Page 34 - Central Government

7th Pay Commission: Central government approves 4 per cent hike in DA

Cabinet approves to increase dearness allowance by 4 per cent for all the central government employees and pensioners. The DA has been increased to 46 per cent from 42 per cent

Centre grants 30-day non-productivity linked bonus to employees for FY23

Finance ministry sets monthly emolument ceiling at Rs 7,000 for ad-hoc bonus calculation

Govt making 'cheap attempt' of using Army for its publicity: Congress

The Congress on Monday accused the government of making a "cheap attempt" of using the Army for its political publicity and sought President Droupadi Murmu's immediate intervention in the matter. The party's remarks come in the wake of claims made in a media report that the Army would help publicise government schemes across the country. Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said the Army belongs to all and has never been made a part of the country's internal politics. "After facing failure on inflation, unemployment and all other fronts during the last nine and a half years, the Modi government is now making a very cheap attempt to get its political publicity from the army. This attempt to politicise the army is a very dangerous step," he said in a post in Hindi on X. "We request President Droupadi Murmu ji, the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces, to intervene in this matter and direct the Modi government to immediately withdraw this wrong step," the

Modi govt will not remain in centre after 2024: Tamil Nadu CM Stalin

"After the 2024 elections, the Modi government will not remain in the centre. INDIA alliance is not just an election alliance but a policy alliance"

Accountability of railway ministry, central govt should be fixed: Kharge

Mallikarjun Kharge further requested the Congress workers to provide all possible help to the victims

Bombay HC slams Centre's ease of doing biz, says mindful of cases' pendency

The Bombay High Court recently took a dig at the Central government's "ease of doing business", and said while it was mindful of the pendency of cases in courts, it was the government that was by far the largest litigant and the one that most often sought adjournments. A division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and Kamal Khata, which was on October 5 hearing a petition filed by one Ramkali Gupta in 2016 over property-related issues, said it was no stranger to repeated assertions from the Union government regarding the pendency of cases and impediments allegedly caused by the courts. The bench in its order said it was shocked to note that Gupta's petition has been pending for seven years and that since June this year, the plea has been adjourned at the request of the Union government so that the additional solicitor general could appear. We are equally mindful, and we are constrained to say this, that we are no strangers to repeated assertions from the Union government itself regardin

Sikkim flash floods: MoS Ajay Mishra meets CM Tamang, assures Centre's help

MoS Mishra is on a two-day visit to Sikkim to take stock of flash flood-affected areas

Entire liquor scam false, not even a penny changed hands: CM Kejriwal

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the Rouse Avenue Court sent Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to remand till October 10, 2023, in connection with the now scrapped Delhi excise policy or liquor scam case

Govt begins kharif paddy procurement; purchases 1.22 mn tonne so far

The government has started procuring paddy and about 12.21 lakh tonne of the grain has been purchased from farmers at minimum support price (MSP) so far, according to the food ministry. Paddy worth Rs 2,689.77 crore has been procured from 99,675 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana at MSP, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The harvesting of kharif paddy, which has been sown on a slightly higher area of 411.96 lakh hectare this year, started last week. Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies have undertaken procurement at MSP to create a buffer stock as well as protect the interest of farmers. The ministry is targeting to procure 521.27 lakh tonne in the current season as against the actual purchase of 496 lakh tonne in the year-ago season.

Cong cites RBI data to claim most Indians facing extreme financial distress

The Congress on Thursday alleged that a vast majority of Indian families are facing "extreme levels of Modi-made economic distress" with rise in inflation and debt and a decline in household savings. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared an article on X which claimed that the Reserve Bank of India's recently released data on household financial assets and liabilities "paints a disquieting picture of a contraction in savings, in the context of a slowdown in incomes." In his post, Ramesh said, "Some fresh and concerning analysis coming out of the RBI's data: In addition to household savings rates now at historic lows, income growth adjusted for inflation over the past four years is the slowest in the past 40 years!" Other key findings inform that net household financial savings have reduced by a fifth in Fiscal Year 2023, while non-housing borrowing has doubled in FY 2023 which is most likely debt taken on to finance consumption, the Congress general secretary said. "This

Govt firmly committed to rooting out terrorism, says HM Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Narendra Modi government is firmly committed to rooting out terrorism from the country. Shah also said Prime Minister Modi's vision is behind the policy of zero tolerance for terrorism adopted by the country. The home minister said this ahead of an anti-terror conference that he will inaugurate here. "The Modi government is firmly committed to rooting out terrorism from our country. Will inaugurate the '3rd Anti-terror Conference' hosted by @NIA_India in New Delhi today and illustrate Modi Ji's vision behind the policy of zero tolerance for terrorism adopted by our nation," he wrote on X.

'Govt must rethink strategy in dealing with ecologically fragile states'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday voiced concern over the situation in Sikkim and urged the Centre to declare both the Sikkim flash floods and Himachal Pradesh floods as national disasters. He also expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Sikkim flash floods. The situation in Sikkim is precarious as several people have lost their lives and many, including our brave Army personnel, are missing due to cloudburst and flash floods, he said. "Our thoughts are with the people of Sikkim who are battling these distressing times. The Union Government must do everything possible to rescue people in safer locations and find the missing persons, whose count is reportedly steadily increasing," Kharge said in a post on X. He said a lot of damage has been done to the infrastructure, and the Union and the state government must work together in the medium and long term to rebuild this beautiful state. The Congress party and its workers shall help i

Can digital crop survey solve India's problem of incoherent estimates?

The question of production numbers has been a puzzle that most governments have found difficult to solve

K T Rama Rao denounces Centre's apathy towards Palamuru irrigation project

Ahead of the Prime Minister's visit to Telangana to launch several projects, BRS working president K T Rama Rao on Sunday sought to question Narendra Modi over the Centre's alleged apathy towards the Palamuru irrigation project at Mahabubnagar in the state. Rama Rao posted on X (formerly twitter) a purported video of Modi in 2014 questioning the then UPA government about its callous attitude towards the Palamuru project. Rama Rao said he wants to "show the mirror" to Modi in view of the NDA government's apathetic attitude towards the project during the last 10 years. "PM @narendramodi Ji, Back in 2014, you had questioned the UPA Govt about their indifferent attitude towards Palamuru irrigation projects and asked if they were sleeping for 10 years! Today, after seeing 10 years of BJP's apathy towards Mahbubnagar, I want to show the mirror to you," he said. "What assistance did you give to Palamuru irrigation projects in last ten years? A Big ZERO. That's exactly the the Number of se

Centre's action plan to check air pollution in Delhi takes effect

The Graded Response Action Plan -- a set of anti-air pollution measures implemented in Delhi-NCR during the winter -- came into effect on Sunday. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), an autonomous body tasked with improving the air quality in Delhi and its adjoining areas, made crucial changes to the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) last year and again in July. The new changes include strict restrictions on the plying of overage vehicles and a complete ban on the use of coal and firewood in eateries, restaurants and hotels when the Air Quality Index (AQI) breaches the 200-mark. BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel four-wheelers will be immediately banned in Delhi and Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar if the AQI crosses the 400-mark. The CAQM, a statutory body formed under an Act in 2021, amended the GRAP in 2022 to ensure proactive implementation of anti-air pollution steps based on forecasts up to three days in advance. Earlier, the authorities would

Centre mulls proposal to allow satellite firms provide wireless service

According to experts, the move to provide mobility services authorisation to GMPCS licence holders will prepare the way for firms such as Elon Musk-owned Starlink to compete with telecom firms

After filling most NCLT vacancies, Centre eyes faster resolution

After boosting NCLT's strength, the MCA has asked the body to expeditiously dispose of crucial cases, especially M&A, under the Companies Act

Vivad se Vishwas - I scheme: Govt grants Rs 256 crore in relief to MSMEs

The Ministry of Finance said in a release that this move will increase the flow of bank credit by freeing up guarantees

Centre working on action plan to increase investments in startup sector

Officials said that ministries will have to expand their capacity to support the growing number of startups in the country

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin slams Centre for zero NEET PG cut-off decision

Condemning the decision, CM Stalin said, "They are accepting that 'eligibility' in the National 'Eligibility' Cum Entrance Test is meaningless"