New Delhi, Dec 4,2021: A total of 4,048 Indian citizens succumbed to COVID-19 abroad, with the largest number being reported from Saudi Arabia – 1,154, the Lok Sabha was told.
This was followed by the United Arab Emirates at 894, Kuwait – 668, Oman -551, Bahrain 200 and Qatar 109, MoS for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in the House.
The Government issued guidelines through the National Disaster Management Authority, in pursuance of Supreme Court judgment regarding ex-gratia payment to Indians who succumbed to COVID-19
New Delhi, Dec 2,20201: Four days after the resumption of physical classes, Delhi government on Thursday order to close all schools and educational institutes from December 3 till further orders.
The decision came after the Supreme Court (SC) pulled up the Delhi government for resuming physical classes in schools amid a rise in the air pollution levels in the city.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Manish Sisodia said that in view of pollution, schools have been closed physically till further orders.
“However, board examinations would be conducted as per the schedule,” Sisodia, who also holds education department, said in a tweet.
Schools had reopened this week after an almost three-week-long closure owing to air pollution. After remaining shut since November 13, physical classes in schools, colleges and other educational institutions had resumed from Monday.
Earlier in the day, Supreme Court came down heavily on both the Centre and the Delhi government, following continued deterioration in air quality in the national capital, and directed both to take serious measures immediately to reduce the AQI levels and submit a report within 24 hours.
Tawang (Arunachal Pradesh), November 27,2021: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday said that about Rs 64,000 crore will be invested by the Centre in creating health infrastructure in the country over the next five years.
The Union Minister, who was on a day-long tour to Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh, while interacting with healthcare workers at Khandro Drowa Zangmo District Hospital, said that the central government is working to provide health security to all through various health welfare schemes.
“Never in the past was health considered as wealth. The present Union Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working on these lines to provide health security to all through its various health welfare schemes,” Mandaviya said during the interaction, as quoted in an official statement.
Emphasizing on the benefits of the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission that will connect the digital health solutions of hospitals across the country with each other, the minister said, “We have to work with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. This will enable us to know the history of a patient and can provide them with quality health services. In the next five years, an investment of Rs 64,000 crore will be made in improving health infrastructure in the country.”
New Delhi, Nov 25,2021: The air quality in the national capital continued to remain in the ‘very poor’ category on Thursday, as the, air quality Index (AQI) stood at 362 according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).
The air quality Index (AQI) on Wednesday was recorded at 328.
According to the SAFAR bulletin, the effective farm fire count has reduced to 432 and its contribution to Delhi’s PM 2.5 on Thursday is 2 percent.
The concentration of PM 2.5 and PM 10 stood at 201, in the ‘very poor’ and 337 in the ‘poor’ category respectively around 11 am, as per the agency.
Earlier the agency said from November 27 onwards local surface winds are likely to increase which will result in improvement of air quality.
Several areas in the national capital including ITO, Lodhi Road, and Mathura Road recorded air quality in the ‘very poor’ category with an AQI of 411, 309, and 346 while the AQI at Anand Vihar and Jahangirpuri were in the ‘severe’ category with an AQI 436and 463 respectively.
According to data from Central Pollution Control Board the Air Quality Index in the neighbouring parts of Delhi, also was in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category including Faridabad (at 438), Ghaziabad (314), Gurugram (334) and Noida (414).
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 is satisfactory, between 101 and 200 is moderate, 201 and 300 is poor, 301 and 400 is very poor, while AQI between 401 and 500 is severe.
Meanwhile the Delhi government on Wednesday said that schools, colleges and educational institutions in the national capital will reopen from Monday, November 29 onwards.
New Delhi, Nov 24: The Centre has approved construction of 3.61 lakh more houses in 17 states/UTs under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), a statement said on Wednesday.
“With this, the total number of sanctioned houses under the mission is now 1.14 crore, of which more than 89 lakh have been grounded for construction and 52.5 lakh completed and delivered to the beneficiaries,” the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) said in a release.
The total investment under the mission is Rs 7.52 lakh crore, with a central assistance of Rs 1.85 lakh crore. So far, Rs 1.13 lakh crore of funds have already been released, it added.
The decision was taken at the 56th meeting of Central Sanctioning and Monitoring Committee (CSMC) of PMAY(U), chaired by Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary MoHUA, on Tuesday.
These 3.61 lakh houses will come up under that is part of the Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), Beneficiary-Led Construction (BLC), In-Situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) verticals of the PMAY (U).
The CSMC also accorded approval for revision of projects from 14 states/UTs translating into 3.74 lakh houses, the statement said.
In the meeting, Mishra took up the issues pertaining to the states/UTs regarding construction of houses under PMAY(U) and asked officials to resolve all issues without delay so construction can be expedited.
The MoHUA secretary stressed on the need for completion of the mission across the country within stipulated time under so that the goal of ‘Housing for All’ by 2022 could be achieved.
An ‘e-Finance’ module was also launched by Mishra with the objectives to provide unique platform to all stakeholders for disbursement of funds through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode and to validate beneficiaries.
The Secretary also approved proposals under Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) – Model 2 – in Telangana and Tamil Nadu, the Ministry said.
A total of 19,535 units, have been approved for urban migrants/poor, involving Technology Innovation Grant of Rs 39.11 crore, it said.
New Delhi, Nov 21,2021: As Centre gears up to start consultation with industry for Union Budget, industry body PHDCCI has proposed to keep personal income tax, corporate tax and peak GST rate all at 15% in order to boost demand and investment in the country.
Speaking to UNI, PHDCCI President Pradeep Multani said that personal income tax should be cut to 15% from the peak rate of 35% now in order to increase disposable income of the people which would lead to push demand curve.
“As regards corporate tax, our view is that whether it is proprietorship, LLPs (limited liability partnerships) and corporates, whether old or new, there should be one uniform corporate tax of 15% across the board,” Multani said.
Offering mega concession to the industry, the central government had in September 2019 slashed corporate tax rates to 22% for domestic companies and 15% for new domestic manufacturing companies besides other fiscal reliefs. The total annual revenue foregone for the reduction in corporate tax rate and other relief were estimated at Rs 1,45,000 crore.
PHDCCI Chief said that personal income tax is currently very high in the country because the base is low which means fewer people are paying taxes.
“It is higher than almost all the advanced and emerging economies. But still our tax-to-GDP ratio is only 17%. In peer economies like China, Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia the average tax-to-GDP ratio is 22%,” he said attributing the low tax-GDP ratio in India to tax evasion.
“The tax evasion is high because of higher tax rates,” he noted.
Multani further said that the peak GST rate should not be more than 15% as the current highest slab of 28% tempts people to evade tax.
“If someone is buying a product worth Rs 100,000 and the peak GST rate of 28% is levied, then Rs 28,000 would be tax on that. If tax rate is so high, people would tend to evade tax,” he said.
In order to attract foreign investment and encourage domestic players to ramp up their businesses, Multani suggested effective implementation of single-window clearance and reduction in cost of doing business.
He proposed to the government to get an analysis carried out by experts on cost structure in China and provide a level-playing field to the Indian industry.
“Let government do the analysis of China. We don’t need even 0.1% extra. What we are saying that the incentives China is giving to its industry we should also get the same cost,” the PHDCCI Chief said.
New Delhi, Nov 19,2021: Bharatiya Kisan Union(BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Friday said the farmers will not take back their agitation immediately, and will wait for the laws to be repealed in Parliament, shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced repeal of the controversial farm laws.
“The agitation will not be withdrawn immediately, we will wait for the day when agricultural laws will be repealed in Parliament. Government should talk on MSP as well as other issues of farmers,” Rakesh Tikait said in a tweet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday announced the repeal of the controversial three farm laws and expressed regret that the government could not make a section of farmers understand the importance of the new laws.
He announced that the laws would be repealed in the upcoming winter session of the Parliament and urged the farmers who are camping at the borders of Delhi to go back home.