Kejriwal's Environment Min Gopal Rai to hold meet to tackle Delhi's air pollution

Delhi's Environment Minister Gopal Rai will be holding a high-level meeting over Delhi's air pollution on February 20. The meeting is expected to take place at the Secretariat. Rai took oath as a Cabinet Minister on February 16 in the new Delhi government. 

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Meeting on air pollution 

Rai, who was given the charge of the crucial environment department in the new AAP government, had said that reduction in pollution levels will be among the top priority of the Arvind Kejriwal government. “The new environment minister has called a meeting of top department officers on Thursday to chalk out the plan to deal with city’s pollution,” the official said.

CM Kejriwal started his third term as the Chief Minister of Delhi on Monday after leading a stable government for the last five years. While Kejriwal had introduced multiple popular welfare schemes such as making travel for women free in Delhi metros and Delhi buses and also offered water and electricity at vastly subsidised fares, there has been no solution on the issue of extremely high levels of air pollution that has plagued the city every winter. A Supreme Court-mandated panel had declared a public health emergency in the Delhi-NCR region as the blanket of haze over Delhi thickened in November.

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The government has rolled out the Odd-Even scheme for the third time in November, however, it did not yield significant results in bringing down the overall air pollution levels. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured a resounding victory in the Delhi Assembly elections, winning 62 seats out of the 70-seat Assembly, allowing AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal to become the Chief Minister for the third consecutive time. 

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After taking oath as the Chief Minister of Delhi, Kejriwal said, "All of you call your relatives and tell them that their son is now Delhi CM and there's no worry now. In the election, some voted for BJP, Congress and other parties but now I am the CM of all Delhiites. I never held any bias for anyone in the last five years. We worked for everyone irrespective of whether they are BJP or Congress members. Now the election is over and all two crore Delhiites are now my family." 

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