Kerala Affairs
Kerala gets largest share of revenue deficit grant
As per the statement by finance ministerKN Balagopalbefore the assembly, the state has been granted Rs 53,137 crore as grant on the recommendations of the commission, which is the highest when compared to other 16 states which have got the grant.
The state’s main committed expenditure include salaries, pensions and interest payments on loans and the revision of the salaries and pensions on the basis of the recommendations of the 11th pay commission alone has caused an additional burden of Rs 15,000 crore annually to the state. At the same time, to bridge the gap of revenue deficit, state’s revenue generation has to improve correspondingly, that also has not been happening.
National and International Affairs
Govt launches national forest fire helpline
Nearly three years after being suggested byLok SabhaMPs to have such an alert mechanism, the Environment ministry has set up a national helpline forforest firecases in the country. The move will help forest officials to reach the spot faster and prevent the fires from spreading.
A toll free number (18001 19334) – assigned for the helpline – can also be used to report cases of illegal trade and poaching of animals.
As far as forest fire is concerned, nearly 36% (2,53,151 sq. km) of the forest cover in India is considered prone to forest fires. There are 26 most forest fire affected districts, spread over 11 states, in India. The forest fire season in the country is normally from November to June with the majority of it being caused due to man-made factors.
North-eastern states show the highest tendency of forest fire with Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya and Manipur reporting highest forest fire Probability in terms of its frequency.
According to theForest Survey of India(FSI) that has been assisting state forest departments and other agencies to deal with the problem since 2004, parts of western Maharashtra, southern part of Chhattisgarh, central part of Odisha and few parts ofAndhra Pradesh, and Karnataka are showing patches of extremely and very highly fire prone zones.
Old pension scheme will burden future taxpayers: Niti VC
Niti Aayogvice-chairmanSuman Bery expressed concern over the revival ofold pension schemeby some states, saying it would burden future taxpayers at a time when India needs to focus on fiscal prudence and promoting sustained Growth.
Bery also underlined the need for enhancing and creating a space for the private sector through Fiscal Consolidation.
While Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have decided to implement OPS,Himachal Pradeshhas promised to restore scheme if voted to power in the state. Jharkhand too has decided to revert to OPS.
Bery further explained that in general, state borrowing is effectively limited by theRBIso states don’t threaten the overall financial stability.
18 crore tonnes of waste need to go to meet 2026 deadline
Cities and towns have a mammoth task of completing the remediation of around 18.2 crore tonnes of legacy municipal waste in the next four years to get rid of old dumpyards. The data put up on public domain by housing and urban affairs ministry on Monday indicates that so far around 4.3 crore tonnes of such waste out of the total 24.7 crore tonnes has been remediated by government agencies.
MaharashtraandTelanganahave remediated around 2.9 crore tonnes of the legacy waste, which accounts for nearly 67% of such waste treated so far across urban areas.
Even after that among all the states and UTs, Maharashtra has a maximum of nearly 4.2 crore tonnes of such legacy waste at dumpsites followed by Delhi with around 2.4 crore tonnes of waste at three sites. Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan andGujarathave more than 1 crore tonnes of such waste each. Only Ladakh has completed remediation of all of its legacy waste so far. The UT had only one legacy dumpsite with 1.3 lakh tonnes of such waste.
The Special Forces of India and Indonesiacommenced the joint military exerciseGaruda Shakti.The exercise is currently underway inIndonesia at Sangga Buana Training Area, Karawang.Theeighth editionof Exercise Garuda Shakti focuses on enhancing understanding, cooperation and interoperability between the Special Forces of both armies. The goal of the joint exercise is to advance the special forces skills. It also aims to share information on new weapons, equipment, tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as lessons learned from previous operations.
The joint training will help both armies get to know one another better and share their extensive combat experience in counterterrorism, regional security operations, and peacekeeping in a global setting. The exercise serves as an important platform for maintaining friendly ties between the two nations and is another step toward ensuring regional security.