Delhi enforces 50% work from home as pollution spikes, asks private sector to follow

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The Delhi government on Wednesday directed all government and private offices in the city to enforce a shift to work-from-home for at least 50% of their staff. Only essential services like health, police, banking, etc are exempted from this.

In a press conference, Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra clarified the guidelines, saying, “All private offices operating within NCT Delhi shall function with no more than 50% of their staff attending the workplace, while the remaining staff must work from home.”

Delhi: On the imposition of GRAP-4 in the national capital, Minister Kapil Mishra says, "All private offices operating within NCT Delhi shall function with no more than 50% of their staff attending the workplace, while the remaining staff must work from home. This guideline is… pic.twitter.com/oCKVQSDmJP

— IANS (@ians_india) December 17, 2025

In another key decision, state Cabinet Minister Kapil Mishra announced that Rs 10,000 would be directly transferred to the bank accounts of all registered and verified construction workers affected by the suspension of construction work.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) enforced GRAP-IV on December 13, imposing a ban on all construction and demolition activities across the Delhi-NCR as pollution levels spiked.

Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) entails the most stringent curbs across the Delhi-NCR. At this level, the entry of trucks into Delhi is prohibited, except for those carrying essential commodities or providing essential services. Trucks running on CNG, LNG, electricity, and BS-VI diesel, however, are permitted.

The movement of Delhi-registered diesel heavy goods vehicles that are BS-IV compliant or older is also barred, with exemptions limited strictly to essential services.

All construction and demolition activities are halted under Stage IV, including linear public infrastructure projects such as highways, roads, flyovers, power transmission lines, pipelines, and telecom works, which are otherwise permitted under lower GRAP stages.

Schools in Delhi and the most affected NCR districts are required to operate in a hybrid mode, combining online and physical classes. This applies not only to primary classes but also to Classes VI to IX and XI, with students given the option to attend classes online where feasible.

Every winter, air pollution-related restrictions are enforced in the Delhi-NCR under GRAP, which classifies air quality into four stages: Stage I (Poor, AQI 201–300), Stage II (Very Poor, AQI 301–400), Stage III (Severe, AQI 401–450), and Stage IV (Severe Plus, AQI above 450).