Promising to tackle air pollution and traffic congestion in a phased manner, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday launched 400 electric buses and promised to induct another 2,080 of these smoke-free vehicles under the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVI) scheme this year.

Speaking at the launch event, the CM highlighted her government’s commitment to give clean air to Delhiites but added that e-buses were just a part of the strategy, which also requires more and more private vehicles to go electric.

“We will come out with an EV policy to give incentives and encourage private vehicle owners to use these pollution-free vehicles,” she said.

The launch of the new fleet of nine-metre green mini-buses is a major step towards revolutionising the national capital’s public transport sector, counter pollution and providing last-mile connectivity to users of Metro.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) National President, Mayawati on Friday launched a sharp attack on both the Congress and the BJP, alleging that their ambiguous and insincere stance towards the Bahujan and OBC communities had deprived these groups of their due share in the nation’s development.

“If the intentions and policies of the Congress and BJP were truly clear and honest towards the Bahujan Samaj, the OBCs would today be full partners in the development process,” she said in a post on X while commenting on the caste census.

Mayawati criticised the political posturing around the caste census, stating, “After opposing it for a long time, the Central government has finally agreed to conduct a caste census alongside the national census. Now, both the BJP and the Congress are scrambling to take credit and present themselves as pro-OBC. But the reality is that because of their anti-Bahujan mindset, these communities remain backward, exploited and marginalised.”

Aiming for speedy removal of dead voters’ names from electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to directly collect electronic data from the Registrar of Births and Deaths, an official said on Thursday.

At present, the names are not removed or verified by booth level officers till a formal request, through Form 7, is received.

Apart from this, the ECI is planning to modify the design of Voter Information Slips (VIS) to make it more voter-friendly, said the official.

Referring to recent decisions by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the official said, “The Commission will now obtain death registration data electronically from the Registrar General of India in line with Rule 9 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 and Section 3(5)(b) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023).”

Assuring safety and welfare of labourers, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Thursday that her government has directed employers to give a three-hour 'heat break' to construction workers between noon and 3 p.m. in view of the harsh summer.

Interacting with workers on Labour Day, CM Gupta said the BJP governments at the Centre and in Delhi are committed to protecting the interests and rights of labourers, promising health check of each worker and family members at their construction site.

“Our government has taken special measures for women in the workforce by planning to build 500 creches where they will be able to leave their children for day care and the kids will remain safe and healthy,” she said, enlisting labour-friendly measures taken by the Delhi government.

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Thursday urged the Centre to follow Telangana model for caste census by forming a group of ministers and experts' committee to study the caste profile in every state before undertaking caste census as part of general census.

Day after the Centre decided to conduct nationwide caste count along with the next population census, he suggested that the Modi government first constitute a group of ministers to build consensus by visiting the states to seek suggestions of the state governments and all stakeholders. Subsequently, a committee of experts, including officials, should be constituted to work out the terms of reference for caste census, he said.

Stating that every state has a different caste composition, CM Reddy said the expert committee should visit all the states to study the situation so that a questionnaire can be prepared for caste census.

Slamming BJP for conspiring to divest Punjab of its waters by misusing its power in Haryana and center, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Wednesday categorically said that the state has no single drop of water to share with any other state.

In a letter to his Haryana counterpart, the Chief Minister said that he had received the letter of Naib Singh Saini through media only and it is unfortunate that a person of his stature is misleading the people by saying that he has assured water to Haryana. He said that this is nothing more than a bundle of lies as this promise was never made adding that this doesn’t suit a person sitting on a constitutional post. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the Chief Minister of Haryana did call him but he never gave any assurance regarding water to Saini adding that he can give such a promise when Punjab has no drop of spare water to share with any other state.

Senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Member Parliament Malvinder Singh Kang hit back at BJP leader and Union Minister Ravneet Bittu over the issue of water. Kang questioned Bittu's stance, asking whether he supports Punjab or Haryana, and if he supports Punjab, why he is so concerned about providing water to Haryana.

Kang further questioned why Bittu was upset when Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spoke about Punjab's right over its water. He suggested that instead of targeting Punjab, Bittu should advise Haryana’s Chief Minister to use their water resources more efficiently, as Haryana has already received the water it is entitled to.

Kang pointed out that Punjab itself faces a shortage of water and questioned how it could supply more water to Haryana. He said, "If you are so concerned about the people of Haryana, provide them with drinking water instead of irrigation water. If you wish to give more water, then speak to Prime Minister Modi and arrange for the water that has been blocked from flowing into Pakistan to be redirected to Haryana."

Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met the grieving family of Shubham Dwivedi, a resident of Kanpur who lost his life in the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

Upon reaching Shubham's residence, Rahul Gandhi was greeted with an outpouring of emotion. As soon as Shubham's wife, Aishanya (31), saw him, she broke down in tears.

Moved by her grief, Rahul Gandhi embraced and consoled her. Shubham’s father, Sanjay Dwivedi, too, was overwhelmed and could not hold back his tears.

During the interaction, Aishanya urged Rahul Gandhi to ensure that her late husband is officially accorded the status of a martyr.

In response, Rahul assured her that he would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter and also raise it in Parliament.

“I will do everything in my power to ensure that Shubham’s sacrifice is duly recognised,” he told the family.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday urged all political parties to rise above differences and stand united in support of the BJP-led Central government on decisions related to the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 innocent lives.

Her appeal came amid growing political friction and internal party directives following the incident.

In a post on X, Mayawati said, "All parties should unite and support the government in every step taken by it regarding the Pahalgam terror attack. Instead of doing dirty politics under its cover by putting up posters and making statements, etc., because this is creating confusion among the people, which is not good for the country."

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) once again launched a sharp attack on Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa, over his statement about 50 grenades. AAP accused Bajwa of running from the police investigation.

AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia stated that Partap Bajwa initially claimed that 50 grenades entered Punjab, but when the police approached him for questioning, he went to the High Court to defend himself. Even when he appeared before the police, he did not cooperate and only delayed the process.