NPS pensioners to get more benefits under Unified Pension Scheme. Details here
As per a press release dated May 30, 2025, 'The Central government NPS subscribers who retired on or before 31/03/2025 with minimum 10 years of qualifying service or their legally wedded spouse can claim the following additional benefits under Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), over and above the NPS benefits already claimed.'WHAT ARE THE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS?Eligible NPS retirees can either get a one-time payment based on their last drawn Basic Pay and Dearness Allowance (DA) for every six months of service, or receive a monthly top-up if their current pension is less than what they'd get under UPS with Dearness Relief.Arrears, if any, will be paid with simple interest, as per the PPF interest rate.HOW TO APPLY?advertisementThe Ministry said that retirees can apply either online or offline.For offline, they need to visit their Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO) and submit the form. Those applying online can do so through the official website. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2025.Meanwhile, earlier this year, government data showed that over 6.4 crore people joined the EPF and ESI schemes between September 2017 and November 2019, while more than 16 lakh individuals enroled under the NPS during the same period.Must Watch
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NDTV
16 hours ago
- NDTV
No Japanese Bullet Train On Mumbai-Ahmedabad Route? A Fact Check By Railways
New Delhi: The Railways Ministry has dismissed as baseless and misleading some reports claiming that India has decided not to run the Japanese bullet train on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. Releasing a fact check on these 'fake news' reports, the Ministry said that it has taken no such decision to reject Japanese technology. "Some articles and social media posts claim that the Ministry of Railways has decided to not run the Japanese bullet train on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route. This claim is misleading! The Railway Ministry has made no such decision," said a statement. The Ministry said that in the spirit of the strategic partnership between India and Japan, the Government of Japan has decided to introduce the next-generation E10 Shinkansen trains for this project. It is noteworthy that E10 will be introduced simultaneously in India and Japan, it added. "The entire 508-kilometre corridor is being developed using Japanese Shinkansen technology, setting new benchmarks in speed, safety, and reliability," said the ministry. Earlier, the Ministry shared details on the opening of the first section of the 21-km undersea tunnel between BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex) and Thane. It said in a statement that the bullet train project recently achieved a major milestone by completing 310 km of viaduct construction. "Track laying, construction of overhead electrical wires, stations, and bridges is going on at a rapid pace. The construction work in Maharashtra has also picked up pace. In parallel, the progress on procurement of systems for operations and control is also going on well," said the Ministry. In the spirit of strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project. Civil works are progressing at a rapid pace across the alignment. About 310 km of viaduct have been constructed. Fifteen river bridges are completed, and four are in the advanced stages of construction. Out of 12 stations, 5 are complete, and 3 more are now reaching the completion stage. "The station at BKC is an engineering marvel. The station will be located 32.5 m below ground, and the foundation is designed to support the construction of a 95-meter building above ground," said the Ministry.
The Hindu
17 hours ago
- The Hindu
Environment Ministry defends new coal-plant norms as ‘cost effective, climate coherent'
The Ministry of Environment and Forests said in a note on Monday (July 14, 2025) that its recent decision to exempt a majority of thermal power plants from installing flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) units was a 'scientifically justified shift towards more targeted, cost-effective and climate-coherent regulation' and not a rollback of environmental safeguards. FGD units are used to cut sulphur dioxide emissions from coal plants and in 2015, the Ministry had made the systems mandatory for all thermal plants. However, only 8% of India's roughly 180 coal plants have done so. The other plants have received multiple extensions from the Ministry for reasons such as limited availability of these units and high cost. The latest order, however, says only a minority of plants – 22% -- located in major cities with a history of poor air quality need to install these units. The revised policy, its note says, reflects India's '...declining ambient sulphur dioxide levels, the limited role of sulphur dioxide levels in driving PM2.5 health impacts and... the disproportionate resource and environmental costs of indiscriminate FGD mandates'. The Ministry's note was in response to 'media reports'. According to the Ministry, India's annual sulphur dioxide concentration standard of 50 microgram/cubic metre is more stringent than Japan (66), European Union (52.4) and Australia (66). A 2023 measurement in 492 cities, the Ministry said, found that all but two -- Dehradun and Kolar – were compliant. Indian coal was naturally low in sulphur (0.5% of weight) but had high ash content and therefore led to low sulphur dioxide concentrations. Studies had shown that cities with thermal power plants that have FGD technology and those without FGD technology didn't show any 'significant difference' in sulphur dioxide concentrations, it said. 'Eliminating all sulphur dioxide emissions would only result in a marginal improvement of particulate matter concentrations... At ₹1.2 crore per MW [megawatt], the capital expense of installing FGD would be ₹2.54 lakh crore and would only bring about a marginal benefit,' it said. Under new rules, only about 11% of India's 600 thermal power units – a single plant can have multiple units – have to mandatorily install FGD systems. These plants, called 'Category A' units, are located within a 10-km radius of the National Capital Region or cities with a population of at least one million (2011 Census). Originally, these plants were to have FGD systems in place by 2017 but have been given multiple extensions. The latest – as per a gazette notification this week – is December 30, 2027. Another 11% of units, falling under Category B, located within 10-km radius of Critically Polluted Areas (CPAs) or Non-Attainment Cities (NACs) may or may not have to install FGD systems. This would depend upon a decision by an Expert Appraisal Committee, an existing body constituted by the Ministry to decide on according environment clearance to proposed coal plant projects. Those that must install FGD systems have a deadline of December 30, 2028. CPAs are regions or industrial clusters that are extremely polluted and deemed so according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) criteria. NACs are those that have the worst air quality and haven't met National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for at least five years, and there are 131 of these. The remaining 'Category C' thermal power plants, or 78% of the total plants, are now exempt from installing FGD systems.
Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Indian Express
Next-gen bullet train to debut in India and Japan simultaneously: Railways
The Ministry of Railways Monday said that the next-generation Japanese bullet train — the E10 Shinkansen — will be introduced in India and Japan simultaneously. The statement comes at a time when the questions are being raised over the delay in finalising the procurement deal for the E5 Shinkansen model which is supposed to run on India's ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail (MAHSR) corridor. 'The Japanese Shinkansen [system] is currently running E5 trains. Next generation trains are E10. In the spirit of strategic partnership between Japan and India, the Japanese government has agreed to introduce E10 Shinkansen trains in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet train project. It is noteworthy that E10 will be introduced simultaneously in India and Japan,' said the Ministry. The Ministry claimed there was no delay in the project's execution and that trials would be conducted in 2026-27 as per schedule. Meanwhile, Indian Railways' Integral Coach Factory in Chennai has awarded a tender to state-run BEML Ltd to manufacture two high-speed trainsets, with a test speed of 280 kmph, that will be somewhat similar to the Japanese bullet train. The Ministry said the entire 508-km corridor is being developed with Shinkansen technology. Out of the total length, 465.38 km is being built on viaducts — a bridge with a series of spans that is supported by piers or towers. On July 9, the first breakthrough was achieved in the 21-km tunnel which is being constructed between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Shilphata in Maharashtra, marking the successful completion of a 2.7-km section of the tunnel. Five kilometres of the tunnel are being excavated using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) between Shilphata and Ghansoli, while the remaining 16-km will be excavated using Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs). This tunnel stretch also includes a 7-km undersea section beneath Thane creek. Along with this, a total of 310-km of viaduct construction has also been completed. 'A total of 15 river bridges are completed and 4 are in the advanced stages of construction. Out of 12 stations, 5 are completed and 3 more are now reaching completion stage. The station at BKC is an engineering marvel, as it will be located 32.5 m below ground and the foundation is designed to support the construction of a 95 m high building above ground. Apart from this project, the future corridors are also under active consideration,' said the ministry in a statement. The foundation stone for the project was laid in September 2017. The total estimated cost is Rs 1.08 lakh crore. The project will have a total of 12 stations, travel time 2 hours and 7 minutes (with limited stops) and operational speed of 320 kilometers per hour. It will pass through Gujarat (348 km), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (4 km) and Maharashtra (156 km).
