union Government | Business Upturn

Centre releases Rs 614 cr for Rajasthan & Rs 455 cr for Odisha under XV Finance Commission Grants

Matrika Shukla — Wed, 25 Dec 2024 12:17:46 +0000

The Union Government has recently released significant grants under the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) for the Financial Year 2024-25. Rajasthan and Odisha have received substantial funds for their Rural Local Bodies (RLBs), aimed at strengthening grassroots governance and addressing local development needs.

In Rajasthan, the government has released a total of ₹614.04 crore. This includes the second installment of untied grants amounting to ₹560.63 crore, along with the withheld amount of ₹53.41 crore from the first installment. The grants will support 10,105 Gram Panchayats, 315 Block Panchayats, and 20 District Panchayats in the state, enabling them to address local needs in various sectors such as sanitation, water supply, and community development.

Odisha has also received significant financial support, with ₹454.71 crore allocated for its RLBs. This amount includes ₹370.20 crore as the second installment and ₹84.51 crore as the withheld amount from the first installment. The funds will benefit 6,794 Gram Panchayats, 314 Block Panchayats, and 30 District Panchayats, helping to enhance infrastructure and public services in rural areas.

These grants are part of a broader initiative to improve rural governance through the financial support of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The funds can be used for location-specific projects related to sanitation and water supply, contributing to better management of waste, water recycling, and overall rural development. However, the grants cannot be used for salaries or administrative costs.

The XV Finance Commission grants are essential in enhancing local democracy, increasing transparency, and fostering self-reliance in rural India. By empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions, the government is ensuring that the benefits of development reach the grassroots level, making rural communities more resilient and self-sufficient.

Union Government releases ₹1.78 lakh crore in tax devolution to states for October 2024

Aditya Bhagchandani — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 08:02:23 +0000

The Union Government has announced the release of ₹1,78,173 crore in tax devolution to State Governments on October 10, 2024. This amount includes the regular instalment for October, which totals ₹89,086.50 crore, along with an advance instalment of the same value. The decision to release an advance payment has been made in light of the upcoming festive season and to support the states in accelerating capital spending and financing development and welfare-related expenditure.

This timely fund release aims to empower states to address their financial needs effectively and encourage infrastructure development as well as welfare projects. It is expected to aid the states in managing their budgets more efficiently during a time of increased financial demand due to festivals.

The state-wise distribution of funds includes ₹31,962 crore for Uttar Pradesh, the highest amount among all states, followed by Bihar receiving ₹17,921 crore, and West Bengal receiving ₹13,404 crore. Other notable recipients include Maharashtra with ₹11,255 crore and Rajasthan with ₹10,737 crore.

This move reflects the government’s commitment to supporting states in their growth and development efforts, while ensuring that they are well-prepared for the upcoming festive season.

Centre fixes upper age limit of Agnipath candidates to 23 yrs

United News of India (UNI) — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 05:01:02 +0000

New Delhi, June 16: Days after announcing the Agnipath scheme for the defence services aspirants, the Union Government on Thursday decided to increase the upper age limit for the candidates by two years, a statement issued from the Centre said.

The upper age limit for the recruitment process for the scheme has been increased to 23 years. From 21 years announced earlier.

However, the Centre clarified that the extension has been a “one-time waiver”. And “shall be granted for the proposed recruitment cycle for 2022”.

The Centre said it is “cognizant of the fact. That it has not been possible to undertake the recruitment during the last two years”. As the reason behind the latest move in the scheme.

Agnipath or ‘Agniveer‘ scheme is a process announced by the Centre for recruiting soldiers in the Army, Navy and Air force for a term of four years on contract.

According to the scheme. The entry age for all new recruits in the armed forces was fixed as 17 ½ – 21 years of age.

The scheme was announced by Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday.

India records 3.6 lakh fresh COVID-19 cases, 3293 deaths in last 24 hours

Nitin Anand — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 09:03:08 +0000

On Wednesday, April 28, Union Health Ministry released the data of new COVID-19 cases in India, after that India saw another day with highest surge in cases.

Report released by the Union Health Ministry states that in the last 24 hours, India reported 3,60,960 new COVID-19 cases and 2,61,162 patients got discharge, while 3293 people died of this deadly virus. Total active cases in India is now around 29.78 lakhs. The total death toll in India reached to 2,01,187.

India reports 3,60,960 new #COVID19 cases, 3293 deaths and 2,61,162 discharges in the last 24 hours, as per Union Health Ministry

Total cases: 1,79,97,267
Total recoveries: 1,48,17,371
Death toll: 2,01,187
Active cases: 29,78,709

Total vaccination: 14,78,27,367 pic.twitter.com/ZfG2CWNMzu

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2021

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) also released a data that shows 28,27,03,789 samples were tested up to April 27, including 17,23,912 samples tested yesterday.

The total vaccination across the country has crossed more than 14.77 Crore mark. Also, the country has administered more than 24 lakh vaccine doses administered till 8 pm today.

The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country stands at 14,77,27,054.

These include 93,47,103 Healthcare Workers (HCWs) who have taken the 1st dose and 61,05,159 HCWs who have taken the 2nd dose, 1,22,17,762 Frontline Workers (FLWs) (1^st dose), 65,23,520 FLWs (2^nd dose), 5,02,34,186 for over 45 years old to 60 years old (1^st Dose), 29,18,305 for over 45 years old to 60 years old (2^nd dose), 5,10,62,959 for above 60 years (1^st Dose) and 93,18,060 for above 60 years (2^nd Dose).

Union Government has imported 20 cryogenic tankers of 10 MT and 20 MT capacity and allocated them to States to address shortage of oxygen tankers in the country.

The mapping of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) from the manufacturing plant to different States being a dynamic process and transportation of medical oxygen through cryogenic tankers becoming a bottleneck in making available LMO from the eastern part of the country to other parts, twenty cryogenic ISO containers of capacity 20 MT and 10 MT have been imported to augment the transportation of Oxygen.

Delhi has been allotted more than its oxygen quota: Dr Harsh Vardhan hits back at Delhi govt

Shreejit Shelar — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 16:35:54 +0000

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Saturday hit back at the Delhi government’s request for oxygen supply and said that the union territory has been allotted more than the quota they had asked for and now to rationalise it in a timely manner and the responsibility to finely plan it lies with the state government, reported the news agency ANI.

“Delhi has been allotted more than the (oxygen) quota they had asked for, and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal even thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for that yesterday… now to rationalise the quota in a timely manner and the responsibility to finely plan it lies with the state government,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

Dr Vardhan’s statement comes after the Delhi Government has repeatedly flagged the shortage of oxygen supply in the national capital.

Delhi’s crippling healthcare infrastructure has raised eyebrows across the nation – reporting over 90,000 active cases. On Friday, it had recorded the highest-ever 348 deaths in a day.

Earlier in the day, the Union government decided to grant full exemption from Basic Customs Duty and health cess on import of oxygen and oxygen related equipment for three months, reported ANI.

The recent order from the government also exempted basic customs duty on import of Covid vaccines with immediate effect for a period of three months.

The decision was adopted after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting to boost the availability of oxygen and other medical supplies in the country. He reflected upon the immediate need to augment the supply of medical grade oxygen as well as equipment required for patient care both at home and in hospitals.

Long waiting Queues in the Hospitals after a glitch in COVID-19 Vaccine registration software

Dhruv Jagtap — Wed, 03 Mar 2021 08:01:04 +0000

The Central government began accepting sign-ups and appointments from people above 60 and those older than 45 with specific medical conditions. The registration for the same has already started. On the very first day, more than 5 million people got registered through the verified site.

Meanwhile, the actual ground reality remains untidy. People are getting appointments through their registration. But when they visit the hospital they aren’t allowed inside the hospitals due to a lot of rush. People are tired of waiting in a queue for hours. Recently we also saw some glitches in the software, this is not the first time but now due to this glitch, it is expected that more than 10 million people might have registered. But those many numbers vaccines are not yet circulated to the clinic.

“I am not denying that people are facing difficulty in registering but it has been just a day since the facility was opened for the general population so there will be logistical issues even regarding medicines, but it will all get streamlined in a few days,” said RS Sharma, chairman, empowered group on Covid Vaccination, during Union health ministry’s briefing on Tuesday.

“Scalability is of concern to us. But the supply-side hospitals will have to publish their time table and sessions, which means it is like a train time table wherein hospitals are like trains and citizens are making reservations. That is how the system is supposed to work, and state governments are coordinating with the hospitals, and the supply of vaccines to them is happening through the state governments. We are encouraging them to provide vaccines to them and involve more private hospitals,” he said.

The vaccination drive was administered on 16th January and till now more than 15.5 million people are being vaccinated. Further during the Health ministry press conference, a minister said, Hospitals will have to schedule their time table like a train. Only then millions of people will be vaccinated with maintaining social distancing norms.

States were also asked to utilise 100% capacities of private hospitals functioning as COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs). The Centre also asked states to ensure adequate quantities of vaccines were maintained in all hospitals both government and private during the entire duration.