Government Policy

Those who were left out will be covered, says Minister The second round of the Centre’s flagship urban development schemes — the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) — were being considered and could be rolled out in 2020, Union Minister of State …

After the Balakot air strikes in February, the Army fast-tracked procurement of 155-mm Excalibur precision-guided ammunition from the U.S., and it has recently been inducted. The ammunition gives the artillery guns extended range and the ability to hit targets with very high accuracy, sources said. “The need for precision-guided munitions …

Mahatma’s dream of ‘Clean Bharat’ fulfilled by government, he says On the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the country open defecation-free, claiming success for the government’s initiative under which every household now apparently has access to a toilet. “I am satisfied …

It encourages centralisation and commercialisation: Yechury The draft National Education Policy contravenes the Constitution and the federal system, according to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). In a letter to the Human Resource Development Minister on Saturday, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury called for the complete withdrawal of the chapter …

Centre to set service terms of panel Amid protests by the Opposition parties, a Bill to amend the Right to Information (RTI) Act and give the Union government the power to set the service conditions and salaries of Information Commissioners was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday. The Bill …

Higher fees only for NRI category: HC Frowning upon the practice of private medical colleges charging exorbitant fees from students gaining admission under the management quota, as compared to those admitted under the government quota, the Madras High Court held that there should not be any differentiation in the fee …

Home Minister Amit Shah will head a reconstituted group of ministers (GoM) on Air India disinvestment and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari has been dropped from the panel, sources said. The panel, which is to work out modalities for the sale of Air India, will now have four Ministers — …

Allows govt. to borrow Rs. 98.18 lakh crore for 2019-20 The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Appropriation (No.2) Bill-2019 allowing the Union government to withdraw Rs. 98.18 lakh crore from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet its expenditure during 2019-20. The Bill, moved by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, …

Exports to Iran may touch 30 mn kg Tea Board of India is planning to set a floor price for the sale of tea at auctions. It is also planning to take about 100 million kg of tea away from India’s output basket in a bid to prop up the …

The Indian Newspaper Society (INS) has requested the Centre to withdraw the 10% customs duty imposed on newsprint, uncoated paper used for printing of newspapers and lightweight papers used in magazines. In a statement, INS said on Monday that newspapers and magazines were already reeling under severe financial pressure due …