Page 2 - Union Cabinet

Cabinet clears ₹4,200 crore Merite scheme to upgrade technical education

The Merite scheme will cover 275 government and government-aided technical institutions, including 175 engineering colleges and 100 polytechnics, the Union Cabinet said

Union Cabinet approves ₹2,157 crore highway expansion in Tamil Nadu

Four-laning of NH-332A between Marakkanam and Puducherry to ease congestion, boost trade, tourism, and create over 1.8 million person-days of employment in Tamil Nadu

Cabinet clears ₹24,000 cr for PM Dhan Dhaanya Yojana to boost farm output

The Rs 24,000 crore scheme will converge 36 programmes across 11 ministries and run for six years from FY26 with the goal to raise yields and farm credit access

Govt launches 6-year scheme to boost farming in 100 lagging districts

The PM-DDKY scheme to start in FY26, merging 36 existing programmes to boost yields, irrigation, and rural credit in low-performing districts; NITI Aayog to oversee progress

Khelo Bharat Niti may let Indian-origin athletes compete abroad

Players of Indian origin living abroad will be encouraged to play for the country, according to the newly-unveiled National Sports Policy, also referred to as the Khelo Bharat Niti, signalling a departure from the government's earlier stance that only Indian passport holders can represent the country. The ban on Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders from representing the country in 2008 has affected India's growth in sports such as football and tennis. However, the 20-page Khelo Bharat Niti document stated that India will seek Peace & International Cooperation Activities through Sports so that "Sports can serve as a powerful tool for international diplomacy and cooperation." "Wherever feasible, promising and prominent Indian-origin athletes living abroad may be encouraged to come back and play for India at the international level," it states. "Together, these efforts can transform sport into a dynamic tool of cultural diplomacy and nation-building, strengthening the global

Cabinet nod to 4-lane Paramakudi-Ramanathapuram road project in Tamil Nadu

The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the construction of four-lane Paramakudi-Ramanathapuram Section of NH-87 in Tamil Nadu at a cost of Rs 1,853 crore. The project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a capital cost of Rs 1,853 crore, I&B Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while briefing on the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting. Currently, connectivity between Madurai, Paramakudi, Ramanathapuram, Mandapam, Rameshwaram, and Dhanushkodi is dependent on the existing 2-lane National Highway 87 (NH-87) and associated State Highways, which experience significant congestion due to high traffic volumes, especially in densely populated stretches and key towns along the corridor. To address these challenges, the project will upgrade approximately 46.7 km of NH-87 from Paramakudi to Ramanathapuram to a 4-lane configuration, an official release said. This will decongest the existing corridor, improve safety, and cater to the mobility needs of rapidly growing towns such as ...

Cabinet approves Khelo Bharat Niti to boost India's global sports rank

Calling it a "strategic roadmap" for India's elevation into the top five of world sports, the cabinet on Tuesday approved the Khelo Bharat Niti to create "world-class systems" of coaching and athlete support along with a robust administrative set-up to make the country a strong contender for the 2036 Olympics. Previously called the National Sports Policy and introduced for the first time in 1984, the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 will supersede the 2001 policy. It is a "guiding document" to formulate plans and schemes for betterment of the country's sporting ecosystem. "We have used the experience of the last 10 years and the new policy will work towards improvement of sports. Major objective is to make India a top-five sporting nation by 2047. That's the overall objective," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters while unveiling the policy and other cabinet decisions. "The PM has given a different kind of emphasis to sports, especially in rural areas," he ...

Govt approves ₹1-trillion RDI scheme to boost private-sector innovation

The scheme will offer long-term, low-interest funding and equity support to boost private R&D in fast-growing tech sectors

Rice and wheat corner bulk of the procurement kitty, shows data

The least hikes in percentage terms was reserved for paddy which is the main foodgrain crop grown during the kharif season

Cabinet okays ₹7,052 cr infra projects in Andhra, MP and Maharashtra

Centre clears highway and rail projects including Badvel-Nellore corridor and multitracking lines in MP and Maharashtra aimed at boosting logistics and connectivity

Cabinet clears ₹3,706 cr HCL-Foxconn chip assembly unit at Jewar

The OSAT unit will assemble 20,000 wafers a month and generate 2,000 jobs; it is the sixth project approved under the India Semiconductor Mission

Cabinet clears revamped SHAKTI policy for coal allocation to power firms

The revised SHAKTI policy introduces two windows for coal allocation, enabling access through auctions and easing processes for greenfield and brownfield thermal power projects

Caste census will be incorporated into the national census: Union Cabinet

India's last national census was scheduled to take place in 2021 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Union Cabinet to meet tomorrow for the first time since Pahalgam attack

Tensions between India and Pakistan have flared since the Pahalgam attack last week, in which at least 26 people were killed

Govt hopes to add another 15K GPUs in second round of IndiaAI mission

With these 15,000 GPUs, total number of GPUs in India could be 33,000

Bihar cadre IAS Pathak made additional secy; Bhuvnesh Kumar to head UIDAI

Senior IAS officer of Bihar cadre Keshav Kumar Pathak has been appointed as Additional Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat as part of a major senior-level key bureaucratic changes announced by the Centre on Friday. Pathak, a 1990 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is presently the chairman of Bihar Revenue Board. The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment as Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, by temporarily upgrading a vacant post of Joint Secretary, a Personnel Ministry order said. His cadre mate N Saravana Kumar, a 2000 batch IAS officer, has been appointed as Vice Chairman, Delhi Development Authority (DDA), it said. Senior bureaucrat Bhuvnesh Kumar has been named as Chief Executive Officer, Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the order said. A 1995 batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, Kumar is Additional Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeiTY). Amitesh Kumar Sinha, a 1997 batc

Union Cabinet clears Rs 1,878 cr Zirakpur Bypass project in Punjab, Haryana

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a 19.2-km Zirakpur Bypass road project in Punjab and Haryana to be built at a cost of Rs 1,878.31 crore. The six-lane Zirakpur Bypass will start from Junction with NH-7 (Zirakpur-Patiala) and end at Junction with NH-5 (Zirakpur-Parwanoo) with a total length 19.2 km in Punjab and Haryana. The total capital cost of the project is Rs 1,878.31 crore, an official release said. "The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved construction of 6 lane access-controlled Zirakpur Bypass with length of 19.2 km worth Rs 1,878.31 crore in Punjab and Haryana on Hybrid Annuity Mode," it said. The primary purpose of the project is to ease congestion in Zirakpur, Panchkula and surrounding areas by diverting traffic from Patiala, Delhi, Mohali Aerocity and providing direct connectivity to Himachal Pradesh. The current proposal aims at reducing the travel time and ensuring hassle-free traffic movement in the conges

Union Cabinet meeting likely to be held on Wednesday, say officials

Union Cabinet on Friday approved the Vibrant Villages Programme -II, furthering its commitment to the vision of safe, secure, and vibrant land borders

Cabinet okays Rs 23K cr PLI scheme for electronics component manufacturing

A total of 91,600 direct jobs are likely to be generated under the scheme, Union electronics and information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said

Cabinet approves Rs 3,700 crore Patna-Sasaram corridor project in Bihar

The Union Cabinet on Friday approved a four-lane access-controlled Patna-Sasaram corridor project in Bihar at an estimated cost of Rs 3,712.40 crore, an official statement said. Currently, the connectivity between Sasaram, Arrah and Patna relies on existing state highways (SH-2, SH-12, SH-81 and SH-102) and takes 3-4 hours due to heavy congestion, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways said. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the construction of a 4-lane access-controlled greenfield and brownfield Patna Arrah Sasaram corridor, starting from Patna to Sasaram (120.10 km) in Bihar, the ministry said. The project will be developed on Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) at a total capital cost of Rs 3,712.40 crore. A greenfield corridor, along with 10.6 km of upgradation of the existing brownfield highway, will be developed to reduce the increasing congestion, catering to the needs of densely built-up areas in places like .