Latest news with #MoS
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
97k complaints on Air Sewa against airlines
Nearly nine out of ten air travel grievances in India are aimed at airlines, with over 97,000 complaints filed against them on the government's AirSewa portal since its launch in 2016, as per official data. 97k complaints on Air Sewa against airlines The figures, tabled in the Lok Sabha on August 7, state that airlines accounted for 8,262 complaints out of a total of 1,09,834, which were lodged between November 25, 2016 and July 31, 2025. 10 of these were pending, as per the data. In a written reply to MP Brijmohan Agarwal, the minister of state (MoS) for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) received the third-highest number of passenger complaints (with a total of 1,831), out of which 11 cases were still open. Other agencies, including the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), customs, immigration and security units, reported far fewer grievances, said the minister. Complaint volumes spiked during the pandemic in 2020, with a total of 19,573 lodged, and surged again in 2024 to 19,262, the second-highest figure in the portal's history, the data revealed. The AirSewa portal was rolled out alongside a corresponding mobile app by former civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju in November 2016. It was intended as a one-stop platform to seek time-bound resolution of passenger issues, offering complainants to upload voice or video supplements alongside their complaints. The portal's registered users increased from 346 in its first year to over 1.67 lakh by 2025, as per government data. An updated version of the portal, titled AirSewa 2.0, was launched in 2018. But the portal has also drawn criticism, in response to which the ministry acknowledged receiving complaints about technical glitches and usability from sign-up failures and repeated verification loops to unresponsive servers. 'Issues regarding user signup, multiple verification and unresponsive server with regard to AirSewa Portal have come to the cognizance of the Ministry through various channels such as Social media, Emails, Telephone Calls etc. AirSewa has a dedicated Control Room housed in the Ministry of Civil Aviation to address the Air Passenger Grievances including complaints regarding usability and technical issues of AirSewa portal. The Ministry has resolved such issues as and when received in coordination with the Control Room and Technical back-end Team,' read the ministry's response. It also confirmed there are no current plans to integrate the system with online travel agents or aggregators, keeping the process centralised through the portal.
Deccan Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Deccan Herald
Over 2 lakh Indians renounced citizenship in 2024: Govt tells Lok Sabha
Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to queries on the number of individuals who have renounced their Indian citizenship and taken citizenship of other countries during the last five years.
Hans India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Only SSC, Railway Board allowed to use Aadhaar-based authentication in exams: MoS
New Delhi; The Staff Selection Commission and Railway Recruitment Board are the only two government agencies authorised by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to use face authentication in their examinations to verify the identity of candidates and other officials, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Friday. Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada, in a written reply, said, 'The real-time face authentication during examinations helps in preventing impersonation and reduces malpractices. It enhances transparency, builds trust among aspirants and strengthens administrative accountability.' Responding to questions on Aadhaar-based face authentication for national exams, the MoS said, 'The Ministry authorises Ministries/Department/Organisations, under Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules, 2020, for use of Aadhaar authentication for multiple use cases, including examination services.' He said face authentication is a type of biometric authentication, having liveness detection features, that uses an individual's facial features to verify their identity in real time. 'It provides anytime, anywhere authentication with any entry-level smartphone, thus removing the requirement of any additional biometric devices,' he said, responding to questions from Kiran Choudhry, Kesridevsinh Jhala, Medha Vishram Kulkarni, Maya Naroliya and Baburam Nishad. 'The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) issues Aadhaar, a 12-digit unique identification number, to residents based on their biometric and demographic data. It serves as a digital identity for accessing various services through authentication carried out by the respective organisation providing those services,' he said. Responding to a separate question from Bhim Singh on the use of 'fake Aadhaar cards', the MoS said, 'Any instance of Aadhaar misuse is reported to law enforcement agencies for investigation and further action. Details of crimes, if any, using fake Aadhar are available with respective state governments.' Elaborating on the steps taken to strengthen the Aadhaar verification system, Prasada said offline verification can be done by scanning of QR code printed on the Aadhaar letter, eAadhaar, or Aadhaar PVC Card using the UIDAI 'Aadhaar QR Scanner' app or the 'mAadhaar' app, available on both Google Play Store and iOS App Store.' Online authentication can be done through biometric methods such as fingerprint, iris, facial authentication, as well as One Time Password (OTP) authentication, he said. The MoS said stakeholder advisories are also issued advising them not to accept Aadhaar numbers in physical or electronic form, without authentication.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Cabinet greenlights ₹4,250 crore to boost infra, empower vulnerable groups in Assam and Tripura
Advt Advt New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved four new components under the existing Central Sector Scheme of Special Development Packages (SDPs) for Assam and Tripura with a total outlay of ₹4,250 to a Cabinet statement, ₹500 crore will be given for the development of infrastructure in Adivasi-inhabited villages/areas of Assam as per the Memoranda of Settlement (MoS) signed by the Central government and the Assam government with the Adivasi groups of this, lakhs of people across Adivasi and Dimasa communities in Assam, people residing in various other districts of Assam and tribal communities of Tripura will benefit."₹500 crore for development of infrastructure in the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council (NCHAC) area of Dimasa National Liberation Army/Dimasa People's Supreme Council inhabited villages/areas of Assam as per the MoS signed by the Government of India and Government of Assam with the Dimasa National Liberation Army (DNLA)/Dimasa People's Supreme Council (DPSC) Groups of Assam," an official statement Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also cleared ₹3,000 crore for the development of infrastructure in Assam as per the MoS signed by the Centre and the state government with the ULFA groups of Assam."₹250 crore for development of tribals of Tripura as per the MoS signed by the Government of India and Government of Tripura with the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) Groups of Tripura," the Cabinet overall outlay of the proposed four new components will be ₹7,250 crore, out of which ₹4,250 crore will be provided under the existing Central Sector Scheme of Special Development Packages for Assam (₹4,000 crore) and Tripura (₹250 crore), and the remaining ₹3,000 crore will be contributed by the Assam government from their of ₹4,250 crore, an outlay of ₹4,000 crore for a period of five yeafrom Financial Year 2025-26 to 2029-30 is for three components of Assam and an outlay of ₹250 crore for a period of four yea₹from Financial Year 2025-26 to 2028-29 is for one component of scheme will promote equity through improving the socio-economic condition of vulnerable and marginalised groups of people who have not benefited adequately from various existing government schemes; boost employment opportunities, provide health services, promote education and skilling and income through livelihood activities for youth and women; and increase the inflow of tourists from other parts of the country.--IANSna/vd
India.com
6 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Over 99 Lakh Foreign Tourists Visited India In 2024; Over 3 Crore Indians Travelled Abroad The Same Year: Govt Tells Rajya Sabha
Over 99 lakh foreign tourists visited India, while over 3 crore Indians travelled abroad in 2024, the Central government informed Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat stated that the number of foreign tourist arrivals stood at 99,51,722. In 2023, the number stood at 95,20,928 while 64,37,467 foreign tourists arrived in the country. The highest number of foreign tourists arrived from the United States (18,04,586). This was followed by Bangladesh (17,50,165), and in third place was the United Kingdom (10,22,587). The Central government also informed that more than 77 lakh Indian nationals visited the UAE in 2024. 34,23,711 Indian nationals visited Saudi Arabia, while 21,43,909 Indian nationals visited the US. The data was provided by the Bureau of Immigration, as noted in the official statement by the Ministry of Tourism. Earlier on July 25, Minister of State (MoS) External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh had answered in the Lok Sabha about India's potential for international tourism and steps in place or planned to further capitalise on it for economic growth and global positioning. MoS Singh had highlighted that the Government of India acknowledges the potential of international tourism as a contributor to economic growth, employment generation, and enhancing India's global profile. He mentioned that these include supporting participation of Central and State Governments, tourism boards, and industry stakeholders in major overseas tourism trade fairs and exhibitions; organisation of Tourism Roadshows; engagements with local tour operators and other industry stakeholders; organisation of B2B meetings and familiarization (FAM) trips; and India tourism publicity campaigns, including through the social media. MoS Singh also underlined that international air connectivity has improved through bilateral arrangements for direct flights that support foreign tourist arrivals.
