Page 29 - Centre

Govt extends relaxations for central ministries on capital expenditure

In order to push capital expenditure by central ministries, the Finance Ministry on Friday extended the relaxed norms on capex in excess of Rs 500 crore to the second quarter of this fiscal. As per the office memorandum dated April 25, 2023, the finance ministry had removed all restrictions and conditions on capital expenditure by ministries, under the centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) and grants-in-aid for the creation of capital assets for the first quarter of the current financial year. It has been decided to continue relaxation for the second quarter of the current financial year, the finance ministry said on Friday. "For subsequent quarters, a separate advisory will be issued before the commencement of the quarter. It further reiterated that the relaxation will be subject to strict adherence to the Single Nodal Agency (SNA) and Central Nodal Agency (CNA) guidelines issued by the Department of Expenditure," it said. Usually, ministries and departments are allowed to spend 25 pe

Centre re-appoints Tushar Mehta as Solicitor General for three years

Senior advocate Tushar Mehta was re-appointed as the Solicitor General of India on Friday for a term of three years. Mehta was appointed as Solicitor General on October 10, 2018 and since then he had been granted extension twice. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, besides Mehta, six Additional Solicitors General for the Supreme Court were also re-appointed for a period of three years. Six ASGs who were re-appointed for the top court are Vikramjit Banerjee, K M Nataraj, Balbir Singh, S V Raju, N Venkataraman and Aishwarya Bhati. The names of Additional Solicitors General Madhavi Goradia Divan and Sanjay Jain, whose tenure came to end on Friday, did not feature in the list of re-appointed law officers. Additional Solicitor General Jayant K Sud, whose tenure came to end on Thursday, also did not feature in the list. Additional Solicitors General Chetan Sharma for Delhi High Court, Satya Pal Jain for Punjab and Haryana High Court, Devang Girish

Govt to construct Rs 4,500-cr National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal

National Maritime Heritage Complex is expected to boost tourism in the region and contribute to economic development, the ministry said

Consumer affairs dept asks online platforms to not use 'dark patterns'

The Consumer Affairs dept advised online platform to not engage in 'unfair trade practices' by incorporating dark patterns in their online interface to manipulate consumer choice

Karnataka High Court rejects Twitter plea against govt blocking orders

'You are not a farmer but a billon-dollar company': Karnataka High Court tells platform for not complying with centre's orders

Centre unlikely to launch PLI schemes for new sectors this year: Report

The proposed changes to the PLI schemes will allow new players to benefit from the incentives, sources said

Centre prohibits import of cigarette lighters priced less than Rs 20

The government on Thursday prohibited imports of cigarette lighters if the price per unit is less than Rs 20, with a view to discourage inbound shipments of the product. "The import policy of cigarette lighters...is revised from 'free' to 'prohibited'. However, import shall be free if CIF value is Rs 20 or above per lighter," the directorate general of foreign trade (DGFT) said in a notification. CIF value (cost, insurance, and freight) is a trade term used in international commerce to determine the total value of goods being imported. The prohibition has been imposed on pocket lighters, gas fuelled, non-refillable or refillable. Imports of pocket lighters, gas fuelled, non-refillable stood at USD 0.66 million in 2022-23. It was USD 0.13 million in April this fiscal. Similarly, the inbound shipments of pocket lighters, gas fuelled, and refillable, stood at USD 8.87 million in 2022-23 against USD 7 million in 2021-22. It was USD 0.96 million in April of this fiscal. These are impo

Aadhaar-based face authentication crosses all time high of 10.6 mn in May

The number of face authentication transactions is on an upward trajectory, and the monthly numbers clocked in May is an increase of 38 per cent

Tax hike on international transactions to come into effect from Oct 1

No change in rate of TCS for all purposes under LRS and for overseas travel tour packages, regardless of mode of payment, for amounts up to Rs 7 lakh per individual per annum

India eyes cap on state transmission charges on green power purchase

Industrial and commercial consumers across the country have complained about various transmission charges levied by states on power purchase leading to higher costs

Centre to conduct 12 national good governance webinars for officials

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances will hold webinars with district collectors and other officers on good governance initiatives that won the prime minister's awards for excellence in public administration with the objective of greater dissemination and replication. In pursuance of the directions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the DARPG under the Personnel Ministry will conduct 12 National Good Governance webinars in 2023-24, an official statement issued on Wednesday said. The prime minister has directed the DARPG to hold virtual conferences/ webinars with district collectors and other officers to which past award winners of the PM's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration will be invited, it said. The webinars are to be held on the last Friday of every month, it said. The National Good Governance Webinar for June 2023 will be held on Friday on the theme Samagra Shiksha", the order said. The speakers would be the district collectors of ...

Centre hikes sugarcane FRP by Rs 10 per quintal for 2023-24 season

According to the Sugarcane (Control) Order of 1966, FRP is the minimum price that sugar mills have to pay to sugarcane farmers

Centre announces '5G & Beyond Hackathon 2023'; applications process starts

Hundred winners of the hackathon will share a total prize pool of Rs one crore, and the unique opportunity to scale and implement their 5G products/solutions

Govt plans Rs 17,000 cr scheme for green hydrogen production: MNRE secy

The government has planned over Rs 17,000 crore in incentives to promote the manufacturing of electrolyzers and green hydrogen in the country, MNRE Secretary Bhupinder Singh Bhalla said on Wednesday. The draft of the incentive scheme for electrolyzer manufacturing and a part of the incentive scheme for the production of green hydrogen have been finalized and will be rolled out soon. The incentives will be provided under a scheme and the draft of the same has been prepared, Bhalla said. The move will result in demand creation for the clean energy source, the official said. The government is already working with respective ministries to promote green hydrogen. The Ministry is also working on provision of incentives for electrolyzer manufacturing and for production of green hydrogen, Bhalla said. The MNRE Secretary said that "the draft of the incentive scheme for electrolyzer manufacturing and part of the incentive scheme for the production of green hydrogen have been finalized and w

Govt makes draft rules to incentivise voluntary environmental actions

The government has come out with the draft Green Credit Programme Implementation Rules 2023 for incentivising voluntary environmental actions of various stakeholders. According to a notification issued by the Environment Ministry, the Green Credit programme encourages private sector industries and companies as well as other entities to meet their existing obligations, stemming from other legal frameworks, by taking actions which are able to converge with activities relevant for generating or buying Green Credits. The main objectives of the Green Credit Programme are to create a market based mechanism for providing incentives in the form of Green Credits to individuals, farmer producer organisations, cooperatives, forestry enterprises, sustainable agriculture enterprises, urban and rural local bodies, private sectors, industries and organisations for environment positive actions. The programme also envisages to create a mass movement around environment positive actions and realise th

Govt seeks industry feedback on PLI scheme to enhance effectiveness

The government has sought feedback from the industry on the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme with a view to enhancing its effectiveness, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday. The commerce and industry ministry, which coordinates the scheme, also urged PLI beneficiaries to take up any procedural challenges/ issues with the respective implementing ministry or department so that positive reforms can be brought about and the scheme can be made more efficient and effective. Issues pertaining to the scheme were discussed in a workshop called by the Commerce and Industry Ministry on June 27 here. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal stated that the government is committed to fostering a conducive business environment and accelerating growth in PLI sectors. "The minister encouraged industry's feedback and collaborative engagement to shape the policies, procedures and effectiveness of the PLI scheme," the ministry said in a statement. The government announc

Cong questions pricing of predator drone deal with US, seeks transparency

The Congress on Wednesday demanded complete transparency in the multi-crore India-US drone deal, while alleging that the 31 MQ-9B Predator UAV drones were being procured for a higher price. Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said at a press conference that national security was paramount and that several doubts were being raised on the predator drone deal. "The Modi government is known to jeopardise national interests and the people of India have witnessed the same in the Rafale deal, where the Modi government bought only 36 Rafale jets instead of 126. We also saw how HAL was denied transfer of technology. We also saw how several unilateral decisions were made, despite widespread objections from the Defence Acquisition Committee and the Armed Forces. The Rafale 'scam' is still under scrutiny in France," he charged. "We demand complete transparency in this Predator Drone deal. India needs answers to the crucial questions. Otherwise, we will be trapped in another 'scam' under the Modi

Centre assures PLI scheme beneficiaries to resolve any issues they face

The government on Tuesday assured beneficiaries of the Production Linked Incentive scheme to resolve their issues, if any so that they can avail the PLI benefits on time, an official said. Certain technical issues were flagged by industry players during a workshop held by the commerce and industry ministry on the PLI schemes. The objective of the workshop was to take stock of the progress and success stories of each scheme, which was rolled out for as many as 14 sectors, the official said. Besides, the ministry also sought feedback and suggestions from the beneficiaries and views from industry associations. The meeting was chaired by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The government announced the PLI (production-linked incentive) scheme in 2021 for as many as 14 sectors, such as telecommunication, white goods, textiles and pharma with an outlay of Rs 1.97 lakh crore. The government has disbursed only Rs 2,900 crore till March 2023, out of Rs 3,400 crore claims received.

Govt to launch challenge to get ideas to tackle sudden spike/fall in prices

To tackle a sudden spike or fall in the prices of tomatoes, the Consumer Affairs Ministry will launch on June 20 a grand challenge, inviting innovative ideas for improving the production, processing and storage of the commodity. "We will launch the Tomato Grand Challenge this week. We will invite innovative ideas, create prototypes, and then scale up as we did in the case of Onion," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh told PTI. The Grand Challenge aims to bring innovative, modular, and cost-effective solutions to develop "technologies for pre-production; primary processing, post-harvest, storage and valorisation of tomato" at the farm, rural and urban levels, he said. The purpose is to come out with a comprehensive strategic solution for reducing the loss while imparting value addition. "We have done in onion in the last one year. We received 600-odd ideas for Onion, out of which 13 ideas are now mentored under the guidance of experts," Kumar said. In the case of tomato,

Centre approves mass promotion of 1,592 assistant section officers

The Centre has approved the mass promotion of 1,592 assistant section officers to the post of section officers with immediate effect, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday. He said that the promotion orders will be issued soon by the respective cadre controlling authorities. Government has been granting mass promotions to employees to motivate them and overcome the problem of long stagnation. Another 2,000 promotions in ASO and other grades are in process and hopefully, they will get promoted by this year's end," said Singh, the minister of state for personnel. The move assumes significance as the Central Secretariat Service (CSS) officers' association had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to ensure the promotion of ASOs to the grade of Section Officers. "The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, has approved the mass promotion of 1,592 officials working in the capacity of ASOs to the post of section officers on a