New Delhi News: One of the world’s largest book fairs, ‘New Delhi World Book Fair 2026’, is being organized at ‘Bharat Mandapam’ located at Pragati Maidan in the capital Delhi. This nine-day literary festival, which started from January 10, will continue till January 18. This year the fair is being organized by ‘National Book Trust’ (NBT) and ‘India Trade Promotion Organization’ (ITPO), which was inaugurated by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

free entry for the first time

The biggest feature of this year’s fair is its ‘free entry’. The Education Ministry has completely abolished the entry fee to promote the culture of reading and especially to connect ‘Gen-Z’ i.e. the young generation with books. Now any book lover can enjoy the fair from 11 am to 8 pm without any ticket.

Theme: Indian Military History – Courage and Prudence @75

After the conclusion of the golden period of independence, this year’s theme has been kept as ‘Indian Military History: Bravery and Wisdom @75’. The special theme pavilion spread over 1,000 square meters showcases the glorious history of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Here, along with huge models of Arjun Tank, INS Vikrant and LCA Tejas, more than 500 books are displayed which narrate the stories of sacrifice and war skills of Indian soldiers.

Global partnerships and highlights

More than 1,000 publishers from more than 35 countries are participating in the fair. This time ‘Qatar’ has been given the status of guest country (Guest of Honor) and ‘Spain’ has been given the status of focus country. Around 600 literary programs are being organized during the fair, which include author dialogues, book releases and workshops.

A special ‘Children’s Pavilion’ has been built for children, where storytelling sessions and creative workshops are being organised. In the evening, cultural programs like the performance of artists like Ricky Cage and music of army bands are adding to the charm of the fair. If you are also fond of books and want to see the glorious history of India closely, then definitely reach Bharat Mandapam by 18th January.

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The country’s capital Delhi and its adjoining areas remained covered in a blanket of poisonous smog on Monday (December 8) and the air quality was recorded in the ‘very poor’ category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the 24-hour average AQI was 308, which is a serious warning for health. People’s problems have increased due to continuous falling air level in many areas of Delhi. People are forced to breathe this poisonous air.

‘Very bad’ air at 29 centers in the capital

According to Sameer App, till Sunday (December 7) evening, the air quality was recorded as ‘very poor’ in 29 monitoring centers of Delhi. Bawana area had the worst situation with AQI 336. At 10 am the AQI was 302 and 26 stations recorded ‘very poor’ levels. According to the board’s standards, 301-400 AQI is in the ‘very poor’ category. Delhi’s decision support system reported that transportation accounted for 16.5 percent of pollution, while industrial sources contributed 8.1 percent, residential four percent and construction activities 2.3 percent.

Burden increased from NCR districts too, air remained bad throughout the week

Neighboring districts of NCR contributed significantly to pollution. According to PTI, Jhajjar’s share was 13.9 percent, Sonipat’s 6 percent, Rohtak’s 5.2 percent and Jind’s 2.5 percent. This week, continuous fluctuations were recorded in AQI. AQI was recorded at 279 on Sunday, 304 on Monday, 372 on Tuesday, 342 on Wednesday, 304 on Thursday and 327 on Friday. The air remained in the ‘very poor’ category every day, causing the layer of smog and dust to become increasingly dense.

Slight change in temperature, effect of western disturbance

According to IMD, on Sunday the maximum temperature of Delhi was recorded at 24.7 degrees Celsius and the minimum was 8 degrees Celsius, both of which were below normal. The humidity in the morning was 92 percent and in the evening it was 71 percent. The Meteorological Department has predicted the minimum temperature for December 8 to be 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum to be 25 degrees Celsius. Due to the effect of western disturbance, the minimum temperature has increased by about two and a half degrees in the last three days, but the combined effect of cold and pollution seems to be making the air of the capital more heavy.

With increasing cold in Delhi, the demand for electricity is reaching new record levels. Last month, the maximum demand for electricity reached 4,486 MW on November 28, which is the highest demand of that month so far. Electricity distribution companies gave this information on Wednesday (December 3).

It is likely that the situation of electricity demand will remain the same in December also. In the first three days of this month, Delhi’s maximum power demand has crossed 4,200 MW. During this period in the last four years, the demand had never gone above 4,000 MW.

State Load Dispatch Center released data

According to the data of State Load Despatch Center (SLDC), Delhi, the maximum power demand of Delhi on Wednesday (December 3) was 4,299 MW. Distribution companies Tata Power DDL and BSES claimed that they are meeting this demand and are fully prepared to provide reliable electricity to the consumers.

Distribution companies said that this year on Friday (November 28) the maximum demand was recorded at about 4,486 MW, which is the highest figure for the month of November. Last year in November, the maximum power demand was 4,259 MW on November 8, 2024. Whereas in 2023 it was 4,320 MW, in 2022 it was 3,941 MW and in 2021 it was 3,831 MW.

BSES spokesperson gave this information

BSES spokesperson said, “The demand for electricity during winter in Delhi is creating new records. BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES (Yamuna Power Limited) BYPL successfully met the power demand of 1865 MW and 890 MW respectively in their areas.

Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd., which distributes electricity in North Delhi. (Tata Power DDL) said in the statement, “Electricity consumption in the second fortnight of November was the highest recorded compared to the same fortnight in the last five years.

BSES spokesperson further said, “BSES distribution companies have made elaborate arrangements to ensure uninterrupted and quality power supply during winters. This includes long-term collaboration and green energy sources to storage and AI-based forecasting.

He said, “The estimated demand this season in BRPL and BYPL areas is around 3,900 MW. Out of this, more than 50 percent demand will be met from renewable and clean energy sources.

maximum demand recorded

The maximum demand recorded this season in the company’s distribution area was 1,455 MW, which is much higher than the highest demand recorded in November in recent years. During summer this year, a record electricity demand of 8,442 MW was recorded in Delhi.

According to SLDC estimates, Delhi’s maximum power demand this winter is expected to reach around 6000 MW, which is more than last year’s maximum demand of 5,655 MW.

What did Tata Power-DDL spokesperson say?

Tata Power-DDL spokesperson said, “This season, our maximum demand in North Delhi is estimated to increase to 1,859 MW, whereas last year the maximum demand was 1,739 MW. “We are fully prepared to supply reliable power to our consumers. We have arranged for adequate power from various sources including green energy with our long-term partnership,” he said.

Army chiefs of 15 countries are going to participate in the conclave of chiefs of countries participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force in the capital Delhi. Apart from this, Vice Chiefs of 17 other countries and top commanders of 07 countries will also participate. India, ready for a bigger role in the United Nations, is going to hold a three-day conference (14-16 October) of the countries participating in the UN peacekeeping force in the capital Delhi.

Chiefs of armies and top military commanders of about 40 countries are going to participate in this three-day conference under the leadership of the Indian Army. The objective of the conference is to strengthen the fundamental principles of UN peacekeeping through global peace and moral diplomacy.

Army chiefs of these countries reaching Delhi

According to the Indian Army, the countries whose army chiefs are reaching the capital Delhi on Tuesday (October 14, 2025) include Bhutan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Poland, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Uganda, Uruguay and Vietnam.

The countries whose armies’ Vice Chiefs and top commanders are participating include Algeria, Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Italy, Nepal, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, Australia, Egypt (Egypt), Malaysia, Morocco, Nigeria, Thailand and Madagascar.

The aim is to promote global peace and stability

According to the Indian Army, the conclave aims to promote global peace and stability through mutual cooperation and coordination with the armies of like-minded countries. Apart from Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi will address the conference. During the conference, special discussions will also be held on development of capabilities of UN peacekeeping forces and better use of technology in UN peacekeeping operations.

Since the inception of the peacekeeping force in the 50s, the Indian Army has been participating in all military missions. In the last 70 years, the Indian Army has participated in about 50 out of 72 missions of the UN Peacekeeping Force. The Indian Army is also included in the category of countries contributing the maximum number of troops to the UN Peacekeeping Force.

182 Indian soldiers martyred during missions around the world

Till now, about three lakh soldiers of India have served in different UN peacekeeping missions. Even Indian soldiers have made sacrifices to establish peace across the world. 182 Indian soldiers have been martyred in different missions of the United Nations.

Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria of the Indian Army was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra in 1961 for fighting rebels in the African country Congo. Apart from this, five different soldiers have been awarded Mahavir Chakra, the country’s second highest gallantry award.

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Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday (July 23, 2025) that the ban on the use of old diesel and petrol vehicles has been imposed not by the government, but by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). He said that under the government’s vehicle junk policy, there is no restriction on the running of 15 years old vehicles.

Gadkari told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply to a question that under the NGT’s order of April 7, 2015 and the Supreme Court directions, the National Capital Region (NCR) has been banned from 10 years old diesel and petrol vehicles older than 15 years old. The Supreme Court has directed the state transport departments to implement these orders.

Government’s tough steps on the validity of private vehicles

The Union Minister said that the government has prepared a ‘voluntary vehicle fleet modernization program’ (V-VMP) or a vehicle scraping policy, which aims to remove old and pollution vehicles in order.

Nitin Gadkari further said that the validity of private vehicles outside Delhi-NCR will depend on the fitness certificate issued by the automated testing centers (ATS). However, the maximum validity limit for registered vehicles in the name of governments will be more than 15 years.

What did Gadkari say about national highways?

In a written reply to another question, Nitin Gadkari said that 13,795 ‘black spots’ have been identified on national highways so far. Repair of ‘Black Spot’ is a continuous process and short -term improvements are made on immediate basis. Out of these, short -term improvement works have been done on 11,866 ‘Black Spot’, while long -term improvement work has been completed at 5,324 places.

In response to another question, Gadkari said that the estimated cost of Dehradun-Delhi Access Controlled Highway Project is Rs 11,868.6 crore and a target is to be completed by October 2025.

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