Page 23 - Centre

Govt to send flying squads to monitor farm fires in Haryana, Punjab: Report

The Centre will dispatch flying squads to Punjab and Haryana to monitor stubble burning incidents and submit daily reports, government sources said on Thursday. This decision was made at a meeting chaired by the cabinet secretary on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by chief secretaries and other senior officials from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Delhi, as well as the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) and secretaries from the ministries of environment, agriculture, housing and urban affairs, and power. During the meeting, the Cabinet Secretary directed the Punjab administration to take effective actions to prevent further stubble burning in the remaining days of this harvest season, the sources said. District magistrates, senior superintendents of police, and station house officers have been instructed to ensure there is no further stubble burning. The CAQM has been tasked with deploying flying squads to Punjab and Haryana and submitting daily reports

Centre taking steps to promote AYUSH system of medicine: MoS Mahendrabhai

Union Minister of State for Ayush Munjpara Mahendrabhai on Wednesday said the Centre is taking steps for the promotion and propagation of the Ayush system of medicine in the country. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has made significant progress in reinventing the proven benefits of the traditional system of medicine to enrich the quality of lives of the people, he said. Our traditional medicine systems are efficacious, Mahendrabhai, who was accompanied by Rajesh Kotecha, Special Secretary in the Ayush Ministry, said at a press conference here. Talking about the ministry's flagship National Ayush Mission (NAM) programme, he said it is being implemented with the vision to provide Ayush healthcare services throughout the country. The Ministry of Ayush is working on the operationalisation of 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres (AHWCs) under NAM by 2023-24, the minister said. Replying to a question, he said that modern and traditional medicine

Centre releases tax devolution to states early citing festive season

The lowest devolution for the month of November is to Goa and Sikkim at Rs 281 crore and Rs 283.10 crore

Centre cannot 'pick and choose' names from collegium resolutions: SC

The bench noted in its order that 14 first-time recommendations and five reiterated recommendations are currently pending with the Centre

India's total tax receipts likely to exceed Budget Estimate in FY24

Monthly GST mop-up in FY25 could be Rs 1.7-1.8 trillion

Draft national policy for distribution of sanitary napkins ready: Centre

The court was hearing a plea seeking to issue directions to governments to provide free sanitary pads to girls studying in Classes 6 to 12

Supreme Court dismisses Popular Front of India's plea against Centre's ban

The Centre had banned the PFI for five years for its alleged links with global terrorist organisations and for trying to spread communal hatred in the country

Extra NREGS funding may not be enough if work demand stays robust: Experts

Expenditure on the scheme has been around Rs 77,634 crore till October end

Govt sends notice to Apple about 'state-sponsored attacks' alert on iPhones

IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw rejected the allegations of hacking by the government and said that they would conduct a thorough probe

Electoral bonds scheme aims to eradicate use of black money: Centre to SC

The Centre told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that almost every country, including India, was grappling with the problem of use of black money in elections and the electoral bonds scheme was a "conscious attempt" to eradicate the menace of "unclean money" in the poll process. Arguing before a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said the apex court may not take this particular scheme as a standalone attempt in the direction of dealing with the menace of black money. Mehta highlighted steps taken by the government to deal with black money including digitised payments and action taken against 2.38 lakh "shell companies" between 2018 and 2021. "The use of black money in elections and politics in general and elections in particular...every country is grappling with this problem. Country-specific issues are being dealt with by every country depending upon the circumstances existing. India is also

Govt orders 'technical' probe as Opposition cites iPhone hacking alert

According to Apple's support page, alert notifications are sent to particular users when they are individually targeted because of who they are or what they do

Citizens don't have right to know source of electoral bond funds: Centre

Attorney General R Venkataramani said that the Constitution has not conferred citizens with a fundamental right to know the source of electoral bond funds

Centre gives nod for Jamrani Dam Project, says Uttarakhand CM Dhami

The Uttarakhand chief minister further said that along with solving the problem of drinking water and irrigation, the farmers will also get benefit from this project

Centre estimates 3.79% lower kharif rice production at 106.31 mn tonnes

The country's rice production is estimated to decline by 3.79 per cent to 106.31 million tonnes in the kharif season of the 2023-24 crop year (July-June) due to poor rainfall in key growing states, according to the Agriculture Ministry's latest estimates released on Friday. Rice production stood at 110.5 million tonnes during the same season in the previous crop year. Rice is the main kharif crop and its harvesting is underway. According to the first advance foodgrains production estimate released by the ministry, maize production is estimated to be 22.48 million tonnes in the kharif season 2023-24, lower than 23.6 million tonnes last year. Among pulses, tur production is expected to be slightly higher this year at 3.42 million tonnes as against 3.31 million tonnes the previous year. Moong production is estimated to be 1.40 million tonnes, lower than last year's 1.71 million tonnes. Oilseeds production is estimated to decline to 21.53 million tonnes from 26.15 million ...

Retail onion price up 57%; Centre steps up buffer sale to provide relief

As all-India average retail onion price shoots up by 57 per cent to Rs 47 per kg, the Centre on Friday decided to step up the sale of buffer onion at a subsidised rate of Rs 25 per kg in retail markets in order to provide relief to consumers. The all-India average retail price of onion rose to Rs 47 per kg on Friday, from Rs 30 per kg in the year-ago period, as per the data maintained by the consumer affairs ministry. In the national capital, retail price of onion was at Rs 40/kg on Friday as against Rs 30/kg in the year-ago period, the data showed. "We have been offloading buffer onions since mid-August and we are stepping up the retail sale in order to check further rise in prices and provide relief to the consumers," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told PTI. According to the ministry, onion is being offloaded from the buffer stock in both wholesale and retail markets in states where there is a sharp rise in prices. Since mid-August, about 1.7 lakh tonne of buffer on

Govt launches hackathon to tackle 'dark patterns' on some online platform

This is the third hackathon the consumer affairs department is organising after the successful hackathon on onion and tomato, he said

Farm loan waivers, high MSP: How Chhattisgarh govt is banking on farmers

Chhattisgarh Assembly elections: Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has promised to waive off farmers' loan if the Congress retains power

Centre extends mandate on imported coal power plants to run till Jun 2024

The order issued using an emergency clause mandates power plants based on imported coal to operate to meet the country's high electricity demand

V Karthikeyan Pandian: From bureaucrat to Cabinet minister in 24 hours

Retired bureaucrats have, in recent times, played an important role in the state's politics

India's fiscal position 'solid' amid global headwinds: Finance ministry

'West Asia situation, oil prices new challenges'