Page 2 - Central Government

Government incurred Rs 31,68,648 crore worth of expenditure till Jan 2023

The government incurred Rs 31,68,648 crore as expenses up to January 2023, which was 75 per cent of of the corresponding revised estimate of 2022-23

Centre asks states to spruce up healthcare facilities as temperatures rise

The Centre has said that daily surveillance on heat-related illnesses under National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) in all states and districts

'Centre, states should take steps to tackle drug abuse among children'

The regional judicial colloquium on "POCSO Act (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act), Juvenile Justice & Drug Abuse among Children" organised by the Kerala High Court has decided to make recommendations to the Central and State governments to adopt certain measures for tackling the issue of drug abuse amongst children.

Centre earns Rs 17.49 cr from scrap in Jan under cleanliness campaign

The Centre earned Rs 17.49 crore in January from the disposal of scrap as part of its ambitious cleanliness campaign. Besides this, it has freed 10.45 lakh sq feet of space in government premises, a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry on Thursday said. A total of 4,711 cleanliness campaigns were conducted in January and Rs 17,49,91,167 was earned by scrap disposal, it said. The Centre has been continuing its special cleanliness campaign and has decided to come out with a monthly progress report on secretariat reforms As many as 2,52,480 files were reviewed and 1,63,664 files were weeded out, the statement said, citing the second such report. The Centre also disposed 3,94,805 public grievances out of 4,40,671 received by it during the month, according to the statement.

Govt forms cabinet secretary-led panel to monitor Mission Karmayogi

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba will head a top panel comprising a senior official from the Prime Minister's Office, seven secretaries, among others, to monitor the implementation of the government's ambitious Mission Karmayogi programme for training of government employees. Envisioned as one of the largest capacity-building initiatives in government organisations anywhere in the world, Mission Karmayogi aims to create a competent civil service rooted in Indian ethos with a shared understanding of the country's priorities, and working in harmonisation for effective and efficient public service delivery. The mission seeks to keep the civil service at the centre of all change, empowering them to deliver in challenging environments. Thus, by design, Mission Karmayogi adopts a citizen-centric approach for civil service reforms. The government has recently approved setting up a Cabinet Secretariat Coordination Unit or CSCU as part of the institutional framework under the National Programme

Centre sells 4 LMT of wheat during second e-auction organised by FCI

More than 1,060 bidders participated and 3.85 lakh metric tonnes of wheat was sold during the second e-auction organised by the Food Corporation of India (FCI) on Wednesday .

Government focusing on public expenditure to propel growth, says FM

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday said that the effort of the government over the years has been to increase public expenditure with a view to promote growth. Speaking at the Post-Budget interactive session with the members of the industry chamber PHDCCI, the minister said that the government in the 2023-24 budget increased the capital expenditure by 33 per cent to Rs 10 lakh crore. "Consistently for the last three-four years, the emphasis has been given on public capital expenditure. We have kept that up in this budget...capital expenditure, clearly can be said as a real focus of this budget," she said. On a question of including petroleum products under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, the minister said it could be done if there is an agreement among the states. She further said that the states were being nudged to carry forward reforms in various sectors including power and also implement the 'one nation, one ration card' scheme.

Govt planning to include additional 21 airports under Krishi Udan: Scindia

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday said the Krishi Udan scheme has been a huge success and the central government is planning to include additional 21 airports under this. "At least 31 airports are under the Krishi Udan. We are speaking with MoD (Ministry of Defence) to include another 21 airports under Krishi Udan," Scindia told reporters while briefing about the second day deliberations of the first G20 Agriculture Deputies Meeting held here. He said Krishi Udan, a special flight meant for quick transportation of agricultural produce, has been a huge success. Citing examples, he said lemon, jackfruit and grapes grown in the North East are transported not only to other parts of the country but also to other nations like Germany, London, Singapore and the Philippines. On day two of the first meeting of the G20 Agriculture Deputies, delegates will continue deliberations on four key priority areas: food security and nutrition; sustainable agriculture with a clima

Ayodhya verdict delivered under pressure of central govt: Rashid Alvi

Congress leader Rashid Alvi hit out at the BJP-led Union government over the appointment of Justice (retd.) S Abdul Nazeer as the Andhra Pradesh governor.

GST compensation: Centre owes us Rs 2,409 crore, says West Bengal

The West Bengal government on Friday night said the Centre owes it Rs 2,409.96 crore, responding to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's statement that the state has not sent GST compensation cess claim with accountant general (AG) certificate from 2017-18 to 2021-22. Replying to assertions that West Bengal's dues have been neglected, Sitharaman in Parliament said GST compensation to states is given when the audited figures are provided but West Bengal has not submitted those since 2017. "....the Union FM made a statement that West Bengal has not sent GST compensation cess claim with AG certificate since 2017-18 to 2021-22. The state government does not agree with the statement...," it said in a statement. "For West Bengal, so far, compensation has been paid on net basis for only two years 2017-18 & 2018-19. For the rest of the periods (FY 2019-20, FY 2020-21, FY 2021-22) & the period 01.04.2022 till 30.06.2022, compensation has been released based on gross revenue. If .

LPG can be sold at more economical rates if international price comes down

If international price of fuel comes down from its current price of USD 750 per metric tonne, domestic LPG can then be sold at "even more economical rates," the Centre told Lok Sabha on Thursday. The day international price is determined by a "variety of factors" and "one of the analysis I read said that in a few years time it will all be thing of the past because there will be so much gas available," Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said in the Lower House. "But we will have to navigate the next two or three years through the kind of global situation as it exists today and as it is evolving," he added. The Minister was replying to questions of the members who wanted to know why the cost of the domestic gas cylinders is not being reduced. He said the government is "sensitive" to the requirements of the consumers, particularly the most vulnerable. "We did not allow the cost of domestic LPG to increase. The Saudi contract price went up by 330 per cent,

Digital lending apps issue clarifications after Centre's ban on loan apps

Some digital lending apps issued clarifications as the industry entered a panic mode after the Centre banned nearly 138 gambling apps and 94 loan apps over "Chinese linkage" concerns

Centre approves Pune-Nashik high speed rail connectivity: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the Ministry of Railways has accorded "in principle approval" for the Pune-Nashik high-speed rail project. Fadnavis made the announcement after a meeting with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw here. "I thank the Railway minister for granting in-principle approval to the Pune-Nashik high-speed railway project," the Maharashtra deputy chief minister said. He said officials from Maharashtra and the railway ministry will make a technical appraisal of the project and then take the proposal to the Union Cabinet for approval. "Pune and Nashik are important cities of Maharashtra economically and culturally. It would be our endeavour to provide rail connectivity to these two cities," Vaishnaw said. "We had a detailed discussion on the technical aspects of the project and will now take it forward," the Railway minister said. Fadnavis said high-speed rail between Pune and Nashik will boost development and provide seamless ..

Centre should show same kind of love it has for Adani to common people: KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Sunday demanded Adani Group's "scam" be discussed in a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) as he targeted the Centre over the import of coal and its "love" for Adani. He claimed the Centre is pressuring Life Insurance Corporation to make a false statement over its exposure in the Adani Group. The Indian banking system is involved in this problem and the whole country is worried, he alleged. Addressing a press conference in Nanded city of Maharashtra after speaking at a public rally, Rao, who heads Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), alleged the Centre is forcing states to import coal which is supplied only by Adani Group. The import of coal is akin to "cheating" the country, and the BRS will change this scenario after coming to power, he said. "It is my request to the Prime Minister that Adani Group is involved in such a big scam and it should be discussed in a joint parliamentary committee. Almost Rs 10 lakh crore has been evaporated," he

'Make in India turned out to be Joke in India':Telangan CM attacks Centre

Telangana CM and BRS president K Chandrashekar Rao, attacked the BJP-led Centre, saying the Modi government's flagship project 'Make in India' has turned out to be 'Joke in India'

Govt gets 33% stake in Vodafone Idea, promoters to invest as well

Centre clears Rs 16,133-crore dues conversion into equity

SC issues notice to Centre over blocking of BBC documentary on PM Modi

The bench was considering a petition jointly filed by journalist N Ram, advocate Prashant Bhushan and TMC MP Mahua Moitra and another petition filed by advocate ML Sharma

Centre changed law in 2021 to ensure all govt files are sent to Delhi LG

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said the Centre enacted a law in 2021 to ensure that all government files are sent to the lieutenant governor and expressed hope that the Supreme Court will strike down the "unconstitutional" law. The chief minister said the Constitution states that the LG is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. "This is the same for the states of India, where the Governor is bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. The process was the same for Delhi until 2018, when the Supreme Court stated that the Lt Governor in Delhi is also bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. But in 2021, the central government unconstitutionally changed the law and stated that all the files of the Delhi government will have to be passed through the LG Office," he claimed. Accusing the LG of unnecessarily creating objections on all the decisions of the government, he said, "This was illegal and the central government has ..

Budget 2023-24: Asset sale target pegged at Rs 51,000 crore for FY24

Current year projection slashed to Rs 50,000 cr from Rs 65,000 cr

Budget 2023: Riding on robust collections, govt realistic on tax target

The budget pegs tax revenue at Rs 33.6 trillion, which is higher by 10.4 per cent over Rs 30.4 trillion projected in revised estimates for the current financial year (FY23)