Page 24 - Centre

Govt-appointed panel likely to talk need for 'stricter' start-up rules

A government-appointed panel is likely to discuss whether there is a need for a stricter regulatory regime for startups against the backdrop of instances of corporate governance concerns at some of the entities, according to an official. Startups are generally small and there needs to be a balancing when it comes to regulations for them, the official said and added that ease of doing business as well as a compliance-oriented regulatory regime should be ensured. The Company Law Committee (CLC), which was set up by the corporate affairs ministry back in September 2019, is likely to look into various aspects of the regulatory regime for startups, the official told PTI recently. The standing panel, which is headed by the corporate affairs secretary, has government officials, representatives from the industry and experts, among others as members. It broadly looks at the effective implementation of the Companies Act, 2013 and the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP) Act, 2008 as well as ..

Centre sanctions upgradation of 91 roads, 30 bridges in Arunachal: Rijiju

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday said the Centre has sanctioned the upgradation of 91 roads covering a length of 720.75 kilometres and 30 long-span bridges in Arunachal Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. In a statement, Rijiju, the minister of earth sciences, said the total estimated cost of these projects is Rs 757.58 crore. Emphasising on the early completion of these projects sanctioned by the Union Rural Development Ministry, he said this development work would improve rural connectivity in 500 habitations in various districts such as Changlang, Dibang Valley, East Kameng, East Siang, Kamle, Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, Lepa Rada, Lohit, Longding and Lower Dibang Valley. Residents of Lower Siang, Lower Subansiri, Namsai, Pakke Kessang, Papum Pare, Siang, Tawang, Tirap, Upper Siang, Upper Subansiri, West Kameng and West Siang districts will get benefit from these projects, he said. "More development projects will come up over the next five years, Rijiju ...

Centre should consider lowering TCS on overseas tour package: Report

The government should consider lowering TCS on overseas tour packages and allow foreign cruise vessels to operate on Indian waters besides other steps to increase outbound tourism, a report said on Sunday. The report titled "Unlock the Potential: A Look into Outbound Tourism", drafted by Nangia Andersen LLP in collaboration with FICCI said that India's outbound tourism market is projected to rise by 11.4 per cent CAGR between 2023 and 2032. The growth in the Indian travel and tourism industry is driven by a combination of rising income levels and changing lifestyles, development of diverse tourism offerings and policy and regulatory support by the government authorities, it added. The report suggested a few measures that the government may implement to support this expanding sector, including rolling back TCS (Tax Collected at Source), enhancing opportunities for partnership with foreign countries, collaboration with airlines, and allowing foreign cruise vessels to operate on Indian

AIIMS-Delhi got Rs 23 cr from Centre in 5 yrs for rare diseases: RTI reply

The AIIMS-Delhi received more than Rs 23 crore in funding from the Centre for treatment of rare diseases in the last five years, according to information received through RTI Act. Overall the Centre has released around Rs 90 crore in funds to several Centres of Excellence (CoE) for treatment of rare diseases since 2019, the information received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act showed. The Delhi All India Institute of Medical Sciences, or AIIMS, one of the eight CoE for treatment of rare diseases in the country, said it received Rs 1 crore in 2019, nil in 2020, Rs 4.10 crore in 2021, Rs 7.12 crore in 2022, and Rs 10.93 crore in 2023. The Department of Health and Family Welfare said as per records maintained in the Rare Disease Cell, the government released Rs 1.30 crore in 2019-20, Rs 10 crore in 2020-21, Rs 3.15 crore in 2021-21, Rs 34.99 crore in 2022-23, and Rs 40 crore in 2023-24 (till date). The RTI query was filed by Noida-based social activist Amit Gupta. According t

IIM amendment bill proposing power to Prez triggers autonomy debate

A new amendment bill of the Centre that proposes the President will be Visitor to the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) with powers to audit their functioning, order probes and appoint as well as remove directors, has triggered an "autonomy" debate for the prestigious B-schools. The bill to amend the IIM Act of 2017 was introduced in Lok Sabha last Friday amid disruptions by opposition members over the Manipur violence. While the Congress has alleged that PMO wants to maintain the tightest possible control and ensure "ideological purity", the IIMs are concerned about the amendment taking away their autonomy rather than just fixing accountability. "IIMs were given greater autonomy in 2017 and the legislation had wide support in Parliament. But six years later the Modi government is undoing what it itself had introduced. Clearly, autonomy is unwelcome for this government," Congress General Secretary and MP Jairam Ramesh said. "The PMO now wants to maintain the tightest possible

Govt committed to providing affordable health facilities: Mandaviya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is committed to providing affordable and accessible health facilities to the people of the country, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said here on Saturday. Mandaviya addressed the seventh meeting of the Central Institute Body (CIB) of AIIMS and Chintan Shivir at the National Institute for Health and Family Welfare during the day, a health ministry statement said. The CIB is the highest decision-making body of all AIIMS for finance, infrastructure, vacancy, recruitment, enforcement of policies, challenges and procurement. The agenda of Saturday's meeting was to review the compliance of decisions taken in earlier CIB meetings, the statement said. Addressing the gathering, the Union health minister said, "Chintan Shivir has provided a platform to hold discussions with higher officials and experts, which will help in evolving better practices of premier health institutions like AIIMS." "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is commi

Was Centre sleeping till now: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury during Manipur visit

A team of the opposition bloc INDIA on Saturday visited the riot-hit town of Churachandpur in Manipur where they met Kuki leaders and members of the civil society besides ethnic strife victims in the relief camps where they were lodged. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told reporters after visiting a relief camp, "They are talking of investigation by CBI (into the crimes committed)... I would like to ask were they (central government) sleeping till now?" TMC leader Sushmita Dev said the team will speak with representatives of both the communities. "Everyone's voice must be heard. We will be talking to both Kukis and Meiteis," she said. A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached Imphal earlier in the day and then teams from the delegation flew to Churachandpur in two helicopter flights. The team led by Chowdhury visited a relief camp set up at the Boys Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gog

Work on proposed PM MITRA Park gains pace in Madhya Pradesh: Officials

While the state government will have a 51 per cent stake in the SPV, the Centre will hold 49 per cent. The state signed the memorandum of understanding with the Centre on May 21

20 national waterways being developed for cargo, passenger movement: Centre

The government is developing 20 of the 26 national waterways found viable for cargo and passenger movement, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said that 26 of the existing 111 waterways in the country have been found viable for cargo and passenger movement. For the development of inland water transport in the country, 111 waterways -- including five existing and 106 new ones -- spread over 24 states have been declared national waterways under the National Waterways Act, 2016, Sonowal said. "On the basis of outcome of techno-economic feasibility study and detailed project report of these national waterways, an action plan has been formulated for 26 of them, which were found viable for cargo and passenger movement. At present, development initiatives have been taken up for 20 of these," Sonowal said in a written reply.

Women account for nearly 49% of beneficiaries of AB-PMJAY: Centre

The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has made a conscious effort to put women at the centre of the national conversation on health which has ensured their equal participation in it, the government informed Lok Sabha on Friday. In a written reply to a question, Union Minister of State for Health S P Singh Baghel said women account for approximately 49 per cent of Ayushman card recipients. Further, 141 health benefit packages under the health insurance scheme are exclusively earmarked for women, he said. Correspondingly, utilisation of scheme services by women stands at approximately 48 per cent of the total authorised hospital admissions, he said. A total of 4.78 crore and 9.22 crore Ayushman cards were created during 2019-20 and 2022-23, respectively, Baghel said in reply to a separate question. He added the number of Ayushman cards has significantly increased over the last years. Under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), the government

ADB, Centre sign $200 mn loan for expanding urban services in Rajasthan

The central government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday signed a USD 200 million loan as additional financing for the ongoing Rajasthan Secondary Towns Development Sector Project. The additional financing will support the Rajasthan government in reducing basic infrastructure gaps in its secondary towns by expanding water supply and sanitation services and improving livability in selected urban local bodies, the finance ministry said in a statement. The project will incorporate various innovative and climate-resilient solutions for expanding basic urban services and incorporate nature-based solutions to rehabilitate heritage structures besides piloting public-private partnerships in the state's water and sanitation sector to deepen private sector engagement, the statement said. A total of 1,451 km of water supply pipes, 1,110 km of sewer pipes have been laid as part of the ongoing project, which was approved in September 2020, while 68,098 households have been connected

Sex ratio at birth improves by 15 points to 933 in 2022-23: Centre

The sex ratio at birth has improved by 15 points from 918 in 2014-15 to 933 in 2022-23 in the country, Union minister Smriti Irani told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Responding to a question in the Lower House of Parliament, the women and child development minister said the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' scheme has stirred up collective consciousness towards changing the mindset of the public to acknowledge the rights of the girl child. "The scheme has raised concerns around the issue of declining CSR (child sex ratio) in India. This is reflected in the improvement of the sex ratio at birth (SRB) by 15 points at the national level, that is, from 918 in 2014-15 to 933 in 2022-23," she said in a written response. The sex ratio at birth for a given population, over a time period, is the ratio of the number of male live births to the number of female live births in the population, scaled to a denominator of 100.

Over 1,550 street children rescued so far this year: Govt in Lok Sabha

Over 1,550 street children were rescued from across the country so far this year, the government said on Friday. Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani said the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) rescued 1,551 street children during spot field drives. After rescuing the street children, the NCPCR produced them before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of their respective areas and ensured they were rehabilitated, Irani said. The NCPCR is in the process of identifying the rescued children, the WCD minister said, adding that so far 24 states have shared information on the hotspots where homeless children were found in higher numbers.

Over 71,000 cases pending in high courts for more than 30 years: Centre

Over 71,000 cases are pending in various high courts for more than 30 years, Lok Sabha was informed on Friday. The House was also told that over 1.01 lakh cases which are more than 30 years old are pending in lower courts. In a written reply to a question, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said that as on July 24 this year, 71,204 cases were pending in high courts for more than 30 years. Similarly, 1,01,837 cases were pending for over 30 years in district and subordinate courts. On July 20, he had told the Upper House of Parliament that cases pending in various courts in the country have crossed the five-crore mark. Meghwal had said over 5.02 crore cases were pending in various courts -- the Supreme Court, 25 high courts and subordinate courts. "As per data retrieved from the Integrated Case Management System (ICMIS) by the Supreme Court of India, as on July 1, there are 69,766 cases pending in the Supreme Court. "Total number of cases pending in the high courts and the district and

Biological Diversity Bill: What is it, and what are the changes made to it?

The new bill will amend the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, which provides for the conservation of biological diversity in India

47 posts for PWDs filled, 125 recruitments in next 4 months: Centre

Amid concerns over the large number of vacancies at national institutes established for people with disabilities, the government said recruitment for 47 posts have been done while 125 positions will be filled in the next four months. The information was revealed in a Parliamentary panel report on social justice and empowerment that was tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday. The Union Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry told the panel that it is also pursuing the matter with the Union Ministry of Finance's Department of Expenditure for the revival of vacant posts so that the institutes' services are not hampered and the desired objectives are achieved. "During (the) last six months, 47 numbers of posts have been filled up and 125 numbers of posts will be filled up by (the) next four months. As regards mentioning of the sanction/actual strength in the annual report of national institutes, all national institutes have been directed to include information sanction/actual strength of .

Centre has championed farmers' cause for nine years, says PM Modi

The Centre has taken decisions in the interest of farmers for nine years and created arrangements from seed to market for them, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday while dedicating 1.25 lakh PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras to the nation. Addressing a programme here, Modi described the PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendras (PMKSK) as one-stop centres for farmers that would pave the way for their prosperity. India, he said, could only develop when its villages do and his government was working to provide in villages every facility that is available in cities. From information on agri-inputs such as fertilisers, seeds, and implements to testing facilities for soil, seeds, and fertilisers, and information regarding various government schemes, PMKSKs are envisaged to become a reliable support system for farmers in the country, a government statement said. They will also ensure regular capacity building of fertiliser retailers at block/district level outlets, the statement added. Apart from .

Govt's share sale in RVNL over-subscribed, buyers put in Rs 1,900 cr bids

The government's 5.36 per cent share sale in Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL) was oversubscribed on the first day of issue with institutional buyers putting in bids worth about Rs 1,900 crore. In the two-day Offer-for-Sale (OFS), the government is selling 11.17 crore shares, representing 5.36 per cent stake at a floor price of Rs 119 apiece. The offer includes a greenshoe option of an additional 4.08 crore RVNL shares or 1.96 per cent stake. On the first day of share sale, institutional buyers put in bids for 15.64 crore shares, as against the base issue size of 6.38 crore. At an indicative price of Rs 121.17 apiece, the bids are worth close to Rs 1,900 crore. Shares of RVNL closed at Rs 125.25, down 6.77 per cent over the previous close of the BSE. The government currently holds 78.20 per cent stake in RVNL. RVNL was incorporated in January 2003, as a 100 per cent owned public sector unit of the Ministry of Railways with the objective of raising extra-budgetary resources and ...

Centre proposes to sell upto 5.36% from its 78.2% stake in Rail Vikas Nigam

The Indian government will sell a stake of up to 5.36% in state-owned Rail Vikas Nigam this week, in a deal that could fetch 13.3 billion rupees ($162.12 million), an exchange filing showed

Number of orphan, abandoned children rise by 25% since 2020: WCD Ministry

The Centre has over the last three years registered a 25 per cent spike in the number of orphaned, abandoned, and surrendered children in its child adoption portal CARINGS. The number of such children, which was 4,521 in 2020-21 and 5,106 in 2021-22, rose to 5,663 in 2022-23, according to the data shared by the Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani in Rajya Sabha. According to the government, the Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance System, or CARINGS, is an online platform developed for end-to-end digital processing to bring transparency to the adoption system and curtail delays. In response to a question, Irani said 3,443 children were adopted in the country in the last one year alone. Responding to another question, Irani said about 4,268 inspections of child-care homes have so far been carried out across the country through the government's MASI (Monitoring App for Seamless Inspection) since its launch in 2021. The portal was launched in January 2021 with