Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, European Union ambassador discuss Covid, pollution

The chief minister was keen to understand Europe’s experience with the recent surge in Covid-19 and asked the ambassador for his inputs in protecting Delhi from a similar scenario

European Union ambassador to India Ugo Astuto met chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday and discussed Delhi’s role in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and measures to mitigate air pollution in the national capital, the Delhi government said in a statement.

Ambassador of the European Union to India H.E. Ugo Astuto interacts with Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, at Delhi Secretariat, in New Delhi (ANI )

“There is no new strain of the virus in Delhi. Nearly 50% of the eligible population is fully vaccinated and about 90% have taken at least one jab. We are working rapidly to vaccinate everyone. I am constantly monitoring the trends of Covid-19 and keeping an eye out for any situation where the graphs may seem to increase,” the statement quoted Kejriwal as saying.

The chief minister was keen to understand Europe’s experience with the recent surge in Covid-19 and asked the ambassador for his inputs in protecting Delhi from a similar scenario. The ambassador said the situation largely depended on the rate of vaccination and ideally it should be easier to handle when most of the population has taken the jab, the statement said.

Kejriwal also apprised Astuto about the Delhi government’s efforts in controlling pollution throughout the year. “About 5,000 to 6,000 industrial units of Delhi were made to switch to green fuel in the form of PNG (piped natural gas) by the Delhi government. Earlier, these industries relied on heavily polluting industrial fuels so it was our top priority to make them switch over to healthier practices,” Kejriwal said in the statement.