Page 2 - Centre

Govt orders removal of some Chinese apps linked to e-rickshaws stalling

Amid reports that e-rickshaws could be remotely shut down through the Chinese smartphone application BAT-BMS, the government said on Friday that two such apps had come to its notice and have since been removed from app stores. IT Secretary S Krishnan asserted that app stores must exercise due diligence, and said the government would take up the matter with them to ensure that potentially harmful apps are not made available. Confirming that action has been taken in the matter, Krishnan said, "That is right...there are a couple of apps, which came to our notice yesterday and both of them have been taken down from the app stores." He was speaking on the sidelines of a CII Cybersecurity summit. The issue drew public attention on Thursday after reports surfaced that some e-rickshaws were being rendered inoperable through a remote shutdown feature linked to the Chinese smartphone application BAT-BMS. The videos sparked widespread concerns over the cybersecurity risks posed by such ...

Govt allows 4 China-linked power equipment firms to bid for key projects

Since a 2020 border clash, New Delhi ​has required Chinese bidders to register with a government panel and ‌secure political and security clearances before competing for any state contract

GoDaddy fears India's crackdown on fake websites could damage internet

Soaring smartphone and internet use has coincided with a worsening problem of online fraud in India, the world's most populous nation

Centre tightens FCRA rules: What it means for foreign-funded NGOs

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has notified the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Rules to amend the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 2011.

Delhi HC defers hearing on Jaipur Polo Ground eviction plea to July 9

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday listed for hearing on July 9 the Indian Polo Association's petition against a sessions court's decision refusing to stay the Centre's May 20 order evicting it from the 15.20-acre Jaipur Polo Ground here. Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar deferred hearing in the matter after noting that a copy of the sessions court's decision was not available with the parties yet. Allaying the petitioner's senior counsel's concerns over digging up the polo turf, the Centre's lawyer assured that no such alteration would happen in the meantime. "You are anyway in possession. Therefore, there is no hurry to tear it up right now," Justice Shankar told the Centre's lawyer. "On 29th (June) also, I made this statement that we are not going to do anything," central government counsel Ashish Dixit responded. Dixit had told a vacation bench on June 29 that the polo ground was being demarcated for raising a boundary and nothing was being done on the turf where the sport is

Punjab AAP govt notifies VB-G RAM G scheme despite earlier opposition

The AAP government in Punjab, which had been opposing the Viksit Bharat Guarantee Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G), has notified the rural employment scheme, which will come into force from July 1 in the state. The Bhagwant Mann government had convened a special session of the Punjab Assembly last December which had unanimously passed a resolution against the VB-G RAM G Act. "In order to align the rural development framework with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 by providing an enhanced statutory wage employment guarantee of one hundred and twenty five (125) days in each financial year to such rural households whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work; "And to focus on employment, growth, convergence and saturation, the government of Punjab is pleased to notify the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G] Scheme, Punjab 2026, under the provisions of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevik

Centre to launch cloud-based hospital management system for small clinics

The Centre will launch a lightweight, cloud-based Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) for small outpatient clinics on Monday. Union Health Minister J P Nadda will launch an e-Sushrut clinic, a simplified HMIS developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), aimed at addressing the digital needs of small clinics, primary health centres, health and wellness centres, sub-centres and private outpatient facilities. The initiative comes amid concerns that existing hospital management software is often too expensive and complex for smaller healthcare facilities, forcing many to continue relying on manual processes. According to the officials, several states and Union territories have also expressed interest in deploying a lightweight HMIS for public health facilities. The cloud-based platform has been designed to automate routine clinic operations such as patient registration, billing, management information system (MIS) reporting, speech-to-text documentat

Govt proposes mandatory one-year residual shelf life for imported drugs

The Union Health Ministry has published a draft notification proposing amendments to the drugs rules under which imported drugs should have a minimum residual shelf life of 12 months at the time of import. The step would ensure that patients receive medicines with adequate usable shelf life and improve utilisation of pharmaceutical inventories across the supply chain. The draft amendment published for public consultation vide gazette notification on June 22 proposes to revise the existing requirement of a minimum residual shelf life of more than 60 per cent for imported drugs to a minimum residual shelf life of 12 months at the time of import. However, in view of their specialised nature and public health considerations, the existing requirement of a minimum residual shelf life of more than 60 per cent shall continue to apply to biological products and radiopharmaceuticals. The proposed amendment seeks to facilitate greater efficiency in the pharmaceutical supply chain while ...

Centre hikes passport fees; 36-page passport to cost ₹2,500 from July 1

Under the revised fee structure, an ordinary fresh passport or reissue of a 36-page passport for applicants aged 18 years and above will cost ₹2,500

Govt 'proactively monitoring' Telegram over concerns about illegal content

The Indian government said in the report it is concerned about Telegram's privacy features, which allow users to interact without needing to reveal a phone number, making identity detection difficult

PM greets people of Bengal on 'Paschimbanga Divas', vows support for growth

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday greeted the people of West Bengal on 'Paschimbanga Divas' and said the central government will work with the state government to fulfil their dreams and aspirations. The new BJP government has decided to observe 'Paschimbanga Divas' or West Bengal Day on June 20. June 20 marks the day in 1947 when the Bengal Legislative Assembly voted in favour of the creation of a separate province that eventually became West Bengal after Partition. "Warm greetings to my sisters and brothers of West Bengal on the occasion of Paschimbanga Divas. The Central Government will work with the West Bengal Government to fulfil the dreams and aspirations of the people. I pray for the progress of West Bengal and the prosperity of its people," Modi said in a post on X. The prime minister said this day celebrates a state that has profoundly shaped India's history through its contributions to diverse areas, be it literature, music, art, spirituality, science, trade and .

How can rights of 150 mn Telegram users be curtailed, HC asks govt

The Delhi High Court on Thursday questioned the Centre's decision to temporarily restrict access to Telegram ahead of the June 21 NEET-UG 2026 re-examination, saying how the rights of 150 million users of the messaging app can be curtailed just because a few of them are taking up the test. The observations were made by a vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia before reserving the verdict on the plea of Telegram against the temporary ban on the ground that the app may be misused ahead of the NEET-UG retest. On May 12, the National Testing Agency (NTA) had cancelled the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (Undergraduate), or NEET-UG, held on May 3 for medical admissions amid allegations of paper leak. The matter is currently under investigation by the CBI. In a bid to ensure smooth conduct of the controversy-ridden exam, the government imposed the temporary ban on the messaging app till June 22. On Thursday, the Centre vehemently argued before the high court that Telegram has all t

Deletion of ineligible names opens room for 30 mn more ration cards: Joshi

Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi on Thursday said there is scope for issuing nearly 3 crore more ration cards to eligible beneficiaries after some state governments removed 2.21 crore ineligible holders from PDS lists. Addressing the launch of a smart warehousing system, Joshi said the deletions were carried out by state governments following their own criteria, not by the Centre. The food ministry had identified 8.51 crore ineligible beneficiaries, including names of deceased persons, income-tax payers and four-wheeler owners, and forwarded the list to states for action. "Out of 8.51 crore, states have withdrawn 2.21 crore ration cards. We have not withdrawn," he said, adding that the exercise was made possible by digitisation of the public distribution system (PDS). States have been permitted to add eligible beneficiaries, and "nearly 3 crore more ration cards can be issued to eligible people by various state governments," Joshi told reporters on the sidelines of the event. He

Centre awaits IMD's June-end El Nino projection to shape kharif strategy

Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra on Wednesday said the ministry is awaiting the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecast by the end of this month to get a clearer picture on the El Nino timeline before deciding on concrete steps to mitigate the likely impact on kharif crops. "The prediction on when El Nino will set in is still to come. By the end of this month, IMD will come out with the forecast, and then the picture will be clearer. We will then be in the thick of the kharif sowing season and will know how it is going to pan out," Chandra told PTI in an interview. While there have been broad forecasts of El Nino setting in around November, IMD is seeking greater certainty before firming up its assessment. A key variable being tracked is the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) a climate pattern characterised by irregular sea surface temperature oscillations in the Indian Ocean. After remaining positive in May, the IOD has turned neutral in June. "Whether it will remain neutral

Govt extends QCO deadline for non-leather footwear MSMEs to July 2027

The government has provided one more year till July 31, 2027 to micro and small enterprises from non-leather footwear sector to comply with the mandatory quality control order. The move would give smaller footwear manufacturers more time to obtain BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification. It has also allowed footwear manufacturers to import up to 4,500 pairs annually for research, design development, testing, and other non-commercial purposes without meeting QCO (quality control order) requirements. However, these imported footwear have to be marked as "NOT FOR SALE" and have to be disposed of as scrap. Amending the footwear made from all rubber and all polymeric material and its components (Quality Control) order, 2024, the Department For Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) order said in a provision, "for figures, letters and word '31st July, 2026', the figures, letters and word '31st July, 2027' shall be substituted". Commenting on the order, think tank GTRI s

Centre allocates ₹8,500 cr for Bengal under VB-G RAM G scheme: CM Adhikari

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday said the Centre has allocated Rs 8,500 crore to the state under the VB G-RAM G scheme. Under the Gram Sadak Yojana, allocations worth Rs 2,400 crore have been approved and Rs 1,000 crore released by the Centre, he said. Adhikari made the announcement while launching the state-wide 'Jan Kalyan Shivir' programme from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district. Adhikari said 1,100 'Jan Kalyan Shivir' camps, being organised from June 15 to June 17, will help people access 54 central and state government schemes. "This is the first such outreach programme of the BJP government in West Bengal. People can visit the camps between 10 am and 5 pm to learn about various welfare schemes and submit applications for enrolment," he said. The chief minister said welfare schemes should not reach illegal immigrants and questioned extending benefits to families that do not send their children to recognised schools, or to institutions where 'Vande Mata

Centre takes possession of Jaipur Polo Ground in Delhi after eviction order

Officials of the Land & Development Office under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Saturday took physical possession of the 15.20-acre Jaipur Polo Ground in the Race Course area of the national capital, officials said. The development follows a May 20 eviction order under which the L&DO sought possession of the land parcel, citing its need for a "larger public purpose and benefit". The order, however, offered no details about the intended use of the land. On June 8, the Delhi High Court asked a district court to decide on a plea by the Indian Polo Association seeking a stay on the eviction notice. However, the district court declined to grant interim relief against the order.

Govt focusing on automation of explosive units for safety: DPIIT official

The Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is focusing on moving towards 'automation' in processes involved in manufacturing explosives to make operations safer, a senior government official has said. The department, which functions under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has undertaken major regulatory reforms to strengthen safety and ease of doing business, DPIIT Joint Secretary Dr Kajal said on Thursday. Talking to PTI in Nagpur on the sidelines of 'Awareness workshop on reforms undertaken by the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO)', she asserted DPIIT is making concerted efforts to prevent accidental blasts at explosives manufacturing factories. Asked what safety precautions DPIIT and PESO, which comes under the department, are taking to prevent blasts at explosives manufacturing units, the official said both agencies are making their best efforts to prevent such tragedies in the future. She was asked specifically in the contex

Centre may revise FY27 fertiliser subsidy maths after urea price drop

A sharp decline in global urea prices in the latest NFL import tender could prompt the government to reassess fertiliser subsidy estimates for FY27, officials said

Govt to cut taxes, relax bond ownership rules to attract foreign investment

The cabinet on Wednesday is expected to consider a significant cut in the taxes paid by global funds on the nation's bonds