The Union Budget 2025-26 has allocated over Rs 1,400 crore to the law ministry to meet carry forward expenditure for holding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and purchase of new electronic voting machines for the Election Commission. The allocation includes Rs 500 crore for the elections, Rs 300 crore for voter identity cards, Rs 597.80 crore for "other election expenses", and Rs 18.72 crore for new EVMs. The law ministry is the nodal agency for the Election Commission, polls, electoral laws, and appointment of members to the poll panel.
The interest rate on these schemes have remained unchanged for over a year now.
rediffGURU Vipul Bhavsar answers readers' personal income tax queries.
Retirement fund body EPFO added 16.05 lakh net new members in December, which is 9.69 per cent higher compared to November 2024, as per the payroll data released on Tuesday. Further, a labour ministry statement said there was a growth of 2.74 per cent in net payroll additions compared to December 2023.
Subscribers of the retirement fund body EPFO may soon be able to withdraw claim amounts from their accounts through ATMs, a top official said. Union Labour Secretary Sumita Dawra has reportedly said that the labour ministry is upgrading information technology infrastructure to provide enhanced services to the Indian workforce.
Vijay said the TVK respected all languages but would not give up its self respect for another language.
By June 2025, financial freedom will be just an ATM away. Pleasantly surprised? But there's more, says Ramalingam Kalirajan
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the government will arrange identity cards and registration on the e-Shram portal to assist 1 crore gig workers. Presenting the Union Budget 2025-26, the finance minister also said a scheme for the socio-economic upliftment of urban workers will be implemented.
Union labour minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said employment in the country has increased by 36 per cent to 64.33 crore in 2023-24 from 47.15 crore in 2014-15, which shows improvement in job creation during NDA period.
rediffGURU Yogendra Arora answers readers' personal income tax queries.
The old tax regime remains unchanged. 'Taxpayers opting for it will continue to follow the existing slab rates and deductions.'
Every month your salary slip features a deduction towards your Provident Fund (also known as Employees Provident Fund or EPF in short). How often have you wondered if such a contribution is actually beneficial to you and if it is actually needed? What if you quit or switch over jobs? Here's explaining the benefits EPF carries and why one should pay attention to this contribution.
He asserted that the AAP cared for the people of Delhi and that's why they announced financial assistance for the Resident Welfare Associations to help people ensure better security in their neighbourhood by hiring private security guards.
Did you know that your EPF contribution also goes towards insuring you, giving you and your spouse a pension apart from giving you a lump sum amount after retirement?
When star mutual fund managers quit their jobs to start their own ventures, they have often begun their new innings by becoming portfolio management service (PMS) providers. Over the years there has been an influx of fund managers - they could earn big if they succeeded on their own - and alongside there are wealthy clients looking for an edge beyond that offered by traditional mutual funds.
Index funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have added a record number of investment accounts in 2024, buoyed by the sectoral and thematic investing euphoria that has spilled into the passive space.
While govt has decided to maintain status quo, don't use the money for house, marriage or education
The number of monthly fresh formal hirings saw a slowdown in August, signalling a downturn in the formal labour market. In August, the number of new monthly subscribers under the Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) decreased by nearly 11 per cent to 930,000. This is a four-month low from 1.05 million in July, according to the latest monthly payroll data released by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Sunday.
Retirement fund body EPFO has registered 13.41 lakh net new members addition in October 2024, according to showed latest payroll data. This signifies increased employment opportunities and heightened awareness of employee benefits, bolstered by EPFO's effective outreach initiatives, a labour ministry statement said on Wednesday.
When investing in fixed-income products, balancing considerations like safety, liquidity, and income is essential.
'We give them problems so that they can come up with solutions using the technological skills they have learnt.' 'In fact, changemaking and problem solving are interchangeable, in a way.'
'They (government) are trying to create market for pension products'.
Get Ahead tax expert Mahesh Padmanabhan answers queries on tax exemptions and how to invest for the long term.
The Indian Navy said it conceptualised and steered the project of installing the Shivaji statue, which collapsed in Maharashtra's Malvan this week, in coordination with the state government which also provided funding for it.
Prospects of a bumper kharif harvest are expected to lower food inflation in the coming months, making the country's inflation outlook benign, the Union Ministry of Finance (FinMin) said in its monthly economic report for October released on Monday.
Do we have enough trained oncologists and medical professionals in India to man these over 4,500 beds in the public sector?
These schemes will be based on enrolment in Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha.
Retirement fund body EPFO recorded a net addition of 19.94 lakh members in July this year, the labour ministry said on Monday. Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said at a press conference that 10.52 lakh new or first-time workers subscribed to social security schemes run by Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO). The minister said almost 20 lakh net new members addition (19.94 lakh) was recorded in July this year.
The over 3.2 crore subscribers to the provident fund may get a lower 9 per cent interest from April instead of the prevailing rate of 9.5 per cent.
Otherwise, EPFO can freeze your account. But seek detailed calculation to verify the numbers
There has been demand to hike the PF interest rate to 8.90 per cent.
With the new facility, settling PF withdrawal claims would just take few hours.
Ask rediffGURU and PF expert Milind Vadjikar your insurance, stocks, mutual fund and personal finance-related questions.
'If you invest in a rush at the last moment, you could compromise on selecting the best tax-saving options.'
The AITUC has suggested utilisation of the entire corpus for creation of the infrastructure development fund. Do you agree?
Norms governing investments by provident funds bar these from depositing funds in a commercial bank in case the NPAs of that bank exceed two per cent of net advances.
From how to open an NPS Vatsalya account to knowing how this scheme compares to investing in mutual fund or in provident fund, Ramalingam Kalirajan offers a 360-degree view and the pros and cons of investing in a scheme that has the potential to secure your child's financial well-being.
The Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) on Friday decided to give 8.5 per cent interest on provident fund deposits of 4.5 crore (45 million) subscribers.