In a major step to counter the deadly pollution levels in the national capital, the Delhi government has decided to allow odd and even number vehicles to be on the roads on alternate days, starting from January 2016. The decision, taken at a meeting presided over by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, will not apply to CNG-driven buses, taxis and auto-rickshaws but will cover vehicles entering Delhi from other states too. Delhi government has asked Delhi metro to ramp up its frequency. DTC also asked to increase the number of buses. It is also proposing to allow truck in Delhi only after 11 pm.
The Delhi government has also decided to shut down south Delhi's Badarpur power plant, one of the coal-based plants of the NTPC.
The decision of the government came after a day when the Delhi High Court raised concerns over the foul air quality and said that living in the city is like "living in a gas chamber".
The Court had directed the Centre and the Delhi government to submit time bound action plans on tackling pollution by the next hearing on December 21.
The National Green Tribunal had slammed the Delhi government for not acting "seriously" on the mounting pollution problem. The NGT had also directed the Delhi government to issue a notification within a week listing the most polluted areas in the city.

Swachh Bharat partnership with India one of the best: Bill Gates
Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates today promised to extend all support to Centre's efforts to expand the reach and effectiveness of sustainable sanitation services under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and Gates, who is Co-Chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discussed at length implementation of the sanitation campaign in urban areas of the country.
"Foundation's cooperation with India to promote safe and sustainable sanitation services to all is one of its best partnerships," Gates said after the meeting.
The foundation had signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the UD Ministry to promote sanitation services in January this year.
"Foundation's cooperation with India to promote safe and sustainable sanitation services to all is one of its best partnerships," Gates said after the meeting.
The foundation had signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the UD Ministry to promote sanitation services in January this year.

Man ‘duty-bound’ to take care of ill wife, not abandon her: SC
Ruling that it’s a man’s primary duty to take care of his wife during difficult times, the Supreme Court has declined divorce by mutual consent to a couple that decided to part ways after the husband promised to give money upon separation to the wife suffering from breast cancer.
A bench headed by Justice MY Eqbal held that agreement by the husband to do something he is already duty-bound to do can’t be a valid consideration for the settlement. It said the wife’s consent to the agreement was driven by the need for costly treatment.
The bench’s order refusing divorce to the couple who got married in April 2010 and then decided to separate in 2013 came after it noted the application filed for divorce by mutual consent. It found the wife had agreed to dissolution of marriage because she was keen to save her life by the money that her husband promised.
“Hindu marriage is a sacred and holy union of the husband and the wife by virtue of which the wife is completely transplanted in the household of her husband and takes a new birth. It is a combination of bone to bone and flesh to flesh,” the top court ruled.

Niti panel gets rolling on Atal Innovation Mission
 Nine months after announcing the setting up of Atal Innovation Mission, Niti Aayog is in the process of setting up the secretariat to successfully run the mission, Aayog's vice chairman Arvind Panagariya said.
"We are in the process of setting up the mission secretariat and a high-level committee to decide on the work of the Atal Innovation Mission," Panagariya said at the Aayog's panel discussion on innovation and entrepreneurship.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced setting up of AIM in Union Budget 2015-16and allocated Rs 150 crore to it.
Admitting that government has a critical role to play in enhancing R&D expenditure in the country, Panagariya said that it would be very difficult for the government to do so in the current fiscal scenario.

Mulayam as prime minister, Rahul Gandhi as his deputy is Akhilesh wish
Mulayam Singh Yadav as Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi as his deputy - the formula was born today as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tackled questions at the HT Leadership Summit.
A grinning Rahul Gandhi in the audience shifted in his seat and refused to comment.
During a session moderated by NDTV's Barkha Dutt, Akhilesh Yadav was responding to a question on whether his Samajwadi Party would be open to an alliance with the Congress for the next national election.
"If Mulayam Singhji is Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi is Deputy Prime Minister, I will say yes to the alliance right now," said the 45-year-old, smiling. He repeated the answer when asked about the polls in Uttar Pradesh due in 2017.

India crosses 5 gigawatt mark for solar installations
The cumulative installed capacity of solar power in India has crossed the 5 Gigawatt (GW) mark.
"While total commissioned utility solar capacity in India reaches 4.7 GW; rooftop capacity stands at 525 MW. In 2015 year to date, close to 2 GW solar capacity has been commissioned," Consultancy firm Bridge To India (BTI) said.
Encouraged by falling costs and growing need for green energy, states like Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu have all announced substantial policy initiatives. Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have historically been the front runners, but the four southern Indian states are expected to dominate the market over next 2 years. As of today, the country has a solar project pipeline of 15.7 GW.

Delhi court rejects closure report, fresh probe against Jagdish Tytler
A court here on Friday refused to accept the closure report and directed the CBI to conduct further investigation into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Saurabh Pratap Singh Laler ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct further investigations and refused to accept the closure report that gives Tytler a clean chit.
The court also directed CBI to verify the facts given by businessman and arms dealer Abhishek Verma, who was cited as a witness in the closure report.
Abhishek Verma in his statement told the CBI that Tytler had told him in 2008 that he had met the then prime minister after which he got a clean chit for his alleged role in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case.
Verma also stated that Tytler had tried to influence one of the witnesses by giving him a hefty sum of money and promising to settle his son abroad.
The court also directed CBI to record the statement of other witnesses in the case.