Page 3 - Financial Aid

US aid for Ukraine by yr-end seems out of reach as GOP ties it to security

A deal to provide further US assistance to Ukraine by year-end appears to be increasingly out of reach for President Joe Biden. The impasse is deepening in Congress despite dire warnings from the White House about the consequences of inaction as Republicans insist on pairing the aid with changes to America's immigration and border policies. After the Democratic president said this past week he was willing to make significant compromises on the border, Republicans quickly revived demands that they had earlier set aside, hardening their positions and attempting to shift the negotiations to the right, according to a person familiar with the talks who was not authorized to publicly discuss them and spoke on condition of anonymity. The latest proposal, from the lead GOP negotiator, Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., came during a meeting with a core group of senators before they left Washington on Thursday afternoon. It could force the White House to consider ideas that many Democrats will ...

Kerala govt announces Rs 5 lakh aid to kin of Kalamassery blast victims

The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to provide financial assistance of Rs five lakh each to the families of those who had lost their lives in a blast at a religious gathering in Kalamassery near Kochi last month. A cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, decided to grant the relief amount from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund, a CMO statement said here. Additionally, support will be extended to cover medical expenses for the injured persons receiving treatment, even in private hospitals, it said. Five persons were killed and over 50 were injured, some seriously, during the multiple blasts at a religious gathering in an international convention centre in Kalamassery, on October 29. They had gathered for the final day of a three-day-long prayer meeting of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

Tata Steel seeks financial aid for Netherlands unit; to submit proposal

After securing a funding in the UK, Tata Steel is looking for a financial aid from the Netherlands government to execute its decarbonization plans. In October 2021, Tata Steel completed the process of separating Tata Steel UK and Tata Steel Netherlands as two independent companies from Tata Steel Europe. "In Netherlands, we will shortly be submitting the detailed decarbonization proposal to the Dutch government seeking regulatory and financial support," Tata Steel CEO & MD TV Narendran said. Tata Steel Netherlands has been working intensely with Government of Netherlands on the contours of the decarbonization project covering emission and health standards. The detailed decarbonization proposal will shortly be submitted to Government of Netherlands seeking regulatory and financial support which is critical for the company's Dutch operations. Both parties will then discuss the detailed conditions of the project, a Tata Steel statement said. The board of Tata Steel will duly ...

Biden suggests he has path around Congress to get more aid to Ukraine

Facing a likely roadblock from House Republicans on aid for Ukraine, President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he's planning to give a major speech on the issue and suggested there may be another means to provide support for Kyiv if Congress continues to balk. I'm going to be announcing very shortly a major speech I'm going to make on this issue and why it's critically important for the United States and our allies that we keep our commitment to Ukraine, Biden told reporters after giving unrelated remarks at the White House. White House officials declined to say when Biden planned to give his speech. The president did not elaborate on the alternate method he was looking at to get additional military aid to Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. There is another means by which we may be able to find funding, but I'm not going to get into that right now, he said. Aid for Ukraine has been a source of tension and uncertainty as several Republicans in the House have severe doubts or openly

Australia provides $5 million aid to Afghanistan amid rising poverty

The agency stated in a press release on Sunday that Australia has contributed more than $5.1 million to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund

Ukraine aid left out of funding package, raises questions about US support

Congressional supporters of Ukraine say they won't give up after a bill to keep the federal government open excluded President Joe Biden's request to provide more security assistance to the war-torn nation. Still, many lawmakers acknowledge that winning approval for Ukraine assistance in Congress is growing more difficult as the war between Russia and Ukraine grinds on. Republican resistance to the aid has been gaining momentum in the halls of Congress. Voting in the House this past week pointed to the potential trouble ahead. Nearly half of House Republicans voted to strip USD 300 million from a defence spending bill to train Ukrainian soldiers and purchase weapons. The money later was approved separately, but opponents of Ukraine support celebrated their growing numbers. Then, on Saturday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy omitted additional Ukraine aid from a measure to keep the government running until Nov. 17. In doing so, he closed the door on a Senate package that would have ...

As migration surges in US, funds aren't there for humanitarian response: UN

Countries in the Americas are reeling as the flow of migrants reaches historic levels, but international funds simply aren't there for humanitarian needs, a United Nations official said. Ugochi Daniels, deputy director of operations for the International Organisation for Migration, said a larger and coordinated regional effort is necessary for a longer term solution to the steady movement of vulnerable people toward the United States. But other global crises among them the war in Ukraine, conflict in Sudan, Morocco's earthquake have pulled global funds away, Daniels said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press. The U.N. estimated that this year through August, it needed USD 55.2 billion to take on compounding global crises, but it received funds for only 71 per cent of that. A growing number of countries like Panama and Costa Rica are pleading for international aid in handling the flood of migrants, though Daniels would not say who should pay the tab. Obviously, it's

Assam CM rolls out financial aid scheme to help youths set up business

In a move to fuel growth through self-employment, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday launched a scheme to help youths set up their own ventures. At a function here, Sarma rolled out the Chief Minister's Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan 2023. He also launched a registration portal for the scheme. Under the programme, financial aid will be given to two lakh youths for creating a robust entrepreneurial ecosystem, he added. Speaking on the occasion, Sarma said, "The scheme has been designed to create self-employment avenues to enable the youths to fuel development of the state. It has the potential to strengthen rural economy." He said that the unemployed degree holders in the fields of engineering, medicine, agriculture, animal husbandry and fishery will be kept in the first category and will be given Rs 5 lakh. "On the other hand, unemployed postgraduates, general graduates, ITI, polytechnic passouts will be kept in the second category for government assistance of Rs 2 lak

Biden hosts Zelenskyy, announces new military aid package for Ukraine

The United States will give USD 325 million in new security assistance to Ukraine, President Joe Biden has announced as he hosted his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House and vowed to defend the war-struck country from Russian aggression. The White House meeting on Thursday was the sixth in-person meeting between the two leaders. "Mr. President, the brave people of Ukraine -- and that's not hyperbole; the people of Ukraine have shown enormous bravery and have inspired the world with their determination to defend these principles," Biden told Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House. "Together with our partners and allies, the American people are determined to see to it that we do all we can to ensure the world stands with you, and that is our overwhelming objective right now," he said, welcoming the Ukrainian leader for the third time at the White House this year. "Our regular dialogue has proved that our countries are really, truly allies and strateg

Zelenskyy returns to Washington to face growing dissent among Republicans

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returns to Washington on Thursday for a whirlwind one-day visit, this time to face the Republicans now questioning the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has kept his troops in the fight against Russian forces. Zelenskyy will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House, speak with U.S. military leaders at the Pentagon and stop at Capitol Hill to talk privately with Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate as the world is watching Western support for Kyiv. It is Zelenskyy's second visit to Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and comes as Biden's request to Congress for an additional $24 billion for Ukraine's military and humanitarian needs is hanging in the balance. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the Ukrainian president our best messenger in persuading U.S. lawmakers to keep vital U.S. money and weapons coming. It's really important for members of Congress to be able to

Odisha CM Patnaik disburses financial assistance to over 4 million farmers

He stated that to date financial assistance worth Rs 12,500 crore has been given to the farmers of the state under 'Kalia Yojana'

Political divide emerges on Ukraine aid package as Zelenskyy heads to US

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington this week comes at a critical juncture for his alliance with the United States as Republican leaders in Congress diverge on how to send more military and humanitarian aid to the country. President Joe Biden is seeking an additional USD 24 billion in security and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, in line with his promise to help the country for as long as it takes to oust Russia from its borders. But ratification of Biden's request is deeply uncertain thanks to a growing partisan divide in Congress about how to proceed. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has told reporters that he wants more Ukraine aid to be debated on its own merits as a standalone bill, rather than attaching it to other priorities like government funding. But the Senate has other ideas. Leaders in the chamber would like to combine the Ukraine aid with other priorities, such as a short-term spending bill that will likely be needed to avoid a shutdown a

Six Congress guarantees for Telangana: Housing, electricity, pension & more

The Congress party has begun its campaign in Telangana with the promise of financial aid to students and special assistance to women, including LPG cylinders at Rs 500 and Rs 2,500 per month

UN releases $125 mn for 14 underfunded humanitarian crises around the world

The United Nations released USD 125 million from its emergency relief fund Tuesday to boost underfunded humanitarian operations in 14 countries around the world, saying needs are skyrocketing. Afghanistan and Yemen top the list of recipients, with each getting USD 20 million, followed by Burkina Faso and Myanmar at USD 9 million each and Mali, Haiti and Venezuela at USD 8 million each. The U.N. Central Emergency Relief Fund known will also provide USD 6.5 million to both Central African Republic and Mozambique, USD 6 million to both Cameroon and the Palestinian territories and USD 4 million to Malawi. The fund will also provide USD 8 million to support refugee operations in Bangladesh and USD 6 million for refugees in Uganda. It is a cruel reality that in many humanitarian operations, aid agencies are scraping along with very little funding right at a time when people's needs compel them to scale up, U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said in announcing the new allocations:

Financial empowerment of women is bedrock of progress: Cong chief Kharge

Congress-ruled Karnataka government on Wednesday rolled out the 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme one among five poll promises made by the Congress during its election campaign

Karnataka govt to launch women financial aid scheme 'Gruha Lakshmi' today

The Congress government in Karnataka is all set to launch 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme, offering monthly aid of Rs 2,000 each to about 1.1 crore women heads of family, at a function in Mysuru on Wednesday. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar offered prayers on Tuesday at the famous Chamundeshwari temple in the district headquarters town of Mysuru, where the scheme would be launched by AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge at the function that would also be attended by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "As many as 1.1 crore women heads of households will be given Rs 2,000 every month," Siddararamaiah told reporters in Mysuru, his home district on Tuesday. The government has earmarked Rs 17,500 crore for 'Gruha Lakshmi' programme in the current financial year. 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme is one of the five pre-poll 'guarantees' of the Congress, which ousted the BJP from power in the Assembly elections held in May. Around one lakh people are expected to gather at the public func

Karnataka govt all set to launch women financial aid scheme tomorrow

Fulfilling another key pre-poll promise, the Congress government in Karnataka would launch 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme, offering monthly aid of Rs 2,000 each to about 1.1 crore women heads of family, at a public function in Mysuru on Wednesday. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar offered prayers on Tuesday at the famous Chamundeshwari temple in the district headquarters town of Mysuru, where the scheme would be launched by AICC President M Mallikarjun Kharge at the function that would also be attended by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. "As many as 1.1 crore women heads of households will be given Rs 2,000 every month," Siddararamaiah told reporters in Mysuru, his home district. The government has earmarked Rs 17,500 crore for 'Gruha Lakshmi' programme in the current financial year. 'Gruha Lakshmi' scheme is one of the five pre-poll 'guarantees' of the Congress, which ousted the BJP from power in the Assembly elections held in May. Asked if implementing the 'guarantee

Chhattisgarh CM announces Rs 11 crore aid for rain-ravaged Himachal Pradesh

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday announced to provide a financial assistance of Rs 11 crore to Himachal Pradesh, where heavy rains and landslides have wreaked havoc, a government official here said. Baghel on Thursday spoke to his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over phone and took stock of the situation in the northern state and assured to extend support to deal with it, he said. In a statement issued on Friday, Baghel said a severe natural calamity has hit the 'Devbhoomi' (land of gods) Himachal Pradesh and in such a situation, people of Chhattisgarh are standing with the people of the northern state. The CM said he has announced to release Rs 11 crore on behalf of the people of Chhattisgarh to the Himachal Pradesh government for the relief and rehabilitation of victims of the disaster. Officials in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday said the total number of deaths in rain-related incidents in the state since Sunday night has increased to 72 with

PM Modi announces ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for victims' kin in TN blast

Krishnagiri Superintendant of Police Saroj Kumar Thakore said that blast took place inside the firecracker factory owned by one Ravi in the Pazhayapettai area

Firms to get 50% financial aid to set up semiconductor facilities: PM Modi

Technology firms will be given 50 per cent financial assistance for setting up semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday, as he announced that his government has rolled out the red carpet for semiconductor industries. Speaking after inaugurating the Semicon India 2023 conference in Gandhinagar, Modi said every industrial revolution that the world has witnessed was driven by the aspirations of people at different times. The PM said he believes that the fourth industrial revolution being witnessed now is driven by India's aspirations. Modi said India is establishing an entire ecosystem for the semiconductor industry to grow in the country. We were offering incentives as part of the Semicon India programme. It has been increased, and now technology firms will get 50 per cent financial assistance to set up semiconductor manufacturing facilities (in India), Modi said. The semiconductor industry will witness exponential growth in .