The Delhi Government has rolled out an expanded winter action plan to safeguard homeless residents and other vulnerable groups as temperature continues to dip sharply across the Capital.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday reviewed the preparedness at the Delhi Secretariat and directed departments to ensure no citizen is forced to sleep in the open during winter.

Officials informed the Chief Minister that 197 permanent night shelters, with a combined capacity of around 18,000 people, are currently operational. Of the 250 temporary shelters planned across the city, 204 have already been set up and equipped with blankets, bedding, heating arrangements, water coolers, mosquito-control devices, CCTV cameras and women’s security facilities. All shelters will be monitored until March 15, officials added.