Tag: govt of india

Amid the buzz of the Centre approving Air India's sale to Tata Sons, government officials said that the highest decision-making body constituted for the national carrier's divestment is yet to meet to grant its nod for the transaction. The Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM) headed by Home Minister Amit Shah is yet to meet to approve the sale of Air India, an official said. The panel is expected to meet soon to grant a final nod to the sale of the national carrier. The panel has Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, and Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia as members. The government expects the final bid to at least match the reserve price. But, it may still go ahead with the disinvestment process even if the bid quoted is lower than the reserve price. The government is looking to complete the sale of Air India as early as this month.

The Indian government is unlikely to impose a nationwide lockdown, though states and UTs have been advised to take stringent measures and implement “customised lockdowns” to break the chain of transmission and curb the spread of COVID-19 infection, official sources said. The Supreme Court today directed the central and state governments to consider enforcing a ban on mass gatherings and super spreader events as well as consider imposing a lockdown. "We would seriously urge the central and state governments to consider imposing a ban on mass gatherings and super spreader events. They may also consider imposing a lockdown to curb the virus in the second wave in the interest of public welfare," the Supreme Court said. Read more

A 250-billion-rupee fund set up by GOI to complete stalled housing projects is set to deliver its first finished apartments in 2021, offering a template for a problem that has washed out savings of thousands of home buyers and bankrupted developers. The fund will hand over some 16 projects or more than 4,000 homes in the financial year starting April 1, said Irfan A. Kazi, chief investment officer at SBICAP Ventures Ltd., the government-appointed manager of the alternative investment fund. The ‘Special Window for Completion of Construction of Affordable and Mid-Income Housing Projects’ (SWAMIH) fund was announced in November 2019.

The seventh round of meeting between the Central government and farmers' representatives is underway at Vigyan Bhawan in Delhi. Farmers' leaders and officials present at the meeting observed silence to pay condolence to the farmers who died during the ongoing protest. Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) spokesperson, Rakesh Tikait claimed that a total of 60 farmers have so far lost their lives during the ongoing farmers' protest against the new farm laws. Protesting farmers who have been camping at Delhi borders for the last 39 days braving the bone-chilling cold and now rains have threatened to intensify their protest if their two major demands -- repeal of the three new farm laws and legal backing for the minimum support price (MSP) -- are not accepted by the government in today's meeting. Read more

Govt of India has set aside about 500 billion rupees ($7 billion) to vaccinate the world’s most populous nation after China against the coronavirus, according to some sources. The govt estimates an all-in cost of about $6-$7 per person in the nation of 1.3 billion, it is said. The money provisioned so far is for the current financial year ending March 31 and there will be no shortage of further funds for this purpose, they added. While a government-backed panel predicts that India is past the peak of infections and may contain the spread by February, the nation has taken a massive blow to economic growth and Modi has been reopening the economy. Starting this weekend, Indians will be celebrating several festivals that could lead to a sharp jump in daily virus infections. Pm Narendra Modi on Tuesday said his government will ensure all Indians have access to a Covid-19 vaccine as soon it is ready.