Page 6 - Centre

Kerala seeks Rs 24,000 crore special financial package from Centre

Kerala has sought a Rs 24,000 crore special financial package from the Centre, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. He also said that Andhra Pradesh has sought Rs 15,000 crore for developing state capital Amravati and Rs 17,144.06 crore for various sectors, including Polavaram irrigation projects. In addition, he said Bihar has also requested for about Rs 785 crore for various projects. "A letter dated 27th June 2024 was received from the Finance Minister of Kerala in which the State Government of Kerala has requested for a special financial package of Rs 24,000 crore for the state," the minister said. In addition, a request for a special capital investment support of Rs 5,000 crore was also made for developing the Vizhinjam Port region in Kerala. Chaudhary further said request has also been received from Andhra Pradesh for financial support for various sectors, including Polavaram irrigation projects (Rs 17,144.06 crore

Govt considering potato imports from Bhutan amid rising prices, lower yield

The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare's first advance estimate indicates that potato production is projected to be around 58.99 million tonnes this year

White category industries may skip pollution permits: Environment Ministry

The ministry has suggested eliminating 'consent to establish' (CTE) and 'consent to operate' (CTO) for industries classified under the non-polluting 'white category'

Centre denying special status for Bihar evokes cryptic response from Nitish

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday came out with a cryptic response to the Centre's refusal to grant special category status to the state. Kumar, whose JD (U) is a key ally of the ruling NDA at the Centre, was asked about the Union government's statement in Parliament the day before. "You will get to know all things slowly, and slowly (sab kuchh dhire dhire jaan jaaiyega)," the longest-serving CM of the state said, in reply to a volley of questions he faced from journalists at the Bihar Assembly. Flashing his trademark smile of ambiguity, the veteran leader rushed inside the House, waving at the posse of journalists that stood trying to read his impregnable mind. Notably, after the Lok Sabha polls in which the BJP fell short of majority, becoming heavily dependent on allies, the JD (U) had held a national executive meeting where a resolution was passed raising a fresh demand for special status. Leaders of the JD (U), which has two ministers in the Union government, insis

Budget 2024: FM's speech sparks praise for employment scheme, angel tax cut

Budget 2024: Industry experts react to Finance Minister's announcement of three employment-linked incentive schemes, abolition of angel tax, among others

Going to be a milestone Budget of Amrit Kaal, says PM Narendra Modi

Modi hits out at Opposition over protests during the special session

Centre denies Bihar's 'special category' status; no new designation allowed

The Centre said that no new states are being awarded 'special category' status at present, as the Indian Constitution does not accommodate such classification

Govt buys onions at 74% higher prices in Maharashtra ahead of state polls

In 2023, the average rate at which the Centre procured onions from Maharashtra was Rs 16.93 per kg. This year, it is procuring at around Rs 29.5 per kg via direct benefit transfer

NEET-UG 2024 row: Evidence shows that question paper was leaked, says SC

The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, said that it is assessing the character of the leak, rather than confirming its occurrence

Centre initiates action against Kolkata CP, DCP for 'maligning' Raj Bhavan

The Union Home Ministry has initiated disciplinary action against Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and a DCP for allegedly maligning the office of the West Bengal Governor by promoting and spreading canards, a central government official said. The Union ministry action came after West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose submitted a report to it regarding Goyal and Kolkata Police Deputy Commissioner (DCP) Central Indira Mukherjee, alleging that they were "functioning in a manner which is completely unbecoming of a public servant", he said. Bose, in his report, submitted to the Home Minister in the last week of June, has highlighted the issues of Kolkata Police officers not allowing the victims of post-poll violence to meet him despite him giving them the requisite permission, he said. "The Union Home Ministry has initiated disciplinary action against IPS officers based on a detailed report submitted by Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose," the official told PTI. The copies of the lett

NEET-PG 2024 exam: Question papers to be prepared two hours before exam

Originally scheduled for June 23, the NEET-PG exam was postponed just hours before its commencement due to allegations of irregularities in the undergraduate exam

'Cut, copy, paste job': Opposition attacks Centre over new criminal laws

The three new criminal laws, passed in Parliament last December, have faced intense criticism from Opposition leaders

Govt aims to make Northeast gateway of 'Act East Policy': President Murmu

The government is working to make the northeast a strategic gateway under its 'Act East Policy' and has increased the allocation for the region's development by more than four times over the last 10 years, President Droupadi Murmu said on Thursday. Addressing a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, Murmu said that for the first time, work on inland waterways has started in the northeast on a large scale and it will benefit the region immensely. "My government has increased the allocation for the development of the northeast region by more than four times over the last 10 years. The government is working to make this region a strategic gateway under its Act East Policy," she said. India's 'Act East Policy' focuses on the extended neighbourhood in the Indo-Pacific region with ASEAN as its core. The objective of the 'Act East Policy' is to promote economic cooperation, cultural ties and develop strategic relationships with countries i

Govt to meet PSBs to review financial inclusion schemes: Check details

Ahead of Budget 2024, the Finance Ministry will meet state-owned banks and financial institutions on Tuesday to assess advancements in key financial inclusion schemes. Three key schemes explained

New telecom law to come into effect from June 26: What are the changes?

The Telecommunications Act of 2023 was approved by both Houses during the Winter Session in December last year and received presidential assent in the same month

Govt employees to get six-month maternity, child care leave for surrogacy

In cases of surrogacy involving government servants, both the surrogate and the commissioning mother (with less than two surviving children) may receive 180 days of maternity leave

Quick fixes won't do: Academics urge Centre to uphold integrity of exams

As the row over irregularities in competitive exams continues to rage, several academicians on Sunday urged the Centre to preserve the integrity of exams and stressed that overnight solutions are not possible in such complex cases. Facing flak over alleged discrepancies in competitive exams, the Centre on Saturday shunted out National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Singh and handed over the probe into irregularities in medical entrance exam NEET-UG to the CBI. The Education Ministry also set up a seven-member panel headed by former ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan to review the agency's functioning and recommend exam reforms. It postponed the NEET-PG entrance, the fourth entrance exam to be impacted in recent days. The academics said that removal of National Testing Agency chief and ordering CBI probe into the NEET irregularities will build trust among students. "Since this is an issue which impacts lakhs of students, a thorough investigation into the irregularities is ...

'Reach office by 9:15 am or lose half-day leave': Centre warns employees

The Centre has issued a circular instructing employees nationwide to record their attendance using the Aadhaar-enabled biometric system

ADB approves $170 million loan to strengthen health sector in India

The $170 million policy-based loan will help in the implementation of the government's National Health Policy 2017

Banks struggle with ATM shortage as 'Make in India' policy disrupt supply

The initial cause of low number of ATMS across India is linked to the "Make in India" guidelines introduced in FY20, which required vendors to establish operations in India, leading to a delay