1 Country’s budget for 2024-25 is Rs 48.21 lakh crore
On 23 July, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the country’s budget. She became the first woman Finance Minister of the country to present the budget for the 7th time . The country’s budget for 2024-25 is Rs 48.21 lakh crore . This time in the budget, the government has largely reduced the custom duty on 7 things and increased the duty on 2. The products that will become cheaper include mobile phones, cancer medicines and gold-silver and plastic related products may become expensive. The government gave Rs 1.52 lakh crore for agriculture and related sectors. The central government released a budget of Rs 1.48 lakh crore for education . A budget of Rs 4.54 lakh crore was allocated for defense . The central government will promote Nalanda as a tourist destination, including the Nalanda-Rajgir corridor in Bihar . Like the Kashi Vishwanath temple, the corridor will be developed in Vishnupad temple and Mahabodhi temple . A special package of Rs 15,000 crore was announced for Andhra Pradesh . Visakhapatnam-Chennai-Orvakal-Hyderabad Industrial Corridor will be established. Along with this, a Hyderabad-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor will also be built . Special Backward Area Fund has also been announced for Rayalaseema, Prakasam and North Andhra Pradesh districts .
2 Sri Lanka has the highest share in the budget and Maldives has the lowest share
On July 23, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in the Modi 3.0 government . In this , Rs 22,154 crore has been given to the Ministry of External Affairs. In the budget of the Ministry of External Affairs, funds were allocated for economic aid to India’s neighboring and friendly countries under the ‘ Neighbors First Policy ‘ and ‘ Sagar Mission ‘. These include 10 countries including Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives . Apart from this, there is also a provision of aid for many African, Latin American and Euro-Asian countries. The highest amount of 2 thousand 68 crores was kept for Bhutan. The aid to Sri Lanka was increased more than 4 times from 60 crores to 245 crores. Despite the formation of the government of pro-China KP Oli in Nepal, the economic aid for the country was increased from 650 crores to 700 crores. The biggest cut in the budget is in the package for pro-China Maldives. in the budget was made in the package of pro-China Maldives. In 2023, the financial aid for Maldives was increased from 183 crores to 770 crores, this year it was increased to 400 crores . The Indian government will spend a total of 4 thousand 773 crores to help other countries.
3 Union Budget 2024: Mudra loan limit increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh
Mudra loan limit increased from 10 lakh to 20 lakh Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has increased the limit of Mudra loan from 10 lakh to 20 lakh in the budget. Actually, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is given by the government to facilitate self-employment . This step of the government will benefit small businessmen and will also open opportunities for self-employment. MSMEs and manufacturing have been given special attention in the budget. A new system has been announced in the budget to facilitate the continuation of bank loans to MSMEs during their period of stress. Also, the limit of Mudra loan has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to 20 lakh. Earlier, under this scheme, loans up to Rs 10 lakh were being provided for MSME.
4 New pension scheme ‘NPS Vatsalya’ for children announced in Union Budget 2024
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her budget speech on Tuesday (July 23) announced the launch of a new pension scheme ‘ NPS Vatsalya ‘ for children . Presenting the budget for 2024-25 in Parliament, the Finance Minister said that parents and guardians will contribute to this pension scheme. When the child becomes an adult, this scheme can be easily converted into a normal NPS account.
5 H125 helicopters to be manufactured in India
On July 23, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus Helicopters signed an agreement for H125 helicopters . A final assembly line (FAL) will be set up to manufacture these helicopters in India . Delivery of Made in India H125 helicopters will begin in 2026. The plan to set up FAL was announced on January 26 by Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran . The H125 is the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter. It is the only helicopter in the world to have landed on Mount Everest. This helicopter has been imported from France manufactured by Aerospatiale and Eurocopter in
6 The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee decided to honour Abhinav Bindra with the Olympic Order for his outstanding service to the Olympic movement
On 22 July, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra will be awarded the Olympic Order . Bindra will be given this honor on 10 August during the 142nd IOC session in Paris. Earlier, former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi has been given this award. Abhinav Bindra is the first Indian to win the world and Olympic title in the men’s 10 meter air rifle category . He won the World Shooting Championship and the Olympic title in 2006. the Olympics in 2008. Abhinav Bindra was a member of the Athletes Committee of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) from 2010-14. In 2014, he was appointed President of the ISSF. The Olympic Order is the highest honor of the IOC, which is given for significant contribution to the Olympic movement. Bindra has been a member of the IOC Athletes Commission since 2018.
7 First woman officer of AAD deployed in Siachen
In a historic moment for gender equality and women empowerment in the Indian Armed Forces, Captain Supritha C.T. has made her name in history by becoming the first woman officer of the Army Air Defence Corps to be operationally deployed in the Siachen Glacier . The Siachen Glacier is also known as the world’s highest battlefield located in the Eastern Karakoram range in the Himalayas. India successfully gained control of this strategically important glacier in 1984 under Operation Meghdoot to establish its influence over the Siachen Glacier. It is the second longest glacier in the non-polar regions of the world and is located south of the drainage divide that separates the Eurasian Plate from the Indian Subcontinent. The Nubra River originates from the Siachen Glacier. The Fedchenko Glacier located in the Yazgulam Range of Tajikistan is the longest glacier in the non-polar regions of the world. Due to its strategic importance, harsh climate and difficult terrain, Siachen poses various challenges. Before Captain Supreeta, there was Shiva Chauhan was the first woman officer to be posted in Siachen.
8 Middle Line, Features of Indus-Saraswati Civilization in NCERT Class 6 Social Science Book
Many changes have been made in the new textbooks of NCERT as compared to the old textbooks. Its objective is to prepare textbooks in line with the National Curriculum Framework for School Education, 2023 and National Education Policy, 2020 , which emphasizes the integration of traditional Indian knowledge and thematic approach to teaching social sciences. In these, the Harappan civilization has been referred to as the ‘ Indus-Saraswati ‘ civilization , highlighting the prominence of the Saraswati river . It has been mentioned that the Saraswati river (now known as the Ghaggar-Hakra river ) played a major role in the Harappan civilization and its drying up paved the way for the decline of this civilization. Long before the adoption of the Greenwich Meridian, India had its own prime meridian known as the ” Madhya Rekha “, which passed through the city of Ujjain . The textbook introduces the concept of ‘ Ujjayini Meridian ‘ which was an ancient prime meridian of India which was used for astronomical calculations.
9 China built the world’s first high-speed carbon fiber train
China has unveiled a revolutionary passenger train made solely of carbon fiber . This is a huge step forward in high-speed rail technology. Thanks to this advancement, China is now even more of a leader in this field. Since the new train is much lighter than the old steel trains, smog levels will be reduced significantly. The main goal is to have vehicles that are as light as possible without compromising performance. It is planned that the carbon fiber train will reach speeds of up to 87 mph and use 7% less energy than regular steel trains . This new idea is very important for a healthy, low-carbon future in transportation.
10 Telangana Chief Minister launched ‘Rajiv Gandhi Civil Abhayahastam’
Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has launched a unique programme that will provide financial assistance to civil services aspirants from Telangana. Under this, candidates who qualify the Mains exam will be given an amount of ₹1 lakh for preparation. The scheme has been named “ Rajiv Gandhi Civils Abhayahastam ”. It will be helpful for around 400 candidates from Telangana region who qualify for Mains every year. The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) will provide the assistance as a part of its ‘Nirman’ programme.
11 IISR wins Best Technology Award
Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR) has received the Best Technology Award for its pioneering work in the field of horticultural science . Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan presented the award during the 96th Foundation Day celebrations of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in New Delhi. The technology titled ‘ Process of Quick Soluble Turmeric Spiced Milk Powder ‘ was one of the top five technologies under Horticultural Science Division of ICAR. The technology has already been commercialised by Malabar Regional Co-operative Milk Producers Union Ltd. (Kozhikode) .
12 state governments started the Shramik Basera scheme for laborers
The Gujarat state government has launched the Shramik Basera Yojana 2024. Under this scheme, temporary housing facilities will be provided to individuals, especially laborers, who are facing financial instability. According to the Chief Minister of Gujarat, the government will set up 17 residential structures in the cities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Vadodara, and Rajkot so that construction workers and other workers can get housing facilities. With the help of this scheme, construction workers or workers who are facing financial instability will not have to worry about housing facilities. The Gujarat state government has launched the Gujarat Shramik Basera Yojana, which aims to bring qualitative changes in the living standards of all construction workers and laborers in the state of Gujarat. Under this scheme, the state government will build various residential structures where laborers or construction workers can stay. Citizens will have to pay only Rs 5 for a day’s stay at the housing center. According to the Gujarat government, when the facilities are ready, a total of about 15,000 construction workers will benefit. The Gujarat state government will spend a total of Rs 1500 crore to implement this scheme.
13 Government launched OTT platform Hello Meghalaya
Meghalaya launched state-owned ‘ Hello Meghalaya ‘, an OTT platform primarily for regional languages with limited reach or small markets. Mr Sangma said, “Hello Meghalaya is envisioned as a global space for our talented young local musicians, filmmakers and content creators across various fields. This OTT platform is a step towards ensuring them livelihood from creative activities.”
14 Manolo Marquez appointed head coach of Indian men’s football team
Manolo Marquez was appointed the new head coach of the Indian men’s football team by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on 20 July . Marquez will take over as full-time national team head coach after ISL 2024-25. Barcelona, Spain has an impressive coaching record in India. In his first stint, he led underdog Hyderabad FC to the ISL champions, after which he moved on to coach Goa. Last season, Goa finished third in the league and reached the playoff semi-finals.
15 Shikhar Dhawan becomes the brand ambassador of MotoGP India
Combining the worlds of cricket and motorsports, Eurosport India has announced the appointment of renowned Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan as the brand ambassador for MotoGP™ in India . This strategic partnership marks an important milestone in the promotion of motorcycle racing in a country traditionally dominated by cricket fans.
