Page 10 - Centre

No clarity in rules, have doubts over legal validity of CAA rules: Mamata

Attacking the BJP-led government at the Centre over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said there is no clarity in the rules that were notified and she has doubts whether those have legal validity. Addressing a programme in Habra in North 24 Parganas district, Banerjee urged the people to think several times before applying for citizenship under the law. "This is a game of taking away the existing rights of citizens and is directly linked to the implementation of the NRC in the country," she claimed. The chief minister alleged that the CAA was unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Centre sanctions over Rs 6,621 cr for frontier highway in Arunachal Pradesh

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the Centre has sanctioned an allocation of Rs 6,621.62 crore for construction of the ambitious frontier highway in Arunachal Pradesh. The allocation has been made for the construction of eight packages on National Highway 913 (Frontier Highway), transitioning to an intermediate lane configuration using the EPC mode, the minister said. The project spans a total length of 265.49 kilometres. Encompassed within this initiative are packages 1, 3 and 5 covering the Huri-Taliha section, two packages addressing the Bile-Migging section, packages 2 and 4 managing the Kharsang-Miao-Gandhigram-Vijaynagar section, and package 1 focusing on the Bomdila-Nafra-Lada section, the transport minister said. The development of these highway stretches holds promise for enhanced connectivity to border areas, fostering socio-economic growth in the state, he said. The construction of the frontier highway is anticipated to curb migration and facilitate reverse .

SC to consider listing of plea on restraining Centre to appoint new ECs

The Supreme Court on Monday said that it will consider submission for early listing of a petition seeking to restrain the Centre from appointing new election commissioners as per a 2023 law, the provisions of which have already been challenged in the apex court. Two vacancies of election commissioners have arisen following the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel and Anup Chandra Pandey's retirement. Send an email. We will see, said the bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwla and Manoj Misra. The plea was mentioned for urgent listing by senior advocate Vikas Sigh and advocate Varun Thakur, appearing for the Congress leader Jaya Thakur. The local Congress leader has challenged the provisions of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and terms of office) Act, 2023. In her application, Thakur informed the court that during the pendency of her plea, in which a notice was issued on ..

Govt unlocks infrastructure blitz before 2024 Lok Sabha elections

PM launches projects worth Rs 2.3 trillion in a week; more lined up

Centre hikes dearness allowance to 50% of basic pay for its employees

The Centre on Thursday hiked Dearness Allowance (DA) to 50 per cent of basic pay from the existing rate of 46 per cent effective from January 1 this year, benefitting over 1 crore employees and pensioners ahead of general elections. The Union Cabinet has approved to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners from January 1, 2024, representing an increase of 4 percentage points over the existing rate of 46 per cent of the basic pay/pension, to compensate against price rise, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said after the Cabinet meeting. The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be Rs 12,869 crore per annum. The impact would be Rs 15,014 crore during the year 2024-25 (January 2024 to February 2025). With the increase in DA, transport allowance, canteen allowance, and deputation allowance among others have been increased by 25 per cent. House Re

Rajasthan being run by Centre through remote control, says ex-CM Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday accused the Centre of governing the state through remote control and undermining the authority of the elected chief minister. The state doesn't seem to have a government for the last three months, he alleged. He said that ministers are not able to appoint their private secretaries according to their wish and the Centre is implementing the Gujarat model in Rajasthan. "It's been two-three months of the BJP government in the state. There is a discussion in every household as to why there is no governance. I believe that only the chief minister cannot be blamed for it. It is a remote-controlled government which is against the spirit of democracy," Gehlot told reporters after moving into the new government bungalow from the official CM's residence, now allotted to the new incumbent. He added, "An elected Chief Minister has authority, and the government is run by that authority and it provides good governance. They (Centre) have ...

SC junks PIL seeking round-the-clock digital monitoring of lawmakers

The Supreme Court on Friday trashed a PIL seeking a direction to the Centre to digitally monitor MPs and MLAs round the clock for better governance, saying "there is something called right to privacy also". A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice J P Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra asked whether the court can put a "chip" in the body of the lawmakers to track their movement round the clock. At the outset, the CJI cautioned petitioner Surinder Nath Kundra, a Delhi resident, that he should be ready to pay Rs 5 lakh as a fine for misusing the judicial time on such an issue. "If you argue and we do not agree with you then a cost of Rs 5 lakh will be recovered from you as land revenue. This is public time and this is not about our ego," the bench said. "Do you realise what you are arguing? You want 24/7 monitoring of MPs and MLAs... This is done only for a convicted felon who can flee justice. There is something called right to privacy and we cannot digitall

Centre released Rs 4,842 cr in tax devolution to Chhattisgarh: CM Sai

He also expressed his best wishes to the students appearing in the board examination and wished for their bright future, suggesting they write the examination without any fear

Congress slams govt over 'surge' in rejection rates of EPF final settlement

The Congress on Friday slammed the government over the reported surge in rejection rates of Employees Provident Fund final settlement and claimed the defining feature of the "anyay kaal" of last 10 years has been that no community could to get their full due. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared a media report on X which claimed the rejection rates of EPF final settlement have been surging, up from around 13 per cent in 2017-18 to nearly 34 per cent in 2022-23. "The defining feature of the 'Anyay-kaal' of the last 10 years has been that no community is able to get its full due: Women are left out of the job market, the youth are unable to seek employment and the farmers are unable to get adequate prices," he alleged. "Even the 'shramik', the worker who earns his living through wages, is unable to access his/her own earnings. The EPFO, the government-run organization that administers the Provident Fund for India's workers, has seen a sharp rise in

Centre launches 2nd round of critical mineral auction worth Rs 30 trillion

The inaugural round for the auction of critical minerals in the country commenced on November 29. The minister disclosed that over 180 potential bidders have procured the tender documents

Centre releases third instalment of Rs 1.42 trillion to states in February

The Centre generally releases 14 instalments to the states in a year, one each in 11 months and three in March. The latest release is yet another additional devolution

SC sets deadline for Centre to fix standardised hospital charges nationwide

The plea sought for the Centre to determine the fee chargeable to patients based on Rule 9 of the Clinical Establishment Rules 2012

Coal sector contributes Rs 70,000 cr every yr to Centre, states: Govt

The coal sector contributes over Rs 70,000 crore every year to the Centre and states, through GST, royalties and other levies, the government said on Monday. These funds play a significant role in the socio-economic development and infrastructure enhancement in those coal-bearing areas, the coal ministry said in a statement. "The coal sector contributes over Rs 70,000 crore annually to the Centre and state governments through royalties, GST, and other levies," the statement said. "Coal production generates substantial revenue for both Centre and state governments, with royalty collections reaching Rs 23,184.86 crore in the fiscal year 2022-23," the statement said. Coal is the single-largest contributor to railway freight, with an average share of nearly 49 per cent of the total freight income amounting to Rs 82,275 crore in 2022-23 alone. This revenue contribution has surpassed 33 per cent of total railway earnings.

How the government lost the script on MSP to farmers

An agitation, perhaps scripted to end in a compromise, is unexpectedly rewriting itself

Amended surrogacy law likely to boost market potential, say experts

The Centre on Wednesday amended the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021, effecting a change that comes after years of debate and advocacy and likely to benefit couples struggling with infertility

Centre dedicated towards welfare of farmers, says Union min Arjun Munda

The ongoing farmers' agitation has prompted the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) to call for inclusive dialogue from stakeholders across the agricultural sector

CAIT urge govt to include traders, other stakeholders in talks with farmers

They stressed that any proposed measures would have far-reaching implications, affecting every stakeholder involved in the agricultural supply chain

More efforts needed on both sides for consensus: Munda on farmers' protest

The Union Minister highlighted the graph of grain production under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also emphasised the achievements in the horticulture sector

Kerala govt slams Centre's stand over 'conditional' nod to borrow money

The Kerala government has flayed the Centre's stand to allow the state to borrow money only if it withdrew the case before the Supreme Court, terming it "highly disappointing" and detrimental to fiscal federalism. Addressing media here on Monday, state Finance Minister K N Balagopal claimed that the central government has informed the apex court that if Kerala withdraws its petition, the government will give the state permission to borrow around Rs 12,000 crore on Monday itself. "The state government has filed the case in the Supreme Court for the fund which is rightfully ours," he said. "The Union government's stand is highly disappointing and will affect the fiscal federalism of the state and the day-to-day activities of the state government," Balagopal added. "Our lawyer Kapil Sibal argued for us and said we were seeking the amount that is rightfully ours. We have filed the petition seeking the fund as per our constitutional rights. They have asked us to withdraw our plea and it

Federalism for development

Federalism in development planning is necessary for maintaining more vigorous growth and a higher degree of political harmony