UN-Habitat is an important organ of the UN system dealing with all issues relating to human settlements.
The voter turnout recorded in the 2019 assembly polls was around 68 per cent.
In a day of frantic developments, Digvijaya Singh entered the fray for the Congress president's election as Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot opted out of the race and the suspense over his continuation at the helm in the state deepened with the party saying it would be decided in a day or two.
By nominating Madhusudan Mistry, Digvijaya Singh, Kumari Selja as the party's Rajya Sabha candidates, and roping in Sanjay Singh, the Congress vice-president has failed to walk the talk, argues Rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt.
The long-pending legislation that seeks to protect home-buyers from fly-by-night developers is likely to be sent to the Union Cabinet for its approval during the Winter Session of Parliament.
Asaram Bapu had some powerful backers within the Congress... Why Kumari Selja's phone hasn't stopped ringing... Gossip from the Dilli Durbar
Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) MPs, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress Parliamentary Party chief Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, staged a protest in Parliament premises on Wednesday over the alleged discrimination against opposition-ruled states in the Union Budget.
Tourism minister Kumari Selja said other countries which followed the US in that year were UK, Bangladesh, Canada, France, Sri Lanka, Germany, Japan, Australia and Malaysia. To woo more tourists, Indiatourism offices overseas are undertaking promotional activities in all important and potential tourist-generating markets to showcase India's tourism potential, the minister said.
There is a shortage of 24.7 million housing units in urban areas at the beginning of the 11th Five Year Plan. Admitting the flaws in the housing sector planning for the huge gap between demand and supply, Selja said unfortunately the private sector only focuses on high-end housing and ignores low cost units.
In a major organisational rejig ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Congress on Saturday appointed Avinash Pande the general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, replacing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra while Sachin Pilot was made the general secretary in-charge of Chhattisgarh.
Noted housing finance expert Deepak Parekh will head an eight-member committee appointed on Tuesday by the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation to discuss the draft guidelines of government's ambitious Rajiv Awas Yojana which aims to make the country slum-free.
For promoting a planned and healthy real estate development of colonies and apartments in big cities, union housing and urban poverty alleviation ministry has drafted a bill and invited suggestions from experts.
The joint action plan reiterates the provisions of cooperation enshrined in the bilateral agreement on tourism signed between the two countries on January 24, 1994. There has been a constant increase in the number of tourists from Singapore to India. While 44,306 Singaporeans visited India in 2002, the number increased to 92,908 in 2007.
As part of its efforts to boost the sector, the Tourism Ministry has decided to announce policy initiatives for promotion of innovative programmes like 'caravan' and 'heliport tourism' in its 100-day agenda.
Aiming at empowering the urban poor with legal rights, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is initiating steps to provide property entitlements to them.
The tourism ministry wants rationalisation of import duty on adventure sports equipment to promote adventure tourism in the country. There is a proposal for exemption of service tax for inbound tour operators on their foreign exchange earnings. Sources said Tourism Minister Kumari Selja would submit the detailed proposals to the finance ministry, seeking various tax incentives for the sector.
Tourism secretary Sujit Banerjee said the government is going for single window clearance system for hotel industry and all formalities including the preparation of cabinet note for the proposal has been finalised.
If the government has its way, the catchy 'Incredible India' tourism campaigns will be spotted in big ticket events like Oscar and Grammy awards.
Haryana is witnessing a multi-cornered contest this time, with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party facing anti-incumbency and a resurgent Congress.
Mani Shanker Aiyer, after having been told by the Congress leadership to desist from making statements against the Commonwealth Games, has now taken to writing letters to register his point.
This is the first time the Union government will be taking the help of foreign experts for slum development, according to sources in the ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation.
A first of its kind report, it has been prepared with the support of UNDP and by eminent academicians and researchers under the supervision of JNU professor Amitabh Kundu.
The government is finalising a policy for urban areas that will encourage the role of private players to make owning a house affordable in towns and cities.
The Congress leadership on Friday held separate meetings to review its performances in the assembly polls in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, and said its defeat in the two states at the hands of the BJP was unexpected.
On the action taken by the government to construct more houses for the poor, she informed the House that a new scheme has been launched for providing interest subsidy to make housing affordable and within the repaying capacity of the economically weaker section and low income group.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday clinched a stunning hat-trick win in Haryana overcoming anti-incumbency and dashing Congress' hopes of a comeback while the National Conference-Congress combine pulled off a spectacular victory in maiden elections in Jammu and Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.
"The government has decided to introduce the Rajiv Awas Yojana for slum dwellers and the urban poor," Kumari Selja, minister of housing and urban poverty alleviation, said. The scheme would extend support to states that are willing to assign property rights to people living in slum areas. The government's efforts would be to create a slum-free India, which also envisages the states preparing their own time-bound plans to make the cities and towns slum free, she said.
Bucking anti-incumbency, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party pulled off a hat-trick of wins in Haryana to retain power and halt Congress' comeback attempt in the assembly elections, results of which were announced on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday claimed Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was busy playing a game on his mobile phone during a Congress meeting over selection of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls as he knows his party will not retain power in the state.
Upset over an open rebellion in Rajasthan, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday sought a written report on it from party observers Mallikarjun Kharge and Ajay Maken as the chances of Ashok Gehlot becoming the party chief receded and other names cropped up for the post.
Amid severe cold and fog, the march resumed in the morning from Dodwa in Karnal's Nilokheri region and entered the Kurukshetra district later in the day.
The Delhi high court on Friday stayed the Centre's eviction notices to two Congress members of Parliament and ex- ministers, Ambika Soni and Kumari Selja.
Congress young guns take offence over old guard's utterances.
BIf you know this BJP, it will now go forward to Jharkhand and Maharashtra as if June 2024 never happened, notes Shekhar Gupta.
"Fresh elections to the assembly should be held to enable people to elect a popular government in the state in accordance with law," the memorandum to the Haryana governor read.
Three private gunmen hired by Rathee for security also suffered injuries in the attack.
Gaurav Gogoi will head the screening committee for Rajasthan with Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot included among the ex-officio members of the panel.
'There is some deep rot that has set in the Congress party. This requires an organisational surgery.'
The plenary session in Chhattisgarh's Nava Raipur will start from February 24 and is expected to be attended by around 15,000 delegates.
'Congress leaders are ready to lose the election and not form the government, but are never ready to share seats with others.'
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