to five more states including Bihar, Punjab and Tamil Nadu.
This initiative is targeted at augmenting groundwater sustainability in seven water-scarce states.
Atal Bhujal Yojana (ATAL JAL) came into operation on April 2020.
It is spread over 8,774 water-stressed Gram Panchayats in 222 administrative blocks or talukas in 80 districts in 7 states- Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
The scheme will be running for five years.
UDAN 5.5
The Centre has announced the second round of its flagship regional air connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) aiming to boost the air connectivity in the region.
The UDAN 5.5 aims at facilitating last-mile connectivity in hill areas, hilly terrains, and in island territories.
The new round of the plan will auction off destinations which will be served by seaplane, chopper and small planes that can hold fewer than 20 passengers.
The 5.5 version is providing the operators with an opportunity to plan seaplane routes in the 80 water bodies including the waterdromes, ponds, and dams.
The scheme also incorporates about 400 helipads where the operators will be able to provide the chopper routes.
Klub-S Missile System
India has also entered into a contract with Russia to supply anti-ship cruise missile to the submarine fleet of the nation.
It will equip the Sindhu Ghosh-class diesel-electric sub-marines of the Indian Navy, which is a local version of the Kilo-class submarines of Moscow.
The Russia seizure version of the 3M-54 Kalibr anti-ship missile is a submarine fired missile known as the Klub-S.
This variant is distinguished with its supersonic properties and thus it is hard to be spotted by enemy defence.
It is also offering a long-range precision strike capabilities, where each missile is flying at an altitude of 10 to 15 meters (32 to 49 feet) against ground and naval targets with a maximum radius of 300 kilometers (186 miles).
New Income Tax Bill 2025
The new income tax bill was tabled by the Finance Minister in order to eliminate jargon in the 1961 Income Tax Act and simplify it so that it becomes understandable.
The existing law contained more than 800 sections but the proposed number of the sections was 536.
The new tax system has been based on the five five basic ideals and so the new tax is what people or individuals can follow as well as work.
These were described to be the following five principles: "Streamlined structure and language, Integrated and concise, Minimised litigation, Practical and transparent, Learn and adapt, and Efficient tax reforms".
This is given as 23 chapters as compared to 47 under The Income-tax Act.
It has 16 schedules, compared to 2 more than in the Act.
The Bill also proposes an accounting period which is known as the tax year; it has been defined as the 12-month period starting with April 1.
Virtual forms of digital assets like cryptocurrencies have been added into the definition of property to be considered as a capital asset of the assessee.
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The bill was now referred to a joint parliamentary committee - which will look at the new tax proposals and change them, were it necessary to do so.
The new law shall come into action on April 1, 2026.
New MIS guidelines
The guidelines for the Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) have been updated by the agricultural ministry.
Crop procurement limits are being raised from 20% to 25%.
The MIS is used to purchase a variety of perishable horticultural and agricultural products, including potatoes, tomatoes, and onions.
The minimum support price (MSP) does not apply to these commodities.
Only when the current market price has decreased by at least 10% from the prior regular year will the MIS be put into place.
Scholarships under the SHREYAS Scheme
The Scheduled Castes (SC), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Divyangjan are eligible for scholarships from the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
As a Central Sector umbrella program, SHREYAS stands for Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers for Scheduled Castes (SC).
It has four sub-schemes and is carried out by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment.
There are two sub-schemes in SHREYAS for OBC and others.
The National Fellowship for OBC is the only one of the two scholarship programs.
The Scholarships for Higher Education for Young Achievers (SHREYAS) program is not run by the Department of Persons with Disabilities.
Nonetheless, the Department is putting into practice an umbrella program called "Scholarship for Students with Disabilities (Divyangjan)," which is made up of six smaller programs.
Since all of the aforementioned programs are central sector programs, states and districts do not receive funding.
Students from any state may profit from these schemes, which are administered across India.
2025's New 15 Point Program
Recently, the Prime Minister revealed his new 15-point programs for minority welfare.
In order to guarantee that the weaker and less fortunate segments of six centrally recognized minority populations have equitable access to the different programs, this program encompasses the numerous initiatives and schemes of the collaborating Ministries and Departments.
The program's overarching goals are as follows:
expanding educational options;
ensuring that minorities have a fair share of economic activity and employment via new and existing programs, improved financial assistance for self-employment, and hiring for positions in the State and Central Governments;
enhancing minorities' quality of life by guaranteeing them a fair portion of infrastructure development projects; and
prevention and management of violence and discord in the community.
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