ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Finance
Revenue Deficit Grant of Rs. 7,183.42 crore released to 14 States
Total Revenue Deficit Grant released to States so far in current financial year has gone up to Rs. 35,917.08 crore
States will get a total Revenue Deficit Grant of Rs. 86,201 crore in 2022-23
The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has on Wednesday released the 5th monthly instalment of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit  Grant of Rs. 7,183.42 crore to 14 States. The grant has been released as per the recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
The Fifteenth Finance Commission has recommended a total Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant of Rs. 86,201 crore to 14 States for the financial year 2022-23. The recommended grant is released by the Department of Expenditure to the recommended States in 12 equated monthly instalments. With the release of 5th instalment for the month of August, 2022, the total amount of Revenue Deficit Grants released to the States in 2022-23 has gone up to Rs. 35,917.08 crore.
The Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grants are provided to the States under Article 275 of the Constitution. The grants are released to the States as per the recommendations of the successive Finance Commissions to meet the gap in Revenue Accounts of the States post devolution.
The eligibility of States to receive this grant and the quantum of grant for the period from 2020-21 to 2025-26 was decided by the Fifteenth Finance Commission based on the gap between assessment of revenue and expenditure of the State after taking into account the assessed devolution during this period.
The States who have been recommended Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant by the Fifteenth Finance Commission during 2022-23 are : Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
State-wise details of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant recommended for 2022-23 and the amount released to States as 5th instalment are as under:
State-wise Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant  Released

|
|
S. No.
|
|
Name of State
|
|
PDRDG recommended by FC-XV for the year 2022-23.
|
|
5th instalment released for the month of August, 2022.
|
|
Total PDRDG released to States during 2022-23.
|
|
1
|
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
|
10,549
|
|
879.08
|
|
4395.42
|
|
2
|
|
Assam
|
|
4,890
|
|
407.50
|
|
2037.50
|
|
3
|
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
|
9,377
|
|
781.42
|
|
3907.08
|
|
4
|
|
Kerala
|
|
13,174
|
|
1097.83
|
|
5489.17
|
|
5
|
|
Manipur
|
|
2,310
|
|
192.50
|
|
962.50
|
|
6
|
|
Meghalaya
|
|
1,033
|
|
86.08
|
|
430.42
|
|
7
|
|
Mizoram
|
|
1,615
|
|
134.58
|
|
672.92
|
|
8
|
|
Nagaland
|
|
4,530
|
|
377.50
|
|
1887.50
|
|
9
|
|
Punjab
|
|
8,274
|
|
689.50
|
|
3447.50
|
|
10
|
|
Rajasthan
|
|
4,862
|
|
405.17
|
|
2025.83
|
|
11
|
|
Sikkim
|
|
440
|
|
36.67
|
|
183.33
|
|
12
|
|
Tripura
|
|
4,423
|
|
368.58
|
|
1842.92
|
|
13
|
|
Uttarakhand
|
|
7,137
|
|
594.75
|
|
2973.75
|
|
14
|
|
West Bengal
|
|
13,587
|
|
1132.25
|
|
5661.25
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
IT sector to create 2.5 lakh jobs in coming months-Pandey Ist ever International Cloud Computing challenge being held in India
Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Mahendra Nath Pandey said that in coming months about 2.5 lakh new jobs will be created in the IT sector through the comprehensive skill Development programme. He said to transform the World’s largest youth force into a truly skilled force is the vision of the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing the “World Skills India”-International Cloud Computing Challenge, 2019 here, Shri Pandey said that rapid advances made in the digital technology in India can take this sector to the tune of 7.2 billion dollars from 2.5 billion in 2018, as a very healthy completion is on in 52 different fields of skill development and training including Cloud Computing, IOT, Big Data, Machine Learning, Blockchain etc. He also expressed hope that in coming years, India will stand shoulder to shoulder with the most advanced countries in the IT sector and called upon the Indian youth to lead the fourth industrial revolution through modern knowledge and skill.
Shri Pandey said that 62.5 percent of the population aged between15 to 59 should get proper guidance, motivation and training to become one of the most advanced workforces to fulfill the vision of Digital India.
In his special address, Chairman NASSCOM Mr Keshav Murugesh asked the government to soon pass the Data Protection Bill in Parliament. He said the World Skills India, being held in India for the first time is an opportunity to identify the global talent and will become a platform for networking and making new friends. He said, in coming 3 to 4 years, 2 million people would be trained in digital technology from the current 0.6 million people.
Participants from Japan, China, Brazil, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, Belgium and Ireland are participating the cloud computing competition under the aegis of NASSCOM.
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Ministry of Science & Technology
DBT-BIRAC is supporting Covid-19 vaccine development by facilitating establishment of r-VSV vaccine manufacturing platform for first time in India
The government is focussed on creating an ecosystem that nurtures and encourages new product innovation to address the most relevant issues to our society”--Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT and Chairperson, BIRAC
Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council , set up by Department of Biotechnology , Government of India is supporting COVID-19 vaccine development by facilitating the establishment of the r-VSV vaccine manufacturing platform for the first time in India under the National Biopharma Mission.
This support to establishing r-VSV vaccine manufacturing platform is being extended to Aurobindo Pharma Limited which is developing a vaccine for SARS COV-2 . This SARS COV-2 vaccine candidate is based on the company’s proprietary replication-competent, attenuated, recombinant vesicular stomatitis  vaccine delivery platform.
Aurobindo is in the process of setting up a state-of-art manufacturing facility for viral vaccines which will be used to produce the COVID-19 vaccine and other viral vaccines.The plant will comply to global standards.
Commenting on the collaboration with Aurobindo, Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, DBT and Chairperson, BIRAC said, “The partnership with Aurobindo is to serve the country’s need for a vaccine to fight this pandemic. The government is focussed on creating an ecosystem that nurtures and encourages new product innovation to address the most relevant issues to our society.”
About BIRAC:
Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council  is a not-for-profit Section 8, Schedule B, Public Sector Enterprise, set up by Department of Biotechnology , Government of India as an Interface Agency to strengthen and empower the emerging Biotech enterprise to undertake strategic research and innovation, addressing nationally relevant product development needs.
About National Biopharma Mission:
The Industry-Academia Collaborative Mission of Department of Biotechnology , Govt of India for accelerating discovery research to early development for Biopharmaceuticals approved by the Cabinet for a total cost US$ 250 million and 50% co-funded by the World Bank is being implemented at Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council . This program is dedicated to deliver affordable products to the nation with an aim to improve the health standards of India’s population. Vaccines, medical devices and diagnostics and biotherapeutics are few of its most important domains, besides, strengthening the clinical trial capacity and building technology transfer capabilities in the country.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
37.60 Cr. Vaccine Doses administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
India reports 41,506 new cases in last 24 hours
India's Active Caseload currently at 4,54,118
Active cases constitute 1.47% of total cases
2,99,75,064 Total Recoveries across the country so far
41,526 patients recovered during last 24 hours
Recovery Rate increases to 97.20%
Weekly Positivity Rate remains below 5%, currently at 2.32%
Daily positivity rate at 2.25%, less than 3% for 20 consecutive days
Testing capacity substantially ramped up – 43.08 cr tests total conducted
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
1st Khelo India Women’s Judo tournament to start at SAI Centre Guwahati from August 27, 2022
Tournament to be held in four zones across the country
The 1st Khelo India Women’s Judo Tournament is scheduled to be held across four zones in India, starting August 27. The Judo tournament is another initiative taken by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to support sports competitions for Women via the Government of India’s flagship program, Khelo India.
The tournament, to be held across four zones before a National Round, is an open Zonal level ranking tournament. The competitors range across four age groups: Sub-Junior , Cadet , Junior  and Senior .
The Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, has allocated a total of Rs 1.74 Crore for the conduct of the tournament, which includes prize money of Rs 48.86 Lakh.
Sushila Devi, who won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, mentioned “I thank the Judo Federation of India and the Sports Authority of planning out such a competition for Judo and taking all steps to take forward the sport in the country. This will really help in further growth of Judo in India”
Following competition across all the four Zones, the National Round is scheduled for October 20-23 at the KD Jadhav Indoor Stadium in New Delhi.
Details of Competition schedule for 4 Zones:
Dates: Aug 27-31 | Sep 1-5 | Sep 5-9 | Sep 11-15
Zone: East Zone | South Zone | North Zone | West Zone
Venue: SAI centre Guwahati, Assam | VKN Menon Stadium, Thrissur, Kerala | Pestle Wood School, Dehradun, Uttarakhand |Sardar Patel Sports Complex, Gujarat
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
India's Active caseload declines to 14,704; less than 15,000 after 707 days
1,233 new cases reported in the last 24 hours
India’s Cumulative COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage exceeds 183.82 Cr
Over 1.50 Cr vaccine doses administered for age group 12-14 years
In a significant development, following a continuous downward trend, India’s Active Caseload today  has declined to less than 15,000 mark after 707 days. Active cases now constitute 0.03% of the country's total Positive Cases. The caseload on 21st April 2020 was 14,759 Active Cases.
1,233 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours following a steady declining trend.
Consequently, India’s recovery rate stands at 98.75%. 1,876 patients have recovered in the last 24 hours and the cumulative tally of recovered patients  is now at 4,24,87,410.
6,24,022 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. India has so far conducted over 78.85 Cr  cumulative tests.
There has been a sustained fall in the weekly and daily Positivity Rates too. Weekly Positivity Rate in the country currently stands at 0.25% and the Daily Positivity rate is reported to be 0.20%.
India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 183.82 Cr  as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 2,19,19,610 sessions.
COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March, 2022. So far, more than 1.50 Cr  adolescents have been administered with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The break-up of the cumulative figure as per the provisional report till 7 am today is as follows:
|
|
Cumulative Vaccine Dose Coverage
|
|
HCWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
10403582
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
9998306
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
4445103
|
|
FLWs
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
18413039
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
17506270
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
6838374
|
|
Age Group 12-14 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
15055291
|
|
Age Group 15-18 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
57027194
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
37729295
|
|
Age Group 18-44 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
554469705
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
464931719
|
|
Age Group 45-59 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
202722920
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
185097617
|
|
Over 60 years
|
|
1st Dose
|
|
126719220
|
|
2nd Dose
|
|
115296186
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
11587922
|
|
Precaution Dose
|
|
2,28,71,399
|
|
Total
|
|
1,83,82,41,743
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice-President lauds the successful launch of Chandrayaan-3
The Vice-President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar, congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation  on the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-3 mission.
In a Tweet, the Vice-President said:
"Congratulations to the team at #ISRO for the historic launch of Chandrayaan-3! This extraordinary feat highlights the advancement the country has made in space science & research. This milestone in India's stellar space journey makes every Indian proud!"
Vice President's Secretariat
Citizen-centric governance not an option, but a must for the nation’s development- Vice President
India’s governance model is the envy of the world, says the Vice President
Vice President gives the mantra of PRIDE to Civil Servants
Civil Services are the backbone of governance- VP
Vice President releases the book ‘Reflections on India’s Public Policies’ co-authored by 1984 batch IAS Officers
The Vice President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar said that Civil services are the backbone of governance, and have played a fundamental role in the implementation of Government policies in the country. He was addressing senior officers and other dignitaries at the release of the book ‘Reflections on India’s Public Policies’, co-authored by 1984 batch officers of the Indian Administrative Service, at the Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas in New Delhi today.
The Vice President noted that India’s governance model, with its focus on transparency, accountability, digitisation, innovation and entrepreneurship, is the envy of the world. “Empowerment and upliftment of vulnerable sections have been effected with successful schemes, ensuring that even the most marginalized citizens have access to essential services,” he said.
The Vice President, Shri Dhankhar called on Civil Servants to serve the Nation with PRIDE. This, he elaborated, implies Public service without personal biases, Rule of law implemented at grassroots levels, Integrity in dealings with the public, Devotion to duty, and Efficiency in achieving policy targets.\
Shri Dhankhar also highlighted the critical role that can be played by retired civil servants as a unique valuable national human resource. “Retired Civil Servants are eminently positioned to neutralise and antidote false and anti-national narratives, from within and without, seeking to unjustifiably taint and tarnish our constitutional institutions and democratic values,” the Vice President underlined.
The Vice President recognized that democratic governance poses its own unique challenges, and exhorted the civil servants to exhibit unwavering and steadfast commitment to rule of law and constitution. “Political ingratiation of officials with the ruling dispensation in some parts of the country is severely straining the sublimity of Federalism. This calls for systemic focus by all concerned,” he highlighted.
‘Reflections on India’s Public Policies’ brings together the insights and analyses of ten IAS officers of the 1984 batch, on tackling some of the most critical issues facing the country, across diverse areas of public policy. Retired as well as Senior Officers across several Civil Services were also present at the event.
Click Here for full text of the Vice President’s Speech
Ministry of Education
Bal Bhavans
National Education Policy 2020 paves way for transformational reforms in school and higher education systems in the country. The salient features of New Education Policy  2020 are as follows :-
-
-
- New Policy promotes Multilingualism in both schools and HEIs; Indian Institute of Translation and Interpretation to be set up.
-
-
- New Policy aims for 100 % GER in school education by 2030.
-
-
- New 5+3+3+4 school curriculum with 12 years of schooling and 3 years of Anganwadi/ pre-schooling.
-
-
- Emphasis on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy, no hard separation between academic streams, extracurricular, vocational streams in school; Vocational Education to start from Class 6 with Internships.
-
-
- Assessment reforms with 360 degree Holistic Progress Card and tracking Student Progress for achieving Learning Outcomes. A National Assessment Centre, PARAKH , to be set-up as a standard-setting body for transforming Assessment.
-
-
- Setting-up of State School Standards Authority  to establish a minimal set of standards based on basic parameters , which shall be followed by all schools.
-
-
- Teacher education to move into a multi-disciplinary environment and four year B.Ed. integrated to become a minimum degree qualification for school teachers by 2030.
-
-
- Achieving 100% youth and Adult literacy.
-
-
- GER in higher education to be raised to 50 % by 2035.
-
-
- Higher Education curriculum to have Flexibility of Subjects.
-
-
- Multiple Entry / Exit, and transfer of credit through an Academic Bank of Credits.
-
-
- National Research Foundation to be established to foster a strong research culture.
- Light but Tight Regulation of Higher education, single regulator with four separate verticals for different functions- the Higher Education Commission of India .
- A stage-wise mechanism for granting graded autonomy to colleges, through a transparent system of graded accreditation, will be established.
- NEP 2020 advocates increased use of technology with equity; National Educational Technology Forum to be created.
- NEP 2020 emphasizes setting up of Gender Inclusion Fund, Special Education Zones for disadvantaged regions and groups.
Para 7.11 of NEP 2020, recommends that every State will be encouraged to strengthen existing or establish “Bal Bhavans” where children of all ages can visit once a week  or more often, as a special daytime boarding school, to partake in art-related, career-related, and play-related activities.
It would be pertinent to mention here that Education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution of India and setting up of the schools and related institutions are in the jurisdiction of the State and UTs. Therefore, it is for the respective State Government to take decision on setting up of Bal Bhavans within its jurisdictional area.
The information was given by the Minister of State for Education, Smt. Annpurna Devi in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Finance
Income Tax Department carries out searches in Bihar
The Income Tax Department carried out searches on 19.10.2020 in the cases of two Government contractors having premises in Purnea, Katihar and Saharasa and a silk trader in Bhagalpur in Bihar. The searches were based on intelligence gathered, which indicated that large scale unaccounted cash was being generated and used for various purposes.
The contractors were making bogus claims of labour, transportation and fuel expenses, which were found to be not supported by any document. Further, they have been found to be withdrawing money in cash from the bank accounts of fictitious parties. Incriminating documents including signed blank cheques have been seized during the searches. In some cases, the liabilities were shown to be continuing in the books of accounts for bogus expenses. They were also maintaining undisclosed bank accounts, in which unaccounted cash was being deposited which was used for making fixed deposits, which in turn were pledged to Government departments as security for getting contracts. Large cash withdrawals have also been noticed in these bank accounts. The assessees could not explain the purpose of these cash withdrawals. The transactions in the undisclosed bank accounts are being examined.
During the search, unaccounted cash, fixed deposits and bullion of more than Rs. 2.40 crore have been seized/restrained. In the case of the silk trader, unaccounted stock has also been detected. Evidences indicating suppression of income of about Rs. 10 crore, alongwith documents showing large unaccounted investments in immovable properties have been found and seized. These properties are in the process of being valued and attached.
Further investigations are in progress.
Ministry of Finance
Revenue Deficit Grant of Rs.9,871 crore released to 17 States
Total Revenue Deficit Grant of Rs. 49,355 crore released to States in the current financial year
The Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance has released 5th monthly installment of Post Devolution Revenue Deficit  Grant of Rs. 9,871 crore to the States on 9th August, 2021. With the release of this installment, a total amount of Rs. 49,355 crore has been released to eligible States as Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant  in the current financial year.
State-wise details of the grant released this month and total amount of PDRD Grant released to the States in 2021-22 is annexed.
The Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant is provided to the States under Article 275 of the Constitution. The grants are released as per the recommendations of the Fifteenth Finance Commission in monthly installments to meet the gap in Revenue Accounts of the States post devolution. The Commission has recommended PDRD grants to 17 States during 2021-22.
The eligibility of States to receive this grant and the quantum of grant was decided by the Commission based on the gap between assessment of revenue and expenditure of the State after taking into account the assessed devolution for the financial year 2021-22.
The Fifteenth Finance Commission has recommended a total Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grant of Rs. 1,18,452 crore to 17 States in the financial year 2021-22. Out of this, an amount of Rs. 49,355 crore  has been released so far.
The States recommended for PDRD Grant by the Fifteenth Finance Commission are : Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
State-wise Post Devolution Revenue Deficit Grants Released
|
|
S.No.
|
|
Name of State
|
|
Amount released in July 2021


|
|
Total amount released during 2021-22

|
||
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
|
1438.08
|
|
7190.42
|
||
|
Assam
|
|
531.33
|
|
2656.67
|
||
|
Haryana
|
|
11.00
|
|
55.00
|
||
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
|
854.08
|
|
4270.42
|
||
|
Karnataka
|
|
135.92
|
|
679.58
|
||
|
Kerala
|
|
1657.58
|
|
8287.92
|
||
|
Manipur
|
|
210.33
|
|
1051.67
|
||
|
Meghalaya
|
|
106.58
|
|
532.92
|
||
|
Mizoram
|
|
149.17
|
|
745.83
|
||
|
Nagaland
|
|
379.75
|
|
1898.75
|
||
|
Punjab
|
|
840.08
|
|
4200.42
|
||
|
Rajasthan
|
|
823.17
|
|
4115.83
|
||
|
Sikkim
|
|
56.50
|
|
282.50
|
||
|
Tamil Nadu
|
|
183.67
|
|
918.33
|
||
|
Tripura
|
|
378.83
|
|
1894.17
|
||
|
Uttarakhand
|
|
647.67
|
|
3238.33
|
||
|
West Bengal
|
|
1467.25
|
|
7336.25
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
9,871.00
|
|
49,355.00