Page 36 - Central Government

Govt restarts onion procurement at Rs 2,410/qtl in Maha, MP: Piyush Goyal

The government on Tuesday restarted onion procurement at Rs 2,410 per quintal in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh for its buffer stock, to protect the interest of farmers amid export curbs imposed to arrest the rising retail prices of the key kitchen commodity ahead of festival season. On August 19, the government imposed a 40 per cent export duty on onions to restrict outward shipments and boost local availability amid apprehension about the Kharif output. Briefing media, the Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said, while imposing export duty on onion, the government simultaneously decided to procure an additional 2 lakh tonnes of onion from farmers for the buffer stock. "This was done to protect the interest of farmers. This will give better prices to the farmers," Goyal said. Cooperatives National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Limited (NCCF) and National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) are undertaking procurement in

Centre to buy 200,000 metric tonnes onion at Rs 2,410 per quintal: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said the Centre has decided to purchase two lakh metric tonnes of onion at the rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal, and expressed hope this will provide relief to producers of the key kitchen staple in the state. He also said special procurement centres will be set up in Nashik and Ahmednagar in the state. The announcement comes amid protests by farmers and traders against the Centre's decision to impose 40 per cent export duty on onions to check price rise and improve supplies in the domestic market. The Finance Ministry through a notification on August 19 imposed the 40 per cent export duty on onions till December 31, 2023. Fadnavis, who is currently on a visit to Japan, in a post on X said, I spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal regarding the onion issue. The Union government would procure two lakh metric tonnes of onion at the rate of Rs 2,410 per quintal. There will be special .

Delhi HC seeks govt's stand on plea against inclusion of CAs under PMLA

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought the Centre's stand on a petition challenging the inclusion of chartered accountants, company secretaries and cost accountants within the ambit of reporting entities under the anti-money laundering law. A bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma granted time to the Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma to seek instructions on the petition by Rajat Mohan, a practising chartered accountant (CA). The court, while listing the case for further hearing on October 4, noted that at this stage, the petitioner was not extending his challenge to the legality of certain provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act with respect to the consequent liabilities imposed upon the professionals. Observing that CAs were the experts in the field of accounting and the enhanced due diligence was with respect to specified transactions only, the bench -- also comprising Justice Sanjeev Narula-- asked the petitioner to state the problem with the

Haryana govt to introduce spirulina-based product to combat malnutrition

The Haryana government Saturday said it would introduce a spirulina-based product to combat malnutrition in children with a six-month pilot project planned in Nuh district. Spirulina, an algae that grows in both freshwater and saltwater, is rich in nutrients and possesses antioxidant properties, according to an official release. A study conducted by the Institute of Health Management and Research (IHMR), Bengaluru, demonstrated a reduction in malnutrition by administering spirulina to children for six months, it said. Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal, after presiding over the fifth meeting of the state convergence committee under POSHAN Abhiyaan here, said three nutrition-rich programmes will be implemented across all blocks of the aspirational district Nuh. These programmes aim to alleviate malnutrition and anaemia among children and women. Nutritional support in the form of ready-to-eat food items, nutritional packets, and antioxidant-rich foods will be provided to childre

Govt aims to raise capacity of ports four-fold to 10K MTPA by 2047: Sonowal

The government has set itself a target of raising the country's port capacity to more than 10,000 Metric Ton Per Annum by 2047 from the current 2,600 MTPA, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said here on Saturday. The government will soon set up a Bureau of Port Security to upgrade security across all ports in the country, he said at the 19th Maritime States Development Council meeting at Kevadia in Gujarat's Narmada district near the Statue of Unity. "The country's total port capacity will increase from existing around 2,600 MTPA to more than 10,000 MTPA in 2047," a government release quoted him as saying. Sonowal said the country's maritime sector is poised for substantial growth with over Rs 10 lakh crore worth of investment opportunities identified, with the opportunity to generate employment for over 15 lakh youths. "In alignment with this vision, the role of private players is being progressively augmented, with public-private partnership ...

Cong demands white paper from govt over Chinese man duping people in Guj

The Congress on Friday targeted the BJP-led Centre over an alleged scam involving a Chinese national and demanded the government come out with a white paper on the allegations that he "duped" 1,200 people in Gujarat of Rs 1,400 crore using a betting app. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera alleged the government is using probe agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, CBI and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO) to target Opposition leaders but not against Chinese scamsters who "loot" Indians and flee the country. He claimed Woo Uyanbe used the football betting app to dupe 1,200 people in Gujarat of a whopping Rs 1,400 crore in just nine days and fled the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Home Minister Amit Shah could not stop him, he said. Khera also claimed the police in the BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh "promoted" the 'Dani Data App', thereby helping it earn the trust of common people before it was realised the app was a scam. He displayed some pictures available on soc

India's new criminal law: Are leaders putting symbolism above good sense?

The government has a weakness for unleashing giant new changes on an unsuspecting country without any real consideration for how they will be implemented

LIVE updates: Centre decides to hold test for govt jobs in 15 languages

Catch all the latest news updates live from across the globe here

NCCF imports 5 tonne tomatoes from Nepal for sale in UP at subsidised rates

Cooperative NCCF on Wednesday said about 5 tonne tomatoes imported from neighbouring country Nepal are in transit and will be retailed at a subsidised rate of Rs 50/kilogram in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The National Cooperative Consumers' Federation of India Ltd (NCCF) has contracted for import of 10 tonne of tomatoes from Nepal. NCCF is undertaking imports as well as domestic procurement of tomatoes on behalf of the central government and retailing them at a subsidised rate to give relief to consumers from high prices of the kitchen staple. The retail intervention is being undertaken on direction from the Union consumer affairs ministry. Speaking to PTI, NCCF Managing Director Anice Joseph Chandra said, "We have contracted 10 tonne of tomato imports from Nepal. Out of this, 3-4 tonne was distributed yesterday in Uttar Pradesh. About 5 tonne...is in transit and will be retailed tomorrow in UP at subsidised rates." The imported tomatoes cannot be sold in other parts of India becau

Govt approves Rs 13,000 cr PM Vishwakarma scheme, will benefit 3 mn workers

Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 13,000 crore PM Vishwakarma scheme that will benefit about 30 lakh traditional artisans and craftsmen, including weavers, goldsmiths, blacksmiths, laundry workers, and barbers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement about the scheme in his Independence Day address on Tuesday. Under the scheme, craftsmen will be provided a subsidised loan of Rs 1 lakh in the first tranche, and another Rs 2 lakh in the second tranche, communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said after the Cabinet meeting. The loans will be provided at a concessional interest rate of 5 per cent. On Tuesday, the prime minister announced that the scheme will be launched on Vishwakarma Jayanti on September 17.

Centre renames Nehru Memorial as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library

In mid-June, during a special meeting of the NMML Society, it was resolved to change its name to PMML Society

Centre and state govt trying every possible help: Thakur on Himachal rains

The state is continuously witnessing a disastrous situation with flash floods during this year's monsoon season causing unprecedented damage to both lives and assets in Himachal Pradesh

LIVE: Earthquake of 5.4 magnitude hits Meghalaya, parts of Bangladesh

Catch all the latest updates from across the globe here

India's deprived do not want freebies, but ask for 5 things from govts

Good politics can be good economics if evidence-based feedback become the basis of public policy

Heartless govt: Oppn lashes out at govt over Manipur during no-trust debate

Echoing the refrain, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Supriya Sule demanded the resignation of the Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh for failing to rein in the runaway violence

Without explanation for Ordinance, govt cannot proceed with bill: AAP MP

Union Home Minster Amit Shah is set to move the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 in Rajya Sabha today

Centre may hike dearness allowance by 3% to 45% for its 10 mn employees

The central government is likely to increase the dearness allowance (DA) for its over one crore employees and pensioners by three percentage points to 45 per cent from the existing 42 per cent as per the agreed formula for the purpose. The dearness allowance for employees and pensioners is worked out on the basis of the latest Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW) brought out by the Labour Bureau every month. The Labour Bureau is a wing of the Labour Ministry. Talking to PTI, All India Railwaymen Federation General Secretary Shiva Gopal Mishra said, "The CPI-IW for June 2023 was released on July 31, 2023. We are demanding a four percentage point hike in dearness allowance. But the dearness allowance hike works out to be a little over three percentage points. The government does not factor in hiking DA beyond the decimal point. Thus DA is likely to be increased by three percentage points to 45 per cent". He further explained that the expenditure department of the Fina

Govt should announce objective criteria for importers of computers: GTRI

With India imposing import curbs on laptops and computers, the government should take steps such as announcing objective criteria for importers to seek licence for inbound shipments of these items to meet domestic demand, trade think-tank GTRI said on Friday. On August 3, the government said importers of these goods have to seek licence/permission from Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) for imports. PCs, laptops, and tablets connect us to the world of education, business, entertainment and everything else. The government must take all steps to avoid short supply and market disruption. One way is announcing objective criteria that will constitute the basis for the grant of licence, Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) co-founder Ajay Srivastava said. In similar cases earlier, criteria like past performance have been used for granting licences. He said the government may inform all firms of their next year's annual import eligibility in terms of the number of units and va

After days of disruption, govt reaches out to Oppn to end RS logjam

After days of disruption in Parliament over the Manipur issue, the government and the Opposition on Thursday made attempts to break the deadlock and are discussing a middle path to find a solution. The Parliament has witnessed 11 days of disruptions with the Opposition demanding a discussion on the Manipur violence with a statement from the prime minister in both houses. With the stalemate in Parliament over Manipur persisting, Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Pralhad Joshi reached out to Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge and other Opposition leaders to break the logjam in the Rajya Sabha. The over half-an-hour meeting between the opposition parties and the government, however, remained inconclusive. Both the government and the Opposition are hopful of a resolution on the Manipur issue with a debate likely to take place in the Upper House next week. Government sources said they are working on resolving the demands raised by the Opposition and Home minister Amit Shah may reply to t

Govt to bring payment security mechanism for large-scale e-bus rollout

The government will come out with a "payment security mechanism" to support large-scale rollout of electric buses as it eyes a major transition towards green public transport across the country, Tarun Kapoor, advisor to the Prime Minister at the PMO, said on Thursday. He also emphasised on the need to bring down the cost of electric vehicles to accelerate their adoption. While the government will continue to provide subsidies like those being offered under the FAME-II scheme because the price difference is huge and it has to be bridged, "we have to look at ways and means to bring down the price also, because government subsidy cannot be forever", he said, while addressing an Assocham conference on electric mobility here. Kapoor highlighted the need to be "a little more serious" in battery manufacturing "because we can't depend on imports". He said while China has taken the lead on lithium-ion batteries, India can catch up very fast and the government is looking at the entire ...