Government Policy

An aggressive Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday contrasted his 55 months of “seva” (service) with the 55 years of “satta bhog” (hunger for power) displayed by the Congress while replying to the motion of thanks on the President’s address in the Lok Sabha. Highlighting his government’s achievements a couple …

A senior Finance Ministry official has slammed a key plank of the government’s agriculture policy, saying that raising minimum support prices (MSP) for major crops causes distortions in the agriculture market. This leads to a vicious cycle of oversupply of such crops and a crash in market prices, said the …

The TDP government on Wednesday introduced two Bills for 5% reservation each to the Kapu sub-castes and the other Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in the general category (upper castes) in the Assembly on Wednesday in the wake of the 103rd amendment to the Constitution. Minister for BC Welfare and Empowerment …

May constitute 9.83% of overall total expenditure in 2019-20; LPG dole takes the major chunk Rising LPG prices and higher subscribers have resulted in the government’s subsidy expenditure over the last two years reversing a declining trend established in the previous six years, an analysis of Budget documents by The …

The Election Commission on Tuesday informed the Madras High Court that it had made it clear way back in 2017 that there shall be 100% use of the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) system during the Lok Sabha election this year to gain voter confidence. Justices S. Manikumar and …

“Ayushman Bharat has stabilised as the largest health scheme in the world, benefiting over 10 lakh patients since its launch, and created an atmosphere of positivity,” said Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J. P. Nadda at the inauguration of the newly-constituted National Health Authority (NHA). The minister, who …

Ahead of the upcoming general elections, the State government on Tuesday showered sops on the farming community, the women and the entrepreneurs in the vote-on-account Budget presented for 2019-20 with an outlay of Rs. 2.26 lakh crore. Deviating from the convention followed in the vote-on-account budget, it announced six new …

They were categorised on the parameters of their experience and financial strength The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Haj Policy 2019-23, which categorises the Haj Group Organisers (HGOs) on the parameters of their experience and financial strength. The court found “nothing arbitrary or unreasonable” in such a classification by …

There is no data available on unemployment subsequent to the period of demonetisation, Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar told Parliament on Monday, in a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha. More than a third of the questions asked by Members of Parliament to the Labour Ministry on Monday …

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Ayodhya Act of 1993 under which the Centre acquired 67.703 acres of land, including the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid (RJBM) premises and adjacent areas. The petition filed by several persons, including two Lucknow-based advocates who claim to …

Farmers who wish to avail themselves of benefits under PM-KISAN, the new income support scheme announced in the Union Budget, must have Aadhaar identification to get the money from the second instalment, which would be paid by July 2019. However, this would not be compulsory for the first instalment expected …

People are often urged to ‘climb every mountain’ to follow their dreams and chase success. Students in the State aspiring for seats in professional courses can take this metaphor literally. The Higher Education Department has amended the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government Seats in Professional Educational Institutions …

It is meant for promoting sports and building infrastructure Minister for Youth Empowerment and Sports Rahim Khan said here on Monday that his department has sought Rs. 500 crore from the Congress-Janata Dal(S) coalition government in the State Budget for 2019-20 for sports promotion and to build infrastructure facilities. Speaking …

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah on Sunday said that the government was speaking to all parties, both within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and outside, in the wake of the controversy in the northeast over the Citizenship Amendment Bill, and trying to evolve a consensus. “Home Minister Rajnath …

Terming the surgical strikes “India’s new policy on terrorism”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Citizenship Amendment Bill was aimed at “standing by all children of Mother India”. “There are many natives of Mother India who have faced oppression in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh for their religious beliefs. …

The Centre on Monday contended before the Madras High Court that a recent amendment to the Constitution providing 10% reservation in jobs and higher education to ‘economically weaker sections (EWS)’ in the open competition category, was “not a communal reservation” aimed at the so called “forward castes.” Appearing before a …

As the general elections are fast approaching, the State Cabinet is likely to roll out Rythu Raksha scheme, on the lines of Rythu Bandhu being implemented in Telangana, for providing input assistance to farmers at the rate of Rs. 10,000 per acre. It was discussing the modalities till late in …

In a move that will have far-reaching political implications, the State Cabinet decided to give 5% quota for Kapus and another 5% to the economically backward classes among the forward castes, at its meeting held on Monday. However, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu favoured further deliberations and then tabling it …

Manipur Chief Minister and BJP leader N. Biren Singh on Sunday assured the representatives of the North East Students Organisation (NESO) that unless a clause was inserted in the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, on the protection of the indigenous peoples, his government would object to the proposed legislation. Source : …

The Union government has directed all educational institutions and universities to implement the 10% quota for the poor in the general category from the coming academic year, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Sunday. “The government has already issued an official memorandum… We issued directives a couple of days ago …