Interim Budget

• The Interim Budget was recently praised by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi as “not merely an interim budget but an inclusive and innovative budget.”

Background:-

• “This budget will empower all pillars of developed India – the youth, the poor, women, and farmers,” the prime minister continued.

About Interim Budget:-

• The yearly financial statement that includes the government’s projected spending and expenses for the upcoming fiscal year is called the 1 Comment.
• Because the current government is unable to publish a complete budget during an election year, the finance ministers present an interim budget that temporarily funds the government’s spending and revenue.
• This is until a new administration is chosen and installed.
• Following the Lok Sabha elections, the newly elected government unveils their whole budget.
• The timeline for presenting an interim budget is identical to that of the Union budget during a regular fiscal year.
• Estimates for the government’s spending, revenue, fiscal deficit, financial performance, and expectations for a limited period of time are included in the interim budget.
• The interim budget cannot contain any significant policy announcements that could burden the incoming administration.
• An interim budget is not provided for under the constitution.
• But it’s now standard procedure for outgoing administrations to do so before elections.
• Cast your vote on an account Through the interim budget, which is approved by the Parliament, the administration can seek parliamentary approval for necessary spending on things like salaries and recurring costs.

Highlights of Interim Budget 2024-25

• The Interim Budget 2024–25 has just unveiled.

About :-

• The government is going to start a program to assist middle-class citizens who are “living in rented houses, or slums, or chawls and unauthorized colonies” in purchasing or building their own homes.
• Through rooftop solarization, up to 300 units of free electricity per month will be available to one crore families.
• PM Yojana Awas (Grameen): To accommodate the demand brought on by a growth in the number of families, two crore more homes will be built over the course of the next five years.
• girls between the ages of 9 and 14 receive vaccinations to prevent cervical cancer.
• Anganwadi center upgrades under “Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0” will happen more quickly.
• The U-WIN platform will be implemented as soon as possible to manage immunizations and the heightened activities of Mission Indradhanush.
• expansion of ASHA, Anganwadi, and Helper healthcare coverage under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
• All agroclimatic zones will see an increase in the application of Nano DAP on a variety of crops.
• For oil seeds, a plan will be developed to attain “atmanirbharta.”
• A thorough plan of action to assist dairy farmers will be developed.
• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana implementation (PMMSY).
• The goal for Lakhpati Didi will be increased by the government from 2 crore to 3 crore.
• A fifty-year interest-free loan will be used to establish a corpus of one lakh crore rupees.
• A new plan aimed at advancing “atmanirbharta” and fortifying deep-tech technologies for defense will be introduced.
• There will be three significant economic railway corridor initiatives put into action.
• In major cities that prioritize transit-oriented development, the expansion of Metro and NaMO Bharat will receive funding.
• Funding for viability gaps will be made available to fully utilize the potential of offshore wind generation.
• By 2030, a 100 MT coal gasification and liquefaction capacity will be established.
• A plan incorporating an integrated and multi-sectoral approach to coastal aquaculture and mariculture, as well as restoration and adaptation strategies, will be introduced.
• States will be urged to develop famous tourist destinations thoroughly, branding them, and promoting them internationally.
• As per the latest tax system, taxpayers with income up to Rs. 7 lakh, as opposed to Rs. 2.2 lakh in the 2013–14 fiscal year, are no longer required to pay taxes.
• The corporate tax rate was lowered for both new and established domestic businesses, going from 30% to 22% and 15%, respectively, for manufacturing firms.

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023

• The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023 was just made available.

About Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023:-

• Transparency International is the publisher.
• Founded in 1993, this global non-governmental organization is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
• Every year, the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) is used to rate nations according to how corrupt the public sector is thought to be.
• Based on the perception of public sector corruption, 180 nations and territories are ranked by the CPI, which assigns a number ranging from zero (extremely corrupt) to 100 (very clean).
• Examined Factors: Corruption in the Public Sector.
• Law enforcement and Judicial Openness.
• India was rated 93rd out of 180 countries.
• India received a total score of 39 in 2023 as opposed to 40 in 2022, a slight decline.
• A higher score on the index denotes a lower perceived level of corruption and a cleaner public sector. The index rates countries on a scale from 0 to 100.
• New Zealand, Finland, and Denmark are the top three nations.
• Yemen, South Sudan, Syria, Venezuela, and Somalia are the bottom spots.

Martand sun temple

• A group of Hindus stormed into the Martand Sun Temple recently, disobeying ASI protocol and performing parikrama and hoisting the saffron flag.

Background:-

• On the day of the “Pran Pratishtha” at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, a group of Hindus defied the Archaeological Survey of India staff and broke into the Martand Sun Temple, which is protected by the ASI, in the Anantnag region of J&K.

About Martand sun temple:-

• A Hindu temple devoted to Surya, the principal solar deity in Hinduism, is called the Martand Sun Temple, sometimes called Pandou Laidan.
• In the eighth century CE, it was constructed.
• Lalitaditya Muktapida, the Karkota Dynasty’s king, constructed it.
• It is devoted to the God of the Sun.
• Another Sanskrit synonym for Surya is martand.
• The temple is well known for its majesty and creative brilliance and is a superb example of Kashmiri architecture.
• Greek, Roman, Persian, and Indian architectural elements are all blended together in its design.
• Eighty-four lesser shrines formerly ringed the main shrine, which was devoted to the Sun God.
• It is situated amidst an expansive courtyard featuring eighty-six fluted columns.
• The main shrine, where the idol of Sun God was installed, is connected to the courtyard.

Ayush Diksha

• It was recently announced that the foundation stone laying ceremony for “Ayush Diksha” will take place on January 20, 2024.

Background:-

• The Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), located in Bharatpur, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, will host the ceremony.

About Ayush Diksha:-

• Ministry: Ayush Ministry. (AYUSH industry)
• Ayush Diksha is the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences’ Human Resource Development Center, part of the Government of India.
• With a Rs. 30 crore allocated budget, the Ayush Diksha initiative would promote cutting-edge services.
• Two auditoriums that can accommodate thirty to forty trainees apiece, forty air-conditioned rooms with associated toilets for apprentice housing, and VIP and VIP suites are also part of the building.
• Included are enough parking spaces, a modular pantry, an eating area, a natural library, and discussion rooms, among other essential amenities.
• All national stakeholders in Ayurveda, in particular, and Ayush in general will receive teaching training from the Institute.
• In addition to attaining self-sufficiency, it will support capacity building with other national organizations, bolster Ayurvedic human resources, facilitate research and development, uphold high standards, and generate income.

Snow Leopards

• The report on the status of snow leopards in India was recently released at the National Board for Wildlife meeting in New Delhi.

Background:-

• The first-ever scientific study to document the number of snow leopards in India, the Snow Leopard Population Assessment in India (SPAI) Program, has identified 718 individuals.
• The SPAI’s National Coordinator was the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

About Snow Leopards:-

• Name in science: Panthera uncia.
• Native to Central Asia’s mountainous mountains are snow leopards.
• Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Russia, and Uzbekistan are the 12 countries that make up the snow-leopard range.
• Snow leopards live in the higher Himalayan and trans-Himalayan regions of India, where the height ranges from 3,000 to 5,400 meters.
• Hemis, Ladakh is the world’s capital of snow leopards.
• The presence of snow leopards serves as a gauge for the condition of the alpine ecosystem.

Conservation status:-

• IUCN: Susceptible.
• Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) contains information about the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.