Page 12 - Government

70 projects worth Rs 2,856 cr sanctioned under Sagarmala Programme: Govt

Under the Sagarmala Programme, 70 projects worth Rs 2,856 crore have been sanctioned, out of which 15 projects worth Rs 849 crore have been completed, Parliament was informed on Friday. Under the Sagarmala Programme, 70 projects worth Rs 2,856 crore have been sanctioned for the development of coastal berths, roll-on, roll-off, passenger jetties etc. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal said various initiatives and projects have been undertaken to facilitate shifting of cargo from conventional land-based transportation to coastal shipping mode. A discount of 40 per cent is offered by major ports on vessel and cargo related charges to coastal cargo vessels, Sonowal added. He said green channel clearance was introduced for faster evacuation of coastal cargo at ports. According to the minister, the projects for improvement in the first and last-mile road and rail connectivity with all the major and non-major ports have al

No proposal to establish new defence industrial corridor in country: Govt

There is no proposal to establish any new defence industrial corridor in the country, Parliament was informed on Friday. Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said this in written response to a query in the Lok Sabha. The government, in its budget for 2018-19, announced setting up of two defence industrial corridors (DICs) to develop a holistic defence manufacturing ecosystem in the country, he said. One corridor has been established in Uttar Pradesh with six nodes, namely Aligarh, Agra, Jhansi, Kanpur, Chitrakoot and Lucknow. The second is in Tamil Nadu with five nodes, namely Chennai, Hosur, Coimbatore, Salem and Tiruchirappalli, he said. "As per the information received from the government of Uttar Pradesh, 108 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with industry/organisation having potential investment of Rs 12,191 crore. Investment of Rs 2,445 crore has already taken place in Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor (UPDIC)," he said. Further, as per informa

PSU banks' gross NPA declines from 14.6% in Mar 2018 to 5.53% in Dec 2022

The government has taken various reforms following which asset quality of public sector banks has improved significantly with gross NPA ratio declining from the peak of 14.6 per cent in March 2018 to 5.53 per cent in December 2022, Parliament was informed on Monday. All PSBs are in profit with aggregate profit being Rs 66,543 crore in 2021-22, and that further increased to Rs 70,167 crore in first nine months of current financial year, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat K Karad said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. At the same time, resilience has increased with provision coverage ratio of PSBs rising from 46 per cent to 89.9 per cent in December 2022, he said, adding capital adequacy ratio of PSBs improved significantly from 11.5 per cent in March 2015 to 14.5 per cent in December 2022. Total market cap of PSBs (excluding IDBI Bank, which was categorised as private sector bank in January 2019) increased from Rs 4.52 lakh crore in March 2018 to Rs 10.63 lakh crore in December ..

Delhi Mayor underlines need for more representation of women in govt bodies

Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi on Monday stressed the need for greater representation of women in government bodies and said they should actively participate in public life. She was speaking at a Women Leaders Conclave and Inter-College Gender Fest organised by the Women's Development Cell of Kalindi College in collaboration with Delhi University's Transgender Cell and Gender Sensitisation Committee. The theme of the programme was 'Ordinary Women: Extraordinary Lives'. The aim behind it was to create a critical space for engaging women on issues like development, education, health, political participation and violence against them, Kalindi College's Women's Development Cell said in a statement. Oberoi, who was the first speaker at the event, shared her journey from being a faculty member at Delhi University to becoming the first woman mayor of Delhi. "She stressed the need for greater representation of women in government bodies and interacted with women students of the college, ...

JDA conducts anti-encroachment drive to free land valued at Rs 200 cr

The enforcement wing of Jaipur Development Authority on Monday carried out an anti-encroachment drive in Vidhyadhar Nagar area of Jaipur. The estimated market value of the land is around Rs 200 crore, Chief Controller- Enforcement (JDA) Raghuveer Saini said. The 7-8 bigha of land was illegally occupied by nine marble-granite dealers, seven scrap dealers, tea vendors and others. The occupants were issued notices on March 10 as a result of which some of the occupants removed their encroachment while the action to remove the other encroachment started early morning today with the help of JCB machines, he said. The land is located in zone 2, adjacent to AEN office in Vidhyadhar Nagar. Saini said the land was illegally occupied for the last 40-50 years.

Over 7,000 women personnel serving in Indian Army, says Government

Over 7,000 women personnel are serving in the Indian Army at present followed by 1,636 in the Indian Air Force and 748 in the Navy, according to details provided by the government in Lok Sabha on Friday. Replying to a question, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said 7,093 women are in the Army, which included 6,993 in the Army Medical Corps, Army Dental Corps and Military Nursing Service (MNS). Hundred women are serving in other ranks. Bhatt said, currently women are serving in officer's cadre only in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and their strength as on March 1 (excluding medical and dental branches) is 1,636. "As on date, women are employed in the Navy in the officer's rank. The strength of women officers in the Indian Navy, as on March 9 is 748, including medical and dental officers," he said Bhatt said employment in the Indian armed forces is gender neutral. "There is no distinction in the deployment and working conditions of male and female soldiers in the arms and servic

Govt not letting Parliament run to avoid discussion on Adani issue: Kharge

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the government of instigating the Opposition and not letting Parliament function to avoid a discussion on the Adani issue and its "failures". He also reiterated that there is no question of an apology over Rahul Gandhi's remarks in the UK. Gandhi's remarks during his recent trip to the United Kingdom have rocked Parliament, with both Houses failing to transact any significant business on the first three days of the Budget session's second half. "Is there untouchability or not, it is there, so if someone goes abroad that person will talk about itlikewise democracy is being trampled upon, we were demonstrating peacefully yesterday, who stopped us? They put women constables in the front to try and stop us," Kharge alleged. The Congress along with several other opposition parties had taken out a protest march from Parliament House to hand over a complaint to the Enforcement Directorate on the Adani issue on Wednesday. However,

Deepak Mohanty new PFRDA chairperson, Mamta Shankar named whole-time member

Mohanty was whole-time member (economics) of PFRDA and retired in May 2022

Govt releases Rs 1.4 trn monthly instalment tax devolution to states

The monthly instalment for March is much more than the normal monthly devolution of Rs 70,159 crore made for states

Govt invites applications for 17 posts at CCI on deputation basis

The government has invited applications for 17 posts, including for Additional Director General and Deputy Director General, at the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on a deputation basis. The CCI, which comes under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), keeps a tab on anti-competitive practices in the marketplace and also works towards promoting fair trade practices. Applications have been sought for the posts of Additional Director General, Joint Director General and Deputy Director General, among others, according to a notice. Applicants must be employees of central or state governments, government companies or autonomous bodies or regulatory authorities or universities or judicial institutions of central/ state governments. The appointment will be made on deputation on a foreign service terms basis initially for a period of three years, which can be extended for a period not exceeding seven years. "Applications in the prescribed proforma, together with all necessary ...

No proposal to increase sugar export quota from 6 mn tonnes: Food Secy

The government is not considering any proposal as of now to increase the sugar export quota from the present 60 lakh tonnes for this marketing year ending September, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra said. The food ministry has allowed 60 lakh tonnes of sugar exports for the current 2022-23 marketing year (October-September). The country had exported around 110 lakh tonnes, an all-time high, of sugar in the 2021-22 marketing year. "The sugar production is going down by about 9 lakh tonnes, that is our estimate from the previous year. So keeping that in view, as of now there is no proposal to increase the export quota," Chopra said on the sidelines of an event on Thursday late evening. When asked that the ministry was to assess domestic production this month before deciding on further exports of sweetener, he said, "The production figures have come down. We have to see this buffer stock requirement first. And once that is met, then only we can take a call." The secretary asserted

PM to address post-budget webinar on developing tourism in mission mode

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a post-budget webinar on 'Developing Tourism in Mission Mode' on Friday, officials said. It is part of a series of 12 post-budget webinars being organised by the government to seek ideas and suggestions for effective implementation of the initiatives announced in the Union Budget. Prime Minister Modi will address the participants via a video conferencing link. The Union Budget has stated that promotion of tourism will be taken up in mission mode, with active participation of states, convergence of government programmes and public-private partnerships. At least 50 destinations will be selected through challenge mode and developed as a complete package of tourism. Sector specific skilling and entrepreneurship development will be dovetailed to achieve the objectives of the 'Dekho Apna Desh'. The post-budget webinar being organised by the Ministry of Tourism will have six breakout sessions covering the priority areas identified in the Union ..

People see govt as catalyst for new opportunities, not obstacle: PM Modi

Citizens are now able to convey their views to the government and get their solution immediately, as the government has created a modern digital infrastructure in India, the Prime Minister added

No more TikTok on government devices within 30 days, says White House

The White House is giving all federal agencies 30 days to wipe TikTok off all government devices, as the Chinese-owned social media app comes under increasing scrutiny in Washington over security concerns. The Office of Management and Budget calls the guidance, issued Monday, a critical step forward in addressing the risks presented by the app to sensitive government data. Some agencies, including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and State, already have restrictions in place; the guidance calls on the rest of the federal government to follow suit within 30 days. The White House already does not allow TikTok on its devices. The Biden-Harris Administration has invested heavily in defending our nation's digital infrastructure and curbing foreign adversaries' access to Americans' data, said Chris DeRusha, the federal chief information security officer. This guidance is part of the Administration's ongoing commitment to securing our digital infrastructure and protecting the

Explained: Canada's latest ban on TikTok from govt-issued mobile devices

Canada is banning TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it might be a first step to further action. The European Union's executive branch said last week it has temporarily banned TikTok from phones used by employees as a cybersecurity measure. The EU's action follows similar moves in the U.S., where more than half of the states and Congress have banned TikTok from official government devices. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore. It has been targeted by critics who say the Chinese government could access user data, such as browsing history and location. U.S. armed forces also have prohibited the app on military devices. TikTok is consumed by two-thirds of American teens and has become the second-most popular domain in the world. But there's long been bipartisan concern in Washington that Beijing would use legal and regulatory power to seize American user data or try to push pro-Chin

L'affaire Adani and the colonial mindset in our approach to governance

All regulatory institutions should be made constitutional authorities, suggests T C A Srinivasa Raghavan

Karnataka hijab ban: Girls move SC for permission to take exam in headscarf

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will take a call on listing a plea to allow girls to sit for exams in Karnataka government schools while wearing the hijab. Following the apex court's split verdict on the issue of the ban on wearing the headscarf, girls in hijab are not being permitted to take the exams scheduled to begin from March 9, a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud was told. They are wearing headscarf. If they are wearing headscarf they are not allowed inside the examination hall. Only on that limited aspect, the court may consider listing it on Monday or Friday, said lawyer Shadan Farasat. He told the bench, also comprising Justice P S Narasimha, that a few girls have moved to private institutions because of the prohibition on wearing hijabs but have to take their exams in government institutions. They risk losing another year if not permitted, he said. I will take a call, the CJI said. Due to the split verdict, the high court's judgement still holds the ..

Godhra train burning case: Gujarat govt seeks death penalty for 11 in SC

The Gujarat government on Monday told the Supreme Court that it will press for the death penalty to 11 convicts in the 2002 Godhra train burning case, as it was a 'rarest of the rare and grave offence

Govt boosts PMAY budget while previous targets only partially met

Centre has increased budget for housing scheme, although older targets haven't been met

Govt working on introducing curriculum on organ donation to raise awareness

The government is working on introducing a curriculum on organ donation mostly likely in Class 9 or 11 in order to raise awareness among schoolchildren about the issue, sources said. They said India has a very low rate of deceased organ donation compared to Western countries and an estimated five lakh lives could be saved annually by timely organ transplant. India's organ donation rate, which is the number of deceased donors per million population, continues be less than 1 per million in comparison to countries like Spain, USA, Australia, Croatia. "The numbers highlight the huge gap between the number of organs required and the organs available for transplantation. The reason being lack of awareness and myths associated with organ donation. To counter all these, the Union Health Ministry is working on introducing a curriculum on organ donation mostly likely in Class 9 or 11 in order to raise awareness about the issue,: an official source said. The ministry is also working on a 'One