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The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday announced the development of a prototype of a multi-constituency remote electronic voting machine (RVM) to enable remote voting by migrant voters. The machines can handle multiple constituencies from one remote booth. The EC invited all recognised political parties — eight national and 57 State …

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare, in its latest report about cancer management, prevention and diagnosis, recommended that the government institute a ban on the sale of single sticks of cigarettes. It also recommended that the government increase taxes on all tobacco products and utilise the acquired …

Last week, the Union Government tabled the Jan Vishwas Bill, 2022, (Bill) in the Parliament with the objective of “decriminalising” 183 offences across 42 legislations and enhancing the ease of living and doing business in India. It is a welcome move and can be viewed as an attempt to reverse …

Various export promotion councils (EPCs) on Wednesday lauded the trade agreements signed by India with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia, saying the pacts will help India boost exports by granting preferential access to those markets for Indian products. Engineering Exports Promotion Council said India had benefited from preferential …

Despite the Centre’s high-octane push for manufacturing through the ‘Make in India’ initiative, foreign investors continue to chase bets in the services sector, India Ratings and Research said on Wednesday. It also said a bulk of the foreign direct investment (FDI) in manufacturing was not greenfield or fresh investments. “Despite …

TRIPLE-TEST RULE FOR OBC QUOTA IN POLLS As the clamour for a caste census grows across India, with several States looking to introduce reservation for the Backward Classes in urban local body polls, the judiciary, over the course of 2022, has established time and again that caste population surveys conducted …

Fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will fly at a height of 100 metres from the ground before landing at a designated strip along National Highway-16 in Bapatla district of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday as part of an emergency landing trial run. It is expected that at least …

Early in December, two Members of Parliament of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Ravi Kishan and Nishikant Dubey, introduced in the Lok Sabha a private members’ Bill aimed at population control in India. Stating that population rise is the most significant reason for India’s slow rate of development, the Bill argues …

A testy exchange in the Rajya Sabha between the Minister of State for Rural Development, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, and the Trinamool Congress MP, Jawhar Sircar, on the withholding of funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in West Bengal laid bare a key implementation issue — …

Data furnished on the website for the recently launched Namma School Foundation (NSF) scheme showed that all the government-run schools in Tamil Nadu have together given a massive wish-list for ₹68,656 crore to improve their infrastructure. This is 86% more than the School Education Department’s budget estimate of ₹36,896 crore …

The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday launched an initiative for the conservation of the Nilgiri Tahr, the State animal, at a cost of ₹25.14 crore. Under The Nilgiri Tahr project, the government plans to develop a better understanding of the Nilgiri Tahr population through surveys and radio telemetry studies; reintroduce …

Reservation to EWS Due to the efforts of the Government, New Articles 15(6) and 16(6) were inserted in the Constitution vide the Constitution 103rdAmendment Act 2019. These Articles enable the States to provide upto 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in Government jobs and Government Educational Institutions. Based …

On December 21, the Delhi High Court, in the case of Hamdard National Foundation (India) vs Sadar Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., restrained Sadar Laboratories from manufacturing and selling beverages under the impugned trademark ‘DilAfza’. The court observed that the trademark ‘RoohAfza’ is prima facie a strong mark requiring a high degree of protection …

Concerned over revival of the Old Pension Scheme by certain Opposition-ruled States, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) member Sanjeev Sanyal on Monday said unfunded pension schemes are ultimately a tax on future generations. Sanyal further said given the current stress in the global economy and the repeated …

Digital capture of the attendance of workers employed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has been made universal by the Centre from January 1. The Union government, arguing for transparency and accountability in May 2021, had started a pilot project to capture attendance via a mobile …

A mock drill will be held on Tuesday across health facilities in several States and Union Territories to ensure that they are ready to deal with any eventuality related to COVID-19, following an advisory by the Centre. It will focus on parameters such as availability of health facilities (covering all …

The practice of civil society organisations using representative visuals for fundraising activities concerning development issues such as malnutrition now faces new scrutiny, with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) issuing a directive to non-governmental organisations (NGO) not to depict vulnerable children. A 2013 campaign by a U.K.-based …

Early this month, the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Hari Kumar, at the annual press conference on the eve of Navy Day (December 4) had said that the Indian Navy had put on hold its plans to build a second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-2) that is larger than IAC-1 (INS Vikrant). Instead, …

When BilkisBano, sole survivor of a horrific gang-rape and mass murder in 2002, asked the Supreme Court of India to review its May 2022 judgment which directed the Government of Gujarat to consider the early release of one of those convicted of these monstrous crimes, it was an opportunity for …

The Union Cabinet’s decision to provide free grain to all beneficiaries of the National Food Security Act (NFSA) for one year may help Tamil Nadu save ₹1,650 crore in food subsidy. This figure is premised on the Centre retaining the existing grain allotment (essentially, rice in the context of Tamil …