Kolkata, Feb 5 (IANS) West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya will present the crucial interim (Vote-on-Account) Budget on the floor of the state Assembly on Thursday. The full Budget for the financial year 2026-27 will be presented on the floor of the House by the new cabinet after the crucial state Assembly elections, scheduled later this year.The sole reason for which the interim Budget will be in focus is the curiosity over the possibility of increased allocation under the ‘Laxmi…
Latest Scheduled Castes News & Updates
Bhubaneswar, Feb 3 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday launched the flagship “Mukhyamantri Kanya Vivaha Yojana”, saying that the scheme is not just a normal public welfare scheme but a unique attempt by the state government to strengthen the social security of people. The scheme was launched during a special event at the famous Maa Tara Tarini temple premises in Ganjam, where 201 couples tied the knot in a group marriage function. CM Majhi personally participated in…
Kolkata, Feb 1 (IANS) Trinamool Congress, on Sunday, flayed the budget proposals for the financial year 2026-27 presented by the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on the floor of the Parliament earlier in the day on grounds that budgetary expenditure allocation for crucial sectors have been curtailed in the budget proposals. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on the other hand, had countered that Trinamool Congress does not hold the moral stand of giving suggestions on handling the countr…
New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) When a regulation vests wide discretionary power in authorities without clear guardrails, it stops being reformist and begins to look coercive. That is precisely how the University Grants Commission’s latest equity regulations have been perceived across campuses and beyond. The backlash they triggered was not against the principle of equality or social justice, but against the architecture of the rules themselves — marked by vague definitions, sweeping mandates and an en…
New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS) Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, on Sunday, criticised the Union Budget 2026-27 for reflecting the government’s lack of policy vision and failure to offer solutions to key socio-economic challenges, including jobs, manufacturing, private investment, infrastructure and social security. Pointing to “tariff risks and slowdown” in exports and trade, Kharge said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman offered “no response to export slump, tariff risks, trade deficit, shrinki…
Patna, Jan 30 (IANS) Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision to stay the operation of the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026, and said that certain political groups were indulging in ‘dirty politics’ over the issue. Speaking to reporters in Patna, Singh expressed gratitude to the apex court and said that the controversy surrounding the regulations was being politically exploited.“We thank …
New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) In an interim order passed on Thursday, the Supreme Court stayed the operation of the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026. Issuing notice to the Centre and the UGC, a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that the 2026 Regulations shall remain in abeyance and ordered that the 2012 UGC Regulations will continue to operate until further orders. The CJI Kant-led…
New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) The Supreme Court will hear on Thursday a batch of petitions challenging the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026.As per the cause list published on the website of the apex court, a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi will take up the matter for hearing later in the day.Earlier on Wednesday, the CJI had agreed to list for hearing a plea challenging the said regul…
Ranchi, Jan 27 (IANS) After a prolonged delay, the Jharkhand Election Commission on Tuesday announced the schedule for elections to 48 urban local bodies in the state. Polling will be held on February 23, while counting of votes will take place on February 27.State Election Commissioner Alka Tiwari announced the schedule at a press conference here on Tuesday, stating that the Model Code of Conduct has come into force with immediate effect in all 48 municipal areas.The election process will begin…
New Delhi, Jan 27 (IANS) As protests against the University Grants Commission (UGC) Bill, 2026 continue across the country, several Hindu spiritual leaders on Tuesday said that the proposed law should be immediately repealed. They also listed the potential harms that could arise if the Bill is implemented. Speaking to IANS, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Shankaracharya criticised the move and said, “No caste is inherently unjust; it is individuals who act unjustly. Every caste has both good and bad …