Page 4 - Indian Government

Kannur airport yet to get 'point of call' status from Centre: Kerala govt

The Kerala government on Friday said that Kannur airport was yet to receive 'point of call' status, enabling foreign airlines to operate services from there, despite several representations to the Centre and a recommendation by a parliamentary standing committee in favour of that. State Parliamentary Affairs Minister M B Rajesh made this submission in the Assembly on behalf of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in response to UDF MLA Sajeev Joseph calling the CM's attention to the necessity of increasing the number of flight services from Kannur airport and to develop it into international standards. Rajesh said the issue of granting 'point of call' status to the airport was raised before the Centre several times. The CM himself met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu over this matter, he added. "The CM has submitted a memorandum to the Civil Aviation Minister on September 28," he said. A parliamentary standing committee has also recommended ...

Centre to create a database of citizens moving abroad for work, education

During a high-level meeting chaired by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, discussions focused on improving coordination between the Ministry of External Affairs and NITI Aayog

Govt pushes for HT-BT cotton to counter increasing demand to use glyphosate

The government is deliberating complex policy decisions regarding Herbicide-tolerant BT (HTBT) cotton and the use of herbicide 'glyphosate' as industry demands intensify, Agriculture Commissioner P K Singh said on Friday. The key issue revolves around permitting widespread glyphosate application in cotton farming, even as discussions are underway about officially introducing HTBT cotton varieties in the country. "On one hand, the industry is demanding the use of glyphosate in cotton. Then how to go for that?" Singh said addressing a brainstorming session on emerging challenges and management strategies for weed management in India. A dedicated committee is presently studying the implications of introducing herbicide-tolerant cotton varieties, at a time when glyphosate could potentially be used without such modifications, he said. Such policy matters remain unresolved and require thorough examination, the official emphasised. German life science company Bayer has applied for regula

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Received representation on Rahul Gandhi's citizenship: Govt to Allahabad HC

The central government on Monday informed the Allahabad High Court that it has received a representation filed under the Citizenship Act 1955 alleging Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had British citizenship. However, Deputy Solicitor General of India SB Pandey sought more time to place before the high court bench the status of action on the representation moved by S Vignesh Shishir. Justices Rajan Roy and Om Prakash Shukla of the Lucknow bench had asked the Centre to apprise the court of the status of the representation after Shishir, a BJP worker hailing from Karnataka, filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) stating that no action has been taken by the Centre in the matter. The bench fixed October 24 for next hearing. In the PIL, the petitioner claimed that he made detailed enquiries into the issue of Rahul Gandhi being a British citizen and had several new inputs. He claims to have accessed confidential emails from the UK Government and these

NITI Aayog to overhaul schemes for SC/STs, minorities & vulnerable groups

The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office of NITI Aayog has sought proposals from consultancy firms to support the evaluation of Centrally Sponsored Schemes

Parliament panel on Waqf Bill receives over 120 million responses

A parliamentary panel examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill has received a staggering 1.2 crore email responses amid campaigns launched by rival groups to ratchet up support for their respective viewpoints regarding the draft law. Parliamentary sources said the Joint Committee on the Waqf Amendment Bill, chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jagadambika Pal, has also received 75,000 responses with documents to support the respective views, prompting the panel to seek additional staff from the Lok Sabha Secretariat. "We have deployed 15 additional personnel to go through the email responses and categorise and document those," one of the sources said. Radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik has appealed to his supporters to oppose the Waqf (Amendment) Bill by sending responses to the parliamentary panel examining the draft law. The appeal from Naik has triggered a counter-reaction and several Hindu groups too have urged their supporters to write emails to the committee in support

Amidst war on DVC, Bengal Power secy Santanu Basu steps down from board

Amid a war of words between West Bengal government and Centre over release of water from reservoirs of Damodar Valley Corporation, state Power secretary Santanu Basu has stepped down from the Board of DVC, officials said on Sunday. The Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Waterways of West Bengal has also quit the Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC), they said. Basu in an email to DVC chairman on September 21 said "In view of the unprecedented and uncontrolled release of water by the DVC from its dam systems, leading to widespread inundation causing immense sufferings to the people in vast areas of the state, I do hereby tender my resignation as the member of state from the Board of DVC." State Information and Cultural Affairs Department in a statement on Sunday said "apart from the Power secretary, the Chief Engineer, Irrigation and Waterways, West Bengal, also resigned to voice protest on the same issue from Damodar Valley Reservoir Regulation Committee (DVRRC)." The

Govt approves sale of FSNL to Japan's Konoike Transport for Rs 320 cr

The government on Thursday approved the privatisation of Ferro Scrap Nigam Ltd (FSNL) to Japanese corporation Konoike Transport Co Ltd for Rs 320 crore. Under the Steel Ministry, FSNL is a 100 per cent subsidiary of MSTC Ltd. The government had received two technically qualified financial bids for the company. The Alternative Mechanism, comprising Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Steel Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy, have approved the highest bid amounting to Rs 320 crore of Konoike Transport Co Ltd for sale of 100 per cent equity shareholding of MSTC Ltd in FSNL along with transfer of management control, a finance ministry statement said. The 320 crore bid was higher than the reserve price of Rs 262 crore set by the government on the basis of valuation carried out by the Transaction Adviser and Asset Valuer. The strategic sale of FSNL received two technically qualified financial bids. The bid submitted by Konoike Transport Co. Ltd at Rs 320 cr

Govt may allow more compute capacity based on requirement: IT secretary

The government may look at creating more "compute capacity" through viability gap funding after building high-tech capability under the Rs 10,372-crore India AI mission, Electronics and IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday. Addressing a Deloitte India event, Krishnan said that India AI Mission has an outlay of about 10,372 crore of which more than Rs 4,500 crore is intended for compute capacity. "Later on, there is a possibility, and we will decide based on how much compute capacity actually gets created in the country. There is a possibility that we would actually support more compute capacity being created on the viability gap funding," Krishnan said. The government has invited bids for the empanelment of entities for providing artificial intelligence services on the cloud under the India AI mission. Under the IndiaAI Mission, supercomputing capacity, comprising over 10,000 GPUs, will be made available to various stakeholders for creating an artificial intelligence (AI) ...

India on way to becoming third-largest economy by FY31: S&P Global report

India is on track to becoming the third-largest economy by 2030-31, driven by a projected annual growth rate of 6.7 per cent this fiscal, S&P Global said in a report on Thursday. The report also said that with 8.2 per cent growth rate in FY2024, continued reforms are crucial to improving business transactions and logistics, boosting private sector investment, and reducing reliance on public capital. It said equity markets are expected to stay dynamic and competitive due to strong growth prospects and better regulation, and foreign inflows into Indian government bonds have surged since the country joined major emerging market indexes, with further growth anticipated. To maximize trade benefits, India must develop infrastructure and geopolitical strategies, particularly regarding its extensive coastline, said the first edition of 'India Forward: Emerging Perspectives' report. Nearly 90 per cent of India's trade is seaborne, necessitating robust port infrastructure to manage ...

Modi 3.0 100 days: Commerce ministry takes steps to support MSME exporters

The commerce ministry has taken a host of steps during the 100 days of the Modi 3.0 government for MSME exporters who are facing global challenges due to geo-political tensions. The measures included launching of 'Trade Connect e-Platform' to empower SMEs by giving them access to information and guidance on trade, the commerce ministry said on Tuesday. This platform will connect these enterprises to over six lakh IEC (import-export code) holders, 185 Indian Mission officials and over 600 Export Promotion Council members with the Department of Commerce. Briefing the media, Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that in the first 100 days, the ministry held meetings with exporters to understand their problems and find ways to resolve those issues. "This e-connect portal will provide all sorts of information to an exporter," he said adding for MSME and other exporters, this portal will become a single point by which they can explore new geographies for shipments. The secretary said t

Centre asks platform aggregators to register workers on e-Shram portal

The government has invited platform aggregators to register their gig workers on the e-Shram portal that could help them access various social security benefits. This registration is crucial to ensure workers' access to social welfare schemes, the Ministry of Labour and Employment in a statement said, adding that aggregators will help develop an accurate registry of beneficiaries. "The Ministry of Labour & Employment has taken another major step in extending social security benefits to gig and platform workers by inviting platform aggregators to register their workers on the e-Shram portal," it said. The e-Shram portal serves as a nationwide database of unorganised workers, designed to provide them with access to social security and welfare schemes. To guide the process, the statement said the ministry has issued an advisory with a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) outlining aggregator responsibilities, including registering workers and updating their data. Upon registration, ...

Infrastructure, agriculture key focus areas of 100 days of Modi 3.0

The BJP-led NDA government has approved infrastructure projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore, including linking 25,000 unconnected villages to road networks and building a mega port at Wadhawan in Maharashtra, during its first 100 days in office. Besides infrastructure, the focus of the government has also been on agriculture by increasing the minimum support price (MSP) for Kharif crops, removing of minimum export price (MEP) on onions and basmati rice and hiking the duty on the import of crude palm, soybean and sunflower oils. Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office for the third consecutive term on June 9 this year. The thrust of the Modi government has been on providing stability on the policy front with a flexible approach to adopt certain changes to remove teething problems without diluting the original concept. A case in point is the Goods and Services Tax which has undergone 140 changes to reduce friction. The government approved the Wadhavan Mega Port in Maharashtra for Rs .

Govt notifies NaBFID as a public financial institution under Companies Act

The government has notified the National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) as a public financial institution under the Companies Act. This will help the government fortify the nation's infrastructure finance structures. In a notification issued on September 10, the Corporate Affairs Ministry said that in exercise of the powers, Section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013, the Central Government, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, hereby notifies National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development as a "public financial institution". The move will enhance the bank's capacity to finance large-scale infrastructure projects, thereby bolstering the country's infrastructure development. NaBFID, a specialised Development Finance Institution (DFI), was set up in 2021, by an Act (The National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development Act, 2021). The Bank was set up with the essential objectives of addressing the gaps in long-term non-recourse

PM E-DRIVE scheme to aid faster adoption of EVs in India: M&M, Tata Motors

Home-grown auto majors Mahindra & Mahindra and Tata Motors on Thursday hailed the PM e-drive scheme, saying it would help in higher adoption of electric vehicles in the country. On September 11, the Union Cabinet approved two major schemes with a total outlay of Rs 14,335 crore to promote the use of electric vehicles, including buses, ambulances and trucks. The two schemes are the PM Electric Drive Revolution in Innovative Vehicle Enhancement (PM E-DRIVE) Scheme with an outlay of Rs 10,900 crore over a period of two years, and the PM-eBus Sewa-Payment Security Mechanism (PSM) scheme with a budget of Rs 3,435 crore. "With continued focused support on 2Ws, 3Ws, e-buses and the thoughtful addition of e-ambulances, the scheme will drive higher EV penetration in the country," Mahindra & Mahindra Managing Director Anish Shah said in a statement. Investments laid out for fast charging infrastructure for all segments will help in increasing consumer confidence for faster adoption of ..

Cabinet approves Rs 12,461 cr support for 31,350 MW hydropower projects

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a Rs 12,461 crore outlay to support the development of 31,350 MW hydropower projects to be implemented over the next eight years. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Power for modification of the scheme of budgetary support for the cost of Enabling Infrastructure for Hydro Electric Projects (HEP) with a total outlay of Rs 12,461 crore, an official statement said. According to the statement, the scheme will be implemented from FY2024-25 to FY2031-32. The limit of the budgetary support for the cost of enabling infrastructure has been rationalised to Rs one crore/MW for projects up to 200 MW and Rs 200 crore plus Rs 0.75 crore per MW exceeding 200 MW, for projects above 200 MW.

Govt gives nod to Ayushman health insurance to all citizens aged 70, above

In a move that will benefit 4.5 crore families, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved health coverage to all senior citizens aged 70 years and above irrespective of income under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said. The coverage aims to benefit six crore senior citizens from 4.5 crore families with Rs five lakh free health insurance cover. Eligible beneficiaries will be issued a new distinct card under the scheme, the government said.

Standing, consultative committees of Parl to be constituted soon: Rijiju

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday asserted that department-related standing committees and consultative committees of Parliament will be constituted soon. His remarks come against the backdrop of certain opposition leaders questioning the delay in constituting standing committees, which scrutinise the functioning of Union ministries. Addressing an event of his ministry here, he said in the past too, the standing committees and consultative committees have been formed around September 15 and there was no delay. While a majority of the standing committees come under the Lok Sabha Secretariat, some are serviced by the Rajya Sabha. Department-related standing committees deal with various Union ministries and scrutinise their budgetary allocations and bills introduced in Parliament. They also recommend the government to bring bills and make policies on important issues. The consultative committees are chaired by the ministers in charge of their respective ministr

Govt dissolves Pronab Sen-led panel on statistics, cites 'overlap' in work

Formed in July 2023, the SCoS was supposed to advise the Union government on survey methodology, including sampling frame, sampling design, and survey instruments