In its sway over national politics now, the Modi-Shah BJP is what the Congress was under Indira Gandhi. Why would they indulge coalition partners, their greed and egos now, asks Shekhar Gupta.
The Cabinet Committee on Unique Identification Authority of India, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the commencement of phase-II of the scheme at an estimated cost of Rs 3,023.01 crore (Rs 30.23 billion).
The government on Friday said it has started implementing liberal FDI rules under which proposals up to Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion) foreign equity would be cleared by the Finance Minister without seeking approval of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
A meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, approved the establishment of the National Knowledge Network at an outlay of Rs 5,990 crore (Rs 59.90 billion) to be implemented by the National Informatics Centre over a period of 10 years, an official spokesperson said.
In an attempt to get core sector projects off the ground, the government has constituted a 13-member Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, which will be headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
On the agenda during the session will be getting the Land Acquisition Bill, GST and other important bills passed.
L K Advani, Venkiah Naidu and Arun Jaitley, launched a blistering attack on government after PM Manmoha Singh's speech in Parliament on Friday. Jaitley asked Defence Minister A K Antony to explain how he got Rs 1,000 crores cleared up defence purchases bypassing the Cabinet Committee on Security, while stressing on indiginisation of defence production.
The anti-Naxal strategy, including the possibility of involving armed forces, is expected to top the agenda of the Cabinet Committee on Security meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.
With the aim of speeding up the 2010 Commonwealth Games projects, the Indian Government on Thursday approved about Rs 828 crores funding for Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The DDA has been entrusted with the development of Games Village, competition venues for badminton, squash, table tennis and archery.
The government on Thursday further liberalised the foreing investment regime by allowing Foreign Investment Promotion Board to clear proposals from overseas entities worth up to Rs 1,200 crore (Rs 12 billion), against the existing limit of Rs 600 crore (Rs 6 billion).
If sources in the Congress party are to be believed, a hike in the price of petrol, diesel and cooking gas seems "inevitable".
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs is likely to approve the 20 per cent follow-on offer of Shipping Corporation of India next week, which may fetch close to Rs 1,400 crore (Rs 14 billion).
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met in New Delhi on Monday to discuss a package for Jammu and Kashmir hit by a fresh bout of violence since Eid last Saturday.
The government continues to grope in the dark while looking for an initiative, which would end the three month cycle of violence that has claimed 69 lives and disturbed the peace in Kashmir Valley.
The Defence Ministry issued the order after the Cabinet Committee on Appointments cleared Singh's name for the top post, senior ministry sources said in New Delhi.
Another roadblock to be removed from FDI path; Load on insurance chest.
Norway-based telecom company Telenor has raised its stake in its Indian joint venture with Unitech Wireless to 60.1 percent from 49 percent at an investment of Rs 1,493 crore.
The government on Monday raised the price of ethanol for blending with fuel at Rs 27 per litre from existing Rs 21.50 per litre.
Following the two-tranche disinvestment, the government and the company would get Rs 8,000 crore (Rs 80 billion) each, Home Minister P Chidambaram told reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
'In the present era of strategic uncertainty and rapidly changing threats, no military professional now disputes the unavoidable necessity of a joint planning staff for the planning and conduct of joint operations so that integrated operations can be planned 'top down',' says Brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal (retd).
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its nod to the 20 per cent follow-on offer by PowerGrid, an official statement said.
The government is planning an extensive exercise to map a "hazard line" along the country's 7,500 km coastline, from Gujarat to West Bengal. This marks the first time environmentally sensitive coastal areas will be clearly demarcated. The Rs 1,156-crore project, known as the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) project, was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on Thursday.
At present, a project with investment of more than Rs 600 crore in sectors routed through the Foreign Investment Promotion Board has to be referred to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
Special Judge O P Saini issued notice to the agency and sought its response by October 8.
The projects are to be given out on design, build operate, finance and transfer basis and are part of third phase of the National Highways Development Project, the government's programme to develop road infrastructure across the country.
The reconstituted Group of Ministers on the Bhopal gas tragedy will meet on Friday, Home Minister P Chidambaram said on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the panel to submit its report to the Cabinet in 10 days.
Nirmala Sitharaman's elevation not only to full Cabinet minister but also pitchforking her to the elite Cabinet Committee on Security group with the defence portfolio is undoubtedly the biggest takeaway from Sunday's reshuffle, says Rajeev Sharma.
The government's disinvestment programme made a muted re-start with the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approving the part-sale of its stake in two power companies -- NTPC and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam -- but postponing a decision on the overall disinvestment policy.
Data on primary and fuel items would continue to be released on weekly basis.
The meeting was earlier planned to discuss price rise and formulate an action plan to combat it. But as Union agriculture, food and civil supplies minister Sharad Pawar is in Maharashtra and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee is camping in Kolkata, the meeting has been rescheduled for October 19.
The government's decision to divest its stake in power PSU NTPC would be delayed as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs could not meet on Thursday due to pre-occupation of key ministers.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has asked the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs to decide on a Planning Commission proposal to allocate a portion of power generated from Centrally-owned utilities for open access to large consumers.
According to a decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, the Commission on Agricultural Costs and Prices will consider the above elements while recommending the MSP. The CACP, an advisory body under the agriculture ministry, recommends MSPs of over 20 crops, including wheat and rice.
The meeting assumes importance as prices of essential commodities continued to surge though the rate of price rise has come down in the recent weeks.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today discussed acquisition of 10 warships and 80 radars for the Navy aimed at strengthening coastal security, identified as a priority after the Mumbai attacks.
India has already purchased 16 MiG-29K aircraft from Russia for $536 million. The total deal, including the warship, was for $1.5 billion in 2004.
The Covid pandemic has left a question mark on how the central government manages its staff.
The agreement between the two has a long stop date clause, stipulating that all approvals be secured by then.
However, the final decision on the date of presentation of the Budget will be taken by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs last evening gave OVL, the overseas arm of the state-run explorer, approval to invest its share of $204 million in the oilfield. Over and above these, the two have committed a minimum exploration investment of $165 million and an additional optional exploration expenditure of $235 million.
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