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President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday said there is an urgent need to actively support the Centre's ambitious Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan by encouraging indigenous production, strengthening local supply chains and promoting domestic industry. Addressing a group of Indian Defence Accounts Service officers, who had called on the president at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, she urged them to learn the new skills and use tools such as artificial intelligence-driven financial analytics to support evidence-based decisions and analytics for efficient fund utilisation. "As young officers, many of you will be dealing with high-value and strategically significant proposals early in your careers. This is both a privilege and a responsibility. You are expected to uphold the highest standards of integrity," the president said. Fairness, transparency, and accountability must guide every decision you make, she said. "You should remember that trust is the foundation of public service and it should be
The government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed agreements for three loans worth over USD 800 million for projects in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. Accordingly, the loan agreements for the Maharashtra Power Distribution Enhancement Programme for Agricultural Solarization (USD 500 million), Indore Metro Rail Project (27,147,200,000 yen, equivalent to USD 190.6 million), and Gujarat Skills Development Programme (USD 109.97 million) were signed, a finance ministry statement said on Saturday. In addition, a Technical Assistance (TA) grant of USD 1 million was also signed to provide implementation support for the upcoming Sustainable Wetland and Integrated Fisheries Transformation (SWIFT) Project in Assam, designed to enhance the state's wetland ecosystems and fisheries. The Maharashtra project aims to modernise rural power infrastructure, promote distributed renewable energy generation, and improve agricultural productivity by providing farmers with ..
Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan's tenure has been extended up to May next year, the government said on Wednesday. Gen Chauhan's current stint as the top military officer is scheduled to end on September 30. The defence ministry said the government has approved the extension of service of Gen Chauhan as Chief of Defence Staff and Secretary, Department of Military Affairs, up to May 30 next year or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He has been serving as the Chief of Defence Staff since September 30, 2022.
The Railway Board has issued notifications regarding the operation of 150 Puja special trains from September 21 to November 30, which will make a total of 2,024 trips to handle the extra rush of passengers. Railway officials said that under the Puja special train series, South Central Railway will run the maximum number of 48 trains, completing 684 trips. "These trains will be operated mainly from major stations like Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Vijayawada," a press note from the Railways said. "East Central Railway has notified 14 trains which will pass through major stations of Bihar like Patna, Gaya, Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur and will make a total of 588 trips." Officials said that Eastern Railway zone, which is among the busiest routes, will run 24 special trains from crowded stations like Kolkata, Sealdah and Howrah, managing 198 trips. "While Western Railway has announced 24 special trains from cities like Mumbai, Surat, Vadodara to operate 204 trips, Southern Railway has als
The Centre on Friday increased usage charges for gunny bags by 40 per cent to Rs 10.22 per used bag, a move aimed at providing financial relief to States and Union Territories as well as improving procurement operations. In an official statement, Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, the "Government of India has increased usage charges for gunny bags by nearly 40 per cent, bringing financial relief to State Governments and Union Territories in the country." The decision is aimed at ensuring smooth procurement operations and supporting sustainable packaging practices, he said, adding that the Centre-State cooperation would also improve in foodgrain procurement and distribution. The Centre received requests from various states and UTs for the revision. The Department of Food and Public Distribution, under the Food and Consumer Affairs, constituted a committee to look into this issue. The committee comprised members from State Governments/UTs and the Food ...