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The Centre has amended the legal terminology, administrative structure and electoral provisions governing the Autonomous Hill Development Councils in Ladakh to align them with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which led to the creation of the Union territory of Ladakh. Under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Amendment) Regulation, the number of elected seats in each Council will be determined by the Ladakh administration, with a minimum of seven and a maximum of 24 seats. The administration can nominate up to four members from among women and "unrepresented communities", subject to the one-sixth limit of the population, the regulation states. The sitting Lok Sabha MP representing Ladakh will be an ex-officio member of the Councils constituted for each district. Each Council will have a term of five years from the date appointed for its first meeting, unless dissolved earlier. The term can be extended if holding elections is considered impracticable. Th
A reshuffle in the council of ministers of the Modi government seems imminent, with indications from the top echelons of the ruling dispensation that the exercise may be carried out anytime from now -- possibly before the Monsoon session of Parliament begins. Sources aware of the deliberations said the reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers will be carried out in tandem with the announcement of a new BJP team under its president Nitin Nabin. "Team Nitin Nabin" is likely to be announced soon, as the BJP top brass is believed to have finalised the list, with younger faces expected to be deployed in prominent organisational roles. The sources indicate that the BJP president also held consultations with a few Union ministers of state last week. There are strong possibilities of some Union ministers being sent to take organisational roles in the BJP and party office-bearers being inducted into the Modi ministry. Speculation is also rife about portfolio changes for some ministers,
Manipur Police chief Rajiv Singh was on Thursday appointed as Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat, according to a Personnel Ministry order. The Secretary (Security) is the administrative head of the Special Protection Group (SPG) that provides security to the prime minister and members of his immediate family residing with him at his official residence. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Singh's appointment to the post of Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat, the order said. Singh, a 1993-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Tripura cadre, has been working as the Director General of Police (DGP), Manipur since June 1, 2023. He took over as the head of the police force of the strife-torn state after the ethnic violence started on May 3, 2023. The violence, which started after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribes status, has left at least 260 pe
The West Bengal cabinet on Monday approved the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women from June 1, and allowed free travel for them in government-run buses. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, state minister Agnimitra Paul said women, who applied for citizenship under the CAA and approached tribunals for inclusion in voter rolls, will also receive 'Annapurna' scheme benefits. "The cabinet gave a nod to the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women from June 1. It also approved a proposal to allow free travel for women in government-run buses from June 1," the minister said. The government also approved the constitution of the 7th state pay commission for its employees, and staffers in allied statutory civic bodies, education boards and those working in state-run education institutions, she said. "The Bengal cabinet decided to discontinue government assistance to groups based on religious categorisation from June. The government also
The Centre on Saturday appointed academician Joram Aniya and scholar-author R Balasubramaniam as full-time members of the Niti Aayog, taking the total number of such members in the government think tank to seven, along with a vice-chairman. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chairman of the Niti Aayog. "In continuation of the Cabinet Secretariat's notification dated 24.04.2026, the prime minister has approved the appointment of the following persons as full-time members of the NITI Aayog with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders, on the same terms and conditions as are applicable to full-time members: (i) Dr R Balasubramaniam; (ii) Dr Joram Aniya," a notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat said. On April 24, while reconstituting the Niti Aayog, the government appointed Ashok Kumar Lahiri as its vice-chairman and economist K V Raju, AIIMS Director M Srinivas, Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, Abhay Karandikar, scientist ..