Page 5 - Central Government

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

Centre shows fake 'Supreme Court of Karnataka' account in HC against X

: Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta on Friday highlighted the dangers of unchecked online activity by revealing to the Karnataka High Court that a fake, yet verified, X (formerly Twitter) account was successfully created in the name of the "Supreme Court of Karnataka." Appearing for the Centre in its ongoing face-off with social media giant X Corp, Mehta presented the account as evidence of how easily digital platforms can be misused to mislead the public. "We created this account. It is verified. I can now post anything, and lakhs would believe that the Supreme Court of Karnataka has said it," Mehta argued, underscoring the anonymity and lack of accountability that currently exists online. The dramatic reveal came during a hearing on X Corp's petition challenging takedown orders issued by government officials under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. X Corp contends that only the procedure under Section 69A of the Act, read with the IT Rules, allows for content ..

X can't claim right to free speech, says Centre to Karnataka High Court

Centre tells Karnataka HC that X is merely a notice board and cannot invoke Article 19; court to hear further arguments on IT Rules and intermediary liability

Centre extends Home Secretary Govind Mohan's tenure until August 22, 2026

The Centre on Friday extended the tenure of Home Secretary Govind Mohan till August 22 next year, according to an official order. Mohan, a 1989 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Sikkim cadre, was named as the Home Secretary in August 2024. He took over the charge from Ajay Kumar Bhalla on completion of his tenure on August 22 last year. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Mohan's extension in services as Home Secretary beyond the date of his superannuation on September 30 up to August 22, 2026 or until further orders, in terms of the provisions of FR 56 (d) and Rule 16 (1A) of the all India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, said the order issued by the Ministry of Personnel. The rules have provisions to extend the services of such officers.

Centre seeks to relax eco-zone norms as states flag development hurdles

The wildlife board may revise eco-sensitive zone rules to allow site-specific plans, after states said rigid norms were hurting local development and delaying new protected area proposals

Centre notifies rules on portal, database, audit of Waqf properties

The Centre has notified the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Rules, 2025 that deal with issues such as the portal and database of Waqf properties, the manner of their registration, conduct of audit and maintenance of accounts. The rules were notified on Thursday in exercise of powers under Section 108B of the 1995 Act, which was inserted through the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, which came into effect from April 8, 2025. According to the rules, a portal and database is set up for the purposes of filing of details of Waqf, uploading the list of auqaf, registration of new Waqf, maintenance of register of auqaf and maintenance and submission of accounts of mutawalli of a Waqf, publication of audit report and proceedings and order board under Section 48 of the Act. The joint secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Minority Affairs in-charge of the Waqf division shall be responsible for the supervision and control of the portal and database, t

Coal Ministry to launch digital module for faster, transparent clearances

Exploration Module under SWCS to go live on July 4, allowing coal block allottees to submit proposals, track approvals and manage compliance documents digitally

Centre to issue new framework to expand GCCs beyond metro cities

Talks ongoing with Fortune 500 firms to set up new centres