New Delhi, Aug 3: The Centre on Monday notified that the second phase of the ongoing Census — population enumeration — for Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand shall take place from September 1 to 30.

In a gazette notification on Monday, Registrar General of India and Census Commissioner Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said that conduct of Census of the population shall be undertaken in these regions from September 1 to 30 this year, with a revisional round from October 1 to 5.

“For the conduct of the above Census, there shall be an option for self-enumeration from August 17 to 31 just before the start of house-to-house population enumeration,” it said.

The notification said the reference date for the Census in Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand shall be 00.00 hours of October 1, 2026.

The second phase population enumeration for the rest of the country is likely to begin next year.

The Census, the eighth since Independence, is being conducted in two phases, the first stage, known as house listing and housing census (HLO), and the second stage, the population census.

For the first time, caste details will also be collected during the population enumeration phase of the Census.

The decision to include caste enumeration in the upcoming census was taken by the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on April 30 last year.

The first phase — house listing and housing census (HLO) — is going on till September 30.

Field visits for the housing listing and housing census began on April 16 in several states and union territories. Enumerators will list all structures, houses and households across the country to create a foundation for population enumeration.

During the housing listing operations, enumerators physically visit each house and building and ask 33 questions regarding basic facilities in homes, details of the head of the household such as name and sex, ownership status and other information.

The decadal exercise, scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Union Cabinet has approved Rs 11,718 crore for conducting the Census, which will be the biggest headcount exercise.

New Delhi, Aug 03: Rajya Sabha has passed the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (Amendment) Bill 2026. The Bill aims to further amend the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006. It aims to address payment delays and simplify dispute resolution. The Bill provides that every central public sector enterprise must settle all invoices for procurement of goods or services from MSMEs on the Trade Receivables Discounting System. As per the bill, if mediation fails in case of dispute, then, the reference for arbitration must be made within 30 days from the date of termination of mediation. It also adds that an award must be made within 90 days from the date of completion of pleadings. The Bill provides that if a case has been pending for more than six months, at least 50 per cent of the awarded amount must be paid to the supplier.

When the House met after the first adjournment at 2:00 PM, Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi moved the bill.

Replying to the debate on the Bill, Mr Manjhi said, the outstanding credit extended to the MSME sector has witnessed a significant increase in recent years. He informed that the credit, which stood at around 10 lakh crore rupees in 2014-15, has now risen to over 38 lakh crore rupees. The Minister said, this reflects that credit flow to MSME sector is continuously increasing.      
 
Highlighting the role of the Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises, the Minister said that the total credit guarantee extended to MSMEs between 2000 and 2022 was about three lakh 14 thousand crore rupees. However, in the last four years, from 2022-23 to 2025-26, this amount has surged to more than 10 lakh 47 thousand crore rupees. Mr Manjhi added that the government is committed to strengthening the MSME sector, enhancing its growth potential, and promoting business expansion.
 
Sumitra Balmik of BJP said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked for the welfare and empowerment of the women, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and the last person standing in the queue. She stated that prior to 2014, development largely remained confined to paperwork but under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the country has witnessed significant transformation. She added that the government’s focus is on bringing real change in society, promoting self-reliance, and empowering citizens. Ms Balmik said that this Bill has been brought with the objective of uplifting the poor and ensuring their meaningful integration into the nation’s growth and development.
 
Dola Sen of TMC said, MSMEs are the backbone of the country’s economy. She said the manufacturing sector alone contributes to 17 per cent of the nation’s GDP and MSMEs can address the country’s unemployment issue. Ms Sen alleged that the Government is not taking initiative to protect the MSME sector.

Santrupt Misra of BJD said the MSME sector contributes to 36 per cent of GDP and it is giving employment to around 30 crore people. He expressed concern that funds of around 8 to 10 lakh crore rupees of the MSME sector are stuck in the pipeline. Mr Misra stressed for concrete reforms rather than cosmetic solutions. Golla Baburao of YSRCP, M Thambidurai of AIADMK, Rajendra Jain of NCP, Masthan Rao Yadav Beedha of TDP, Ravi Chandra Vaddiraju of BRS, Pramod Boro of UPPL, and Ramji of BSP participated in the discussion among others.
 
After passing the Bill, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day to meet again at 11:00 AM tomorrow.

New Delhi, Aug 03: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today said that sustained institutional reforms, technology-driven governance and continuous monitoring have significantly strengthened the country’s vigilance framework, leading to a sharp reduction in the pendency of disciplinary cases from more than 4,000 to nearly 700 in about three to four years.

Dr. Jitendra Singh made these remarks when the outgoing Central Vigilance Commissioner Praveen Kumar Srivastava called on him on the completion of his tenure and briefed him on the major initiatives undertaken by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) in recent years to modernise vigilance administration through technology, process reforms and capacity building.

The Minister said that transparent and time-bound vigilance mechanisms are essential for good governance and inspire greater public confidence in institutions. He said the significant reduction in pending disciplinary cases demonstrates the impact of sustained administrative reforms and closer coordination among Ministries, Departments and vigilance authorities.

During the meeting, Srivastava apprised the Minister of the Commission’s efforts to simplify and modernise vigilance administration by reviewing more than 600 vigilance-related circulars and instructions, resulting in the issuance of nine Master Circulars, two Public Notices and an updated Vigilance Manual to provide a consolidated and user-friendly framework for vigilance officials and organisations.

The Minister was also briefed on the launch of the Vigilance Status Portal (VSP), which enables end-to-end digital processing of vigilance clearance proposals and is expected to substantially reduce the turnaround time for granting vigilance clearances. He was informed that the revamped Vigilance Case Management System (VCMS) has introduced end-to-end digital processing of vigilance cases while facilitating real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making.

Discussions also covered the Commission’s initiatives to strengthen public procurement through updated Procurement Manuals prepared in collaboration with the Department of Expenditure, bringing various procurement guidelines under a unified framework to promote greater consistency, transparency and ease of implementation across government organisations.

The meeting reviewed the Commission’s increasing emphasis on technology-enabled vigilance through initiatives relating to digital governance, fraud prevention in banking and financial institutions, cyber security and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence. Dr. Jitendra Singh said that emerging technologies have the potential to make vigilance administration more preventive, predictive and efficient, while ensuring greater transparency and accountability in public institutions.

Srivastava also shared details of the Commission’s online Complaint Management System, which has streamlined the receipt, processing and tracking of complaints, besides expanding training programmes for vigilance officers through specialised courses, digital learning modules and collaboration with Mission Karmayogi to strengthen institutional capacity.

The Minister was informed that the Commission has continued to deepen public engagement through Vigilance Awareness Week by promoting integrity and ethical governance across educational institutions, Gram Sabhas and public organisations, while encouraging citizen participation in the fight against corruption through nationwide outreach programmes.

The discussions further covered the Commission’s future roadmap, including wider adoption of the Probity Portal for monitoring disciplinary cases, undertaking Time and Motion Studies to streamline vigilance processes, and leveraging Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies to further strengthen predictive vigilance and improve the efficiency of vigilance administration.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said that the Government remains committed to building a governance ecosystem driven by transparency, accountability, technology and simplified procedures. He conveyed his appreciation to Praveen Kumar Srivastava for his contribution towards strengthening the country’s vigilance framework and extended his best wishes for his future endeavours.

New Delhi, Aug 3: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said there was a need to “deepen integration” between the military and civil components of his ministry to foster greater synergy within the defence ecosystem to tackle evolving security and technological challenges.

In his address at the foundation day celebrations of Armed Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) Civilian Services here, he also said that if officers of the AFHQ Civilian Services develop defence-specific common cyber tools leveraging their expertise, it could prove beneficial to the defence forces.

Singh emphasised that both the uniformed and civil services share the same commitment of ‘nation first’, and when the objective is singular, every element of the system transforms into national strength.

Underlining that defence forces are marching towards greater jointness with renewed vigour, he said there was a need to deepen integration between the military and civil components of the defence ministry to foster greater cooperation and alignment within the defence ecosystem to tackle evolving security and technological challenges.

“Military officers bring operational experience, a command perspective, and an understanding of warfare, while civilian officers contribute through administrative continuity, policy experience, an understanding of government processes, and institutional memory. When these strengths combine, decision-making becomes more informed, balanced, and effective,” Singh said.

The Union minister highlighted the importance of further enhancing structured “cross-exposure” between civilian and military officers, suggesting joint training programmes and developmental assignments for both sides to learn from each other’s experiences, according to a defence ministry statement.

He also suggested that a forum could be developed for the study of Indian military history, examining it from a civilian perspective, thereby fostering fresh ideas and new perspectives.

Singh expressed confidence that by leveraging expertise in such areas, the AFHQ Civilian Services will be able to make more meaningful contributions to the defence sector.

While he acknowledged the AFHQ Civilian Services for moving ahead in sync with changing times, he asserted that, at a time when modern warfare is driven by technological dynamism, “the cadre must move beyond its specific mandate” of proper implementation of service rules, regulations and orders.

“It must focus on strengthening the security architecture through research, geo-strategic thinking and innovative ideas. Its active participation in core defence matters is essential as, being a permanent cadre of the Ministry of Defence, it possesses deep domain knowledge,” Singh said.

AFHQ Day is celebrated in August every year to recognise the role of the civilian officers who work with service personnel, primarily in the three Integrated Service Headquarters, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff and 24 Inter-Service Organisations of the Ministry of Defence.

As part of the celebrations, the defence minister launched several digital initiatives of the office of Joint Secretary & Chief Administrative Officer (JS & CAO) and its Revised Vision & Mission Statement, the statement said.

Singh also released the 34th issue of the ‘Samvad’ magazine that contains travelogues, essays, articles, and poems written by employees of various ranks posted in Service Headquarters and Inter-Service Organisations. He also presented awards at the event.

Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, Chief of Defence Staff Gen NS Raja Subramani, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Dhiraj Seth, and Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh were among other senior officials present on the occasion.

New Delhi, Aug 03: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to ensure that wherever there is a road, there is a properly demarcated, encroachment-free space for pedestrians.

A bench of Justices P S Narasimha and Alok Aradhe asked Additional Solicitor General K M Nararaj, appearing for the Centre, to instruct the authorities concerned to make sure that the space meant for walking is not encroached upon and is properly separated from motor vehicle lanes.

“Without any big investment and construction, just ensure that proper demarcation is done of walkers’ space. Wherever there is a road, there should be a walkers’ space. Do it with a rope or anything and ensure it is not encroached,” the bench told Nataraj.

The bench gave him two weeks to instruct the authorities while emphasising that pedestrians should have confidence that the space is meant for them and they can walk freely without any threat of moving vehicles.

The top court posted the matter for further hearing after two weeks.

On June 19, in a significant verdict, the top court had held that the right to walk on a demarcated footpath is a fundamental right.

It had held that this right shall have priority over motorised vehicles on demarcated paths and it forms part of the right to movement guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (d) and other fundamental rights including Article 21 (right to life and liberty).