New Delhi, Feb 24: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta along with her council of ministers took oath as members of the Legislative Assembly on Monday. The first session of the House commenced this morning and will see all newly-elected legislators taking oath.

Alongside Delhi CM, the BJP ministers namely Parvesh Verma, Ashish Sood, Kapil Mishra, Ravinder Singh Indraj, Pankaj Kumar Singh and Manjinder Singh Sirsa also took the oath.

AAP’s 22 MLAs, including Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Atishi, also took oath during the first session of the House.

Rekha Gupta had taken the oath as Delhi’s Chief Minister on Thursday at a grand ceremony at Ramlila Maidan. The swearing-in event, marking BJP’s comeback after 27 years, was attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and several Chief Ministers from BJP-ruled states.

The event was not only a political milestone but also a show of strength for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

With her appointment, Rekha Gupta has become the fourth woman Chief Minister of Delhi, following in the footsteps of Sheila Dikshit, Sushma Swaraj, and Atishi.

She is also the fourth BJP leader to hold the top post in the capital, succeeding Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma, and Sushma Swaraj.

The first session of the Delhi Assembly is set to last for three days.

The proceedings began with BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely taking oath as the pro-tem Speaker, a temporary position responsible for conducting House proceedings until a full-time Speaker is elected. Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena administered the oath to Lovely at Raj Niwas.

The election for the Assembly Speaker is scheduled to take place at 2:00 p.m.

According to the Assembly bulletin, L-G Saxena will address the House on February 25, after which the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) reports will be tabled.

New Delhi, Feb 24: BJP MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely took oath as the pro-tem Speaker of the Delhi Assembly on Monday and will chair the proceedings during the first sitting of the legislature.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena administered the oath to the Gandhi Nagar MLA at Raj Niwas.

Four-time legislator Arvinder Singh will perform the duties of the Office of the Speaker till the new Speaker is elected.

In a notification published in Delhi Gazette on Saturday, the legislative Assembly secretariat quoted an L-G’s order which said, “I hereby appoint Arvinder Singh Lovely, a member of the newly elected Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi to perform the duties of the Office of the Speaker from the commencement of the said meeting and until the new Speaker is elected.”

The LG’s order added, “I also hereby appoint Arvinder Singh Lovely to be the person before whom Members of the newly elected Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi shall make and subscribe oath or affirmation in accordance with the provisions of section 12 of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991.”

The CAG reports are also expected to be placed on the table of the House on February 25.

Vijender Gupta, a three-time legislator and three-time councillor who has been designated by the BJP to be the next Speaker, had said the proposal to call a three-day session of the legislature – February 24, 25 and 27 – was approved by the Delhi Cabinet in its first meeting on Thursday.

He said since the CAG reports, including the one pointing to lapses in the now-withdrawn excise policy, have already been received in the office of the Speaker of the outgoing Assembly, these will be the first to be taken up by the new House.

The CAG reports are expected to expose the alleged financial mismanagement of the previous AAP governments led by Arvind Kejriwal.

The excerpts of a few CAG reports that managed to reach the public domain revealed a revenue loss of over Rs 2,026 crore due to irregularities in the Delhi government’s excise policy.

New Delhi, Feb 22: The government is committed to providing quality healthcare services for workers and their families, Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, said on Saturday, emphasising the welfare of workers.

Dr Mandaviya, who visited Chandigarh to review key institutions under the Ministry, said that data-driven decision-making is crucial for enhancing economic growth, governance and service delivery.

As part of his visit, the Union Minister toured the Labour Bureau and the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Model Hospital, Chandigarh, assessing their ongoing initiatives and interacting with stakeholders.

At the Labour Bureau, he was apprised of the objectives, scope and status of various activities, including price indices, labour statistics and surveys.

Dr Mandaviya also took a review of the performance and initiatives of the EPFO Regional Offices under the Punjab & Himachal Pradesh Zone at the Labour Bureau.

The Union Minister highlighted that reforms in the IT system are continuously transforming the functioning of the EPFO.

Later, the Union Minister visited the ESIC Model Hospital in Chandigarh and toured the hospital facilities. He interacted with patients receiving treatment at the hospital and reaffirmed to them that the government is committed to providing quality healthcare services for workers and their families.

Earlier this week, Dr Mandaviya instructed officials to prioritise efficient medical service delivery and expedite the timely completion of hospital renovation and construction projects.

During his visit to ESIC Hospital in Mumbai, he interacted with patients and staff to understand their experiences and feedback on the services provided.

To improve efficiency and transparency, he directed officials to accelerate the digitisation of processes, including inspections, ensure better upkeep of laboratories, and maintain a strong focus on transparency in regulatory activities.

Meanwhile, the payroll data of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), released on Friday, show that as many as 17.01 lakh new employees were added in December 2024 while 20,360 new establishments were brought under the social security ambit of the ESI Scheme during the month, ensuring social security to more workers.