Page 13 - Central Government

Kejriwal slams Centre, says Delhi is run by gangsters amid rising crime

AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal launched an attack on the BJP-led central government during a legislative assembly session, alleging that Delhi is being run by "gangsters" amid a worsening law and order situation. Earlier, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel marshalled out Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta who launched an offensive against Kejriwal during the discussion. The remaining BJP MLAs followed Gupta and walked out of the House. Speaking during a discussion on the 'rising crime rates and the law and order situation', Kejriwal expressed grave concern over the safety of Delhiites. "Shootouts are happening openly on a daily basis. It feels like Delhi is run by gangs. "Businesspeople live in fear of extortion calls, followed by violent attacks on their shops or showrooms," he said. Kejriwal also questioned the activities of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is allegedly operating extortion rackets in Delhi and beyond. "Who is Lawrence Bishnoi and is he protected by the BJP?

Will take legal action to realise Rs 1.36 trn coal dues from Centre: Soren

Barely 25 days after requesting the Centre "with folded hands" to clear Rs 1.36 lakh-crore coal dues to the state, Hemant Soren who was sworn in as Jharkhand chief minister on Thursday announced that the state will take legal action to realise its dues. "Legal action will be initiated to realise Rs 1.36 lakh crore of the state pending with the Centre," Soren told the media while briefing the decisions of the maiden cabinet meeting of his present government. Though the CM said the decision was taken at the 'Cabinet meeting', no minister took oath during the day. Soren's first official meeting after his re-election was with PM Modi in Delhi on Tuesday, where they discussed state matters and Soren invited PM to his swearing-in ceremony. On November 2, he had posted on X: "The PM and the home minister are coming to Jharkhand. I once again request them with folded hands to clear the outstanding (coal dues) of Rs 1.36 lakh crore to Jharkhandis. This amount is crucial for Jharkhand." "I

Centre sanctions Rs 1,115 cr for disaster mitigation and projects in states

A high-level committee, headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has approved Rs 1,000 crore for various disaster mitigation and capacity-building projects in 15 states. The committee also approved another project for training and capacity building of civil defence volunteers in all states and Union territories at a total outlay of Rs 115.67 crore, according to an official statement. According to an official statement, a sum of Rs 139 crore each was approved for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, Rs 100 crore for Maharashtra, Rs 72 crore each for Karnataka and Kerala, Rs 50 crore each for Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and Rs 378 crore for the eight Northeastern states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. The committee, comprising Union ministers for finance and agriculture and the vice chairman of the NITI Aayog as members, considered the proposal to mitigate landslide risk in 15 states for funding from the National Disaster Mitigatio

Centre releases 15th Finance Commission grant for rural bodies in Karnataka

The Centre has released the first instalment of the 15th Finance Commission grants for FY 2024-25 to the rural local bodies (RLBs) in Karnataka, the Union Panchayati Raj Ministry said in a statement. The funds are meant for all the 5,949 eligible gram panchayats in the state, it added. "The Government of India through the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Jal Shakti recommends the release of XV-FC grants to the Rural Local Bodies which are then released by the Ministry of Finance. The allocated grants are recommended and released in two installments in a financial year," the statement said. The grants will be utilised by the RLBs for location-specific requirements under the 29 subjects enshrined in the 11th Schedule of the Constitution, except for salaries and other establishment costs, it added. The grants can be used for the basic services of (a) sanitation and maintenance of ODF status, and this should include management and treatment of household waste, and human excre

Govt urges southern states to fast-track implementation of central schemes

The Centre has urged southern states to expedite the execution of centrally-sponsored schemes (CSS), emphasising the need for timely fund allocation and proper management of single nodal accounts. Speaking at a two-day regional conference that concluded on November 19 at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi emphasized the operationalization of SNA-SPARSH, return of unutilized balances and interest, and prompt submission of Utilization Certificates (UCs). "The Centre is very much a partner to the states and will help them ameliorate the conditions of farmers," the Secretary said while stressing the importance of state-level conferences to address region-specific agricultural challenges. Senior officials from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka and Puducherry participated in the conference to evaluate the progress of various schemes. The states were advised to finalize the annual action plan for FY 2025-26 by December to enable .

Centre to deploy 50 additional CAPF units to manage unrest in Manipur

The Centre has decided to send an additional 50 CAPF companies comprising more than 5,000 personnel to Manipur in view of the "challenging" security and law and order situation in the northeastern state, official sources said on Monday. This comes after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) rushed 20 additional CAPF companies, 15 from the CRPF and five from the BSF, to the state following an order issued on November 12 after violence broke out in Jiribam district and spread to other places. An additional 50 companies have been ordered to be rushed to Manipur by this week. While 35 units will be drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the rest will be from the Border Security Force (BSF), the sources told PTI. CRPF Director General (CRPF) A D Singh and senior officers from other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) are also present in the state. With last week's deployment, a total of 218 CAPF companies are now present in the state, which has been reeling from ethnic strife .

AAP questions Sarai Kale Khan renaming as 'Bhagwan Birsa Munda Chowk'

Raises concerns whether it is vetted by road naming authority; Union government calls name change 'symbolic gesture' for tribal community

Public procurement through GeM portal crosses Rs 3 trn so far this fiscal

The government's procurement through the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal has crossed Rs 3 lakh crore so far this financial year, an official said. Higher buying activities by various ministries and departments have helped in reaching the figure, the official said. In 2023-24, the portal handled procurement of Rs 4 lakh crore by government departments of centres and states and public sector enterprises. The Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched on August 9, 2016, for online purchases of goods and services by all central government ministries and departments. In October, the GeM signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sikkim to facilitate procurement by the state on the platform. "That covers all the states under the GeM," the official said. Apart from large government agencies, GeM has also onboarded panchayats and cooperatives. The procurement by central organisations on the portal in October stood at around Rs 30,264 crore. The official said that since

Govt issues guidelines to crack down on misleading ads by coaching centres

The Centre on Wednesday released new guidelines to regulate misleading advertisements by coaching institutes, prohibiting false claims like 100 per cent selection or 100 per cent job security. The final guidelines, drafted by the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), come in the wake of several complaints on the National Consumer Helpline. The CCPA has issued 54 notices and imposed penalties of about Rs 54.60 lakh till date. "We have seen coaching centres deliberately concealing information from prospective students. Therefore, we have come out with the guidelines to provide guidance to people involved in the coaching industry," Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare told reporters. The government is not against the coaching centres but the quality of advertisements should not undermine the consumer rights, she said. Under the new guidelines, coaching centres are prohibited from making false claims regarding courses offered and duration; faculty credentials; fee structure a

Cabinet approves PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme for students; know all about it

As per the NIRF rankings, students admitted to any of the 860 top-ranking quality higher educational institutions (QHEIs) in India will be eligible for the PM-Vidyalaxmi scheme

Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah urges Centre to ensure fair tax devolution

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday underlined the need for justice in the devolution of taxes. He said no one should milk a milch cow completely, or else the calf would be malnourished. Addressing people on the occasion of the 69th state formation day at Sree Kanteerava Stadium here, Siddaramaiah said there is injustice happening to Karnataka. The state is contributing more than Rs four lakh crore as revenue to the Centre and it is the second largest contributor to the Central tax revenue after Maharashtra, he pointed out. "Even though we give more than Rs four lakh crore, we are only getting Rs 55,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore. Kannadigas should know this. We are getting 14 to 15 per cent only of our contribution," the chief minister said. Under the federal system, there should not be any injustice just because Karnataka is a progressive state, he observed. "Just because a milch cow is giving milk, we should not milk it completely. We should leave some milk for the c

Centre, power industry exploring curbs on most potent greenhouse gas SF6

The stable nature that makes SF6 an excellent insulator also aggravates its impacts on the climate

Pillar Two tax regime unlikely soon as India proceeds with caution

It is proceeding cautiously and is unlikely to implement the rules anytime soon

Centre unveils standard treatment guidelines for livestock, poultry

They discourage excessive use of antibiotics in poultry and livestock

SC slams centre for ineffective 'toothless' environmental laws, penalties

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Centre for making the environment protection law toothless, and said the provision under the CAQM Act which deals with penalty for stubble burning was not being implemented. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanulllah and Augustine George Masih said the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act of 2021 (CAQM Act) was enacted without creating required machinery for implementing the provision to curb air pollution. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said section 15 of the CAQM Act, which deals with penalty for stubble burning, will be implemented effectively as regulations for it will be issued in 10 days. She submitted that an adjudicating officer will be appointed and all necessary actions will be taken to enforce the law effectively. Bhati pointed out that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has issued notices to senior ...

Central govt to sanction road projects worth Rs 2,800 crore in Tripura

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will sanction projects worth Rs 2,800 crore to Tripura to boost the state's connectivity, an official statement said on Monday. The assurance came at a review meeting chaired by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, held in Vanijya Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday. Chief Minister Manik Saha, who holds the PWD portfolio, was also present in the meeting, the statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said. "During the meeting, discussions were held on eight projects which will be sanctioned by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for the northeastern state," it said. The projects include Rs 800 crore for the Agartala Eastern Bypass, Rs 1,500 crore for widening the Amtali to Tripura Sundari Temple road, Rs 400 crore for developing the road from Ranirbazar to inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) and an additional Rs 100 crore under the Central Road Fund (CRF), it said. The CMO statement said the chief minis

Cabinet approves 3% hike in Dearness Allowance; now stands at 53%

The combined impact on the exchequer due to the DA and DR increases would be Rs 9,448.35 crore per annum, according to the press statement

Centre questions Zakir Naik's plea to club FIRs, calls him a fugitive

The Centre on Wednesday questioned before the Supreme Court the maintainability of a plea filed by controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik seeking clubbing of FIRs filed in different states over his purported statements during the Ganapati festival in 2012. Appearing before a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah and Augustine George Masih, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asked how a person who was declared a fugitive, file a plea under Article 32 of the Constitution. "I was told by his advocate that they are withdrawing the matter. Our counter was ready," said Mehta. The lawyer representing Naik said he hadn't received any such instruction to withdraw the matter and the plea sought clubbing of about 43 cases registered across states. The counsel further said there were six FIRs pending against his client and he would move the high court for quashing of the same. Following the submissions, the top court directed Naik's counsel to file an affidavit stating whether he

How much DA hike will central government employees get? Know details here

Dearness Allowance is a crucial component of the pay structure for over 10 million central government employees and pensioners, offering protection against the effect of inflation

Kerala requests Centre to exclude inhabited areas from Periyar buffer zone

The Kerala government on Saturday said that it will again request the Centre to exclude residential areas near the Periyar tiger reserve from the buffer zone. The decision was taken at a State Wildlife Board meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, according to a statement issued by his office. According to the CMO statement, it was decided in the meeting to again request the Centre to exclude 502.73 hectares of inhabited areas of Pampa valley and Angel valley settlements from the buffer zone around the tiger sanctuary. This recommendation will be submitted to the Centre along with additional information sought by it, the statement said. The CM called the urgent meeting, also attended by state Forest Minister A K Saseendran, to ensure this issue is considered at the National Wildlife Board meeting to be held on October 9, it said. The proposal to exclude 8.9725 square kilometers of inhabited area from Thattekad bird sanctuary and include 10.1694 square kilometers of res