Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:08PM by PIB Delhi

The National Mission for Manuscripts has digitized Three Lakh Fifty Thousand manuscripts so far in different repositories. The Mission is preserving all types of manuscripts across the nation scribed on different materials with the help of its Manuscripts Conservation Centers.

The Mission has uploaded 1,36,490 manuscripts, out of which 77,152 manuscripts are available for public access. These manuscripts can be accessed at our website https://www.namami.gov.in/

The Ministry of Culture under the aegis of Gyan Bharatam Mission is committed to expand NMM outreach through public exhibitions or digital platform extensively.

This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

***

Sunil Kumar Tiwari

pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com

(Release ID: 2118253) Visitor Counter : 21

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Police will implement special traffic arrangements in Central and Wan Chai from this Friday to Sunday (April 4 to 6) to facilitate the holding of a triathlon event.

A.    Road closure

    The following roads will be closed:

(1) From 10am on April 4 to 6pm on April 6:

    Expo Drive between Legislative Council Road and Expo Drive Central.

(2) From 1am to 2pm on April 5 and from 1am to 6pm on April 6:

– Yiu Sing Street;
– Eastbound Lung Wo Road between Man Yiu Street and Fleming Road, including the slip road of eastbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass tunnel from Wan Chai to North Point;
– Westbound Lung Wo Road between southbound Lung Tat Path and southbound Tim Wa Avenue;
– Northbound Lung Tat Path;
– Lung Hop Street;
– Legislative Council Road between Legislative Council Complex Car Park exit and Lung Wo Road;
– Part of the traffic lanes of the slip road of westbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel heading to Central District;
– Part of the traffic lanes of eastbound Man Po Street near Man Yiu Street;
– Part of the traffic lanes of eastbound Man Po Street near Finance Street;
– Part of the traffic lanes of southbound Man Yiu Street between Man Kwong Street and westbound Yiu Sing Street;
– Part of the traffic lane of southbound Man Yiu Street near Lung Wo Road;
– Part of the traffic lanes of westbound Lung Wo Road between Tim Wa Avenue and Man Yiu Street;
– Part of the traffic lanes of northbound Fleming Road between westbound Convention Avenue and eastbound Lung Wo Road;
– Part of the traffic lanes of westbound Hung Hing Road near Fleming Road;
– The slip road of westbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel leading to the exit of Lung Wo Road; and
– Part of the traffic lanes of westbound Convention Avenue near northbound Fleming Road.

B.    Traffic diversions

    In connection with the road closure as mentioned above, the following traffic diversions will be implemented:

(1) From 10am on April 4 to 0.59am on April 5 and 2.01pm on April 5 to 0.59am on April 6:

    Traffic along eastbound Expo Drive heading to Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre will be diverted via eastbound Lung Wo Road and northbound Expo Drive East.

(2) From 1am to 2pm on April 5 and from 1am to 6pm on April 6:

– Traffic along westbound Man Kwong Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road via southbound Man Yiu Street will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road;
– Traffic along eastbound Man Po Street heading to Admiralty or Mid-levels via eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via the slip road of eastbound Man Po Street heading to westbound Finance Street, westbound Finance Street, temporary exit connecting Finance Street and Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel, the slip road of westbound Central – Wan Chai Bypass Tunnel heading to eastbound Man Kat Street, eastbound Man Kat Street, eastbound Connaught Road Central and eastbound Harcourt Road;
– Traffic along eastbound Man Po Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road via eastbound Yiu Sing Street will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road;
– Traffic along eastbound Man Po Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road;
– Traffic along southbound Man Yiu Street cannot turn left to eastbound Lung Wo Road and eastbound Yiu Sing Street. Vehicles will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road;
– Traffic along eastbound Man Cheung Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road;
– Traffic along westbound Lung Wo Road cannot turn right to northbound Yiu Sing Street. Vehicles will be diverted via westbound Lung Wo Road and northbound Man Yiu Street;
– Traffic along eastbound Yiu Sing Street and southbound Yiu Sing Street heading to eastbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via southbound Man Yiu Street, eastbound Connaught Place, southbound Connaught Place, eastbound Connaught Road Central, eastbound Harcourt Road, eastbound Gloucester Road and northbound Fleming Road;
– Traffic along northbound Legislative Council Road cannot turn left to westbound Lung Wo Road, vehicles will be diverted via southbound Legislative Council Road, eastbound Lung Wui Road, eastbound Fenwick Pier Street, roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place;
– Traffic along westbound Lung Wo Road heading to Chief Executive’s Office via southbound Tim Wa Avenue will be diverted via southbound Lung Tat Path, Convention Avenue, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central, u-turn, eastbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Tim Wa Avenue;
– Traffic along eastbound Lung Wui Road cannot turn left to northbound Lung Hop Street;
– Traffic along westbound Fenwick Pier Street cannot turn right to northbound Lung Hop Street. Vehicles will be diverted
via Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place;
– Traffic along westbound Convention Avenue heading to westbound Lung Wo Road via northbound Lung Tat Path will be diverted via Convention Avenue, Fenwick Pier Street roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place;
– Traffic along southbound Expo Drive East heading to westbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted via southbound Lung Tat Path, Convention Avenue, Fenwick Pier Street roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place;
– Traffic along westbound Hung Hing Road heading to westbound Lung Wo Road will be diverted to southbound Lung Tat Path, Convention Avenue, Fenwick Pier Street roundabout, westbound Fenwick Pier Street, flyover, westbound Harcourt Road, westbound Connaught Road Central and northbound Connaught Place; and
– Traffic along westbound Lung Wo Road heading to Central Pier or Finance Street via Yiu Sing Street will be diverted via westbound Lung Wo Road and northbound Man Yiu Street.

C.    Suspension of parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas

    All parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas on the following roads will be suspended:

(1) From 10am on April 4 to 6pm on April 6:

    All metered parking spaces and pick-up/drop-off areas on Expo Drive.

(2) From 10pm on April 4 to 2pm on April 5 and from 10pm on April 5 to 6pm on April 6:

– All metered parking spaces on Yiu Sing Street and Lung Hop Street;
– Lay-bys on westbound Lung Wo Road near City Hall and near Central Barracks; and
– Lay-by on Edinburgh Place near City Hall.

     All vehicles parked illegally during the implementation of the above special traffic arrangements will be towed away without prior warning, and may be subject to multiple ticketing.  

     The Police will implement the special arrangements depending on the prevailing traffic and crowd conditions. Motorists should exercise patience, and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:09PM by PIB Delhi

Development and promotion of tourist destinations and products, including wellness tourism is undertaken by the respective State Government/Union Territory (UT) Administration. The Ministry of Tourism complements the efforts of States/UTs by promoting various tourism products of the country through various initiatives.

The Ministry of Tourism through its central sector schemes of ‘Swadesh Darshan’, ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD)’ and ‘Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development’ extends financial assistance to the State Governments/UT Administrations for tourism infrastructure development in the country.

The details of projects sanctioned under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes are given at Annexure.

This information was given by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

***

ANNEXURE

List of Projects Under Swadesh Darshan Scheme Till 31.12.2024

                                                                                                                                   (₹ in crore)

S. No.	State/UTs	No. of Projects	Amount Sanctioned
1	Andhra Pradesh	3	152.62
2	Arunachal Pradesh	2	146.49
3	Assam	2	185.66
4	Bihar	5	262.72
5	Chhattisgarh	1	96.10
6	Goa	2	197.00
7	Gujarat	3	176.97
8	Haryana	1	77.39
9	Himachal Pradesh	1	68.34
10	Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh	6	519.58
11	Jharkhand	1	30.44
12	Kerala	5	312.47
13	Madhya Pradesh	4	349.70
14	Maharashtra	2	64.53
15	Manipur	2	117.57
16	Meghalaya	2	184.10
17	Mizoram	2	158.63
18	Nagaland	2	195.50
19	Odisha	1	70.82
20	Punjab	1	85.32
21	Rajasthan	4	283.47
22	Sikkim	2	193.37
23	Tamil Nadu	1	73.13
24	Telangana	3	268.39
25	Tripura	2	127.68
26	Uttar Pradesh	8	490.95
27	Uttarakhand	2	145.49
28	West Bengal	1	67.99
29	Andaman & Nicobar Islands	1	27.57
30	Puducherry	3	142.84
31	Wayside Amenities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar	1	15.07
	Total	76	5287.90

 

List of Sanctioned Projects Under Swadesh Darshan 2.0 as on 31.12.2024

 

 

State Wise List of Projects Sanctioned Under PRASHAD Scheme.

(₹ in crore)

S. No.	Name of the State/UT	No. of Projects	Sanctioned Amount
1	Andhra Pradesh	4	150.22
2	Arunachal Pradesh	1	37.88
3	Assam	1	29.8
4	Bihar	2	33.25
5	Chhattisgarh	1	48.44
6	Gujarat	4	152.94
7	Goa	1	16.46
8	Haryana	1	48.53
9	Jammu & Kashmir	1	40.46
10	Jharkhand	1	36.79
11	Karnataka	1	45.71
12	Kerala	1	45.19
13	Madhya Pradesh	2	93.92
14	Maharashtra	1	42.18
15	Meghalaya	1	29.29
16	Mizoram	1	44.89
17	Nagaland	2	43.38
18	Odisha	1	50
19	Punjab	2	37.97
20	Rajasthan	1	32.64
21	Sikkim	1	33.32
22	Tamil Nadu	2	18.85
23	Telangana	3	142.28
23	Tripura	1	34.43
25	Uttar Pradesh	6	130.27
26	Uttarakhand	3	145.28
27	West Bengal	1	30.03
	Grand Total	47	1594.4

*****

Sunil Kumar Tiwari

tourism4pib[at]gmail[dot]com

(Release ID: 2118257) Visitor Counter : 30

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:02PM by PIB Delhi

Drinking water is a State subject. The power to plan, design, approve and implement drinking water supply schemes/projects lies with State Government. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States by providing technical and financial assistance.

Towards this end, Government of India in partnership with States/UTs including Maharashtra, is implementing Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) since August, 2019, to make provision of tap water supply in adequate quantity (minimum 55 lpcd), of prescribed quality (BIS:10500) and on regular and long-term basis, to every rural household in the country.

As informed by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), several steps have been taken towards sustainable management of water in urban areas through issuance of various guidelines and implementation of National Missions such as Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) & AMRUT 2.0.

Under AMRUT Mission in Maharashtra, 43 water supply projects worth ₹4,446.06 crore have been grounded. Under AMRUT Mission and in convergence with the State 11.73 lakh water tap connections (new/ serviced) have been provided and 445.7 MLD Water treatment capacity has been created in the State.

Under AMRUT and in convergence one desalination plant worth 985 crore (including Operation & Maintenance) has been commissioned/ completed in Tamil Nadu. For waste water treatment and recycling, 890 sewerage/septage management projects worth ₹34,505 crore have been taken up under AMRUT. 4,447 MLD sewage treatment plant capacity has been created and 1,437 MLD sewage treatment plant capacity has been developed for recycle/reuse.

Under AMRUT 2.0. State Water Action Plans submitted by States/UTs have been approved for 592 sewerage/septage management projects worth ₹67,607.67 crore covering total Sewage treatment capacity of 6,739 MLD & 2089 MLD sewage treatment capacity for recycle/reuse.

MoHUA has issued Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines, 2014

(https://mohua.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/URDPFI%20Guidelines% 20Vol%20I(2).pdf).

The Chapter – 6 “Sustainability Guidelines” of URDPFI guidelines 2014 deals with various aspects of rain water harvesting.

Ministry has also issued Model Building Bye-laws (MBBL) – 2016 (https://mohua.gov.in/upload/uploadfiles/files/MBBL.pdf), in which Chapter-9 deals with provisions of rainwater harvesting for adoption by the States.

This information was provided by THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR JAL SHAKTI SHRI V. SOMANNA in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.

***

DHANYA SANAL K

 (Lok Sabha US Q5348)

(Release ID: 2118239) Visitor Counter : 39

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:09PM by PIB Delhi

Ministry of Culture implements “Global Engagement Scheme” to promote India’s rich cultural heritage internationally and enhance India’s global image. The key Scheme objective include strengthening cultural ties with foreign nations, promoting bilateral cultural contacts, projecting India’s cultural identity on the world stage and encouraging inbound tourism.

The Global Engagement Scheme is administered through Indian Missions abroad to achieve its objective through following components:

1. Festival of India-The artists practicing Indian art forms, are given opportunity to perform abroad under the banner of ‘Festival of India’. The artists from diverse cultural fields such as Folk Art including Folk Music, Folk Dance, Folk Theatre & Puppetry, Classical and Traditional Dance, Experimental/Contemporary Dance, Classical/Semi Classical Music, Theatre etc. perform in the ‘Festivals of India’ abroad.
2. Grant in aid to Indo Foreign Friendship Cultural Societies: Grant in aid is released to Indo Foreign Friendship Cultural Societies actively functioning in foreign counties through our Indian Missions with the object of fostering closer friendship and cultural contacts between India and foreign country concerned.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), an autonomous organization under Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), promotes Indian culture worldwide through Missions / Posts and its Cultural Centres abroad. Activities conducted by them include inter-alia, teaching of Yoga, Dance, Music (vocal and instrumental), Sanskrit and Hindi; organising/supporting Conferences/ Seminars/ Workshops in different fields of Indian culture; supporting Chairs of Indian Studies in foreign universities; gifting of busts/statues of Mahatma Gandhi and other national icons, exchanging visual arts exhibitions, celebrating International Day of Yoga and Indian festivals, hosting visitors under various Visitors Programmes (Academic/ Distinguished / Important/ Gen.Next Democracy Network); and sponsoring scholarships to foreign students under different scholarship schemes. ICCR has also concluded MoUs with various State Governments to promote their culture abroad and to facilitate cultural exchanges with foreign countries. ICCR also hosts incoming foreign cultural troupes to enable Indians to discover various foreign cultures.

In addition to this, India actively engages in multilateral platforms all over the world to collaborate with other nations on a range of global issues and strengthen its position on the world stage. Since 2020 India engaged in following activities to showcase and promote Indian culture.

• During India’s BRICS Presidency Ministry of Culture hosted BRICS Culture Senior Officers’ Meeting and VI BRICS Culture Ministers’ Meeting virtually in July 2021;
• During India’s Presidency of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Ministry of Culture hosted the Conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage of SCO Member States under India’s presidency in March, 2023.
• Ministry of Culture hosted the 20^th SCO Culture Ministers’ Meeting under India’s presidency in April, 2023.
• Ministry of Culture hosted the 1^st India-Central Asia Culture Ministers Meeting (CMM) in April 2023 to enhance bilateral cultural relations;
• During India’s G20 Presidency, Ministry of Culture hosted G20 Culture Working Group Meeting (CWG) & Culture Minister’s Meeting (CMM) in 2023 in Khajuraho, Bhubaneswar, Hampi and Varanasi;

The G20 Culture Working Group came out with an Outcome Document titled the ‘Kashi Culture Pathway’ which advocated for advancing “culture as a standalone goal” in the post-2030 development agenda. This was further unanimously endorsed in the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration marked a historic milestone.

Various collaborative international cultural projects were undertaken by Ministry of Culture to showcase Indian culture to the participants from G20 countries- Four Global Thematic Webinars; Exhibitions – Re(ad)dress: Return of Treasures in Khajuraho; Sustain: The Craft Idiom, in Bhubaneswar; Woven Narratives, in Hampi; G20 Art Project – Together We Art; G20 Anthology of Poetry – Under the Same Sky and Culture Unites All Campaign; G20 Orchestra- Sur Vasudha. The Exhibitions G20 Digital Museum (Culture Corridor) and Exhibition- Routes and Roots were organized on the sidelines of G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi.

India is member state of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and is a part of several important cultural conventions of UNESCO such as 1972 Convention on World Heritage, 2003 Convention for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), Memory of the World (MOW) Programme.  India is also a member of Inter-Governmental Organizations like International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) among others.

The Ministry of Culture interacts with the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of External Affairs to leverage the power of India’s Culture and Heritage as a driver of tourism, economic development and soft power.

This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

***

Sunil Kumar Tiwari

pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com

(Release ID: 2118256) Visitor Counter : 20

Source: Government of India

During last three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25 (upto December 2024), 39.44 lakhs persons have been provided with free legal services

Government implementing a Central Sector Scheme named “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India” (DISHA) for a period of five years (2021-2026) for Rs. 250 crores

Government of India is implementing Central Sector Scheme Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) Scheme through National Legal Services Authority

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:02PM by PIB Delhi

The Legislative Department is mandated with drafting of laws on the basis of the policy decision taken by the concerned administrative Ministries/Department of the Government of India and as per the procedure prescribed by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs in the Manual of Parliamentary Procedure in the Government of India. The Legislative Department has been taking necessary steps to ensure that legislative drafting is simple, plain, precise and unambiguous. The Institute of Legislative Drafting and Research offers training in legislative drafting with the focus on drafting the legislations in simple/plain language to make it accessible for the general public.

As part of the resolve of the Government of India to reduce such compliance burden, bring reforms in the legal system and make it more accessible to the common man, so far, a total number of 1562 obsolete and redundant laws have been repealed through various Repealing and Amending Acts.                        

The Law Commission of India has also been mandated to review and suggest reforms in the laws of the country. As per notification dated 02.09.2024 the   Twenty-third Law Commission of India was constituted with the mandate, inter-alia to identify laws which are no longer needed or relevant and can be immediately repealed, examine the existing laws for promoting gender equality and suggesting amendments thereto and revise the Central Acts of general importance so as to simplify them and to remove anomalies, ambiguities and inequities.

The National Legal Services Authority was constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 to provide free and competent legal services to the weaker sections of the society including beneficiaries covered under section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. This Act ensures that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reason of economic or other disabilities, and to organize Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes. In addition, National Legal Services Authority has also formulated various schemes for the implementation of preventive and strategic legal service programmes, which are implemented by the Legal Services Authorities at various levels i.e. State, District and Taluka level.  During last three years from 2022-23 to 2024-25 (upto December 2024), 39.44 lakhs persons have been provided with free legal services.

Government is also implementing a Central Sector Scheme named “Designing Innovative Solutions for Holistic Access to Justice in India” (DISHA) for a period of five years (2021-2026), at an outlay of Rs. 250 crores.

The DISHA scheme aims to provide easy, accessible, affordable and citizen-centric delivery of legal services through the Tele-Law, Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono Legal Services) and Legal Literacy and Legal awareness programme. Under the DISHA scheme, Tele-Law connects citizens with the lawyers through mobile app “Tele-Law” and Toll-Free number for rendering pre-litigation advice; Nyaya Bandhu (Pro Bono services) facilitates registered beneficiaries to avail pro bono legal representation in courts and under the Legal Literacy and Legal Awareness Programme, citizens are empowered to know, understand and avail their legal rights, duties and entitlements. Till 28^th February 2025, DISHA scheme through its various programmes has covered approximately 2.10 crore beneficiaries in the country.

The Government of India is implementing another Central Sector Scheme that is the Legal Aid Defense Counsel System (LADCS) Scheme through National Legal Services Authority. LADCS Scheme aims to provide legal aid with regard to criminal cases only to the beneficiaries eligible for legal aid under section 12 of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. The approved financial outlay of LADCS scheme is Rs. 998.43 crore for 3 years (F.Y. 2023-24 to F.Y. 2025-26). As on 30^th December 2024, LADC offices are functional in 654 districts across the country and has engaged 5251 staff including 3448 Defense Counsels. During the year 2024-25 (upto December, 2024), LADCS offices dealt more than 3.95 lakh criminal cases.

Lok Adalats are organised by Legal Services Institutions at such intervals as it deems fit, in order to reduce the pendency of cases in courts and also to settle the disputes at pre-litigation stage. Lok Adalats are one of the effective modes of Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism in reducing the burden on the courts, which have received positive response from the public.

There are three types of Lok Adalats namely State Lok Adalats, National Lok Adalats and Permanent Lok Adalats.

1.  State Lok Adalats are organized by the Legal Services Authorities/Committees as per the local conditions and needs, for settlement of both pre-litigation and post-litigation cases.
2.  National Lok Adalats are conducted quarterly for settlement of cases (both pre-litigation and post-litigation) in all the courts from the Supreme Court of India to the Taluk Courts on a single day.  Every year, National Legal Services Authority issues calendar for organising National Lok Adalats. During the year 2025, National Lok Adalats are scheduled to be held on 8^th March, 10^th May, 13^th September and 13^th December.
3.  Permanent Lok Adalats are permanent establishments set up in most of the districts to provide compulsory pre-litigative mechanism for settlement of disputes related to Public Utility Services.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Law and Justice and Minister of State in the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

*********

Samrat/Allen

(Release ID: 2118238) Visitor Counter : 55

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:10PM by PIB Delhi

The Ministry of Culture aims to make India’s cultural sector a key pillar of the Viksit Bharat vision-an India that is economically advanced, socially cohesive, and globally respected for its cultural leadership, by leveraging its rich heritage, promoting inclusive participation, and driving innovation.

The vision is built on a 5-pillar strategy to ensure that arts are integrated into India’s larger developmental agenda. This comprehensive approach will contribute significantly to the creation of a prosperous, inclusive, and culturally empowered society, thus making India a proud and globally influential nation by 2047. The strategic five pillars are as under:

1. Preservation of Bharat’s 10,000+ Years of Cultural Heritage: This pillar is dedicated to safeguarding and conserving India’s vast and diverse cultural legacy. By preserving historical sites, indigenous arts, and traditional practices, the Ministry aims to ensure that future generations can engage with and learn from the country’s past. This focus on preservation will serve as the foundation for the development of India’s cultural industries.
2. Democratize Access and Participation: One of the primary goals is to overcome barriers to access and participation in the cultural sector. The Ministry is committed to making arts and cultural activities more inclusive, ensuring that all citizens, irrespective of their social and economic backgrounds, can engage with and contribute to cultural development. This will encourage “Jan Bhagidhari” or people’s participation, which is crucial for the vibrant cultural landscape envisioned in the Viksit Bharat 2047 framework.
3. Leverage Technology in Arts and Culture: Innovation and technology will play a significant role in both the preservation and promotion of India’s cultural heritage. Through digital platforms, virtual exhibitions, and interactive technologies, the Ministry aims to enhance access to Bharat’s cultural content globally, driving innovation in the ways heritage is experienced and shared. The integration of technology will also streamline the preservation process and offer new tools for creative expression in the arts.
4. Promote Culture & Creative Economy: The vision emphasizes the need to establish India as a global leader in the cultural and creative economy. By leveraging India’s diverse & rich cultural wealth, Ministry of Culture seeks to expand the creative economy around built heritage and the cultural and creative industries—such as performing arts, visual arts, architecture and design, fairs and festivals, crafts, fashion and culinary heritage, into major drivers of economic growth. This will not only create jobs and boost local economies but also establish arts and culture as significant contributors to India’s soft power on the global stage.
5. Position Bharat as a Global Cultural Power (Vishwabandhu): India’s arts and culture will be pivotal in strengthening its position as a “Vishwabandhu,” or global friend. The Ministry aims to use culture as a diplomatic tool for building global partnerships and enhancing India’s soft power. Focused efforts will be made to project India’s cultural narrative worldwide, fostering greater international recognition and influence. By doing so, India will maximize its impact on global cultural discourse and emerge as a leading cultural force.

The vision is supported by an activity roadmap, a responsibility matrix and an action plan. These frameworks provide detailed timelines, specific targets, and clear divisions of responsibility for each action point. By aligning the efforts of the Ministry of Culture’s various organizations with this unified vision, India’s cultural sector will be better positioned to contribute to the economic and social development goals set for 2047.

As part of the Viksit Bharat Vision 2047, the strategy adopted by Ministry of Culture to integrate technology and digital platforms to enhance global outreach of India’s cultural and heritage sites, includes, leveraging technology in preservation and restoration of cultural assets, developing a digital repository for Bharat’s tangible and intangible heritage, transforming visitor engagement at cultural institutions, integrating technology to enhance operational efficiency across Ministry of Culture organizations and addressing regulatory challenges to make Bharat a pioneer in tech-laws.

The Ministry of Culture is consistently taking innovative steps and aligning the existing schemes towards the achievement of Viksit Bharat 2047 Vision. The latest such initiative is the establishment of 20 Kalagrams across the country to replicate the success of Kalagram established by the Ministry of Culture at Prayagraj during the Mahakumbh Mela- 2025. These Kalagrams will serve as vibrant cultural spaces, creating opportunities for artists, craftsmen, performing artists, fostering cultural exchange and promoting age old traditions of Kala, Sanskriti and Parampara while acting as hubs of Creative Economy.

This information was given by Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

***

Sunil Kumar Tiwari

pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com

(Release ID: 2118258) Visitor Counter : 24

Source: Government of India

Ministry of Jal Shakti

PARLIAMENT QUESTION: SAFE AND PURE WATER IN RURAL AREAS

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:03PM by PIB Delhi

(Release ID: 2118242)

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:03PM by PIB Delhi

The Supreme Court is collaborating with the High Courts in translation of e-SCR Judgements in 18 vernacular languages. The Chief Justice of India has constituted the Artificial Intelligence Assisted Legal Translation Advisory Committee, headed by a Judge of the Supreme Court of India to monitor the translation of Supreme Court Reportable Judgements (e-SCR) into vernacular languages by using Artificial Intelligence Tools. A similar Committee has been constituted in all the High Courts, headed by a Judge of the respective High Courts.

The Artificial Intelligence Committee of the Supreme Court has been convening frequent meetings with the Artificial Intelligence Committee of the High Courts and giving directions/ suggestions for translation of Supreme Court and High Court Judgements in vernacular language by using Artificial Intelligence Tools. The Artificial Intelligence Committee of the High Courts, Law Secretary, Advocate General, the Secretary in-charge of translation department in the State have been requested to take steps for appointment of translators in every High Court for translation of Supreme Court Reportable Judgements (e-SCR) as well as the High Court judgements into vernacular/ local language of that state.

As on 28.03.2025, 36344 Supreme Court Judgments have been translated

Source: Government of India

Posted On: 03 APR 2025 4:12PM by PIB Delhi

The Ministry of Tourism under its voluntary scheme of Classification classifies hotels under the star rating system as per the extant Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Tourism. Under this system, hotels are given a rating, from One Star to Three Star, Four and Five Star with or without alcohol and Five Star Deluxe through NIDHI+ portal (https://nidhi.tourism.gov.in). The Classification exercise is undertaken by a committee, namely the HRACC (Hotel & Restaurant Approval & Classification Committee), having members from the Ministry, industry associations, hotel management institutes and State Government/UT Administration.

The number of Five Star hotels state-wise classified by the Ministry of Tourism 2019 onwards is placed at ANNEXURE-I

The number of Three Star hotels state-wise classified by the Ministry of Tourism 2019 onwards and the number of Four-Star hotels state-wise classified by the Ministry of Tourism 2019 onwards are placed at ANNEXURE-II and ANNEXURE-III respectively.

This information was given by Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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ANNEXURE-I

State-Wise Details of 5 Star Hotels Classified 2019 Onwards

 

S. No.	STATE/UT	COUNT
1.	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	2
2.	Andhra Pradesh	22
3.	Arunachal Pradesh	0
4.	Assam	5
5.	Bihar	5
6.	Chandigarh	2
7.	Chhattisgarh	6
8.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu	2
9.	Delhi	54
10.	Goa	70
11.	Gujarat	76
12.	Haryana	28
13.	Himachal Pradesh	6
14.	Jammu and Kashmir	1
15.	Jharkhand	2
16.	Karnataka	66
17.	Kerala	94
18.	Ladakh	3
19.	Lakshadweep	0
20.	Madhya Pradesh	24
21.	Maharashtra	86
22.	Manipur	0
23.	Meghalaya	1
24.	Mizoram	0
25.	Nagaland	0
26.	Odisha	8
27.	Puducherry (Pondicherry)	2
28.	Punjab	15
29.	Rajasthan	37
30.	Sikkim	2
31.	Tamil Nadu	43
32.	Telangana	23
33.	Tripura	2
34.	Uttar Pradesh	32
35.	Uttarakhand	10
36.	West Bengal	32

Note: Data is provisional as some hotels are under the process of reclassification.

 

ANNEXURE-II

State-Wise Details of 3 Star Hotels Classified 2019 Onwards

 

S. No.	STATE/UT	COUNT
1.	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	0
2.	Andhra Pradesh	36
3.	Arunachal Pradesh	2
4.	Assam	18
5.	Bihar	4
6.	Chandigarh	0
7.	Chhattisgarh	31
8.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu	0
9.	Delhi	5
10.	Goa	4
11.	Gujarat	120
12.	Haryana	11
13.	Himachal Pradesh	1
14.	Jammu and Kashmir	0
15.	Jharkhand	0
16.	Karnataka	11
17.	Kerala	607
18.	Ladakh	0
19.	Lakshadweep	0
20.	Madhya Pradesh	6
21.	Maharashtra	69
22.	Manipur	0
23.	Meghalaya	0
24.	Mizoram	1
25.	Nagaland	0
26.	Odisha	11
27.	Puducherry (Pondicherry)	0
28.	Punjab	4
29.	Rajasthan	9
30.	Sikkim	0
31.	Tamil Nadu	7
32.	Telangana	9
33.	Tripura	0
34.	Uttar Pradesh	2
35.	Uttarakhand	2
36.	West Bengal	36

Note: Data is provisional as some hotels are under the process of reclassification.

 

ANNEXURE-III

State-Wise Details of 4 Star Hotels Classified 2019 Onwards

 

S. No.	STATE/UT	COUNT
1.	Andaman and Nicobar Islands	0
2.	Andhra Pradesh	14
3.	Arunachal Pradesh	0
4.	Assam	2
5.	Bihar	1
6.	Chandigarh	0
7.	Chhattisgarh	22
8.	Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu	1
9.	Delhi	23
10.	Goa	10
11.	Gujarat	61
12.	Haryana	9
13.	Himachal Pradesh	0
14.	Jammu and Kashmir	0
15.	Jharkhand	2
16.	Karnataka	23
17.	Kerala	420
18.	Ladakh	0
19.	Lakshadweep	0
20.	Madhya Pradesh	2
21.	Maharashtra	36
22.	Manipur	1
23.	Meghalaya	2
24.	Mizoram	0
25.	Nagaland	0
26.	Odisha	5
27.	Puducherry (Pondicherry)	0
28.	Punjab	5
29.	Rajasthan	2
30.	Sikkim	0
31.	Tamil Nadu	19
32.	Telangana	11
33.	Tripura	0
34.	Uttar Pradesh	7
35.	Uttarakhand	2
36.	West Bengal	25

Note: Data is provisional as some hotels are under the process of reclassification.

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Sunil Kumar Tiwari

tourism4pib[at]gmail[dot]com

 

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