Page 5 - Central Government

'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

Centre owes ₹3,000 crore MGNREGA dues to Bengal: Govt in Rajya Sabha

The Centre owes West Bengal over Rs 3,000 crore, the highest among states, under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday, claiming that the funds transfer was stopped due to non-compliance of its directives. Pending liabilities in case of West Bengal include wage, material and admin component, and release of funds to the state has been stopped since March 9, 2022, as per provisions of Section 27 of MGNREGA, 2005, due to non-compliance with directives of the central government, MoS Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said. Among other states and Union Territories mentioned in the reply, the highest pending wage liability is for Andhra Pradesh, to which the Centre owes Rs 1,684.39 crore, while it owes Bihar Rs 893.57 crore in wage payments, Rs 694.76 to Uttar Pradesh, and Rs 456.31 crore for Telangana. In a written reply to a question by TMC's Prakash Chik Barik, who asked about the pending dues under the ...

Revoking permission for 'Udaipur Files' film release, Centre tells Delhi HC

The Centre on Friday informed the Delhi High Court that it was withdrawing its decision granting nod to the release of the film 'Udaipur Files - Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder', which is scheduled to hit the theatres on August 8. A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, which was hearing two pleas challenging the Centre's decision allowing the release of the movie, directed the parties to the revision plea to appear before the government on August 4 and make their submissions. The court said no further notice was required to be issued to the parties to appear before the revisional authority, and directed that they should not seek adjournment on their appearance on Monday. "After hearing the parties, appropriate decision as per the law should be taken by the revisional authority on the revision petitions by August 6," the bench said. The court was informed by the counsel for the film's producer that the movie is scheduled to be released on August

Cabinet clears ₹11,169 crore for railway multitracking across six states

The four projects span 574 km across 13 districts, enhancing freight movement, easing congestion, and benefiting over 4.4 million people in 2,309 villages

Cabinet approves ₹2,000-cr grant to NCDC for cooperative sector expansion

The ₹2,000 crore grant, disbursed at ₹500 crore per year from FY26 to FY29, will be funded through budgetary support from the central government

Over 78,000 hectares of India's forest land diverted since 2021: Centre

The Centre on Thursday informed Rajya Sabha that over 78,100 hectares of forest land have been approved for diversion across the country in the last four years for various projects. In a written reply, Union minister Kirti Vardhan Singh also said that the government approved diversion of 12,324.32 ha of forest land in the first half of 2025. The data, shared by Singh, shows that a total of 78,135.84 hectares were approved for non-forest use between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2025. Madhya Pradesh accounted for the highest area of forest land approved for diversion at 17,393.65 hectares, followed by Odisha with 11,033.08 hectares, Arunachal Pradesh with 6561.47 hectares, Uttar Pradesh with 5480.43 hectares and Chhattisgarh with 4,092.01 hectares. Gujarat reported diversion of 4,959 hectares of forest land, while Jharkhand saw 4,431.91 hectares being approved for non-forest purposes. Rajasthan recorded diversion of 4,180.06 hectares, Maharashtra 3,603.62 hectares and Uttar Pradesh .

Over 2,000 acres of defence land encroached, Centre tells Supreme Court

The Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that 2,024 acres out of 75,629 acres of defence land in the country are currently encroached upon by individuals and 1,575 acres are under unauthorised possession of those who took the land on lease for agriculture purposes. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was told by Attorney General R Venkataramani and Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati that a status report has been filed and actions are being taken to remove the encroachments. The court granted two months for the filing of a fresh status report after the Centre said a new committee has been set up to oversee the steps taken to remove the encroachments. According to the status report filed by the Ministry of Defence, nearly 819 acres of land are under the occupation of state and central government departments or their undertakings for various public-utility purposes, such as laying roads, constructing schools, public parks and bus stands, besides for ...

Draft telecom policy targets 1 mn jobs, ₹1 trn investment a year by 2030

The draft National Telecom Policy 2025 outlines plans to double annual telecom sector investment, create 1 million new jobs, and expand 5G coverage to 90% of India's population by 2030

New national cooperative policy aims to cover 500 million people

The new National Cooperative Policy aims to increase membership to 500 mn, enhance sector contribution to India's GDP, and ensure democratic control of cooperatives

Govt gets ₹16,000 cr investment proposals under electronic component scheme

The government is learnt to have attracted investment proposals worth Rs 16,000 crore under the Electronics Component Manufacturing Scheme, according to sources. The government had opened applications for the Rs 22,805-crore electronics component manufacturing scheme (ECMS) on May 1. "Received proposals worth around Rs 16,000 crore under ECMS," an official source said. An industry body also confirmed the development, based on its discussion with government officials and industry players. According to the government source, the approval process has started and shortlisted projects are expected to be announced in September. "The scheme has received a good response from both domestic and foreign companies," the source said. Sources had earlier mentioned that Tata Electronics, Dixon Technologies, and Foxconn were among the big players that have shown interest in the scheme. Recently, Dixon signed separate agreements with Chinese electronic component firms -- Chongqing Yuhai Precisio

95.1% rural households have access to toilets: Govt tells Lok Sabha

According to a government survey, about 95.1 per cent of rural households have access to toilets, 92.7 per cent have arrangements to dispose of organic waste and 78.7 per cent have systems in place for greywater disposal, Minister of State for Jal Shakti V Somanna said on Thursday. In a written reply in Lok Sabha, the minister quoted findings from the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2023-24 conducted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which covered 17,304 villages across 729 districts in the country. The survey included feedback from 2,60,059 households and 85,901 public places such as schools, anganwadis, health centres and markets. In terms of waste segregation, only 39.9 per cent households reported segregating waste into biodegradable and non-biodegradable categories, it said. At the village level, 45 per cent have exclusive or shared vehicles to collect and transport solid waste, and 29.4 per cent have designated sheds for storage and segregation. For plastic waste

HC collegiums yet to send names for 193 judge vacancies, says govt in RS

A total of 371 posts of judges are vacant in various high courts across the country and high court collegiums have not sent any recommendation yet for more than 50 per cent of these vacancies, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. The government lamented that while the high courts are required to make recommendations at least six months before the occurrence of a vacancy, this time limit is "rarely observed". In a written reply to a question by Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that as on July 18, against the sanctioned strength of 1,122 judges, 751 are working. As many as 371 posts of judges are vacant in various high courts and against these vacancies, 178 proposals for appointment are at various stages of processing between the government and the Supreme Court Collegium, Meghwal said. The recommendations against 193 vacancies are yet to be received from the high court collegiums, the minister said. According to the memorandum o

8th Pay Commission: Govt receives wish list from staff representatives

Finalising panel's terms of reference for hikes, which may kick in from Jan

FinMin looks to widen infrastructure plans for capital expenditure push

Experts say that, given the higher capital spending by the Centre in April-May of FY26, there is room to raise the capex target beyond the budgeted ₹11.2 trillion