On the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Saturday, thousands of devotees took the holy dip in river Ganga in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

As devotees flocked to the river for the holy dip on the occasion of the harvest festival, a huge crowd was seen on the Varanasi ghats queuing up to offer prayers to the sun god.

To ensure that the tourists take the holy dip safely, bath kunds have been developed on floating jetties. Handicraft, ODOP, GI.

Product stalls have been integrated with the tent city which will act as a sustainable economic platform for the local population.

Makar Sankranti is a festival in the Hindu calendar, in which devotees make offerings to the deity Surya. The day marks the first day of the sun’s transit into the Makara, marking the end of the month with the winter solstice and the start of longer days.

Makar Sankranti, which is one of the most auspicious times in the year that marks the transition of the Sun from Dakshinayan to Uttarayan.

Observed on January 14 every year, the festival is known by various names in different parts of the country such as Pongal, Bihu and Maghi. Devotees in several parts of the country performed rituals at different ghats.

Several Hindu devotees and Naga Sadhus from different parts of the country gathered at Kolkata’s Babu Ghat to take a holy dip during Gangasagar Mela on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

New Delhi: India reported 174 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 4,46,80,583.
The country’s active caseload has now declined to 2,257.

India also recorded 5,30,725 Covid deaths so far, with one in Kerala and one in Maharashtra in the past 24 hours.

The air quality in Delhi continued to be in the “very poor” category with the overall air quality index (AQI) at 337 on Saturday morning.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR) data, the AQI in the Delhi University area was recorded at 357 while in Pusa, the AQI was 329. The AQI around Delhi airport was 326. In the area around IIT Delhi, the AQI was 337. In Mathura Road, the AQI was recorded at 349 and the Lodhi Road area recorded AQI at 327.

With a cold wave gripping the national capital, the city recorded a temperature of 11.6 degrees Celcius on Saturday morning.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the humidity was recorded at 97 per cent while the Southwesterly wind was breezing at 11.1 km/hour.

Cold wave conditions are likely to re-emerge over North-West India and peak around January 15-16 with minimum temperatures expected to dip, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).

On January 15, the IMD expects dense to very dense fog likely in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi; in isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh. Dense fog in isolated pockets over Jammu division, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, north Madhya Pradesh and Bihar is also expected with cold day conditions likely in isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh on January 15.

The Congress announced on Friday that it will deliver a letter written by Rahul Gandhi to each house along with a charge sheet against the central government starting on January 26.

The programme will last for two months and reach 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, six lakh villages, and 10 lakh booths. This is a massive outreach programme of the Congress to take its political message to the people.

Jairam Ramesh said, “This program, “hath se hath jodo,” will carry forward the Congress party symbol and the political message from the Bharat Jodo Yatra.”

However, he said that this is a tough task because in some states the organisation is weak, but it will be done.

In the letter, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “There is a palpable economic crisis brewing—joblessness among the youth, an unbearable price rise, severe farm distress, and a complete corporate capture of the country’s wealth.”

He wrote, “People are worried about losing their jobs, their incomes are falling further, their dreams of a better future are shattered, and there is a deep sense of hopelessness across the country.”

“Today, even our plurality is under threat.” Divisive forces are attempting to turn our diversity against us—different religions, communities, and regions are being pitted against each other. These forces, which are only a handful in number, know that only when people feel insecure and scared can they sow the seeds of hatred for the “other.”

He said he will fight to eradicate these evils—from the streets to Parliament—every single day.

“I am determined to create economic prosperity for everyone—the right price for farmers’ produce, jobs for our youth, fair distribution of the country’s wealth, an enabling environment for MSMEs and entrepreneurs, cheaper diesel, a stronger rupee, and a gas cylinder for Rs 500,” said Rahul Gandhi in the letter.