Tag: bodies

Posted on by

Inaugural Events: Local Bodies Can Spend More | Thiruvananthapuram News – Times of India

Inaugural Events: Local Bodies Can Spend More | Thiruvananthapuram News - Times of India
Thiruvananthapuram: Amid the financial crisis in the state, the state government has enhanced the limit of funds that can be spent by the local bodies on inaugural functions attended by ministers.
As per the latest order issued by the local self-government department, the fund limit has been enhanced from Rs 25,000 to Rs 75,000, that can be utilized from the own funds of the local body concerned. The order says that a maximum of Rs 75,000 can be spent for all those functions that are conducted in open places or auditoriums attended by the ministers. For the functions conducted in other places other than these two places, the maximum fund that can be spent on arrangements will be Rs 50,000. Earlier, the limit for this category was Rs 10,000.
For any other function, the fund limit has been set as a maximum of Rs 25,000, as per the latest order. The order also says that these can be spent with the clearance of the respective local body council. The latest revision has been made on the limits set in 2015, that was then fixed on the basis of the recommendations of a state-level committee on decentralisation.
Interestingly, the revision comes at a time when the government has fixed a cap in the treasury on ways and means limits, which clearly shows the financial stress that the state government is in. The ways and means limit that was up to Rs 1 crore till last month, has been reduced to Rs 25 lakh, in the wake of fund shortage in the state exchequer.
In yet another major extravagant expenditure during the financial crisis, last month, the government had given clearance to spend Rs 35.16 crore for conducting exhibition-cum-sales fest across the state in connection with the first anniversary of the second LDF government under Pinarayi Vijayan. The government has been stressing on the need to maintain financial discipline in every aspect to tide over the acute financial crisis triggered by Covid-19.
Finance department had even instructed all administrative departments to recommend schemes and proposals by keeping austerity measures in mind.

Posted on by

Government tells arts bodies to suspend cultural events funded by Russian state

Government tells arts bodies to suspend cultural events funded by Russian state

OTTAWA —
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez has asked arts bodies that get federal funding to suspend all cultural activities involving Russians linked to Vladimir Putin’s regime in protest of his invasion of Ukraine.

Canadian Heritage has written to organizations receiving the department’s funding, asking them to cancel tours and co-productions bankrolled by Russian or Belarusian state organizations.

The demand, issued last month, could lead to cancellation of exhibitions of art loaned from Russian galleries, as well as concerts, festivals, and theatre and ballet productions featuring Russian artists.

It warned that Canadian cultural organizations found to have ties with the Russian or Belarusian states will also no longer get government funding.

But the letter makes it clear that ordinary Russians with no ties to Putin’s regime or to the Belarusian state will not be affected.

The Heritage Department said it had launched a review to identify activities involving Russia and Belarus.

“We urge you to do the same, and to suspend all activity involving the participation of Russian or Belarusian state organizations or their official representatives,” the letter said. “This includes program partnerships, direct and indirect financing of tours, co-productions, participation in festivals or other events involving the Russian or Belarusian governments.”

Rodriguez faced questions Thursday about whether the instruction was so broad it could lead to Russian artists being penalized more generally, while probing all links to the Russian state, including officials, could prove difficult.

Laura Scaffidi, press secretary to Rodriguez, said the scope of the instruction would not capture work by ordinary Russians and Belarusians, or Canadians with Russian and Belarusian heritage.

“Russian culture has given the world so much rich music, literature and other art. We celebrate that,” she said. “This is not about unfairly targeting law-abiding and peace-loving citizens and permanent residents.”

A number of arts organizations have cancelled events involving Russian performers since the invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this month, the Canada Council for the Arts announced in a blog post that it was cutting ties with Russian and Belarusian artists.

The Vancouver Recital Society and the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal have announced they are cancelling planned concerts with Alexander Malofeev, a young Russian pianist.

In the U.K., the Royal Opera House cancelled a tour of Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet following the attack on Ukraine.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2022.

Posted on by

Stand-up paddle rival governing bodies announce major sporting events

SUP events are to be held by the ICF and ISA ©Getty Images

Keep Olympic News Free

Support insidethegames.biz for as little as £10

For nearly 15 years now, insidethegames.biz has been at the forefront of reporting fearlessly on what happens in the Olympic Movement. As the first website not to be placed behind a paywall, we have made news about the International Olympic Committee, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and other major events more accessible than ever to everybody. 

insidethegames.biz has established a global reputation for the excellence of its reporting and breadth of its coverage. For many of our readers from more than 200 countries and territories around the world the website is a vital part of their daily lives. The ping of our free daily email alert, sent every morning at 6.30am UK time 365 days a year, landing in their inbox, is as a familiar part of their day as their first cup of coffee.

Even during the worst times of the COVID-19 pandemic, insidethegames.biz maintained its high standard of reporting on all the news from around the globe on a daily basis. We were the first publication in the world to signal the threat that the Olympic Movement faced from the coronavirus and have provided unparalleled coverage of the pandemic since. 

As the world begins to emerge from the COVID crisis, insidethegames.biz would like to invite you to help us on our journey by funding our independent journalism. Your vital support would mean we can continue to report so comprehensively on the Olympic Movement and the events that shape it. It would mean we can keep our website open for everyone. Last year, nearly 25 million people read insidethegames.biz, making us by far the biggest source of independent news on what is happening in world sport. 

Every contribution, however big or small, will help maintain and improve our worldwide coverage in the year ahead. Our small and dedicated team were extremely busy last year covering the re-arranged Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo, an unprecedented logistical challenge that stretched our tight resources to the limit. 

2022 is not going to be any less busy, or less challenging. We have the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Beijing, where we are sending a team of four reporters, the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the Summer World University and Asian Games in China, the World Games in Alabama and multiple World Championships. Plus, of course, there is the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 

Unlike many others, insidethegames.biz is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe that sport belongs to everybody, and everybody should be able to read information regardless of their financial situation. While others try to benefit financially from information, we are committed to sharing it with as many people as possible. The greater the number of people that can keep up to date with global events, and understand their impact, the more sport will be forced to be transparent.

Support insidethegames.biz for as little as £10 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.

Read more