Latest news with #Support
Scotsman
21 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Aldi calls on parents in Edinburgh to apply for summer voucher support scheme
Aldi Scotland Aldi has launched a new voucher support scheme to help families in Edinburgh and across the country with the added costs of looking after kids during the school holidays. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The UK's fourth-largest supermarket is urging parents in Edinburgh to apply to its Summer Support Scheme, which will see vouchers given away for Aldi shoppers to spend in stores every day over the respective six-week breaks across July and August. Families will be able to use the vouchers to stock up on whatever they need in store – from healthy snacks and cupboard essentials to toys and garden activities from the Specialbuy aisle to keep little ones entertained. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad To apply for the scheme, shoppers simply need to submit their name and email address to [email protected], with one family chosen at random every day of July and August to receive a £50 voucher to redeem in store. Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said: 'The school holidays can put extra pressure on finances, especially when it comes to keeping children fed, entertained and active during the six-week break. 'As the UK's cheapest supermarket, we don't believe in paying a premium for healthy, quality food and we'll always do what we can to support parents in making their money go further.' The latest initiative forms part of Aldi's wider commitment to supporting families by providing affordable, quality products for parents. Most recently, the supermarket committed to freezing the price of its Mamia First Infant Formula for the remainder of 2025 as formula prices remain at historic highs across the market. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Earlier this year, Aldi launched its Mamia New Parent Fund, giving away £100 Aldi vouchers to parents every week for a whole year to support with the cost of everyday items after welcoming a new baby. For full terms and conditions of Aldi's Summer Support Scheme, visit:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Outgoing Polish President Duda says he supports Ukraine joining EU and NATO after meeting Zelenskyy
Polish leader Andrzej Duda said Saturday that he supports Ukraine's accession to the EU and NATO during a news conference in Kyiv.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
VIA Objects to MERC's New Tariff Order, Considers Legal Options
Nagpur: The Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) has expressed serious concern over the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission's ( MERC ) latest Multi-Year Tariff Policy Review Order. VIA has described it as a regressive move which threatens industrial viability and green energy investments across the state. The association claimed that the new tariff regime is expected to significantly raise electricity costs for industries, particularly those operating on three-shift, 24x7 models. According to VIA's preliminary analysis, the revised structure could increase electricity bills by 8% to 10% compared to the current rate. "This sharp hike stems from a combination of increased demand charges, steeper energy costs during peak hours, and curtailed off-peak incentives under the revised Time-of-Day (TOD) tariffs," VIA said. VIA president Vishal Agrawal stated that such abrupt changes undermine the govt's stated goals under initiatives like 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. He noted that industrial growth depends on stable and predictable energy pricing, which the new policy disrupts by effectively reversing earlier tariff reductions through a mid-cycle review. Agrawal warned that the impact will be particularly harsh on energy-intensive sectors such as textiles, engineering, and foundries, which are already under pressure from global competition, volatile raw material prices, and high logistics costs. He said many units, especially small and medium enterprises in regions like Vidarbha, may be forced to scale down operations or shut shop entirely due to the sudden rise in power costs. Adding to industry's woes, the revised order also deals a heavy blow to the state's green energy movement. VIA has raised alarm over two specific provisions which it believes will discourage solar adoption. The first is the prohibition of night-time banking of solar power — a system that allowed industries to store excess day-time generation and draw it at night, ensuring round-the-clock usage of clean energy. "The new policy scraps this mechanism, forcing industries to either waste their surplus generation or invest in expensive battery storage systems, which most consider financially unfeasible," VIA said. Equally damaging is MERC's introduction of Grid Support Charges (GSC) on solar power, especially targeting installations above 10 MW capacity. According to the new rules, even when industries use their own solar power or previously banked energy, they must pay a fee for utilising the grid infrastructure. VIA argues that this completely erodes the economic viability of solar investments and penalises companies that are actively contributing to grid stability during peak sunlight hours. Agrawal emphasised the need for MERC to engage directly with stakeholders, particularly MSMEs and round-the-clock manufacturing units, before pushing through structural changes of this magnitude. He asserted that industries in Maharashtra — and particularly in power-surplus regions like Vidarbha — deserve a forward-looking and participatory electricity policy, not one that discourages efficiency and clean energy. VIA, he said, will continue to advocate for industrial interests through formal representation and, if necessary, legal intervention. Box: VIA's demands Roll back the punitive demand and TOD tariffs, and ensure no more than CPI-based escalation in effective cost Reinstate night-time banking of solar energy to preserve the commercial viability of green power Scrap the Grid Support Charges or at least cap them till an independent impact assessment is conducted Hold stakeholder consultations, especially with MSMEs and large 3-shift units, before implementing such structural changes
News.com.au
6 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Dragons throw support behind Flanagan
NRL: Dragons players have come forward and thrown their support behind under pressure halfback Kyle Flanagan.
NDTV
20-06-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Amit Shah, Devendra Fadnavis Back Co-operatives As Key Rural Growth Engines
Mumbai: In a bid to promote India's cooperative system and boost the rural economy, Home Minister Amit Shah addressed two high-profile events in Mumbai. The first event was hosted by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), marked the celebration of the upcoming International Cooperative Year 2025. The second event commemorated 100 years of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA). It was Amit Shah's second visit to Maharashtra in two consecutive months, which is also seen as an attempt to connect with the local voters, months before the civic body polls kickstart in the state. NAFED Event: Strengthening Rural Economy Through Cooperatives Addressing the gathering, Mr Shah stated that while cooperation is often seen as an economic system elsewhere, in India, it reflects a way of life rooted in shared tradition and collective progress. "To come together, live together, and move towards a common aim - to be together in happiness and sadness - is the soul of our country," the Home Minister said. He underlined how successful cooperative models like AMUL, IFFCO, KRIBHCO, and NAFED have transformed lives. "In Gujarat, 36 lakh rural women are part of Amul. None of them invested more than Rs 100, yet they created a turnover of Rs 80,000 crore," he said, adding that money directly reaches them. Mr Shah announced that NAFED had already started procuring crops such as corn and pulses on Minimum Support Price (MSP), with an app-based system enabling farmers to choose better prices in the open market if available. He said such digital platforms would help farmers efficiently plan all three seasonal crops and shared examples from Uttar Pradesh, where triple-cropping had increased rural engagement. He noted that the ministry, long in demand but delayed due to its categorisation under the State List, has created a national cooperative database, increasing the chances of the cooperatives reaching across the country. This includes information about cooperatives in every village and helps identify regions for expansion. Plans are underway to set up two lakh new Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) with integrated services including dairies, fisheries, petrol pumps, gas agencies, warehouses, and even common service centres that offer everything from ticket booking to certificates. "Corporate and cooperative tax laws have now been aligned," Mr Shah said, mentioning that even long-standing issues like the Rs 15,000 crore sugarcane mill tax dispute in Maharashtra were resolved under the Modi government. He also laid out plans for ethanol blending using corn, incentivised with increased procurement prices, reducing import dependence and increasing farmer income. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, speaking at the same event, stated that no other place was more appropriate to celebrate the cooperative movement than Maharashtra, which boasts over 120 years of cooperative history. Mr Fadnavis said the state had exceeded the central targets and created new rural economic linkages. He urged NAFED to resolve the issue of procurement shortfalls, especially regarding 'poti' (grain bags), and assured continued support for cooperative growth. MACCIA 100 Years: Industry and Cooperative Growth Hand-in-Hand At the centenary event of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MACCIA), all three - Amit Shah, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy Eknath Shinde - underscored the role of cooperative and industrial synergy in Maharashtra's development. Mr Shinde praised the government's proactive style: "Our government takes no-reason, on-the-spot decisions," he said. Referring to the earlier Maha Vikas Aghadi regime, Mr Shinde said, "The Chamber would meet them and ask them to act - I used to tell them, Amit Bhai would suggest something, we'd do it, and it would get done." Amit Shah, speaking at MACCIA, noted that Maharashtra continues to lead industrial investment in the country, housing India's largest ports and boasting the highest number of women income tax payers. He recalled concerns over Mumbai's traffic but said the Centre had allocated Rs 7,000 crore for the Metro project. Without naming him, Mr Shah appeared to criticise former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, asking rhetorically, "What has been done for Mumbai? What's your vision?" Mr Shah traced the shift in governance focus, stating, "When I started in politics, farmer suicides were always being discussed." He highlighted the implementation of the Jalyukt Shivar Yojana in Marathwada and Vidarbha and contrasted earlier central assistance to Maharashtra - Rs 1.91 lakh crore - with the Modi-era figure of Rs 7 lakh crore. He concluded by stating that only when both agriculture and industry function efficiently can development be meaningful. "It's this approach that has helped India become the fourth-largest economy in the world."
