ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
MSP Operations during Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21
Paddy Procurement shows increase of 26.18 % over the last year
A quantity of 7918696 Cotton Bales valuing Rs.23169.86 Crore procured benefitting 1537034 farmers
In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season  2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at MSP from farmers as per existing MSP Schemes.
Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Karnataka and West Bengal with purchase of over 513.19 LMTs of paddy up to 05.01.2021.This is an increase of 26.18 % against the last year corresponding purchase of 406.70 LMT. Out of the total purchase of 513.19 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 202.77 LMT which is 39.51 % of total procurement.
About 66.48 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs 96891.46 Crore.
Further, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded for procurement of 51.66 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme . Further, sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of Copra  for the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given. For other States/UTs, approval will also be accorded on receipt of proposals for procurement of Pulses, Oilseeds and Copra under PSS so that procurement of FAQ grade of these crops can be made at notified MSP for the year 2020-21 directly from the registered farmers, if the market rate goes below MSP during the notified harvesting period in the respective States/UTs by the Central Nodal Agencies through State nominated procuring agencies.
Upto 05.01.2021, the Government through its Nodal Agencies has procured 274149.62 MT of Moong, Urad, Groundnut Pods and Soyabean having MSP value of Rs.1466.64 Crores benefitting 146765 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Similarly, 5089 MT of copra  having MSP value of Rs.52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu upto 05.01.2021as against the last year corresponding purchase of 293.34 MT of copra. In respect of Copra and Urad, rates are ruling above MSP in most of the major producing States. The respective State/UTs Governments are making necessary arrangements for commencement of procurement from the date as decided by the respective States based on the arrivals in respect of Kharif Pulses and Oilseeds.
Procurement operations of seed cotton  under MSP are going on smoothly in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. Till 05.01.2021 a quantity of 7918696 cotton bales valuing Rs.23169.86 Crore has been procured benefitting 1537034 farmers.
Prime Minister's Office
PM greets people of Meghalaya on their Statehood Day
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has greeted the people of Meghalaya on their Statehood Day.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Greetings to the people of Meghalaya on their Statehood Day. This state is known for its vibrant culture, particularly music, art and passion towards sports. People from Meghalaya have excelled in diverse fields. I pray for Meghalaya’s continuous progress in the years to come."
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
NHAI Gears up for the Implementation of FASTag Mandate
National Electronic Toll Collection  programme, the flagship initiative of MoRT&H and NHAI has been implemented on pan India basis to remove bottlenecks on toll plazas and ensure seamless movement of traffic and collection of user fee as per the notified rates, using passive Radio Frequency Identification  technology.
To give a major fillip to enhance digital payments and bring in enhanced transparency, the Ministry had mandated to declare all lanes of fee plazas on National Highways as “FASTag lanes” by 1st December 2019, while provisioning one lane  which would be kept as hybrid lane to accept FASTag and other modes of payment.
As the December deadline approaches, conscientious decision has been taken to start the trial run of the FASTag mandate at identified NH fee plazas w.e.f. 1st November 2019 onwards and progressively increasing to all toll plazas. Nodal Officers have been designated for each NH fee plazas to closely monitor implementation of FASTag mandate & the trail run and to take necessary measures to remove any bottlenecks identified. Nodal officers and Regional officers share the learning experience with others. Daily Video Conferences/ Review meetings are being conducted by the Chairman, NHAI with all concerned ROs, and officials of NHAI HQ and IHMCL to review the preparedness of the 1st December mandate. During trail run each vehicle without FASTag is being approached & apprised benefits of it and are offered FASTag. To increase the awareness among common commuters, marketing and promotional activities are being carried out through various channels such as national and local newspapers, magazines.
As on date, FASTag may be purchased from over 28,500 Point-of-Sale locations set up by various banks and IHMCL/NHAI which includes all NH fee plazas, RTOs, Common Service Centers, transport hubs, bank branches, selected petrol pumps, etc. For retail segment  FASTag may be purchase online on Amazon and by visiting websites of different member banks such as SBI, ICICI bank, Axis bank, Paytm Payment Banks, HDFC bank, IDFC First bank, etc. . FASTag have also been made available at over 12,000 banks branches of prominent private sector banks like ICICI bank, Axis bank, HDFC bank, etc.
To search for the nearest point-of-sale locations, one may download My FASTag App, or visit www.ihmcl.com or Call 1033 NH Helpline number. For recharge facility, NHAI/IHMCL has developed UPI recharge facility via My FASTag App. FASTag can also be recharged by visiting respective bank’s portal through net-banking, credit/debit card, UPI and other popular means of payment.
As per Government Gazette notification, any vehicle without a FASTag entering into a “FASTag lane” at a NH fee plaza shall have to pay a fee equivalent to two times of the applicable fees to that category of vehicle .NHAI is making all round efforts to make the hassle free travel on Highways.
Ministry of Communications
Department of Posts extends all small savings schemes upto the Branch Post Office level
The decision aims to empower Rural India by bringing all Post Office Savings schemes to their doorsteps
In order to strengthen its network and postal operations in rural areas and provide facility of small savings scheme to the vast majority in villages, the Department of Posts has now extended all small savings schemes upto the Branch Post Office level.
There are 1,31,113 Branch Post Offices functioning in the rural areas. Apart from facilities of letters, Speed Post, Parcels, electronic money order, Rural Postal Life Insurance, these Branch Post Offices had been providing Post Office Savings Account, Recurring Deposit, Time Deposit and Sukanya Samriddhi Account schemes till now.
The new order has allowed Branch Post Offices to offer facilities of Public Provident Fund, Monthly Income Scheme, National Savings Certificate, Kisan Vikas Patra and Senior Citizen Savings Schemes also. People living in villages will now be able to get the same Post Office Savings Bank facilities which people in urban areas have been availing. They will be able to deposit their savings into these popular schemes through the post office in their village itself.
This is another step taken by the Department to empower Rural India by bringing all Post Office Savings schemes to their doorsteps.
RCJ/M
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Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
MSP Operations during Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21
About 36.13 Lakh Paddy Farmers have benefitted from KMS Procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 66135.01 Crore
In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season  2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes.
Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 has progressed smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar with purchase of over 350.29 LMTs of paddy up to 07.12.2020 against the last year corresponding purchase of 292.37 LMT showing an increase of 19.81 % over last year. Out of the total purchase of 350.29 LMT, Punjab alone has purchased 202.77 LMT till the close of procurement season in the state on 30.11.2020 which is 57.88 % of total procurement in the country.
About 36.13 Lac farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing KMS procurement Operations with MSP value of Rs. 66135.01 Crore.
Further, based on the proposal from the States, approval was accorded for procurement of 48.11 LMT of Pulse and Oilseeds of Kharif Marketing Season 2020 for the States of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh under Price Support Scheme . Further, sanction for procurement of 1.23 LMT of Copra  for the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala was also given. For other States/UTs’ approval will also be accorded on receipt of proposals for procurement of Pulses, Oilseeds and Copra under PSS so that procurement of FAQ grade of these crops can be made at notified MSP for the year 2020-21 directly from the registered farmers, if the market rate goes below MSP during the notified harvesting period in the respective States/UTs by the Central Nodal Agencies through State nominated procuring agencies.
Upto 07.12.2020, the Government through its Nodal Agencies has procured 139458.85 MT of Moong, Urad, Groundnut Pods and Soyabean having MSP value of Rs. 749.85 Crores benefitting 79201 farmers in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Similarly, 5089 MT of copra  having MSP value of Rs.52.40 crore has been procured benefitting 3961 farmers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu upto 07.12.2020 as against the last year corresponding purchase of 293.34 MT of copra. In respect of Copra and Urad, rates are ruling above MSP in most of the major producing States. The respective State/UTs Governments are making necessary arrangements for commencement of procurement from the date as decided by the respective States based on the arrivals in respect of Kharif Pulses and Oilseeds.
Procurement operations of seed cotton  under MSP are going on smoothly in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. Till 07.12.2020 a quantity of 4101018 cotton bales valuing Rs.12000.95 Crore has been procured benefitting 796726 farmers.
Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
PM’s idea of inclusive growth roadmap to J&K’s rapid development: Murugan SRINAGAR
Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Dr. L. Murugan today said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s idea of inclusive growth and good governance and the approach adopted by the Jammu and Kashmir administration has put the UT on the path of massive development.
Dr. Murugan was speaking on the occasion of his visit to All India Radio Srinagar where he inaugurated the renovated Prasar Bharati Auditorium. The auditorium was damaged in devastating floods in the year 2014.
In his address, Dr. Murugan praised the role played by All India Radio Srinagar and Doordarshan Kendra Srinagar. He said that both these institutions have been making quality programmes in several languages for the past many decades. He made a special mention of the role played by both AIR Srinagar and DDK Srinagar during the devastating 2014 floods and during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr. Murugan said that being stationed in a border area, All India Radio and DDK Srinagar are playing a vital role in countering the propaganda and obnoxious narrative unleashed by the adverse neighbouring countries.
A cultural programme was also presented on the occasion. Earlier, Additional Director General, AIR and Doordarshan, North Zone, M S Ansari, delivered the welcome address and DDG Projects AIR, Aditya Chaturvedi, presented the vote of thanks.
Later, the Minister visited the Trout Culture Farm Laribal Dachigam. The Minister inspected the rearing units, machinery and other facilities available at the farm and interacted with the fish farmers. He handed-over Pradhan Mantri Matysa Sampada Yojana  trout unit allotments to the beneficiaries.
During his interaction with the farmers, the Minister said that the government of India is committed to double the famers' income and has taken several initiatives under the leadership of the Prime Minister.
He appealed to young people to come forward and become a part of nation building. He said that trout farming has emerged as an important source of income and the people should take every possible benefit from it.
The Minister was apprised that the fisheries department has established hatcheries in all the districts and is supplying fingerling fish to the farmers. The Minister was also informed that sale centres have been established at various locations to increase the market availability of the trout.
Special Service and Features
NITPY - International Yoga Day 2023
The International Yoga Day was celebrated on 21 st June 2023 at the National Institute of Technology Puducherry, Karaikal. The basic theme of International Yoga Day 2023 is “Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. The yoga session began with a prayer by Dr.S.Babu, Students Activity and Sports Officer, NIT Puducherry followed by Mr. Sivanesan, Yoga Instructor, Karaikal conducted practical yoga classes for NIT Puducherry students, faculty and staff members, he performed yogic postures, pranayama and meditation.
Chief guest Shri. Govind Narayan Goyal, General Manager , State Bank of India has delivered a speech and highlighting the benefits of yoga. He instructed all the students, faculty and staff members to practice yoga every day in day to day life. The positive response of the NIT Puducherry faculty, staff, students and NCC Cadets were evident from their enthusiastic participation in the International Yoga Day 2023. Totally 250 NCC cadets, students, faculty and staff members were participated in the International Yoga Day 2023. Finally, the programme was ended with vote of thanks by Dr.S.Babu, Students Activity and Sports Officer.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Discontinuation of OTA
In pursuance of the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission and given the rise in the pay over the year, the Government has decided to discontinue Overtime Allowance  for categories other than operational staff and industrial employees who are governed by the statutory provisions. Each Ministry/Department is mandated to prepare the list of “operational staff” in accordance with a common definition as incorporated in the Office Memorandum dated 19.6.2018 . The rate of OTA has not been revised and payment of the same has been linked to biometric attendance.
This information was provided by the Union Minister of State  Development of North-Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, DrJitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri Amit Shah greets citizens on the 76th Independence Day
This is a day to be proud of India's culture, vibrant democratic tradition and achievements over last 75 years
I pay my homage to the Freedom Fighters who brought us Freedom and our brave soldiers who sacrificed everything for the defence of the Nation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fulfilling our brave Freedom Fighters’ dream of a strong and self-reliant India, by giving national interest paramount importance
On the occasion of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, I appeal to everyone to contribute to this continuous journey of development through hard work, so as to once again make India a ‘Vishwaguru’ by the time of the Centenary Year of our Independence
Union Home and Cooperation Minister, Shri Amit Shah has greeted citizens on the 76th Independence Day. In his tweets, Shri Amit Shah said this is a day to be proud of India's culture, vibrant democratic tradition and achievements over the last 75 years. I pay my homage to our Freedom Fighters who brought us Freedom and our brave soldiers who sacrificed everything for the defence of the Nation.
The Union Home Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fulfilling our brave Freedom Fighters’ dream of a strong and self-reliant India, by giving paramount importance to national interest. Everyone should contribute to this continuous journey of development through hard work so as to make India a ‘Vishwaguru’ once again by the time of the Centenary Year of our Independence.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Emission norms for tractors to be applicable from October next year, and for Construction Equipment Vehicles from April 2021
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has notified amendment to CMVR 1989 through GSR 598 dated 30th September, 2020 deferring the applicability date for implementing the next stage of emission norms for tractors  from Oct this year to 1st Oct next year. The Ministry had received the request to this effect from the Ministry of Agriculture, Tractor Manufacturers and agriculture associations. For the Construction Equipment Vehicles, the applicability of next phase of emission norms are proposed to be applicable wef 1st Apr 2021, providing a deferment of six months.
The amendment also attempts to avoid confusion between the emission norms of other Motor vehicles which has BS as norms and those for agricultural machinery, construction equipment vehicles and such other equipment. The amendment includes:
 separate the emission norms for Agricultural machinery  and Construction Equipment Vehicles, and
 Change in the nomenclature of emission norms from Bharat Stage –IV and Bharat Stage  –V to
a. TREM Stage-IV and TREM Stage-V for Agricultural Tractors and other Equipments.
b. CEV Stage – IV and CEV Stage-V for the Construction Equipment Vehicles.
The draft rules to amend these Rules were published vide notification number G.S.R 491, dated the 5th August,2020.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Shri Pradipta Kumar Bisoi appointed Secretary, Department of Posts
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Pradipta Kumar Bisoi  to the post of Secretary, Department of Posts vice Shri Ananta Narayan Nandaupon his superannuationon 31.10.2019.
Ministry of Finance
Status Note on GST compensation released to States/UTs
₹ 2.78 lakh crore of compensation released to States for the year 2020-21 itself ; nothing is pending for the year
Centre released ₹ 7.35 lakh crore and compensation of ₹78,704 crore pending only for the year 2021-22
At the time of introduction of GST, the Constitution amendment provided that the Parliament, by law shall provide compensation to States for a period of five years for loss of revenue due to introduction of GST. Accordingly, the GST Compensation to States Act was legislated which provides for release of compensation against 14% year-on-year growth over revenues in 2015-16 from taxes subsumed in GST. This compensation cess is credited to the compensation fund and as per the Act, all compensation is paid out of the fund. Presently, cess is levied on items like pan masala, tobacco, coal and cars.
Compensation of about ₹ 49,000 crore has been released for 2017-18 from the fund, which increased to ₹ 83,000 crore for 2018-19 and further to ₹ 1.65 lakh crore in 2019-20. For these three years, almost ₹ 3 lakh crore compensation was released to States. However, the compensation requirement increased substantially during 2020-21 due to impact of covid on revenues. To ensure that States have adequate and timely resources to combat covid and related issues, Centre borrowed ₹ 1.1 lakh crore in 2020-21 and ₹ 1.59 lakh crore in 2021-22 and passed it on to States on a back-to-back basis. During 2021-22, Centre ensured that release of this amount of ₹ 1.59 lakh crore was front loaded to ensure that States have adequate resources in the earlier part of the year.
Taking into account this loan, ₹ 2.78 lakh crore of compensation has been released to States for the year 2020-21 itself and nothing is pending for the year. Including the assistance released on back-to-back basis, ₹ 7.35 lakh crore has been released to States till now and, currently, only for the year 2021-22, compensation of ₹78,704 crore is pending due to inadequate balance in the fund, which is equivalent to compensation of four months.
Normally, compensation for ten months of April-January of any financial year is released during that year and the compensation of February-March is released only in the next financial year. As explained earlier, compensation of eight out of ten months of 2021-22 has already been released to States. The pending amount will also be released as and when amount from cess accrues in the compensation fund.
RM/MV/KMN
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Ministry of Textiles
Cotton Yarn Export
As per the data of Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, export of cotton yarn has increased by 14% from USD 3.4 billion in 2017-18 to USD 3.9 billion in 2018-19.
Cotton Textile Export Promotion Council, TEXPROCIL made a representation to Ministry of Finance to extend 3 percent interest equalization for cotton yarn
Cotton yarn exports valued at USD 3.89 billion in 2018-19 is the highest since 2015-16.
This information was given by the Union Minister of Textiles, Smriti Zubin Irani, in written reply in the Lok Sabha today.