Government of India

India’s cabinet has approved a hike in Dearness Allowance (DA), to provide relief for government employees, especially during festive season. On  September 28, the BJP-led GoI approved a DA hike of 4% for 4.7 million employees of the central government, while 6.8 million pensioners will get Dearness Relief (DR). The DA and DR amount were long awaited by the Central Government employees in India.

The government is set to introduce Data Protection Bill (Amended) 2022, after withdrawing the previous one. On August 3, the House of Parliament introduced the new bill with 81 amendments, for passing it in the Lok Sabha. Notably, the 2019 bill was introduced to regulate the use of personal data of individuals by the government and companies, in India. In 2019, the bill was withdrawn after protests of the opposition.

Parameswaran Iyer, the former Drinking Water and Sanitation Secretary is now the new CEO of Niti Aayog, confirmed Union Government on June 24. He will succeed Amitabh Kant, whose tenure is scheduled to end on 30 June, and will hold the position for two-years. "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Shri Parameswaran Iyer, lAS (UP:81), Retd. as Chief Executive Officer, NITI Aayog," read order.

On March 28 and 29, Indian trade associations called for nationwide strike, to protest against Central Government. Notably, bank associations and unions like INTUC, AITUC,CITU and other local unions extended support to protest against BJP's anti-labour, anti-people and anti-farmer policies. Furthermore, the Government also announced privatization of public sectors, including banks, railways, and plants. people across state, gathered on roads… read-more

Fuel prices were stable for the second consecutive day in metro cities, on February 9.  Delhi (Rs 95.41) Mumbai (Rs 109.98) Kolkata (Rs 104.67) and Hyderabad (Rs 108.20) are having petrol prices under Rs 110/litre. Notably, due to the cut in excise duty by the Central Government, prices are unchanged in major cities, giving relief to the citizens. Government revised prices on November 4, 2021, cutting excise duty.