11-03-23 Daily-Punjab-PPSC Current Affairs

Punjab FM presents tax-free budget of Rs 1,96,462 crore; Focus on Health and Education

The first complete state budget worth Rs 1,96,462 crore 26 percent more than the previous years budget size presented by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Punjab on Friday turned out to be more taxing for the State than its people. Despite the challenge of resource mobilization for implementing its pre-polls promises, including a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 to every 18-plus woman in the State, the Governments estimated subsidy bill rose to over Rs 20,500 crore. Punjabs debt is also expected to rise to Rs 3.47 lakh crore by the end of 2023-24 financial year.

Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, at the same time, did not impose new taxes on the people for the second year in a row. The focus primarily remained on <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture, education, and health sectors on expected lines, along with development. It also proposed 2.50 lakh jobs.

Facing allegations of deteriorating law and order situation, Cheema also proposed a budgetary outlay of Rs 10,523 crore for the Police an increase of 11 percent than the previous year. No less than Rs 64 crore was proposed for modernization of the police force to tackle crime and maintain law and order.

Finance Minister also announced various new schemes, including a Market Price risk mitigation scheme for the Horticulture sector, solarisation of agriculture pumps, a young entrepreneur scheme, two coaching initiatives for students, Bill Leayao Inaam Pao, among others in his second paperless budget.

Cheema, sharing the State Governments focus areas for the year 2023-24, said that the Government aims to boost the income of farmers by promoting agricultural and allied activities, creating a conducive Environment for industrial promotion, and Infrastructure Development, as well as strengthening the state finances.

The Minister further stated that the Ministry of Labour and EMPLOYMENT (MoLE) had conducted a large sample survey at the national level to assess employment generation under PMMY. As per the survey results, PMMY helped in generating 1.12 crore net additional employment in the country during a period of approximately 3 years (i.e. from 2015 to 2018).

Minister of State for Environment, Forest and <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/Climate-change”>Climate Change, Shri Ashwini Kumar Choubey informed that the Government has started Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) movement with a view to sensitize all stakeholders, including the public at large, about the need for mindful utilization instead of mindless consumption of Resources. A comprehensive and non-exhaustive list of 75 individual environment-friendly actions (LiFE actions) across 7 categories has been identified for nudging individuals, communities and institutions as a part of this movement.

The update to NDC submitted to UNFCCC in August 2022 includes India’s commitment to reduce Emissions Intensity of its GDP by 45 percent by 2030, from 2005 level; achieve about 50 percent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based Energy Resources by 2030.

Government of India has formulated a Greenfield Policy, 2008 which provides detailed guidelines, procedures and steps related to construction of Greenfield airports across the country, including in Bihar. Under the GFA Policy, the project proponent- an airport developer or the respective State Government willing to establish a Greenfield airport is required to send a proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the prescribed format for 2-stage approval process i.e., ‘Site Clearance’ followed by ‘In-Principle’ approval.

Government of India has also granted the first stage clearance i.e. site clearance for construction of three Greenfield airports namely Alwar in Rajasthan, Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

The responsibility of implementation of airport projects including funding of the projects rests with the concerned airport developer including the respective State Government (in case the State Government is the project proponent).

The first foreign university to establish a campus in India will be Deakin University of Australia. The autonomous campus will be built in Gujarat International Financial Tec-City (GIFT) City.

The announcement by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last year that she would allow top-tier foreign universities and institutions to establish campuses in GIFT City to provide courses in financial management, FinTech, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics free from domestic regulations has led to the current development.