Delhi primary schools to be closed from Saturday due to pollution: Kejriwal
Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Nov, 2022 10:46 AM
New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS) Amid increasing pollution levels in Delhi, all primary schools in the national capital will be closed from Saturday onwards until the air quality improves, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday.
He made the announcement while addressing a joint presser here with his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann.
Kejriwal also said that outdoor activities for all classes above class 5 will also be suspended.
He however, sought the Centre's leadership role to help curb the pollution which he termed as a "problem of the entire North India".
"The Central government can no longer lag behind. The Centre will have to lead it. The air quality situation is worsening from Bhiwandi in Rajasthan to Bettiah and Motihari in Bihar. It is the problem of entire North India. For this, we have to sit together and talk to find out the solution," Kejriwal said.
Meanwhile, schools in Noida have also decided to start online classes due to the deteriorating air quality.
As per orders of the District Collector, classes 1 to 8 of all schools will function in the online mode till November 8.
"As far as possible, classes 9 to 12 should also function in online mode and, until the next order, outdoor activities in all schools are prohibited," read the order.
According to sources, Modi was briefed about the evacuation status and was informed that over 1,750 Indian students have returned to the country so far.
Also, guided by India's motto of the world being one family, the Prime Minister said that India will help people from neighbouring countries and developing nations who are stranded in Ukraine, seeking assistance.
There are currently 14 major medical colleges in Ukraine in which more than 18,000 Indian students are pursuing MBBS and BDS courses. Out of these, about 1,000 have returned home while efforts are on to bring back the rest.
Modi thanked Heger for the assistance provided by Slovakia in the evacuation of Indian citizens from Ukraine, and for permitting special evacuation flights from India. He asked for Slovakia's continued assistance in the next few days with India undertaking a mission to evacuate other citizens from conflict zones.
Sidhu has urged the apex court not to punish him with a jail term in a 1988 road rage case in which he was let off with a meagre fine of Rs 1,000. Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Gurnam Singh's family, submitted that he has moved an application seeking enlargement of the scope of the notice issued.
With Ukraine closing its airspace after Russia launched a military operation in the country on Thursday, the Indian Embassy in Kiev has asked the Indian nationals to start moving towards the bordering areas so that they can be evacuated safely.
