Page 11 - Central Government

Govt may introduce one-time amnesty scheme to resolve Customs disputes

The official said around 35,000 customs cases, involving over around Rs 50,000 crore are currently pending across various courts

HMPV cases in India highlights: Mumbai reports first case, 6-month-old child tests positive

HMPV Cases in India updates: Catch all the major news updates on human metapneumovirus cases here

V Narayanan appointed as new chairman of Isro, to take office on Jan 14

According to an official order from the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, Narayanan has been appointed to serve in these roles for the next two years, until further notice

HMPV cases in India highlights: Health Secretary urges states to raise public awareness on HMPV

HMPV Cases in India updates: Catch all the major news updates on human metapneumovirus cases here

Centre notifies procedure for export of certified organic products

The government has laid out a procedure for export of certified organic products, requiring mandatory certification under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) for such shipments, according to a public notice. The Directorate General Of Foreign Trade (DGFT) in a public notice said that a product will be allowed to be exported as "organic product" only when accompanied by a Transaction Certificate (TC) issued by a certification body accredited by the National Accreditation Body for such items under the NPOP of the Department of Commerce. India has fixed a target of USD 2 billion exports for organic food products by 2030. It added that exports of these goods shall only be certified as such if produced, processed, packed and labelled as per the standards laid down in the NPOP. "Procedure for export of certified organic products has been notified," it added. The revised edition of the NPOP will come into force with effect from 180 days from January 5. The commerce ...

Govt to switch on massive subsidy to supercharge EV infrastructure

Subsidy to support 72,300 fast charging stations across the country

Centre pushes transfer to states to meet capital expenditure goals

Experts feel despite government efforts there has been a lag in capex pick up but there is a good case for continued push towards such expenditure

Work demand under MGNREGA rises 8.3% in December 2024, shows data

Data sourced from the MGNREGA website showed that 21.58 million households sought work under the scheme in December

Centre to address high mining taxes in upcoming consultations with states

The SC last year permitted states to impose additional taxes on mining activities, indicating that royalty collected by states under Sec 9 of the Mines and Minerals (Dev & Reg) Act, 1957 is not a tax

Centre not to release the Good Governance Index 2023; what is it?

The Good Governance Index was launched on December 25, 2019, to mark the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, observed as Good Governance Day

Debt sustainability: A roadmap for India's states and local governance

SNGs in India are accountable to the Union government but are not uniformly as diligent in maintaining fiscal resilience and debt sustainability

NGT issues notice to Centre over ozone levels exceeding limits in Delhi

The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the Centre on the "feasibility and mechanism" for implementation of the CPCB's recommendations for controlling ozone levels, which were found beyond the permissible limits in some areas of the national capital. The green body earlier directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and other agencies to submit relevant material explaining why ozone levels in these areas exceeded permissible limits. It had also sought "targeted approaches" that could be adopted for these areas. In an order dated December 23, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel noted that the CPCB had submitted a report dated December 20 about the measures for control of ozone levels along with some suggestions or recommendations. The CPCB report said, "It has been recognised globally that control of ozone is only possible through control of its precursors. It is also evident that control of local sources of it

Year of judicial milestones: Landmark SC verdicts, policy shifts in 2024

From taking a strong stance against 'bulldozer justice' to overruling past judgment on legislative immunity for bribery, the top court set several precedents during the year to uphold the constitution

GST reforms: A roadmap to rationalisation, revenue, and regime evolution

From rate rationalisation to cess management and expanding the GST base, India's evolving tax regime faces critical design and compliance challenges requiring balanced reforms

Govt declares seven-day mourning in honour of former PM Manmohan Singh

The Union government on Thursday declared a seven-day mourning in honour of former prime minister Manmohan Singh, officials said here. They said the Cabinet will meet at 11 am on Friday to pay tributes to him. Singh's last rites will be conducted with full state honours, the officials added. Manmohan Singh, the architect of India's economic reforms, died here on Thursday night at the age of 92. He was the prime minister during 2004-14.

PM Modi chairs meeting of PRAGATI, reviews projects worth over Rs 1 trn

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired the meeting of the ICT-based multi-modal platform PRAGATI (Pro-Active Governance and Timely Implementation) involving the Centre and state governments, and reviewed projects worth over Rs one lakh crore. An official statement said eight significant projects, which included six metro train projects and one project each related to road connectivity and thermal power, were reviewed in the meeting. Modi stressed that all government officials must recognise that project delays not only escalate costs but also hinder the public from receiving the intended benefits. Noting that more and more cities are coming up with metro projects as one of the preferred public transport systems, he called for conducting workshops for cities where projects are under implementation or in the pipeline to capture the best practices and learnings from past experiences. During the review, Modi stressed the importance of timely rehabilitation and resettlement of

Centre set to transfer management of ERF scheme to CPCB from January 1

The decision is aimed at addressing longstanding issues, including the underutilisation of the fund and significant delays in disbursing compensation to victims of industrial accidents

Centre appoints Arunish Chawla as new Revenue Secretary in FinMin

Chawla will take over from Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth, who is holding the additional charge of Revenue Secretary

Govt launches 10k agri cooperatives, aims for 200k target in 5 yrs: Shah

Cooperation Minister Amit Shah launched 10,000 new multi-purpose Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) on Wednesday and asserted that the government will achieve its target of establishing 2 lakh such societies before the five-year timeline. Addressing the launch event, Shah said prosperity through cooperation cannot be achieved unless cooperatives function effectively at the panchayat level. "We have kept a target of setting up 2 lakh PACS in five years. I want to tell you that we will establish 2 lakh PACS before five years. In three months, we established 10,000 new PACS," the minister said. The initiative will be rolled out in two phases, with NABARD establishing 32,750 new M-PACS in the first phase, while NDDB will set up 56,500 dairy cooperatives and NFDB 6,000 fishery cooperatives. In the second phase, NABARD will create 45,000 M-PACS, NDDB will establish 46,000 dairy cooperatives and NFDB 5,500 fishery cooperatives. State governments will form about 25,000 new .

Centre lifts Grap IV restrictions for Delhi-NCR as pollution levels dip

The Centre's panel on Delhi-NCR's air quality on Tuesday revoked Stage IV curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan amid a dip in pollution levels, according to an official order. Delhi's air pollution levels showed a declining trend on Tuesday and the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 369 at 4 pm. ?According to forecasts from the India Meteorological Department and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the air quality situation is predicted to improve further, owing to favourable meteorological conditions. Stage IV curbs under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) ?include a ban on all construction activities, entry of non-essential polluting trucks into Delhi, and mandatory shifting of school classes, except for classes 10 and 12, to hybrid mode.