Latest news with #Centrally
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Despite heavy rains, Union MoS Bhupathiraju reviews Central schemes in Assam
VIJAYAWADA: Undeterred by heavy rains and flood-hit roads, Union Minister of State for Steel and Heavy Industries, Bhupathiraju Srinivasa Varma, undertook a 16-hour road journey from Guwahati to Assam's southernmost district to assess progress on Centrally sponsored schemes. The visit to South Salmara-Mankachar, which borders Bangladesh and Meghalaya, reinforced the Centre's focus on inclusive development in remote and strategic regions. Over a packed day, Varma inspected infrastructure projects under the Public Works and Rural Development Departments, reviewed road connectivity, and examined public assets. At the district hospital, he interacted with staff and beneficiaries while distributing Ayushman Bharat health cards. Demonstrating social outreach, the Minister distributed wheelchairs to children with special needs and held interactions with students. He also met Village Water and Sanitation Committees under the Jal Jeevan Mission, urging them to ensure equitable and reliable household water supply. At the Amrit Sarovar site, he encouraged Self-Help Group involvement in water conservation efforts. Emphasising national security, Varma visited the Indo-Bangladesh border and praised BSF jawans for their service. 'Your commitment is a pillar of our national integrity,' he said. He credited PM Narendra Modi and CM Himanta Biswa Sarma for prioritising infrastructure and welfare in border districts. District officials, including the Deputy Commissioner and others present.
India Gazette
15-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
Meeting of Public Accounts Committee of Parliament to be held today
New Delhi [India], May 15 (ANI): The meeting of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament will be held in the Parliament House Annexe in the national capital on Thursday. The meeting will be held at around 11 am in which representatives of Ministry of Railways (Railway Board) will brief the Committee on the subject of 'Working of Mancheswar Carriage Repair Workshop in East Coast Railway and Construction of 5th and 6th line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) - Kurla Station' based on C&AG (Compliance Audit) Report No 2 of 2025. Earlier on May 5, Congress leader KC Venugopal was re-appointed chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which was constituted on May 1. The Committee on Public Accounts, which is the oldest and the most prestigious Committee of Parliament, is constituted every year for examination of accounts showing the appropriation of sums granted by Parliament for expenditure of the Government of India and such other accounts laid before Parliament as accounts of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies, the Lok Sabha Secretariat stated. The Committee also examines the Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on various subjects like Civil, Defence, Posts, Railways and Taxation, and it also examines the C&AG Reports on Performance Appraisals of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and also on subjects selected suo moto. Meanwhile, the Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, the Committee examines instances of financial irregularities, extravagance, losses, delays etc and it also scrutinises in depth, various aspects of the Government's tax administration. Since 1967, a convention has been established whereby an eminent leader from the Opposition in the Lok Sabha is appointed as the Chairperson of the Committee on Public Accounts. In the past, the Committee has been chaired by eminent Parliamentarians such as Prof. NG Ranga, MR Masani, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jyotirmoy Basu, HN Mukherjee, PV Narasimha Rao, R Venkataraman, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi etc, Lok Sabha Secretariat stated. During the first year of the 18th Lok Sabha, the Committee on Public Accounts (2024-25) demonstrated remarkable diligence, scrutinising a wide array of performance appraisal subjects alongside routine transaction audit paragraphs from the Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. (ANI)
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Funding for Centrally sponsored schemes declining: Karnataka CM
The Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, which will be completing two years in office next week, on Wednesday reviewed the progress of various Centrally sponsored schemes (CSS) and said the Centre's funding to the National Health Mission, Prime Minister Ayushman Bharat, and many other schemes had declined by 40-50%, from the 100-90% range to 50-60%. Mr. Siddaramaiah chaired the State-level meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) and reviewed the utilisation of funds under the Centrally sponsored schemes during 2024-25. The Chief Minister said that as of March 2025, both the Central and State governments had spent ₹46,859 crore on the Centrally sponsored schemes. As against the mandated release of ₹22,758 crore, the Centre released only ₹18,562 crore to the State, which constituted about 82%. The Chief Minister told the MPs from all parties representing the State to pressurise the Union government to release allocated funds. He directed officials to ensure 100% utilisation of funds during the year. He said currently the Centre and the State share the funding of the Centrally sponsored schemes in the ratio of 60:40. However, the State contributed significantly to schemes such as midday meals by providing milk and eggs, and this increased the State's share to 70-80%, he said. The Centre did not release funds for the Upper Bhadra Project, social security schemes, and computerisation of primary agricultural cooperative societies during 2024-25, he said. Under the MGNREGA scheme, the Narendra Modi-led government allocated ₹2,200.4 crore during 2024-25, of which the State received ₹1,933.48 crore. A sum of ₹266.92 crore was yet to be released by the Centre to the State, he said. Referring to the shortfall in the Jal Jeevan Mission, the meeting noted that the Centre had not released ₹10,889 crore during the last two years. In 2024-25, an allocation of ₹3,804 crore had been earmarked for the State, out of which only ₹570.7 crore was released. A sum of ₹3,234 crore had not been released, he said. Similarly, the Centre had kept pending ₹65.82 crore under the Swachch Bharat Mission. Of the allocated ₹215.82 crore, the State received ₹150 crore during 2024-25. Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, too, of the allocated ₹100 crore, only ₹34.21 crore was released to the State during the same year, Mr. Siddaramaiah said. The situation was not different under the National Rural Livelihood Mission. The Centre released ₹298.73 crore as against the sanctioned ₹398 crore, he said.
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
State mulling talks with T.N. over fund refusal by Centre
The government is exploring joining hands with Tamil Nadu on the issue of the Union government withholding funds under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said. At a press conference here on Tuesday, the Minister said the State was mulling holding discussions with the Tamil Nadu Education Minister on the issue without delay. The Minister said he had held talks with Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi and taken part in the general council meeting of the National Council of Educational Research and Training. He expressed the State's demands and apprehensions, particularly in the wake of withholding of the Union government share of Centrally sponsored schemes. The Union government had withheld ₹1,500.27 crore due to the State. This included ₹514.54 crore due to the Samagra Shiksha, Kerala for 2024-25; ₹276 crore for 2023-24; ₹392.73 crore for 2025-26; and PM-SHRI share of ₹318 crore for 2025-26. The funds were not being sanctioned as the State had not signed the agreement for implementing the PM-SHRI scheme. However, the Union government was not informing the State of this in writing. The opinion of the Advocate General would also be sought in the matter, the Minister said.
New Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Centre allocates 750 e-buses to Andhra Pradesh
VIJAYAWADA: The Union government has allocated 750 fully air-conditioned electric buses to Andhra Pradesh under the PM-eBus Sewa scheme announced former Director General of Press Information Bureau (PIB) and media advisor to the Government of India Rajeev Jain announced. Addressing the media in Vijayawada on Monday, Jain stated that these e-buses would significantly contribute to building a pollution-free, modern transport infrastructure across the State. He further revealed that the Centre is committed to supporting Andhra Pradesh's urban development through various Centrally sponsored schemes. 'Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's proactive engagement with the Centre is facilitating the transformation of Amaravati into a world-class capital city,' he said. Jain also shared updates on the urban mobility projects, noting that substantial steps have been taken toward implementing the Vijayawada Metro Rail project, which will cover approximately 38 km, along with the Visakhapatnam Metro initiative. Highlighting achievements under other flagship schemes, Jain noted that over 84% of projects worth `5,701 crore have been completed in Amaravati, Kakinada, Tirupati, and Visakhapatnam under the Smart Cities Mission. Andhra Pradesh ranks third among major States in the PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) disbursement, achieving 103.08% against its 3.3 lakh target. Additionally, under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), more than 3.5 lakh loan applications have been sanctioned. Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and AMRUT 2.0, the Centre has released `589 crore to AP, and Detailed Project Reports for 367 urban infrastructure projects worth over `6,200 crore have been approved.
