Government Policy

“As directed by the Centre, we repatriated the Myanmar nationals who illegally entered India,” Mizoram Home Secretary Lalbiakzama, toldThe Hindu. On July 2, as many as 219 refugees from Chin in Myanmar, living in a camp at Hmawngbuchhua in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district since 2017, were handed over to the Myanmar …

System to track missing children and unidentified bodies through facial recognition also planned. The Central government wants to create a “repository of photographs of criminals in the country,” and wants to put a system in place to track “missing children and unidentified dead bodies,” through facial recognition. Bids invited The …

The government has increased the minimum support price (MSP) for raw jute by Rs. 250 per quintal, taking the price to Rs. 3,950 per quintal for the 2019-20 season, according to an official statement. The decision was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs on Wednesday. India is the …

The Centre has made repeated assertions that under the IGA, better terms had been achieved in terms of “better pricing, better maintenance terms and better delivery schedule.” The CAG also observed that in respect of bank guarantees, the French government had not agreed to an escrow account and had contended …

The valedictory sessions of Houses of Legislature are a mixture of camaraderie and piquant uncertainties of whether one will be re-elected. Party positions are gently reiterated, but good wishes are also exchanged for being in the same cohort again. The last day of the 16th Lok Sabha saw all this …

The Rajasthan Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed a Bill giving 5% reservation in government jobs and education to Gujjars and four other nomadic communities. Leader of the Gujjar stir Kirori Singh Bainsla and other protesters occupying the railway tracks on the Delhi-Mumbai route near the Malarna station in Sawai Madhopur …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his last speech to the Lok Sabha, ahead of the general elections, made a strong pitch for a majority government at the Centre, stating that a full majority government in the last five years had enhanced the status of the country globally. Faced with an …

Cabinet likely to give approval for the project in the coming weeks Bowing to pressure from Railways, Kerala has in principle agreed to share 50% cost of the 111-km Sabari railway line that aims to put Sabarimala on the rail map. Though the rail line does not figure on the …

Improvement in delivery schedule was only one month over UPA deal, the government auditor says The contract signed in 2016 to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets from France through the Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) was 2.86% lower in value than “Audit’s aligned price” of the bid received in 2007 when the …

No sovereign guarantee in Russian S-400 deal either, say senior officers In the backdrop of revelations that government had waived guarantees and anti-corruption clauses for France in the Rafale fighter jet deal, senior Indian Air Force (IAF) officers said there were no such pacts even in deals with Russia and …

Former CBI interim Director and agency’s legal counsel fined and punished The Supreme Court on Tuesday held the former interim Director of the CBI, M. Nageswara Rao, guilty of contempt for disobeying its order not to transfer Joint Director A.K. Sharma, who was probing the Bihar shelter home cases, from …

Modi says it is India’s obligation to offer refuge to minorities fleeing religious persecution Amid black-flag protests and boycott of his programmes in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday defended the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, but said it would not have any negative impact on …

India’s oldest functional lighthouse at 180 years continues to guide seafarers and fishermen despite entry of new devices Contrary to its name, False Point, the British era lighthouse standing tall on the Odisha coast in Kendrapara district, has actually been guiding ships and vessels through the choppy waters of the …

Takes note of ‘voter deletion calls’ allegedly being made by AAP, mulls legal action With Delhiites receiving calls over the past month claiming to be from the Aam Aadmi Party, telling them that their names have been struck off the electoral rolls, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer has …

For more power to Autonomous Councils The government quietly introduced a Constitution Amendment Bill in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday to increase the financial and executive powers of the 10 Autonomous Councils in the Sixth Schedule areas of the northeastern region. The amendment will impact one crore tribal people in Assam, …

He will visit 3 northeastern States The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill has become the rallying point for political parties and civil society organisations across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Tripura to protest or boycott Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the northeast. Mr. Modi arrived in Guwahati on Friday evening for initiating …

Bench led by Chief Justice agrees to an early hearing of the challenge to the law The Supreme Court on Friday declined to stay operation of the Constitution (103rd Amendment) Act, 2019, which provides 10% reservation in government jobs and educational institutions for the economically backward in the unreserved category, …

Similar status demanded for Pir Panjal, Chenab Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik on Friday granted Ladakh a divisional status, thus creating three administrative units of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh in the State. “The J&K government has approved the creation of a separate administrative and revenue division for Ladakh. …

Software to monitor teachers’ academic work regularly Teachers in Osmania University will be made more responsible in their academic delivery as the administration can now monitor their teaching, research guidance and project work on a regular basis with the establishment of Faculty Information System. The university has designed a software …

VMC, GVMC employees to get salaries under ‘010’ account The State Cabinet has cleared a proposal to pay an interim relief (IR) of 20% to the State government employees. The IR would be paid to the employees with effect from June 1, 2018. The Cabinet also cleared a proposal to …