Page 9 - Centre

Reserve Bank board approves transfer of Rs 2.11 trillion surplus to govt

The expert committee had suggested maintaining the risk provisioning within a range of 5.5 per cent to 6.5 per cent of the RBI's balance sheet under the Contingent Risk Buffer

Govt to develop custom AI model for Indian use, Rs 2,000 crore allocated

The initiative, expected to kick off after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, could be overseen by the IndiaAI Innovation Centre under the IndiaAI Mission

Will lend support to 'INDIA' from outside to form govt at Centre: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said her party will extend support to the opposition INDIA bloc from outside to form the government at the Centre and vowed to repeal the CAA, NRC and UCC once the BJP government is voted out of power. Expressing skepticism about the BJP's ambitious target of achieving 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, she said people will reject them totally. "BJP is claiming that it will win 400 seats, but people are saying it will not happen. The entire country has understood that the BJP is a party full of thieves. We (TMC) will support the INDIA bloc from outside to form a government at the Centre. We will extend our support so that in (West) Bengal, our mothers and sisters never face a problem... and those who work in the 100 days' job scheme, also do not face problems," Banerjee said. The TMC supremo, who was addressing an election rally at Chinsurah, Hooghly district, however, clarified that in West Bengal, her party .

Centre to launch 'decent' OTT platform: What's in store for viewers?

The OTT platform, poised to compete with private platforms such as Netflix and Hotstar, will initially provide its content without cost for the initial year or two

Govt to conduct digital crop survey across India using AI to assess acreage

The initiative will assist in developing more accurate farm production forecasts, and facilitating timely implementation of suitable trade policy measures

Govt introduces draft Explosives Bill 2024 to replace Explosives Act, 1884

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has proposed raising fines for violation of regulations and enhancing the efficiency of licencing procedures

K'taka CM holds dharna protesting Centre's 'injustice' over drought funds

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar along with several ministers and legislators on Sunday staged a dharna here, alleging injustice done to the state by the union government while releasing the drought relief funds. Holding 'Chombu', the round water pot symbolising emptiness and deception, the leaders charged the Centre with "cheating" Karnataka by not releasing adequate relief to face acute drought, the kind of which was not witnessed in the past several decades. They held the symbolic dharna in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of "Vidhana Soudha", which houses the Legislature and Secretariat. The state government has declared 226 out of the total 236 Taluks in Karnataka as drought-hit and said there was a crop loss in 48 lakh hectares of land. According to Siddaramaiah, against the demand for Rs 18,171 crore for drought relief, the union government ordered release of only Rs 3,454 crore, that too after the state approached the Suprem

Centre declares key railway systems protected, 10-year jail for any breach

The central government has declared centralised traffic control of the north central railway, and train management system of Central and Western Railway, as "protected systems" under the Information Technology Act. In a notification issued by the Railway Board, the Train Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) -- KAVACH -- of South Central Railway too has been declared as "protected systems" under the IT Act. According to the IT Act, a protected system is a computer resource which, if incapacitated, or destructed, shall have a debilitating impact on national security, economy, public health, or safety. Any person who secures access or attempts to do so to a protected system in violation of the provisions of the IT Act is liable for up to 10 years imprisonment and also fine. As per the notification, any designated employee of Indian Railways, the authorised team members of contractual managed service provider, or third party vendor authorised by Railways for need-based access, or any ...

Centre considering widening housing subsidy scope for urban poor under PMAY

In the proposed expansion of the housing scheme, self-employed individuals, shopkeepers, and small traders are likely to be included

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