Page 28 - Central Government

Concerned over worsening security situation: Govt on Hamas-Israel conflict

India on Friday said it remains concerned over the deteriorating security situation arising out of the Hamas-Israel conflict and called for "restraint and de-escalation" while emphasising on a peaceful resolution of the conflict through "dialogue and diplomacy". External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar informed the Lok Sabha that India strongly condemned the October 7 terror attack on Israel and also the loss of civilian lives in the ongoing conflict. "We remain concerned at the deteriorating security situation and have called for restraint, de-escalation and emphasised peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy," he said in a written reply to a question. "We welcome the humanitarian pauses and the release of hostages," he added. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jaishankar have spoken to several leaders in the region and across the world, including the president and prime minister of Israel and the Palestinian president. "India has also strongly taken up the

Jan Aushadhi scheme has saved citizens Rs 7,416 crore this fiscal: Govt

The over 10,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras across the country have led to savings of around Rs 7,416 crore for the citizens this financial year, Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday. In a written reply in the Upper House, Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba said an unprecedented 150 times growth in annual sales has been witnessed by the scheme in the last 9 years. "During the financial year 2022-23, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI) has sold Jan Aushadhi medicines worth Rs 1,236 crore, with approx 40 per cent growth from the previous year and this has led to savings of approximately Rs 7,416 crore to the citizens," he noted. The projected sales target for 2023-24 is Rs 1,400 crore and the scheme is growing at a very fast pace garnering public trust and confidence, Khuba said. In all, during the past nine years, total savings have been estimated at more than Rs 23,000 crore for the citizens under this scheme, he stated. On an average 10-12

Govt sanctions Rs 717 crore for development of five projects in Tripura

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has sanctioned Rs 717 crore for five projects in Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha said. Of the total outlay, Rs 202 crore has been sanctioned for construction of a dental college in the northeastern state, while another Rs 192 crore was approved for a mother and childcare unit at Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC). Besides, Rs 121 crore has been sanctioned for setting up of a drug de-addiction centre in Sepahijala district. Under the double-engine government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the socio-economic condition of people living in Tripura has been enhanced... Rs 717 crore has been sanctioned to undertake five projects in the state. I thank the prime minister for his unwavering help to people of the state, Saha said in a Facebook post. An outlay of Rs 80 crore has been made for setting up of micro-grids for expansion of solar power in the tribal-dominated areas. A total of Rs 122 crore was also approv

Centre imposes ban on onion exports until March 2024 to curb price surge

India had previously imposed a minimum export price of $800 per metric ton, until Dec. 31, 2023, to discourage exports, in an effort to curb surging local prices

India's Russian oil imports seen rising on lower prices: Govt official

The Group of Seven large economies known as G7 and some other nations have imposed a ceiling of $60 per barrel for oil at Russian ports to cut Moscow's revenue seen as funding its war in Ukraine

Link between Covid-19 vaccines and heart attacks? Here's what govt said

A study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has observed that COVID-19 vaccination did not increase the risk of unexplained sudden death among young adults in India, the government informed Parliament on Friday. In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said post hospitalisation due to COVID-19, the family history of sudden death and certain lifestyle behaviours increased the likelihood of unexplained sudden deaths. The minister was responding to a question on whether there has been any reported instance of a linkage between Covid vaccination and incidents of heart attacks in the country. Sudden deaths have been reported in some people after they contracted Covid, but sufficient evidence is not available to confirm the cause of such deaths, Mandaviya said. To ascertain the facts regarding the apprehension of a rising number of cardiac arrest cases after Covid, the ICMR's National Institute of Epidemiology (NIE) ...

Winter Session: Indian Navy has shortage of 10,896 personnel, says govt

The Indian Navy is reeling under a shortage of 10,896 personnel including 1,777 officers, according to details provided by the defence ministry in Parliament on Friday. Responding to a question in Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt also said 9,119 posts of sailors are lying vacant in the Navy as on October 31. He said the shortage in the officer-rank is 1,777. The sanctioned strength of officers and sailors in the Navy is 11,979 and 76,649. Bhatt said a total of 323 officers were recruited in 2021 while the number in 2022 was 386. In 2021, 5,547 sailors were inducted into the Navy. The number in 2022 was 5,171, he added. To a separate question, he said a technology development fund to provide financial assistance to Indian industries, startups as well as academic and scientific institutions for the development of defence and dual use technologies. The fund is also aimed at engaging the private industries especially MSMEs and startups to bring in the culture of de

IPEF supply chain pact to increase resilience in Indo Pacific region

The supply chain agreement, signed by the 14-member grouping IPEF, aims to increase the resilience, efficiency, diversification, and security of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region, Parliament was informed on Friday. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that the agreement seeks to establish institutional mechanisms to enable the 14 countries to work together on supply chains in critical sectors and key goods. IPEF partners, including India, signed the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) Agreement Relating to Supply Chain Resilience on November 14, 2023. The IPEF was launched jointly by the US and other partner countries of the Indo-Pacific region on May 23 in Tokyo. The 14 IPEF partners represent 40 per cent of global GDP and 28 per cent of global goods and services trade. The framework is structured around four pillars relating to trade, supply chains, clean economy, and fair economy (issues like tax and ...

India's wheat stocks hit 7-year low as govt sells more to calm prices

Last year, the government banned exports after output was curtailed due to a heat wave and overseas sales picked up as Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent global prices to multi-year highs

Infrastructure development picks pace under Modi govt, says Scindia

India has made immense progress in infrastructure development under the Modi government and figures among the top five in various sectors and areas, Union Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia said on Friday. While the previous UPA regime ignored the development of the country, India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been consistently growing across the sectors, Scindia told reporters here. A Rs 10 lakh crore budget for infrastructure by the present government shows its seriousness for the development of the country. Area-wise, India might be the seventh largest country in the world, but today "we remain among the top five in various sectors and areas," Scindia said at the conference on 'overall development in the infrastructure in India'. In the roads and highways sector, the minister said that the highway construction has grown to 37 km per day from just 12 km per day before 2014. The government aims to scale it up to 60 km per day during the Amritkaal period by

Over 26 million kids given measles vaccine between Apr 2022-Mar 2023: Govt

More than 2.63 crore children across the country received the first dose of measles containing vaccine (MCV) between April 2022 and March 2023, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Mandaviya was responding to a question on whether an estimated 11 lakh children in India missed their first measles vaccine dose in 2022, as stated in a report by the World Health Organisation and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. "While the World Health Organisation (WHO) publishes various reports on Immunisation, under Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), data regarding Measles Containing Vaccines (MCV) administered free of cost to all eligible children is captured in the Health Management Information System (HMIS). "As per HMIS, a total of 2,63,63,270 children received 1st dose of MCV throughout the country against the estimated target of 2,63,84,580 children in the period between April 2022 to March 2023," Mandaviya said. Listing steps taken by the

India recorded over 234,000 dengue cases till Nov 30: Govt to Lok Sabha

India recorded 2,34,427 cases of dengue till November 30 this year, the government told Lok Sabha on Friday and underlined that the cases remain low every year from January to July whereas maximum cases are reported from August to December. In the current year, due to global climate change, the El Nino effect and unequal rainfall, increased vector density led to an increase in the number of dengue cases reported across the country, Union Minister of State for Health S P Singh Baghel said in reply to a question. Baghel informed the House that 2,33,251 cases of dengue were reported in 2022 and 1,93,245 in 2021. Transmission of dengue happens round the year in many states. However, cases increase during monsoon and continue till the post-monsoon season due to the abundance of vector breeding sites, he said. "For dengue transmission, environmental factors namely rainfall, humidity and temperature are mainly responsible. In the current year, due to the global climate change, El Nino eff

Govt ready to offload extra 2.5 million tonnes of FCI wheat under OMSS

The government is ready to offload additional 2.5 million tonnes of FCI wheat to bulk consumers during January-March 2024, under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS), in order to boost domestic supply and check price rise, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said on Friday. In May this year, the Food Corporation of India (FCI), the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of grains, was given a mandate to sell wheat from the central pool to bulk consumers through an e-auction under OMSS throughout the fiscal except during procurement period in wheat growing states. Briefing the media, the Food Secretary said so far 4.46 million tonnes has been offloaded by FCI to processors through weekly e-auctions. "This has increased availability of wheat into the open market at affordable prices, benefitting general consumers across the country," Chopra said. Depending on the requirement, the Secretary said "additional 2.5 million tonnes can be offloaded under OMSS during January-Marc

Govt tightens stock limits on wheat to curb hoarding, check price rise

The government on Friday further tightened stock holding norms for wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors with immediate effect in order to curb hoarding and to check price rise. Briefing media, Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said the stock limit has been reduced to 1,000 tonnes from the existing 2,000 tonnes for traders/wholesalers. The stock limit will be 5 tonnes instead of 10 tonnes on each retailer, 5 tonnes for each depot of a big chain retailer and a total of 1,000 tonnes for all their depots, he said. In case of processors, they can hold 70 per cent of monthly installed capacity multiplied by the remaining months of 2023-24, he added. "This has been done to prevent artificial scarcity and curb hoarding. The revised stock limits will be applicable from immediate effect," Chopra said. The traders will get 30 days time to reduce the stock to the revised limits, he added. All wheat stocking entities are required to register on the wheat stock limit portal .

Patients being charged upto Rs 50K for a bed in Central govt hospitals: AAP

Pandey said that it is a criminal act to allow brokerage to persist and at the same time deny beds at central government hospitals. These hospitals are run entirely by the central government

Delay in fund disbursal halted all works of Delhi Jal Board: Somnath Bharti

Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Somnath Bharti Friday said all maintenance and developmental works of DJB have "come to a standstill" due to the delay in disbursal of funds from the finance secretary. In an interview with PTI, he said that since maintenance work happens every day and DJB contractors have gone on strike due to non-payment of dues, the work of the jal board has been "suffering". The Delhi Jal Board contractors association has been on strike since November 27 over non-payment of dues, with its general secretary Vinay Mangla claiming that around 1,150 contractors have halted their work until payments are made to everyone. Bharti said, "Multiple projects are underway and contractors haven't been paid since February. Maintenance work, including cleaning of contamination, and repairing or replacing pipelines, happens every other day in Delhi. All maintenance and developmental works of DJB have come to a standstill due to delay in disbursal of funds." He said that as a plea

Cyclone Michaung: PM directs release of Rs 450 cr second instalment to TN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the Union Home Ministry to release Rs 450 crore, the second instalment to Tamil Nadu for cyclone relief, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Thursday. Following an aerial survey and a hi-level meeting with Chief Minister M K Stalin at the Secretariat, Singh said the first instalment of Rs 450 crore had been released earlier to the state. "PM Modi is distressed by loss of lives in TN due to rains, flood," he said. Since the problem of urban floods has become repetitive in Chennai in recent years, the Government of India has approved a central funding of Rs 500 crore for urban flood management activities, he said. All the Central agencies including NDRF are doing their best as regards mitigation work in Tamil Nadu, he added. "I have been directed by PM Modi to monitor the situation; PM has spoken to CM Stalin." Earlier, Singh undertook an aerial survey of flood hit northern Tamil Nadu and held discussions with Stalin over the extent

Qatar death row: Indian ambassador met 8 Navy veterans, says govt

The Indian ambassador to Qatar met eight former Indian Navy personnel on death row four days back and two hearings took place on an appeal filed against the capital punishment handed down to them by a Qatari court. Spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Arindam Bagchi said this at a media briefing on Thursday. The Navy veterans were on October 26 given death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case. An appeal was filed against the death sentence by the family members of the Indians. "As you know, we filed an appeal that is from the families and the detainees. Two hearings have since been held. One, I think on November 30 and the other on November 23," Bagchi said when asked about the case. "I think the next hearing is coming up soon. We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. Meanwhile, our ambassador got consular access t

Electricity demand grows 8.5% in Apr-Oct, supply rises 8.8%: Govt

The electricity demand increased 8.5 per cent to 9,82,233 units during April-October 2023, Parliament was informed on Thursday. The energy requirement was 9,05,443 units during the first seven months of 2022, Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. The energy supply rose 8.8 per cent to 9,79,344 units during the period under review from 8,99,950 units in the year-ago period. In FY 2022-23, the electricity requirement was 9.6 per cent higher at 15,11,847 units over 13,79,812 units in FY 2021-22. The supply was 15,04,264 units, 9.5 per cent up from 13,74,024 units in FY22. The power generation during FY23 rose to 1,624.465 billion units (BUs) from 1,491.859 (BUs) in FY22. During April-October FY24, the generation was at 1,047.439 BUs. "The peak demand has gone up from 136 GW in 2013-14 to 243 GW in September 2023. We have been able to meet the increase in demand because we added 194 GW of capacity between 2014 to 2023," Si

403 Indian students died abroad since 2018, most in Canada: Govt tells RS

The government on Thursday said 403 Indian students have died abroad since 2018 due to various reasons including natural causes, accidents and medical conditions, with Canada accounting for the highest 91 fatalities among 34 nations. In a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that according to the information available with the ministry, 403 incidents of death of Indian students abroad have been reported since 2018. He said the heads of mission/post and senior officials visit universities and educational institutions for regular interactions with Indian students and their associations. According to data submitted by the ministry, Canada has reported 91 deaths of Indian students since 2018 followed by the United Kingdom (48), Russia (40), the United States (36), Australia (35), Ukraine (21), Germany (20), Cyprus (14), Italy and the Philippines (10 each). "The safety and security of Indian students abroad is one of the