Page 38 - Central Government

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

SC seeks response of govt on PIL alleging vacancies in industrial tribunals

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought response of the Centre on a PIL seeking directions for filling up vacancies in the Central Government Industrial Tribunal-cum-Labour Courts (CGIT-cum-LCs). A bench comprising Chief justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra took note of the plea of Labour Law Association (LLA) that out of 22 tribunals, nine do not have presiding officers and vacancies are likely to arise in 2023 in three more tribunals. The lawyer for the association said one of the presiding officers of a tribunal is set to demit office on Wednesday. While issuing notice to the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the bench said, Why you have come to us so late. The Officer is retiring on July 5. List (the petition) on Monday. Serve (the copy of the petition) on Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Balbir Singh. We cannot pass an ex-parte order extending tenure of a judge. The CJI said that on the administrative side, he had perhaps nominated a Supreme Cou

Centre to soon notify rules for setting up GST appellate tribunals

The Centre will soon notify rules for setting up GST appellate tribunals and appoint members after approval from the GST Council, a senior CBIC official said on Monday. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) member (GST) Shashank Priya said the department is working to expand the taxpayer base and doing data triangulation with the corporate taxpayers in income tax regime. As per data, currently, only 40 per cent of the corporate income taxpayer base is also registered under GST. As many as 1.39 crore businesses are registered under GST, almost double of the number when GST was launched six years ago on July 1, 2017. Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue buoyancy, which was 1.25 after introduction of the indirect tax regime in 2017, has risen to 1.40 in the last two years. Average monthly GST revenue increased from Rs 89,885 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 1.50 lakh crore in 2022-23. In 2023-24, the average revenue stands at Rs 1.69 lakh crore per month. "We are not following a

States borrow only 84% of Rs 1.9-trillion notified amount in first quarter

This initiative entails providing special assistance to State Governments through 50-year interest-free loans, amounting to a total of Rs. 1.3 trillion during the financial year 2023-24.

Centre to come up with list of critical minerals, draft policy this week

The critical minerals list is likely to have more than 40 minerals

Electricity usage above 200 units in Delhi to cost more, Atishi slams govt

Power consumers in Delhi with monthly usage of over 200 units will have to pay more after an 8 per cent hike in the power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC), prompting Minister Atishi to allege that electricity is getting costlier in the city due to the Centre's "mismanagement". Atishi, the power minister in the city government, told reporters on Monday that the hike will not impact consumers whose electricity consumption is 200 units or below. There will be a 8 per cent hike in PPAC surcharge in power bills of those consumers who do not get subsidy, she said. "I just want to tell the consumers that only the Centre is responsible for this hike. It has forced the use of imported coal, which is 10 times costlier than domestic coal. This is despite no lack of coal mines or availability of coal in the country," she said. The PPAC is revised every three months and it can increase or decrease depending on the prevailing prices of fuel such as coal and gas used in power generation. Harish ..

Centre withdraws draft live animal export Bill amidst stiff opposition

The Bill had drawn strong objections from animal rights activists, right-wing groups and Jain religious leaders

Congress ministers fixing commission rates for department work: Bommai

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai lashed out at the Congress govt in the state and said that it did not make advance preparations to provide rice

Congress to stage protest against Centre over rice supply issue on June 20

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said the Congress will hold protests at all district centres against the BJP government at the Centre on June 20, as he accused it of ensuring that the state doesn't get the required amount of rice to implement its 'Anna Bhagya' scheme, which provides additional 5 kg of rice for BPL families. Noting that the state government is making all efforts to procure rice from other sources and from producing states, he indicated that there may be slight delay in rolling out the scheme against the scheduled date of July one. "I want to congratulate BJP national President J P Nadda, as they (BJP) have walked the talk", Shivakumar said sarcastically. "It was reported in the media quoting him that if BJP loses the election central schemes to the state will get affected, he has kept up his word. Even as the Prime Minister speaks about federal structure..." Speaking to reporters here, he said, the BJP government at the Centre is indulging in

'Pettiness and Vengeance': Cong slams govt over renaming of Nehru Museum

The Congress on Friday hit out at the government over renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society here as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, calling it a "petty act" and asserting that legacies don't get erased by renaming buildings. Nearly a year after the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was inaugurated on the premises of the Teen Murti Bhavan, the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society (NMML) has been renamed as Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society. In a special meeting of the NMML, it was resolved to change its name to Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society, the Culture Ministry said Friday. The meeting was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who is the vice president of the Society, it said. Reacting to the development, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Pettiness & Vengeance, thy name is Modi. For over 59 years Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) has been a global intellectual lamdmark .

Congress slams Centre's decision to rename Nehru Memorial Museum, Library

The Congress on Friday slammed the Centre's decision to rename the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library as the Prime Ministers Museum and Society

AP govt neck deep in graft, when will Centre initiate action: Naidu

Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday accused the YSRCP dispensation in Andhra Pradesh of being "neck-deep in corruption" and sought to know when will the Union government initiate action against Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. Addressing a public meeting in his Assembly constituency of Kuppam, he claimed the BJP leaders were making mere statements castigating the YSRCP government for alleged corruption. "The Union ministers should announce when are they going to initiate action against this corrupt chief minister," Naidu said. He vowed that once TDP is back in power, he will make sure that all those who looted granite in Kuppam pay back. Naidu said that the TDP's mini-manifesto has promised justice for all sections of the society, including women, youths and farmers. Once assets are created, revenues will go up which will be equally distributed among the poor in the shape of welfare schemes, he added. Assembly elections in the state are slated to be