing scheme. 

The parking spaces were allotted after conducting a draw of lots.

An official said that the allotment of parking spaces was not done at the time of allotment of flats in the 2019 housing scheme. It was done on Wednesday.

In July 2019, a draw of lots had happened for nearly 18,000 flats under the scheme.

“The draw was conducted today and 1,214 applicants were allotted parking spaces, under three categories – stilt, basement and open,” the official said.

The parking spaces were allotted for 416 in the high-income group (HIG), 579 in the middle-income group (MIG) and 219 in the low-income group (LIG).

The official informed that the allotment of parking spaces was done free of cost in Vasant Kunj as it was included in the offer of the 2019 housing scheme. 

He said that parking spaces will be allotted along with the flats in the 2021 housing scheme launched in January this year.

Delhi reports 266 new coronavirus cases; positivity rate at 0.37 pc

 

Delhi on Friday reported 266 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,33,542. The number of new cases reported came out of 71,850 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 43,105 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 28,745 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.37 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.20 per cent.

7 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,789. 8 deaths were recorded on Thursday, 10 on Wednesday, 10 on Tuesday, 8 on Monday and 8 on Sunday.

319 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,20,693 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 97.97 per cent. 

The recoveries outnumbered the new cases on Friday. Active cases declined by 60 in the last 24 hours. Delhi has now 2,060 active cases.

Out of the total 9,068 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 8,125 are vacant. A total of 825 patients are in home isolation.

SDMC approves proposal to rename road after Sushant Singh Rajput

 

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has approved a proposal to rename a road in Andrews Ganj area after late Bollywood actor Sunshant Singh Rajput. The approval came on the 35th birth anniversary of the late actor.

“Six months ago I received a request to rename a street in Andrews Ganj area after Sushant Singh Rajput. The proposal has finally been approved, Abhishek Dutt, the SDMC Congress councillor was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"We will soon be inaugurating this street. It is very important to give him the respect he deserves," he added.

On his 35th birth anniversary, many Bollywood celebrities remembered the late actor by posting tributes on social media. His sister Shweta Singh Kirti announced a special scholarship fund in his memory.

Sushant Singh Rajput was found dead in his apartment on June 14, 2020. After his demise, a massive controverysy was erupted. His family had alleged abatement to suicide. They filed a case against his girl friend Rhea Chakraborty. 

Currently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the matter. Their findings are yet to come.

Fine jewellery brand ‘Melorra’ opens three experience centres in Delhi

 

Melorra, a fine jewellery brand, has forayed into Delhi-NCR with opening of three experience centres at Vegas Mall, Dwarka; DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj; and DLF Avenue, Saket.

Melorra creates unique pieces in sync with global fashion trends that are fun, easy to wear and crafted to blend with everyday use cases.

Saroja Yeramilli, Founder and CEO, Melorra, said, “We are happy to bring the Melorra experience centres to our customers in Delhi/NCR. The city is a key market for us, an important reason why our seamless, customer-in-control experience will add value here. We are inspired by global trends and bring these elements into every lightweight, gold jewellery piece we offer.”

“Apart from shopping from a collection of over 10000 unique, contemporary, lightweight gold and diamond jewellery designs, customers can also tag their friends along and have fun at the Bliss Bar, among other things,” she said.

The launch was attended by Sid Talwar, Co-Founder and Partner at Lightbox, Bollywood actress and model, Gul Panag, renowned singer, Shibani Kashyap and fashion and beauty influencer, Roshni Bhatia. 

So far. the brand has received a tremendous response from the millennial women. Among the 2,000 towns, about 10 per cent of the orders received are from Delhi and 15 per cent from NCR.

SDMC to incentivise RWAs achieving complete waste segregation at source

 

In an effort to ensure effective waste management, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has decided to give incentives to the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) which achieve complete waste segregation at source in the societies. 

The corporation has moved a proposal wherein they would be spending up to Rs 10 lakh for development works at the societies which achieve 100 per cent waste segregation at source. 

The proposal was presented when the budget was discussed in SDMC’s standing committee. The committee proposed a fund of Rs 5 crore for the incentive.

As per the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, waste segregation should be done at source at commercial and residential areas. Wet waste should be stored in green bins whereas the dry waste should be deposited in blue bins. Hazardous waste should be deposited in red bins.

An official from SDMC informed that the decision was taken to encourage the RWAs to ensure proper compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016.

“The money will not be given to the RWAs directly. Instead, the incentive of Rs 10 lakh will be used in carrying out development works at the society or locality on the recommendations of the RWA. We have earmarked Rs 5 crore for this purpose,” he said.

The efforts to improve the status of waste segregation at source at the societies were started by the SDMC a year ago. In June, the SDMC had made waste segregation at source compulsory for RWAs.

227 new coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate plummets to 0.28 pc

 

Delhi on Thursday reported 227 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,33,276. The number of new cases reported came out of 81,550 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 51,404 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 30,146 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.28 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.24 per cent.

8 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,782. 10 deaths were recorded on Wednesday, 10 on Tuesday, 8 on Monday, 8 on Sunday and 6 on Saturday.

246 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,20,374 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 97.96 per cent. 

The recoveries outnumbered the new cases on Thursday. Active cases declined by 27 in the last 24 hours. Delhi has now 2,120 active cases.

Out of the total 9,103 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 8,099 are vacant. A total of 864 patients are in home isolation.

228 new coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate at 0.36 pc

 

Delhi on Wednesday reported 228 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,33,049. The number of new cases reported came out of 63,161 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 32,957 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 30,204 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.36 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.29 per cent.

10 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,774. 10 deaths were recorded on Tuesday, 8 on Monday, 8 on Sunday, 6 on Saturday and 10 on Friday.

405 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,20,128 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 97.95 per cent. 

The recoveries outnumbered the new cases on Wednesday. Active cases declined by 187 in the last 24 hours. Delhi has now 2,147 active cases.

Out of the total 9,200 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 8,232 are vacant. A total of 916 patients are in home isolation.

Niti Aayog commends transformation of govt schools in Delhi

 

The remarkable transformation of the government school system was appreciated by the Niti Aayog on Wednesday. It happened as the government-aided schools from Delhi achieved the highest National Achievement Survey (NAS) score. 

As per the India Innovation Index 2020, which was prepared by the Niti Aayog, Delhi reported the highest NAS score of 44.73. On the other hand, the average NAS score achieved by all states is 35.66.

The NAS is conducted by the NCERT to guage the learning levels of students across all the states and Union Territories in subjects like Mathematics, Modern Indian Language, English, Sciences and Social Sciences.

“Given Delhi’s high-income levels as well as the landmark transformation of the government school system, the national capital reported the highest NAS score (44.73),” it stated.

Elated by the recognition of Niti Aayog, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia took to Twitter and said that it is a matter of pride for Delhi.

“It’s a matter of pride for Delhi that our government schools have been ranked top in country in NITI Ayog’s NAS report attributing landmark transformation of the govt school system (sic),” he tweeted.

Total coronavirus tests cross 1-crore mark in Delhi

 

The total number of tests conducted so far to diagnose coronavirus in the national capital crossed one crore mark on Wednesday. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hailed the milestone by saying that it is a new record.

Enthused over the new milestone, Kejriwal took to Twitter and said that the city was able to successfully contain the spread of deadly virus.

“Delhi sets a new record! We have conducted over 1 crore Corona tests to date, equivalent to 50% of Delhi's population. With a focus on increased testing & treatment, Delhi has successfully contained the scale & spread of Corona infection (sic),” he tweeted.

Delhi on Wednesday reported 228 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,33,049. The number of new cases reported came out of 63,161 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 32,957 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 30,204 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.36 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.29 per cent. 10 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,774.

Slight relief from cold expected in next two days in Delhi

 

The minimum temperature was recorded at 7.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. 

The weather department said that the minimum temperature is likely to increase slightly over the next two days due to the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance.

An IMD official said, “The minimum temperature is likely to increase slightly as a fresh Western Disturbance will start affecting the Western Himalayan region from Friday onwards.”

He said that the Western Disturbance will result in widespread snowfall in upper peaks of the Western Himalayas. “Cold and dry winds coming from the mountains will drop the temperature to 4 degrees Celsius by Monday,” he added.

On January 22, dense fog is expected to come back to the national capital. Due to lesser wind speed, people would slightly get relief from cold.

Eminent water activist visits Dwarka to see revival of water body

 

Umashankar Pandey, an eminent activist working on water conservation from Banda District, Uttar Pradesh recently visited Dwarka and met the water activists from the city. He was on a visit to Delhi and visited Dwarka to see how the water body at Sector 23 got revived by the community efforts.

He visited the water body at Sector 23 and interacted with Diwan Singh, the person who has been working on revival of water bodies in the area. He also met Ramesh Mumukshu, an RTI activist and Madhuri Varshney, a member of Rise Foundation an NGO. 

Umashankar Pandey shared his experience of work done in his area which was facing water scarcity. He said that the community is producing paddy now with the persistent efforts.

He shared, “We adopted traditional methods for water conservation in our agricultural land and in the last two decades, we were able to produce rice. The villages are now full of water. My village Jakhni has been declared as a role model village and termed as “Jalgram” by the government. I feel that we should work on our conventional model of water conservation.”

Water activist Diwan Singh, who has been making efforts for revival of water bodies in the area said, “We are happy that a water activist visited and saw our work. We must think seriously on water conservation. A community effort is the need of the hour and we should get involved as a community in it.”

Air quality deteriorates to ‘severe’ category in Delhi

 

After a slight relief for a day, the air quality again worsened on Wednesday morning. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 361 , which is in the ‘severe’ category, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR).

On Tuesday, the air quality had improved to the ‘very poor’ category. 

As per the SAFAR, areas like Delhi University, Pusa Road, Lodhi Road, Mathura Road, IIT Delhi, Indira Gandhi International Airport (Terminal-3) and Ayanagar recorded air quality in the 'very poor' category with an AQI of 341, 333, 316, 329, 320, 336, and 324 respectively.

AQI between the range of 51 and 100 is considered as 'satisfactory' or 'very good', 101-200 is 'moderate', 201-300 falls under the category of 'poor'. While 300-400 is considered as 'very poor', levels between 401-500 fall under the 'hazardous' category. 

According to the SAFAR forecast, AQI is likely to improve on January 20. It is expected to improve further on January 21. There may be a marginal deterioration in AQI on January 22.

Yoga classes to be conducted in South Delhi parks soon

In a special meeting conducted on Tuesday, the standing committee of South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has proposed to start yoga classes at parks falling in its jurisdiction. 

The proposal also has the provision to hire yoga trainers to give lessons to people. 

The trainers will be hired to teach yoga lessons to the people. Yoga classes will be conducted in the parks of South Delhi.

The SDMC said in a statement that a minimal fee will be charged for the lessons given to the park visitors. 

On the other hand, the standing committee rejected the hike in property tax slab that was proposed in the budget. The panel rejected it by saying that it does not want to put additional tax burden on people.

Delhi reports 231 new coronavirus cases; positivity rate 0.32 pc

 

Delhi on Tuesday reported 231 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,32,821. The number of new cases reported came out of 72,441 tests conducted on the previous day.

Of which, 37,770 were RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 34,671 were rapid antigen tests. The positivity rate was 0.32 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 6.33 per cent.

10 patients died due to coronavirus in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,764. 8 deaths were recorded on Monday, 8 on Sunday, 6 on Saturday, 10 on Friday and 4 on Thursday.

222 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,19,723 in the national capital. The recovery rate was 97.93 per cent. Delhi has now 2,334 active cases.

Out of the total 9,244 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 8,253 are vacant. A total of 1,027 patients are in home isolation.