The Finance Commission has substantially increased the allocation of funds to panchayats, but a large part of it is apportioned by state governments.
India is the fifth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic after the United States, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom, according to the Johns Hopkins University data.
Kerala has recorded 24 cases including two foreign nationals.
As the virus continued to spread its tentacles across India, several parts, including Kashmir valley headed towards a virtual lockdown with the administration restricting movement of people in several parts and banning all public transport in Srinagar city.
The states fear they would end up funding both their own scheme as well as the newly-announced National Health Protection Scheme.
While some would give the BJP full marks for starting early in the only state in the south where it stands a chance, the 'party with a difference' has fallen back on a tainted leader.
The NTAGI has also stated that those having laboratory test proven SARS-CoV-2 illness should defer COVID-19 vaccination for six months after recovery, the sources said.
Experts believe that under-reporting is likely to cause an underestimation of the spread of the disease.
The 24-hour transport strike began on Thursday, affecting normal life in several parts of the country including in Kerala and Karnataka, even as the Centre asked private operators and employees of state transport authorities to call off their strike.
The country has recorded over 20,000 cases of the infection for the fourth consecutive day. India went past Russia on Sunday to become the third worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resisting growing clamour, the state government decided to stick to its decision not to refer the case to the CBI.
If he doesn't win next year, it will set back the party's prospects in 2024. If he wins, it will be seen as his win as much as the BJP high command's, points out Shekhar Gupta.
'Two days notice for the Janata Curfew.' 'Two-and-a-half days notice for lighting candles, but a mere four-hour notice for the lockdown without taking state governments into confidence.'
India is the fifth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic after the United States, Brazil, Russia and the United Kingdom, according to data issued by the Johns Hopkins University.
The Union Health ministry put the number of positive cases at 82, eight more since Thursday night, which includes the woman and a 76-year-old man from Karnataka who became the country's first coronavirus fatality besides 17 foreign nationals, Health Ministry officials said.
'Even though we have around 156 patients, we don't have anyone who requires ventilatory support or the ICU facility.'
This is the fifth consecutive day that COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 50,000 in the country.
Hitting out at the intellectuals attacking the Centre over "the climate of intolerance", they said a section of nation's intelligentsia was dismayed by Narendra Modi's victory in the Lok Sabha polls and "failure in the elections is now sought to be avenged by other means".
States are now gearing up to implement the scheme, integrating it with their own public health insurance plans and tying up the loose ends.
Your complete guide to preparing for the National Aptitude Test in Architecture.
Though most experts remain bullish on the banking space, they suggest investors buy only those banks whose NPAs are at a manageable level of 3% to 4% and there is credit growth or earnings visibility.
The joint secretary also said a high-level task force to work on frontiers of science related to vaccines and drug testing was formed on Sunday.
Kavitha Kuruganti has been fighting for decades to ensure farmers are respected and get their due from the Indian nation. In order to ensure they don't struggle for a living, she works to ensure sustainable farm livelihoods and farmers' rights.
The new provision under the Income-Tax Act may enable the authorities to seize trustees' personal assets if there's a breach of objectives governing registered charitable trusts.
The Union health ministry officials also said India was at the second stage as there is still no 'hard evidence' to say that there has been community transmission of the fast-spreading coronavirus, remarks which may provide anxious citizens with much needed assurance and hope.
First time voters say they expect political leaders to focus on "real issues".
10 central trade unions have called a nationwide shutdown against 'anti-worker policies' of the central government. Apart from being successful in Bengal, Kerala and NE states, the bandh has also got support from Cong leader Rahul Gandhi and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra.
'You may be an MP or an MLA; when we go to Bengal, we go as cadre.'
A total of 37 deaths were reported since Thursday evening of which 14 fatalities were reported from Maharashtra, nine from Gujarat, three from Uttar Pradesh, two each from Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh,Tamil Nadu and Telengana and one from Karnataka, ministry data stated.
The 25-year-old's story is an inspiration for young Indians.
The NDA government has approved additional facilities for members of minority communities living in India on long-term visa
'Rajan epitomised the best of his generation -- veneration for knowledge, for old fashioned morality of honesty and modesty.' Economist Devaki Jain, Padma Bhushan, salutes her brother who passed into the ages last week.
Opposition parties continued their dharna for the third day on Thursday in the state assembly, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the mysterious death of an upright IAS officer, forcing its adjournment till March 23, as protests over the death persisted across the state.
Here's a glimpse of all that happened around the world last month.
'Modi is still immensely popular and, therefore, he can sustain any number of policy failures.' 'Modi himself has worn multiple faces so it would be naive to think that the Modi of 2021 will be the same Modi that will be campaigning for re-election in 2024.'
'Vaccination is the only safe way to get immunity.'
Seeking to blunt Bharatiya Janata Party's efforts to 'appropriate' legacy of Ambedkar, Sonia said, "Congress had given Dr Ambedkar his dues by appointing him as chairman of the Draft Committee of Constitution."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday told scientists that the government would make it easier to do scientific research in the country and asked them to keep the five principles of economy, environment, energy, empathy, equity at the centre of enquiry and engineering.
One of the key cases influencing the debate on abortion in Ireland was that of Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar, who died of sepsis in a hospital in Galway after being denied an abortion during a protracted miscarriage in 2012.
Nitish 'sent his emissary, Prashant Kishor, to me on five different occasions.' 'Kishor seemed to indicate that if I were to assure in writing my party's support to the JD-U, the latter would pull out of the BJP alliance and rejoin the Mahagathbandhan.' A revealing excerpt from Lalu Prasad Yadav's Gopalganj To Raisina: My Political Journey.
