Governance Community

The Center is going to increase the gross budgetary allocation for Indian Railways by 29%, from Rs 1.4 trillion to Rs 1.8 trillion, in order to support infrastructure development. The entire capital expenditure (capex) for the railway ministry is anticipated to increase 20% to Rs 3 trillion in FY24. The expenditure for FY23 was Rs 2.45 trillion. As the national transporter approaches a crucial stage of delivering important infrastructure projects, a higher capex commitment is urgently required. Last year, the Center increased its gross budgetary support for the initiatives by a record number. We expect it to rise even more, according to a former rail board chairman. Additionally, the ministry has requested that long-term infrastructure projects including high-speed trains, freight corridors, and train modernization receive funding at a higher priority than other projects. The Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project is also set to receive a sizeable amount of funding for FY24. The Vande Bharat Express, which runs between Howrah and New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In order to modernise, he claimed that the Center was making “record investments.” The upgrading of all stations, electrification, and doubling of train lines are also included in the modernization plans, according to Mint. Tejas Hum Safar, Vande Bharat, and VistaDome coaches are also included. The ministry’s gross budgetary support first surpassed the $1 trillion mark in FY22. With a capex allocation of Rs 2.45 trillion in FY23, the ministry received the largest amount ever. Source: Mint

Heeraben Modi, the mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, passed away in an Ahmedabad hospital today, December 30. When he announced her demise, Prime Minister Modi remarked that a glorious century rests at the feet of God. “In Maa I have always felt that trinity, which contains the journey of an ascetic, the symbol of a selfless Karmayogi, and a life committed to values,” the prime minister wrote in a heartfelt note.” The prime minister added in another tweet, “When I met her on her 100th birthday, she said one thing, which is always remembered that is work with intelligence, live life with purity.” Heeraben, commonly known as Heeraba, used to reside with PM Modi’s younger brother Pankaj Modi in the Raysan village outside of Gandhinagar. During the majority of his trips to Gujarat, the prime minister used to frequently stop by Raysan to spend time with her. Due to some medical concerns, she was hospitalised on Wednesday morning to the highly specialised UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Center. Her condition was said to be improving on Thursday by hospital authorities. In a statement, the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) also stated that Heeraben will soon be discharged. In Gujarat’s Vadodara earlier on Thursday, members of the “Dharmayatra Mahasangh” prayed at the temple and chanted the “Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra” for the “good health” of PM Modi’s mother. The Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath temple committee prayed for Heeraben’s quick recovery earlier in the day. According to sources cited by news agency ANI, PM Modi, who was supposed to travel to West Bengal to officially unveil the development projects, may participate in the events via video conference. PM Modi has reportedly left for Ahmedabad, according to sources. “PM Modi has left for Ahmedabad, flagging off of Vande Bharat train in Howrah, Kolkata & other developmental works of railways and under Namami Gange & meeting of National Ganga Council to be held as per plan. PM Modi may join through Video Conference,”

The RBI has announced to transfer the fraud reporting module to DAKSH, the Reserve Bank’s advanced digital supervisory monitoring system, as of January 1. This would introduce a new digital mechanism to check financial frauds while streamlining grievance redressal, reporting, improving efficiency, and automating the payments fraud management process. In March 2020, the RBI began accepting reports of payment fraud from scheduled commercial banks and non-bank Prepaid Payment Instrument (PPI) issuers, launching the Central Payments Fraud Information Registry (CPFIR). The RBI stated in a circular that “…entities shall commence reporting of payment frauds in DAKSH from this date (January 01, 2023).” DAKSH offers additional functionalities, such as a maker-checker facility, online screen-based reporting, an option for requesting more information, the facility to issue alerts/advisories, the generation of dashboards and reports, in addition to the existing bulk upload facility to report payment frauds. According to the RBI note, all PSOs / providers and payment system participants operating in India that are authorised by the RBI are obligated to disclose any attempted or actual payment fraud, regardless of value, whether it was discovered by the entity or reported by a customer. This reporting was formerly made possible by the Electronic Data Submission Portal (EDSP), however it is currently being moved to DAKSH. According to the central bank, entities won’t be allowed to submit any payment frauds in EDSP after payment fraud reporting in DAKSH goes online on January 1, 2023. The issuer bank/PPI issuer/credit card issuing NBFCs, whose issued payment instrument has been utilised in the fraud, must be responsible for submitting the reported payment fraud transactions, the RBI stated.

The joint finance and health task force formed under India’s G20 presidency began work on a new draft focused on New Delhi’s global health priorities for the next year. The task force’s first virtual meeting, conducted on Tuesday afternoon, was co-chaired by Italy and Indonesia, and was attended by health and finance representatives from G20 and invited countries, as well as international organisations. India’s priorities for the G20 presidency include health emergencies, prevention and preparedness, and response; strengthening cooperation in the pharmaceutical sector with a focus on availability and access to safe, effective, and affordable medical countermeasures; and digital health innovation and solutions to aid universal health coverage. “The Task Force Secretariat worked with the Indian Presidency and co-chairs Italy and Indonesia to draught the work plan for 2023 and beyond, which was designed around the Indian Presidency’s Global Health Priorities for 2023,” according to an official statement. According to the statement, the work plan was presented for approval during the meeting. It underlined that the Bali Leaders’ Declaration 2022 extended the mission of the task force to maintain the cooperation between “Finance and Health Ministries for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response”. The meeting enabled discussions on the mandates specified in the Bali Leaders’ Declaration, said the statement. The members expressed their commitment to the task force’s goal of improving global health architecture for pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, as well as working with the secretariat and co-chairs to achieve the 2023 deliverables.

The government aims to revive and develop 100 unserved and underserved airports, heliports, and water aerodromes by next year. This is part of a plan to operationalize 1,000 routes under the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik, UDAN, scheme. In response to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia stated that the government has approved a budget of Rs 4,500 crore for the revival of existing unserved, underserved airports, airstrips of state governments, the Airports Authority of India, PSUs, and civil enclaves. He stated that the Airports Authority of India has been monitoring the status of awarded aerodromes’ revival/development. He added UDAN launched in October 2016, is applicable for a period of 10 years. The Minister added, UDAN aspires to improve the Regional Connectivity Scheme and to make air travel affordable to the masses. Mr Scindia stated that 453 routes have been launched following four rounds of bidding up until last month, with seventy airports, including two Water Aerodromes and nine Heliports, being operational. According to him, the UDAN scheme provides affordable air connectivity to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. He further stated that over two lakh UDAN flights had been operated, with over one crore people benefiting so far.

Cautioning against fake online platforms impersonating the government’s Jeevan Pramaan portal, the PIB Fact Check, a government of India initiative to combat misinformation about government schemes and policies, has issued an alert regarding a jeevanpraman.online portal claiming to provide a life certificate for Rs 150 under the pretext of a registration fee. In a tweet, the PIB Fact Check stated that there was no government affiliation with any such online portal. “A #Fake website ‘http://jeevanpraman.online’ is claiming to provide Life certificate and seeking a payment of ₹150 on the pretext of registration charge #PIBFactCheck No such website is associated with the Govt of India For authentic info, visit: https://jeevanpramaan.gov.in” Jeevan Pramaan is a biometrically enabled digital life certificate for pensioners based on Aadhaar. Pensioners must present a life certificate every November in order to collect their pension on time. How to Get the JeevanPramaan App on Windows Step 1: To download the jeevanpramaan application, go to https://jeevanpramaan.gov.in and click on the ‘Download’ option. Step 2: Enter your email address, complete the captcha, and click the ‘I agree to Download’ button. Step 3: You will receive an OTP on your email address; enter it. Step 4: After entering the right OTP, the download page displays; click the ‘Download For Windows OS’ button. Step 5: You will receive a download link in your e-mail – the link can only be clicked once before it expires – click on it. Step 6: A.zip file containing the jeevanpramaan application will be downloaded; unzip it; and then follow the directions in the ‘client installation document’. How to Get the JeevanPramaan Mobile App Step 1: To download the jeevanpramaan application, go to https://jeevanpramaan.gov.in and click on the ‘Download’ option. Step 2: Enter your email address, complete the captcha, and click the ‘I agree to Download’ button. Step 3: You will receive an OTP on your email address; enter it. Step 4: After entering the right OTP, the download page displays; click the ‘Mobile App download’ button. Step 5: You will receive a download link through email – the link can only be clicked once before expiring – click on it – the application (apk file) will be downloaded

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called for a “shift in fundamental mindset to benefit humanity as a whole” as India assumes the G20 presidency. PM Modi stated that India’s year-long G20 presidency will be “inclusive, ambitious, decisive, and action-oriented,” adding that it will encourage an honest conversation on minimising the risks posed by weapons of mass destruction and boosting global security. India began its G20 presidency today by emphasising counter-terrorism and “unity” in addressing global concerns such as the economic slowdown and climate change. The government also tries to develop agreement on debt sustainability and catastrophe and climate-resilient infrastructure. In addition, India’s G20 plans include a special emphasis on startups and bridging the digital divide. Over the following year, India will host up to 200 meetings across the country, with the first taking place later this week in Udaipur. In September 2023, the G20 Summit will be held in New Delhi. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the G20 platform strives to find common ground among prominent countries on key issues.  “Our endeavor as the G20 chair is to make that consensus more relevant through wider consultation,” he said. For a week beginning today, 100 monuments across the country, including UNESCO world heritage sites, will be illuminated with the G20 logo. Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the logo and theme for India’s G20 presidency. The logo features a lotus flower and a globe, and the theme for India’s G20 presidency is “One Earth, One Family, One Future,” emphasising the country’s dedication to ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (world is one family). At the conclusion of the previous G20 summit in Bali on November 15 and 16, India was handed over the presidency of the influential bloc. The Group of 20 (G20) is an intergovernmental forum comprised of the world’s biggest industrialised and developing economies. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union comprise the group. The member countries account for around 85% of global GDP, more than 75% of global trade, and almost two-thirds of global population.

The government intends to incorporate data regulation rules in a new Digital India Act, according to Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for Electronics and IT. Chandrasekhar stated at a Foreign Correspondent Club event on 5G that the recently issued draft of Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) focuses on the protection of data of Indian citizens. “It (DPDP) does not intend to appoint a regulator and create regulation for the data ecosystem. That is down the road when we create a new bill for Digital India Act. This is a bill which narrowly focuses on data protection of consumers,” Chandrasekhar said. The government has issued a draft of a new data protection bill after withdrawing the previous version of the bill from the Lok Sabha in August, citing various overlapping requirements in the updated version of the bill. Speaking of 5G, the minister stated that the next-generation technology is based on an open technological ecosystem, giving India the opportunity to lead the segment rather of simply being a consumer of the technology.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the spirit of the Indian Constitution is youth-centric, and he asked government institutions and the judiciary to make efforts to raise constitutional awareness among youth. Modi also encouraged the country’s youth to participate more in constitutional discussions and debates. “Our Constitution is open, futuristic and known for its progressive views. The spirit of our Constitution is youth-centric. The development of our country is on the shoulders of the youth,” said Modi at a Constitution Day function at the Supreme Court. “I request government institutions and judiciary to make endeavours to inculcate more awareness about the Constitution among our youth… To make the youth understand the Constitution better, I urge the youth to participate more in discussions and debates regarding the Constitution. The youth must know of the constituent assembly debates,” Modi stated. In addition to Modi, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, and Attorney General of India R Venkataramani spoke at the event. Since 2015, the day has been observed as Constitution Day to commemorate the adoption of the Indian Constitution by the Constituent Assembly in 1949. During the programme, the prime minister announced several new initiatives related to the e-court project. The initiative is an endeavour to give services to litigants, lawyers, and the judiciary by enabling courts with ICT. The PM’s initiatives include the Virtual Justice Clock, JustIS mobile App 2.0, Digital Court, and S3WaaS Websites. The digital court is an initiative that aims to make court records available to judges in digitised form in order to facilitate the transition to paperless courts.

At the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Taleigo, Goa, tomorrow will mark the start of the 53rd edition of the International Film Festival of India. The festival’s official opening is being prepared for in full effect. The festival’s current edition will screen 280 movies from 79 different nations. The festival will begin with Dieter Berner’s Austrian film Alma and Oskar. The “Indian Panorama” will feature up to 25 feature films and 19 non-feature films from India, while 183 films will be shown as part of the international programming. Asha Parekh, recipient of the 52nd Dadasaheb Phalke Award, is honoured with a special section of the festival. Manipur State Film Development Society has put together an unique package of five feature films and five non-feature films to celebrate the completion of 50 years of Manipuri cinema. Carlos Saura, a Spanish film director, is being given the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award. Eight films will be screened as part of the Country Focus package with France serving as the “Spotlight” country.