Ram Vilas Paswan

Ram Vilas Paswan clarified that the Supreme Court’s approval to the Centre to reestablish quotas in promotions will be inclusive of government jobs at both central and state levels

The Supreme Court's nod to the Centre for resuming reservation in promotion will be applicable to jobs in the Union government as well as states, Cabinet Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters following a high-level meeting today

A bailout package has been worked out days after the BJP lost Lok Sabha by-poll in Kairana constituency in Uttar Pradesh, the country's largest sugarcane producing state.

Paswan, a Union minister and a key BJP ally, told PTI that he also raised the issue of special category status for Bihar, a long-standing demand of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying that being one of the poorest states it deserved the position.

"How can he (Rahul Gandhi) become prime minister in 2019. There is no vacancy. The NDA will return to power with a majority, and Narendra Modi will have his second term as prime minister," he told reporters here.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan today held a meeting to discuss ways to deal with huge cane arrears to growers.

The move comes at a time when different political parties are trying to reach out to dalits and other backward classes ahead of assembly election in some states, and the general election which is due next year.

States should issue strict directions to sugar mills to clear their dues to sugarcane farmers and consider taking action against defaulting factory owners, Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said today while expressing concern over rising arrears which have reached Rs 15,000 crore.

With opposition parties targeting the BJP after a Supreme Court order on a law for atrocities against Dalits, he strongly defended the saffron party and praised the government for filing a review plea against the verdict within two weeks.

Paswan, in his recent comments in Bihar, was critical of some BJP leaders' alleged communal statements, and had advised the party to take along all sections of society, setting off speculation about his future plans.

He expressed concern over some leaders of the ruling NDA at the Centre occasionally making remarks that created an impression of the alliance being against certain sections of the society.

The Lok Janshakti Party chief said Prasad had insulted stalwarts like Ambedkar by comparing himself with them and asked if the fodder scam was a scam of the poor or the powerful people

The proposed law would help in dealing with current challenges emanating from digital and e-commerce transactions, the union minister said, without sharing further details.

"At present people don't get to know quality of gold jewellery that they buy. We are planning to make hallmark for gold jewellery mandatory. It should be done by January," Paswan told reporters at an event organised by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

At Mother Dairy outlets, onion is being sold at Rs 47 per kg and tomato Rs 70, according to the trade data. However, all India average retail price of onion is Rs 33 and tomato Rs 45, showed the official data.

The deadline for installation of new security devices will be decided next week.

India,Sugar,Sugar mills,Festive season,ram Vilas Paswan,economy,#IndiaHybridWeek,Sugar mills will not be allowed to hold more than 21 percent of their output in stocks by the end of September, and they have to bring down stock level to 8 percent of output by the end of October, Indian food minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on twitter.

The minister said in a tweet that the food secretary of Bihar demanded allocation of an additional 14,760 tonnes of rice for flood-hit districts.

At present, the government supplies highly subsidised foodgrains at Rs 1-3/kg to over 81 crore people in the country, costing the exchequer about Rs 1.4 lakh crore annually.

Tomato is available at Rs 50 a kg in Kolkata, Rs 40-45 in Chennai and Rs 35-40 in Mumbai, trade data showed.