Page 2 - Indian Government

India, ADB sign $125 mn loan pact to boost urban services in Assam

The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday signed a USD 125-million loan agreement with an aim to enhance urban livability and bolster climate resilience in six districts of Assam. The project will benefit 360,000 residents of Assam by delivering continuous metered water supply and upgrading storm water management systems, the finance ministry said in a statement. It also seeks to strengthen urban governance through institutional reforms and capacity building, it said. Key infrastructure investments include the construction of six water treatment plants with a combined capacity of 72 million litres per day and 800 km distribution pipelines in the district headquarters of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Dhubri, Goalpara, Golaghat, and Nalbari, it said. The project will also deploy a real-time monitoring system, aiming to maintain non revenue water below 20 per cent, it said. In Guwahati, the project will enhance storm water management in the Bahini Basin with flood

IB ACIO Answer Key 2025 out for phase 1 exam; How to raise objections

MHA has released the IB ACIO answer key 2025 today on the official website at mah.gov.in. The exam was held on Sept 16, 17 and 18. To download, candidates need to fill in their user ID and password

Govt picks 8 more startups to build indigenous LLMs, sectoral SLMs

Eight more startups, including Fractal Analytics and BharatGen, will build LLMs and SLMs under the IndiaAI Mission as the govt also plans 500 AI data labs and an AI governance framework

Govt may rebid 40 GW renewable projects stuck due to lack of purchase deals

The government is expected to go for rebidding of around 40 GW of renewable energy projects that have been stalled in the absence of power purchase agreements (PPAs), official sources said on Wednesday. These 40 gigawatt (GW) includes both solar and wind capacity projects, one of the sources said. "Marketing efforts are on. If it does not get any success then "we will see at some point we will close it", sources told PTI. At present the winners of these tenders are engaged with distribution companies (discoms) because they are the potential buyers, they said, adding that no one is going to face any loss as no investment has happened yet in these projects. It is only the price discovery which has happened. Tariff rate of solar projects ranges from Rs 2.38 to Rs 2.56 per unit, while for that of vanilla wind between Rs 3.70 per unit and Rs 3.90 per unit, they said. Meanwhile, industry body FICCI said in a statement that the CERC (Central Electricity Regulatory Commission) will releas

Govt proposes tax exemption of up to 20 years for data centre developers

Incentives in Meity's draft include GST input tax credit on assets

Centre may meet FY26 fiscal deficit target despite GST overhaul: Fitch

Separately, Bank of Baroda in a report said the impact of GST reforms will be minimal as it accounts for Rs 48,000 crore or only around 0.1-0.2 per cent of the GDP

India's display fab debate: Micro-OLED versus LCD and OLED technology

Meity mulls using micro-OLED tech for 1st display fab plant

Moderate impact of GST cuts on fiscal deficit; inflation may lower 50-90bps

Besides, a cut in the tax rate on nearly one-fourth of the essential and household items contained in inflation basket may lead to a moderation of 50-90 bps in retail inflation over next 12 months

Govt plans Bharat NCAP-style safety standards for e-rickshaws: Gadkari

The government is mulling safety standards for e-rickshaws on the lines of Bharat NCAP to enhance road safety measures, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday. Addressing the 7th Edition of FICCI Road Safety Awards and Symposium, the Minister for Road, Transport and Highways said road safety is an important issue for the government. Nearly five lakh road accidents occur in the country annually, claiming 1.8 lakh lives. Of 1.8 lakh deaths, around 66.4 per cent of people belong to the age group of 18 to 45 years, Gadkari said, stressing awareness towards following traffic rules and assisting accident victims in hospitalisation. "We are also bringing in Bharat NCAP-like standards for e-rickshaws as these are in huge numbers (across the country). We are assessing how we can improve safety in this," he said. In 2023, Gadkari launched the Bharat NCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), which is aimed at improving road safety standards of motor vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes. Speaking furt

UPSSSC PET 2025 exam city slip released, check complete details at website

UPSSSC has announced exam district details for PET 2025, while admit cards will be issued later on the official website. The exam is scheduled for Sept 6 and 7 in two shifts across 48 UP districts

2 killed, several injured as LPG tanker catches fire in Punjab's Hoshiarpur

Two people died and several others were injured when an LPG tanker caught fire late Friday night on the Hoshiarpur-Jalandhar road, officials said. The blaze spread rapidly and engulfed nearly 15 shops and four to five residential houses in the vicinity of the Mandiala Adda area, said police. The incident took place around 10 pm, they said. Deputy Commissioner Ashika Jain and Senior Superintendent of Police Sandeep Kumar Malik rushed to the spot and supervised rescue operations. Jain said preliminary inquiry suggested that the tanker caught fire after colliding with another vehicle. She said fire tenders and ambulances were immediately mobilised to the spot. "The fire has largely been brought under control. A detailed assessment of the cause of the accident and the extent of damage will be made once the situation is fully stabilised," she added. Civil Surgeon Pawan Kumar said two persons were brought dead to the Hoshiarpur Civil Hospital while 18 to 20 injured were admitted. "Fi

Govt mulling further FDI regime easing, more tax benefits for startups

The commerce and industry ministry is working on a 100-day reforms agenda which may include proposals such as further liberalising FDI regime, easing investments from neighbouring countries, and more tax benefits for startups, an official said. The proposals may also include easing certain environmental norms for the leather and footwear industry, liberalised rules to promote exports through e-commerce hubs, and integrating lab testing and certification requirements for various sectors, the official said. The government is embarking on the next 100-day agenda of transformation to take India on a fast track to developed nation. In Lokmat global economic convention, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said that in the next 100 days, the government will follow the clarion call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15 to take India forward on a fast-tracked pathway. These proposals would help boost the country's exports and foreign direct investments (FDI). During ..

Govt takes up with Ireland cases of violence against Indian nationals

India said on Thursday that it has strongly taken up with Ireland incidents of violence against Indian nationals in that country. At the same time, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that Irish President Michael D Higgins and Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris publicly "condemned" the violence. "There have been several cases of violence against Indian nationals in Ireland. We have strongly taken up this matter with the Irish authorities in Dublin as well as with the embassy here," he said. Jaiswal was responding to a question at his weekly media briefing. "We note that both the president of Ireland as also the deputy prime minister and foreign minister have publicly condemned these deplorable acts of violence," he said. In the last few weeks, several incidents of violence targeting Indians were reported. Jaiswal said the Indian embassy in Dublin is in touch with the victims. "They are also in touch with our community members and extending all possible .

Pilot union objects to the government's call for a global code of conduct

A booming aviation market is seen as key to supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aviation goals, but India is short of experienced pilots

Private sector likely to play a key role in nuclear power road map

A consultative process is underway, led by NITI Aayog along with NPCIL, involving state energy ministers as nodal points to ensure alignment with state-level energy priorities

PM Modi unveils India's green HQ for governance: What is Kartavya Bhavan

Kartavya Bhavan-03 is the first of ten planned Common Central Secretariat (CCS) buildings; everything you need about the building, design, and more

Govt notifies new rules to tighten oversight in vegetable oil sector

The government has notified a new framework for the edible oil industry, imposing stricter registration and reporting requirements on producers to enhance transparency and oversight, according to an official release. The 2025 Vegetable Oil Products, Production and Availability (VOPPA) Regulation Order, notified on August 1 by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, amends the Vegetable Oil Products Production and Availability (Regulation) Order, 2011, under Section 3 of the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. Under the new framework, producers will face stricter registration and reporting requirements. They must apply for registration certificates through the Directorate of Sugar and Vegetable Oils in New Delhi, providing details such as factory location and production capacity as outlined in Schedule-I. The amended order mandates monthly reports by the 15th of each month, detailing oil usage, production, sales and stocks to ensure better supply chain tracking a

US tariffs to hurt textile exports; govt must act fast: Industry body chief

The 25 per cent tariff announced by the US will hurt the textile and apparel exports from India and the government should come to the aid of exporters, said the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) on Friday. US President Donald Trump has announced imposition of 25 per cent tariff on Indian exports which will come into effect from August 7. The CITI suggested that the government should facilitate the availability of raw material for the sector at internationally competitive rates to enable the domestic exporters compete with international peers. The decision of the US to substantially reduce tariffs for competing countries like Bangladesh will compound the difficulties for India's textile and apparel exporters, CITI Chairman Rakesh Mehra said. The new US tariff for Bangladesh is 20 per cent, Indonesia and Cambodia 19 per cent each and Vietnam 20 per cent. Currently, China is the biggest exporter of textiles and apparel items to the US, followed by Vietnam, India, and ...

Datanomics: State-wise dietary patterns mirror malnutrition gaps

Bihar reported the highest share of stunted and underweight children, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Maharashtra

PM Fasal Bima Yojana 2025: All about damage compensation and how to apply

PMFBY is a flagship crop insurance scheme that protects farmers against crop loss due to natural calamities, pests, and diseases. Eligible kharif farmers must enroll by July 31 to save their crops