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The Centre has introduced new flexibility under the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme to encourage micro-level water storage and conservation projects. The Union Agriculture Ministry has revised the guidelines for the scheme, expanding the "other inventions" section. Now, states and Union territories can plan micro-level water management activities, such as diggi construction and water harvesting systems-based on local needs, the ministry said in a statement. These systems can be developed for individual farmers as well as community use, ensuring sustainable water availability for micro-irrigation. Earlier, funds for such activities were limited to 20 per cent of the total allocation for each state/UT and 40 per cent for northeastern states, Himalayan states, and UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. "Now, states/UTs have been given greater flexibility to exceed these limits as per their specific requirements," the ministry said. These initiatives aim to help farmers adopt ...
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the restructuring and extension of the Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme till March 31, 2030, with a total outlay of Rs 7,332 crore. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official statement said. It said the first tranche loan limit has been raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 and the second from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000, while the third tranche remains at Rs 50,000. Street vendors repaying their second loan on time will be eligible for a UPI-linked RuPay credit card to meet emergent business and personal needs, it said, adding that incentives of up to Rs 1,600 will also be offered to vendors opting for digital payments on retail and wholesale transactions. The restructured scheme, which was earlier valid till December 31, 2024, aims to benefit 1.15 crore beneficiaries, including 50 lakh new street vendors. According to the statement, the implementation of the scheme
The government on Monday said location considerations and duration of internships are among the reasons for applicants not accepting offers made under the pilot project of the PM Internship Scheme (PMIS). The scheme, announced in the 2024-25 Budget, aims to provide internship opportunities to 1 crore youth in top 500 companies in 5 years and is being implemented by the corporate affairs ministry. The pilot project of PMIS that commenced on October 3, 2024, targets to provide 1.25 lakh internship opportunities to the youth in 1 year and in the first round, 280 partner companies posted more than 1.27 lakh internship opportunities. "Against this, more than 6.21 lakh applications were received from about 1.81 lakh candidates. Partner companies made over 82,000 internship offers and more than 28,000 candidates accepted offers to join the internship. Over 8,700 candidates joined their internship in the round I," Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra told the Lok Sabha on
Over 4 crore women across India have received at least one installment of maternity benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), with total disbursements crossing Rs 19,028 crore, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said on Monday. The ministry, in a statement , called it a reflection of the government's "sustained commitment to maternal and child health" as it announced the extension of a special registration drive under the scheme till August 15. The ongoing door-to-door campaign, led by Anganwadi and ASHA workers, aims to ensure that all eligible pregnant and lactating women are enrolled on time. "The campaign is not only about ensuring access to financial benefits but also about encouraging positive attitudes towards the girl child," the ministry said in its statement. PMMVY, a centrally sponsored scheme under Mission Shakti's 'Samarthya' sub-scheme, provides partial wage compensation to mothers through direct benefit transfer (DBT). For the first chi
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday hailed the disbursement of Rs 20,500 crore to 9.7 crore farmers under the Kisan Samman Nidhi and said it was yet another "farmer-friendly" step of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While visiting his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on Saturday, Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for 52 development projects worth approximately Rs 2,183.45 crore. In a major move to support farmers, the prime minister released the 20th instalment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi, transferring Rs 20,500 crore to the bank accounts of over 9.70 crore eligible farmers across the country at a function held in his parliamentary constituency. "Farmer-friendly Modi ji today took another step towards farmer welfare by releasing the 20th installment of the 'Kisan Samman Nidhi' from Kashi. Under this, a total amount of more than Rs 20,500 crore was transferred to over 9.7 crore farmers across the country through DBT," he wrote on X in Hindi. Additionally, Sh
The Centre on Wednesday said it has formed 3,438 Self Help Groups (SHGs) with 46,067 members exclusively from de-notified, nomadic and semi-nomadic communities (DNTs) as part of its Scheme for Economic Empowerment of DNTs (SEED). The scheme aims to improve access to education, healthcare, housing and livelihood for these historically marginalised groups. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment B L Verma said the SEED scheme was launched to empower the DNT communities through targeted interventions, including free coaching for education and job opportunities, distribution of Ayushman Bharat health cards, promotion of livelihood activities through SHGs and provision of housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (both rural and urban). To coordinate efforts for the welfare of these communities, the ministry has also set up the Development and Welfare Board for De-notified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities ...
The Bihar government on Tuesday launched the 'Mukhya Mantri Pratigya' scheme to provide financial support to youths for carrying out internship programmes after clearing their class 12 board examination. The decision to launch the paid internship program, which aims to address youth unemployment and enhance industry readiness among students, was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday. "The Cabinet approved the 'Mukhya Mantri Pratigya' scheme on Tuesday. Under the scheme, youths aged between 18 and 28, having either trained under skill development programme or those who have passed Class 12 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) diploma, graduate and post-graduate will get financial support for availing internship training," Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) S Siddhartha said. The youths during their internship programme will be given financial support for a period ranging from three months to 12 months. Those who have cleared the .
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has achieved finality in restoring assets worth a total Rs 7,000 crore, duped from investors through an alleged Ponzi scheme, to the Andhra Pradesh government for further restitution to the victims of the Agri Gold "fraud". The federal probe agency initiated this process in February as it restored properties worth Rs 3,339 crore (present market value of more than Rs 6,000 crore). The ED has now done the same and restituted assets worth Rs 611 c rore (current market value of over Rs 1,000 crore), it said. The case pertains to Agri Gold group of companies which is alleged to have collected deposits from around 19 lakh customers (32 lakh account holders) in the name of real estate investment with a promise of "high returns" or a residential plot, as per the agency. The Hyderabad-based zonal office of the ED had in May filed a restitution application under Section 8(8) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 before a special .
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday disbursed the pension arrears of Rs. 6.14 crore to 12,660 beneficiaries under the Integrated Social Security Scheme (ISSS). Sinha said the ISSS is aimed at ensuring financial inclusion and supporting senior citizens, widows and differently-abled individuals. He, however, added that the arrears were pending due to Aadhaar non-seeding. On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor informed that the Social Welfare Department is coming up with a revolutionary app for the integration of eligible senior citizens into the pension beneficiaries. The LG also inaugurated a 50-bedded halfway home for psycho-social rehabilitation of treated and controlled people with mental illness in Jammu and 'Parisha', a childcare institution for girls in Samba district. The facility was established at Rs 4.39 crore at Lower Chowadi Jammu under Deendayal Divyangjan Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS). "The halfway home will offer a structured environment to help individuals wi