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The Union Territory of Ladakh is witnessing unprecedented growth with focus on modern governance, renewable energy and people-centric development, Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta said on Sunday. Addressing the Lead Impact Conclave here, he said education, health, and tourism remain the foremost priorities of his administration. Ladakh has witnessed unprecedented growth since becoming a Union Territory (in 2019), with the administration committed to sustainable and inclusive governance, Gupta said. The LG said Ladakh's transformation reflects its focus on renewable energy adoption, paperless governance, and modern administrative reforms, making it a model for other states and Union territories. Our endeavour is to ensure that Ladakh becomes a benchmark of balanced development, where economic progress is pursued in harmony with our cultural values and sensitive ecosystem, he said. Gupta said his administration is committed to provide quality education, strengthen healthcare ...
Calling itself the custodian of the Constitution, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked if it could sit idle if a constitutional functionary like Governor failed to discharge duties as it reserved the verdict on the presidential reference on grant of assent to bills. In the marathon hearings spanning 10 days, a Constitution bench of headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai heard legal luminaries including Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Singhvi, Gopal Subramanium, Arvind Datar and others on the presidential reference which centered around Article 200 and 201 and the key issue whether constitutional court can impose timelines for governors and President to assent to bills. On the last day, the bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, P S Narasimha and A S Chandurkar, interjected Mehta when he referred to the separation of powers as one of the basic structures of the Constitution and said the court shoul
Nagaland Governor La Ganesan died on Friday while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai, a Raj Bhavan official said. He was 80. Ganesan was undergoing treatment at the ICU of the hospital for the past few days and he died on Friday night, the Kohima Raj Bhavan PRO said. On August 8, Ganesan had collapsed at his home in Chennai and sustained a head injury, sources said. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where doctors admitted him to the ICU to undergo intensive monitoring and treatment. Ganesan was appointed the 21st governor of Nagaland on February 12, 2023 and he assumed office on February 20 that year.
The Supreme Court has said it is not undermining the office of the governor in fixing a timeline for their actions under Article 200 but they must act with due deference to the settled conventions of parliamentary democracy. A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan which was critical of the act of Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi sitting over bills passed by the legislative assembly without any action, held that governors act according to Article 200 of the Constitution in a time-bound manner in a period ranging from one to three months. Article 200 empowers the governor to give assent to the bills presented to him, withhold the assent or to reserve it for the consideration of the president The bench said, "We are in no way undermining the office of the Governor. All we say is that the Governor must act with due deference to the settled conventions of parliamentary democracy; respecting the will of the people being expressed through the legislature as-well as the elected governme
Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Saturday got irked by a banner against Savarkar at Calicut university here and said that such "politicisation of educational institutions" should not be tolerated. Arlekar, who arrived at the university for a Senate meeting, also told the Vice Chancellor that he should take care of "all such things". "This politicisation of the educational system, educational institution, should not be tolerated," the Governor, who is also the Chancellor of universities in the state, said. Arlekar said that he saw a banner which said 'We need a Chancellor and not a Savarkar' and asked, "I don't know what thinking is this? What sort of thinking is this? Was Savarkar an enemy of this country?" "What we need, we do not understand. The Chancellor is here with you, you do now whatever you want to do with the Chancellor. But, what bad thing Savarkar has done? "If you go through his educational thinking, you will understand what he has given to this society.
Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Sunday asserted that "a long period of slavery" made the people of India indifferent to their "eternal cultural values", which hold the key to solving all the problems faced by the nation. He made the remark at an interactive session organised here by think-tank Grand Trunk Road Initiative (GTRI). Known for his proficiency in Sanskrit, Khan drew applause when he recited many verses in Sanskrit, while insisting that he saw himself as a "vidyarthi" (student) and not as a "vidvaan" (scholar). "We seem to have developed an indifference towards our eternal values because of having experienced a long period of slavery," Khan said. "But our heritage provides us the key to solving many of our problems. Just look at the national anthem which speaks of Jai', which implies victory, but is distinct from Vijay' that indicates subjugation of another," he said. Known for his plainspeak, Khan, who took over as the governor last month, pointed out "this is the
Many state-run universities in Tamil Nadu are starved of funds and are in a dire financial crisis and unable to pay salaries to teachers, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi said on Saturday. Their autonomy has been "severely eroded to such an extent that it was not the university syndicates but the state Secretariat that runs the varsities," the Governor alleged. "Higher Education scenario in Tamil Nadu is no better. About 25 lakh students are enrolled in our 20 state universities. Most of the universities are starved of funds and are in dire financial crisis not even able to pay salaries to teachers," Ravi said in his address on the eve of Republic Day. The universities, he claimed, have not received their due shares of fund from the state government for the last many years. And as a result, many were functioning with less than 50 per cent of teachers' strength. "Universities have no money to recruit teachers. In Madras University, which used to be our nation's pride, 66 per cent of ...
With Delhi Assembly elections around the corner, the tussle between Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal has intensified over the state of civic amenities in the capital. AAP in a statement hit back at Saxena over his letter to its convener Kejriwal, saying he seems to be "more interested in politics than his sole responsibility-law and order" that is in "complete disarray and worsening" with each passing day. In a letter to Kejriwal, LG Saxena accused the AAP government of neglecting critical civic infrastructure and public services over the past decade. The letter came in response to Kejriwal's post on X, where he thanked the LG for highlighting the problems of Rangpuri Pahari during his visit on Saturday. "LG sahab: Thank you for drawing our attention to the problems of Rangpuri pahadi. Our team is constructing a new drain there and cleaning it on a war footing. You visited New Rohtak Road and also told us about the drain overflow and broken road there.
A day after students clashed with security forces during their march to Raj Bhavan, Manipur Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Wednesday left Imphal for Guwahati, officials said. Manipur University has also postponed all postgraduate and undergraduate examinations till further orders. Acharya, who is the governor of Assam with additional charge of Manipur, left the state for Guwahati around 10 am, officials told PTI without divulging further details. More than 55 students and security personnel received minor injuries during the clash on Tuesday near the Raj Bhavan. The agitators were demanding removal of the DGP and security advisor to the state government for their alleged inability to deal with the law and order situation in Manipur, where drones and rockets were used recently in the ethnic violence. Hours after the clash near Raj Bhavan, the governor met 11 student representatives on Tuesday night. Police said that no fresh protests and violence were reported on Wednesday in
Granting sanction for prosecution against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam', Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot has said it is very necessary to conduct a neutral, objective, and non-partisan investigation. He said he is prima facie "satisfied" that the allegations and the supporting materials disclose commission of offences. The Governor also termed as "irrational" the decision taken by the Council of Ministers advising him to withdraw his showcause notice to the Chief Minister and to reject the application seeking prosecution sanction. "Upon perusal of the petition along with the materials in support of the allegations in the petitions and subsequent reply of Siddaramaiah and the advise of the state cabinet along with the legal opinion, it seems to me that there are two versions in relation to the same set of facts," the Governor said in his decision. He said, "It is very necessary that a neutral, ..
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday expressed hope that Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot will not reject the Cabinet's advice to withdraw his "show-cause notice" to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in connection with the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment 'scam'. He said, in case, the Governor rejects the Cabinet's advice and grants permission for prosecution against the CM, the Congress government will fight it legally. "As a Cabinet we have advised the Governor to withdraw his show-cause notice and to reject the petition seeking Siddaramaiah's prosecution by activist T J Abraham. I'm hopeful and don't feel that the Governor will do it (sanction prosecution), despite the Cabinet's advice along with facts," Parameshwara said. Speaking to reporters here, he said, "He (the Governor) might have some powers, but I don't feel that he will reject the advice of the Cabinet so easily. In case he still goes ahead and gives permission for prosecution, we will fight .
The concept of "passive governor" is gone and while the elected chief minister should be the "front face" of government, the nominated governor should be in the background as a "friend, philosopher and guide" to the elected representatives, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose said on Sunday. In an interview with PTI, Bose, who was in Delhi to attend the Governors' Conference, said the governor is a custodian of the Constitution, guardian of federalism, and "not a rubber stamp". Bose, who has had frequent run-ins with the Trinamool Congress government in the state, also delved into their strained relations. Without mincing words, he said that he respects Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as an individual and has professional relations with her but the "politician Mamata Banerjee" is not his cup of tea. Talking about the Governors' Conference, Bose called it "transformational" and in line with the vision of the Narendra Modi-led central government. "In keeping with Prime Minister Shri
Tamilisai Soundararajan said on Monday that she had tendered her resignation as Governor of Telangana of her own volition and that she wanted to involve herself in intense public service. Speaking to reporters at the airport here hours after Telangana Raj Bhavan announced that she had tendered her resignation, Tamilisai said there "was no pressure to do so (quit)." She underlined that she enjoyed her days in the gubernatorial post as a "people's governor." She has also resigned as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. "No, there was no pressure (to quit). I resigned of my own volition as my desire is to serve the public directly. I want to involve myself in intense public service," the former BJP Tamil Nadu president said. She said she had quit the "luxurious life" of a governor and said, "People will understand my love." Asked what her next course of action would be in the wake of speculations that she might contest the April 19 Lok Sabha polls from Tamil Nadu, she said she would s
The interim budget 2024-25 on Thursday allocated Rs 1,248.91 for the expenses incurred by the council of ministers, cabinet secretariat, prime minister's office, and on hospitality and entertainment of State guests. The allocated amount is substantially lower than Rs 1803.01 crore earmarked in 2023-24. A total of Rs 832.81 crore has been given for the expenses of council of ministers (Rs 1289.28 crore in 2023-24). The provision is for expenditure on salaries, sumptuary and other allowances and travel by cabinet ministers, ministers of state and ex-prime ministers. This also includes provision for special extra session flight operations for VVIPs. The National Security Council Secretariat has been allocated Rs 200 crore (Rs 299.30 crore in 2023-24). The provision is for meeting the administrative expenses and space programme of the National Security Council Secretariat. As much as Rs 76.20 crore has been given to the office of principal scientific advisor (Rs 75 crore in 2023-24).
Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved a proposal to grant higher revised pay scale to assistant public prosecutors working under the Directorate of Prosecution in Delhi government, Raj Niwas officials said on Monday. The assistant public prosecutors (APPs) will also get all consequential benefits with effect from September 3, 2015. The APPs will now get 'Pay Band 3' with grade pay of Rs 5,400, the officials said. The existing pay scale for the APPs is in the 'Pay Band 2' with grade pay of Rs 4,800. The proposal for revising the pay scale was placed after the Home Department examined the matter in consultation with the Finance Department of the Delhi government which concurred with the proposal for implementation of revised scale for APPs, the officials said. The revision of pay scale for APPs came after protracted litigations in the Delhi High Court involving the Delhi government and others and correspondence involving Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the LG Secretariat.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said his government may consider approaching the Union Government seeking the recall of Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who been at loggerheads with the Left party over various issues. Vijayan, addressing the media here as part of the ongoing Nava Kerala Sadas, said Khan was trying to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in the state by creating deliberate provocation. "In order to maintain a cordial Centre-state relationship, the actions of the Governor should be rectified. The state government feels that he is trying to disrupt peace and harmony in the state. It seems like we will have to ask the Centre to remove him," Vijayan answered to the various queries. Lashing out at Khan, Vijayan also said that the Governor has shifted to making personal attacks and has been blurting out whatever comes to his mind. "His behaviour violates a certain etiquette to be followed by a Governor. The Centre should examine this," Vijayan said. The Left lead
Governors cannot be at liberty to keep bills pending indefinitely without any action, the Supreme Court has said while emphasising that the unelected Head of the State is entrusted with constitutional powers but that cannot be used to thwart the normal course of lawmaking by state legislatures. Observing that unbridled discretion to the Governor would "virtually veto the functioning of the legislative domain by a duly elected legislature, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra said such a course of action would be contrary to fundamental principles of a constitutional democracy based on a Parliamentary pattern of governance. "The Governor, as an unelected Head of the State, is entrusted with certain constitutional powers. However, this power cannot be used to thwart the normal course of lawmaking by state legislatures. "Consequently, if the Governor decides to withhold assent under the substantive part of Article 200,