Page 5 - Cabinet

Reddy skips Union Cabinet meet after appointment as Telangana BJP president

A day after his appointment as the Telangana BJP president, Union minister G Kishan Reddy skipped the meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. Though no official reason was cited for his absence, some leaders believe it could be an indication of his likely exit from the Union Cabinet ahead of its expected reshuffle. Reddy, the Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Development of the North East Region, was on Tuesday appointed as the president of the BJP's Telangana unit. The BJP also has the norm of one-person-one-post. A source close to Reddy declined to comment on whether he will be quitting from the Cabinet. He has been a dedicated party worker for decades and will discharge whatever responsibility its leadership assigns to him, the source said. Prime Minister Modi is expected to reshuffle his Council of Ministers soon, and the organisational changes in the BJP are seen as a precursor to that as the ruling party prepares for a host of stat

PM tells ministers to inform people about govt's development works: Report

Asserting that his government has done a lot of development work in its nine years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked his Council of Ministers to go all out over the next nine months to inform people about the works, sources said. The prime minister chaired a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers at the newly built convention centre at the Pragati Maidan, which will host the G20 summit in September. The sources said a presentation was also made in the meeting on India's likely growth journey in a host of areas, ranging from infrastructure to budget size, till 2047 when it celebrates the centenary of its independence. This will put India among the leading countries in the world, they said. Modi has described the era till 2047 as "Amrit Kaal" (golden era) for the country. The sources said the prime minister noted the global challenges and lauded the country's development. A number of secretaries representing different ministries, including foreign and defence, spoke

PM chairs 'fruitful' meeting of Council of Ministers amid reshuffle buzz

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on Monday at the newly built convention centre at the Pragati Maidan, which will host the G20 summit in September. This comes amid a heightened buzz about a likely Cabinet reshuffle following a series of meetings of the ruling BJP's top brass. What has added to the reshuffle buzz is the fact that the period before Parliament's Monsoon Session, which begins from July 20, could be the last window for such an exercise.

PM Narendra Modi to chair meeting of Council of Ministers on July 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a meeting of the Union Council of Ministers on July 3, a development which comes against the backdrop of hectic meetings of the ruling BJP's top brass amid a buzz over a Cabinet reshuffle and organisational changes. The July 3 meeting is likely to be held at the newly built convention centre at Pragati Maidan here, which will host the G20 summit in September, officials said on Thursday. Though the speculation about a Cabinet reshuffle has been rife for a long time, recent meetings involving the BJP's brain trust, including Home Minister Amit Shah and party president J P Nadda, and the fact that the period before the Parliament's Monsoon Session could be the last window for such an exercise have added to the buzz. The Monsoon Session is likely to begin in the third week of July. The party's organisation, including in some states, may also see some changes as its top brass makes its choices for key positions as the campaign for the 2024 Lok Sab

PM Modi to chair meeting with cabinet ministers amid talk of reshuffle

PM Modi had held in-depth discussions with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP President JP Nadda, and other key party leaders on Wednesday

Union Cabinet approves ratification of Headquarters Agreement with CDRI

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the ratification of the Headquarters Agreement between the Government of India and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI). The CDRI was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the United Nations climate action summit on September 23, 2019 in New York. It is a major global initiative launched by the government and is seen as India's attempt to obtain a global leadership role in climate change and disaster resilience matters, according to an official release. The Union Cabinet, in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Modi, has given its approval to the ratification of the Headquarters Agreement (HQA) between the government and CDRI signed on August 22 last year, it said. Ratification of the headquarters agreement will facilitate grant of exemptions, immunities and privileges as contemplated under Section-3 of the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1947 and will provide CDRI an independent and internationa

Cabinet assent to set up National Research Foundation to boost R&D

The government on Wednesday approved a bill to set up the National Research Foundation, a new funding agency to bolster the country's research competence, Union minister Anurag Thakur said. He said the National Research Foundation Bill will be brought in Parliament and the Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008 will be repealed. At a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union Cabinet approved a proposal to introduce the National Research Foundation (NRF) Bill, 2023, Thakur told reporters here. The NRF will be governed by a governing board consisting of 15 to 25 eminent researchers and professionals. The governing board will be headed by the prime minister, he noted.

Govt nods to PM-PRANAM to incentivise promotion of alternative fertilisers

The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a new scheme PM-PRANAM to incentivise states to promote alternative fertilisers and reduce the use of chemical fertilisers. The scheme PM-PRANAM (PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth) was announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 1 as part of the Budget for 2023-24. "Under the scheme, the Centre will incentivise states, which will promote alternative fertilisers and reduce chemical fertilisers," Fertiliser Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told reporters after the cabinet meeting. Citing example, suppose a state is using 10 lakh tonne of conventional fertiliser, and if it reduces its consumption by 3 lakh tonne, then the subsidy saving would be Rs 3,000 crore. Out of that subsidy savings, the Centre will give 50 per cent of it -- Rs 1,500 crore to the state for promoting the use of alternative fertiliser and other development works, he added.

Assam cabinet nod to Rs 823 crore investment in Numaligarh Refinery

The Assam cabinet on Saturday approved an investment of Rs 823 crore in Numaligarh Refinery Ltd for its expansion project. As part of the Rs 28,026 crore project, Numaligarh Refinery will expand its capacity from 3 million metric tonnes (mmt) to 9 mmt, and lay a crude pipeline of 1,398 km from Odisha's Paradip to Numaligarh and a product pipeline of 605 km from Numaligarh to West Bengal's Siliguri. The state government will get additional equity in the company against this investment, and release Rs 205.73 crore in the first tranche, state minister Jayanta Malla Baruah told reporters. The cabinet also decided to amend the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Assam Rules 2022 to incorporate 'Regulation for Idol Immersion', he said. The key feature of it will be the identification of permanent immersion ghats along river banks, he added.

Senthil Balaji to continue in Stalin cabinet as minister without portfolio

Senior leader and Tamil Nadu Housing Minister Erode Muthuswamy will hold additional charge of Excise and Prohibition

Cabinet to approve Rs 25,000 cr scheme for semiconductor manufacturing

In May, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Centre is prioritising attracting more investments in India by expanding the production-linked incentive schemes to include semiconductors and

Cabinet approves Rs 2,980 cr for Exploration of Coal and Lignite scheme

The government on Wednesday approved the continuation of the central sector plan 'Exploration of Coal and Lignite scheme' with an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,980 crore. The time period for the extension is from 2021-22 to 2025-26 co-terminus with the 15th Finance Commission cycle, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) said in a statement. "The CCEA chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the continuation of the Central Sector Scheme of "Exploration of Coal and Lignite scheme" with an estimated expenditure of Rs 2,980 crore from 2021-22 to 2025-26 co-terminus with the 15th Finance Commission cycle," it said. Under this scheme, exploration for coal and lignite is conducted in two broad stages: (i) Promotional (Regional) Exploration and (ii) Detailed Exploration in non-Coal India Limited blocks. The approval will provide an outlay of Rs 1,650 crore for promotional (Regional) exploration and Rs 1,330 crore for detailed drilling in non-CIL areas, the statement ...

Union Cabinet approves Rs 89,000-crore third revival package for BSNL

To help deploy 4G/5G services; may become net debt-free in 3 years: Vaishnaw

Cabinet condoles loss of lives in Manipur violence, Odisha rail accident

The Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday condoled the loss of lives in the Manipur violence as well as the Odisha train accident and extended sympathies to the families of the victims, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said. Briefing reporters on the decisions taken by the Union Cabinet, Goyal said as the meeting commenced, the prime minister and other members of the cabinet condoled the loss of lives and extended sympathies to the families. Ethnic violence broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. At least 98 people lost their lives and 310 were injured in the violence. The train accident in Balasore involving the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and the Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, which were carrying over 2,500 passengers, and goods train laden with iron ore occurred around 7 pm on Friday near the Bahanaga Baz

Cabinet approves Rs 89,047 crore revival plan for state-run telco BSNL

Last year, a revival plan of Rs 1.64 trillion was announced for BSNL, which was to be spent over four years

Assam cabinet decides to expand food security net, changes income criteria

The Assam cabinet on Wednesday expanded the food security net by changing the income criteria so that families who earn up to Rs four lakh per annum can benefit from the scheme which gives subsidised food rations. This will add 40 lakh new beneficiaries this year. The cabinet, in a meeting presided by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, decided to amend the Assam Food Security Rules, 2022 to change the maximum income criteria from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh per annum,Tourism minister Jayanta Malla Barua said at a media briefing. "This will enable more deserving families to apply for new ration cards which will be formally distributed in one day," he said. The Council of ministers also decided to set up an Adivasi Welfare and Development Council in accordance with the Adivasi accord signed on September 15, 2022, Barua said. The Council will address political, economic and educational aspirations, protect, preserve and promote social, cultural, linguistic and ethnic identities and en

CM Mann congratulates newly-inducted ministers as they get portfolios

The Rural Development was earlier with Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal. He now has NRI Affairs and Administrative Reforms Departments

Expansion of Maharashtra cabinet soon, says Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis

The expansion of the Maharashtra cabinet will take place soon, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. He was replying to media queries on cabinet expansion of the state government, which took charge on June 30 with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis being sworn in. On August 9 last year, 18 ministers were inducted, while as per rules the council of ministers in the state can have a maximum of 43 members. "Cabinet expansion till take place soon," Fadnavis told reporters. He also dubbed Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole and Shive Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, both bitter critics of the Shinde government, as "bol ghevda", a Marathi term to describe chatterboxes prating endlessly.

Uttarakhand cabinet approves CM skill upgradation, employment scheme

The Uttarakhand government on Wednesday approved the Chief Minister Skill Upgradation and Global Employment Scheme to help youths of the state pursue careers abroad. The state cabinet gave its approval to the scheme, Mukhya Mantri Kaushal Unnayan aur Vaishavik Rozgar Yojana, at its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Secretary S S Sandhu told reporters. The special thing about the scheme is that youths interested in pursuing careers abroad will be prepared by the state government which will develop their skills accordingly and help selected candidates in getting their tickets and visas, he said. In the first phase, selected candidates will be trained in hospitality and nursing sectors by institutions which have expertise in the field and expressed interest in training the youths of the state, he said. A workshop will be held here on May 9 where interested candidates will be screened and after selection, trained for jobs available in the elderly care sector

Delhi Cabinet approves plan to make city roads free of dust pollution

The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved a plan to make the capital's roads free of dust pollution using water sprinkler machines and mechanical road sweeping machines. As per plan, the Delhi government will procure 70 mechanical road sweeping machines, allocating one machine per assembly constituency. In addition, 250 water sprinkling machines with integrated anti-smog guns will be deployed in the 250 municipal wards, according to an official statement. It has also been decided that the 1,449-km stretch of major roads of Delhi that come under the PWD will be cleaned by the department itself instead of the MCD, it said. Addressing a press conference, Delhi Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said a proposal was presented by the Environment Ministry to curb dust pollution in the city and also ensure sanitation of public places in the national capital. He said the first decision entails the procurement of 70 mechanical road-sweeping machines one for each Vidhan Sabha constituency in Del