Frame rules to give Indian consultancy firm preference in contracts: Demand in Rajya Sabha
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Last Updated: Feb 10, 2021, 12:14 PM IST
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Raising the issue through a zero hour mention, BJP s Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe said the new US President Joe Biden last month asked federal agencies to purchase products and services produced in America. The government of India, too, should frame a new policy giving preference to Indian consultancy firms over foreign entities.
PTI
New Delhi: A demand to frame rules giving Indian consultancy companies preference in contracts on the lines of the new US federal spending policy was made in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Raising the issue through a zero hour mention, BJP s Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe said the new US President Joe Biden last month asked federal agencies to purchase products and services produced in America.
Sugar mills owe Rs 16,883 crore to cane farmers as on January 31 of the current marketing year that started in October, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Payment of cane price to sugarcane growing farmers by the sugar mills is a continuous process, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Piyush Goyal said in a written reply to a query in the Rajya Sabha. In sugar seasons 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, cane prices payable to sugarcane farmers on an all-lndia basis were Rs 85,179 crore, Rs 86,723 crore and Rs 75,845 crore. respectively. As a result of various measures taken by the government.the cane dues of farmers for sugar seasons 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 have been reduced to Rs 199 crore, Rs 410 crore and Rs 766 crore, respectively, as on January 31, 2021, he said.
Another Made-In-India initiative, Koo, is gearing up to give US microblogging site Twitter some competition. And Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, for one, seems excited about it. "Connect with me on this Indian micro-blogging platform for real-time, exciting and exclusive updates," he, ironically, tweeted, inviting people to join the new platform. While Koo, at first sight, may come across as another attempt like Tooter, which called itself a "swadeshi social network", what's different with Koo is that it was recognised in a prestigious competition held by the Indian government under the Made-In-India rubric in August 2020. Probably because of that, ministers and government bodies are already making a beeline to join the new app in town. It is also difficult to lose sight of the fact that Koo gaining popularity amidst a bruising ideological debate involving Twitter in India.
10th round of Govt-farmer talks begins seeking a solution IANS
New Delhi: The 10th round of dialogue between the government and farmers’ representatives began Wednesday here in the national capital amid expectations of a solution to end the deadlock as the protest by the farmers on the Delhi borders continued for the 56th day.
However, there is no signal from both sides so far indicating any fruitful decision to end the protest as farmers are still sticking to their demands on withdrawal of three contentious farm laws and guarantee on Minimum Support Price (MSP), and the government is adamant not to repeal the agriculture acts enacted in September during Monsoon Session of Parliament last year.
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), government s nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains, should become more efficient, transparent and accountable, as well as use modern technologies and data analytics to improve its functioning, he said.