Government Policy

UGC writes to V-Cs to mark the event The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written to the Vice-Chancellors of all universities to celebrate Surgical Strike Day on September 29 to mark the event along the Line of Control that day in 2016. The letter also desires that students pledge their …

Gujarat, M.P. likely to opt for new payment scheme Despite patchy rainfall in some parts, the Agriculture Ministry has set a foodgrain production target of 285.2 million tonnes for 2018-19, a marginal increase from the previous year’s harvest of 284.8 million tonnes. Rainfall deficit during the current monsoon season is …

The State School Arts Festival has been trimmed to three days in December. A meeting of the Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) committee for schools here on Tuesday decided to conduct the festival in Alappuzha from December 7 to 9. Only stage events will be held. Of the 231 total events …

Karnataka is likely to follow Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal that have reduced State taxes on petroleum products to provide relief to motorists, who have been hit hard by their rising prices. The State government may take a decision on the issue in a day or two, based on …

Four ‘child friendly courts’ were inaugurated in West Bengal on Saturday to help juvenile victims and offenders. Justice Madan B. Lokur of the Supreme Court inaugurated the State’s first such court at Bankshall court here. He called for all-out efforts to give the affected children a good life. Source : …

The recently-released Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 has shown that the prevalence of diabetes has increased more rapidly in the less-developed States of the country. The report has also highlighted the need for policy and health system action commensurate with the disease burden in each State to ensure more …

Ministry, board to break impasse Seven months after the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the state broadcaster Prasar Bharati locked horns over DD Free Dish, there is hope that the Ministry and the board will soon reach a solution. DD Free Dish reaches 2.4 crore households, which get 80 TV …

Annual research, travel grants to go Citing “continued limitations posed by the budgetary provisions from the Department of Science and Technology (DST)” the New Delhi-based Indian National Science Academy (INSA) has decided to “dispense with” facilities given to researchers who had won the Young Scientist Award given by the Academy. …

The Narendra Modi government is suffering from the “big brother syndrome”, the Congress on Sunday said, criticising the DNA Technology (Use and Application) Bill, 2018, that allows law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples and create “DNA profiles” and special data banks for forensic-criminal investigations. The Bill was introduced by …

Attorney-General K.K. Venugopal argued that SC/ST are a “homogeneous group and any action to regroup them based on economic or social advancement would not be apt”. Mr. Venugopal said rigorous modalities were prescribed for inclusion of communities in the list of SCs/STs. “For inclusion of communities in the list of …