Page 2 - Government Of India

ICSI CS December 2025 exam registration begins from today, August 26

ICSI has begun registration for the CS Executive and Professional December 2025 exams from August 26. Exams will be conducted from December 22-29, 2025. Late applications close on October 10, 2025

Govt's focus is on creating maximum job opportunities, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that his government is focused on creating maximum employment opportunities for the youth. Addressing an event in Ahmedabad via video link, he appealed to youngsters to support the country's efforts to become self-reliant by adopting indigenous products. "We launched Skill India Mission under which crores of youth are being prepared as skilled manpower in different fields. Today, a large part of the world is stuck in the problem of ageing; they need youth, and India has the capacity to provide youth to the world. "If the youth are skilled today, there are several employment possibilities for them. They become self-reliant, this gives them the power," Modi said after inaugurating a girls' hostel in Sardardham Phase-11 in Ahmedabad. He hailed the society's support in the progress of daughters. He said the Central government has introduced several changes to the education system through the new National Education Policy, with the biggest ..

Indian govt says it takes no position on Dalai Lama succession issues

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said it has seen a statement issued by the 14th Dalai Lama in July about the institution of the Dalai Lama, and underlined that it "does not take any position" on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to queries in the Rajya Sabha. The MEA was asked whether it is a fact that the government has "openly backed Dalai Lama's right to decide on his own succession". "Government has seen a statement regarding the institution of Dalai Lama issued by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on 02 July 2025. Government of India does not take any position on matters concerning beliefs and practices of faith and religion," the MoS said. "Government has always upheld freedom of religion for all in India and will continue to do so. Government's position has also been conveyed to the Chinese side," he said. In July, Central Tibetan ...

Real money gaming: 450 mn persons lose ₹20,000 crore annually, says govt

The government estimates that around 45 crore people lose close to Rs 20,000 crore every year in online real money gaming, an official source said on Wednesday. According to the source, the government has realised that online real money gaming is a major problem for society and chose to forego revenue loss in preference to people's welfare. "There is a rough estimate that 45 crore people lose money every year. The total impact of the loss is estimated to be tentatively around Rs 20,000 crore," the source added. The government has tabled "Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025" in the Lok Sabha, which proposes to promote eSports and online social gaming while banning money gaming in any form. "Online gaming involving money has become a major problem for society. Every Parliamentarian has raised concerns about its ill effects. Between revenue from one-third of the industry segment and society welfare, the government has chosen society welfare," the source said. Accordin

23% of 560 million PM Jan Dhan accounts remain inactive, says govt

As many as 23 per cent of the total 56.04 crore Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) accounts are inoperative, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Monday. Out of 56.03 crore PMJDY accounts at the end of July 31, 2025, 13.04 crore such accounts are inoperative, he said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of inoperative Jan Dhan accounts of 2.75 crore, followed by Bihar at 1.39 crore and Madhya Pradesh at 1.07 crore, he said. As per the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines dated February 18, 2009, a savings account should be treated as inoperative/dormant if there are no transactions in the account for over a period of two years. The government has taken various steps to ensure smooth functioning of PMJDY accounts, including Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). These benefits are transferred even to the inactive accounts. Banks inform account holders in writing through letters or email or SMS about the accounts which are to beco

Over 40 mn women get maternity aid under PMMVY; drive till Aug 15: WCD

Over 4 crore women across India have received at least one installment of maternity benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), with total disbursements crossing Rs 19,028 crore, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said on Monday. The ministry, in a statement , called it a reflection of the government's "sustained commitment to maternal and child health" as it announced the extension of a special registration drive under the scheme till August 15. The ongoing door-to-door campaign, led by Anganwadi and ASHA workers, aims to ensure that all eligible pregnant and lactating women are enrolled on time. "The campaign is not only about ensuring access to financial benefits but also about encouraging positive attitudes towards the girl child," the ministry said in its statement. PMMVY, a centrally sponsored scheme under Mission Shakti's 'Samarthya' sub-scheme, provides partial wage compensation to mothers through direct benefit transfer (DBT). For the first chi

Mandatory to conduct audit of safety in schools: Govt tells states, UTs

The Ministry of Education has issued a directive to all states and Union territories mandating them to conduct audits of safety mechanisms and facilities for children in schools, officials said on Saturday. The Education Ministry has also called for schools to ensure structural integrity of buildings. This comes a day after a portion of a government school in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district collapsed on Friday, killing seven children and leaving 28 injured. States and UTs must take urgent steps to ensure student's safety and their well-being. This includes mandatory safety audits of schools and child-related facilities as per national safety codes, training for staff and students in emergency preparedness, and the provision of psychosocial support through counselling and peer networks. Structural integrity, along with fire safety, emergency exits, and electrical wiring, must be thoroughly assessed. It must be ensured that staff and students are trained in emergency preparedness, ...

Govt bans 25 OTT platforms including Ullu, ALTT for explicit content

MIB blocks platforms like Ullu, Desiflix and Big Shots citing violations of IT Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Indecent Representation of Women law

Amit Shah unveils policy to set up one cooperative unit in every village

The policy aimed to strengthen grassroots cooperative units and ensure inclusive growth, especially among villages, farmers, women, Dalits, and tribal communities

Jal Jeevan Mission hit by water scarcity, terrain, and fund delays: Govt

Water scarcity, difficult terrain, and delays in state funding are among the key hurdles slowing down the government's flagship Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) that aims to provide tap water to every rural household, Lok Sabha was informed on Thursday. The deadline of Jal Jeevan Mission was extended from 2024 to 2028 in the last budget. In a written response, Minister of State for Jal Shakti V. Somanna said several states have reported constraints such as lack of dependable water sources in drought-prone and desert regions, groundwater contamination, scattered rural habitations, and delays in obtaining statutory clearances. Rising construction costs and limited technical capacity at the local level have further impacted the pace of implementation, he said. Some states have also failed to release their matching share of funds on time, leading to bottlenecks in ongoing projects. To overcome these issues, Somanna said the Centre has launched initiatives like the Nal Jal Mitra programme to t

CAG loss estimate on BSNL-RJIL deal misread, correction done: MoS Telecom

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India estimates on losses to BSNL from Reliance Jio Infocomm was based on the misinterpretation of a clause on add-on technology, and it has been rectified in a transparent and equitable manner, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. The CAG report tabled in Parliament in April had said the government suffered a loss of Rs 1,757.56 crore as state-owned telecom firm BSNL failed to bill Reliance Jio for 10 years since May 2014 as per their agreement on passive infrastructure sharing. "BSNL has Master Service Agreements (MSAs) with M/s RJIL, for leasing of BSNL's tower infrastructure to install their equipment. There is no revenue loss to BSNL and government. The estimate of CAG was based on the misinterpretation of the clause of add-on technology, which has now been rectified in a transparent and equitable manner. BSNL has since raised the revised invoices from RJIL," Minister of State for Telecom, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar said in the Lok Sabha in

Railways gave 45% subsidy on passenger travel in FY24, says govt

The Indian Railways provisionally spent Rs 60,466 crore in subsidy, 45 per cent of the cost of passenger travel, in the financial year 2023-24, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw gave the information in response to the questions raised by several MPs on the recent rail fare hike. Vaishnaw said the Indian Railways provides affordable transportation service to more than 720 crore passengers and its fares are among the lowest in the world, even when compared with neighbouring countries. "The total amount of subsidy given in FY 2023-24 on passenger travel is provisionally estimated at Rs. 60,466 Crore. This amounts to a 45% subsidy on the cost of passenger travel," Vaishnaw informed the lower house in a written reply. He said the rail fares were "rationalized" with effect from July 1 this year after a gap of more than five years. "The increase in fares is very low, ranging from half paise per km to two paise per km for premium classes," h

BEML wins ₹185.65 cr order from govt for 79 indigenous bulldozers

State-owned BEML on Friday announced it has bagged a government order worth Rs 185.65 crore for supply of 79 units of bulldozers. The company has bagged the order from the Ministry of Defence (MoD), BEML said in an exchange filing. "BEML Ltd secures MoD order worth Rs 185.65 crore for the supply of 79 units of its flagship Power Angling & Tilting (PAT) bulldozers," it said. The new order follows the company's successful execution of an earlier contract for 66 bulldozers, all of which were delivered well within the stipulated timeline. "This order reinforces our steadfast commitment to the Government of India's 'Make in India' initiative and our resolve to equip the nation's armed forces with reliable, high-quality, and indigenously developed solutions," Shantanu Roy, Chairman & Managing Director of BEML Ltd, said. BEML, under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence, operates in three verticals - construction and mining, rail and metro, and defence and aerospace.

DFCCIL Exam City Intimation Slip 2025 released, admit card date out

The DFCCIL has released the exam timetable for the MTS, Executive, and other posts. The exam will be held on July 10 and 11 in multiple shifts. The admit cards will be out on July 7, 2025, at 11 am

Centre recommends 7 states to adopt common board after poor exam outcomes

The Ministry of Education has recommended seven states to adopt a common board for classes 10 and 12 after an analysis by the School Education Department flagged that these states accounted for 66 per cent of student failures last year, officials said. The seven states are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Kerala, Manipur, Odisha, Telangana and West Bengal. There are a total of 66 school examination boards in the country, including three national-level boards and 63 state-level boards (54 regular and 12 open boards), While the top 33 boards cover 97 per cent of students, the remaining 33 boards cover just 3 per cent of students. "Common board for class 10 and 12 is the way forward for ease of schooling. Not having a common board leads to poor academic outcomes. We have recommended these states to adopt a common board," School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar said. A total of 22.17 lakh students failed Class 10, and 20.16 lakh failed Class 12 across the country in 2024. While the numbers hav

Govt proposes to repeal 141-year-old Explosives Act, 1884 to bring new law

The government has proposed to repeal the 141-year-old Explosives Act of 1884 and introduce a new law stating that the existing legislation is based on the old British pattern and is not adequately meeting the country's growing requirements. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has sought comments and suggestions from the general public, industry associations and other entities concerned on the proposal before July 17 this year. It said the Explosives Act, 1884 is a pre-constitutional act and it was comprehensively modified in 1978. Many large and small companies began to manufacture high explosives after independence. "It is observed that the Explosives Act, 1884, which is based on the old British pattern and is not adequately meeting the country's growing requirements and development in the explosive sector thereby resulted in difficulties for the industry," the DPIIT's note for public and stakeholder consultations said. To remove shortcomings in t

India declares Pakistani official persona non grata, second in a month

The Charge d'Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission was issued a demarche to this effect today

Krishnamurthy Subramanian's termination was India's call, says IMF

Sources said the reasons for Subramanian's termination included alleged impropriety in using his position to promote and publicise his latest book India@100

Vodafone Idea to amend shareholders' pact to let promoters keep control

Debt-ridden Vodafone Idea on Friday said its board has approved an amendment in shareholders' agreement to enable promoters Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group to retain governance and management rights in the company notwithstanding the increased government's stake at 48.99 per cent. The company will convene an extraordinary general meeting on June 3 to seek shareholder's nod for the same, according to a regulatory filing. "The Board of Directors at its meeting held today i.e. on 2 May 2025 have inter-alia resolved to...amend certain clauses of the Shareholders' Agreement (to which the Company is a party) so as to modify, amongst others, the 'Qualifying Threshold' from 13 per cent to 10 per cent and, solely for this purpose, to disregard the equity shares originally issued to the Government of India," the filing said. Pursuant to the government increasing stake from 22.6 to 48.99 per cent in Vodafone Idea, the shareholding of the Aditya Birla group companies and the Vodafone grou

Bank of Maharashtra Q4 results: Net profit rises 23% to ₹1,493 crore

Total income increased to ₹7,711 crore during the quarter under review against ₹6,488 crore in the same period of the previous year