
Centre hikes central deputation allowance for certain category of officers
The central government has increased the central deputation allowance. This is for specific officer categories. The Department of Personnel and Training issued an order. The Central Secretariat (Deputation on Tenure) Allowance rates are revised. All India services and Group A central services officers are eligible. They must be appointed as Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or Director.
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The Centre has increased central deputation allowance for certain categories of officers, according to a Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) order.The revised rates of Central Secretariat (Deputation on Tenure) Allowance (CDTA) are admissible to the officers of all India services and organised Group A central services on their appointment as Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Director in the central secretariat under the Central Staffing Scheme, the order issued on Wednesday said.At present, during their tenure as Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary, or Director, the officers are paid CDTA at the rate of 10 per cent of their basic pay, subject to a ceiling of Rs 9,000."In consideration of references received from various ministries/departments and after due consultation with Department of Expenditure, it has been decided that the ceiling will further rise by 25 per cent each time Dearness Allowance increases by 50 per cent," the DoPT said. PTI
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Chalai heritage street project gains momentum as Smart City seeks central funding
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Census that has to be more than just a head count
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It offers a hyperlocal picture of Indian society — who lives where, who owns what, who does what — allowing for policies that respond to the specificities of place. Over time, the objective should be to invert the current governance model — one in which Union and state governments play a supporting role while village and municipal governments chart their own development paths. A caste census can help accelerate this transition. One long-standing concern with decentralisation, articulated most forcefully by BR Ambedkar when he described villages as 'dens of ignorance', is the risk of elite capture: The possibility that decentralised governance will merely consolidate the power of dominant castes. India — and its villages and towns — has changed considerably since Ambedkar made that assessment, but the problem of elite capture exists to varying degrees. A caste census can offer a granular view of where power is concentrated and where it is more diffuse. It can help identify which local governments are dominated by a single elite group and which display broader representation. This allows policymakers to tailor the pace and sequencing of decentralisation — perhaps beginning where elite capture is lower, building capacity and trust, and expanding from there. A caste census, therefore, enables us to approach decentralisation more intelligently. The third challenge is the growing marginalisation of Indian Muslims. A 2024 study by Asher, Novosad, and Rafkin shows that Muslims are now the least upwardly mobile group in India — faring worse than even Dalits and Adivasis when it comes to educational progress over generations. Another recent analysis by Himanshu and Guilmoto (2024) using data from Bihar's caste census finds that Muslims, as a group, are located near the bottom of the state's economic distribution — in some cases, below Mahadalit groups. 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When citizens see that their mohallas and communities have done worse than others, they are more likely to mobilise and demand change. Equally, elected representatives — from ward members to MLAs — should receive localised reports that compare their jurisdictions with others. This is how data becomes a tool for accountability — not just for the state to monitor citizens, but for citizens to challenge the state. India's caste census, then, must do more than count heads. It can be both a mirror that reflects the structure of society and a lever for meaningful, democratic change. MR Sharan teaches at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is the author of Last Among Equals: Caste and Politics in Bihar's Villages. The views expressed are personal

The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Minister for denotifying forest land granted before notifying under Section 4 of forest Act
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