Page 8 - Centre

Centre decimated MSMEs across country, Aligarh is no exception, says Cong

Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Monday alleged that the government has "decimated" MSMEs across the country and asked why is Aligarh's 100-yr old lock industry struggling under his dispensation. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had posed questions to the prime minister ahead of his rally in Aligarh, and asked why has the BJP failed to deliver justice to the Hathras rape victim. Elaborating on what he said were "jumla details", Ramesh alleged that the decades-old lock industry in Aligarh has suffered under the Modi government. "This government has decimated MSMEs across the country, and Aligarh is no exception. When he campaigned in Aligarh in 2014, PM Modi had made small businesses the focus of his speech. Yet, 10 years later, Aligarh still does not have a government depot where lock makers can purchase raw materials at reasonable rates," he said. "Expensive and unreliable electricity supply is also a major issue, causing frequent delays in ...

Centre has eliminated terrorism, Naxalism on verge of ending: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has eliminated terrorism from the country while Naxalism is on the verge of ending. Addressing an election rally in Chhattisgarh's Kanker town, Shah also asked Naxalites to surrender, or else they would be rooted out from the state in two years. He asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that four generations of his family were in power in the country, but what they have done for the poor people in Chhattisgarh. "The Congress says the minority (community) has the first right over the country's resources of the country, but we (BJP) say the poor, adivasis, Dalits and backwards have the first right over resources of the country," Shah said. He also said that Congress leaders did not attend the consecration ceremony of Lord Ram's idol at the Ayodhya temple in lure of their vote bank. The Union minister hailed PM Modi, saying he has a "track record of 10 years and agenda for 25 years." "Narendr

Centre allocated Rs 2.93 trillion funds for Karnataka: BJP chief Nadda

He noted, "80 crore people are getting a free ration every month. Out of 80 crore, 4 crore are from Karnataka."

Centre extends security to ex-judge Gangopadhyay, ex-TMC MP Arjun Singh

Gangopadhyay has been granted security under the 'Y+' category, while Arjun Singh has been given security under the 'Z' category

India needs to become economically self-reliant in next 10 years: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India needs to become economically self-reliant in the next 10 years so that the nation is not impacted much by global factors. Speaking on the 90th anniversary of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Prime Minister also said a lot of work will be generated for everyone once the BJP-led NDA assumes office for the third term in June. "We have to increase India's economic self-reliance," he said. Modi said the banking sector has become profitable and credit growth has been increasing because of efforts taken by his government and the RBI in the last decade. He further said the gross NPAs of public sector banks, which was around 11.25 per cent in 2018, dropped to less than 3 per cent by September 2023. The "twin-balance sheet" problem is now a thing of the past, Modi said, adding that banks are now registering a credit growth of 15 per cent. The RBI has played a significant role in all these accomplishments, the Prime Minister added.

Govt raises Rs 16,500 cr by selling stakes in companies in FY23-24

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambition of privatising state-run firms has taken a back seat due to general elections that start on April 19

Delhi HC seeks Centre's stand on deploying forces for protection of forests

The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre's stand on a petition about whether any force can be deployed for the protection of forests in the national capital from illegal activities or encroachments by land grabbers and mafia. The court's direction came on a petition seeking a direction to the Central government to post an adequate number of Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers with the Delhi government's Department of Forests and Wildlife. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, in the reply, said forest officials were facing constant threats from land grabbers and mafia who make rampant encroachment on forest land, and a proposal has been made for engaging the CISF in forest areas. The counsel for the Centre, however, said CISF rules don't permit such deployment. "Counsel for Union of India is directed to take instructions as to whether any other force can be deployed for the protection of forest so as to ensure that no illegal activities or encroachments in the forest area

FM rubbishes K'taka's claim of injustice in fund's release from Centre

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday rubbished the Karnataka government's claim that the Centre was not releasing its due share of special grants' as recommended by the 15th Finance Commission. She denied that there was any recommendation by the Finance Commission. Karnataka government claims that Rs 5,495 crore special grant was not released to Karnataka and this is totally false. The Finance Commission did not in its final report recommend any such special grant, the Finance Minister claimed. Sitharaman's statement came a day after Karnataka filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court requesting a direction to the Centre to immediately release grants under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state, which is reeling under acute drought. In February, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar, Congress MLAs and other Congress leaders at the central level staged a demonstration in New Delhi alleging that the Centre was apathetic towa

Meity notifies fact check unit under PIB as official unit for Centre

The fact check unit under the Press Information Bureau will be the fact check unit for the central government, according to an official notification issued by Meity on Wednesday. The fact check unit has been notified under IT Rules of 2021. "The central government hereby notifies the Fact Check Unit under the Press Information Bureau of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as the fact check unit of the Central Government for the purposes of the said sub-clause, in respect of any business of the Central Government," the notification said.

Hire apprentices: Govt sends notices to nearly 180,000 companies

Firms will have to fulfil their obligation under the Apprenticeship Act by recruiting requisite apprentices

Centre approves Rs 114.8 crore to develop MSME sector in Rajasthan

The central government has approved a sum of Rs 114.80 crore for Rajasthan under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) programme, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said on Thursday. The funds will give impetus to MSME enterprises of the state and help enhance their capacity. The funding will also help in meeting the financial needs of micro, small and medium enterprises towards achieving the goals of Developed India-Developed Rajasthan, the chief minister said. The RAMP programme is being run by the Centre for the MSME sector from 2022. Under this, a strategic investment plan was sent by the state to the central government, on which the state has got approval for an amount of Rs 114.80 crore. Industry and Commerce Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said that the funds received under the RAMP programme will help in achieving the goals of the schemes and programmes run by the state and central governments for MSMEs. This will also help in creating a positive environment

Union govt has no intention of addressing farmers' concerns: Jairam Ramesh

He said that Prime Minister Modi will not break his silence on why, on the one hand, the government waives the loans of the industrialists but is not doing so with the farmers' loans

No clarity in rules, have doubts over legal validity of CAA rules: Mamata

Attacking the BJP-led government at the Centre over the implementation of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act or CAA, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said there is no clarity in the rules that were notified and she has doubts whether those have legal validity. Addressing a programme in Habra in North 24 Parganas district, Banerjee urged the people to think several times before applying for citizenship under the law. "This is a game of taking away the existing rights of citizens and is directly linked to the implementation of the NRC in the country," she claimed. The chief minister alleged that the CAA was unconstitutional and discriminatory.

Centre sanctions over Rs 6,621 cr for frontier highway in Arunachal Pradesh

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the Centre has sanctioned an allocation of Rs 6,621.62 crore for construction of the ambitious frontier highway in Arunachal Pradesh. The allocation has been made for the construction of eight packages on National Highway 913 (Frontier Highway), transitioning to an intermediate lane configuration using the EPC mode, the minister said. The project spans a total length of 265.49 kilometres. Encompassed within this initiative are packages 1, 3 and 5 covering the Huri-Taliha section, two packages addressing the Bile-Migging section, packages 2 and 4 managing the Kharsang-Miao-Gandhigram-Vijaynagar section, and package 1 focusing on the Bomdila-Nafra-Lada section, the transport minister said. The development of these highway stretches holds promise for enhanced connectivity to border areas, fostering socio-economic growth in the state, he said. The construction of the frontier highway is anticipated to curb migration and facilitate reverse .

SC to consider listing of plea on restraining Centre to appoint new ECs

The Supreme Court on Monday said that it will consider submission for early listing of a petition seeking to restrain the Centre from appointing new election commissioners as per a 2023 law, the provisions of which have already been challenged in the apex court. Two vacancies of election commissioners have arisen following the resignation of Election Commissioner Arun Goel and Anup Chandra Pandey's retirement. Send an email. We will see, said the bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and justices JB Pardiwla and Manoj Misra. The plea was mentioned for urgent listing by senior advocate Vikas Sigh and advocate Varun Thakur, appearing for the Congress leader Jaya Thakur. The local Congress leader has challenged the provisions of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and terms of office) Act, 2023. In her application, Thakur informed the court that during the pendency of her plea, in which a notice was issued on ..

Govt unlocks infrastructure blitz before 2024 Lok Sabha elections

PM launches projects worth Rs 2.3 trillion in a week; more lined up

Centre hikes dearness allowance to 50% of basic pay for its employees

The Centre on Thursday hiked Dearness Allowance (DA) to 50 per cent of basic pay from the existing rate of 46 per cent effective from January 1 this year, benefitting over 1 crore employees and pensioners ahead of general elections. The Union Cabinet has approved to release an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners from January 1, 2024, representing an increase of 4 percentage points over the existing rate of 46 per cent of the basic pay/pension, to compensate against price rise, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said after the Cabinet meeting. The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief would be Rs 12,869 crore per annum. The impact would be Rs 15,014 crore during the year 2024-25 (January 2024 to February 2025). With the increase in DA, transport allowance, canteen allowance, and deputation allowance among others have been increased by 25 per cent. House Re

Rajasthan being run by Centre through remote control, says ex-CM Gehlot

Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday accused the Centre of governing the state through remote control and undermining the authority of the elected chief minister. The state doesn't seem to have a government for the last three months, he alleged. He said that ministers are not able to appoint their private secretaries according to their wish and the Centre is implementing the Gujarat model in Rajasthan. "It's been two-three months of the BJP government in the state. There is a discussion in every household as to why there is no governance. I believe that only the chief minister cannot be blamed for it. It is a remote-controlled government which is against the spirit of democracy," Gehlot told reporters after moving into the new government bungalow from the official CM's residence, now allotted to the new incumbent. He added, "An elected Chief Minister has authority, and the government is run by that authority and it provides good governance. They (Centre) have ...

SC junks PIL seeking round-the-clock digital monitoring of lawmakers

The Supreme Court on Friday trashed a PIL seeking a direction to the Centre to digitally monitor MPs and MLAs round the clock for better governance, saying "there is something called right to privacy also". A bench comprising Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, Justice J P Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra asked whether the court can put a "chip" in the body of the lawmakers to track their movement round the clock. At the outset, the CJI cautioned petitioner Surinder Nath Kundra, a Delhi resident, that he should be ready to pay Rs 5 lakh as a fine for misusing the judicial time on such an issue. "If you argue and we do not agree with you then a cost of Rs 5 lakh will be recovered from you as land revenue. This is public time and this is not about our ego," the bench said. "Do you realise what you are arguing? You want 24/7 monitoring of MPs and MLAs... This is done only for a convicted felon who can flee justice. There is something called right to privacy and we cannot digitall

Centre released Rs 4,842 cr in tax devolution to Chhattisgarh: CM Sai

He also expressed his best wishes to the students appearing in the board examination and wished for their bright future, suggesting they write the examination without any fear