Page 10 - Centre

Fiscal consolidation expected on the back of lower subsidy payments

The Central government's fiscal deficit is expected to narrow to 5.9 per cent of GDP in F2024 from 6.4 per cent in F2023, Morgan Stanley said in a report

Union Cabinet to meet today; discussion on political resolution likely

According to the report, the attendees will also discussed a nine-point political resolution moved by Kiren Rijiju

Big states lag on capital expenditure front despite Centre's support

Economists say many poll-bound states chose to focus on scheme and subsidy spending

Govt to ogranise first Global Tourism Summit in April as part of G-20

The Centre will organise the country's first Global Tourism Summit in April as part of India's G-20 presidency, wherein all the member countries will participate, officials said on Tuesday

Why arrangements not made earlier?: Mamata attacks Centre on Joshimath

Criticising the Centre for allegedly not making arrangements earlier in landslide-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said the govt should work on a war footing

Centre seeks to interfere in functioning of courts, alleges Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee objected to the Centre's proposal for the inclusion of govt nominees in the collegium system on appointments to the higher judiciary

SC unhappy with 6 states, UTs for not giving comments to govt on minorities

The Supreme Court expressed displeasure over six states and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir, not yet giving their comments to the Centre on the issue of identification of minorities

Bengal govt has sought immediate release of PM Awas Yojana funds: Official

The Bengal government has written to the Centre demanding immediate release of funds under the PM Awas Yojana (PMAY), underlining that the state will fail to meet its March 31 deadline for building 11 lakh houses, if there is any further delay, a senior official said. The letter, sent by the state on Monday, is a reply to the Union Ministry of Rural Development's 493-page communication, seeking details of expenses made as part of the scheme, the official said. Notably, the BJP-led central government has been sending inspection teams to Bengal to examine the allegations of corruption in the implementation of PMAY. The state, in the letter, has clarified that it has already answered all the queries of the Centre, and sought pending funds at the earliest. "It has been mentioned in the letter that the state, despite severe financial crisis, has borned 40 per cent of expensed under the Awas Yojana scheme. The letter has also stated that it will not be possible to complete the work to bu

Centre revises calendar, MoSPI to give GDP numbers post Budget in 2023

MoSPI to release first revised estimates of national income, consumption expenditure, saving, and capital formation of the previous fiscal year on the last day of February starting this year

Agitations crucial in coming years to protect people's rights, says Tikait

Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait on Wednesday said that agitations and people's participation in them would be important in the coming years for protecting the rights of people, their lands and their farms. He was speaking at a farmers rally organised by the Bahujan Sangharsh Samiti in Nagpur. 'Dalit' is not a caste group but all people living in villages and working in the fields are Dalits, he said. All the people working in the farms are 'Bahujan', he added. The present government in the country does not believe in the Constitution, he alleged. Elected governments were toppled in Maharashtra as well as Madhya Pradesh, he said. Talking about the agitation on Delhi borders against the new farm laws, he said it felt like "the government was a conspirator." Allegations of insulting the Tricolour were levelled against farmers and all these conspiracies were "hatched in Nagpur", he said, without naming any organization. There were also attempts to portray the Sikh community as ...

Cabinet nod for setting up of three new multi-state cooperative societies

It will develop a system for the preservation and promotion of indigenous natural seeds through various cooperative societies across the country with support from relevant ministries

Micro and small enterprises corner 55% of total orders placed on GeM portal

Micro and small enterprises (MSEs) have cornered over 55 per cent of the total orders placed on the public procurement platform GeM since 2019, a senior government official said. The Government e-Market (GeM) portal was launched on August 9, 2016, for online purchases of goods and services by all the central government ministries and departments. GeM CEO P K Singh said that the public procurement policy for MSEs mandates 25 per cent of buying of goods and services from these units and 3 per cent MSEs owned by women. "On GeM, MSEs have secured 55.2 per cent (Rs 1,41,887 crore) of total order value (Rs 2,57,263 crore) and MSEs owned by women have secured 8 per cent (Rs 11,373 crore) of the MSE orders. The numbers reflect inclusivity on GeM," Singh told PTI. Procurement of goods and services from government portal GeM has crossed Rs 1 lakh crore so far this fiscal on account of an increase in buying activities by different ministries and departments. The commerce ministry is also in

How can settlement be reopened, Rs 50 cr undisbursed: SC on Bhopal tradgedy

SC added that the settlement is between two parties and one of the parties is the Union of India and it is not a weak party

Govt to focus on micro-credit facility for street vendors in 2023: Vaishnaw

The government will enhance its focus on providing micro-credit facility in the range of Rs 3,000-5,000 to street vendors in 2023, with the help of digital technologies, Union IT and Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Saturday. While speaking at Digital India Awards, Vaishnaw said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allocated around Rs 52,000 crore for taking 4G and 5G services across all nooks and corners of the country for digitally connecting every citizen. "In 2023 there will be a big focus on providing credit facilities to street vendors in a simplified manner to meet small credit requirements of Rs 3,000-5,000," Vaishnaw said. The minister said that the country will see the roll out of indigenously developed 4G and 5G technologies this year. He said that very soon the country will witness the setting up of an electronic chip manufacturing plant in the country in line with PM Modi's vision to make India self-reliant in the field of technology. The PM Street Vendor's

Centre successful in establishing peace, prosperity in North East: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Central govt has achieved success in its goal of establishing the three P's of Peace, Progress and Prosperity in Nagaland and other northeastern states

Centre must improve tele-density; 5G should not be publicity stunt: BJD

Noting that the launching of 5G services in Odisha should not be reduced to a publicity stunt, the BJD said the Centre must work on improving tele-density in the state, which is lower than the national average. Union IT and Communication Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and his cabinet colleague Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday launched 5G services of Jio and Airtel in Odisha. Vaishnaw had committed to launch 5G services in the state before January 26. Within hours of the launch, BJD spokesperson Amar Patnaik held a press conference and said, "Launching of 5G services should not be reduced to a publicity stunt. The Centre must improve tele-density in the state, which at 75 per cent is lower than the national average of 85 per cent. The tele-density in rural Odisha is much lower at 62 per cent." The BJD MP claimed that as many as 6,278 villages in Odisha remain unconnected by both mobile and internet services. "While we welcome the launch of 5G services in Odisha, at the same time, we also

Centre should change its attitude towards cooperative banks: Sharad Pawar

Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has said that the Union government must change its attitude towards cooperative banks and support them because they serve the common people. There is a misconception that irregularities largely take place in cooperative banks, the former Union agriculture minister said at a function here on Thursday. Pawar was speaking at the closing ceremony of the golden jubilee of Vishweshwar Cooperative Bank Ltd. Nationalised and scheduled banks in the country account for more than 90 per cent of irregularities whereas cooperative sector banks account for only 0.46 per cent irregularities, he said. "I get worried when I see how the cooperative bank sector is being looked at. The Union government has invested heavily in nationalised banks. It had to be done because if money had not been infused, the health of these banks would have deteriorated," he said. "Generally, there is a misconception that people in the cooperative sector are involved in ...

Centre bars tourists at Shri Sammed Shikharji in Jharkhand, amid protests

In view of a series of protests by the Jain community, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav has asked the state to forbid all eco-tourism activities

Govt to release first advance economic growth estimates for FY23 today

The National Statistical Office will release the first advance estimates of economic growth for 2022-23 on Friday evening, three weeks ahead of presentation of General Budget in Lok Sabha on February 1. The first advance estimates of national income for 2022-23 is significant because the data is used for preparing the Budget of the central government for next financial year of 2023-24. Earlier last month, the Reserve Bank of India had lowered the country's GDP (gross domestic product) growth forecast to 6.8 per cent for the current fiscal from 7 per cent earlier, on account of continued geopolitical tensions and tightening of global financial conditions. The RBI had projected the real GDP growth for 2022-23 at 6.8 per cent, with the third quarter at 4.4 per cent and the fourth at 4.2 per cent. It had pared the growth projection for 2022-23 for the third time in December 2022. In April 2022, the central bank had cut the GDP growth estimate from 7.8 per cent to 7.2 per cent, and fur

Centre stays all tourism activities at Sammed Shikharji in Jharkhand

Place falls in eco-sensitive zone, says Union Environment Minister