Page 37 - Central Government

Govt, parties should be questioned for rubber-stamping forest bill: Ramesh

Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Thursday said questions should be asked of the government and parties that "rubber-stamped" the "insidious" Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, asserting that securing the rights of forest dwellers will be a long struggle. Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023, after a brief debate, amid protests by opposition members and a walkout by them over the Manipur issue. The bill seeks to exempt land within 100 kilometres of the country's borders from the purview of conservation laws and permit setting up of zoos, safaris and eco-tourism facilities in forest areas. In a tweet, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh noted that "many environmentalists who by no means are bhakts have criticised the Opposition for having boycotted the Rajya Sabha when the amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, which many have been agitating against, were being discussed yesterday". "Let me clarify: The

36 govt websites faced hacking incidents in first six months of 2023

As many as 36 websites of ministries and departments under the central and various state governments faced hacking incidents in the first six months of 2023, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Cyber security watchdog CERT-In tracked these incidents. According to data shared by Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Lok Sabha, a total of 1,12,474 cyber security incidents have been tracked by CERT-In. "The government is continuously engaged in formulating policies and setting technical standards in the cyberspace to holistically ensure accessible internet and to mitigate threats & vulnerabilities in the cyberspace," Chandrasekhar said in a written reply. As per the data, 36 websites of ministries and departments under the central and various state governments faced hacking incidents. The minister also shared that over 4.29 lakh cyber security incidents pertaining to financial institutions occurred in the first half of 2023.

Parental consent for love marriages: Gujarat CM says, will look into issue

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said that his government will carry out a study on the proposal "if the Constitution does not become a hindrance"

Double-engine govt in Manipur not doing anything to stop violence: Baghel

According to him, it is the Central government's failure even if China is behind the unrest

Centre working in biased manner: Pilot on PM Modi's visit to Rajasthan

Furthermore, speaking on the BJP's demand to unveil the 'red diary', Pilot said, BJP has no issue left to talk about. They failed at the Centre. They failed in Rajasthan as the opposition

Central govt allots Rs 363.14 crore to Manipur for projects under MDoNER

Regular meetings with the state governments/implementing agencies (IAs) are being held to monitor the progress of the projects, including pace of expenditure

Govt withdrew DNA Bill as it didn't want elaborate safeguards: Congress

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged on Tuesday that the BJP-led government does not want adequate safeguards in DNA technology and that is why it has withdrawn the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019 from Parliament. Ramesh said the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi quietly withdrew the Bill from the Lok Sabha on Monday. The Bill was examined in detail by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, which suggested a number of important amendments to ensure that the provisions in it were not misused or abused, the Congress leader said. A few members had submitted notes of dissent as well, he pointed out, adding that the committee's report was submitted on February 3, 2021. "Now the Modi government says most of the provisions of the Bill have already been made part of the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Act, 2022 and hence the DNA Bill is not required. "Actually, the real reason is that the Modi government did

G20 destinations have put India on global tourism map: Govt in parliament

G20 meetings in India have fostered collaboration among governments, private sector and other stakeholders, and locations hosting these events have "attracted global attention and put India on the global tourism map", the Parliament was informed on Thursday. In a written response to a query in Rajya Sabha, Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy said infrastructure has been upgraded at host cities and various initiatives have been taken up for building the capacity of stakeholders for successful conduct of events. He was asked in a written query as to whether the government has made any assessment of the impact of the G-20 Summit to be held in India, on the tourism sector of the country. "No formal assessment of the impact has been done but G20 meetings have resulted in increased visibility of prominent tourist destinations of India," the minister said in his response. "During India's G-20 Presidency, more than 200 meetings are planned at over 60 locations across the country. All th

Sharad Pawar demands immediate steps from govt to restore peace in Manipur

NCP president Sharad Pawar on Thursday demanded that the Prime Minister's Office and the Union Home Ministry immediately take necessary steps to restore peace in Manipur, after shocking visuals emerged of two women being paraded naked in the strife-torn state. Quoting Dr B R Ambedkar, Pawar in a tweet said, "Without humanity, your glory is worthless." Distressing to see disturbing visuals from Manipur specially the atrocities against women, which is "despicable", he said. "It's time to unite, raise our voices, & demand Justice for the people of #Manipur. Home department along with PMO need to immediately take necessary action to restore peace in Manipur," Pawar tweeted. His daughter and NCP's working president Supriya Sule also said the situation in Manipur demands immediate action. "Shocking visuals from #Manipur - sickening, disgraceful, and utterly inhumane treatment! The situation demands IMMEDIATE action!" the Lok Sabha member said in a tweet. "Let's raise our voices and ...

Three central govt teams to visit Himachal to assess losses due to floods

Speaking to ANI Jagat Singh Negi said, Tomorrow three central teams are reaching Chandigarh, they will be visiting Mandi, Kullu and Rohru areas of Shimla district

Govt announces DA for these central government employees, details inside

As per the notification of the Department of Public Enterprises, the rates of DA payable to the executives of CPSEs holding board-level posts have changed

Govt directs Nafed, NCCF to procure tomato from AP, Karnataka, Maharashtra

The Centre on Wednesday directed cooperatives Nafed and NCCF to procure tomatoes from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra for distribution in major consumption centres, where retail prices have recorded maximum increase in the last one month. The stocks of tomato will be distributed through retail outlets at discounted prices to the consumers in Delhi-NCR region from July 14, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said in a statement. Retail prices of tomatoes have soared up to Rs 200 per kg in several parts of the country due to supply disruption caused by heavy rains in the country. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) will undertake the procurement of tomatoes. According to the Ministry, the targeted centres for release of tomatoes have been identified on the basis of absolute increase in retail prices over the past one month in centres where prevailing prices are above the all-India average. Key ...

Govt spying on AAP through central agencies, alleges Saurabh Bharadwaj

The Delhi Minister said that in one instance he noticed a group of seven people roaming outside AAP headquarters in Delhi. While three among them went in, four stayed outside

Govt to reply on pleas challenging law on places of worship till Oct 31

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted time till October 31 to the Centre to file its response to a batch of pleas challenging certain provisions of a 1991 law that prohibits filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra took note of the submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that the government is seized of it and a comprehensive reply will be filed. Taking note of the submissions of the top law officer, the bench granted time till October 31 to the Centre to file its reply to the petitions. The Centre is taking adjournment after adjournment. Please list it (the plea) for final hearing, BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said. The Union of India is asking for an adjournment. Let them file a counter affidavit. Let us see the affidavit of the Centre, the bench said. The top court also mad

Centre's Art 370 affidavit in SC holds no legal value, claim Mehbooba, Omar

Former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah on Monday criticised the Centre's affidavit in the Supreme Court on the abrogation of Article 370 saying it lacked logic and had on constitutional backing. "The Centre's defence lacks logic (is) illegal & unconstitutional abrogation of Article 370," PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said in a tweet. "Brute majority was used to subvert the Indian constitution that extended guarantees to the people of J&K & GOI also violated earlier rulings of Hon'ble SC which held that only J&K's constituent assembly could recommend the removal of Article 370 to the President of India," she said. The once-BJP ally also said that "drum beating about an enforced silence" in the region cannot be used to "justify constitutional harakiri." National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also took to Twitter saying the arguments put forth by the government were political and had little in the way of legality. "These are ...

BJP-led govt bowled UCC 'googly' to divert attention from issues: Pilot

Amid a raging debate over a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), Congress leader Sachin Pilot has said the talk about it is just "kite-flying" as there is no concrete proposal and alleged that the BJP-led Centre has bowled this "googly" to divert attention from the real issues concerning people. In an interview with PTI, Pilot said there is nothing on a UCC in the standing committees or Parliament and the talk is just based on a "rhetorical political speech". The former Union minister said there is no concrete proposal on a UCC and it is just being used by the BJP-led Centre as a "political tool". The 22nd Law Commission had, on June 14, initiated a fresh consultation process on a UCC by seeking views from the stakeholders, including members of the public and recognised religious organisations, on the politically-sensitive issue. Addressing a gathering of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Bhopal last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong pitch for a UCC, saying the Constitut

Govt, retailers, Indian toy makers to discuss ways to promote exports

The government will hold discussions with global retailers and domestic toy manufacturers on ways to promote toy exports from India in a meeting on Saturday, an official said. The official said that top retailers, including Hasbro, Walmart, Spinmaster, Ikea, Lego, Simba Dickie, IMC, Hamleys, Lulu, and Sanrio, have been invited for the deliberations. Representatives from Indian companies such as Microplastic, Aequs, Funskool, Playgro, Dreampalst, OK Play, Universal, and Play Shifu are also expected to participate in the meeting. "The discussions will focus on establishing India as a preferred sourcing destination, highlighting the advantages and opportunities available to international companies looking to partner with Indian manufacturers," the official added. The round-table discussion is organised by the Toy Association of India (TAI), in collaboration with Invest India and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). This event brings together key indust

Bombay HC asks Centre why it needs a fact-checking unit when PIB exists

Bombay HC is hearing arguments against the amendments to the information technology rules suggested by the Centre, which includes a fact-checking unit for social media content

Bank of India pays dividend of Rs 668 crore to government for FY23

On May 30, BOI declared a dividend of Rs 2 per equity share

Banks asked to push stuck home projects worth more than Rs 3 trillion

In 2019, the Centre had set up the SWAMIH fund to facilitate the completion of stalled housing projects