Details of uk budget 2017-18

Details of uk budget 2017-18 
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उत्तराखंड में त्रिवेंद्र सरकार का पहला बजट पेश, जानिए खास बातें
#ukpcs2016mains #ukpcsinterview
स्वास्थ्य, नगर विकास और शिक्षा को फोकस करते हुए त्रिवेंद्र रावत सरकार ने गुरुवार को अपना पहला बजट पेश कर दिया। बजट में भाजपा के चुनाव घोषणापत्र में किए गए अधिकांश वादों को शामिल किया गया है। बजट में राज्य के लोगों को राहत देते हुए कोई नया कर नहीं लगाया गया है।
सरकार ने बजट में भ्रष्टाचार के खिलाफ जीरो टालरेंस की नीति को भी दृढ़ इच्छाशक्ति के साथ प्रस्तुत किया है। गुरुवार अपराह्न चार बजे वित्त मंत्री प्रकाश पंत ने अथर्ववेद के श्लोक के साथ शुरू करके पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री अटल बिहारी वाजपेयी की कविता के साथ बजट भाषण खत्म किया। वर्ष 2017-18 के लिए 39 हजार 957 करोड़ रुपये का बजट पेश किया गया।
करीब पौने दो घंटे के संबोधन में पंत ने सरकार की प्राथमिकताएं गिनाईं। वित्त मंत्री प्रकाश पंत ने कहा कि यह बजट सुधारीकरण की प्रक्रिया को बढ़ावा देगा। राज्य के अंतिम व्यक्ति तक विकास की पहुंच बनाने के लिए बजट में कई प्रावधान किए गए हैं। बजट में अवस्थापना विकास, शक्षिा और स्वास्थ्य जैसे क्षेत्रों पर विशेष फोकस किया गया है। यह राज्य को आगे ले जाने वाला बजट साबित होगा।
नगर विकास : शहरी विकास के बजट में सबसे अधिक वृद्धि की गई है। पिछले बजट में नगर विकास के लिए 350 करोड़ की व्यवस्था थी। जिसे अब बढ़ाकर 591 करोड़ किया गया है। इस तरह से नगर विकास का बजट 67 प्रतिशत बढ़ाया गया है।
स्वास्थ्य : पिछले बजट के मुकाबले 34 प्रतिशत का इजाफा करते हुए स्वास्थ्य के लिए 1871 करोड़ की व्यवस्था की गई है। स्वास्थ्य क्षेत्र में कई नए कदम उठाने के साथ ही अस्पतालों की स्थिति पर सुधारने पर जोर दिया गया है।
शिक्षा : शिक्षा के लिए बजट में 6787 करोड़ की व्यवस्था की गई है। यह राशि पिछले बजट के मुकाबले 16.72 प्रतिशत अधिक है। बजट में सरकार ने शक्षिा क्षेत्र में कई सुधार करने, स्कूलों में सुधार और बुक बैंक बनाने जैसे कदम उठाए हैं।
सुरक्षा : सुरक्षा का बजट बढ़ाकर 1564 करोड़ की व्यवस्था की गई है। पिछले बजट के मुकाबले सुरक्षा के बजट को 13 प्रतिशत बढ़ाया गया है। पुलिस आधुनिकीकरण के साथ ही सुरक्षा के लिए कई उपाय करने का फैसला लिया गया है।
पेयजल : पेयजल के लिए इस बार 844 करोड़ का बजट रखा गया है। पिछले बजट के मुकाबले यह राशि 11 प्रतिशत अधिक है। पेयजल सुधार के लिए नई पेयजल योजनाओं, नलकूपों, हैंडपंप लगाने और 35 नगरीय पेयजल योजनाओं के जीर्णोद्धार का फैसला लिया गया है।
बजट के वादे : गरीब मेधावी छात्र-छात्राओं को नि:शुल्क लैपटॉप व स्मार्ट फोन। सभी विश्वविद्यालयों में निशुल्क वाई-फाई। पर्वतीय क्षेत्रों में आवासीय विद्यालय एवं छात्रावास। सीमांत क्षेत्रों के गंभीर बीमार व्यक्तियों के लिए एअर एबुंलेंस। चारधाम ऑल वेदर रोड को 2020 में पूरा करने का वादा। वर्ष 2019 तक हर गांव को बिजली। 24 घंटे बिजली देने को बजट में बढ़ोत्तरी। मदरसों का आधुनिकीकरण। जखोली में सैनिक स्कूल की स्थापना। काशीपुर में मेगा फूड पार्क खुलेगा।

FRO MOCK INTERVIEW :24-25TH JUNE

FRO MOCK INTERVIEW :24-25TH JUNE
DEAR CANDIDATE
FIRST OF ALL PREPARE YOUR SUBJECT AS PER YOUR SYLLABUS.
UTTARAKHAND ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTRY
CONCEPT OF ECOLOGY AND CURRENT AFFAIRS RELATED TO THIS

http://www.ukpsc.gov.in/files/Sak_Karkrm_1.pdf

Satyarthi backs new child labour law

Satyarthi backs new child labour law
The rules notified recently by government have set right the earlier anomalies’

Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who had earlier criticised the new child labour law, has supported the new framework, saying the fresh rules to support the law have addressed all the concerns.

“The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation Amendment) Act, 2016, had some lacunae when it was enacted, but the rules notified recently by the government have addressed the weaknesses,” Mr. Satyarthi said in an interview to The Hindu on the eve of World Day Against Child Labour. “The new rules have made it a progressive law.”

Various child rights activists, including Mr. Satyarthi, had earlier criticised the law, enacted in July last year, for reducing the number of hazardous occupations from 83 to three and allowing children to assist in family enterprises. “I was not happy earlier. But with the new rules, the issues have been properly addressed. Earlier, the interpretation was that any child could help in family enterprises. But if you look at the rules, it’s possible only in a few occupations, and hazardous occupations have also been clearly defined,” said Mr. Satyarthi, who won the Nobel Prize in 2014 for his work on reducing child labour.

Even international agencies such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) had criticised the government over the two concerns flagged by the Nobel laureate.

The 2016 law prohibits employment of children aged below 14. However, it allows adolescents (aged 14-18) to work in non-hazardous occupations and children to assist their families in businesses after school hours. The previous law allowed children to be employed in family enterprises without restriction.

The Labour and Employment Ministry on June 2 notified the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Rules, 2017, which state that children can help in family enterprises only for three hours after school hours. Children could not extend any help between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. It also laid out conditions on which children could offer help to their families.

Mr. Satyarthi lauded the government’s move to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions on child labour. This would ensure compliance with the new law, he said. “There has been a paradigm shift in the government’s stance from the past when it said those raising the cause of child labour had a western agenda. Now, the government has agreed to global scrutiny of child labour,” he said.

How does the monsoon affect the economy

How does the monsoon affect the economy
Earlier this year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted the country would get normal monsoon rains in 2017. The state-run weather body last week said India’s annual monsoon rainfall is expected to be 98% of the long-period average (LPA), up from 96% projected earlier, raising prospects of higher farm output and economic growth.

The forecast has a margin error of 4%. The monsoon is considered normal if rains in the June-September season are between 96% and 104% of a 50-year average of 89 cm.

Why are monsoon rains important for India?

The monsoon is the lifeblood for India’s farm-dependent $2 trillion economy, as at least half the farmlands are rain-fed. The country gets about 70% of annual rainfall in the June-September monsoon season, making it crucial for an estimated 263 million farmers.

About 800 million people live in villages and depend on agriculture, which accounts for about 15% of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) and a failed monsoon can have a rippling effect on the country’s growth and economy.

Whereas, a normal to above-normal and well-distributed monsoon boosts farm output and farmers’ income, thereby increasing the demand for consumer and automotive products in rural markets.

What were recent trends?

India witnessed a normal monsoon in 2016 but only after two back-to-back poor monsoons in 2014 and 2015 that affected the overall growth in the country.

However, with a good chance of a normal monsoon in 2017, analysts expect the growth momentum to continue.

“The second consecutive year of normal monsoon will help revive consumption demand, which was severely affected by the de-legalisation of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 notes,” India Ratings and Research said.

What happens in case of a poor monsoon?

The monsoon has a direct impact on the country’s agricultural GDP. The planting of key kharif, or summer, crops like rice, sugar cane, pulses and oilseeds begins with the arrival of monsoon rains in June.

Summer crops account for almost half of India’s food output and a delayed or poor monsoon means supply issues and acceleration in food inflation, a key metric which influences Reserve Bank of India’s decision on interest rates.

A deficit monsoon could also lead to a drought-like situation, thereby affecting the rural household incomes, consumption and economic growth. A poor monsoon not only leads to weak demand for fast-moving consumer goods, two-wheelers, tractors and rural housing sectors but also increases the imports of essential food staples and forces the government to take measures like farm loan waivers, thereby putting pressure on finances. Whereas a normal monsoon results in a good harvest, which in turn lifts rural incomes and boosts spending on consumer goods. It also has a positive impact on hydro power projects.

What is the current forecast for rain distribution?

The monsoon rains arrive on the southern tip of Kerala by around June 1 and gradually covers a major part of the country by mid-July before retreating by the end of September. The IMD has predicted seasonal rainfall this year to be 96% of LPA over north-west India, and 100% of LPA over central India.

Rains in the southern regions are likely to be 99% of LPA while precipitation in north-east India will be 96% of LPA in the four-month period. All projections have a margin error of 8%.

Rainfall in July and August, crucial months for crop sowing, over the country is expected to be 96% and 99% of LPA, respectively, both with a margin error of 9%. India Ratings said the spread of monsoon over space and time is also forecast to be normal and that bodes well for agricultural output.

“Even the water storage available in 91 major reservoirs of the country for the week ending on 1 June 2017 was higher than last year by 128% and 105% of the last 10 years, which augurs well for kharif sowing,” it noted.

Why India’s bad loan problem is really bad

Why India’s bad loan problem is really bad
The average bad loans of public sector banks are 75.53% of their net worth; for many, they have exceeded their net worth. This is why both RBI and govt are worried
Last week, Spain’s largest lender Banco Santander SA announced taking over struggling Banco Popular Espanol SA for a symbolic value of €1. Santander also plans a €7 billion ($7.88 billion) rights issue to infuse capital and provide for the bad loans of Popular, the country’s sixth biggest bank.

The European authorities, led by the European Central Bank, were behind the rescue act. Popular had been struggling under the burden of €37 billion of bad loans in the real estate sector but Santander feels that this deal will accelerate its growth and profit from 2019. Analysts also see an opportunity for Santander in Popular’s small and medium-sized corporate loan portfolio; besides, Santander can also sell off Popular’s property assets.

The sale, which was stitched at the speed of light, did not impact stock markets. In fact, bank stocks rose in Europe last Wednesday after it was announced at 0430 GMT in Brussels by the Single Resolution Board, an agency formed by the European Union to wind down sick banks.

Indeed, there are differences between the state of affairs in Popular and some of the state-owned Indian banks (Popular was facing a run on its deposits), but is the Santander-Popular deal something which can be emulated in India? Corporate assets have soured for many government-owned banks but they have their pockets of strength—retail loans, relatively low-cost savings and current accounts, non-core assets, a vast branch network.

How do we solve the bad loan problems? There are two distinct trends before us: Spain believes in swift action, while Italy allows the problem to fester for years. Should we go the Spain way or continue with our band-aid approach? It will be interesting to hear what India’s finance minister Arun Jaitley says when he meets the heads of public sector banks and financial institutions later on Monday to review their performance.

The new ordinance gives the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) powers to force banks to sort out issues in a time-bound manner by forming multiple oversight committees and encourages banks to take haircuts. Besides, RBI can now move the insolvency court against the bank defaulter on its own. However, it does not say how the holes in banks’ balance sheets will be filled in the aftermath of the cleanup drive.

Meanwhile, it may not be a bad idea to ask two key questions and seek the answers.

How did the Indian banking system get into the mess?

There have been multiple reasons behind this. The popular way of looking at this is the state-owned banks are inefficient—they do not have the expertise in credit appraisal and monitoring of loans. This could be an over-simplification of the real causes behind the pile of bad loans. Indeed, in relative terms, private banks are better off but in those sectors where both private and public banks have taken exposures, both have almost equally suffered. The private banks have much less bad assets because they have not given loans to certain sectors/corporate groups.

Why did the public sector banks take exposures to those sectors where private banks fear to tread? In some cases such as infrastructure, there was subtle and not-so-subtle nudge by the government, the majority owner of these banks. Besides, most of these banks also have a herd mentality. Once one bank gives a loan to one particular sector, others follow it almost blindly in search of balance sheet growth.

In the aftermath of the collapse of iconic US investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in September 2008, growth collapsed in the world, but India was almost insulated from that with the government unveiling massive economic stimulus programmes. RBI cut its policy rates to a historic low and flooded the market with liquidity and banks gave loans indiscriminately. The “boom” lasted for a few quarters but the “bust” that followed has been continuing for years. Most banks misread the economic scenario.

Also, post-Lehman collapse, the deposit growth for private banks slowed while the government-owned banks were flooded with money and that, in many cases, led to misallocation of capital.

How bad is the bad loan scene?

Well, it depends on through which prism do we want to look at it. Going by rating agency Icra Ltd’s latest analysis, gross bad loans of Indian banks in March 2007 has been 9.5% of their loan portfolio. After setting aside money, or making provisions, the net bad loans are 5.5%.

This is one way of looking at the problem but it does not tell us the real story. One needs to add to this the loans that have been restructured under different schemes and the many large accounts which are extremely vulnerable as the borrowers are over-leveraged and not in a position to service the loans regularly. If we add all these, then the total stressed assets could be close to 16% of bank loans.

Again, this does not reveal the full picture. We also need to add to these the loans that have been written off. Unlike in other parts of the world, in India, written off loans are taken out from banks’ balance sheets but they are parked in the branches of banks and as and when part of those loans are recovered, they add to banks’ profits. By taking them off from the banks’ balance sheets, an optical illusion of lower bad loans (in percentage terms) is created. If we add the written off loans to the pile, the overall stressed assets could be as much as 20% of banks’ loan assets.

Banks’ exposure to large corporations and infrastructure sector has been most affected. In this segment, bad loans could be as much as 35-40% while the retail loans are in fine health.

It’s needless to say that the private banks are much better off than the state-owned banks. For instance, in March 2017, public sector banks’ gross bad loans have been 11.4% versus private banks’ 4.2%; their net bad loans at 6.7% are more than three times the net bad loans of private banks.

Finally, bad loans as a percentage of overall loan portfolios of banks do not explain the enormity of the problem. We need to look at the bad loans against the backdrop of the net worth or capital and reserves of the banks. In March 2017, for the industry, it’s close to 50% and for private banks, around 13%. However, the average bad loans of the government-owned banks are 75.53% of their net worth; for many, they have exceeded their net worth. This is why both RBI and the government are worried. We need to address the problem now; there is no time to lose.

2D magnets discovered for first time

2D magnets discovered for first time
Scientists have for the first time discovered two-dimensional magnets that are formed by a single layer of atoms and may pave the way for more compact and efficient devices
Scientists have for the first time discovered two-dimensional magnets that are formed by a single layer of atoms and may pave the way for more compact and efficient devices.

Magnetic materials form the basis of technologies that play increasingly pivotal roles in our lives today, including sensing and hard-disk data storage. For smaller and faster devices, researchers are seeking new magnetic materials that are more compact, more efficient and can be controlled using precise, reliable methods.

A team led by the University of Washington (UW) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US has for the first time discovered magnetism in the 2D world of monolayers, or materials that are formed by a single atomic layer. The findings, published in the journal Nature, show that magnetic properties can exist even in the 2D realm — opening a world of potential applications.

“What we have discovered here is an isolated 2D material with intrinsic magnetism, and the magnetism in the system is highly robust,” said Xiaodong Xu, a professor at UW. “We envision that new information technologies may emerge based on these new 2D magnets,” said Xu. Researchers have previously shown that CrI3 — in its multilayered, 3D, bulk crystal form — is ferromagnetic, that is, it has some magnetic properties.

However, no 3D magnetic substance had previously retained its magnetic properties when thinned down to a single atomic sheet. In fact, monolayer materials can demonstrate unique properties not seen in their multilayered, 3D forms. “You simply cannot accurately predict what the electric, magnetic, physical or chemical properties of a 2D monolayer crystal will be based on the behaviour of its 3D bulk counterpart,” said Bevin Huang, doctoral student at UW.

Atoms within monolayer materials are considered two- dimensional because the electrons can only travel within the atomic sheet, like pieces on a chessboard. To discover the properties of CrI3 in its 2D form, the team simply used Scotch tape to shave a monolayer of CrI3 off the larger, 3D crystal form. “Using Scotch tape to exfoliate a monolayer from its 3D bulk crystal is surprisingly effective,” said Genevieve Clark, doctoral student at UW.

The researchers detected magnetic properties in CrI3 using a special type of microscopy. In CrI3 flakes that are two layers thick, the magnetic properties disappeared, and returned in three-layer CrI3. The scientists will need to conduct further studies to understand why CrI3 displayed these remarkable layer-dependent magnetic phases.

“2D monolayers alone offer exciting opportunities to study the drastic and precise electrical control of magnetic properties, which has been a challenge to realise using their 3D bulk crystals,” said Xu. “But an even greater opportunity can arise when you stack monolayers with different physical properties together. There, you can get even more exotic phenomena not seen in the monolayer alone or in the 3D bulk crystal,” Xu added.

RSETI Diwas 2017

RSETI Diwas 2017

As part of multi-pronged strategy to address rural poverty, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) is undertaking two initiatives in skill development under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM):

 

(i)         Placement linked skill development program called DDU-GKY which allows skilling and assured wage employment. 

(ii)        Skill development through 587 Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETI) in the country, which provides skilling, thereby enabling the trainee to take bank credit and start his/her own Micro-enterprise. 

 

The Ministry today celebrated 4^th RSETI Diwas in recognition of outstanding performance of RSETIs in various states. A total of 88 awards were given for the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 to best performing States, lead Banks administering RSETIs and Directors of RSETIs. Top performing States in different categories include Jharkhand, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Amongst Banks the top performers are State Bank of India, Canara Bank, Syndicate Bank, ICICI and Andhra Bank.

 

Top performing RSETIs include training institutes of SBI Vijayanagaram, SBI Vishakapatinam, PNB Gaya, Canara Bank Halial and Davangere, Syndicate Bank Manipal and Meerut, Andhra Bank Srikakulam, ICICI Jodhpur and Udaipur, and RUDSETI Ananthapur and Bijapur.   

 

At present 587 RSETIs are functioning in the Country, covering 32 States/UTs with the participation of 37 Sponsor Banks. Over 22 Lakh unemployed youth have been trained by RSETIs and 13 Lakh of them are engaged in self-employment. Of these credit linkage has been provided to nearly 6 lakhs candidates.

 

RSETIs have aligned their curriculum with Common Norms for skill development courses. It offers skilling in 56 NSQF aligned courses specially designed for entrepreneurship development.

 

The 4^th RSETI Diwas celebration was chaired by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation. He emphasised the need for increase in rural entrepreneurship for sustainable livelihoods. He also emphasised on how rural livelihoods playing a strategic role in development of the rural clusters.  To carry forward this momentum he appealed to the Banks to give their cooperation. 

 

Dr. Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of State for Finance, appealed to the Banks who have sponsored the RSETIs in their Lead Districts to develop these Centres as ‘Centres of Excellence’ in the field of Entrepreneurship development as also increase lending to the youth skilled in RSETIs.

 

Shri Ram Kirpal Yadav, Minister of State for Rural Development lauded the role of RSETIs in the nation building exercise by capacity building of the unemployed youth throughout the Country.

 

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The founder member of RUDSET Self-employment initiative, Dr D Veerendra Heggade, also participated in the event and blessed budding entrepreneurs’ success.