NEW DELHI, Oct 18:  Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Sunday said the pollution problem cannot be resolved in a day and continuous efforts are needed to tackle each of the contributing factors.
Interacting with people during a Facebook Live event, he said the major factors behind air pollution in the country are traffic, industries, waste, dust, stubble, geography and meteorology.
“The pollution problem cannot be resolved in one day. Continuous efforts needed to tackle each contributing factor,” the minister said.
Javadekar said e-vehicles are becoming popular and more than two lakh e-vehicles were being used in India currently. “I myself use an e-vehicle. I charge it at my home. I also drive an e-scooty.”
The government introduced BSVI fuel which reduces vehicular emissions by up to 60 per cent. Metro and e-buses have been introduced to reduce vehicular pollution, he said.
The minister said the number of “bad air days” has reduced from 250 in 2016 to 180 in 2020.
He said people have a big role to play in tackling air pollution and urged them to download ‘Sameer’ mobile application of the Central Pollution Control Board for monitoring pollution levels in different cities. (PTI)

MUMBAI, Oct 18: Megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Sunday said there might be limitations over the celebration of Durga Puja in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic but the spirit has not died down.
In his blog, the 78-year-old actor wrote how festivities starting with the nine-day Navratri festival, which began from Saturday, is being celebrated under the shadow of COVID-19.
“And they say the festive season has begun .. The Navratri the Durga Pooja and soon the festive Diwali and Dussera .. And the limitations of the celebration loom large among us all ..
“But the spirit of prayer and wellness and the reason for the festivity has never changed or stepped down .. It remains steadfast, unchanged and devout in its presence,” Bachchan wrote.
The screen icon said he prays that the bond between people becomes stronger during these testing times.
“And we pray .. And I pray .. That the needed bridge between us be built in its strongest presentation .. To bear the weight of this anomaly .. And give respite and courage and standing and respect to the other,” he added. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Oct 18: Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said there is no evidence that can validate claims on global multiple focal points for the COVID-19 outbreak, amid China claiming that the coronavirus broke out simultaneously in several countries last year.
During an interaction with his social media followers on the sixth episode of “Sunday Samvaad”, Vardhan said the reported outbreak of COVID-19 from Wuhan in China remains recognised as the first report worldwide.
Responding to a question, he said China has claimed that there was a simultaneous outbreak of the disease across many nations.
“However, to validate this claim that there were multiple focal points across the world requires data of uniform and timely reporting of the occurrence of confirmed and diagnosed cases from various countries at the very same time. No such clinching evidence is as yet available regarding this. Therefore, the reported outbreak of COVID-19 from Wuhan in China has been recognised as the first report worldwide,” the minister said.
Responding to another question on the market being flooded with oximeters made in China, he said, “Consumers should look for FDA or CE-approved products with ISO or IEC specifications while purchasing a pulse oximeter from the market or from online retailers.”
However, he made it clear that a dip in the oxygen saturation level is not a COVID-19 symptom, as it may happen due to other underlying medical conditions as well.
Vardhan further said as yet, no mutation of the coronavirus has been detected in India, which is either more transmission efficient or more pathogenic.
In response to another question, the minister said although there are no intranasal COVID-19 vaccines under trial in the country at the moment, Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech are expected to pursue clinical trials of such vaccines in the coming months on receiving the regulatory approval.
He clarified that the phase-3 clinical trial is generally with thousands of participants, sometimes even close to 30,000 to 40,000. It is possible that from a specific city or hospital, a couple of hundred participants are selected at a given time, but in general, the overall phase-3 participant pool is much larger.
Sharing details of the special Drive for Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) reporting and monitoring of drugs used in COVID-19, Vardhan clarified that the drive is not because of an adverse reaction reported with an existing drug, but is part of a proactive COVID-19 preparedness programme. (PTI)

NEW DELHI, Oct 18: The Supreme Court has deprecated the “inordinate delays” by Government authorities in filing appeals before it, and said they “must pay for wastage of judicial time” and such costs can be recovered from officers responsible.
A bench headed by Justice S K Kaul said the apex court cannot be a place for the governments to walk in when they choose ignoring the period of limitation prescribed in the statute.
“We have raised the issue that if the Government machinery is so inefficient and incapable of filing appeals/petitions in time, the solution may lie in requesting the Legislature to expand the time period for filing limitation for Government authorities because of their gross incompetence. That is not so,” said the bench, also comprising Justice Dinesh Maheshwari.
“Till the statute subsists, the appeals/petitions have to be filed as per the statues prescribed,” the bench said in its order while dealing with an appeal filed by Madhya Pradesh after a delay of 663 days.
The top court noted the explanation given in the application for condonation of delay which stated that it was due to unavailability of documents and process of arranging them and also that in “bureaucratic process works, it is inadvertent that delay occurs”.
“We are constrained to pen down a detailed order as it appears that all our counselling to government and government authorities have fallen on deaf ears i.e., the Supreme Court of India cannot be a place for the governments to walk in when they choose ignoring the period of limitation prescribed,” it said.
The bench said a “preposterous proposition” is sought to be propounded that if there is some merit in the case, the period of delay is to be given a go-by.
“If a case is good on merits, it will succeed in any case. It is really a bar of limitation which can even shut out good cases. This does not, of course, take away the jurisdiction of the court in an appropriate case to condone the delay,” it said.
The bench noted that such approach is being adopted and the object appears to be to obtain a certificate of dismissal from the Supreme Court to put a quietus to the issue and thus, say that nothing could be done because the highest court has dismissed the appeal.
“It is to complete this formality and save the skin of officers who may be at default that such a process is followed. We have on earlier occasions also strongly deprecated such a practice and process. There seems to be no improvement,” it said.
“The purpose of coming to this court is not to obtain such certificates and if the government suffers losses, it is time when the concerned officer responsible for the same bears the consequences,” the bench noted.
The top court said no action is taken against the officers, who sit on the files and do nothing, and it is presumed that court would condone the delay.
“We are thus, constrained to send a signal and we propose to do in all matters today, where there are such inordinate delays that the government or state authorities coming before us must pay for wastage of judicial time which has its own value. Such costs can be recovered from the officers responsible,” the bench said.
It noted in its order that no doubt, some leeway is given for “government inefficiencies” but the sad part is that authorities keep on relying on judicial pronouncements for a period of time when technology had not advanced and a greater leeway was given to the government.
The bench, which dismissed the appeal on the ground of delay, imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 on Madhya Pradesh and said it be deposited within four weeks with the Mediation and Conciliation Project Committee.
“The amount be recovered from the officers responsible for the delay in filing the special leave petition and a certificate of recovery of the said amount be also filed in this court within the said period of time,” it said.
The bench made it clear that if its order is not complied within time, it would be constrained to initiate contempt proceedings against the chief secretary of the state. (PTI)