ANDALIB AKHTER / NEW DELHI
The NDA government today accepted the recommendations of the High Level Committee constituted for exploring the idea of One Nation, One Election, paving the way for simultaneous elections across the country.
Briefing media about Union Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said a high-level committee constituted under the chairmanship of former President Ram Nath Kovind held extensive deliberations with stakeholders, including political parties and experts. He said it will be implemented in two phases. He said that in the first phase, Lok Sabha and Assembly elections will be held simultaneously, while local bodies’s elections like panchayats and municipalities will be conducted within 100 days of general elections.
The Minister informed that the government has approved the Chandrayaan-4 Mission and the Venus Orbiter Mission to give a boost to the country’s science and technology sector. He said the cabinet has approved the mission to the moon, named Chandrayaan-4, to develop and demonstrate the technologies to come back to Earth after successfully landing on the moon.
Mr. Vaishnaw also said that the Cabinet has approved a mission to Venus, named the Venus Orbiter Mission, for scientific exploration and for better understanding of Venus atmosphere. The mission is expected to launch in March 2028. He said the total fund approved for the Venus Orbiter Mission is one thousand 236 crore rupees, out of which 824 crore rupees will be spent on the spacecraft.
Mr. Vaishnaw also announced that the government has approved nutrient-based subsidy rates for Rabi Season 2024-2025 on phosphotic and potassium fertilizers. The minister said the financial implication would be over 24 thousand crore rupees. He said this will ensure availability of fertilisers to farmers at subsidised, affordable, and reasonable prices.
The Minister said the government has also approved the continuation of schemes of Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA) to provide remunerative prices to farmers and to control price volatility of essential commodities for consumers. He said the total financial outgo will be 35 thousand crore rupees. Mr. Vaishnaw said this will promote self-sufficiency in the production of pulses, oilseeds, and other essential agri-horticulture commodities.
The Union Minister informed that the government has approved Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gramme Abhiyan with a total outlay of 79 thousand 156 crore rupees. He said this scheme will improve the socio-economic condition of tribal communities by developing enabling infrastructure, ensuring economic empowerment, and providing access to quality education and health. Mr. Vaishnaw said this will cover around 63 thousand villages, benefiting more than five crore tribal people. It will cover 549 districts and two thousand 740 blocks spread across all tribal majority villages across 30 states and Union Territories.
Mr. Vaishnaw said that the cabinet has given its nod for the establishment of the National Centre of Excellence for Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, Comics, and Extended Reality (AVGC-XR). The Minister said today this sector plays an indispensable role in the entire realm of media and entertainment, including filmmaking, OTT platforms, gaming, advertisements, and several other areas, including health and education. He said the National Centre of Excellence will enhance India’s soft power globally and attract foreign investment by positioning India as a content hub for providing state-of-the-art content.
The Minister said the Union Cabinet has also approved a Biotechnology Research Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development scheme with a new component, namely Biomanufacturing and Biofoundry. He said the proposed outlay for the implementation of the unified scheme Bio-RIDE is nine thousand 197 crore rupees.