Uttar Pradesh

 

• UP budget earmarks ₹56k cr for new schemes

 

• UP finance minister Rajesh Agarwal on Tuesday presented in the state assembly a ₹3.84 lakh crore state budget which provides ₹36,000 crore for crop loan waiver announced earlier for the farmers.

 

• The first budget of the Yogi Adityanath government, which has a deficit of ₹7,469 crore, also provides ₹55,781 crore for new schemes, some of which have been named after RSS ideologues and some for promotion of religious and cultural tourism etc as also for the farm loan waiver.

 

• No new taxes have been proposed in the annual budget for 2017-2018.

 

• With a size of ₹3.84 lakh crore, the state’s annual budget sets a target of 10% growth rate for next five yea₹ for the state’s development. An estimated receipt of ₹ 3.77 lakh crore will leave the state government with a ₹ 7468.83 crore deficit. It proposes to get ₹ 7600 crore from public account and cut wasteful expenditure to meet the deficit.

Highlights –

ð In major cities along the Ganga – Kanpur, Allahabad and Varanasi – water quality assessment will be done.

ð Rs 1000 crore announced for Swachh Bharat mission in Uttar Pradesh cities.

ð  Rs 394 crore provision for madrassas in the state.

ð 712 more ‘108 ambulances’ to be introduced in state.

ð Rs 800 crore for Prasad Yojna in Ayodhya-Mathura-Kashi regions.

ð  Rs 300 crore allocated to distribute socks, shoes and sweaters among school children.

ð New policy for solar power in the state launched.

ð  1,29,38 quintal potato stored in private cold storages.

ð No mention of Poorvanchal Expressway in the Budget speech.

ð  UP government to roll out new schemes worth Rs 55748 crore.

ð  4.5 times more wheat purchased by state govt this year.

INTERNATIONAL

• NASA Jupiter Probe to Fly Over Great Red Spot.

 

• NASA’s Juno spacecraft is about to get the best-ever look at Jupiter’s famous Great Red Spot. Jupiter’s mysterious Great Red Spot is probably the best-known feature of Jupiter.

• It became first space probe to complete flyby of Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
• The Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a massive storm (cyclone) measuring about 16,000 km in diameter. It is largest known storm in the solar system.

 Gk byte – Juno Space craft

 

• NASA had launched unmanned spacecraft Juno on August 5, 2011 from Cape Canaveral, Florida as part of its New Frontiers program. It has been orbiting Jupiter, solar system’s largest planet from July 2016. The spacecraft has been named from Greco-Roman mythology. It is orbiting Jupiter from pole to pole, 5,000 kilometers above planet’s cloud tops. It has mission life istill February 2018.

NATIONAL

• Tax department launches ‘Aaykar Setu’ for taxpayers

 

• The Income Tax Department has introduced a mobile app, named ‘Aaykar Setu’ which aims to facilitate taxpayers with solutions to a range of tax-related issues. The app which was formally launched by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, will also let people link their PAN with the 12-digit unique identification number, Aadhaar.

• The app is currently available on the Android platform but the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) plans to make it available as a desktop service as well.

 

 

• It provides ease of use of all the services related to tax payment including tax payment, tax calculation. Also if a taxpayer has a problem, this app will help in lodging his grievance in the e-Nivaran module of the CBDT.

 

• The app will also have a section as ‘tax gyaan’ which will be a multiple choice question web-based game to provide knowledge to the youth accessible from mobile as well as desktop.

 

• National Green Tribunal bans use of nylon and synthetic manja.

 

• NGT imposed a ban on nylon and synthetic ‘manja’ the string used to fly kites as it poses a threat to the lives of birds, animals and humans.

 

• State governments have been directed to prohibit the “manufacture, sale, storage, purchase and use” of synthetic ‘manja’ or nylon threads and all other synthetic threads used for flying kites.

 

• The NGT passed the order after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) moved it for a nationwide ban on all forms of sharp kite-flying strings called

 

• Ravi Shastri appointed new head coach and Zaheer Khan bowling coach

 

• Ravi Shastri to become Indian cricket team’s new head coach where the appointment was confirmed by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

 

• He was chosen by the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) that includes former captains Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and veteran batting star VVS Laxman.

 

• Zaheer Khan is appointed as the Bowling coach of Indian Cricket Team and Rahul Dravid is appointed as Batting Coach (Overseas).

 

• Odisha to set up International Standard Sports City

 

• Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced to set up an International Standard Sports City

• Kalinga International Sports City will be set up in Bhubaneswar and will be eligible to bid for most international competitions including Commonwealth and Asian games.

 

• The state government also signed an expression of interest with the International Association of Athletics Federation(IAAF) and the Athletics Federation of India for setting up of a high-performance academy inside the Kalinga Stadium.