Page 36 - Centre

States to establish 100 food streets across 100 districts: Centre

The Union Health Ministry, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has written to the states and Union Territories to develop 100 food streets in 100 districts across the country. The initiative is being taken up as a pilot project to create an example for other such streets to come up across the country to ensure safe and hygienic food practices. The project aims to encourage safe and healthy practices among food businesses and community members, thus reducing foodborne illnesses and improving overall health outcomes, the Union Health Ministry said in a statement. In a letter to the states, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Manoj Joshi highlighted that "easy access to safe and hygienic food is vital for the good health of citizens". "Safe food practices not only promote the 'eat right campaign' and food safety but will improve hygiene credibility of local food businesses, boost local employment,

Centre to enable Aadhaar authentication by entities other than govt depts

The Ministry for Electronics and IT proposes to amend the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Rules, 2020 for this purpose

Centre stalling govt recruitments in Delhi, says Saurabh Bharadwaj

Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Wednesday accused the Centre of stalling government recruitments in the national capital for the last nine years. Bharadwaj's remarks came after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena handed over appointment letters to nearly 1,500 newly recruited Delhi government employees, including 324 school principals and 500 fire fighters. Raj Niwas officials rubbished the charges, saying that the AAP dispensation never put up demands for filling up vacancies. "The Education Department or any other department of GNCTD never ever put up demands for filling vacancies despite huge, glaring and long pending vacancies. They always preferred ad hocism aimed at favouritism by appointing thousands of employees on contract, in gross violation of procedures, manuals and court orders," a Raj Niwas official said. However, Bharadwaj, who is also the Services Minister, said the officers of the Services Department have on several occasions straight up refused to place on record t

Include provisions to protect rights of outsourced staff: Govt to states

The Centre has asked states to incorporate certain provisions in the contracts of outsourced workers to protect their rights amid concerns about underpayment of wages and other benefits. The Ministry of Labour and Employment recently incorporated six statutory obligations on GeM (Government e Marketing) portal in the contract of hiring manpower through outsourcing agencies in Government of India offices in order to protect the interest of the contractual workers, a labour ministry statement said. Of late in a letter addressed to Chief Secretaries/Administrators of all States/UTs, Union Labour Secretary Arti Ahuja has expressed concern about the underpayment of contractual workers engaged in State/UT offices through outsourcing agencies due to unauthorized deduction in wages of such workers made by the manpower hiring agencies. Further, she also expressed concern of the delayed payment of monthly wages to such workers by the agencies and low deposit of EPF (Employees Provident Fund

Same-sex marriage: Centre files fresh affidavit in SC, seeks states' views

Centre has said that the matter falls within the legislative domain, and thus views of all states and UTs are also necessary

NHRC notices to govt on deaths of inmates at pvt drug de-addiction centres

The NHRC has issued notices to the Centre, states and the Union territories over reported deaths of inmates due to "torture" at private drug de-addiction centres, the rights panel said on Tuesday. It has sought reports within four weeks on de-addiction centres presently available with the government sectors and if there are any rules or regulations framed under the NDPS Act to regulate the centres, besides other information. Reportedly, a 24-year-old man was beaten to death by the people running a de-addiction centre in Chandramani area of Dehradun, Uttarakhand on April 10, the National Human Rights Commission said in a statement. Prior to this, the Commission had taken suo motu cognisance of two similar incidents at de-addiction centres in Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, and the reports have been sought, it said. The NHRC has "taken suo motu cognisance of a media report of yet another death of an inmate at a private drug de-addiction centre - which is the third such incident

Centre launches scheme to promote tribal products of Northeastern region

Union Minister Arjun Munda said that through TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation), the scheme aims to empower individuals to become self-employed and self-reliant

Bilkis case: Govt may seek review of order on production of remission files

The Centre and the Gujarat government on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that they may file a plea seeking a review of its March 27 order asking them to be ready with original files on the grant of remission to the convicts in the Bilkis Bano case. A bench of Justices K M Joseph and B V Nagarathna questioned the paroles granted to 11 convicts during their incarceration period and said the gravity of the offence could have been considered by the state. It said, "A pregnant woman was gang-raped and several people were killed. You cannot compare victim's case with standard section 302 (murder) cases. Like you cannot compare apples with oranges, similarly massacre cannot be compared with single murder. Crimes are generally committed against society and the community. Unequals cannot be treated equally." "The question is whether government applied its mind and what material formed the basis of its decision to grant remission," the bench said, adding, Today it is Bilkis but tomorrow it can

As mercury soars, Centre issues guidelines for workers during hot summers

Amid the intense heatwave that many areas across the country are grappling with, the government has issued a health advisory for the workers to keep themselves protected in this scorching heat

Hear objection on pleas seeking validation of same-sex marriages: Centre

The Supreme Court on Tuesday began hearing arguments on a batch of pleas seeking legal validation for same-sex marriages, with the Centre insisting its preliminary objection on whether the court can at all go into this question or it would be essentially for the parliament to go into it be heard first. A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud told Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, that the nature and tenability of the preliminary objection will depend on the canvass the petitioners open up and the court wants to have a view of their argument. Mehta told the bench, also comprising Justices S K Kaul, S R Bhat, Hima Kohli and P S Narasimha, the petitioners can advance their submissions on what they want and also an overview confined to the preliminary objection raised by him. "I am sorry Mr solicitor, we are in charge, the CJI told Mehta, adding the court will hear the petitioners' side first. "You cannot dictate how we will

Delhi HC asks Centre to respond to plea for linking property with Aadhaar

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the Centre to file reply on a plea seeking linking of immovable and movable property documents of citizens with their Aadhaar numbers to curb corruption, black money generation, and 'benami' transactions. A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Yashwant Varma granted four weeks to the ministries of Finance, Law, Housing and Urban Affairs and Rural Development to file their responses to the petition. The bench, which orally observed that it a good matter and let replies come, listed the matter for further hearing on July 18. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma along with Central government standing counsel Manish Mohan, representing the Centre, termed the issue as an important one. Petitioner and lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay said it is the duty of the state to take appropriate steps to curb corruption and seize 'benami' properties amassed by illegal means to give a strong message that the government is ...

Delhi CM Kejriwal claims Centre targeting him for public welfare schemes

A day after he was questioned by the CBI in the excise policy case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday accused the Centre of targeting him and his government for providing several welfare schemes, including free electricity and good health facilities, to the people of the capital. Speaking at the one-day session of the Assembly, Kejriwal again questioned the education qualification of the prime minister without naming him. The session passed a resolution attacking the prime minister and the BJP. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have long tried to contain the fast rise and expansion of the Aam Aadmi Party and growing popularity of its national convener Arvind Kejriwal," the resolution stated. Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena had earlier flagged "procedural lapses" in calling of the session in a note to the chief minister and suggested against doing so. During his speech, Kejriwal alleged that demonetisation was implemented to end corruption and terrorism, but the .

Fill vacancy in National Commission for Scheduled Castes expeditiously: SC

The Supreme Court has directed the Centre to ensure that vacancy in the National Commission for Scheduled Castes is filled on an expeditious basis. A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala noted the submission of the Centre that there is one vacancy in the Commission. "The Union of India shall take appropriate steps to ensure that the composition of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes is completed on an expeditious basis," the bench said. The top court was hearing a plea filed by Ambedkar Association for Development seeking to fill appointments to the post of Chairperson/Vice-Chairperson and Member of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes within a stipulated period. BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Sampla is the chairperson of the Commission. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes is an Indian constitutional body established with a view to provide safeguards against the exploitation of Schedule

CBI summon was a conspiracy to arrest CM Arvind Kejriwal, says AAP MP

The AAP on Friday alleged that the CBI summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as he spoke about the Adani issue and asserted that such notices will not deter their fight against corruption. Addressing a press conference, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the CBI summon was a conspiracy to arrest CM Kejriwal. The CBI has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the excise policy scam case on April 16, officials said on Friday. Kejriwal has been asked to be present at the agency headquarters at 11 AM to answer queries of the investigating team, they said. "Delhi chief minister had spoken about the Adani issue in Delhi Vidhan Sabha. That same day, I had told him that you will be next. Narendra Modi-led Centre is corrupt from head to toe and Kejriwal's fight against corruption won't stop due to such notices," Singh said. The senior leader said Kejriwal will appear before CBI on April 16. "This notice is a conspiracy to arrest CM Kejriwal. This notice

Will not beg in front of Centre for clearance of Bengal's dues: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that the Centre's huge dues to the state will not be released till 2024, but asserted she would not beg in front of the Union government for clearance of the amount. "We have a lot of dues, which are yet to be released by Delhi. I have heard that funds will not be released till 2024. But, despite that I will not beg in front of them. I will try to move forward with the blessings of people," she said. The CM was speaking at the inauguration of the Dhanadhanyo' auditorium, a modern Rs 440-crore indoor facility in the southern part of the city's Alipore area. Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have been pressing for the immediate release of dues to the state under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and other centrally sponsored projects. She had recently taken part in a two-day demonstration here, demanding the central government release the dues. TMC national general secretary Abhishek

Would rather beg to common people than Centre for funds: Mamata Banerjee

Banerjee said that although recently the Union government has released some funds under different centrally-sponsored projects, the released funds are negligible compared to the requirement

Centre appoints nodal officers for 150 water stressed districts: Officials

The Centre has appointed nodal officers for 150 water stressed districts across the country to take stock of the work under the 'catch the rain' programme, officials said on Thursday. These officers would visit respective districts coordinating implementation of various rain water harvesting, conservation measures and source sustainability aspects, etc., they said citing an official order in this regard. Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain (JSA:CTR) - 2023 with the theme "source sustainability for drinking water" was launched by President Droupadi Murmu on March 4. In this regard, officers of the government of India are hereby appointed as Central Nodal Officers (CNOs) for the identified 150 water stressed districts to take stock of the progress of the works under JSA:CTR-2023 with the directions to visit their districts, said the order issued by the Personnel Ministry. The Central Nodal Officers will be working with a team of Technical officers (ground water scientists and engineer

Take action against traders not making disclosure of tur dal stocks: Govt

The Centre on Wednesday directed state governments to take strict action against traders, millers and importers and stockists, who have not provided full disclosure about their tur dal stocks. In a review meeting on status of stock disclosure of tur and urad with major pulses producing and consuming states, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said that the quantity of tur dal stocks disclosed as compared to its production and consumption has also been found to be "low" in certain states. While the number of entities registered in the stock disclosure portal has increased, it was observed that the actual number of stakeholders in certain states could be higher, he said in a statement. "The states were directed to conduct verification of stocks held by various entities and take strict action on undisclosed stocks under relevant sections of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and the Prevention of Blackmarketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980,"

Odisha seeks 50,000 vaccines from Centre as Covid cases rise: Official

With more than 100 cases of coronavirus being reported in Odisha for four days now, the state government Tuesday requested the Centre for at least an additional 50,000 doses of vaccine in the first phase to cover people who have not received the booster dose yet, an official said. The state director of family welfare Bijay Panigrahi, who is also its nodal officer for immunization, has in his letter to the ministry of health and family welfare sought CorBEvax vaccine for Odisha. Presently there is a rise in Covid cases in Odisha. Also there is a demand from public for precaution dose vaccination at government facilities, Panigrahi said in the letter. The state does not have any vaccine left since February this, he wrote and requested for at least 50,000 doses of CorBEvax vaccine with long expiry as early as possible. The state on Tuesday reported 141 fresh infections and the number of active cases in the state has increased to 731. It has been reporting more than 100 new cases for

New data protection bill to be introduced in Monsoon session: Centre to SC

The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that a new data protection bill is ready and will be introduced in the Monsoon session of Parliament. Attorney General R Venkatramani told a Constitution bench headed by Justice KM Joseph that the bill is ready. The bench also comprising justices Ajay Rastogi, Aniruddha Bose, Hrishikesh Roy, and C T Ravikumar took note of the submission. They directed that the matter be placed before Chief Justice DY Chandrachud so that a new bench can be constituted as Justice Joseph is set to retire on June 16. The matter has been posted for hearing in the first week of August 2023. Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that the court should not link the court hearings to the legislative process. The legislative process is complex and it may be again referred to some committees, he said. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by two students -- Karmanya Singh Sareen and Shreya Sethi -- challenging the contract entere