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 …