Mumbai, Dec 22: Indian benchmark indices opened in green zone on Monday, breaking the last week’s trend of edging lower, amid strong buying in the US and China markets.

As of 9.30 am, the Sensex advanced 507 points, or 0.60 per cent, at 84,436 and the Nifty added 165 points, or 0.64 per cent to 26,132.

The broad cap indices performed in line with the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 100 up 0.58 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 100 adding 0.51 per cent.

Hindalco, Tech Mahindra and TCS were among the major gainers in the Nifty Pack, while losers included Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Max Healthcare and Cipla.

All the sectoral indices on NSE were trading in the green with metal, IT and media being the major gainers — up around 1.48, 1.23 and 0.77 per cent, respectively.

Analysts noted that market is likely heading for a year-end rally. The rupee’s sharp reversal and FIIs’ cash market purchases can accelerate this rally, as they lead to short covering, pushing benchmark indices higher. The Goldilocks domestic economic set up and potential earnings growth uptrend can support a market upturn, they added.

The US markets ended mostly in the green zone on the last trading day, as Nasdaq advanced 1.31 per cent, the S&P 500 edged up 0.88 per cent, and the Dow moved up 0.38 per cent.

As investors parsed China’s central bank keeping loan prime rate steady, Asia-Pacific markets rose on Monday.

The People’s Bank of China maintained its 1-year and 5-year loan prime rates steady, which affects most new and outstanding loans and mortgages.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index advanced 0.64 per cent, and Shenzhen dropped 1.36 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei edged up 1.75 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index added 0.29 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi added 1.72 per cent.

On Friday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 2,387 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 5,200 crore.

Mumbai: woke up to what initially appeared to be an ideal winter morning on Monday, with clear blue skies, cool temperatures and light winds offering brief relief from the city’s otherwise relentless humidity. However, the pleasant start did not last long, as a thin layer of haze soon enveloped large parts of the city, reducing visibility and once again drawing attention to Mumbai’s worsening air quality.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted a bright and comfortable day, with minimum and maximum temperatures expected to hover between 20°C and 33°C. While weather conditions remained favourable, residents stepping out early were met with hazy surroundings and a faintly acrid smell in the air. Commuters, morning walkers and schoolchildren experienced reduced visibility across several areas, dampening what should have been a refreshing winter day.

Data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in showed that Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 181 in the early hours, placing the city in the ‘poor’ category. Although this marked a slight improvement compared to the severe pollution levels recorded towards the end of last month, the air remained unhealthy, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, senior citizens and people suffering from respiratory conditions.

The persistent pollution is largely due to dust and fine particulate matter generated by extensive construction activity across the city. Multiple large-scale infrastructure projects, including metro rail corridors, flyovers, coastal road works and road-widening initiatives, along with ongoing private real estate development, continue to add majorly to Mumbai’s pollution burden.

Several areas recorded alarmingly high AQI levels, emerging as major pollution hotspots. Chembur reported an AQI of 304, categorised as ‘severe’, posing serious health risks even to healthy individuals. The Wadala Truck Terminal and Chembur registered AQI levels of 253 and 237 respectively, both falling under the ‘unhealthy’ category. Deonar recorded an AQI of 227, while Govandi stood at 217.

In comparison, some suburban areas showed relatively better air quality, though conditions remained far from ideal. Kandivali East recorded an AQI of 63 and Parel-Bhoiwada 98, both falling in the ‘moderate’ category. However, areas such as Jogeshwari East recorded 110, while Charkop and Sion reported AQI levels of 117 and 160 respectively, slipping back into the ‘poor’ bracket.

As per standard classifications, AQI levels between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 150 ‘poor’, 151 to 200 ‘unhealthy’, and above 200 ‘hazardous’. With several parts of Mumbai nearing or crossing unhealthy thresholds, concerns are mounting over long-term health impacts if pollution levels remain unchecked.

New Delhi, Dec 20: Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday mounted a sharp attack on the PM Narendra Modi-led government, accusing it of systematically running a “bulldozer” over the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and undermining the rights of rural poor, farmers and landless workers, terming it an “assault on rural livelihoods”.

This comes two days after the Parliament passed the VB-G RAM G Bill 2025, which escalated into a major political slugfest between the government and the opposition.

In a video message shared by the Congress on X, Gandhi recalled the passage of the landmark employment guarantee law nearly two decades ago during the tenure of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.

She said MGNREGA was passed with broad consensus in Parliament and proved to be a “revolutionary step” that provided livelihood security to crores of rural families, particularly the most deprived and marginalised.

“The law stopped distress migration by ensuring employment in one’s own village, strengthened gram panchayats and gave a legal right to work,” Gandhi said, adding that the scheme embodied Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj.

She noted that MGNREGA acted as a lifeline for the poor during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, the Congress leader alleged that over the past 11 years, the Modi government had made repeated attempts to dilute the scheme by ignoring the interests of the rural unemployed and poor.

She expressed “deep anguish” over what she described as recent unilateral changes to the programme.

“Without consultation, discussion or taking the opposition into confidence, the government has altered the very structure of MGNREGA. Even Mahatma Gandhi’s name has been removed,” Sonia Gandhi claimed.

She warned that decisions on who gets work, how much employment is provided and where it is offered are now being taken “from Delhi, far removed from ground realities”.

Emphasising that MGNREGA was never a party-specific initiative, Gandhi said the Congress may have played a key role in bringing the law, but it was always meant to serve national and public interest.

“By weakening this law, the government has attacked the rights of crores of farmers, labourers and landless rural poor,” she said.

Gandhi asserted that the Congress was fully prepared to resist what she termed an assault on rural livelihoods. “I fought for the employment guarantee law 20 years ago, and I remain committed to fighting this ‘black law’ today,” she said, adding that Congress leaders and workers stood firmly with the people.