Page 12 - Central Government

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.

TN CM Stalin urges Centre for release of 17 fishermen arrested by Sri Lanka

Chief Minister M K Stalin on Tuesday apprised the Centre of the arrest of 17 Tamil Nadu fishermen and seizure of their two boats by Sri Lanka and called for quick steps for their release and the boats as well. Stalin, writing to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, said that 17 fishermen from Rameswaram were arrested and their two mechanised fishing boats were seized by the Sri Lankan Navy on December 24, 2024. Also, Stalin brought to Jaishankar's notice, two separate incidents of attack on fishermen from Kodiyakkarai in Nagapattinam district by 6 unidentified Sri Lankan nationals on December 20. "In this outrageous incident, three out of six fishermen who sailed in two country crafts were injured and their belongings such as GPS equipment, VHF equipment, fishing net, mobile phone and their fish catch were robbed from their fishing boats by the attackers," the CM said in his letter. Such frequent arrests and attacks made the lives of fishermen, who depend solely on fishing in t

India's green book: Forest growth decelerates as tree cover rises

India's total forest and tree cover stood at 8,27,357 sq km in 2021-23, representing 25.17 per cent of the country's geographical area

Out of sync: Persistent mismatch between MGNREGA wage growth and inflation

Over the past few years, wage growth has consistently trailed both general and food inflation rates, with the exceptions of FY21 and FY24

Anti-Sikh riots: SC directs Centre to file fresh status report on trials

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre to file a fresh status report within two weeks on the status of trials in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih asked additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati to file an affidavit and permitted the petitioners in the case to file detailed objections. During the hearing, Bhati said recommendations of the special investigation team, set up by the top court, were carried out. A counsel appearing for one of the petitioners submitted there were some glaring instances in the SIT report and said 500 cases were clubbed in one FIR and the investigating officer could not probe them. "There were many instances where 498 cases were clubbed in one FIR and IO had to investigate all of them. Initially when the hearing began, the court felt that it should be confined to Delhi only. But we have done nothing about other states. We have given examples of Kanpur, Bokaro, etc., nothing has happene

Fadnavis' allegation on Bharat Jodo Yatra shows Centre's failure: Aaditya

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday claimed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's allegation made in the context of the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra showed the Centre's failure in not knowing about terrorists operating in the country. Fadnavis had on Thursday alleged that some organisations, which were declared as the frontal organisations of urban Naxals by the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra and the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre, participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Talking to reporters on the Vidhan Bhavan premises, Thackeray said the attack on the Congress's office in Mumbai came about after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers on Thursday vandalised a Congress office in Mumbai, claiming the grand old party had always insulted Ambedkar. A massive political row erupted on Wednesday after the Congress and other opposition parties launched an all-out attack on S

Draft Bill moots unregulated lending ban, up to 10-year imprisonment

The Banning of Unregulated Lending Activities Bill calls for the CBI to handle probes in cases spanning multiple states or UTs

Judges' pensions as low as Rs 10,000: SC calls situation 'pitiable'

The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that pensionary benefits must be calculated based on the past drawn salary as a High Court judge, ensuring parity across the judiciary

Govt introduces ONOP bills, says they will be referred to House panel

Meghwal introduced the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill after a nearly 90-minute debate, followed by a division of votes. As many as 269 members voted in favour of the Bill and 198 against it

Simultaneous polls: Gains must be weighed against Constitutional concerns

The idea of holding simultaneous elections is not new for India. In fact, elections for many years after Independence were held simultaneously

Loan worth Rs 13,422 cr given to street vendors under PM SVANidhi scheme

The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry has disbursed 94.31 lakh loans amounting to a total of Rs 13,422 crore to street vendors under the PM SVANidhi scheme till December 8, Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday. In a written reply to a question, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said that out of 94.31 lakh loans, 40.36 lakh loans have been repaid by street vendor beneficiaries. The micro-credit scheme for urban street vendors, which provides collateral-free loans up to Rs 50,000, was launched by the Narendra Modi government in 2020 during the COVID-19 outbreak. The minister said that no fraud-related complaints have been received against the agencies or companies disbursing loans under the Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (SVANidhi) scheme. "As on 08.12.2024, 94.31 lakh loans have been disbursed amounting to Rs 13,422.16 crore under the PM SVANidhi scheme. Out of 94.31 loans, 40.36 lakh loans have been repaid by street vendor ...

Atishi accuses Centre of settling Rohingyas in Delhi; Puri denies claim

Delhi Chief Minister Atishi wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday, accusing the BJP-led Centre of settling "a large number of illegal Rohingyas" in different parts of the city. With the AAP targeting Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri over his tweets and claiming that settling these refugees here was a "conscious decision" of the BJP-led NDA government, the minister accused AAP of indulging in "politics of diversion, false narratives and half-truths". In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls due in February 2025, the ruling AAP and BJP have been hitting out at one another over the issue of illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi people staying in the national capital. The BJP has already complained to the Election Commission about illegal Rohingyas and Bangladeshis registered as voters in Delhi "at the behest of AAP". Citing two tweets by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in 2022, Atishi alleged the Union government has settled a large number of illegal Rohingya refugees in ...

Centre, Chhattisgarh committed to end Naxalism in state by March 2026: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government were committed to end the menace of Naxalism from the state before March 31, 2026. When Chhattisgarh becomes free of Naxalism, the entire country will get rid of the menace, Shah said addressing the President's Police Colour Award function at the police parade ground here. He said the Chhattisgarh police have made a significant achievement in the fight against Naxalism in the last one year. Shah also hailed the Chhattisgarh government's rehabilitation policy for Naxalites and appealed to them to quit violence and join the mainstream. The President's Colour is not just an award, it is a symbol of service, dedication and sacrifice and it reminds of the countless challenges that police have to deal with, he said. Shah expressed confidence that the Chhattisgarh police will discharge their responsibilities and will never step back from their duty. "I am confident that from tomorrow the jawans of ..

22,956 second appeals, complaints pending in CIC: Centre tells Parliament

A total of 22,956 second appeals and complaints were pending in the Central Information Commission (CIC) as on November 29, the government informed Parliament on Thursday. The total number of second appeals and complaints filed in the CIC during the period from 2021-22 to 2023-24 was 59,069, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. "As on 29.11.2024, total number of second appeals and complaints pending in CIC is 22,596," he said. Further, a total of 36,787 second appeals and complaints were returned by the CIC during the period from 2022 to 2024, the minister added. To a question on the number of vacancies in the transparency watchdog, Singh said "at present, the CIC comprises of Chief Information Commissioner and two Information Commissioners". According to section 12(2) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, the CIC shall consist of the chief information commissioner and such number of central informati