Page 33 - Central Government

Bills to replace criminal laws among 18 listed for winter session

The government on Wednesday listed 18 bills, including two to extend provisions of the women's reservation act to Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry and three to replace the criminal laws, during the Winter Session of Parliament beginning next week. According to a bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the government also plans to bring a bill that seeks to increase the strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly from 107 to 114 in a bid to provide representation to Kashmiri migrants, displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Scheduled Tribes. Besides the bills, the government has listed the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for the year 2023-24 for presentation, discussion and voting during the session. The Winter Session of Parliament begins on December 4 and continues till December 22.

Centre aims to add coal-fired power capacity amid record demand: Report

The expansion drive comes ahead of this week's U.N. climate summit COP28, where France and the United States are expected to clamp down on financing for coal plants

Uttarakhand tunnel episode: Congress seeks thorough audit of all projects

A day after 41 workers were rescued from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand, the Congress on Wednesday demanded a thorough audit of all projects under implementation while also calling for putting on hold all future projects in the Himalayan region and subjecting them to professional ecological scrutiny. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said while "we salute the rescued workers and applaud the entire rescue team", there should be a reflection on some larger questions thrown up by the tunnel collapse. "While we salute the rescued workers and applaud the entire rescue team -especially the twelve 'rat-hole' miners who displayed both skill and daring, and who surely deserve a more appropriate name for the work they do -- we should also reflect on some larger questions thrown up by the tunnel collapse," the former environment minister said in a post on X. The fragility and complexity of the Western Himalayan ecosystem has been brought home to us in a stark manner, he said. "What

'Vision India @2047' document in making for 'Viksit Bharat': NITI Aayog CEO

NITI Aayog CEO BVR Subrahmanyam on Wednesday said a vision document is being prepared for India to become a developed economy of about USD 30 trillion by 2047. The draft 'Vision India @2047' document will outline the institutional and structural changes/ reforms that will be needed for the country to become a developed nation by 2047. "A vision plan is being prepared for India to become a developed economy...the prime minister will release the document in January," Subrahmanyam said while addressing an event organised by industry body FICCI. In 2023, NITI Aayog was entrusted with the task of consolidating the 10 sectoral thematic visions into a combined vision for Viksit Bharat @2047. Subrahmanyam said the government wants college enrolment rate in India to increase from 27 per cent to 50-60 per cent. "So, the college going population would go up from 4 crore to 8- 9 crore. So we need thousand more universities, in addition to thousand universities we have today," he ...

Union Cabinet approves Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan

The Union Cabinet has approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN) to focus on 11 critical interventions through various ministries, Union minister Anurag Thakur said Wednesday. The scheme, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas in Jharkhand's Khunti, will have a total outlay of Rs 24,104 crore. The Central share will be Rs 15,336 crore and states will contribute Rs 8,768 crore. The nod to the scheme was given by the Union Cabinet on Tuesday night. Seventy-five communities located in 18 states and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been categorised as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). These PVTGs continue to face vulnerability in social, economic and education sectors, the government noted. The PM-JANMAN will focus on 11 critical interventions through nine ministries, including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs. The Ministry of Ayush will set up Ayush Wellness Centre as per existing norms and

Centre extends PMGKAY free ration scheme for another five years till 2029

At a cabinet briefing, Anurag Thakur said that the extension will cost the exchequer Rs 11.8 trillion

K'taka health dept issues advisory after respiratory illness surge in China

The action comes after the Centre issued an advisory to States and Union Territories urging them to immediately review public health and hospital preparedness measures

Delhi minister slams Centre over demolition of houses in slum cluster

Delhi Urban Development Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj slammed the Centre on Tuesday over the demolition of houses at a slum cluster located between the Sunder Nursery and Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. Bharadwaj alleged that through its Land And Development Office (LNDO) department, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre took a "cruel stand" in the high court to demolish the slums and that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) was "duty-bound to rehabilitate" the poor people before their houses were demolished. The slum cluster, inhabited by about 1,000 to 1,500 people, most of whom work as ragpickers, street hawkers, domestic helps, labourers and small-scale traders, was demolished in a drive following a court order last week. "According to the law, the central government's DDA was duty-bound to rehabilitate these poor people before the demolition of their homes. Even though the high court had provided the relief in view of the Graded Response Action Plan-3, the Centre provided ...

Tribunal set up for adjudication of ban extended on Meitei extremist groups

The Centre on Tuesday formed a tribunal consisting of a Gauhati High Court judge for adjudication of the extension of another five-year ban on nine Meitei extremist groups and their associate organisations, which mostly operate in Manipur. The Union Home Ministry announcement came a fortnight after it extended the ban on the Meitei extremist groups and their association organisations for their anti-national activities, and launching fatal attacks on security forces. In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 5 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (37 of 1967), the central government constituted "The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal" consisting of Justice Sanjay Kumar Medhi, Judge of the Gauhati High Court, for adjudicating whether or not there is sufficient cause for declaring the Meitei extremist organisations of Manipur, along with their factions, wings and front organisations as unlawful associations, the home ministry said in a ...

'Toughen up', not 'man up': Govt releases gender-neutral language guide

In a bid to promote the use of gender-neutral language, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday released a guide which administrators and educational institutions will be encouraged to refer to. The Guide on Gender Inclusive Communication' has been compiled by the National Gender and Child Center, Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie, in partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and UN Women. The guide highlights the importance of the gender spectrum, and also provides a lexicon on gender neutral language. The guide attempts to give a breakdown of gendered use of language and stresses on making a deliberate effort to become conscious of existing biases in commonly spoken language. The guide has over 60 words and phrases, and recommends the use of 'toughen up' instead of 'man up', 'owner' instead of 'landlord or landlady', 'humankind or humanity' instead of 'mankind', 'workforce or workers' for 'manpower', 'transgender .

Punjab farmers end protest, warn of 'bigger agitation' if promises not met

Farmers who had gathered at Mohali and Panchkula along Chandigarh's borders on Tuesday ended their three-day protest after their meetings with Punjab and Haryana governors, but warned the Centre of a "bigger agitation" if it does not show "seriousness" towards their pending demands. "This was a trailer," said farmer leader from Punjab, Harinder Singh Lakhowal, on the three-day protest. "A bigger agitation will be held if the government does not show seriousness towards our demands," Lakhowal told PTI. He said there are some demands which pertain to the state government which they have separately taken up with it and a meeting in this regard with the chief minister will be held on December 19. Separately, a delegation of farmers from Haryana met Governor Bandaru Dattatreya here concerning various demands. After the meeting, farmer leader Suresh Koth told reporters that they "want to give a clear warning to the government that we have and we can fight for our rights." "If the gover

Govt asks coal block owners to take necessary steps to operationalise mines

The government on Tuesday asked coal block owners to take necessary steps to operationalise mines that are at an advanced stage of commissioning. In FY24, India might produce 145 Million Tonnes (MT) of coal from commercial and captive blocks, that would help bring down the country's import of fossil fuel. M Nagaraju, Additional Secretary and Nominated Authority, Ministry of Coal, chaired a review meeting of producing and expected to produce captive and commercial coal mines during 2023-24. During the meeting, Nagaraju asked the companies allotted coal blocks to take necessary steps to achieve production target of the current fiscal. "The total coal production from captive/commercial coal mines during April 1, 2023 to November 20, 2023 was around 80 MT, indicating a year-on-year growth of 23 per cent from the same period of FY 2022-23," the coal ministry said in a statement.

Govt mulls introducing legal safeguards for healthcare workers: Panel

The government may consider introducing appropriate legal safeguards for healthcare workers, who at times face violence from relatives or attendants of patients, a parliamentary panel has said. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs headed by BJP member Brij Lal, which examined the proposed three criminal laws, discussed a memoranda submitted by various medical associations requesting it to introduce provisions under Clause 115 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to penalise acts of violence against healthcare service personnel. The committee, in its report, said it was submitted before the panel that unlike in any other professions, healthcare professionals are vulnerable to "violent attacks" by relatives of patients, in cases where patients die during treatment. Such violent attacks against healthcare personnel are prevalent throughout the country and there is a need to provide some legal safeguards for the benefit of healthcare workers, the medical associations tol

Mines ministry preparing policy for critical minerals to boost supply chain

The Mines Ministry is in the process of preparing a policy for critical minerals which will include a road map for strengthening the supply chain of these essential resources, an official release said on Monday. Critical minerals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are essential components in many of today's rapidly growing clean energy technologies from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles. "The strategy will also identify the responsibilities of different ministries of Government of India in ensuring the resilience of the supply chain of critical minerals," the Mines Ministry said in a statement. The ministry is also preparing a strategy for recycling of metals which will help to increase the recycling capability and streamline the recycling process and will also work with partner countries to co-develop mineral processing and raw material manufacturing capabilities. Apart from strengthening the domestic mechanisms, collaborati

Centre calls all-party meeting on Dec 2 ahead of Parliament Winter session

The Winter session of Parliament 2023 will conclude on December 22

Himachal govt helped disaster-affected people by changing rules: CM Sukhu

According to the officials, in rain-related incidents in this year's monsoon so far, 400 people have lost their lives and over 13,000 houses have been damaged

Kejriwal accuses central agencies of bias action on party's foundation day

On this day in 2021, Kejriwal founded AAP from the India Against Corruption movement in 2011, which was launched, under the leadership of anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare

Centre to convene all-party meet on Dec 2 ahead of Winter session

The government has convened an all-party meeting on December 2 ahead of the Winter session of Parliament, sources said on Saturday. The session will begin on December 4 and conclude on December 22. Though the all-party meet is convened a day before the session begins, this time it has been advanced by a day apparently due to counting of votes for five states on December 3 where polls are underway. The results of the assembly elections will have a major bearing on the session during which the government is keen to pass key bills. The report of the Ethics Committee on the "cash-for-query" allegations against TMC MP Mahua Moitra will be tabled in Lok Sabha during the session. The House will have to adopt the report before the expulsion recommended by the panel comes into effect. Three key bills which seek to replace the IPC, CrPC and the Evidence Act are likely to be taken up for consideration during the session as the standing committee on Home has already adopted the three reports

FM Sitharaman dismisses Kerala govt's fund allocation 'negligence' charge

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday dismissed allegations by Kerala's Left government of negligence in fund allocation and claimed that the Central government promptly sends the required funds to the people of the southern state without any delay. Responding to the Left government's allegations of not releasing funds under various categories, she pointed fingers at the state government, alleging that it was due to the state's failure to meet the necessary criteria. Criticising the ruling CPI(M)-led alliance, which has announced a protest in New Delhi in January against the alleged neglect by the Central government, the finance minister claimed that the highest amount of Finance Commission Grants has been released to Kerala from 2009-10 to 2023-24 under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), all the pending liabilities and the first tranche of 2023-24, covering senior citizen pensions, amounting to Rs

Centre announces phased introduction of biogas blending for domestic use

The mandatory phased introduction will start at 1% for use in automobiles and households from April 2025, it said. The share of mandatory blending will then be increased to around 5% by 2028