New Delhi, Dec 12: Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday said the government has approved Rs 11,718 crore for the conduct of the Census of India 2027.

The Union Cabinet, at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the proposal to conduct the Census which will be the first digital exercise of its kind, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters here.

The Census will be conducted in two phases — house-listing and housing census from April to September, 2026; and population enumeration (PE) in February 2027.

For Ladakh and snow-bound non-synchronous areas of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, the PE exercise shall be conducted in September, 2026, he said.

The Census 2027 will also capture caste data electronically in the PE phase, Vaishnaw said.

About 30 lakh field functionaries will complete this gigantic exercise of national importance.

Use of a mobile app for data collection and the central portal for monitoring purposes will ensure better quality data, Vaishnaw said.

Data dissemination will be much better and in a user-friendly way so that all queries on required parameters for policy-making will be available with a click of a button, he said.

Census-as-a-Service (CaaS) will deliver data to ministries in a clean, machine-readable and actionable format, he said.

New Delhi, Dec 12: Low-cost airline IndiGo, under intense government scrutiny after days of disruption that disrupted domestic air travel, has received a tax penalty notice of Rs 58.75 crore for the 2020-21 financial year by the additional commissioner of CGST, Delhi South Commissionerate, the airline said on Friday.

In an exchange filing, Interglobe Aviation Ltd, the parent firm of IndiGo, said it received the tax penalty order on Thursday (December 11), which comprises GST demand along with a penalty.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has dismissed four flight inspectors who were responsible for monitoring the safety and operational standards of IndiGo.

The action coincides with the airline’s worsening problem, which has resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations this month as a result of inadequate planning and a failure to adhere to more stringent safety regulations.

Tens of thousands of travellers nationwide are now stuck due to the cancellations.

Sources claim that the DGCA took action against the inspectors after discovering carelessness in their monitoring and inspection responsibilities.

In order to closely monitor the airline’s activities, the regulator has now stationed two special oversight teams at IndiGo’s Gurugram office.

The DGCA will receive a daily report from these teams by 6 p.m. One team is keeping an eye on IndiGo’s fleet size, pilot availability, crew utilisation hours, training schedules, split-duty patterns, unscheduled leave, standby personnel, and the quantity of flights impacted by a crew shortage.

In order to fully comprehend the extent of the operational disturbance, it is also examining the airline’s typical stage length and network.

The second team is concentrating on how the crisis affects travellers. This entails verifying the status of reimbursements from the airline and travel agencies, reimbursement provided in accordance with Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), punctuality, luggage return, and the general cancellation status.

Jaipur, Dec 12: The High Court has issued a notice to the Saudi Arabian embassy in Delhi, seeking an explanation for the prolonged delay in releasing the mortal remains of a Rajasthan youth, who died there on November 13, leaving his family devastated.

Intervening in the matter, the Rajasthan High Court in Jodhpur issued a notice to the Saudi Arabian government on Thursday, after the body of Ramesh Kumar Meghwal, a resident of Balotra district, remained undispatched even after 28 days of his death.

Justice Nupur Bhati sought a response from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through its Embassy in New Delhi, following a petition filed by the deceased’s mother, Teeju Bai.

Legal experts consider this a significant judicial step, as issuing a notice to a foreign government in a humanitarian matter is rare.

The next hearing is scheduled for December 17, where both the Saudi and Indian governments will present their positions.

Ramesh Kumar Meghwal, a resident of Meghwalon Ki Dhani in Gida tehsil, died under suspicious circumstances in Saudi Arabia on November 13.

When his body was not sent back for several weeks, Charmesh Sharma, former Director of the Rajasthan Seeds Corporation and known for aiding Indians in distress abroad, filed complaints with the President’s Secretariat, the National Human Rights Commission, and the Ministry of External Affairs. The President’s Secretariat directed the Ministry of External Affairs to take necessary action, and the ministry subsequently responded to Sharma.

But even after 27 days, with no progress in the repatriation of the body, the grieving family — assisted legally by Sharma — approached the High Court. On Wednesday, Ramesh’s mother, Teeju Bai, filed a petition through advocates Sushil Vishnoi and Sunil Purohit, pleading for one last glimpse of her son. The High Court, acknowledging the urgency, listed the matter for hearing the next day.

Along with the Saudi Embassy, the High Court also issued notices to the Government of India through Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, the Joint Secretary (Gulf Countries), Ministry of External Affairs and the Government of Rajasthan through its Home Secretary.

Advocate Sushil Vishnoi represented the petitioner, while ASG Bharat Vyas appeared for the Indian government.

Following Sharma’s petition at the President’s Secretariat on November 25, the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia responded on November 26, stating that the Saudi Police were still investigating the case.

The Embassy said the body would be handed over only after the forensic medical report was issued. A No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Embassy could be provided only after receiving the body. On December 3, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh issued Ramesh Kumar’s death certificate, listing the cause of death as suicide. However, the Embassy informed the family that due to the absence of the medical report from the Saudi Police, it was unable to facilitate the return of the body.