Page 9 - Government Of India

Now, all women are entitled to safe and legal abortion: Supreme Court

The court also for the first time recognised marital rape under the MTP Act

Centre extends free food grain scheme till Dec at a cost of Rs 45k cr

Move to cost the exchequer additional Rs 44,762 crore

Govt working on model theatre policy to arrest decline in cinemas

The government will also work with states to facilitate and promote film shootings in India, he said

Battery manufacturers get more time to comply with additional safety norms

The government has deferred the implementation of additional provisions in the battery safety standards, which were to begin from October 1, to give manufacturers more time to comply with new norms, according to an official statement. The statement said now additional provisions in the battery safety standards will be implemented in two phases -- first phase from December 1, 2022 and second phase from March 31, 2023. Concerned over cases of fire incidents observed in electric two-wheelers, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) on September 1 introduced additional safety provisions in the battery safety standards, which were to come into effect from October 1. The amendments include additional safety requirements related to battery cells, on-board charger, design of battery pack, and thermal propagation due to internal cell short-circuit leading to fire. "To strengthen the safety parameters for the testing of the batteries used in electric vehicles, Amendment-2, which

What is a cybercrime portal? Here's how to check complaint status online

The National Cyber Crime Reporting portal is a citizen-centric initiative that enables citizens to report cybercrimes online

Govt launches Indian Sign Language mobile app 'Sign Learn' with 1,000 words

The Centre on Friday launched an Indian Sign Language (ISL) dictionary mobile application called 'Sign Learn' containing 10,000 words. The app was launched by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik. Sign Learn is based on the Indian sign language dictionary of the Indian Sign Language Research And Training Centre (ISLRTC) which contains 10,000 words. The app is available in Android as well as iOS versions, and all the words in the ISL dictionary can be searched through Hindi or English medium, officials said. The sign videos of the app can also be shared on social media. "The app has been developed to make the ISL dictionary easily available and to make it more accessible for the public at large," a senior official said. Notably, ISLRTC had recently signed an MoU with the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) on October 6, 2020 for converting NCERT textbooks from classes 1 to 12 into the Indian Sign Language (digital format) t

14 of 25 HCs registered a decline in pending PILs in 2021, shows data

Overall, they cleared 83.7 per cent of instituted cases until August 2021- the highest in four years

Govt working on court's suggestion to assist Ukraine returned students

The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that they are working on the suggestions given by the court to assist medical students who have returned to India from Ukraine in view of the war with Russia. The apex court had on September 16 suggested that the Centre assist these medical students by creating a web portal giving details of the foreign universities, where they could complete their courses as per the government's academic mobility programme. The counsel appearing for the Centre told the top court on Friday that they have written to the secretaries of the ministries of external affairs as well as health on the issue. "In terms of the last order, we have written to the secretaries of MEA (ministry of external affairs) as well as Health. Our instruction is that they are on it," the counsel told a bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia. The counsel further said that in the last hearing, the apex court had indicated that a website can be made where information can

Government does not interfere in functioning of ED, says FM Sitharaman

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday said the government does not interfere in the functioning of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and rejected the Opposition criticism that the central agency is often misused against opponents of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Addressing a press conference near Pune on the sidelines of a programme, she said the ED comes into picture only when there is suspicion of money laundering. Asked about ED actions against Opposition leaders, Sitharaman said the law enforcement agency, which comes under the Ministry of Finance, knows its responsibilities and the government does not interfere in its work. "Try to understand the functioning of the ED. It does not reach the spot when an incident happens. It's role comes into the picture only after it emerges that the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been violated in a case. "The ED never comes into the picture directly. It comes when there is a doubt that money laundering has .

Govt says domestic rice prices may continue to rise: Here's why

Domestic rice prices are showing an upward trend and it "may continue to increase" due to low kharif production forecast and 11 per cent jump in export of non-basmati rice, the food ministry said on Thursday. The statement was made in the fact sheet that the ministry issued detailing reasoning behind recent amendments to the India's rice export policy. The ministry also said that the recent changes in India's rice export rules "have helped keep a check on domestic prices" without reducing the availability for exports. Early this month, the government had banned export of broken rice and imposed a 20 per cent export duty on non-basmati rice to boost domestic supplies paddy crop acreage in this kharif season. In its fact sheet, the food ministry said: "The domestic prices of rice are showing increasing trend and it may continue to increase due to low production forecast by about 6 million tonnes of paddy and 11 per cent increase in export of non-basmati rice compared to corresponding

Govt proposes to bring internet calling apps under telecom licence

Over-the-top players like Whatsapp, Zoom and Google Duo which provide calling and messaging services may require licences to operate in the country, according to the draft telecommunication bill 2022. The draft bill has included OTT as part of the telecommunication service. "For provision of Telecommunication Services and Telecommunication Networks, an entity shall have to obtain a license," the draft bill released on Wednesday evening said. The government in the bill has proposed a provision to waive fees and penalty of telecom and internet service providers. The ministry has also proposed a provision for the refund of fees in case a telecom or internet provider surrenders his license. "Seeking your views on the draft Indian Telecom Bill 2022," Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a post on a social media platform in which he also shared the link of the draft bill. The last date for public comment on the draft is October 20. According to the draft, the central government

States hit by deficit rains to get seed minikits of pulses, oilseeds: Govt

Expecting early sowing of winter crops in states that witnessed poor and erratic rains in the kharif season, the Centre on Thursday said it will distribute seeds minikits of pulses and oilseeds in those states. Normally, sowing of rabi (winter) crops begins from October and continues till mid-November, after harvesting of kharif (summer) crops. According to the agriculture ministry, the erratic and deficit rainfall in some states during this kharif season has necessitated the need for early sowing of rabi crops especially pulses and oilseeds. The government's focus is also to provide seed minikits of pulses and oilseeds targeting monsoon deficit regions in the states apart from the regular distribution, it said in a statement. The minikits are being provided by central agencies such as National Seeds Corporation (NSC) and NAFED and the distribution is funded by the central government through the National Food Security Mission. To promote pulses sowing, the government has allocated

Govt working on PLI schemes for more products to boost manufacturing: Goyal

The government had rolled out PLI schemes for 15 key sectors, including technology, textile, automobile, pharmaceutical drugs, speciality steel, electronics, among others

Centre notifies new Medical Device Rules to smoothen licensing procedure

Allows self declaration on portal for licensing purposes

Govt actively studying duties levied on steel exports: Jyotiraditya Scindia

The government is actively studying the issue of export duty which was imposed on certain grades of steel in May this year. The matter is being discussed at the highest level, Union steel minister Jyotiraditya Scindia told reporters at the National Management Convention organised by the All India Management Association (AIMA) here. "This is something which is under active study by my department as well as the government. We are certainly discussing this at the highest level. When a decision is taken on this you shall be be informed," he said in reply to a question whether government is considering removing export duty on iron ore and steel intermediaries. On May 21, the government hiked the duty on exports of iron ore by up to 50 per cent and for a few steel intermediaries to 15 per cent. It also waived customs duty on the import of some raw materials, including coking coal and ferronickel, used by the steel industry. The move was aimed at increasing the availability of these raw ..

Sitharaman nudges fintech players to have more engagement with govt

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday nudged the fintech industry to break the distance barrier and have more engagements with the government and its agencies to enhance trust. Sitharaman was replying to a question by Kris Gopalakrishnan, Chairman, Global Fintech Fest (GFF) 2022 Advisory Board, who wanted to know how to ensure trust among industry, regulators, and the government. "I don't want to sound cliche, but distance brings distrust. So, cut the distance down, have greater engagement with the government," the minister said. Sitharaman further said everyone in the government, whether the prime minister, ministers or think-tank Niti Aayog, is constantly available for engagement, discussions, and exchange of ideas. "So greater the engagement, greater the trust, which gets built up. So I think one sure shot way of retaining and building on trust is to keep the constant engagement going," she said. To a question related to the role of the central bank and the finance ...

Govt starts works on sale of 4 Air India subsidiaries it retained

Ground-handling arm would be monetised first; investor roadshows for all companies organised

85 EV charging stations installed in 82 areas; 92 more to be up by Dec: MCD

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has installed 85 electric vehicle charging stations at 82 locations and 92 more such facilities are to be set up by December, officials said on Friday. The Government of India is promoting EVs adoption in India and has recently announced its target to reach 25 per cent EV adoption by 2030, the MCD said in a statement. Several state governments are also working towards accelerating EV adoption in their respective states, it added. "The MCD has installed 85 EV charging stations at 82 locations and all 85 EV charging stations have become operational for the public usage," the MCD said. Officials said 92 more such facilities are to be set up by December. The MCD has been taking necessary steps to create an optimal EV ecosystem in the city, it said. Four government of India public sector undertakings -- Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL), Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) and Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited ..

Govt to soon invite bids for IDBI Bank privatisation: DIPAM Secretary

DIPAM Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey on Wednesday said the department is working on the Expression of Interest (EoI) and would soon invite preliminary bids from investors for the privatisation of IDBI Bank. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave in-principle approval for strategic disinvestment and transfer of management control in IDBI Bank in May 2021. Currently, the government holds 45.48 per cent in the bank, and Life Insurance Corporation of India, which is currently the promoter of the bank, owns a 49.24 per cent stake. "We have been at it for quite some time. It is also a first of its kind transaction where through a bidding route we will be privatising a bank. Both government and LIC put together hold 94 per cent in IDBI Bank," he said while addressing 'FICCI CAPAM 2022 - 19th Annual Capital Markets Conference'. As the bank has come out of the Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework, he said its performance has improved which would generate greater interest among ...

India warming up to vast potential of crowd-funding for healthcare

Of the 1.3 million active patients in India, around 890,000 have given consent to be up for adoption