LEAD

The government’s ongoing discussions related to Union Budget 2022-23 (which is less than 100 days away) are primarily centered around two key points, welfare schemes and infrastructure development, with special emphasis on direct benefit transfer (DBT), public procurement through GeM portal, technology-based governance, fund allocations to the North-east, and gender and child budgeting, reveals officials aware of the matter.

The finance ministry aims to finalise a provisional budget estimate statement before the first advance estimates of GDP are released on January 7 next year. Thereafter, it will finalise a detailed demand for grants by January 21, 2022, they said, requesting anonymity.

In a Diwali bonanza for the common man, prices of petrol and diesel across the country came down in Thursday after the Centre and states announced heavy cuts in taxes.

etrol, diesel rices had soared to record high in the past couple of months.

The total increase in petrol price since the May 5, 2020 decision of the government to raise excise duty to record levels had totaled Rs 38.78 per litre. Diesel rates have during this period gone up by Rs 29.03 per litre.

After the introduction of the Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime, excise duty is levied only on petrol, diesel, ATF and natural gases. All other goods and services are under the GST regime.

The Indian Army's Shatrujeet brigade on Wednesday concluded its three-day-long airborne insertion exercise along the northern borders in eastern Ladakh conducted to validate its rapid response capabilities, sources said.

On November 1, the airborne troops were inserted into a drop zone at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet.

The pre-acclimatised troops along with specialist vehicles and missile detachments were transported via C-130 and AN 32 aircraft from five different mounting bases to validate inter-theatre movement, precision stand-off drops, rapid grouping and capture of designated objects with speed and surprise. The drop was particularly challenging due to the low temperatures of upto minus 20 degrees and the rarefied atmosphere in super high altitude terrain.

Taking a big step to put solar power at the core of the global renewable energy map and leverage smaller developing nations, Prime Minister Modi along with his UK counterpart Boris Johnson launched a transnational grid initiative — called One Sun One World One Grid (OSOWOG) — on the sidelines of the UN climate conference (COP26) here on Tuesday.

The grid will be set up over the next few years by the International Solar Alliance (ISA), another initiative authored by India initially, to transport solar power to different countries under its Green Grid Initiative.

Johnson on the occasion praised India’s role in making the transnational grid a reality and, while inviting Modi to speak, referred to “One Sun One World One Grid and One Narendra Modi” as a compliment amid all-round applause from participants.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that India will achieve the target of net-zero emissions by 2070.

Delivering the National Statement at the inaugural Leader's summit part of COP26 in Glasgow, Modi said India will increase its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030. It will also fulfill 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy sources by 2030.

"Between, now and 2030, India will reduce it's total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes. By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 45 percent," the PM said.

Modi also stressed that India expects the developed world to make $1 trillion available for climate finance, as soon as possible. "India also understands and shares the pain of other developing countries and has continuously been vocal about their expectations," Modi said.