Page 7 - Central Government

Bihar has tremendous potential for agricultural development, says Shivraj

Maintaining that Bihar has tremendous potential for agricultural development, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said for a "developed India, agriculture must develop and farmers must also prosper". Chouhan said this on Monday when he visited Motihari, the district headquarters town of East Champaran district and interacted with farmers as part of his nationwide tour under the VKSA campaign. "I have come to Bihar to support and serve the farmers here and help increase agricultural productivity. For me, serving farmers is like worshipping God... 'Ek Rashtra, Ek Krishi, Ek Team' (one nation, one agriculture, one team) is the motto of this campaign," he said. "The Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan (VKSA) of the Central government is a landmark initiative aimed at transforming Indian agriculture. For a developed India, agriculture must develop and farmers must also prosper.....Bihar has tremendous potential for agricultural development.....and

PM Modi says no goal is impossible if Centre, states work together

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said if the Union government and states work together like Team India, no goal is impossible. Modi is chairing the 10th Governing Council meeting of Niti Aayog. There is a need to increase the speed of development, he said. "We have to increase the speed of development. If the Centre and all the States come together and work together like Team India, no goal is impossible," Niti Aayog in a post on X quoted the Prime Minister as saying. The theme of the Governing Council meeting is 'Viksit Rajya for Viksit Bharat@2047'. "Viksit Bharat is the goal of every Indian. When every state is Viksit, then Bharat will be Viksit. This is the aspiration of its 140 crore citizens," Modi said. The council, the apex body of Niti Aayog, includes all state chief ministers, lieutenant governors of Union Territories, and several Union ministers. Prime Minister Modi is the chairman of Niti Aayog. "We should have the aim of making each state viksit, each city v

No one can claim government land as Waqf, Centre tells Supreme Court

Centre defends Waqf (Amendment) Act in Supreme Court, says even land used for religious activity cannot override state ownership if it's government property

Stalin, Left oppose move on Centre's Presidential reference to SC

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin says Centre's Presidential reference undermines Supreme Court ruling on Governor deadlines and poses a threat to opposition-led state autonomy

SC directs Centre to set up special POCSO court on priority basis

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre to set up on "top priority basis" dedicated POCSO courts to exclusively deal with cases of sexual offences against children. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and P B Varale said due to the inadequacy of the number of exclusive courts for the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases, the timelines mandated under the law for completion of trials weren't adhered to. "It is therefore expected that the union of India and the state governments shall take appropriate steps to sensitise the officials associated with the investigation of POCSO cases, and also to create dedicated courts to try POCSO cases on top priority basis," the bench said. The top court further directed filing of chargesheets within the mandatory period stipulated in law besides completing trials within the prescribed time frame. The apex court noted while majority states, with the funding from the Centre, complied with the directions for settin

Govt plans 360 kW charging points along highways for heavy-duty EVs

According to the latest guidelines from the power ministry, minimum charger capacities are 12 kW for e2w and e3w, 60 kW for e4w, and 240 kW for e-buses and e-trucks

Entry barriers for shipbuilding cluster bids likely to be lowered

Gujarat's Deendayal Port is one of the 12 ports owned by the central government

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann calls Centre for special financial package

Asserting that Punjab is the sword arm of nation, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said the Centre should give special package to the border state. Mann put forth his views during an all-party meeting convened by Punjab Governor and UT Chandigarh Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria. Interacting with reporters later along with Governor Kataria, the chief minister said whether it is war or any other exigency Punjab and Punjabis are always on the forefront. Punjab always faces the first brunt during every war and escalations, said Mann, adding the state needs special treatment for its enormous contribution. He said that Punjab besides being the food bowl of the country has always been its sword arm but its contribution has been hitherto ignored. Mann said that special package should be given to Punjab on lines of one given to Jammu and Kashmir and some hill states. The state government will also raise the demand of border area allowance for doctors, teachers, Anganwadi and oth

Centre closely monitoring food prices amid India-Pakistan tensions

The government won't hesitate to invoke the provisions of Essential Commodities Act, 1955 to check speculative activities, hoarding and black marketing, a senior official said

Govt steps up vigil as cyberattacks rise since Pahalgam terror attack

Tells Cert-in, banks, power stations to be on high alert

Supreme Court to hear Waqf petitions, decide on interim order today

The Centre had told the Supreme Court that it would not denotify any waqf properties or make appointments to the Central Waqf Council and boards until May 5

Kharge hails Rahul Gandhi as Centre bows to demand for caste census

The J&K Pradesh Congress Committee passed a resolution hailing Rahul Gandhi and party leaders for successfully pushing the Centre to agree to a caste survey

Starlink's Pakistan, Bangladesh operations under scrutiny in India

The SpaceX subsidiary has been awaiting govt approval to enter the India market

Centre along with UNDP to empower waste pickers through inclusion, safety

The Centre on Labour Day signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to improve waste pickers' access to finance and relevant technologies and ensure a safer and more sustainable work environment. The agreement was exchanged between Angela Lusigi, UNDP's Resident Representative in India and Amit Yadav, Secretary, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJE). The collaboration would unravel as part of government's ongoing efforts under the National Action for Mechanised Sanitation Ecosystem (NAMASTE) Scheme, which added waste pickers as a key focus group in 2024, according to an official statement. Under the agreement, the UNDP will provide financial assistance to set up state project management units (PMUs) across multiple states to ensure better coordination between central and state authorities and streamline implementation. The waste picker component of NAMASTE aims to formally identify and support around 2.5 lakh people engage

Govt to put gur, khandsari under Control Order regulation, help farmers

This would ensure payment of fair and remunerative prices to cane farmers and help in accurate estimation of sugar production

Govt hopes to add another 15K GPUs in second round of IndiaAI mission

With these 15,000 GPUs, total number of GPUs in India could be 33,000

No question of fiscal deficit going out of control: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Sitharaman's comment comes at a time when forecasting agencies have pared down their FY26 growth estimates for India amid growing global uncertainty

India's largest cruise terminal starts operations at Mumbai port

Shipping minister Sonowal flagged off cruise ops at Mumbai Terminal

Centre set to amend the Atomic Energy and Nuclear Liability laws

On changes in the CLNDA too, many felt that the current law, which exposes suppliers to unlimited liability in case of accidents, is a deterrent for investors

Law ministry stresses need to reduce litigation involving govt decisions

"Ineffective" implementation of decisions aimed at public good may lead to court cases as intended beneficiaries excluded from such actions may take legal recourse, the law ministry has said while highlighting the importance of reducing litigations involving the central government. The central government is a party in nearly seven lakh cases pending across courts, according to official data. According to a Union law ministry document on efficient management of litigation, the objective of various decisions and actions is to promote public good and better governance. "Sometimes their ineffective implementation may lead to the exclusion of intended beneficiaries or the unintended ones being benefited. In some cases, affected parties may perceive certain decisions as unfair and pursue legal recourse through litigation," it said highlighting the importance of effective implementation of decisions by central ministries, departments and PSUs. "Directive for the efficient and effective ..