India-born Gupta, the first medical doctor to ever lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also said that both India and the US have a bright future together and it cannot be reversed.
India's investment in education and knowledge in the 75 years of its independence is now paying off, America's top drug policy official Dr. Rahul Gupta has said, recalling his own upbringing in India when his parents gave high priority to studies.
India-born Gupta, the first medical doctor to ever lead the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also said that both India and the US have a bright future together and it cannot be reversed.
We have a bright future together as two nations that are going forward and cannot be reversed. The Indian way is proving every single day, to be the way to move forward along with your friends and your colleagues, find common interests, lead people where they are and move forward, Gupta, who is also known as America's Drug Czar, said. We have a bright future together as two nations that are going forward and cannot be reversed.
When I was growing up (in India), I was also always thinking, why would my parents focus so much on my studies? Why is it study to study? What we found was, as I grew up, that knowledge is the lever that moves mountains and that's where India invested its power, its mind, its youth, all the way from 1947, he said.
It is what is paying off today, Dr Gupta said in his remarks at a reception hosted by India's Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, at the India House to celebrate 76th Independence Day.
"And that is the really important reason why working right now in the White House, I feel not only comfortable but also enthusiastic that we're looking at a future of two countries, the largest and the oldest democracy, working together to solve some of the most complex, difficult, often turbulent problems, he said.
Even just last month, my team was in India to execute the first ever Counter Narcotics agreement. The United States and India see eye to eye on that. We know how important it is to address drug policy, counter-narcotics, as well as the aspects that lead to it, Dr Gupta said.
Delhi’s air quality dropped to hazardous levels after Diwali, topping global pollution charts.
IQAir recorded a reading of 442 for New Delhi, 59 times higher than WHO’s recommended level.
Supreme Court had allowed limited use of “green crackers”, but violations were reported.
Lahore ranked second most polluted city with an air quality reading of 234.
AIR quality in New Delhi deteriorated to hazardous levels on Tuesday (October 21), with pollution readings the highest in the world, according to Swiss group IQAir. The spike followed the use of firecrackers during Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
The Supreme Court of India had last week relaxed a ban on firecrackers in the city, allowing the use of “green crackers” for a maximum of three hours each on Sunday and Monday. However, Reuters witnesses reported that firecrackers were set off outside the permitted time.
Emissions from green crackers are 30 to 50 per cent lower than conventional fireworks.
IQAir recorded a reading of 442 for New Delhi, making it the most polluted major city in the world. The PM 2.5 concentration was more than 59 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended annual guideline.
PM 2.5 refers to particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can enter the lungs and increase the risk of deadly diseases and cardiac problems.
India’s Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) rated the city’s air quality as “very poor” with an air quality index (AQI) of 350. CPCB considers an AQI between 0 and 50 as good.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences forecast that Delhi’s air quality is likely to remain in the “Very Poor to Poor” category in the coming days, with AQI levels expected between 201 and 400.
Delhi and its neighbouring districts experience smog every winter as cold air traps construction dust, vehicle emissions and smoke from agricultural fires. The pollution affects many of the city’s 20 million residents, leading to respiratory illnesses.
In the past, authorities have closed schools, suspended construction work and restricted the use of private vehicles to reduce pollution levels.
India is not the only South Asian country facing severe air pollution.
In Pakistan’s Punjab province, which borders India, the government has implemented an “emergency plan” to tackle toxic air. The plan includes measures against farm fires and smoke-emitting vehicles, and the use of anti-smog guns in highly polluted areas.
The air quality reading for Lahore, the provincial capital, was 234 — the second highest in the world, according to IQAir.
“Right now, the major issue is the air coming from Indian Punjab and other parts, which is affecting the air quality in various parts of Pakistani Punjab,” said Sajid Bashir, spokesperson for Punjab’s Environment Protection Agency.
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