Cabinet

Cabinet clears ₹14,500 cr funding scheme for battery energy storage systems

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved Rs 14,500 crore in viability gap funding for 92 GWh of grid-scale energy storage systems between FY27 and FY31. This development is significant given India's ambitious target of 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030. The scheme is aimed at supporting the development of 92 GWh storage capacity across three technologies -- Battery Energy Storage System (30 GWh), Pumped Storage Projects (60 GWh) and Emerging Storage Technologies (2GW), Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a media briefing here. The minister said the scheme will be implemented for five years till 2030-31.

Cabinet approves ₹4,371 crore to overhaul India's data collection system

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Wednesday said the Cabinet has cleared ₹4,371 crore to modernise the country's data collection system

Centre revises Ladakh hill council rules, allows 7-24 elected members

The Centre has amended the legal terminology, administrative structure and electoral provisions governing the Autonomous Hill Development Councils in Ladakh to align them with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which led to the creation of the Union territory of Ladakh. Under the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (Amendment) Regulation, the number of elected seats in each Council will be determined by the Ladakh administration, with a minimum of seven and a maximum of 24 seats. The administration can nominate up to four members from among women and "unrepresented communities", subject to the one-sixth limit of the population, the regulation states. The sitting Lok Sabha MP representing Ladakh will be an ex-officio member of the Councils constituted for each district. Each Council will have a term of five years from the date appointed for its first meeting, unless dissolved earlier. The term can be extended if holding elections is considered impracticable. Th

Cabinet approves ₹10,000 crore SME Growth Fund to back growing firms

The newly approved fund will provide equity capital to growth-stage SMEs, with a focus on manufacturing firms and industrial clusters in Tier-II and Tier-III cities, to boost expansion and exports

Cabinet clears ₹13,041 crore rail, highway projects across five states

Four railway projects will add about 410 km to the network, while the 82-km NH-22 project in Bihar will improve connectivity to the India-Nepal border

Cabinet clears 4 railway projects worth ₹9,450 cr, to add 410 km to network

The projects will add about 410 km to the Indian Railways network and are scheduled for completion by 2030-31, the government said in a statement

Govt reviewing bilateral investment treaty model to make BITs accommodating

The proposed overhaul seeks to make India's investment treaty regime more investor-friendly while retaining sovereign safeguards and advancing negotiations with key partners

Cabinet clears ₹3,030 cr chemical scheme; Vaishnaw skips Neet questions

When asked about the reported draft Bill proposing stricter punishments for paper leaks, Vaishnaw declined to answer questions on the Neet issue, saying, "No paper will be leaked today"

Cabinet clears ₹1.28 trn ISM 2.0, approves ₹62,500 cr for mobile scheme

India's semiconductor push enters its next phase as the Cabinet approves the ₹1.28 trillion Semicon 2.0 programme focused on the entire chip ecosystem

Cabinet may clear new urea investment policy on Wednesday to curb imports

The guaranteed buyback under the new policy, according to sources, will be available to the units for a period of eight years from the date of commencement of production

Cabinet approves ₹6,969 cr six-lane road tunnel linking key Delhi corridors

The 8.1-km tunnel will connect Dwarka Expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg, improve connectivity across Delhi and generate over 17 lakh person-days of employment

Cabinet reshuffle speculation grows stronger ahead of Monsoon Session

A reshuffle in the council of ministers of the Modi government seems imminent, with indications from the top echelons of the ruling dispensation that the exercise may be carried out anytime from now -- possibly before the Monsoon session of Parliament begins. Sources aware of the deliberations said the reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers will be carried out in tandem with the announcement of a new BJP team under its president Nitin Nabin. "Team Nitin Nabin" is likely to be announced soon, as the BJP top brass is believed to have finalised the list, with younger faces expected to be deployed in prominent organisational roles. The sources indicate that the BJP president also held consultations with a few Union ministers of state last week. There are strong possibilities of some Union ministers being sent to take organisational roles in the BJP and party office-bearers being inducted into the Modi ministry. Speculation is also rife about portfolio changes for some ministers,

Swapan Dasgupta new Bengal finance minister, Tapas Roy gets industry

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari allocates key portfolios; retains home department while assigning education, health and agriculture ministries to senior BJP leaders

Govt unveils ₹10K cr fund to shield airlines from fuel price spike

The one-time fund will help airlines manage sharp aviation fuel price swings amid the West Asia conflict, while supporting air connectivity and limiting fare increases for passengers

Cabinet extends SARTHAK-PDS scheme for 5 yrs with ₹25,530-crore outlay

The Union Cabinet has approved the continuation of the SARTHAK-PDS scheme till March 2031 to strengthen foodgrain distribution and modernise the public distribution system

Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh named Secretary (Security) in Cabinet Secretariat

Manipur Police chief Rajiv Singh was on Thursday appointed as Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat, according to a Personnel Ministry order. The Secretary (Security) is the administrative head of the Special Protection Group (SPG) that provides security to the prime minister and members of his immediate family residing with him at his official residence. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved Singh's appointment to the post of Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat, the order said. Singh, a 1993-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of Tripura cadre, has been working as the Director General of Police (DGP), Manipur since June 1, 2023. He took over as the head of the police force of the strife-torn state after the ethnic violence started on May 3, 2023. The violence, which started after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribes status, has left at least 260 pe

Bengal approves ₹3,000 monthly aid scheme for women, scraps state OBC list

The West Bengal cabinet on Monday approved the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women from June 1, and allowed free travel for them in government-run buses. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, state minister Agnimitra Paul said women, who applied for citizenship under the CAA and approached tribunals for inclusion in voter rolls, will also receive 'Annapurna' scheme benefits. "The cabinet gave a nod to the 'Annapurna' scheme of Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to women from June 1. It also approved a proposal to allow free travel for women in government-run buses from June 1," the minister said. The government also approved the constitution of the 7th state pay commission for its employees, and staffers in allied statutory civic bodies, education boards and those working in state-run education institutions, she said. "The Bengal cabinet decided to discontinue government assistance to groups based on religious categorisation from June. The government also

Cabinet approves ₹5,659 crore cotton mission to double yields in 5 years

Cabinet raises sugarcane FRP by ₹10/quintal for 2026-27 season

Cabinet clears ₹18,100-cr credit guarantee scheme for aviation, MSMEs

Cabinet clears ₹365/qtl sugarcane FRP, ₹5,659 crore cotton mission

Govt appoints R Balasubramaniam, Joram Aniya as full-time Niti members

The Centre on Saturday appointed academician Joram Aniya and scholar-author R Balasubramaniam as full-time members of the Niti Aayog, taking the total number of such members in the government think tank to seven, along with a vice-chairman. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the chairman of the Niti Aayog. "In continuation of the Cabinet Secretariat's notification dated 24.04.2026, the prime minister has approved the appointment of the following persons as full-time members of the NITI Aayog with effect from the date of assumption of charge and until further orders, on the same terms and conditions as are applicable to full-time members: (i) Dr R Balasubramaniam; (ii) Dr Joram Aniya," a notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat said. On April 24, while reconstituting the Niti Aayog, the government appointed Ashok Kumar Lahiri as its vice-chairman and economist K V Raju, AIIMS Director M Srinivas, Secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, Abhay Karandikar, scientist ..