Centre

The government on Monday introduced a Bill to replace British era legislation with the objective to include digital and virtual records as admissible evidence in the court of law in sync with digital dependence of the banking system. The Bill was introduced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Lok Sabha. The new law to be called the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 2026 is going to repeal or replace the Bankers' Books Evidence Act, 1891. "With the advancement of technology and growth of digital banking, bank records are increasingly created, stored and maintained using contemporary technology (instead of physical record). It has, therefore, become necessary to modernise and strengthen the existing legal framework to meet the requirements of the present banking system," the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill said. The bill proposes to expand the scope of the definition of 'bankers' books' to include all forms of records maintained by banks, whether in physical, ...

The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to ensure that wherever there is a road, there is a properly demarcated, encroachment-free space for pedestrians. A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe asked Additional Solicitor General K M Nararaj, appearing for the Centre, to instruct the authorities concerned to make sure that the space meant for walking is not encroached upon and is properly separated from motor vehicle lanes. "Without any big investment and construction, just ensure that proper demarcation is done of walkers' space. Wherever there is a road, there should be a walkers' space. Do it with a rope or anything and ensure it is not encroached," the bench told Nataraj. The bench gave him two weeks to instruct the authorities while emphasising that pedestrians should have confidence that the space is meant for them and they can walk freely without any threat of moving vehicles. The top court posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks. On June 19,

The government has proposed to extend the validity of the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) for up to six-year-old BS-VI-compliant private vehicles to three years instead of the current one year to ease the burden on owners. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), in a draft notification, has said that BS-VI vehicles aged between six and ten years will be required to renew their PUCC certificate and those above 10 years every six years. According to the draft notification, while all motor vehicles complying with BS-IV emission norms will have to renew their PUCC every six months, all motor vehicles complying with BS-I, BS-II and BS-III emission norms will have to renew their PUCC every three months. BS, or Bharat Stage, refers to India's vehicle emission standards that set limits on pollutants, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC) and particulate matter (PM). The standards are aligned with European emission norms and are enfor

Keshav Chandra on Monday assumed charge as the Mines Secretary, the mines ministry said. Chandra, a 1995-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the AGMUT cadre, succeeds Piyush Goyal, who has been appointed as the Secretary General of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). Before taking charge as mines secretary, Chandra served as chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council. Soon after assuming charge, Chandra chaired a meeting with senior officials and reviewed key initiatives of the mines ministry. The secretary emphasised the importance of coordinated efforts and effective implementation of the ministry's key initiatives to strengthen India's mineral sector. The ministry is treating critical minerals as a strategic sector as it seeks to secure minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, titanium and rare earths that are essential for electric vehicles, renewables, electronics, defence and other high-tech industries. India depends heavily on impor

A crucial meeting between the representatives of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and the government was underway at the Vithalbhai Patel House here on Friday as part of efforts to find an amicable solution to the outfit's demands related to exam irregularities. While the government was represented by Union Health Minister JP Nadda and Minister of State for PMO Jitendra Singh, the CJP was represented by its national spokesperson Saurav Das and another youth. This was the third official meeting between the CJP and the government. Nadda and Das, along with another CJP spokesperson, Ashutosh Ranka, had attended two back-to-back meetings on July 20 at the minister's residence. The meeting is taking place hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike late on Thursday night following government assurances on his key demands. The CJP had earlier declined the government's invitation to hold talks at a minister's residence or office, insisting that discussions should ta

The government and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) are set to hold talks on Friday at the Constitution Club of India here after the Centre "agreed" to the outfit's request that the meeting be held at a neutral venue. There was no official confirmation from the government on it so far. The development comes hours after activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 26-day hunger strike late on Thursday night following government assurances on his key demands. The meeting is likely to be held around 12.30 pm. CJP national spokesperson Saurav Das said the outfit welcomed the government's decision to "accept its request for a neutral venue". "A discussion has been called. We are very happy that the government has agreed to our request that the meeting should be held at a neutral venue, and the Constitution Club of India has been chosen," Das told reporters. "I hope the government comes with an open mind and listens to the people," he said. The CJP had earlier declined the government's invitation

The government on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha that it is willing to hold a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue, and urged Speaker Om Birla to convene a meeting of all parties to decide on the rule, date and duration of the debate. As soon as the House reassembled at noon after an earlier adjournment, Birla asked Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to make a statement but Congress leader K C Venugopal intervened to assert that the Opposition is also seeking the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Rijju said the government is willing to hold a discussion on NEET paper leak issue but the Speaker will have to meet floor leaders of all parties to decide on the rule under which the discussion will be held, its date and duration. Amid Opposition sloganeering, the House was adjourned till 2 pm. The opposition has been demanding a discussion on the NEET paper leak issue and is also seeking the resignation of Pradhan over the handling of the controversy over th

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday upheld the Centre's decision to not extend its Production Sharing Contract with Vedanta for an offshore oil block in Gujarat and hand over the operations to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd (ONGC). Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav dismissed a petition by Vedanta Ltd seeking to set aside the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas's direction passed on September 19, 2025, which rejected its 2021 application to extend the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) dated June 20, 1998, for the Suvali oil block. The petition also sought setting aside of the direction to ONGC to immediately take over the assets and operations of the petitioner over the PSC contract area. The original term of the PSC -- between the Centre, the petitioner, ONGC and Invenire Petrodyne Ltd-- was for 25 years, i.e. from June 30, 1998 till June 29, 2023, and was extendable for a specified period under certain circumstances. The petitioner was the designated operator under the ...

The Centre has ordered deployment of 20 additional companies of the CRPF in Delhi to strengthen security measures in view of the CJP protests and demonstrations by various political parties, officials said on Wednesday. The forces, all drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), are being airlifted from West Bengal after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) ordered their immediate deployment in the national capital on Tuesday night. A total of 20 CRPF companies are being airlifted from Kolkata to be deployed in Delhi to strengthen the law and order in view of the CJP protests, demonstrations by various political parties and the ongoing Parliament session, official sources in the security establishment told PTI. Multiple instances of violent clashes during the latest protests have necessitated this immediate deployment, they said. They said these companies were deployed in West Bengal for the conduct of assembly elections held there a few months back and were asked to stay put

Provisions under Semicon 2.0 to provide incentives to Indian chip-making firms against equity are expected to drive largescale investment required for the development of advanced chips for technology such as artificial intelligence, a senior government official has said. Under Semicon 2.0, which has a budget of Rs 1.27 lakh crore, the central government has prioritised chip design by Indian companies. In an interview to PTI on Saturday, Ministry of Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan said advance chip design may need thousands of crores of investments. "We intend to provide more funding. Otherwise, under design-linked incentive scheme, you get only about Rs 15 crore. Now, to design high-end chips you need Rs 1,000 crore or more. "At the same time, the government can't give everything. This is why you have this combination saying that you get investment from a venture capitalist or somebody who believes that you will be able to bring out this chip, and we will co-invest," he ...

The Centre is close to accepting Fairfax Financial's revised offer for IDBI Bank, with the Canadian firm's bid expected to be raised slightly ahead of final regulatory and Cabinet approvals

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has sought Rs 100 crore from the Centre to accelerate the implementation of the PM-UDAY scheme, providing property rights to residents of 1,511 unauthorised colonies in the national capital, according to a CMO statement on Sunday. In a letter written to Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal, the chief minister pointed out that under its responsibilities, the department will establish PM-UDAY (Pradhan Mantri Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana) cells in all 13 districts of Delhi, each headed by an Additional District Magistrate (ADM). The chief minister said an allocation of Rs 100 crore has been proposed for the first phase during 2026-27 to ensure these activities are completed within the prescribed timeline. She cited a detailed breakdown of the proposed expenditure, including Rs 65 crore for developing a modern land survey and mapping system under the DRISHTI-based modern land survey and mapping system initiative

The all-party meeting, held ahead of every parliament session, would begin at 11 am

The Centre has withdrawn the licensing exemption for medicinal formulations containing more than 12 per cent of ethyl alcohol and brought them under stricter regulatory oversight, including mandatory licensing and prescription-only sale, to curb misuse and prevent diversion for intoxication, officials said. Certain medicinal products, including tinctures of cardamom, ginger and other aromatic preparations, have been exempted from licensing requirements under Schedule K of the Drugs Rules, 1945, the ministry said. Some of these formulations contain high concentrations of ethyl alcohol, in certain cases up to 80-90 per cent volume per volume (v/v), making them susceptible to misuse for intoxication, it said. References were also received from certain state governments in this regard, the ministry said. To address this concern, the government has mandated that all formulations containing more than 12 per cent v/v ethyl alcohol, in quantities exceeding 30 ml, shall no longer be covered

India has extended the anti-dumping duty imposed on certain Chinese tubes and pipes till January 27, 2027 to guard domestic makers from cheap inbound shipments, according to a finance ministry notification. The duty on 'seamless tubes, pipes and hollow profiles of iron, alloy or non-alloy steel' was first imposed on October 28, 2021 for five years. Amending a notification, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has said it extends "the levy of anti-dumping duty... up to and inclusive of 27th January, 2027 unless revoked, superseded or amended earlier". The existing duty ranges between USD 961.33 and USD 1,610.67 per tonne. The CBIC has also announced continuation of an anti-dumping duty on imports of 'Normal Butanol' or 'N-Butyl Alcohol' exported from Malaysia, South Africa, and the United States of America for five years. It is used in different sectors such as chemicals, paints, adhesives, and coatings. Anti-dumping measures are taken to ensure fair trade and pr

The Centre plans to refer the Diljit Dosanjh-starrer "Satluj" to an Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) constituted under the IT Rules 2021 for a detailed examination and future course of action, government sources said on Tuesday, two days after streaming platform ZEE5 was directed to take down the film over "security concerns". The film, which was earlier titled "Punjab '95" and details the life of activist Jaswant Singh Khalra in Punjab in the turbulent 1990s when the state was reeling under terrorism, was stuck with the censors for more than three years. Released uncut on ZEE5 under the new title of "Satluj" on July 3, the film was removed from the platform on July 5. Sources said the matter will now be examined by the IDC, a committee constituted under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, to consider grievances relating to content published by OTT platforms and digital news publishers and make recommendations to the ...

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday ordered unblocking of the Cockroach Janta Party's X handle, which was withheld in May. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed the judgement on a petition filed by Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke against the Centre's blocking order. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that the CJP's social media handle was blocked to avoid "chaos" among students and parents ahead of the June 21 NEET re-test. "Since NEET is already over, the primary concern is no longer of any relevance. In these circumstances, the order is revoked. The petition is allowed," Justice Sharma ordered. The original X handle of the CJP, which started as a satirical digital outfit on May 15 following a controversy over Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's remarks, was withheld in India on May 21. Soon after, the group resurfaced with a new handle, 'Cockroach is Back', which presently has over 2,27,000 followers. The movement has drawn attention for its unconventional ...

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the stand of the Centre on pleas by Delhi Gymkhana Club members and staff against the show-cause notice for eviction from its 27.3-acre premises on Safdarjung Road here. Justice Avneesh Jhingan issued notice to the central government on applications seeking a stay on the operation of the show-cause notice, and asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to ensure that the July 7 hearing before the Estate Officer is adjourned to a day after the next date of hearing in court on July 28. SG Mehta said the Centre would file its response to the applications. Noting that a hearing before the Estate Officer was scheduled for July 7, he added, "They can seek an adjournment there." "Mr Mehta, we are keeping this for the date already fixed (in the main case). Just see it (Estate Officer's hearing) is adjourned beyond that date," Justice Jhingan told the law officer. The pleas by Vijay Khurana and Delhi Gymkhana Club Ltd Staff Welfare Association form part of t

The government has relaxed the eligibility conditions for appointing the next chairman of state-owned ONGC by raising the maximum entry age to 59 years and offering the successful candidate a fixed three-year term extendable by up to two years, widening the pool of eligible contenders to head India's largest oil and gas producer. The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), the government's headhunter for appointments to state-run firms, has invited applications for the post, which will fall vacant on December 7 when incumbent Arun Kumar Singh completes his extended tenure. Under the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) advertisement, candidates should not have attained the age of 59 years on the date of occurrence of the vacancy -- December 7, 2026. The selected candidate will initially be appointed for three years, with the tenure extendable by another two years after a performance review. "Any employment or extension of tenure beyond the age of 60 shall be on a contract basis

The pleas form part of an ongoing legal challenge to the government's move to reclaim the club's 27.3-acre property