Page 28 - Centre

Power, infra, fertilsiers: How centre is incentivising states for reforms

Fund transfer linked to them meeting certain benchmarks in improving sectors

Centre gets 4 weeks from SC on plea to assess Himalaya's carrying capacity

The Supreme Court on Monday granted four more weeks to the Centre to file its response to a plea seeking assessment of the carrying capacity and master plans of the Indian Himalayan Region spanning across 13 states and union territories. A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha, which had issued notices to the government on February 17, took note of the submission of Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati who sought time to file the reply. The top court was hearing a plea filed by Ashok Kumar Raghav seeking assessment of carrying capacity and master plans prepared for the Indian Himalayan Region. "Due to non-existent Carrying/Bearing Capacity studies, grave geological hazards in the form of landslides, land subsidence, land cracking and sinking issues such as that in Joshimath are being witnessed and serious ecological and environmental depredation are taking place in the hills," the petition filed through advocate advocate Akash Vashishtha ...

Didn't get assistance from Centre for relief to IDPs: Mizoram Home minister

Mizoram Home Minister Lalchamliana on Monday said the state government has not received any assistance from the Centre to provide relief to over 12,300 internally displaced people (IDPs) from violence-hit Manipur. Mizoram government has sought Rs 10 crore from the Centre to provide assistance to people from the neighbouring state, who took shelter in Mizoram due to the ethnic violence in their state. "It is very unfortunate that the Centre is unable to release Rs 10 crore as humanitarian assistance towards the IDPs from Manipur till today," Lalchamliana told PTI. He said that Chief Minister Zoramthanga had written to both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking relief to the tune of Rs.10 crore for the displaced people in May. A state delegation led by Tourism Minister Robert Romawia Royte and other officials, including Home Commissioner and Secretary H Lalenmawia had also met Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on the issue last month, he ...

IPA inks MoU with Centre to work in area of water conservation, others

Indian Plumbing Association (IPA) will work with the government to sensitise public against water wastage, promote adoption of water saving gadgets and reclamation of used water under an agreement. In a statement on Monday, the industry body said it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with National Water Mission (NWM), Ministry of Jal Shakti to work on various parameters to minimize water wastage , and its re-usage in India. NWM is one of the eight missions of the government launched under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) for combating the threats of global warming, IPA said. Some of the objectives of the pact are "to impart and promote public education, awareness and outreach programmes and water stewardship. The focus will be on the circular economy of water including grey water use (5Rs: reduce,recycle,reuse,replenish and respect) in the built environment." Also to share knowledge-based information on water conservation and water use efficiency, ...

Situation allowed to fester: Sachin Pilot slams Centre on Manipur violence

Slamming the BJP-led Centre over its handling of violence-hit Manipur, Congress leader Sachin Pilot has alleged that such a situation was "allowed to fester" in the state and asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not holding a "genuine" all-party meeting on it. He also hit out at Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, saying that he had lost the moral and political right to govern the state. "A small state like Manipur which deserved to be handled with care, with empathy and compassion, there is no accountability, so many people have lost their lives. The government has lost the moral authority to govern, and no one is responsible, nobody in the state, nobody in the ruling party, nobody in Delhi is answering questions," Pilot said. "Mr. Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur to meet people. It was an effort, not a political effort to get brownie points for anything, but to make sure people feel that despite religious divisions and societal divisions, there are people who want to go and he

Centre holds outreach programme with pensioners' association: DoPPW

Senior officials of the Department of Pension & Pensioners' Welfare (DoPPW) under the Union Personnel Ministry has conducted an outreach programme with a pensioners' association here aimed at enhancing their ease of living, according to an official statement issued on Saturday. The DoPPW has been holding awareness programmes for pensioners in online mode as well as through interactive meetings to dispense information and also to understand issues faced by pensioners as well as dwell on any suggestions forwarded by them. As part of the outreach programme of DoPPW, meetings are held with these associations, online as well as physically, at regular intervals, said the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry. One such meeting was held with Bharat Pensioners' Samaj, a registered pensioners' association, for which V Srinivas, Secretary (DoPPW), Sanjiv Narain Mathur, Additional Secretary, DoPPW and other officials from the department visited the association's office at Jangpura, Delhi

Centre calls all-party meet on Jul19 ahead of Parliament's Monsoon session

The government has called the customary all-party meeting on July 19 ahead of Parliament's Monsoon session, official sources said on Thursday. The session, which begins from July 20, is set to be stormy with the opposition expected to target the government over a host of issues, including the ethnic clashes in Manipur and the recent train accident in Odisha. The government calls an all-party meeting usually on the eve of every session's beginning. The BJP and the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by it is also expected to meet before the session to finalise its strategy to take on the opposition and score political points ahead of some crucial state assembly polls. BJP sources said the party is working to draw more parties into the NDA to counter opposition parties, around 15 of which met in Patna recently to forge unity ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. While the Congress and several regional parties have been in talks to join hands to take on the BJP, the ruling

Centre calls for all-party meeting on July 19 ahead of monsoon session

"I appeal to all parties to contribute constructively to the legislative and other business of Parliament during the session," the union minister said

Ingka Centre to open its first India retail centre in Gurugram in 2025

Ingka Centres, part of Ikea's retail operator Ingka Group, on Wednesday said it would open its first retail centre in India in late 2025. The centre named 'Lykli' will be opened in Gurugram, Haryana. The company is investing 400 million euros (around Rs 3,500 crore) in the Gurugram project. It is also planning a similar centre in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. "The first assets to bear the bright and lively new brand will be Lykli Gurugram meeting place in Delhi NCR, scheduled to open in late 2025," Ingka Centres said a statement. The name Lykli comes from 'lycklig', a Swedish word for 'happy' and it was chosen by its future customers in India. "Ingka Centres invited people to share their feelings around several potential names, and they were instinctively drawn to happiness, vibrancy and liveliness embodied by 'Lykli'," it added. Ingka Centres offers shopping place, office space, food and beverage outlets and social activities collaborating with local community. The meeting place will b

Govt brings Rs 5,000 cr scheme for modernisation of fire services in states

The Centre has launched a scheme for the modernisation of fire services in all states with a total outlay of Rs 5,000 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund. According to an official statement, a letter in this regard has been sent to the chief secretaries and heads of fire services of the states. To seek funds under the scheme, the state governments shall have to contribute 25 per cent (except for Northeastern and Himalayan states which shall contribute 10 per cent) of the total cost of the projects from their budgetary resources, it said. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has launched the scheme for the expansion and modernisation of fire services in states from the earmarked allocation of preparedness and capacity building funding window under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), it said. It aims to strengthen fire services in the states with a total outlay of Rs 5,000 crore, the statement said. An amount of Rs 500 crore, out of the total outlay, has been kept

SC orders deferment of oath taking of chairperson designate of DERC

The Supreme Court Tuesday ordered deferment of the oath taking of Justice (retd) Umesh Kumar as the chairperson of the DERC and said it will examine the constitutional validity of a provision of the Centre's recent ordinance governing appointments such as that of the chief of the national capital's electricity regulatory authority. It also took on record the Delhi government's statement about deferring the oath taking ceremony of Justice Kumar, whose appointment has become yet another flashpoint in the turf war between the city's AAP government and the Centre. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha said it wanted to deal with the plea challenging the Centre's notification appointing Justice Kumar as the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) chairperson in a "non-controversial" manner on July 11 and so the administration of oath to him be deferred. Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, senior counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner (Delhi government) ..

Centre to double turnover of automobile industry to Rs 15 trillion: Gadkari

The government intends to double the turnover of the automobile industry to Rs 15 lakh crore from Rs 7.5 lakh crore at present, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Tuesday. Speaking at a public meeting in Rajasthan's Pratapgarh district to highlight achievements of the central government in the last nine years, Gadkari also targeted Congress saying that in the name of removing poverty, Congress leaders eliminated their own poverty. "The turnover of the automobile industry is Rs 7.55 lakh crore, and four and a half crores have got jobs in the sector. This industry gives maximum GST to the government. We have decided that we will make this industry of Rs 15 lakh crore," he said, adding that the industry will generate ten crore jobs. He also said that India has beaten Japan in automobile manufacturing and has come in number 3 position globally after China and the US. Laying emphasis on the importance of education, he said, "Knowledge is a great power,

To end tomato price jumps, India needs more than stop-gap solutions

The government has said that the price rise is temporary and would cool down in 15-30 days

SC issues notice to Centre over provisions of insolvency & bankruptcy code

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a batch of petitions challenging various provisions of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) over claims that they are violative of fundamental rights like the right to equality of those against whom insolvency proceedings have been initiated. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices P S Narasimha and Manoj Misra issued notices to the Centre and others on as many as three petitions and ordered the pleas to be tagged with a pending petition on the issue. One of the petitions, which was taken up for hearing on Monday, was filed by R Shah, through advocate Anne Mathew, challenging the constitutional validity of sections 95(1), 96(1), 97(5), 99(1), 99(2), 99(4), 99(5), 99(6) and 100 of the Code. These provisions deal with the various stages of insolvency proceedings against a defaulting firm or individuals. The Impugned Provisions are inherently violative of the principle of natural justice and strike at the root of th

U'khand CM seeks Rs 1,774 cr from Centre for drinking water project

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday sought a financial assistance of Rs 1,774 crore from the Centre for the Song dam drinking water project. Dhami met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi and requested her that the amount be given to the state under special assistance from the Government of India. The total cost of the proposed project is Rs 2,021 crore. To be built over the Song river, a tributary of the Ganga, the project will make 150 MLD (millions of litres per day) drinking water available to about 10 lakh people of Dehradun and its suburban areas, Dhami said. The chief minister also requested the Union Finance Minister to remove the ceiling imposed on the loan amount of externally-aided projects in view of the special circumstances and limited financial resources of Uttarakhand. After the construction of the project, the dependence on tube wells for drinking water system will almost end, he said. Besides, a lake of about 3.50 km length

Centre's help needed for projects to check sea erosion: Karnataka minister

The Union government should provide assistance to the state in taking up permanent projects to check sea erosion at different places along the 320-km coastal line of Karnataka, state Minister for Fisheries, Ports and Inland Water Transport Mankala S Vaidya has said. Talking to reporters after visiting the Kodi Kanyana fisheries port in Udupi district on Sunday, he said the state government is doing its best by taking temporary measures to prevent sea erosion. However, a permanent should be found by taking up projects in a phased manner with the support of the Union government, Vaidya said. He said the problems being faced by fishermen in Bengre, Kodi Kanyana and Hangarakatte will be solved jointly by the Fisheries and Port departments. The jetty project at Kodi Kanyana will be taken up soon. Former minister Jayaprakash Hegde and leaders of fishermen groups accompanied Vaidya during the visit.

MP High Court requests Centre to reduce women's consent age to 16 from 18

The Gwalior bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has requested the Centre to reduce the consent age of females to 16, observing that the present age of 18 has disturbed the fabric of society as injustice is going on with adolescent boys. The court's request came on June 27 through an order quashing a First Information Report (FIR) against a man who was accused of repeatedly raping a minor girl and impregnating her in 2020. Nowadays, every male or female near the age of 14 years, due to social media awareness and easily accessible internet connectivity, is getting puberty at an early age, the judge said. The court said boys and girls get attracted to each other owing to early puberty, which is ultimately resulting in consensual physical relationships, read the order. 'I request the Government of India to think over the matter for reducing the age of prosecutrix (female complainant) from 18 to 16 years as earlier before (IPC) amendments (were made) so that injustice should be redressed

Union min releases postal cover commemorating 9 yrs of T'gana formation

Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy has unveiled a postal cover on '9 Years of Telangana Statehood' and picture post cards showcasing 'Buddhist Heritage in Telangana Bavapur Kurru' here. Speaking on the occasion, Reddy lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision and new initiatives that have helped transform India Post into a Multi Service Agency providing services to the citizens "on value-for-money basis". In an official release on Friday, he said by utilising the services of postal department as last mile connectivity, the central government is planning to make the Department of Post as One Stop Solution for all services of the schemes so that the fruits of welfare programmes reached the citizens in the remotest areas of the country. Praising the postal department, the union minister said it has transformed itself from delivery of articles to rendering various welfare schemes and has become the most crucial part of the Centre and the welfare programmes introduced by it.

Centre asks states to promote organic farming, stop urea diversion

Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday urged states to promote organic farming for preservation of soil health and make efforts to reduce use of chemical fertilisers. The minister also asked states to take up effective steps to curtail diversion of urea meant for agriculture and farmers, to other sectors, according to an official statement. Mandaviya said this while virtually interacting with agriculture ministers of states and Union Territories on the recent decisions made by the Cabinet regarding fertiliser sector. On June 28, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a new scheme, PM-PRANAM to incentivise states to promote alternative fertilisers and reduce the use of chemical fertilisers and also decided to continue the current urea subsidy scheme for three years ending March 2025, with an outlay of Rs 3.68 lakh crore. That apart, CCEA approved an outlay of Rs 1,451 crore subsidy to promote organic manure, taking the total package t

CERT-In cyber security norms bar use of Anydesk, Teamviewer by govt dept

Cyber security watchdog CERTin has barred the use of remote desktop softwares like Anydesk and Teamviewer in the government department under new security guidelines released on Friday. The guidelines prescribe government departments use virtual private networks (VPN) for accessing network resources from remote locations and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for VPN accounts. "Ensure to block access to any remote desktop applications, such as Anydesk, Teamviewer, Ammyy admin etc," Guidelines on Information Security Practices for Government Entities said. CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team ) said the purpose of these guidelines is to establish a prioritised baseline for cyber security measures and controls within government organisations and their associated organisations. Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar in an official statement said the government has taken several initiatives to ensure an open, safe and trusted and accountable digi