Page 50 - Central Government

Centre approves change in land allotment category for political parties

The Centre has changed the category of the land allotted to political parties for their offices in Delhi from 'institutional' to government-to-government' transfer, which will significantly bring down the dues. The government approved the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry's proposal in this regard earlier this month, they said. The land rates under the 'government-to-government' category are cheaper than the 'institutional' rates. The latest change is likely to benefit 14 political parties which were allotted land between 2000 and 2017, they said. However, there was no official word from the ministry on the same. According to the sources, the 14 political parties, including the BJP, Congress and Janata Dal (United), together owed around Rs 150 crore in land dues to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. After the change in allotment category, it is learnt the BJP will owe around Rs 17 crore to the ministry while the Congress may get Rs 27 lakh from the government as

Meenakshi Lekhi unveils 'Wall of Delhi' mural depicting 75 historical sites

Union Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi on Wednesday unveiled a vibrant mural in south Delhi depicting 75 major historical sites and famous places of the city, as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations. Lekhi also shared on Twitter a video of the expansive mural done on a wall in the South Extension area of the city. From the Mughal-era Red Fort to the British-era India Gate, and from Parliament House to the National War Memorial, a whole range of subjects have been displayed in the mural. Qutub Minar, the giant statue of Lord Hanuman at Jhandewalan, Jantar Mantar, and Humayun's Tomb are among other landmarks portrayed in it. Delhi Metro trains, DTC buses, and auto-rickshaws, all considered the lifeline of Delhi, have also been depicted in vibrant colours. "Glimpses from the unveiling of the 'Wall of Delhi' created by @MCD_Delhi (Central Zone) as part of Azadi Ka #AmritMahotsav at South Ex II, New Delhi," Lekhi tweeted. The mural was done by the Municipal Corpor

Govt working on GST on crypto transactions, defining legal framework

The government is working on a comprehensive indirect tax regime for crypto assets which will check revenue loss to the exchequer

Centre issues new rules to simplify, streamline Trade Certificate regime

In an endeavour to promote ease of doing business, the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has notified new rules to simplify and streamline the Trade Certificate regime under the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.

Jamshedpur to soon be re-connected by air under Udan scheme: Official

The steel city of Jamshedpur is all set to have air connectivity under the Union government's Udan scheme soon, said a senior official of Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district. Air services between Jamshedpur-Kolkata and Jamshedpur-Bhubaneswar are likely to be launched from October 30 with a nine-seater aircraft from Sonari aerodrome, Additional District Magistrate (Law and Order), Nandkishore Lal said on Friday. Deputy Development Commissioner Saurabh Sinha and Lal along with aerodrome officials, fire department officers, Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee representatives and Traffic Deputy SP Kamal Kishore held a meeting over the issue and discussed security and fire safety arrangements. "We have trained 49 security personnel to be deputed at the aerodrome and 12 of them have already started providing their services," the officer added. Earlier, airlines, including MDLR, Vayudoot and Deccan Airways, had launched flights to nearby cities, such as Kolkata and Ranchi from Sonari ...

10 yrs after Nirbhaya case, Delhi still most unsafe; are policies failing?

Delhi has a unique situation where the police report to the central government rather than the state government

Centre to grant land ownership rights to West Pakistan refugees in J&K

Centre has initiated an exercise through which the ownership rights will be granted to the WPRs over lands measuring 46,666 Kanals that were allotted to them before the abrogation of Article 370

CPSEs need ministerial panel's nod to to sell units to govt entities

Providing impetus to privatisation, cabinet recently empowered the boards of the CPSEs to privatise, disinvest or close their subsidiaries and sell stakes in JVs

Vedanta-Foxconn demanded 'central govt alignment', Shinde's letter reveals

In his letter, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said state was 'moving expeditiously' on request and invited the Chairman for MoU ceremony on July 29.

India warming up to vast potential of crowd-funding for healthcare

Of the 1.3 million active patients in India, around 890,000 have given consent to be up for adoption

Centre holds Samsung's incentive of Rs 900 cr under PLI scheme for FY21

The central government has held the disbursement of incentive amount under the PLI scheme to Samsung Electronics for FY21 after some discrepancies were found in the invoices

SOPA demands Centre to immediately curb illegal import of GM soyabean

The Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA) on Tuesday demanded the government take immediate action against the illegal import of genetically modified (GM) soyabean. Currently, the import of GM products is prohibited. "However, it has come to our knowledge that some unscrupulous companies are importing GM soybean, in contravention of every rule and regulation," SOPA Executive Director D N Pathak said in a letter to the Union Agriculture Ministry. A vessel carrying 17,741 tonnes of GM soyabean is currently discharging the cargo at Mumbai port, he claimed, and requested the ministry to take "immediate action". "If immediate action is not taken, and such imports are permitted, it will open the flood gates for illegal imports of GM soybean which will destroy our soybean cultivation," Pathak said. The soybean may find its way even to the farmers, causing irreparable damage to Indian soybean cultivation, he added. Soyabean is one of the major oilseeds that India is focusing on

Rise in retail inflation due to high food prices, adverse base effect: Govt

Inflation in "oils and fats" and"pulses and products" have moderated to 5.62 per cent and 2.52 per cent, respectively, the Finance Ministry pointed out

SC asks govt to file within 4 weeks response to pleas challenging CAA

Legislation that prompted nationwide protests was challenged on the ground that it allegedly is against the right to equality

Govt imposes 20% export duty on non-Basmati rice from Sept 9

Below-average rainfall in key rice-producing states such as West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh has raised concerns over rice production in India

'Govt to acquire VIL stake after share price stabilises at Rs 10 or above'

The government will acquire a stake in debt-ridden Vodafone Idea after the stock price of the company stabilises at Rs 10 or above, according to an official source. Vodafone Idea (VIL) board has offered a stake to the government at a par value of Rs 10 per share. "There is a SEBI norm that the acquisition should take place at par value. DoT will clear the acquisition after VIL shares stabilise at Rs 10 or above," an official source told PTI. VIL shares are trading below Rs 10 since April 19. The stock declined by 1.02 per cent to trade at Rs 9.68 on BSE on Thursday. The finance ministry had cleared the proposal to acquire stake in VIL in July. Debt-ridden Vodafone Idea (VIL) has decided to opt for converting about Rs 16,000 crore of interest liability payable to the government into equity which will amount to around 33 per cent stake in the company while promoters' holding will come down from 74.99 per cent to 50 per cent. The government has given telecom operators an option of

Govt extends tenure of the Company Law Committee by one year

The government has extended the tenure of the Company Law Committee, which was constituted in 2019, by one year. The term of the panel which was set up by the corporate affairs ministry in September 2019, was extended last year also. The committee has the mandate for examining and making recommendations to the government on various issues related to implementation of the Companies Act and Limited Liability Partnership Act. "...the tenure of the company law committee is hereby further extended by one year i.e till 16.09.2023," the ministry said in an order dated September 5. Currently, an 11-member committee is chaired by corporate affairs secretary Tarun Bajaj. The committee was constituted as part of the government's efforts to promote ease of living by providing ease of doing business to law abiding corporates, to foster improved corporate compliance for stakeholders at large and to address emerging issues having an impact on the working of companies. Last year, the ministry ha

Central govt's decision to rename Rajpath draws mixed public reactions

The Central government's decision to rename Rajpath as 'Kartavya Path' has drawn mixed reactions from the public. While some of them welcomed the move and termed it as a 'positive change', some others disagreed to the idea and said that the concept of Rajpath and Janpath crossing each other will no longer remain the same. "Names of all major locations remained the same since the British era. It should have been changed way before. It's a good move and I consider it to be a positive change," said Sameer, a resident of Delhi. He further said that the name change will be a "reminder" that everybody "should work and abide by their 'kartavya' (responsibility)". Vinod Kumar, another resident, welcomed the renaming decision as well as the changes in the Central Vista. "The name change is a good endeavour. It's worth the wait for the changes that are being brought about for the good," Kumar said. However, Hemant, a Delhi resident, said that Rajpath is a "historical" name and that, it "sh

TN CM urges Centre to create high-speed rail corridor connecting cities

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Saturday urged the Centre to create a high-speed rail corridor connecting specific locations within Tamil Nadu and to neighbouring States as well. Such a move would be much more economical, more energy efficient and less polluting than aero planes and automobiles, he contended. "In order to increase the average speed of travel in the State passenger traffic, I insist on creation of a high-speed rail corridor connecting specific locations in Tamil Nadu like Chennai, Coimbatore, Tuticorin and Madurai to each other and to neighbouring states as well," Stalin said while addressing the 30th Southern Zonal Council meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Thiruvananthapuram. This initiative would reduce carbon footprint in line with India's net zero ambition and enhance the economic prosperity of the State as a whole, the CM noted. On the internal security front, he said his government is keeping strict, constant vigil and maintaining ...

Centre may cap upcoming first green bond issues at Rs 25,000 crore

Green bond proceeds will be used to fund projects which will help India meet COP commitments