Page 5 - Government

Kharif paddy sowing up 58% to 1.3 million hectare till Jun 20: Govt

Paddy sowing so far this Kharif season is higher by 58 per cent at 13.22 lakh hectares, according to the government data. Sowing of paddy stood at 8.37 lakh hectares in the same period last year. The Department of Agriculture has released progress of area coverage under kharif crops (summer-sown) as on June 20, 2025, an official statement said on Monday. The acreage of pulses has increased to 9.44 lakh hectare from 6.63 lakh hectare. Sowing of Shri Anna cum Coarse cereals rose to 18.03 lakh hectare over 14.77 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. In the non-foodgrains category, the acreage of oilseeds is down at 5.38 lakh tonnes against 5.89 lakh hectares in the same period last year. Sugarcane sowing is also slightly higher so far at 55.07 lakh hectare against 54.88 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Area under cotton is higher at 31.25 lakh hectare from 29.12 lakh hectare. Total sowing area of all kharif crops has risen to 137.84 lakh hectare till June 20, 2025, from 124.88

Dutch govt recommends children under 15 stay off TikTok, Instagram

The Dutch government advised parents on Tuesday not to have children under 15 use social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, citing psychological and physical problems among children using them, including panic attacks, depression and difficulties sleeping. The Ministry of Health also encouraged parents to limit how long their children spend using electronic devices, keep phones and laptops out of bedrooms, and have 20 minutes of screentime followed by two hours of outside play. The advisory gives children the time to further develop digital resilience and media literacy, Vincent Karremans, caretaker deputy minister for youth and sport, said in a letter to parliament. Karremans is one of several ministers who remained on after the Dutch government collapsed earlier this month pending October elections. Both TikTok and Instagram require users to be at least 13 years of age. The guidelines, which are not legally binding, distinguish between social media sites like TikTok an

Paddy sowing rises 13% to 4.53 lakh hectare till June 13: Govt data

Paddy sowing so far this Kharif season is higher by 13 per cent at 4.53 lakh hectares, according to the government data. Sowing of paddy stood at 4 lakh hectares in the same period last year. The Department of Agriculture has released progress of area coverage under kharif crops (summer-sown) as on June 13, 2025, according to an official statement on Tuesday. The acreage of pulses has also increased to 3.07 lakh hectare from 2.6 lakh hectare. Sowing of Shri Anna cum Coarse cereals remained flat at 5.89 lakh hectare so far this kharif season as against 5.9 lakh hectares in the year-ago period. In the non-foodgrains category, the acreage of oilseeds has risen to 2.05 lakh hectares so far from 1.5 lakh hectare in the same period last year. Sugarcane sowing is also slightly higher so far at 55.07 lakh hectare against 54.88 lakh hectare in the year-ago period. Area under cotton is marginally lower at 13.19 lakh hectare from 13.28 lakh hectare. Total sowing area of all kharif crops h

Govt panel meets to probe Air India crash, assess possible causes

A high-level multi-disciplinary committee, set up by the government to look into the Ahmedabad plane crash, on Monday deliberated on various possible theories that could have led to the country's worst air disaster in decades. The panel, chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, listened to the opinions of various stakeholders about the possible causes of the aircrash and deliberated on steps to be taken to check future occurrence of any such accident, sources said. In the first meeting of the panel here, the sources said, the focus of the participants was to analyse the possible causes of the aircrash and how to go about in "formulating Standard Operating Procedures for preventing such occurrences in the future". Since a separate investigation is also being carried out by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is looking into the technical aspects of the crash, the panel discussed about the possible causes and lesson to be taken from it, the sources said. Civ

Nabard gets approval to raise ₹19.5K cr via deep-discount zero-coupon bonds

Nabard can raise funds via these deep-discount zero-coupon bonds, which mature in 10 years, 11 months, and 13 days, until the end of March 2027, a government document showed on Friday

India's rice stocks hit record high, wheat reserves strongest in 4 years

Record rice stocks will help the world's biggest exporter increase shipments, while an improvement in wheat inventories will help the federal government tame any price spikes later this year

Assam govt to intensify drive to identify illegal foreigners: CM Himanta

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said the state government would enforce a 1950 law to identify and evict illegal foreigners. He claimed that the law empowers the district commissioners to declare individuals as illegal immigrants and initiate eviction proceedings. Speaking during a special day-long Assembly session, he alleged that Congress does not value 'citizenship', as out of four family members of one of its leaders, three are foreigners. It was an apparent jibe at the opposition party's state president Gaurav Gogoi, who was seated at the visitors gallery of the Assembly in front of the treasury bench, whom the chief minister had been targeting for his alleged Pakistan links through his British wife. Sarma, replying to issues of detection and deportation of foreigners, said the state government will implement the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, for the purpose. It allows the district commissioner to declare illegal foreigners and evict them. S

'New chapter': Govt launches UMEED portal for Waqf property management

The government on Friday launched the UMEED portal that would create a digital inventory after geo-tagging of all Waqf properties with Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju calling it a historic step that would ensure that community-owned Waqf assets are utilised effectively and fairly for poor Muslims. The UMEED central portal, short for Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995 will serve as a centralised digital platform for real-time uploading, verification, and monitoring of Waqf properties. "The UMEED portal will add a new chapter in the history of Waqf property management and administration in India. It will not only bring transparency but will also help the common Muslims, particularly women and children," Rijiju said after launching the UMEED central portal. The portal, developed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, was officially inaugurated in the presence of Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs George Kurian. Calling it a histor

Samay Raina reschedules 'Unfiltered' tour amid India's Got Latent row

YouTuber and stand-up comedian Samay Raina cancelled his 'Unfiltered' India tour, which was scheduled to take place in Delhi's Talkatora Stadium on March 21 and 23

Satya Mohanty's 'Unpolitically Correct' exposes flaws in public policies

Retired bureaucrat Satya Mohanty's book aims to provoke outrage over policies that ignore public interest, exposing how new programmes are launched without ensuring integrity or inclusivity

Chamanlal, KRBL, others pop upto 6% as govt lifts ban on broken rice export

Rice stocks rose after the government permitted the export of 100% broken rice, following a surge in inventories that reached a record high in early February-almost nine times the government's target

Best of BS Opinion: The many hats a government wears in citizens' lives

The undeniable thing is that government can shape the very nature of the nation, for better or for worse. From finances to health to labour to communication to awareness, it wields great power.

Around 200k cybersecurity cases pertaining to govt reported in 2023: MoS IT

Around 2 lakh cybersecurity incidents pertaining to government organisations were reported in 2023, Parliament was informed on Friday. According to the Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, a total of 204,844 cybersecurity-related occurrences were reported to and tracked by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in 2023. This marks a 6.4 per cent increase from 192,439 incidents in the preceding year. The government is fully cognizant and aware of various cyber security threats and has taken measures to enhance the cyber security posture and prevent cyber-attacks, the minister said. "The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an open, safe and trusted and accountable internet for its users," he said. The State has given directions to all central ministries/departments and States/UTs to appoint Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) to deal with cyber security matters, he said. Additionally, it has established the National Critical .

France's looming trilemma: No confidence, no government, no budget

Does that mean France is hurtling toward a constitutional crisis? Not exactly. France's Constitution offers several scenarios that could keep the country's affairs more or less in order

Govt raises minimum wage rates for workers up to Rs 1,035 per day

The Union government on Thursday announced a hike in minimum wage rates for workers up to Rs 1,035 a day by revising variable dearness allowance. This adjustment is aimed at helping workers cope with the rising cost of living, a labour ministry statement said. After revision, minimum wage rates in area 'A' for workers in construction, sweeping, cleaning, loading & unloading for unskilled work will be Rs 783 a day (Rs 20,358 per month). For semi-skilled workers, the minimum wage rate will be Rs 868 a day (Rs 22,568 per month) and for skilled, clerical and watch & wards without arms at Rs 954 a day (Rs 24,804 per month). The minimum wage rate for highly skilled and watch & ward with arms will be Rs 1,035 a day (Rs 26,910 per month). The new wage rates will take effect from October 1, 2024. Last revision was done in April 2024. The minimum wage rates are categorized based on skill levels-unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled, and highly skilled-as well as by geographical area - A,

100 days of Modi 3.0: NDA government’s key achievements

The BJP-NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed 100 days of its third term. Watch the video to know the key achievements of the government across sectors so far.

Scheme reset may not shake Centre's FY25 fiscal maths, say experts

Allocations may be via supplementary demands for grants

Thai court dismisses PM Srettha Thavisin for 'gross' ethics violation

Real estate tycoon Srettha becomes the fourth Thai premier in 16 years to be removed in verdicts by the same court after its judges ruled 5-4 in favour of dismissing him

KP Sharma Oli appointed Nepal's new prime minister, to succeed PK Dahal

K P Sharma Oli was appointed Nepal's Prime Minister for the third time on Sunday to lead the new coalition government that faces the daunting challenge of providing political stability in the country. Oli, 72, succeeds Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda who lost the vote of confidence in the House of Representatives on Friday, leading to the formation of the new government process as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution. President Ram Chandra Paudel appointed Oli as the new Prime Minister of the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)-Nepali Congress (NC) coalition. Oli along with the new Cabinet will be sworn in on Monday. Late on Friday night, Oli staked his claim to become the next Prime Minister with the backing of NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba and submitted the signatures of 165 House of Representatives (HoR) members -- 77 from his party and 88 from the NC. Oli served as Nepal's prime minister from October 11, 2015, to August 3, 2016 and then, from February

Key portfolios allotted to loyalists, PM stays firmly in control

The ministries like renewable energy, chemicals and fertilisers, communication, power, agriculture, coal and mines now have new ministers but from the BJP