Page 30 - Centre

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

'Jungle raj' in Delhi, people feeling unsafe, alleges CM; Lekhi hits back

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday targeted the Centre and the Lt Governor over Delhi's law-and-order situation following a robbery inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel, claiming "jungle raj" was prevailing in a city gearing up for the G20 Summit. He asserted that if the AAP government is given the charge of law and order, it will make Delhi the "safest city" in the country. Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi hit back, claiming that Kejriwal wants control over the city's law and order "to protect his corrupt ministers and MLAs". A delivery agent and his associate were allegedly robbed of Rs 2 lakh at gunpoint by four motorcycle-borne men inside the Pragati Maidan tunnel. Five people have so far been arrested in connection with the Saturday incident. Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of an event to inaugurate new electric vehicle charging stations, Kejriwal said, "It seems that the Centre does not have a solid plan to improve the law-and-order situation in Delhi. "Some men ..

3,410 inspections of child-care homes carried out through govt's MASI app

About 3,410 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, officials said on Monday. The portal was launched in January 2021 with the first inspection in Chennai but then, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the inspections could not be carried out, a senior official said, adding that they were resumed again after the curbs were lifted. Explaining the functioning of the MASI portal, a senior official at the women and child development ministry said there was a need for a monitoring mechanism for the child-care institutions in the country and hence, the app was developed. "Through this, the children's home database has been synced with an app and the authorities in districts or child welfare committee (CWC) members are on this app.... They can choose a child home randomly on the system to ensure that the inspection of child-care homes is carried out periodically

Mizoram awaits relief package from Centre for 12,000 displaced from Manipur

Mizoram is waiting for a relief package sought from the Centre for over 12,000 internally displaced people from ethnic violence-hit Manipur, a senior home department official said on Monday. The Mizo National Front (MNF) government, headed by Chief Minister Zoramthanga, had in May sought Rs 10 crore as a relief package for those displaced people. Mizoram Home Commissioner and Secretary H Lalengmawia said that Tourism Minister Robert Romawia and some officials, including him, met the Union home secretary and the additional secretary in Delhi recently and urged him to release the package at the earliest. "Even though the response of the home secretary and the additional secretary was positive during the meeting, we have not received any word from the Centre regarding the relief package till today," he told PTI. The home department handles the displaced people from Manipur and those who had taken refuge in the state from Myanmar and Bangladesh. Lalengmawia said that the home departm