Latest news with #Delhi-NCR
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
SCR on fast track, plan to be ready in a year
Lucknow: The development of State Capital Region (SCR) plan, modelled on the lines of Delhi-NCR, will be completed in a year with a budget of Rs 71 crore. The implementation of the plan will span over the next five years. The SCR will cover six districts — Lucknow, Barabanki, Sitapur, Hardoi, Unnao, and Rae Bareli. The World Bank will extend technical support to this initiative, drawing from global best practices. The proposed SCR will encompass a total area of 26,700 sq km, aiming to promote integrated development across the region. The plan focuses on strengthening high-speed inter-district connectivity, upgrading infrastructure, and promoting balanced growth. Enhanced transport networks such as expressways, ring roads, rapid rail, and the completion of missing road links will be key components. These efforts are expected to improve mobility, boost industrial and commercial growth, and create new employment opportunities. A committee meeting chaired by Keshav Varma, chairman of the high-level committee overseeing SCR, was held at the Parijat auditorium of the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) on Friday, where a detailed presentation on the SCR plan was made. Key officials present included principal secretary, housing and urban planning, P Guru Prasad, principal secretary, urban development, Amrit Abhijat, divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob, LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar, director, housing board, Ravi Jain, chief town planner KK Gautam, representatives from the World Bank, urban planners, and engineers. Consulting consortium comprising AECOM India Pvt Ltd and Aegis India Consulting Engineers Pvt Ltd has been selected to prepare the GIS-based regional master plan. LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar said that the consultants would prepare the plan in one year and identify project components aligned with the plan over the next five years. They will also be responsible for preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) and overseeing on-ground implementation. The World Bank team, present at the meeting, assured knowledge sharing from successful global models where similar regional planning was carried out. They also emphasised the inclusion of cultural and heritage conservation within the SCR development framework. Officials said that while the city was already relatively developed, the SCR project would ensure parallel development in surrounding districts. This would reduce migration to the capital for jobs, education, healthcare, and business. As urban amenities extend to semi-urban and rural areas, residents will benefit from improved local infrastructure, better living conditions, and enhanced livelihood opportunities.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Ground-level ozone at 5-yr high; south, northwest Delhi worst hit
New Delhi: The city experienced its highest ozone levels in five years this summer, according to a study by the Centre for Science and Environment. The eight-hour rolling average of the gas exceeded safe standards for 14.2 hours daily, increasing from 12 hours in previous summers. The analysis revealed that south and northwest Delhi were most affected, showing the broadest geographical spread of ozone exceedance since 2018. The study indicated that ground-level ozone surpassed national safety standards throughout the 92-day summer period from March 1 to May 31, with breaches occurring on 83 days. The established eight-hour standard for O3 is 100 micrograms per cubic metre. "Ground-level ozone pollution remained consistently high across the region, with the maximum concentration exceeding 100 microgram per cubic metre on each of the 92 days between March 1 and May 31, highlighting the persistent and widespread nature of the problem," the study said. "The worst day in terms of spatial spread was April 28, when 32 out of 58 monitoring stations across the region reported ozone levels above the safe limit. The highest regional intensity was recorded on April 13, with the Delhi-NCR average reaching 135." Ozone forms through chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide, which are released by vehicles, power plants and factories. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 34歳以上の男性が今年最高のPCゲームと絶賛！今すぐ無料でダウンロード BuzzDaily Winners ゲームをプレイ Undo These substances react in sunlight to create ground-level ozone. This highly reactive gas poses serious health risks. It can inflame and damage the airways, increase susceptibility to infections and worsen respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. CSE analysed summer trends from 2021 to 2025 (until May 31) using CPCB's official online portal, Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. The findings showed Nehru Nagar breached the safe level on all 92 days, followed by Najafgarh (82 days) and Okhla Phase-II (81 days). Only six locations, Anand Vihar, IHBAS, ITO, Shadipur, Narela and Knowledge Park in Greater Noida, maintained levels below the standard. On several days this summer, therefore, ozone was the lead pollutant instead of particulate matter in the daily air quality index. "Out of 18 days between May 25 and June 11, ozone was the lead pollutant on 12," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, CSE. The study also said there was no system to address the ozone problem under the Graded Response Action Plan. "While the policy attention is nearly fully focused on particulate pollution, co-control of toxic gases from vehicles, industry and combustion sources that contribute to ozone formation in the air is neglected," Roychowdhury pointed out, calling for measures to curb ozone.
Time of India
02-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Funding is no longer a major issue for startups in India: Paytm's Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Live Events While acknowledging that there is always a global shortage of capital to build ventures, Vijay Shekhar Sharma , founder and chief executive of One 97 Communications, which runs fintech platform Paytm , said that funding is no longer a major issue in India.'Investors across the world will value you for building for India or in India. And that, I think, is the greatest achievement of the previous generation handed over to the next generation,' Sharma said at the TIE Delhi-NCR summit on Indian startup ecosystem , which experienced a significant funding slowdown in 2023, began showing early signs of recovery as deal activity started to improve in the second half of 2024. Per private company data provider Venture Intelligence, Indian startups had raised $10.9 billion as of December 13 last year compared to $9.6 billion in addition, according to Sharma, startups no longer struggle with the talent shortages that companies had to deal with earlier. 'The problem we all used to face from the 1990s to the 2010s was that people coming out of engineering colleges, etc. were going abroad. Big companies and international jobs were the main reasons and drivers for this,' he said, noting that startups now actively recruit from colleges, with students showing equal interest in joining added that knowledge will be democratised, and those who know how to use AI will be ahead of those who don't. 'AI will help solve talent issues,' he referring to Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal's call for Indian startups to move beyond delivery platforms to more advanced sectors such as semiconductors, robotics, artificial intelligence, and next-generation manufacturing, Sharma said that India's AI model needs to have a differentiating factor.'This talk is going on about who will make AI and what will they make. So, more than the challenge, I would say the expectation is that we will create a world product from India,' he added.
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Eight college students clear Speak for India semis; final lap today
New Delhi: Confidence radiated from the stage as college students walked up, took the mic, locked eyes with the audience and launched into powerful speeches. Eloquent, bold and charismatic, they showed no signs of nervousness despite the high-pressure setting — the semi-finals of Speak for India , Delhi-NCR edition, an initiative by Federal Bank Hormis Memorial Foundation in association with The Times of India and Navbharat Times. The semi-finals took place on Thursday at Mata Sundri College for Women , where 32 students from across the region competed fiercely for a place in the finals, scheduled for the following day at the same venue. You Can Also Check: Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi After intense rounds of argument and rebuttal, eight students emerged as finalists — Prikshit Deswal from Bennett University, Greater Noida; Deepanshu Jha from Delhi School of Journalism; Naman Sharma from GKFTII, Film City Noida; Shivank Trivedi from Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi; Jasmehar Kaur from Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Delhi; Deepansh Jawrani from OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat; Aradhya Maithani from St Stephen's College, Delhi; and Niyati Gautam from Inderprastha Engineering College, Ghaziabad. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo The round was judged by Uzma Nadeem, assistant professor in the environmental studies department at Mata Sundri College for Women, and Sapna Kumari, assistant professor in the English department at Lady Irwin College. Both judges expressed admiration for the depth of thought, the quality of articulation and the confidence displayed by the participants. "It has truly been an honour to serve as a judge for today's contest. It was a pleasure to witness such passionate and articulate young minds engaging in meaningful debate. The level of preparation, clarity of thought and confidence was truly commendable. Each speaker brought unique perspectives, making the contest intellectually enriching," said Nadeem. Kumari said events like these played a vital role in nurturing future leaders and critical thinkers. "I encourage more youngsters to use this opportunity as a source of growth and confidence," she said. Maithani, one of the finalists, said, "I enjoyed each and every stage of this competition. I believe that for developing the skill of debating in a country like India, this competition is a must." Speak for India provides a platform for college students from across Delhi-NCR to voice their views on contemporary issues. Top debaters were identified through multiple levels. Students could choose Hindi or English as their preferred language to debate in. The winner will get a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh while the runner-up will receive Rs 1.5 lakh. Each of the finalists will get Rs 50,000.
