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Centre to contribute 12% of wages to new employees under EPF

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New Delhi: In a measure of relief to the Indian salaried class, the government on Thursday announced that it would contribute 12 per cent of the wages to new employees under the Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

The announcement was made by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley while presenting the Budget 2018-19, which is the last one being tabled by the current government in Parliament before the general elections due in the first half of 2019.

“Government has decided to contribute 12 per cent of wages to new employees across all sectors in EPF,” Jaitley said.

With the existing contribution of 1.16 per cent towards EPFO subscribers’ basic wages, the government bears an annual burden of around Rs 6,750 crore.

The current 8.65 interest rate on EPF deposits was lowered during the last fiscal, from the previous 8.8 per cent prevailing in 2015-16.

(IANS)

Salaries of President, VP, Governors hiked, automatic rise for MPs every 5 years

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REUTERS/Amit Dave

New Delhi: The salaries of the President and the Vice President have been increased to Rs 5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh per month respectively, in a rectification of an anomaly.

Announcing the hike in their salaries in his Budget speech, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the emoluments of the President, the Vice President and the Governors were last revised with effect from January 1, 2006.

Jaitley said, “A new law will be introduced that will automatically revise MPs’ emoluments every five years, indexed to inflation.”

“These emoluments are proposed to be revised to Rs 5 lakh for the President, Rs 4 lakh for the Vice President and to Rs 3.5 lakh per month for the Governors,” he said, amidst thumping of desk by the members in the Lok Sabha.

As of now, the President gets Rs 1.50 lakh per month, the Vice President Rs 1.25 lakh and a Governor of a state Rs 1.10 lakh.

Till now, the President, the Vice President and the Governors continued to get less salaries as compared to the top bureaucrats and service chiefs since the laws were not amended to rectify an anomaly with the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission’s recommendations two years ago.

After the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission’s awards on January 1, 2016, the Cabinet Secretary, who is the top-most bureaucrat in the country, gets Rs 2.5 lakh per month and a Secretary in the Union government draws Rs 2.25 lakh per month.

The President is also the supreme commander of all the three armed forces — the Army, Air Force, and Navy.

However, the President’s current salary was less than the chiefs of the three armed forces, who draw a salary equivalent to the cabinet secretary.

(PTI)

Congress wins Rajasthan Assembly, Lok Sabha seats

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Jaipur: In a spectacular showing, the Congress on Thursday wrested the Mandalgarh Assembly seat in Rajasthan from the BJP and was on the road to victory in both the Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats in the state, sparking wild celebrations. The ruling BJP aso conceded defeat, where the Congress won the Mandalgarh Assembly seat and was poised to grab the Ajmer and Alwar Lok Sabha seats.

Hundreds of Congress activists burst firecrackers and danced to drum beats outside the party office here as its candidate Vivek Dhakar trounced Bharatiya Janata Party’s Shakti Singh Hada by 12,976 votes. Many amongst them distributed sweets.

While Dhakar got 70,146 votes, Hada secured 57,170 in the by-election held on January 29, Election Commission officials said.

The election followed the death of BJP MLA Kirti Kumari due to swine flu in August last year.

In Ajmer, with 61 per cent of the vote count over, Raghu Sharma of the Congress was leading by 77,868 votes by securing 391,754 votes. The BJP’s Ram Swaroop Lamba had got 313,706 votes.

In Alwar, after 82 per cent of the vote count done with, Karan Singh Yadav of the Congress was leading by 144,914 votes. He had garnered 520,434 votes, leaving behind Jaswant Singh Yadav of the BJP at 375,520 votes.

Congress candidates led from the beginning in vote count in both the Lok Sabha seats and edged past the BJP in Mandalgarh after initially trailing at the second spot.

A total of 42 candidates were in the fray in the three seats, all of which were held by the BJP. There were 23 contestants in Ajmer and 11 in Alwar.

The elections to the Lok Sabha constituencies were necessitated by the deaths of Sanwarlal Jat (Ajmer) and Mahant Chand Nath Yogi (Alwar).

With Assembly elections scheduled later this year in Rajasthan, Congress leaders insisted that the verdict was a rejection of the BJP.

Congress leader and former union minister Sachin Pilot demanded Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s resignation on moral grounds.

“It is a victory for people, party workers and all leaders,” Pilot told the media.

He said the BJP, after failing to woo the voters on the strength of religion, tried to polarize voters on caste lines but failed to fool the young voters.

“Young people in this country have realized that the politics of polarization doesn’t work,” he said. “The high-handedness and arrogance (of the BJP) has been rejected.”

Congress leader and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the results were a precursor to the 2019 general elections. “This by-election is a vote against BJP’s divisive politics.”

He took a dig at the BJP government in the state, saying apart from changing the names of Congress-era schemes, the Chief Minister had done nothing concrete for the people in the past four years she has ruled the country’s largest state.

“Unemployment is hurting the youth. Today’s trends can be seen as precursor to not just state Assembly polls later this year but also to the next Lok Sabha polls,” Gehlot said.

Rajasthan BJP chief Ashok Parnami told reporters: “We respect the people’s mandate and we will analyse the reasons for our defeat. I am taking responsibility for the defeat.”

The Congress drew a blank in Rajasthan in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

(IANS)

Kejriwal slams budget, says BJP’s step-motherly treatment to Delhi

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New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that he was disappointed with the Union Budget and the BJP-led central government has continued its “step-motherly treatment” to the city state.

“I had expected some financial assistance to important infrastructure projects for national capital. Am disappointed that Centre continues its step-motherly treatment to Delhi,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader said in a tweet.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also termed the budget as “disappointing”, saying that the Narendra Modi government has been treating people in Delhi as second-grade citizens.

In a series of tweets, he expressed his displeasure over the budget in matters ranging from absence of plans to regularise unauthorised colonies, to not allocating electric buses to reduce air pollution in the city.

Stressing land in Delhi comes under the central government, he said there still “no plans announced to regularise unauthorised colonies or give more land to Delhi government to build clinics, schools, hospitals and bus depots”.

“Delhi police comes under Centre. Yet no plans or schemes announced to tackle crime and issues of women safety that have made Delhi the crime capital of India. Highly disappointing,” read another tweet.

“Not a single extra rupee increased in Delhi’s share in Central taxes since 2001-02, stays at Rs 325 Cr. No other part of India gets such treatment. BJP government at Center continues to treat Delhi residents as second-grade citizens,” Sisodia said.

(IANS)

Youth succumbs to injuries, toll in Shopian firing climbs to 3

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Srinagar: The death toll in the alleged Army firing on a mob in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir today rose to three after a critically injured youth succumbed to injuries. Rayees Ahmad, who was among the nine persons injured in the Army firing last week, succumbed to injuries at a hospital here this morning, police said.

With this, death toll in the firing incident at Ganovpora area of Shopian has risen to three. The Army opened fire on a stone-pelting mob on January 27. The Army claimed it had opened fire in self defence after seven of its personnel were injured.

The state government has ordered a magisterial probe into the incident. Police filed an FIR under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) against Army personnel, including a Major, involved in the incident.

(PTI)

Expedia – CAPA Outbound Travel Outlook: Dubai, Thailand, France, Singapore and Malaysia Account for >50% of Indian Outbound Leisure Arrivals

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Expedia group, the world’s largest online travel company, in association with CAPA India, the region’s leading aviation advisory, research and knowledge practice developed the latest ‘The inflection point for India outbound travel’ report, to enable global travel and tourism operators to better understand the Indian outbound leisure market. The report throws light on Indian consumers’ leisure travel habits and this year’s findings suggest that there is a huge potential in this segment as India contributes to only 4.8 Million leisure outbound trips. The findings also reveal the top outbound destinations for Indian weddings and explain what factors lead Indians to choose and plan their trip.

Mr. Simon Fiquet, General Manager, Southeast Asia and India, Expedia said, “India has a huge latent market for leisure travel owing to the burgeoning middle class, rising disposable incomes, higher need and awareness around travel being pushed by millennials. The report suggests that India has a promising potential, as only 30% of the total departures from India account for leisure travelling, which stands too small as compared to a global average of 53%. Some measures like introduction of more non-stop connecting flights, delivering value for money and simplifying the visa registration processes are a few key steps which can encourage the outbound leisure market to reach its true potential in India. By 2025, we expect 13.9 million leisure departures, leading to 19.4 million Indian visitor arrivals overseas, with a major contribution from Tier II and III cities.”

“Our research indicates that there is significant and rapidly rising interest in overseas holidays from India. And that the market is far more diverse – and includes sophisticated segments with an ability and willingness to spend – than most destinations realise. Similarly, there will be large numbers of first time travellers entering the international holiday market every year. India comprises multiple and varied markets. This points to the need for airlines, tourism boards and travel companies to invest much more in understanding the Indian travel landscape, and to pursue a more segmented approach to product development and marketing in order to grow volumes”, said Mr. Binit Somaia, Director, South Asia, CAPA – Center for Aviation.

DETAILED REPORT FINDINGS

India Travel Market:
· Indian outbound leisure market is estimated to be 4.8 million trips, representing just 30% of total departures, the leisure share is significantly lower than the global average of 53%
· In 2016, there were 21.9 million departures by Indian nationals, according to the Indian Ministry of Tourism. This includes travel for all purposes e.g. business, leisure, education, visiting friends & relatives (VFR) and others, by both resident and non-resident travellers. These travellers spent USD16.4 billion in 2016. Business travel accounted for 26% of outbound trips, while visiting friends and relatives, employment, education, pilgrimage and others accounted for the balance 44%
· By 2025, there will be estimated 13.9 million leisure departures, generating 19.4 million Indian visitor arrivals overseas, a CAGR of 12.2%. Traffic from tier-II Indian cities is expected to contribute significantly to the next phase of growth in outbound travel

Who is travelling:
· Indian millennials are more adventurous and confident and more inclined towards discretionary consumption of activities such as travel, as opposed to saving. They prefer independent travel over group tours
· 45% of 18-25-year olds went on their first international trip either with friends or by themselves
· Indian baby boomers are the fastest growing age group in some destinations such as Canada and New Zealand and prefer group travel

Where do Indians holiday:
· The largest overall outbound markets from India are Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the US and Thailand. US traffic is primarily for business, with only 18% leisure. Other top 20 markets which have a low leisure share include China (23%) and Australia (24%)
· Dubai, Thailand, France, Singapore and Malaysia alone account for just over 50% of Indian leisure arrivals overseas
· Making up the top 10 are Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Indonesia (primarily Bali), the US and Switzerland
· Outbound leisure travel from India is highly concentrated in a handful of popular destinations, with the top 10 accounting for 70% of Indian leisure arrivals
· Amongst the 10 leading leisure destinations, India was the largest source market for Dubai and Sri Lanka, and 4th for Singapore
· The majority of the top 10 leisure destinations are within 5-6 hours flight of India. France was the leading long-haul leisure destination, followed by the US and Switzerland

Where would Indians like to go?
· Travel agents report notable growing interest, albeit off a low base, in South America (primarily Brazil, Argentina and Peru); Eastern Europe and the Balkans (Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia and Greece); Northern Europe (Iceland and Norway); Asia Pacific (Bhutan, Cambodia, Maldives and the Philippines), as well as Israel, Jordan and Morocco
· The United States emerges as the leading aspirational destination across metro and non-metro travellers, as well as those that have never travelled. Australia and New Zealand ranked second and third respectively in metro locations. Switzerland ranked higher amongst those that have never travelled

How much do they spend?
· For an average short haul outbound leisure holiday, Indians spend about USD857 per trip per person, while for an average long-haul leisure holiday Indians spend roughly USD1,687 per trip per person
· Accommodation generally accounts for about 35% to 50% of total vacation spend. 50% of respondents budgeted USD75-150 per room per night for leisure travel, with 35% spending less than USD75.

Impact of LCCs on affordability of travel
· India has seen strong growth in both domestic and international passenger traffic over the last five years (FY2012-2017), which have grown at a CAGR of 14.0% and 8.6%, respectively. LCCs have had a dramatic impact on air travel by making it more affordable and now command 67.2% of the Indian domestic market.
· International traffic carried by LCCs grew at a CAGR of 17.2% over the period FY2012–2017, much faster than the overall growth of the market. As a result, LCCs increased their international market share from 14.5% in FY2012 to 22.9% in FY2017, with relatively faster expansion in tier-II cities such as Amritsar, Lucknow and Jaipur, among others

Impact of technology on access to travel
· Online travel agents have grown to become a major force in the distribution of domestic travel. Their presence in the international segment is smaller, but rising, with OTAs estimated to account for around 14% of international flight bookings
· Research indicated that Indian travellers prefer to use OTAs than airline/hotel websites. ‘Ease of booking’, ‘ability to compare prices’ and ‘better deals’ were the key reasons. Up to 35% of those surveyed stated that they did not require the assistance of an offline agent to book international travel

When do they travel?
· The peak season for such travel from India has traditionally been from mid-April to June, because of summer school holidays; and again, from October to January, due to the festival period, the New Year break and the wedding season, which drives honeymoon travel. This is particularly so in the case of short haul travel
· However, for longer haul travel to northern hemisphere destinations, there is a much more distinct single peak season between April and June

Emerging travel segments
Special Interest Travel
A growing number – particularly among the younger demographic – are no longer content to simply sightsee, shop or relax. Activities range from taking cookery classes to learning to dive, overland adventures, or playing golf. For example, the analysis indicates that 5000-6000 Indians travel to Scotland each year to play at courses such as Gleneagles or St. Andrews. While the number going on golf holidays in Thailand – which offers a more cost-effective proposition that is also close enough to be a spontaneous, short break destination – is estimated to be over 30,000.
Cruising
· Over the last five years the market is estimated to have tripled in size from 50,000 to 150,000 cruise passengers from India. However, this still only represents around 3% of the outbound leisure market
· Singapore is the most popular embarkation port with almost 100,000 passengers in 2016, which made Indians the largest foreign nationality boarding ships from the Singapore Cruise Centre. The Mediterranean and Alaska are the two most popular destinations outside of Southeast Asia, however due to their higher cost, they tend to appeal more to baby boomers rather than family groups

Destination weddings
· Weddings in India are an important cultural phenomenon, with families spending a sizeable proportion of their lifetime savings on such occasions. The most popular locations have traditionally been Thailand and Dubai. Locations such as diverse as Austria, Bali, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Ras al Khaimah and Turkey are increasingly positioning themselves as wedding destinations
· Weddings, even those in India, also stimulate international travel for honeymoons. The most popular destinations are not dissimilar to those for the market overall. However, agents are reporting an increasing trend of requests to honeymoon in locations where there are less likely to be other Indian tourists
Event-based travel
· Planning holidays around specific events – be they music, cultural, or sporting – is most popular amongst travellers aged 26-35 residing in tier-1 cities
· Movies (both Western and Indian), TV serials and social media are the key drivers of interest. Similarly, there was a strong desire to post on social media about attending such events
Resort travel
· Although Indians have traditionally not been beach-goers, our research and survey showed strong growth and interest in resort holidays for relaxation. This is particularly true for young professionals aged 26–45 years and married couples. Destinations such as Mauritius, Maldives and Seychelles are especially popular with honeymooners

Constraints to Travel
Cost of Travel:
· Less than 5% of Indians had taken out a personal loan or holiday financing to pay for international travel, but 16% said that they would be interested
· Most of those responding in favour of a travel loan had annual household incomes of less than USD30,000 and a majority were aged 18-35 years.
Connectivity
· 80% of long haul international passengers from India have to connect at least once en-route to reach their destinations. Most of the foreign carriers are operating at average year-round load factors of 85-90%, suggesting that some traffic is being displaced during peak periods.
· The Government of India is expected to permit only incremental liberalisation of bilateral in the near term, at least until 2019.
· The destinations with strong leisure potential that are likely to appear on the route networks of Indian long haul LCCs include New York, London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Mauritius, Bali, Sydney and Melbourne.
· Re-engined narrow body equipment, such as the A320neo or 737 MAX aircraft, with their longer range and lower unit costs, could enable LCCs to launch non-stop routes from India to numerous holiday destinations—such as Phuket, Siem Reap, Manila, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Seychelles—which are not viable today. Indian carriers currently have close to 800 such re-engined aircraft on order.
Visa Restrictions:
· There are only a handful of popular outbound destinations for Indians that permit visa-free entry, visa-on-arrival or a relatively simple electronic application for Indian nationals.
· The application process is onerous, requiring the submission of lengthy forms and accompanying documents, consuming several weeks and, on occasion, requiring a face-to-face interview. This rules out spontaneous travel.
· Visa situation is improving, with numerous destinations now implementing measures to make the process easier by enabling online applications and expediting processing. Whilst others are relaxing requirements for those that may have already been approved for a US, UK or Schengen visa on the basis that they have already been vetted by countries with stringent processes.
Limited investment in understanding the market
· Marketing, product development, customisation for local preferences, value proposition and distribution will play a critical role in determining which destinations are able to secure a larger share of volumes and spend
· The primary mistake that destinations make is to view India as a single market, and one that is at a relatively early stage of travel sophistication. The result in many cases is a generic marketing strategy focused on volume, which fails to address the diverse segments that exist. In India, each city requires their own tailored approach. Delhi differs from Chennai and within each region or city there are significant variations in preferences and behaviour based on age, income, level of travel experience.

Vatal Nagaraj calls for Bengaluru Bandh on February 4

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Bengaluru: Vatal Nagaraj has called for a Bengaluru Bandh on February 4.

Vatal Nagaraj from Kannada Okkuta today said that until the BJP resolve the Mahadayi issue, they Okkuta members will fight.

Addressing the media, he said if the BJP leaders don’t give any assurance on the Mahadayi issue by February 3 then the Okkuta will hold a protest and the bandh will be observed on 4.

The Prime Minister will be participating in the valedictory of the BJP’s Navakarnataka Parivartana Yatra at Palace grounds on Feb 4.

(Agencies)

Egyptian opposition calls for boycott of ‘absurd’ poll

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President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is all but certain to win the March election in a landslide [Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera

A coalition of Egyptian opposition groups have called for an election boycott, calling the vote an “absurdity bordering on madness” after all serious candidates were either arrested or subjected to a campaign of intimidation.

In a joint statement, eight Egyptian opposition parties and 150 pro-democracy public figures urged Egyptians to stay away from the March polls in protest, accusing the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of preventing “any fair competition”.

“It is not right for us to surrender to what has become an absurdity bordering on madness,” said Abdel-Geleel Mustafa, a veteran opposition figure, at a news conference in Cairo.

Hamdeen Sabahi, Sisi’s only rival in the 2014 presidential elections, launched the campaign under the slogan, “Stay at home.”

He called on political parties to unite against what he called Sisi’s “brutal tyranny of power”.

Sisi, a former general who came to power in a 2013 coup against his democratically elected predecessor, Mohamed Morsi, is all but certain to win the March election in a landslide.

Several potential candidates have either been arrested or faced threats, intimidation and physical violence, forcing them to drop out.

Sami Anan, a former general, had planned to run against Sisi but was arrested at gunpoint on Tuesday by Egyptian security services.

His vice-presidential candidate, Hisham Genena, was attacked and seriously injured in a busy Cairo street on Saturday.

Earlier this month, Ahmed Shafik, former prime minister, backtracked on his intention to run, claiming he would “not be the ideal person to lead the state”.

The New York Times quoted one of Shafik’s lawyers as saying that the Egyptian government had forced him to withdraw by threatening to investigate previous charges of corruption against him.

In December 2017, Ahmed Konsowa, an army colonel, was sentenced to six years in prison after announcing his candidacy, while human rights lawyer Khaled Ali withdrew after receiving a three-month prison sentence.

Government apologist
Sisi’s only challenger is Mousa Mostafa Mousa, a government apologist who entered the race at the 11th hour, amid fears that a widespread boycott could lead to embarrassingly few votes being cast.

Mousa, who formally submitted his candidacy 15 minutes before the deadline despite not publicly declaring his intention to run until the day before, denied allegations he was cooperating with the government, saying, “We are not puppets in this race.”

However the 66-year-old has repeatedly endorsed Sisi, and last year formed a campaign called “Supporters of President el-Sisi’s nomination for a second term”.

Egyptians took to social media and used the hashtag Al-Kombares, which loosely translates to someone playing the role of an “extra”, to mock Mousa’s candidacy and the upcoming poll.

“An innocent question: How was the ‘extra’ Mousa Mostafa Mousa able to get more than 47,000 signatures in 10 days, as he said, without appearing on the candidates’ database?” asked journalist Hossam Elshorbagy.

To be eligible, a candidate must have collected 25,000 signatures from constituents across 15 governorates, or the signatures of 20 members of parliament.

Egypt has been beset with problems since the 2013 coup against Morsi, the country’s first democratically elected president.

While it has also received generous economic aid packages from several Gulf countries, economic and security conditions for most Egyptians have deteriorated.

Under Sisi, human rights in Egypt have worsened, with organisations reporting that at least 60,000 people have been imprisoned since the general came to power.

There have also been reports of forced disappearances and a clampdown on press freedom.

6.1 magnitude quake rattles Afghanistan; tremors in Pak, India

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Kabul: A powerful 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan Wednesday, with the tremors felt as far away as India and Pakistan, where one girl was killed and 11 people were injured.

The quake hit at 12:37 IST near Afghanistan’s northern border with Tajikistan in the Hindu Kush mountains at a depth of 191 kilometres, the US Geological Survey said.

AFP news agency reported that frightened residents ran out of homes and shops in Kabul. No casualties were immediately reported in Afghanistan, the spokesman for the country’s National Disaster Management Authority told 1TV.

Across the border in Pakistan, homes, offices and schools were quickly evacuated in Islamabad, Peshawar and Lahore.

Mild tremors were also felt in New Delhi.

In Pakistan’s Quetta town, one girl was killed after the roof of her house collapsed during the earthquake. Deputy Commissioner Shabir Mengal said they were also incidents in other parts of Quetta where around a dozen people were injured due to building damages or collapses.He said some villages in the Balochistan province also felt the tremors.

“The injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Emergency has been declared in all hospitals,” he said.

Rescue teams were also dispatched to the nearby Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to assess reports of damage. However Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority did not expect serious losses, a spokesman said.

AFP said the epicentre was near Afghanistan’s Jarm, which was hit by a devastating 7.5 magnitude quake in October 2015 that triggered landslides and flattened buildings, killing more than 380 people across the region.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates. Aid agencies have stressed the need for greater disaster preparedness in the war-torn country, which remains extremely susceptible to recurring natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes and landslides.

(IANS)

47 million children in India reside in most polluted areas: Greenpeace India report

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New Delhi: Around 47 million children in India under five years of age reside in areas where particulate matter levels exceed the prescribed limits, with 17 million among them inhabiting places where the pollution levels are twice the limits, says a recent report.

‘Airpocalypse-II’, a Greenpeace India report, said children are worst affected in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra and Delhi respectively.

It said Delhi remained the worst impacted city with annual PM10 levels exceeding approximately five times the national ambient air quality standards.

According to the report, a massive part of the population i.e. 580 million or 47 per cent are living in areas where “no air quality data is available”.

It claimed that out of 630 million, close to 550 million people live in areas exceeding national standards for PM10, including 180 million living in areas where air pollution levels are “more than twice the stipulated limit of 60g/m3 which has been set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

“As many as 47 million children under the age of five years are residing in areas where PM10 levels exceeded CPCB annual limits, including 17 million children under the age of five who are in the areas where pollution levels are more than twice the limits,” the report claimed.

Ranking of cities based on an annual average of PM10 levels reveals that Delhi is the worst polluted city with 290 µg/m3 followed by Faridabad, Bhiwadi, Patna with the annual average ranging from 272 µg/m3, 262 µg/m3 & 261 µg/m3, respectively, it said.

It said Dehradun in Uttrakhand, once thought to be a ‘salubrious preserve of retiring elite’, also made it to the top 10 list of worst-polluted cities with 238 µg/m3 annual average of PM10.

The report added that the most-polluted cities are spread across the Indo-Gangetic basin with the southern cities being slightly better off than their northern counterparts.

However, cities in the south also need focused and time-bound action plan to bring the air quality to achieve the WHO standards, thus showing a pathway for other cities across India, it said.

(PTI)

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