Some projects under the Smart Cities Mission would not be able to meet the June 30 deadline and the respective state governments would be responsible for completing them thereafter, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs. In its report on the …
Thomas promises way forward for stuck legislation in a fortnight discussion on with Planning Commission, others Union food minister K V Thomas on Monday said a ‘Plan B’ was being prepared for getting the stuck Food Security Bill cleared, but would not explain what this consisted of. The Bill, to …
New Delhi An empowered group of ministers (EGoM) on Tuesday approved additional supplies of five million tonne of subsidised wheat and rice through ration shops to people below the poverty line (BPL) and another three million tonnes of wheat to bulk consumers to ease storage in choked warehouses, food minister …
The debate over the "Intermediaries Guidelines" as part of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in Parliament brought focus to the issue of censorship and lack of accountability of governing bodies vis-à-vis the internet in the country. This cannot be divorced from the larger questions related to the threats to freedom …
FINAL REPORT PEGS GAIN FOR COS AT . 1.86 LAKH CR The Comptroller and Auditor General’s final report on the allocation of coal blocks has concluded the government did not follow a transparent policy in selecting beneficiaries and was wrong in ignoring a 2004 recommendation by the secretary in the …
What the standing committee report on the land acquisition bill left out. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development’s 31st report on land acquisition released this May does not want the state-led “dominant domain” principle extended to public-private partnerships and private sector projects. It displays faith in eminent domain, land …
Freeing up petro product pricing and marketing will end the practice of oil companies making false claims of losses State oil companies are making a brave but laughable attempt to convince people that they acted very logically when they inflicted consumers with the highest-ever increase in petrol prices last month …
Madhya Pradesh, one of the BIMARU states, has inched closer to displace Haryana from the second spot in wheat procurement. The state’s performance, in fact, has boosted the procurement in the country that is looking to enact a food security law soon. At the end of May, wheat procurement across …
The government has planned 600 dams on the Ganga and its tributaries. So how can it be serious about saving the holy river, asks Brijesh Pandey Once regarded as amrit (nectar), a river that sustained all forms of life, the Ganga is now threated by the very civilisation it once …
Anew expert panel to identify the poor has been tasked with reviewing whether and how other criteria can be combined with the consumption basket. Though the focus remains on methodological issues, there is a real opportunity for a long overdue shift in the poverty debate from Garibi Hatao, aam aadmi …
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is considering creation of National Commission for Human Resource in Health (NCHRH), an over arching regulatory body for the health sector, with the twin objective of reforming the current regulatory framework and enhancing the supply of skilled personnel. This has been stated …
The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the misuse of coal blocks allocated to some companies, government sources said. Details of the CBI probe were sketchy. A top government source said the agency would probe a complaint against four or five companies …
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav presented his first budget in the state assembly on Friday morning. The budget 2012-13 is of Rs 2 lakh crore, which is 18% higher than 2011-12 budget. The state government has made special allocations to fulfill the poll promises made by the Samajwadi Party before …
A day after Team Anna alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had extended “pecuniary benefits to private parties” when he held the charge of the Coal Ministry, the ministry on Sunday said blocks were allocated in an “equitable and fair manner”. It, however, did not specifically mention the Team Anna’s …
New Delhi: Concerned about the inability of the National Ganga River Basin Authority’s limited control over how states manage the river stretches in their domain, the Centre is preparing a law that will set up a National Ganga Basin Authority along the lines of the National Commission for Women and …
The government on Sunday introduced a bill in parliament to realise compensation from operators in case of accidents at nuclear plants. The bill assumes significance as the government is planning to set up two atomic power stations with Russian assistance. ‘The operators have to take the responsibility of accidents at …
New Delhi Noted agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan on Thursday urged the government to invest in building infrastructure for post-harvest technology before it implements the food security Bill. Pointing out a huge mismatch between grain production and storage facilities, Swaminathan said for ensuring adequate supply of grain under the food security …
The government on Thursday set up an expert technical group headed by Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) Chairman C. Rangarajan to review the Tendulkar Committee methodology for estimating poverty and overhaul the norms in keeping with the present-day prices. The move follows all-round criticism of the Planning Commission's estimates …
Bhubaneswar: Finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai on Thursday urged the Centre to waive all taxes levied on petrol and roll back the hike to avoid a major economic disaster. Reacting to the Rs 7.50-paise hike per litre of petrol, he said the common people would be hit hard and it …
The Narendra Modi government's bid to generate funds to promote clean energy by introducing a Green Cess on every unit of conventional electricity generated in the state has not gone well with major industrial players of the state, who have now challenged the constitutional validity of the government's move in …
New Delhi The government is set to consider a proposal for a complete ban on private-public joint ventures (JVs) for developing mineral blocks allocated to state-run corporations and public sector undertakings under a special dispensation. The move would hit the plans of Adani Mining, Moser Baer, Vedanta, Monnet Ispat and …
