A testy exchange in the Rajya Sabha between the Minister of State for Rural Development, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, and the Trinamool Congress MP, Jawhar Sircar, on the withholding of funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in West Bengal laid bare a key implementation issue — …

India’s goods exports rebounded from a nearly 17% dip in October to a mild 0.6% uptick in November. While the value of exports recovered to $32 billion from $29.8 billion in October, it is still significantly below the $39 billion averaged between April and September. Imports growth moderated to 5.4% …

Data furnished on the website for the recently launched Namma School Foundation (NSF) scheme showed that all the government-run schools in Tamil Nadu have together given a massive wish-list for ₹68,656 crore to improve their infrastructure. This is 86% more than the School Education Department’s budget estimate of ₹36,896 crore …

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday launched an initiative for the conservation of the Nilgiri Tahr, the State animal, at a cost of ₹25.14 crore. Under The Nilgiri Tahr project, the government plans to develop a better understanding of the Nilgiri Tahr population through surveys and radio telemetry studies; reintroduce …

Tamil Nadu has finally notified the Energy Conservation Building Code for commercial buildings, the last among the southern States to do so. The code was developed by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), which sets minimum energy performance standards for the various components of a building. The Union Power Ministry …

Reservation to EWS Due to the efforts of the Government, New Articles 15(6) and 16(6) were inserted in the Constitution vide the Constitution 103rdAmendment Act 2019. These Articles enable the States to provide upto 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in Government jobs and Government Educational Institutions. Based …

On December 21, the Delhi High Court, in the case of Hamdard National Foundation (India) vs Sadar Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., restrained Sadar Laboratories from manufacturing and selling beverages under the impugned trademark ‘DilAfza’. The court observed that the trademark ‘RoohAfza’ is prima facie a strong mark requiring a high degree of protection …

Concerned over revival of the Old Pension Scheme by certain Opposition-ruled States, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal on Monday said unfunded pension schemes are ultimately a tax on future generations. Sanyal further said given the current stress in the global economy and the repeated …

Digital capture of the attendance of workers employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has been made universal by the Centre from January 1. The Union government, arguing for transparency and accountability in May 2021, had started a pilot project to capture attendance via a mobile …

A mock drill will be held on Tuesday across health facilities in several States and Union Territories to ensure that they are ready to deal with any eventuality related to COVID-19, following an advisory by the Centre. It will focus on parameters such as availability of health facilities (covering all …

The practice of civil society organisations using representative visuals for fundraising activities concerning development issues such as malnutrition now faces new scrutiny, with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issuing a directive to non-governmental organisations (NGO) not to depict vulnerable children. A 2013 campaign by a U.K.-based …

The parliamentary panel on Social Justice and Empowerment has pulled up the Union government over the “very slow” process to categorise over 260 denotified, nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes under the SC/ST/OBC lists. Government officials have pointed out that this has delayed the approval of benefits under the SEED (Scheme for …

Early this month, the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Hari Kumar, at the annual press conference on the eve of Navy Day (December 4) had said that the Indian Navy had put on hold its plans to build a second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-2) that is larger than IAC-1 (INS Vikrant). Instead, …

When BilkisBano, sole survivor of a horrific gang-rape and mass murder in 2002, asked the Supreme Court of India to review its May 2022 judgment which directed the Government of Gujarat to consider the early release of one of those convicted of these monstrous crimes, it was an opportunity for …

The Union Cabinet’s decision to provide free grain to all beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for one year may help Tamil Nadu save ₹1,650 crore in food subsidy. This figure is premised on the Centre retaining the existing grain allotment (essentially, rice in the context of Tamil …

The bar-headed goose, considered one the world’s highest flying birds, recently visited the Muttukadu backwaters. Nearly seven bar-headed geese made a temporary halt at Muttukadu on December 15, said K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan, founder, The Nature Trust. Bar-headed geese, native to Central Asia, are capable of flying through the passes of the …

The Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) not only provides a crucial habitat for a variety of endangered species of birds and mammals, but is also home to 175 species of butterflies, a survey conducted for the first time in the area has revealed. According to C. Vidhya, Deputy Director of MTR …

A new method to confine and absorb infrared (IR) light with GaN nanostructures can help develop highly efficient infrared absorbers, emitters, and modulators that are useful in defense technologies, energy technologies, imaging, sensing, and so on. GaN, a widely used material for blue light emission, is one of the most advanced …

The Tamil Nadu government has come up with a greenhouse gas inventory compendium for Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Tirunelveli. The aim is to prepare a contextual and inclusive climate- resilient action plans for these cities. The manufacturing and construction sectors accounted for the highest quantum of greenhouse gas emissions in Coimbatore …

The Government has decided not to extend the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana, (PMGKY), a scheme that ran between April 2020 to December 2022 (except for a short period in between), and provided additional allocation of foodgrains, i.e., rice or wheat from the central pool at five kilograms a …