Page 26 - Centre

Over 19,000 complaints, appeals pending with CIC: Centre in Lok Sabha

A total of 19,233 complaints and appeals were pending with the Central Information Commission (CIC) as of April 1 this year, the government said on Wednesday. There was a vacancy of four Information Commissioners in the transparency watchdog against the sanctioned strength of ten, according to a written reply given by Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh in Lok Sabha. There were 29,213 pendency in the period 2021-22, 38,116 in 2020-21, 35,178 in 2019-20, and 29,655 in 2018-19, he said. According to section 12(3) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005, the Central Information Commission shall consist of the Chief Information Commissioner and such number of Information Commissioners, not exceeding ten, as may be deemed necessary. "At present, four Information Commissioners apart from the Chief Information Commissioner are in the position in the CIC," Singh said. Filling up of vacancies of Information Commissioners in State Information Commissions is the subject

AG writes to Centre on setting panel to examine hanging death row convicts

From ED's opposition to Preeti Chandra's bail to plea for urgent hearing on SIMI, here's what happened in the Supreme Court today

Ceiling prices of 691 formulations have been fixed under NELM 2022: Centre

The government on Tuesday said that till July 17, ceiling prices have been fixed for 915 scheduled formulations. Out of the total, ceiling prices of 691 formulations have been fixed under the National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) 2022 and 224 formulations under NLEM 2015, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers Bhagwanth Khuba said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. Besides, the retail price of around 2,450 new drugs under Drugs (Prices Control) Order, 2013 has been fixed till July 7, 2023, he noted. The minister also stated that a total of 5,772 complaints alleging overcharging were received by drug pricing regulatory body NPPA over the five-year period ranging between 2018-19 and 2022-23. Replying to a query regarding the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs), Khuba said 9,512 outlets are now functional across the country. The product basket of PMBJP presently comprises about 1,800 medicines and 285 surgical devices, covering all major therapeu

Centre devolved more than Rs 3.09 trn to states till July: MoS Finance

The Centre has devolved over Rs 3.09 lakh crore to states till July of the Rs 10.21 lakh crore budgeted to be transferred in the current fiscal, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Tuesday. "Out of Rs 10.21 lakh crore estimated to be transferred to states for the FY 2023-24, Rs 3,09,521.22 crore has been devolved till July 2023, in 4 instalments having double the normal amount in June'23 for FY 2023-24. There is no pendency on part of devolution payable to states...," Chaudhary said in the Lok Sabha. Of the Rs 3.09 lakh crore net proceeds of shareable union taxes and duties distributed to the states, Central GST collection devolution stood at Rs 94,368 crore till July. "Part of the CGST collected and credited to the Consolidated Fund of India is devolved to the States as per the accepted recommendations of the Finance Commission. The total amount of such CGST devolution released to states during FY 2022-23 was Rs 2,68,334.19 crore; this was released in 14 ...

Closely monitoring prices, demand-supply situation of food items: Centre

The government is closely monitoring the prices as well as the demand-supply situation of all essential food items, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Kailash Choudhary on Tuesday said while asserting that it is committed to balancing the interest of both consumers and farmers. The government has formed a panel to regularly monitor the prices and availability situation, he added. "The government is monitoring the prices and availability of food items. It takes measures to boost domestic availability and keep prices under check," Choudhary said as he was replying to a question about food inflation and the recent export ban on non-basmati white rice. He was speaking at an event to launch ITC's postal stamp on millets in collaboration with India Post. Based on the demand-supply situation and retail price, he said the government decides on imposing export duty or putting restrictions on exports. The minister said there is no problem on the supply front of food items in the ...

Over 50 mn MGNREGA job cards deleted in 2022-23: Govt tells Lok Sabha

More than five crore job cards under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) were cancelled in 2022-23, 247 per cent more than the number of deletions in 2021-22, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday. In a written reply, Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh said in 2021-22, 1,49,51,247 MGNREGA job cards were deleted, while in 2022-23, 5,18,91,168 job cards were cancelled. West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana were among the states which saw the highest number of deletions. In 2021-22, 1,57,309 job cards were deleted in West Bengal, while in the following year (2022-23), the number shot up by over 5,000 per cent as 83,36,115 job cards were deleted. In Andhra Pradesh, 6,25,514 job cards were deleted in 2021-22, which increased by 1,147 per cent in 2022-23, when 78,05,569 cards were cancelled. Similarly, in Telangana, 61,278 job cards were deleted in 2021-22, while 17,32,936 cards were deleted in 2022-23, an increase of 2,727 per cent. Gujarat ...

Majority of 14-17 age group not aware of vaping, e-cigarettes ban: Survey

According to a survey conducted by the Think Change Forum (TCF), 96% of the children surveyed were not aware that vaping and similar electronic devices are banned in India

CIC verdict can't be referred to bring political parties under RTI: Centre

An order of the Central Information Commission (CIC) cannot be used to seek a writ from the Supreme Court to bring recognised political parties under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Centre told the apex court on Tuesday. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta made the submission while appearing for the central government before a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, which is hearing two PILs seeking a direction to bring political parties under the transparency law. The CIC order cannot be used to seek a writ of mandamus (a judicial order to the government to fulfil official duties) to bring political parties under the RTI, the law officer told the bench, which also comprised Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra. Meanwhile, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), represented by lawyer P V Dinesh, said the party has no objection to RTI with regard to ensuring financial transparency. But there cannot be requests (under RTI) on why a candidate has been selecte

Over 6,000 posts of Captain, Major ranks vacant in Army: MoS Ajay Bhatt

Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said that in order to mitigate the shortage, a proposal to make short service entry more attractive is under consideration

PLI scheme incentive outgo could be less than Rs 40,000 crore by FY25

Govt estimates indicate not all 14 schemes may have fully taken off

Govt to launch Ayushman Bhav to achieve 100% coverage of health schemes

The Union health ministry is planning to launch 'Ayushman Bhav' programme to ensure optimum delivery of all state-run health schemes to every intended beneficiary, including those in the last mile. Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0, Ayushman Sabha, Ayushman Mela and Ayushman Gram are some of the activities planned under the programme, official sources told PTI. "The aim of the campaign is to ensure comprehensive and saturation coverage of all health schemes so that every eligible beneficiary is able to avail their benefits," an official source said. Ayushman Apke Dwar 1 and 2 drives have been conducted successfully. Under the Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0, an intensive drive will begin from August 1 to ensure full saturation, the sources said. Ayushman Sabha will be a village-level campaign led by the village health, sanitation and nutrition committee to ensure the benefits of all the health schemes of the central and state governments reach the intended beneficiaries, they said. These will also ..

Centre grants sanction to prosecute joint drugs controller in bribery case

The government has granted the sanction to prosecute Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation's joint drugs controller S Eswara Reddy, clearing the decks for initiating a trial against him for allegedly taking a bribe to favourably recommend Biocon Biologics' insulin injection, officials said Sunday. The CBI submitted the sanction for prosecution, accorded by the Director (Vigilance) in the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, before a special court here. Repeated calls made to the office phone of Reddy seeking his comments remained unanswered. The agency has also received the sanction against Animesh Kumar, Assistant Drugs Inspector, who is a co-accused in the case, they said. Apart from Reddy and Animesh Kumar, the CBI had also arrested Biocon Biologics' Associate Vice President L Praveen Kumar, Synergy Network India Private Limited director Dinesh Dua, who allegedly gave Reddy Rs 4 lakh as bribe, and Guljit Sethi, an alleged conduit of Biocon Biologics. The arrests

Punjab govt didn't use Rs 218 cr aid by Centre for flood relief: Jakhar

Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar Sunday hit out at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the flood situation in the state, accusing him of not utilising Rs 218 crore fund released by the Centre for relief measures. Jakhar was in Patiala to visit flood-hit areas in Sanour in the district. He was accompanied by Jai Inder Kaur, the daughter of former chief minister Amarinder Singh. Addressing the media here, Jakhar said the Central government released Rs 218 crore for Punjab without even considering the previous year's utilisation certificate of the funds meant for the disaster relief from the state government. Jakhar said people had to suffer loss of life and property because of the "gross negligence" and "inefficiency" on the part of the AAP dispensation. The state government failed to handle the flood situation and ruling party MLAs were busy in photo-ops, he charged. He alleged the state government failed to take necessary measures including cleaning of drains and the strengthening of .

HP CM requests Centre to release pending disaster fund of over Rs 315 cr

To address the immediate needs of people affected due to rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu Saturday requested the Centre to release the state's pending disaster relief fund of over Rs 315 crore. The chief minister said the state's disaster compensation worth Rs 315.8 crore has been withheld for the past few years. The delay was attributed to objections raised by the Accountant General, which the state government has successfully resolved through persistent efforts, Sukhu said in a statement issued here. The pending funds include Rs 121.71 crore allocated for 2020-21, Rs 133.56 crore for 2021-22 under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and Rs 61.07 crore for 2019-20 under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), the statement added. Stating that all objections have been cleared now, the chief minister urged that the funds be released at the earliest as the hill state is witnessing severe devastation caused by incessant rains a

Congress attacks Centre for distributing appointment letters after delays

The Congress on Saturday hit out at the government over the holding of Rozgar mela, saying it was distributing appointment letters in instalments as if it has fulfilled the BJP's promise of giving 2 crore jobs every year. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said there are 30 lakh posts lying vacant in various government departments and the sanctioned posts being filled now are those that were to be filled long ago. He claimed about 20,000 MSME industries have shut down in the country in just three years. "In government departments alone, 30 lakh posts are lying vacant. But the event-Jeevi head of the Modi government, Modi ji by distributing recruitment letters in instalments is showing as if he has fulfilled the BJP's promise of giving 2 crore jobs every year. "Those are sanctioned government posts and they should have been filled long ago," he said in a tweet in Hindi. Kharge claimed that in the last nine years, events of Start-Up India, Skill India, Stand-Up India were organis

Youth to survey farm areas and crops sown instead of patwaris in MP

Under this, a survey of sowing areas and crop types in the fields will be done by local youth instead of patwaris, the traditional authorities who maintain ownership records for a given area

Govt nods Semiconductor Lab modernisation as brownfield chip making unit

The government has approved the modernisation of the Semiconductor Laboratory as a brownfield chip manufacuring unit, Parliament was informed on Friday. Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a writtten reply to the Rajya Sabha said that till date only one proposal of Micron Technology Inc for setting up a semiconductor ATMP unit in India with a capital investment of Rs 22,516 crore (USD 2.75 Billion) has been approved. "Government has also approved modernisation of Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali as a brownfield Fab," the minister said. In response to a separate question if steps taken by the government will lead to a decline in import of semiconductor, Chandrasekhar said that Micron Technology Inc's ATMP has been approved in the month of June 2023 and the company has projected construction period of 18 months. "Hence decline in imports may not be expected in near term," Chandrasekhar said.

Chinese mobile cos evade Rs 9,000 cr in tax in India, Rs 1,629 cr recovered

Chinese smartphone makers, including Oppo Mobile, Vivo India and Xiaomi Technology, have been found evading taxes worth Rs 9,000 crore in India, Parliament was informed on Friday. Data shared by the Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in Rajya Sabha showed tax evasion of around Rs 9,000 crore, comprising customs duty and GST, has been detected between 2018-19 and 2022-23. The government has recovered Rs 1,629.87 crore from the companies during the period. According to the data, Oppo Mobile India Pvt Ltd has been found evading Rs 5,086 crore in taxes which includes Rs 4,403 crore in customs duty and Rs 683 crore in the form of GST. Vivo has evaded taxes worth Rs 2,923.25 crore comprising Rs 2,875 crore in customs duty and Rs 48.25 crore in GST, according to the written reply by Chandrasekhar. Tax evasion of Rs 851.14 crore has been detected in the case of Xiaomi Technology India Pvt Ltd comprising Rs 682.51 crore in customs duty and Rs 168.63 crore in ...

Action taken against pharma cos following reports of deaths abroad: Centre

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation in coordination with state authorities initiated action against pharma companies following reports of deaths and injuries due to their substandard drugs in the Gambia and Uzbekistan, the government informed Lok Sabha on Friday. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has issued a notification on May 22 this year for amendment in the export policy of cough syrups, making it compulsory for manufacturers to get certificate of analysis from a government-approved laboratory before exporting their products with effect from June 1, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply. Responding to a question, Pawar said that subsequent to reports from Sri Lanka, Gambia and Uzbekistan, the CDSCO in coordination with state drug controllers carried out joint investigations at the manufacturing units of the cough syrups and drugs in question. After deaths of children were reported in the Gambia, the CDSCO in coordination wi

Centre-run hospitals asked to prescribe generic medicines only: Mandaviya

The government aims to open 10,000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Kendras (PMBJKs) by March to improve the common man's access to generic medicines, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told the Lok Sabha on Friday. Till June 30, 9,512 PMBJKs have been opened across the country. The Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 prescribes that every physician should prescribe drugs with generic names legibly and preferably in capital letters, he said in a written response to a question in the House. The Directorate General of Health Services has directed all Centre-run hospitals to prescribe generic medicines only. Similar instructions also have been issued to all CGHS doctors and wellness centres. Under the free drug initiative of the National Health Mission (NHM), support is provided for provision of essential generic drugs free of cost in public health facilities. In order to promote the PMBJP scheme, the Department of Pharmaceuti