Page 16 - Central Government

'Reach office by 9:15 am or lose half-day leave': Centre warns employees

The Centre has issued a circular instructing employees nationwide to record their attendance using the Aadhaar-enabled biometric system

Vijayan urges Centre to address NTA's 'incompetence' in conducting exams

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday urged the Centre to take immediate steps to resolve the crisis in the National Testing Agency (NTA), saying its "repeated incompetence" in conducting exams such as NEET and the UGC-NET cannot be accepted. A day after the Union Education Ministry ordered the cancellation of the UGC-NET following inputs that the exam's integrity may have been compromised, and handed over the matter to the CBI for investigation, Vijayan, also citing the controversy over the NEET exam, said such a situation leaves students in limbo and wastes public money. "The controversy over NEET has barely subsided, and now the Ministry of Education has announced the cancellation of UGC-NET, citing compromised exam integrity. This repeated incompetence is unacceptable, leaving students in limbo and wasting public money," the chief minister said in a post on 'X'. "The Central Government must take immediate steps to resolve this crisis at NTA and ensure a fair, ...

Mizoram govt yet to initiate biometric enrollment for Myanmar refugees

The Mizoram government is waiting for instruction from the Centre to initiate biometric enrollment for over 33,000 Myanmar refugees in the northeastern state, a home department official said. The official said that a new biometric enrollment portal has already been prepared. "We are waiting for an instruction from the Centre. We will start the process of collecting biometric data of Myanmar nationals once we receive the instruction," the official told PTI. Earlier, Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma had said that biometric enrollment portal has been in place for collection of the data and it will be utilised in near future. In April last year, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had directed Mizoram and Manipur, which share borders with Myanmar, to capture the biometric and biographic details of "illegal immigrants" in their states. In June last year, it directed the states that the campaign be completed by the end of September and directed both to prepare a plan and initiate the ...

Centre asks Telangana govt to auction at least six mineral blocks by Jun 30

The mines ministry has flagged that the Telangana government failed to auction any mineral blocks in past nine years and asked the state to put at least six mines on sale by the end of this month. According to sources, geological reports of eleven blocks have been handed over to the government of Telangana for auction. These blocks consist of five iron ore mines, five limestone blocks and one manganese block. Till date not even a single block has been put up for auction by Telangana even though the mines ministry has sent repeated reminders to the state government. The process of allocating mineral blocks through auctions began in 2015. In a recent letter to the Telangana government, the mines ministry asked the state to notify a minimum of six blocks from the 11 for auction by June 30, sources said. The ministry warned that failure to do so will force the Centre to begin the auction process. As per the amendment in mining rules made in 2021, the Centre has the power to put on sa

Is the Centre planning to decriminalise minor I-T offences in 100 days?

The industry has long suggested that minor Income Tax offences incur penalties rather than criminal prosecution. This would garner more trust and boost ease of doing business

Centre planning to procure 1 million tonne of chana dal at market price

Due to insufficient rainfall and an extended dry period last year, chana prices shot up in anticipation of lower production this year

2,600 cooks, water carriers promoted for first time in CRPF's 85-yr history

A total of 2,600 cooks and water carriers, the lowest rung of constabulary that constitutes an essential backbone of the CRPF, have been promoted for the first time in the 85-year history of the country's largest paramilitary force. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has a total authorisation of 12,250 personnel for the two specialised cadres that handle the extensive network of kitchens, canteens and similar administrative works for the about 3.25 lakh men and women strength force raised in 1939. On Wednesday through an order, 1,700 cooks and 900 water carrier personnel have been promoted from their constable designation to the next rank of head constable. This has happened for the first time in the 85-year history of the CRPF, a senior officer told PTI. These personnel have been part of the force since its raising in 1939 in the British era. They were given specific cadre name of cook and water carrier in 2016 when the 7th pay commission recommendations were implemented by th

Centre issues advisory after 4 states report outbreaks of bird flu

The affected states are Andhra Pradesh (Nellore district), Maharashtra (Nagpur district), Jharkhand (Ranchi district) and Kerala (Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts)

Investors bought Rs 27,000 cr of sovereign gold bonds in FY24: RBI report

Sovereign gold bonds have caught the fancy of investors who bought Rs 27,031 crore worth of the bonds last fiscal, an amount more than four times invested in 2022-23 on the prospects of higher returns and tax benefits. The bonds bought by investors represented a whopping 44.34 tonne of gold during 2023-24. In 2022-23, Sovereign Gold Bonds (SGBs) representing 12.26 tonne of gold were purchased for Rs 6,551 crore. "The aggregate sum raised during 2023-24 amounted to Rs 27,031 crore (44.34 tonne)," said the annual report of Reserve Bank, which issues the bonds on behalf of the central government. During the fiscal ended March 2024, the bonds were issued through four tranches. Since the inception of SGB scheme in November 2015, a total of Rs 72,274 crore (146.96 tonne) has been raised through 67 tranches. The price of 24 karat per 10 gram of gold has gone up from about Rs 62,300 to Rs 73,200 in one year. SGBs are government securities denominated in grams of gold. They are substitute

Reserve Bank board approves transfer of Rs 2.11 trillion surplus to govt

The expert committee had suggested maintaining the risk provisioning within a range of 5.5 per cent to 6.5 per cent of the RBI's balance sheet under the Contingent Risk Buffer

SC criticises state authority for inaction in Patanjali misleading ads case

'When you want to do something, you do it with lightning speed, but if you don't, then for years nothing moves,' the Supreme Court bench told the Uttarakhand State Licensing Authority

CBI not controlled by Union of India, Centre tells SC on Bengal govt's suit

The CBI is not under the "control" of the Union, the Centre on Thursday told the Supreme Court while raising preliminary objections on a lawsuit filed by the West Bengal government on the agency going ahead with its probe in several cases without the prerequisite nod from the state. The West Bengal government has filed an original suit in the apex court against the Centre under Article 131 of the Constitution, alleging that the CBI has been filing FIRs and proceeding with its investigation, despite the state having withdrawn the general consent to the federal agency to probe cases within its territorial jurisdiction. Article 131 deals with the Supreme Court's original jurisdiction in a dispute between the Centre and one or more states. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, told a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta that Article 131 of the Constitution is "one of the most sacred" jurisdiction conferred upon the apex court and this provision can't be ...

Govt introduces draft Explosives Bill 2024 to replace Explosives Act, 1884

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has proposed raising fines for violation of regulations and enhancing the efficiency of licencing procedures

Govt cuts windfall tax on petroleum crude to Rs 8,400 per MT from May 1

(Reuters) - India has cut its windfall tax on petroleum crude to 8,400 Indian rupees ($100.66) a metric ton from 9,600 rupees with effect from May 1, the government said on Tuesday

Govt to take decision on Hindustan Zinc OFS after testing mkt: Mines secy

The government is committed to offloading its stake in Vedanta group firm Hindustan Zinc through offer for sale (OFS) and will take the decision on this after testing the market, mines secretary V L Kantha Rao said on Monday. The government, the largest minority shareholder in Hindustan Zinc, owns a 29.54 per cent stake in the company. "We are committed to OFS," Rao said on the sidelines of an event here. The statement comes after the mines ministry rejected Hindustan Zinc Ltd's demerger plan. "Demerger, anyways, we have not agreed," the mines secretary said. When asked to comment on when the offer for sale company is expected, Rao said, "There is no point doing OFS when the market is not ready. Let me test the marketdo the roadshow and then we will decide." The Supreme Court in 2021 allowed the government to disinvest its residual stake in Hindustan Zinc in the open market. Earlier, Hindustan Zinc had said that it will continue to engage with the Centre on its proposal to split

Centre released Rs 3,454 cr for drought relief: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said the Centre has approved Rs 3,499 crore as drought relief and released only Rs 3,454 crore and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give the balance amount as soon as possible. The chief minister thanked the Supreme Court for warning the Central government and providing some drought relief to the state. "According to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) rules, the state was supposed to be paid Rs 18,171 crore, but the Central government has only approved Rs 3,498.98 crore. This money is not sufficient for the drought relief. Our fight for the arrears will continue," he told reporters here. The chief minister said that the union government did not give the drought relief fund out of concern for Karnataka but it was forced to release money after the state government approached the Supreme Court and pleaded about the drought situation. "The Supreme Court, which heard this petition, was convinced that the Centre was doing ...

Siddaramaiah stages dharna over delay in release of drought funds by Centre

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday staged a dharna here protesting against the delay in release of drought relief funds by the Centre and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue. Siddaramaiah said the protest -- held in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of Vidhana Soudha which houses the Legislature and State Secretariat -- was aimed at drawing public attention towards the "injustice" done to Karnataka and its people by the BJP-led government at the Centre. He alleged that Modi and Shah "hate Karnataka and its farmers" due to which the drought relief funds were not released even after seven months of severe drought. The chief minister said the state has not seen such a severe drought in 100 years. Citing government survey reports, he said 223 out of 240 taluks of the state are drought-affected. "Modi and Amit Shah hate Karnataka and its farmers," Siddaramaiah said during the protest organised by the ruling .

SC grants Centre one week to provide relief to drought-stricken Karnataka

Karnataka government has sought financial assistance of Rs 18,171.44 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for drought-relief from the Centre

Centre, states need to come together on big reforms in labour, land: CII

The Centre and states need to come together to pursue big-ticket reforms in labour and land sectors to accelerate growth, CII President R Dinesh said on Thursday. A survey by CII, he further said, expects the Reserve Bank of India to cut benchmark interest growth in the second quarter (July-September). The RBI has been holding the repo rate at 6.5 per cent since February 2023. In an interview with PTI, the CII President shared the industry body's perspective on reforms needed to realise India's growth potential to the fullest. "From CII's side when we look at accelerating the rate of growth or making sure we are able to seize the opportunities we are being presented today, broadly we are speaking about 3-4 areas, first you look at big-ticket reforms that are land, labour and to a certain extent agriculture," Dinesh said. He highlighted the importance of building a consensus across all states. Towards this, he said, CII has suggested, a structure which can make the Centre and the .

Govt focus on infra to nurture sustained revival in investment: RBI report

The government's focus on infrastructure development, coupled with buoyant business optimism, could nurture a sustained revival in the investment cycle, according to a Reserve Bank report. According to the RBI's Monetary Policy Report- April 2024, domestic economic activity, backed by strong fundamentals, remained robust in the first half of 2023-24, weathering challenges from muted global demand. The report further said that while the fixed investment and the lower drag from net external demand propelled real GDP growth, private consumption received support from steady urban demand. On the supply side, it added, manufacturing activity strengthened further, benefiting from lower input costs and the improvement in global supply chains. Construction activity remained firm on the back of buoyant housing demand and the government's thrust on infrastructure. "Going ahead, private consumption will get support from improved prospects for rural demand and rising consumer confidence. "The