Lucknow Apr 22 PTI Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Friday said the Centre is implementing public welfare projects without any discriminationVarious welfare projects are being implemented by the government and people are reaping the benefits of these projects the Union minister of state for social justice and empowerment said hereThe Centre is implementing public welfare projects without any discrimination on the basis of caste and religion The government is committed to development and betterment of every section of the society Athawale saidGiving information on welfare schemes the Union minister said 1658 old-age homes have been set up in India since 2019 and Rs 321 crores have been spent on this Sixty-four of these homes are located in Uttar Pradesh he addedSimilarly 1672 de-addiction centres in the country have been given a combined assistance of Rs 34533 crore since 2019 Of these 96 centres are in Uttar Pradesh which have been given assistance of Rs 2169 crore he saidSpeaking about the Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana Athawale said that from 2014 till April 2022 over 4515 crore accounts have been opened under the scheme and more than Rs 168 lakh crore deposited in themOver 796 crore such accounts have been opened in Uttar Pradesh and Rs 34278 crore has been deposited in these accounts he added PTI NAV IJT

New Delhi Mar 31 PTI The Union government is looking to raise Rs 845 lakh crore through borrowings in the first half of 2022-23 to fund the revenue gap for reviving the economy the finance ministry said on Thursday Out of the gross market borrowing of Rs 1431 lakh crore estimated for the next financial year Rs 845 lakh crore is planned to be borrowed in the first half or April-September period The government has front loaded its borrowing programme as the 60 per cent of the record borrowing planned for the financial year beginning April 1 would be complete in the first six months itself Front loading of borrowing will be done with the objective of pushing capital expenditure which will have a multiplier effect on the economy As per the Union Budget document the gross market borrowing through dated securities for 2022-23 will be Rs 1495000 crore Taking into account the switch operations conducted on January 28 2022 the gross market borrowing through dated securities for 2022-23 is expected at Rs 1431352 crore the ministry said in a statement The gross borrowing for 2021-22 was Rs 1205500 crore The borrowing is scheduled to be completed in 26 weekly tranches of Rs 32000-33000 crore the ministry said The borrowing will be spread under 2 5 7 10 14 30 and 40 year securities and Floating Rate Bonds FRBs of various tenors Long term securities including the 14 30 and 40 year ones will make up for a significant chunk of the borrowing FRBs of various tenors will be issued on a fortnightly basis The government will continue to carry out switching of securities to smoothen the redemptions the statement said adding that it may continue to exercise the greenshoe option to retain an additional subscription up to Rs 2000 crore against each of the securities indicated in the auction notification Weekly borrowing under treasury bills in the first quarter of 2022-23 is expected to be Rs 33000-34000 crore with net borrowing of Rs 240 lakh crore during the quarter There will also be an issuance of Rs 13000 crore under 91 DTBs Rs 12000-13000 crore under 182 DTBs and Rs 8000 crore under 364 DTBs in each auction to be held during the quarter To take care of the temporary mismatches in government account the statement said the Reserve Bank of India has fixed the Ways and Mean Advances WMA limit for H1 of FY23 at Rs 150000 crore The government and the RBI are working jointly to bring a framework for issuance of sovereign green bonds In her Union Budget speech Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that the government proposes to issue sovereign green bonds to mobilise resources for green infrastructure The net borrowing during 2022-23 would be Rs 116 lakh crore which is nearly Rs 2 lakh crore higher than the current years budget estimate of Rs 97 lakh crore Gross borrowing includes repayment of past loans The government raises money from the market to fund its fiscal deficit through dated securities and treasury bills PTI DP RAM

Bhopal Mar 28 PTI Union Minister L Murugan has said India was marching ahead under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by feeling proud of its history culture and values Speaking at the concluding function of a film festival here on Sunday night he said under the PM Bharat is finding its voice and the countrys achievements are no longer ignored This is a new India that does not shy away from feeling proud of its history its values culture community bonding and society the Union minister said He said cinema is a very impactful medium and this increased the responsibility of filmmakers manifold adding that the NDA government under PM Modi had worked relentlessly since 2014 to help the film industry in the country to grow and have wider reach PTI LAL BNM BNM BNM

Chandigarh Mar 27 PTI Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that the service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh Union Territory administration will now be aligned to that of the central civil services and this will benefit them in a big wayHe also said that women employees will now get child care leave of two years from the current one yearI want to give a good news to employees of the Chandigarh administration From today service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh administration will now be aligned to that of the central civil services You employees are going to benefit in a big way Shah saidThe Union minister made the announcement after inaugurating and laying foundation stone for a slew of projects of the Chandigarh Police hereWith the decision the retirement age of employees in the Union Territory will increase from 58 to 60 years Shah said adding that the decision will also bring benefits to employees working in the education sectorOn the announcement for employees he said This was a long pending demand of employees of the Chandigarh administration Today the Modi government has made a big decisionTomorrow a notification will be issued and from the upcoming financial year April 1 you will get the benefit Shah saidHowever the ministers announcement evoked sharp reaction from some rivals of the BJP Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema in a tweet saidMOHs Ministry of Home Affairs decision to impose central government rules on employees of Chandigarh is in violation of the spirit of the Punjab Reorg Reorganisation Act and must be reconsidered This means denial of right of Capital to Punjab for ever After changes in the BBMB Bhakra Beas Management Board rules this is another big blow to the rights of Punjab he said The Union Territory of Chandigarh is the common capital of Punjab and Haryana Chandigarh is Punjab common capital and adhoc arrangement of UT Union Territory was made Sixty per cent employees are of Punjab and the rest of Haryana at the time of reorganisation it was agreed that Punjab government rules would be applicable on employees of the UT This decision of the Centre is dictatorial and has been taken without consulting the state of Punjab Cheema later told the mediaTodays decision is a conspiracy to dilute Punjabs claim on Chandigarh We oppose it he said while further adding the decision is against the spirit of federalismCongress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira also condemned the decisionWe strongly condemn dictatorial decision of BJP to usurp upon the rights of Punjab over control of Chandigarh It belongs to Punjab and this unilateral decision is not only a direct attack on federalism but also attack on Punjabs share of 60 per cent control over UT he tweeted Khaira also tweeted that I wish to remind BJP Chandigarh is a disputed territory with Punjabs claim justified by Rajiv-Longowal Accord Its a deceit and cheating by non less than a government PTI SUN VSD ANB ANB

Chandigarh Mar 27 PTI Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said Chandigarh will become the most disciplined and modern city in the country in the coming days as he inaugurated a slew of projects including a state-of-the-art Integrated Command and Control Centre in the union territory Shah was in the city for inaugurating as well as laying foundation stones of projects worth Rs 63278 crore The projects that were inaugurated included the Integrated Command and Control Centre a new office building of Chandigarh Housing Board two government schools and an urban park He also laid foundation stones of a college hostel block and a bus depot-cum-workshop Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit also attended the event Addressing the gathering Shah said he was visiting the city beautiful after a long time and felt very good Chandigarh is known as the city beautiful In the history of the modern world Chandigarh is the most developed city in the category of planned cities said Shah He recalled that when he was young children in Gujarat were given the example of Chandigarh as a planned and very good city When a city grows its requirements also change and when times change there is a change in needs and requirements And those which do not change with time they cannot keep themselves relevant he said He also lauded the Chandigarh administration for making a system for adapting this change And that is not only for peoples facilities it includes security and environment protection also he said adding that the mixed culture of the city was also taken care of Shah said that when Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat he got many projects related to urban development implemented He said Gujarat is among those states where urban population is perhaps maximum Shah said that after Modi became the prime minister he brought the smart city concept to the entire country How modern cities should develophow to do planning how to upgrade facilities and to synergise those facilities and integrate them he said PM Modi brought the AMRUT scheme solar mission and green city initiative Shah said In the coming days Chandigarh will become the countrys most disciplined and the most modern city Speaking about the Rs 300-crore Integrated Command and Control Centre project Shah said it will bring a change in the delivery of citizen-centric services It will lead to monitoring of citizen-centric facilities he said This command centre will work for bringing traffic discipline or for security he stated People of Chandigarh should keep in mind that cameras will be watching your vehicles and after a violation challan will reach home through email he said adding with this there will be an atmosphere of new discipline in the city He urged the administrator that a programme should be initiative so that school students are shown this command centre Under ICCC more than 2000 CCTV cameras have been installed in the city to keep a check on traffic violations ICCC is also integrated with major citizen services including water supply electricity sewage solid waste management transport e-governance parking and public-bike sharing for an effective monitoring of services and data analysis Shah lauded the Narendra Modi government for the development of the vaccine for COVID-19 and its vaccination programme He said 185 crore doses have been administered so far The world is surprised at how the vaccination programme worked smoothly in the country with a population of 130 crore said Shah He said even some developed countries sought Cowin app for use there Many developed countries were worried over the third wave of COVID-19 but nobody knew when the third wave came and went in India because there was 100 per cent vaccination he said Shah said with the use of technology the Modi government ran a successful vaccination programme in the country Modi ji held video conferencing with the chief ministers 22-23 times irrespective of party politics he said Shah also spoke about how the Modi government provided foodgrains free of cost to 80 crore poor people in the country The government used technology in providing foodgrains to the poor He said foodgrains worth Rs 340 lakh crore have been distributed so far He said this scheme has been extended up till September 30 In March 2020 the Union government had launched the scheme -- Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana PMGKAY -- to provide free 5 kg foodgrains per person per month to over 80 crore beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act NFSA because of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic Shah said that change was happening in every sector be it agriculture industrial development urban development making the country a manufacturing hub new education policy rural development facilities to poor people PTI CHS VSD SMN SMN

Chandigarh Mar 27 PTI Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday inaugurated several projects including the state-of-the-art Integrated Command and Control Centre here Shah also laid foundation stones of a hostel block of commerce college a project for constructing 240 houses for police personnel and a bus depot-cum-workshopThe Union minister was accompanied by Punjab Governor Banwarlilal Purohit on this occasion Under the ICCC project more than 2000 CCTV cameras have been installed in the city to keep a check on traffic violations The ICCC centre is also integrated with major citizen services including water electricity sewage solid waste management transport e-governance parking and public-bike sharing for an effective monitoring of services and data analysis The other projects which the Union Minister inaugurated included a new office building of Chandigarh Housing Board two government schools and an urban park PTI CHS VSD TDS TDS TDS

Pune Mar 26 PTI Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said there was need for heavy investment in the health and education sectors in the country Speaking at the inauguration of Ushakal Abhinav Institute of Medical Sciences in Sangli in the presence of Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Jayant Patil Gadkari hailed the latters move to create five-star government clinics and model public schools in the district Large-scale public-private investment is needed in the social sector especially in health and education It is needed as the government has limited resources he said He added that there is less economic viability in setting up a hospital but along with the hospital if a medical and paramedical college is set up the economic viability and the internal rate of return increase India is lagging in the insurance pension investment and shares economies whereas almost everyone has health insurance in the US and Europe with the insurance firm having direct contact with the hospital My department is working on building 350 heliports along the national highways because in the coming days drones and helicopters will be used for various purposes including transporting patients to hospitals he said Speaking about organ donation Gadkari said Every year five lakh road accidents take place in India Around 15 lakh people die and 3 lakh people receive injuries Some 65 per cent people in the deceased category are in the 18-45 age group There is great need for organ donation PTI SPK BNM BNM

New Delhi Mar 25 PTI Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Friday said 29 projects worth Rs 45000 crore have been implemented under the Sagarmala programme in seven years The programme is aimed at improving the efficiency of ports Addressing an event to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Sagarmala programme the Union Minister for Ports Shipping and Waterways said a total of 29 projects worth Rs45000 crore have been successfully implemented under the public-private partnership model According to the minister port connectivity another important element of the Sagarmala programme has 80 projects under its ambit He also launched a mobile application for the Sagarmala programme Launched in March 2015 the Sagarmala programme includes projects from various categories such as modernisation of existing ports and terminals new ports terminals Ro-Ro Roll onRoll off tourism jetties enhancement of port connectivity inland waterways lighthouse tourism industrialisation around ports skill development and technology centres PTI BKS BKS HVA HVA

New Delhi Mar 25 PTI Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday said no questions should be raised on electronic voting machines EVMs as they are kept in the Election Commissions custody after being handed over to the poll panel by manufacturersThe Indian election system has been recognised as one of the best in the world he said replying to a question asked by Congress member Manish Tewari in Lok SabhaDuring the Question Hour Tewari sought a specific reply from the minister on whether the source code of the EVMs remain with the EC or the companies that manufacture themIf a company manufactures machines and hands them over to the Election Commission how will it control the EVMs That comes under the EC Rijiju said in his reply No question should be raised on the EVMs I wont want to draw any inference on this he addedFollowing his reply Tewari insisted that the minister should give a specific answer to his questionSpeaker Om Birla intervened and said the Election Commission should be thanked for the way it conducts elections in the countryHe also said that he has visited many countries but nowhere in the world has he seen such a big election system developed in any democracyThe law minister said the Indian election system has been recognised across the globe as one of the best systems so much so that people from other countries come to India to learnHe also said that it is the governments effort to see that maximum electors participate in the voting processTewari however was dissatisfied with the ministers reply and asked him not to dodge or evade his questionI have asked a specific question If you dont have a reply tell the House But dont try to dodge and evade the question This is a very serious question the Congress member said PTI PK IJT

New Delhi Mar 24 PTI The Union home ministry on Thursday extended till June 30 the validity of all FCRA registered NGOs whose licences are going to expire at the end of this month and those whose applications are pending for approvalIn a notification the home ministry said the decision has been taken in public interestAccording to the home ministry the validity of the registration certificates of such entities whose validity was extended till March 31 and whose renewal application is pending will stand extended till June 30 or till the date of disposal of renewal application whichever is earlierThe validity of those FCRA entities whose five years validity period is expiring during April 1 to June 30 and which have applied or apply for renewal before expiry of 5 years validity period will stand extended up to June 30 or till the date of disposal of renewal application whichever is earlier it saidThe home ministry advised all FCRA registered associations to take note that in case of refusal of the application for renewal of certificate of registration the validity of the certificate shall be deemed to have expired on the date of refusal of the application of renewal and the association shall not be eligible either to receive foreign contribution or utilise foreign contribution receivedThe government has cancelled FCRA registrationof nearly 1900 NGOs for violating various provisions of law in the last five years There were 22762FCRA-registered organisations till December-end 2021Officials said theFCRAlicence of 18778 organisations expired between September 29 2020 and December 31 2021 Of them as many as 12989 organisations have applied for the renewal of theFCRA licence between September 30 2020 and December 31 2021Since 5789 organisations did not apply for the renewal of the FCRA license last month they deemed to have ceased to be FCRA registered organisations an official saidRegistration under theFCRAis must for any NGO to receive funds from abroad PTI ACB RHL