Page 27 - Centre

Health min moots Centre, state be empowered to regulate drugs, cosmetics

The Union Health Ministry has mooted that either the Centre or state authorities be empowered to regulate the manufacture of drugs and cosmetics, changing its earlier proposal of allowing only the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to do so. As of now, all manufacturing activities relating to drugs and cosmetics are regulated by only the state governments through their drug control organisations, official sources told PTI. The draft bill also mentions that the Central government may regulate, restrict or prohibit selling, stocking, exhibiting or offering sale or distribution of any drug online by notification. The latest draft of the New Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023, which seeks to replace the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940, is yet to be approved by the Cabinet. It, however, features among the 21 key bills that are on the agenda for the Monsoon session of Parliament. The latest version of the draft bill states, "No person shall himself or by an

Centre starts process to refund Rs 5,000 cr to investors of 4 Sahara Group

The Centre on Tuesday started the process to refund Rs 5,000 crore of depositors whose funds are struck in four cooperative societies of Sahara Group, a move that is likely to help crores of small investors awaiting return of their hard-earned savings. On March 29, the government had said money will be returned to 10 crore investors of the four cooperative societies within 9 months. The announcement followed a Supreme Court order directing transfer of Rs 5,000 crore from Sahara-Sebi refund account to the Central Registrar of Cooperative Societies (CRCS). Launching a 'CRCS-Sahara Refund Portal' to facilitate the refund, Cooperation Minister Amit Shah said: "The process of returning the amount of Rs 5,000 crore to the investors is starting today in a transparent manner on a trial basis. This is beginning of refund of monies to the depositors (of Sahara Group)". He further said after the completion of Rs 5,000 crore payment, another appeal will be made in the Supreme Court to return th

Ordinance promulgated as officers targeted by Delhi govt: Centre to SC

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that the ordinance on control of services in Delhi was promulgated as officers working in the vigilance department were "targeted" by the city government, and bureaucrats and officials were humiliated. In an affidavit filed in the apex court, the Centre claimed that after the May 11 judgement of the constitution bench of the top court, ministers in the Delhi government started a "witch-hunt" and harassment of officers to influence their decision making. A five-judge constitution bench of the apex court had on May 11 said the Delhi government has legislative and executive powers over administration of services except for public order, police and land. "To elaborate the above, the officers working in the vigilance department, that is the department which handles serious vigilance issues relating to complaints of corruption, thus involving, criminal and other politically sensitive cases, came to be specifically targeted by the elected ...

SC junks petition seeking action against comedian for show 'Bas Kar Bassi'

From trying to find a middle ground in DERC appointments to hearing plea against police encounters in Assam, here's a list of important developments in the apex court today

'Delhi govt trying to paralyse Capital': Centre files affidavit in SC

Centre defends Delhi ordinance, says Kejriwal govt harassing vigilance dept officials

EV makers face legal action over wrongful FAME II incentive claims

An official was quoted as saying that the companies that claimed incentives wrongfully under FAME II would have to pay them back first

Centre to seek ideas to amend PCPNDT Act to address sex ratio imbalance

The Centre and states will work on a mission mode to address the issue of sex-ratio imbalance, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Saturday and stressed on ensuring "comprehensive and saturation coverage" of all health schemes. He said that concerns over sex-ratio imbalance across the country were discussed at the Swasthya Chintan Shivir here. It has been decided that the Centre and states will work on a mission mode to address the issue, the minister said on the last day of the two-day conclave in the Uttarakhand capital. The Centre will also seek suggestions from states for amending the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, for its effective implementation at the ground level to address sex-ratio imbalance, according to official sources. India's Sex Ratio at Birth has improved from 904 females per thousand males in 2017-2019 to 907 in 2019-2020. It was recorded at 898 in 2014-2016, according to Sample Registration System (SRS) ...

Centre doing its best to help calamity-hit states, says Anurag Thakur

The Centre is doing its best to help states, including Himachal Pradesh, that have been hit by natural calamities in their hour of crisis, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said on Saturday. The Union government has already released Rs 361 crore in two installments and more financial aid will be released shortly, he said. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday said Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses of about Rs 8,000 crore as heavy rain wreaked havoc in the hill state, triggering landslides and flash floods and damaging roads and other infrastructure. According to the state emergency response centre, the losses amounted to about Rs 4,000 crore till Friday night and Sukhu had sought an interim relief of Rs 2,000 crore from the Union Home Ministry. On Saturday, Thakur visited the Dharmapur assembly segment in Mandi district and various regions of Hamirpur district where he met victims of the recent flood. The sight was shocking and beyond expectation, Thakur, who holds the U

Centre standing with states in this time of crisis: Nadda on rain aftermath

Asserting that the Centre is standing with states dealing with the aftermath of heavy rains, BJP president J P Nadda has said the Union government has "released" a second instalment of "Rs 181 crore" for Himachal Pradesh. Nadda, who visited the flood-affected areas in Kullu and Mandi districts on Friday, said the Centre's grant will help reduce the debt burden of the state that has increased due to the damage caused by the rains. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has approved the advance release of the second instalment of the central share of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), amounting to Rs 180.40 crore for 2023-24, as an interim relief to Himachal Pradesh, an official statement said on Friday. The release of funds will help the state government undertake relief measures for those affected by the rains, the statement said. To support those affected in Himachal Pradesh, the central government had released the first instalment of the central share of Rs 180.40 crore to the state

Govt offers firms more time to seek IT hardware production incentives

The window to apply for the scheme - PLI 2.0 for IT Hardware - was previously supposed to close on July 15

21% unorganised workers opted out of Centre's pension scheme in six months

PM-SYM is a voluntary contributory pension scheme that aims to bring millions of unorganised workers into the social security net

Centre appoints Justices Ujjal Bhuyan, SV Bhatti as Supreme Court judges

The Collegium in its resolution said that it resolves to recommend the appointments of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, and Justice S Venkatanarayana Bhatti by following the order of seniority

Centre imposes import restrictions on certain gold jewellery, articles

The government on Wednesday imposed import restrictions on certain gold jewellery and articles, a move which would help cut import of non-essential items. Now an importer would need a permission of licence from the government for importing these gold products. However, the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said that the restrictions will not be there for imports under the India-UAE free trade agreement. In a notification, the DGFT said that the import policy of these products "has been amended from free to restricted with immediate effect". Imports of pearls, precious and semi-precious stones dipped by 25.36 per cent to about USD 4 billion during April-May this fiscal. Gold imports too contracted by about 40 per cent to USD 4.7 billion in the same period. Overall merchandise imports during April-May this fiscal declined 10.24 per cent to USD 107 billion. The merchandise trade deficit for April-May 2023 stood at USD 37.26 billion against USD 40.48 billion during April-May

GST Council's decision on online gaming was unanimous: Revenue Secretary

The government's decision, announced late on Tuesday, created an uproar in the online gaming industry, with shares of casino operator Delta Corp & other online gaming firms plunging in Wednesday trade

Centre approves release of Rs 7,352 crore disaster relief fund to 22 states

The fund is the primary fund available with state governments for responses to notified disasters

Intervene to ensure Yamuna levels don't rise further: CM Kejriwal to Centre

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged the Centre to intervene to ensure that levels of the Yamuna, flowing at an all-time high of 207.55 metres, don't rise further. The Yamuna has breached its all-time record of 207.49 metres set in 1978, government agencies said on Wednesday. Sharing an update on Yamunal water levels, Kejriwal said on Twitter, "Central Water Commission predicts 207.72 meter water level in Yamuna tonite. Not good news for Delhi. "There have been no rains in Delhi last 2 days, however, levels of Yamuna are rising due to abnormally high volumes of water being released by Haryana at Hathnikund barrage. Urge Centre to intervene and ensure that levels in Yamuna don't rise further. Highest Flood Level 207.49m (in 1978). Current Level 207.55m.

Have sent project reports for proposals worth Rs 930 cr to Centre: Goa CM

The Goa government has sent detailed project reports for proposals worth Rs 930 crore to the Centre for funding, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said. Talking to reporters after chairing a review meeting, Sawant on Tuesday said that Goa's financial situation was good amid various reforms. He said that Goa has submitted to the Centre detailed project reports for various proposals worth Rs 930 crore to be undertaken in the state. The CM said that the state has already submitted 90 per cent of the utilisation certificates for the projects that were approved in the past by the Centre. There are no bills pending (of any contractor by the state government). The State government is also reviewing the loans taken from the agencies like NABARD and SIDBI, he said.

SC asks Centre, Manipur govt to ensure safety of citizens amid violence

The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Centre and the Manipur government to take steps to ensure the safety of the citizens in the ethnic violence-riven state besides ordering disbursement of funds for reconstruction of villages and places of worship. The top court also took note of the submissions about objectionable public utterances by some groups and individuals. We request all parties to maintain equilibrium in their speeches and steer clear of any sort of hate speech, the court said. Observing that law and order fell within the executive domain, a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said it cannot direct as to where the Army and the central armed police forces have to be deployed. The bench, also comprising justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra, however, ordered sufficient arrangements to be made to ensure the protection of the citizens and private and public property in the state. We are of the view that it will not be appropriate for this court in exercise of judic

Govt floats tender to set up 450,000 tonne green hydrogen facility

Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has floated a tender for setting up a production facility of 4.5 lakh tonne of green hydrogen in India under the Strategic Interventions for Green Hydrogen Transition (SIGHT) scheme. SECI is a Government of India enterprise under the administrative control of Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE). It is a nodal agency for implementing various schemes for renewable energy in the country. According to the tender document, the total capacity available for bidding is 4.5 lakh tonne per annum including 4.1 lakh tonne under Technology Agnostic Pathways and 40,000 tonne under Biomass Based Pathways. The total capacity to be allocated under this tender is 450,000 tonne per annum of green hydrogen (GH2), it stated. It provided that a bidder, including its parent, affiliate or ultimate parent or any group company shall submit a single bid undertaking to set up a GH2 production facility. The projects shall be quoted in multiples of 500 tonne ...

Centre to appoint VCs of 5 pvt deemed-to-be-varsities including TISS

Vice chancellors or heads of five private deemed-to-be- universities, including TISS and Dayalbagh Educational Institute, will now be appointed by the central government and not their sponsoring trusts or societies, officials said. The change in appointments comes following new norms notified by the University Grants Commission (UGC) called the UGC (Institutions Deemed to be Universities) Regulations. According to the new regulations, heads of deemed universities that receive 50 per cent more funds from the government than their own annual earnings will be appointed by the Centre. The first set of these regulations was notified in 2010, which was revised in 2016 and 2019. In rest of the cases, the vice chancellors shall be appointed by the chancellor from a panel of three names suggested by a search-cum-selection committee. The move, however, has been questioned by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh who raised apprehensions about the autonomy of these institutions. "Although over the .