Explore Business Standard
Associate Sponsors
Co-sponsor
The Union government will soon launch a nationwide HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination programme targeting girls aged 14 and above, official sources said. The Gardasil injection will be administered free of cost, they said. The quadrivalent HPV vaccine protects against HPV types 16 and 18, which cause cervical cancer, as well as types 6 and 11, they said. "Strong global and Indian scientific evidence confirms that a single dose provides robust and durable protection when administered to girls in the recommended age group," an official source said. "Vaccination under the national programme will be voluntary and free of cost, ensuring equitable access across socio-economic groups," the source added.
Allocation for women and girls under various schemes has increased by 11.55 per cent to Rs 5.01 lakh crore in 2026-27, up from Rs 4.49 lakh crore in the previous financial year as per the Gender Budget Statement (GBS) released by the government. Gender budget statement includes allocations for schemes exclusively for women and girls, as well as proportion of spending in broader schemes that benefit them, bringing together total allocations across ministries aimed at promoting gender equality. The share of allocation of gender budget in the Union Budget has also risen to 9.37 per cent 2026-27 from 8.86 per cent, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said in a statement on Wednesday. The allocations were announced as part of the Union Budget 2026-27, which was presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1. A total of 53 ministries/departments and five Union territories have reported allocations in the gender budget this year -- compared to 49 ...
The government's stake sale in BHEL was over-subscribed two times on the first day on Wednesday, with institutional investors placing bids worth over Rs 5,650 crore. Institutional investors put in bids for over 22.07 crore shares at an indicative price of Rs 256.07 a share, as against over 9.40 crore shares on offer. The base issue size was over-subscribed 2 times, with bids worth Rs 5,650 crore coming in. The government is disinvesting 3 per cent equity in BHEL with an additional 2 per cent as a green-shoe option at a floor price of Rs 254 in the two-day offer for sale. Retail investors will be able to place a price bid on Thursday. The base issue size comprises over 10.44 crore shares, or 3 per cent stake, in BHEL, plus a greenshoe option to sell over 6.96 crore shares or 2 per cent. The sale of total 17.41 crore shares, or 5 per cent stake, would fetch the government Rs 4,422 crore. The government holds 63.17 per cent in BHEL. Shares of BHEL touched a low of Rs 258.60 in ...
An average 50 days of employment per household was provided to workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the last five years, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday. The flagship rural employment scheme guarantees up to 100 days of wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. In a written reply in the Upper House, Paswan said in 2024-25, average days of employment provided per household under MGNREGS was 50.24. The figures for previous years were similar. In 2023-24, the average number of workdays per household was 52.07, in 2022-23 it was 47.84, in 2021-22 it was 50.07, and in 2020-21 it was 51.54. Altogether, the average number of days of employment per household during the last five years comes to 50.35. In his reply, Paswan also said the responsibility for implementation of the MGNREGS at ground level lies with th
The government has launched a nationwide campaign 'Your Money, Your Right' to facilitate the settlement of unclaimed financial assets, and Rs 2,000 crore have been claimed by their rightful owners in October and November this year. The government launched the campaign on October 4 to facilitate the settlement of unclaimed financial assets, including bank deposits, insurance, dividends, shares, mutual funds and pensions, to their legitimate claimants. From October to December 5, 2025, camps have been held in 477 districts with participation of public representatives, district administration, and officials from financial institutions, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha. To maximise outreach during the campaign, standard operating procedures (SOPs), frequently asked questions (FAQs), and awareness material in major regional languages, along with short video messages, have been widely disseminated. District-level camps are organised