Page 15 - Centre

Centre's rejection of Delhi govt's R-Day tableau political move, says AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday accused the BJP-led Centre of scuttling the Delhi government's plans of showcasing its health and education models at the Republic Day parade by rejecting its tableau in a political move. Addressing a press conference, the party's chief national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said the government was not provided any reason for the exclusion. "This decision is driven by politics. The Delhi government wanted to showcase its education and health model at the Republic Day parade. But Delhi and Punjab tableaux were excluded from selection," she alleged. Kakkar also claimed that the tableaux of BJP-governed states like Assam, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh have been given opportunities to showcase their tableaux continuously for the last five years. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday slammed the BJP for not including the state's tableau in the Republic Day parade, calling it a step towards removing the word Punjab from the national anthem. "If the

Good Governance Day: Govt launches new features on Mission Karmayogi portal

The Centre will launch curated training programmes for government employees on Good Governance Day on Monday, an official statement said. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is going to celebrate Good Governance Day on December 25, the statement issued on Sunday said. Singh, the Union Minister of State for Personnel, will launch three new features on the iGOT (integrated government online training) Karmayogi platform: My iGOT, blended programmes, and curated programmes, it said. My iGOT delivers targeted training courses on the home page of individual officers that directly address the unique capacity-building needs of the officer as identified in the capacity-building plan for their ministries/departments thereby facilitating a highly personalised, focused and targeted capacity-building experience, it said. More than 28 lakh users have onboarded the platform till now with about 830 high-quality e-learning courses being made available on the platform, said the statement

Centre issues Rs 5,488 cr additional instalment of tax devolution to Bengal

West Bengal has received Rs 5,488.88 crore as additional instalment of tax devolution by the Centre. On Friday, the Centre had disbursed Rs 72,961.21 crore to all states as tax devolution for funding various social welfare measures and infrastructure development schemes. This comes in addition to the tax devolution instalment due to states on January 10, 2024, the government said. The Centre disburses tax devolution funds in 14 yearly instalments. In the latest allocation, Uttar Pradesh received the largest share at Rs 13,088.51 crore. This was followed by Bihar (Rs 7,338 crore), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 5,727.44 crore), West Bengal (Rs 5,488.88 crore), Maharashtra (Rs 4,608.96 crore), Rajasthan (Rs 4,396.64 crore) and Odisha ( Rs 3,303.69 crore).

Centre releases additional Rs 73k crore tax devolution to states

Money released for financing social welfare measures and infrastructure development: Finance Ministry

India aims to commission new research station in Antarctica by 2029: Rijiju

India aims to set up a new research station in Antarctica near the Maitri station in the eastern part of the icy continent by 2029, Union Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday. In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Rijiju said the site for the new research station -- Maitri-II -- has been identified and a preliminary topographical survey for the approach road is underway. The existing Indian research station -- Maitri -- is very old, the minister said, adding that it is imperative to build a new research station. The proposed project envisages adherence to environmental protocols for Antarctica and improving the quality of Indian scientific research in the southernmost continent. India has been operating the Bharati research station in the Larseman Hills area -- a 40 square kilometre ice-free region along the south-eastern shore of the continent -- since 2012. Bharati is about 3,000 kilometres away from Maitri, which was commissioned in 1989. Sharing the different

Centre to add 270 mn additional beneficiaries to Ayushman Bharat by Jan 26

To reach its target of including 550 million people, the government plans to cover 270 million additional beneficiaries in just over a month

HC asks Centre to consider representation for linking property with Aadhaar

The Delhi High Court Thursday asked the Centre to consider as representation a plea seeking linking of immovable and movable property documents of citizens with their Aadhaar numbers to curb corruption, black money generation, and 'benami' transactions. A bench of justices Rajiv Shakdher and Girish Kathpalia said these are policy decisions and courts cannot ask the government to do this. It said the representation shall be decided by the government within three months. "How the courts can get into all this. These are policy decisions, how the courts can tell them to do this. Prima facie, what I don't understand is that these are the areas we don't have the complete picture or data, what are the various aspects that may emerge... Best is to let them treat it as a representation and let them decide," Justice Shakdher said. The court was hearing a petition by lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who said it is the duty of the state to take appropriate steps to curb corruption and seize ...

Govt tables Telecommunications Bill 2023 in Parliament: Check details

The Centre will take temporary possession of telecom network in case of any public emergency or in the interest of public safety, under the Telecommunications Bill, 2023

49 Oppn MPs including Tharoor, Abdullah, & others suspended from LS

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal brought the motion to suspend the members

Centre's guidelines on new Covid-19 variant implemented in MP: CM Yadav

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has said his government has implemented guidelines issued by the Centre in connection with a new variant of COVID-19, amid an uptick in the viral infection cases in some states. Yadav on Monday night visited Hamidia Hospital, the largest state government hospital in Bhopal, to take stock of the arrangements. "The health department is working with full efficiency to deal with COVID-19 as well as all other diseases," Yadav told reporters after visiting the medical facility. "We have implemented guidelines issued by the Centre regarding a new variant of COVID-19 in the entire state," he said. Yadav said the country got victory over the pandemic earlier also under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The CM also interacted with the attendants of patients during the visit to the hospital. On Monday, the Centre asked states and Union Territories to maintain constant vigil amid the rise in COVID-19 cases and the detection of the first

BJP glorifying perpetrators of rape, turning Kashi into mall: UP Cong chief

The Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit chief Ajay Rai has accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of "glorifying" perpetrators of rape and also turning Kashi into a shopping mall. Interacting with reporters at Mahadeva Mela here on Sunday, he said the BJP MLA from Duddhi was already facing trial for rape under the POCSO Act when his party gave the ticket to fight the polls and become a legislator. "This shows the BJP's thinking towards women. The perpetrators of rape are being glorified in the BJP government. The victim got justice from the court," the UP Congress chief said. An MP-MLA court of Sonbhadra on Friday sentenced BJP MLA from Duddhi assembly constituency Ramdular Gond to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping a girl nine years ago. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh which will help in the victim's rehabilitation. Rai, who along with Congress office-bearers attended the closing ceremony of the Mahadeva Mela and performed Jalabhishek at Lodheshwar Mahadev ...

Volkswagen India onboards Centre's Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar scheme

Automaker Volkswagen India has partnered with Centre's Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar scheme to offer its products to personnel of central security agencies and their families. Under this initiative, Volkswagen India is making its entire range of cars available to beneficiaries of the KPKB scheme across the country. The KPKB scheme was launched as a welfare initiative by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2006. It caters to serving and retired members of the Central Armed Police Forces and their families. Aimed at enhancing the accessibility of its portfolio of cars, this new initiative enables beneficiaries to experience world-class mobility with an even more reasonable price tag, the company said in a statement. Volkswagen retails the mid-size sedan Virtus, sports utility vehicle Taigun, and its premium SUV Tiguan in India. Some of the security forces covered under the scheme include the Border Security Forces, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, and ..

21 companies bid for Centre's incentives to manufacture electrolysers

Reliance Electrolyser Manufacturing, Adani New Industries, L&T Electrolysers and Bharat Heavy Electricals are among 21 companies that have bid for government's incentives to set up 3.4 GW of annual capacity for manufacturing electrolyser, a critical component required for hydrogen production. According to an official statement, the bids came in response to a tender by Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) inviting players for setting up 1.5 GW manufacturing capacity for electrolyser manufacturing. Bids for electrolyser manufacturers were invited on July 7 this year. On July 10, state-owned SECI also invited bids for selection of green hydrogen producers for setting up production facilities of 4,50,000 tonnes of green hydrogen under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) Scheme (Mode-1-Tranche-I). The SECI statement showed that 21 firms have bid for incentives for setting up 3.4 GW of electrolyser manufacturing capacity annually against 1.5 GW on ...

EC writes to Centre seeking to vet NCERT social science textbooks: Report

The EC has been engaging in correspondence with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) since 2016 over its plan to recommend changes to textbooks

Centre allows notified pvt exploration agencies in mineral blocks auction

The mines ministry on Friday said it has permitted notified private exploration agencies to participate in the auction of critical and deep-seated mineral blocks explored by them. The development will attract bigger mining companies in the exploration arena and is likely to encourage junior mining companies from around the world to come to India and take up exploration projects with National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET) funding. The ministry further said it has also launched a new scheme to directly sanction projects for exploration of critical and deep-seated minerals to notified private exploration agencies (NPEAs). This new scheme will help bring new technologies in the field of exploration. The decision to allow NPEAs to directly submit projects in Ministry of Mines will help cut delays in sanction of projects as well as fast-track execution of projects. The move aims at giving a fillip to exploration of critical and deep-seated minerals. "Ministry of Mines has launched a

Govt using space tech to track multiple projects, boost development: BJP

The government has used space technology to boost development by tracking a host of projects, the BJP said on Friday, noting that ISRO has conducted twice as many satellite launches since 2014 than it did during the 10 years before that. India's space economy is now worth USD 8 billion and it employs 45,000 people, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said here. Puri also expressed confidence that the sector will reach USD 100 billion in the next 15 years and its global share will zoom to 10 per cent from the current two per cent. Speaking to reporters, Puri credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for using space technology to track a host of projects related to urban development, infra work and MNREGA and said it has boosted growth. The opening up of the space sector has led to 195 start-ups in the field, with Indian satellite manufacturing now worth USD 3.2 billion in one year, he said. India now ranks fifth among space-faring countries to have end-to-end technology, the ...

Centre launches new car programme for safety rating of passenger vehicles

The Ministry of Road Transport & Highways stated that the programme shall be applicable on type approved vehicles of category M1, manufactured or imported in the country on or after October 1, 2023

Prevail upon Lanka to secure release of 45 fishermen, TN CM tells Centre

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin requested the Centre on Thursday to immediately take up through appropriate diplomatic channels the apprehension of fishermen from the state with Sri Lanka and secure the release of 45 fishermen and 138 boats. Expressing "a deep sense of anguish" on yet another incident of apprehension of six Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy on December 13, he said this was the third such occurrence in a week. "Six fishermen from Jegathapattinam fishing harbour, Pudukkottai district, who ventured for fishing in a mechanised fishing boat were apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy along with their fishing boat," the Chief Minister said in a letter to Union External Affairs Minister C Jaishankar, a copy of which was made available to the media here. He said the Sri Lankan Navy continued to infringe upon the traditional rights of our fishermen, and their frequent arrests have jeopardised the livelihoods of the fishermen and have instilled fear and panic in the ..

Kerala govt moves SC over Centre's interference in the state's finances

The Kerala government suffered a cumulative expenditure loss or resource deficiency of Rs 1.07 trillion over FY 2016-23

Delhi BJP MLAs allege that AAP govt is running away from debates

Ahead of the winter session of the Delhi assembly later this week, BJP MLAs on Wednesday alleged that the AAP government was running away from debates on issues related to the people of the city. No immediate reaction was available from the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over the charge. There are eight BJP MLAs in the 70-member House as against AAP's 62. At a joint press conference here, Leader of Opposition Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged that the Kejriwal government in the last four years did not allow notices of the BJP legislators over issues related to Delhi. He claimed that his party's MLAs have given notices for debates on issues like the poor condition of transportation, compensation to farmers, pollution in the Yamuna, old age pension and non-issuing of ration cards. The winter session of the Delhi Assembly will begin on Friday. Apart from tabling revised estimates of the budget, debates on different issues are likely in the House during the two-day session. Bidhuri also char