Government Policy

The Narendra Modi government’s move to form a high-level committee for the effective implementation of Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord has been labelled a “poll gimmick” by political parties and organisations in Assam.Clause 6 of the Assam Accord seeks to provide “constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards” to “protect, …

The Supreme Court spelt trouble for the Indian branch of the Swiss food giant Nestle on Thursday by resuscitating a Rs. 640-crore class-action suit filed by the government on behalf of thousands of consumers of the iconic Maggi noodles.The suit was filed by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of …

The Law Ministry on Thursday said there was no proposal to introduce reservation for women in the appointment of judges in the higher judiciary. The Ministry’s response came on an observation of a Parliamentary Standing Committee that only six women judges have been appointed in the Supreme Court till date.In …

A lawyer made a sensational claim before Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that computers and telephones of judges and “very senior” officials are under surveillance following the December 20 order allowing 10 Central agencies to snoop on people.Advocate M.L. Sharma sought an early hearing of his PIL petition challenging …

A pan-India survey of childcare institutions (CCI) conducted by the Centre has highlighted poor safety and security measures, inadequate monitoring of these facilities, and a lack of effort to trace parents of missing children sent to these homes.The full report of the survey titled ‘Mapping and Review Exercise of Child …

Many toilets constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission have already become defunct and unusable, according to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development. It slammed the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for not bothering to find out the scope of the problem, despite an earlier recommendation to conduct a …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that it was time for research to expand beyond the Central institutes of national importance — such as the IITs and the IISERs — and branch out into the numerous State universities.Observing that “95% of our students go to State universities and colleges,” …

The Uttarakhand Law Commission has recommended changes in the State’s Protection of Cow Progeny Act to declare the animal “mother of the nation”. “The cow should be declared Rashtra Mata in the interest of the nation and justice,” the state’s Law Commission said in its fifth report to the State …

The Bill also makes it clear that anyone not offering Aadhaar cannot be denied any service, be it a bank account or a SIM card. The Bill seeks to amend the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and …

The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved the setting up of a high-level committee for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord which provides for constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of Assam. It …

Jaitley questions Congress record in defence deals; Rahul contests PM’s claim Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday raised the Congress’s record in defence deals, including the role of Mr. Q and alleged revelations by Christian Michel who took the name of “Mrs Gandhi” in the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal. And …

The Union Cabinet has approved the setting up of a high-level committee for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord which provides for constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of Assam. It also recommended reserving Assembly seats for …

The government on Wednesday introduced a Bill in the Lok Sabha that will allow individuals to voluntarily offer biometric ID Aadhaar as a means of identity verification for obtaining services like opening a bank account and getting a mobile phone connection. The Bill, which seeks to amend three separate laws …

The Union Home Ministry has approved a Uttar Pradesh government proposal to rename Allahabad as Prayagraj. The decision comes days ahead of the Kumbh Mela being organised by the State government in the city, and over two months after the State Cabinet decided to rename it. The Kumbh Mela will …

‘Sabarimala is a matter of tradition’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that while triple talaq was a matter of gender equality, entry of women in Sabarimala was related to tradition. The Prime Minister said the ordinance against triple talaq was brought keeping in mind gender equality and social …

The International Advertising Association (IAA) will host the IAA World Congress at Kochi from February 20-22. The event, covering marketing, advertising and media, would be held at the Grand Hyatt Lulu International Convention Centre in that city. Pradeep Guha, chairman, steering committee, IAA World Congress, said: “This is being planned …

Compensation likely to go up from Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh The Odisha Forest and Environment Department has proposed to the State government to increase the compensation for human deaths caused in conflict with animals from Rs. 4 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh. The department has also decided …

Fingerprints and iris scans of about 30 lakh applicants will be collected The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will record biometric data including the fingerprints and iris scans of about 30 lakh applicants who have sought to be included in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) after having been …

We’ll take a call after the judicial process is completed, says Prime Minister Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made it clear that any decision on bringing an ordinance on the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya could be considered only after the judicial process got over. In an …

The zoo here was closed on Tuesday “until further orders” after strains of avian influenza virus were found in six dead peacocks, forest officials said. Joggers and Christmas revellers were in for disappointment as they found the gates of the ‘Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan’ shut with notices affixed on the …