PUNJAB
Punjab’s power subsidy bill now at Rs 16,400 crore
Even as the average cost of power for Punjab consumer in 2020-21 has come down by 18 paise a unit, the state’s subsidy bill for the current fiscal has risen to 53% of the annual revenue requirement (ARR) of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).
It means that power subsidies payment by the state government will alone account for more than half of the PSPCL’s monetary needs. The subsidy bill of around Rs 16,400 crore has been approved by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC).
The commission has determined the AAR of the power corporation to be around Rs 31,100 crore, against the demand of approximately Rs 41,721 crore. The subsidy bill for the year 2010-21 is of Rs 10,621 crore, which with dues from previous years add up to Rs 16,400 crore. The state government has to pay the amount by March 2021.
Last year, the state subsidy bill was Rs 9,674 crore with carry forwards of Rs 5,297 crore. The total subsidy bill for 2019-20 was Rs 14,972 crore, which has now swelled by another Rs 1,428 crore.
INTERNATIONAL
India at 53rd position in budget transparency, accountability
India has been placed at 53rd position among 117 nations in terms of budget transparency and accountability, according to the Open Budget Survey.
The survey, which was conducted by International Budget Partnership (IBP), has provided India’s Union Budget process a transparency score of 49 out of 100, which is higher than the global average of 45.
New Zealand tops the chart with a score of 87.
The survey, covering 117 countries, rates the level of budget transparency across countries on a scale of 0-100, based on several normative, internationally comparable indicators.
NATIONAL
CISF launches ”e-karyalay” app for movement of files
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has launched an e-office application, that enables movement of files and documents without physical touch.
The app has been launched for usage in the 1.62 lakh personnel-strong force to prevent coronavirus infection.
The application called ”e-karyalay” (electronic office) has been designed by the in-house technical team of the force.
This application has been hosted at CISF cloud with all security arrangements in place to safeguard the data.
Also, it will enable officials to work from home.
GI tag to Manipur black rice, Gorakhpur terracotta
Chak-Hao, the black rice of Manipur and the Gorakhpur terracotta have bagged the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.
Chak-Hao, a scented glutinous rice which has been in cultivation in Manipur over centuries, is characterised by its special aroma.
It is normally eaten during community feasts and is served as Chak-Hao kheer.
The terracotta work of Gorakhpur is a centuries-old traditional art form, where the potters make various animal figures like, horses, elephants, camels, goats, ox, etc. with hand-applied ornamentation.
India third largest military spender in world, after US and China
India has become the third largest military spender in the world, after the US and China, according to a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report.
This is the first time that India and China are among the top three military spenders.
India’s military spending grew by 6.8 percent to $71.1 billion in 2019, according to the SIPRO report on “Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2019”.
This was the highest military spending in South Asia.
Total global military expenditure rose to $1,917 billion in 2019.
Narendra Singh Tomar releases SOP for e-Gram Swaraj Yojana platform and mobile App
Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Narendra Singh Tomar issued a detailed guideline of the SVAMITVA Scheme aimed at providing people residing in Rural parts with the right to document their residential properties.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) regarding the e-Gram Swaraj Yojana platform and mobile App, was launched on this occasion.
This would also help in resolving property related disputes and would also enable creation of better-quality Gram Panchayat Development Plans.
The pilot phase of the scheme will extend to six states namely Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand covering approximately one lakh villages.
Mr. Tomar informed that it will ensure that the funds given to the panchayats are not misused and transparency can be established.
Govt decides to provide Mid-day meals to students during summer vacation in wake of situation arising out of COVID 19
Government has announced around 11 per cent increase in annual central allocation of cooking cost under Mid-day meal scheme to 8 thousand 100 crore rupees in view of the situation arising out of COVID-19.
The annual central allocation of cooking cost for procurement of pulses, vegetable, oil, spices and fuel under Mid Day Meal Scheme was 7 thousand 300 crore rupees.
Considering the health of the students, during the lockdown, ration is being provided under mid-day meal for the children to get adequate and nutritious food.
The scheme covers more than 12 crore children studying in over 11 lakh schools across the country.
The Midday Meal Scheme comes under the HRD Ministry’s Department of School Education and Literacy.
It was launched in the year 1995 as a centrally sponsored scheme.
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