Page 4 - Central Government

Odisha fertiliser crisis: Naveen Patnaik warns of supply gaps, farmer woes

Naveen Patnaik has written to Union Minister JP Nadda warning of urea shortages in Odisha, citing black marketing, inflated prices and farmer protests during the kharif season

Centre to launch first bidding round under Deepwater Mission soon

National Deepwater Mission aims to boost hydrocarbon output, cut imports

India's E20 ethanol fuel rollout sparks driver backlash; carmakers worry

India, the world's third largest car market, set a 2025 target years ago for 20% ethanol blending in fuel, called E20, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focus on clean energy

AP commerce body urges Centre to protect shrimp sector from US tariffs

Andhra Pradesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation on Thursday appealed to the Centre to protect shrimp farmers and exporters with policy and financial interventions in the face of 50 percent tariffs and other taxes slapped by the US on Indian imports. The president of the chambers, P Bhaskar Rao, said the sudden spike in US tariffs has put the livelihood of 2.8 crore people who engage in aquaculture and allied sectors at risk. "Unless urgent policy and financial interventions are made, India risks losing global competitiveness in seafood exports. We strongly urge the Union government to act swiftly in coordination with the state governments to safeguard this vital sector," said Rao in a press release. According to the chambers, India is the second largest seafood exporter globally, accounting for exports worth Rs 60,524 crore or USD 7.3 billion in FY24, while the US alone imported 25 percent of this quantum. Shrimp contributes over 40 percent of the total export quantity

Satish Kumar gets one-year extension as Railway Board Chairman, CEO

Satish Kumar's tenure as Railway Board Chairman has been extended by a year, with safety improvements noted under his leadership though congestion and crowd management remain challenges

Cabinet clears restructuring, extension of PM SVANidhi scheme till 2030

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the restructuring and extension of the Prime Minister Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme till March 31, 2030, with a total outlay of Rs 7,332 crore. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an official statement said. It said the first tranche loan limit has been raised from Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 and the second from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000, while the third tranche remains at Rs 50,000. Street vendors repaying their second loan on time will be eligible for a UPI-linked RuPay credit card to meet emergent business and personal needs, it said, adding that incentives of up to Rs 1,600 will also be offered to vendors opting for digital payments on retail and wholesale transactions. The restructured scheme, which was earlier valid till December 31, 2024, aims to benefit 1.15 crore beneficiaries, including 50 lakh new street vendors. According to the statement, the implementation of the scheme

Nitish Katara case: HC seeks Centre, Delhi govt's reply on Vikas Yadav plea

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought responses from the Centre and Delhi government on a plea for release filed by convict Vikas Yadav in the 2002 Nitish Katara murder case. Yadav, 54, who has been in jail for over 23 years, also sought interim bail on the ground that his marriage was fixed for September 5 and he had to arrange the fine amount of Rs 54 lakh which was imposed on him at the time of sentencing. Justice Ravinder Dudeja issued notice to central ministries of home affairs, law and justice and the Delhi government and Nitish Katara's mother Nilam Katara on his plea. The court posted the matter for September 2, after Yadav's counsel sought an early date owing to his marriage. The plea raises the issue of denying him the benefits of statutory remission under the provisions of the CrPC while sentencing him for a fixed term of 25 years on February 6, 2015. He sought his release from jail and permission to apply for remission from the authorities concerned. His counsel said

GoM backs GST rejig; states flag risk to revenue ahead of Council meet

The GoM of state finance ministers endorsed the Centre's proposal for a two-tier GST structure with 5 and 18 per cent slabs and a 40 per cent levy on sin and luxury goods

States will be at whims of governor if nod to Bills withheld: Supreme Court

The court was hearing the maintainability of the reference made by President Droupadi Murmu under Article 143

Centre for exempting insurance premium from GST: Samrat Choudhary

The Centre has proposed exempting life and health insurance premium from GST, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and convenor of insurance GoM Samrat Choudhary said on Wednesday. Currently, health and life insurance premium attracts 18 per cent GST. The Group of Ministers (GoM) on life and health insurance will submit its report to the GST Council. The report will also include views and concerns expressed by some state finance ministers, he said. "The Centre's proposal is clear that the insurance sector's individual and family (policies) should be exempt from GST. This has been discussed and the GoM report will be presented to the Council," Choudhary told reporters here after the meeting of the GoM. "All members have given their approval for lowering rates. Some states have given their own views," he said, adding a final call on rates will be taken by the Council. Choudhary is the convenor of the 13-member state GoM on health and life insurance. The Centre's proposal on insurance is par

Centre released ₹36,000 cr to states so far under special assistance scheme

The Centre has disbursed ₹36,027 crore to states and UTs under SASCI till August 11, with Uttar Pradesh receiving the highest share, followed by Bihar, Rajasthan and MP

PM Modi urges states to cooperate in implementing proposed GST reforms

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Centre has circulated the draft of the next-generation GST reforms among states and sought their cooperation to implement the proposal before Diwali. He said the reform in GST would benefit poor and middle-class people, as well as small and big businesses. Addressing an event here after the inauguration of two expressways, the Prime Minister said the Centre intends to make the GST law simpler and revise tax rates. Modi had announced the proposal to reform the GST law in his Independence Day speech on August 15 from the ramparts of Red Fort. "For us, reform means the expansion of good governance," he said. Therefore, Modi said the government is continuously focusing on bringing reforms. In the coming months, the Prime Minister said, "We are going to do many big reforms so that the lives of people and businesses become easier". The Centre is bringing the "next generation reform" in the GST. "This Diwali, people will get a double bon

Fixed timelines for Guvs, Prez risk 'constitutional disorder': Centre to SC

Imposing fixed timelines on governors and the president to act on bills passed by a state Assembly would amount to one organ of the government assuming powers not vested in it by the Constitution and lead to a "constitutional disorder", the Centre has told the Supreme Court. The Centre has said this in the written submissions filed in the Presidential Reference raising constitutional issues on whether timelines could be imposed for dealing with bills passed by a state Assembly. "The alleged failure, inaction or error of one organ does not and cannot authorise another organ to assume powers that the Constitution has not vested in it. If any organ is permitted to arrogate to itself the functions of another on a plea of public interest or institutional dissatisfaction or even on the justification derived from the Constitution ideals, the consequence would be a constitutional disorder not envisaged by its framers," it has said. The note filed by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has argued

'Double Diwali': Rejigged rates, red tape cuts to define GST 2.0

The proposal was announced by the prime minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of the Red Fort in his independence day speech as a Diwali gift

Pvt players likely to have limited access to data from GatiShakti portal

Private players to get limited, non-downloadable access to national masterplan portal data

IBC Amendment Bill: Govt proposes group, cross-border insolvency

Among significant clarifications made in the Bill, it states that claims by state or central authorities will only be treated as secured if there is a contractual agreement to that effect

$300 billion climate finance target by 2035 is insufficient: Centre

The government has expressed its disappointment with the outcome of COP-29 at Baku, saying the new global climate finance target of USD 300 billion annually by 2035 is "substantially insufficient" to meet the financing needs of developing nations. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said that the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance "does not address the needs and priorities of developing countries" and is "incompatible with the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and Equity". He cited estimates of the Standing Committee on Finance under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which place these needs between USD 5.1-6.8 trillion (equivalent to USD 455-584 billion) per year for up to 2030. The minister said that the categorisation of climate-related outflows and financial efforts by multilateral development banks as contributions to the U

Parliamentary panel questions accuracy of data in Jal Jeevan Mission system

A parliamentary standing committee has flagged concerns over the authenticity of data being fed into the Jal Jeevan Mission's (JJM's) Integrated Management Information System (IMIS), recommending that the Centre institute checks to verify figures uploaded by states. It warned that without reliable data, assessing ground realities and plugging gaps in rural water supply would remain difficult. "Being aware of the fact that actual veracity of uploaded information is essential for realising the actual ground situation and filling the visible gaps, the Committee reiterate its recommendation that the Department makes sincere efforts to ensure the authenticity of the data being fed on the IMIS," the Standing Committee on Water Resources said. In its sixth report on the Ministry of Jal Shakti's 2024-25 Demands for Grants, tabled in Parliament on Monday, the Committee said actual verification of state-uploaded figures was "essential for realising the actual ground situation" and reiterated

SC urges Centre, IAF to recognise step-mothers for family pension

The Supreme Court on Thursday batted for liberal interpretation of word "mother" to include step-mothers too in grant of benefits under social welfare schemes including family pension. A bench of Justices Surya Kant, Ujjal Bhuyan and N Kotiswar Singh told the Centre and the Indian Air Force (IAF) that the definition of mother in regulations needed to be liberalised to include step-mother as well. "We need to liberalise the word 'mother'. It should include the word of step-mother as well especially when it comes to grant of benefits under social welfare schemes including family pension. Step-mother is de-facto mother," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea of a woman, who raised her stepson after his biological mother died, and was seeking family pension. Justice Kant asked the Centre's counsel if a month-old child's mother passes away and the father remarries, would the step mother be not considered as the actual mother. "In law you may say her as step-mother, but she i

Only nominated firms to mine offshore uranium, thorium under new norms

The new rules notified under the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002, are aimed at unlocking India's offshore atomic mineral potential