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The buzz around the Union Budget 2022–2023 is getting strong now that the government is expected to sustain India’s economic growth amidst the prevailing third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. While Q1 of FY2021-22 was subdued due to the second wave, the economy gradually resuscitated with demand recovery and the resumption of business activities. India’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) registered a growth of 8.4 percent in Q2 (July–September), compared to a 7.4 percent contraction that was reported a year ago. This uptick brought much cheer to the logistics sector, as it registered a strong recovery in Q2 of FY2022, with the momentum carrying forward in Q3. Thus, 2021 ended on a bright note for the Indian economy. However, the Omicron variant has emerged as a threat to global recovery, bringing with it, once again, supply chain disruptions. As India looks forward to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing the Budget on February 1, here are some recommendations that can alleviate t

Relations between India and the UK are growing stronger as the first month of 2022 draws to a close. The New Year has begun with the announcement that the much anticipated between India and the UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations have begun in earnest. As the negotiating teams sit down together, the Union Budget 2022-23 will shortly be announced setting the tone of India’s domestic policy for the forthcoming financial year and beyond. UK businesses, with one eye on the FTA negotiations, will also be watching the Budget closely. The Ministry of Finance is justifiably positive of the strong economic recovery and growth India has posted as it recovers from the pandemic. The latest figures show that the growth in real GDP is estimated to have averaged more than 9 percent in 2021-22 buoyed by robust activity from all sectors and particularly in the manufacturing sector which has grown at an impressive 12.5 percent over the same period.  A significant result of this positive performa

Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged in the country on Sunday, 23 January. In Delhi, fuel is relatively cheaper than the rest of the metros because the state government had earlier decided to reduce the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol, bringing down the price of the fuel in the city by about Rs 8 per litre. At a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, it was decided that the VAT on petrol will be reduced from the present 30 percent to 19.4 percent, leading to a cut of around Rs 8 per litre, officials said. The price of petrol after the VAT cut will go down from the current Rs 103 per litre to Rs 95 per litre, sources told <em>PTI</em>. Earlier, the petrol price in Delhi was higher as compared to the NCR cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where the state governments had announced a VAT cut following the Centre reducing the excise duty on fuel prices. The Centre had on the eve of Diwali, announced excise duty cut on fuels resulting in a sharp

It’s simply impossible to imagine an Indian city without two-wheelers. A large part of the country's population primarily moves on two-wheelers. In India, more than 25% of people commute to work either on bicycles or two-wheelers, as they are an affordable and reliable means of transport for people across urban and rural areas of the country. Also almost one-third of all households own one. It’s widely held that close to 75 million two-wheelers are actually plying on Indian roads which include tier I, II and III cities. Moreover each year, India is adding 17-18 million two-wheelers to the roads. But the fact is, two-wheelers pollute a lot! It may come as a surprise to many, but two-wheelers emit nearly the same CO2 emissions as a car. Therefore putting the majority of the onus of emission reduction on the shoulders of those riders. In light of the above, the switch to electric vehicles is inevitable. While the government has come up with their EV subsidy programmes, FAME (Fast

The birth anniversary of freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is celebrated every year on 23 January. He is considered to be one of the most iconic and influential leaders, who played a significant role in gaining independence from the British Rule. Bose’s birth anniversary is marked as Subhas Chandra Bose Jayanti or Netaji Jayanti across the country. In states such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, Tripura and Assam, the day is an official holiday. This year, the country will observe Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary. The government has declared that Bose’s birth anniversary will be celebrated as Parakram Diwas. According to an  India Today  report quoting government sources, this year’s Republic Day celebrations will begin from 23 January instead of 24 January to include the birth anniversary of Netaji. https://ift.tt/3fNM2hZ Bose was born in 1897 in Odisha’s Cuttack to Prabhabati Bose and Janakinath Bose. From a very young age, Netaji considered Swami Vivekanand as his spiritual g

Amid the kerfuffle over the rejection of West Bengal’s tableau for the Republic Day parade and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that a statue of Subhas Chandra Bose will be installed in the canopy that Edwin Lutyens designed for George V, not many will remember a factoid: a gigantic statue of Netaji had already graced Rajpath — in 2005. It was part of the tableau of the justice department of the Union government, but that is beside the point! While it is not known in what avatar West Bengal proposed to celebrate Netaji on their 2022 float, the one that featured in that 2005 Republic Day parade in New Delhi had him in military uniform, arm raised and finger pointing forward, simulating his famous ‘Dilli Chalo!’ clarion call. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced that she will salute that Netaji tableau before Kolkata’s Republic Day parade, so the effort has not gone to waste. Also read: Excluding West Bengal's tableau from Republic Day parade is an

The Indian Army has opened its online recruitment window for candidates seeking to apply for the Short Service Commission (SSC) course. Those who are interested and want to apply for NT JAG and 10+2 TES-47 courses can do so by visiting the official website of the Indian Army at joinindianarmy.nic.in. Candidates should note that the last date to apply for the registered post is till 17 February, while the registration process began on 19 January. Here are a few steps on how to apply for Indian Army NT JAG Course 2022: Step 1: Go to the official website at joinindianarmy.nic.in. Step 2: Search and click on ‘Officer Entry Appln/Login’ link and then click ‘Registration’. Step 3: After registration, click on ‘Apply Online’ which is under Dashboard. Step 4: A new page as ‘Officers Selection - ‘Eligibility’ will open. Step 5: Click on ‘Apply’ that is shown against the Short Service Commission JAG Entry Course. Step 6: The online application form will open. Candidates need fill in all

The grand statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, which is to be installed at New Delhi's India Gate, will be carved by Adwaita Gadanayak. He is the Director-General of the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) under the Ministry of Culture. The major announcement of the installation of Netaji's statue came on Friday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He highlighted that the statue installation will be a symbol of the nation's 'indebtedness' to the iconic freedom fighter. According to Livemint , Gadanayak has expressed happiness over the opportunity. "I am delighted. It is a matter of honour for me as a sculptor that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose to give this responsibility to me," he said. Born in Dhenkanal's Neulapoi village, Gadanayak studied art from BK College of Arts and Crafts. He pursued his master's degree from the College of Art in New Delhi. In 2018, the Odia sculptor had created the National Police Memorial in New Delhi. One of hi

At least two dead and 17 injured in a major fire that broke out on the 18th floor of a residential building in the Tardeo area of central Mumbai on Saturday morning, an official said. Of those injured, three are in critical condition and have been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of a nearby hospital. The blaze erupted around 7 am in Kamla building located opposite Gandhi Hospital at Gowalia Tank, the official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. "It is a ground plus 20-storey building. The fire broke out on its 18th floor. On being alerted, the fire brigade personnel and police rushed the spot. Thirteen fire engines, seven water jetties, among others, are involved in the firefighting operation," he said, adding that it was tagged as a level-3 (major) fire. Several persons were injured in the fire. While 15 of them were taken to the nearby Bhatia Hospital, four others were rushed to the Nair Hospital, the official said. "Doctors at the Nair Hospit

Dr Shriram Nene, a cardiothoracic surgeon, recently launched his YouTube channel to talk about various health issues. The healthcare innovator, who is married to actor Madhuri Dixit, shares informative health snippets on his social media handles. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Dr Shriram Nene talks about the pandemic, how the new COVID-19 variant is impacting the heart, his plans to reach out to far more patients through social media, and more. Excerpts: COVID-19 cases are again increasing. What do you have to say about it? Indeed, they are increasing worldwide as well as in India. The US has a record number of cases of almost 800 thousand to millions in one single day. If there is any good news about the Omicron variant which was first reported in South Africa, it is that it appears to be less toxic. Basically, it's not causing the level of lung imperilments that the Delta virus did. The result of what we are seeing is that it's twice more transmissible than th

Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged in the country on Saturday, 22 January. In Delhi, fuel is relatively cheaper than the rest of the metros because the state government had earlier decided to reduce the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol, bringing down the price of the fuel in the city by about Rs 8 per litre. At a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, it was decided that the VAT on petrol will be reduced from the present 30 percent to 19.4 percent, leading to a cut of around Rs 8 per litre, officials said. The price of petrol after the VAT cut will go down from the current Rs 103 per litre to Rs 95 per litre, sources told PTI . Earlier, the petrol price in Delhi was higher as compared to the NCR cities in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where the state governments had announced a VAT cut following the Centre reducing the excise duty on fuel prices. The Centre had on the eve of Diwali, announced excise duty cut on fuels resulting in a sharp decrease in petrol

As the date draws closer to the presentation of the Union Budget 2022-23, all eyes are on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Many people are eager to know if Sitharaman will announce some income tax benefits on 1 February. The income tax system is dived into two structures at the moment- new and old taxation regimes. Each system has a number of slabs or tax rates for individual taxpayers, depending on their annual income and age. Here is how you can calculate your income tax ahead of the Union Budget ―    Visit the official website of the Income Tax department of the Union government at – https://ift.tt/2gAs9w2 ―    Click on the option for tax tools that is given on the main page ―    Select the option for tax calculator and enter the required details such as your residential status, net taxable income and so on ―    Submit your financial details to see the Income Tax you have to pay Direct link here. Individual taxpayers fall under three categories- people below 60 years of

It appears that Kerala is firmly in the grips of the third COVID-19 wave as recorded its highest-single day spike in coronavirus cases – 46,387 – since the pandemic broke out in March 2020 on Thursday. The southern state had last reported its highest daily tally in May 2021 at 43,529. We take a look at what’s going wrong in Kerala, which was hailed as a unique success story in battling the virus during the first wave in 2020. COVID rages across Kerala On Thursday, the state recorded a high of 46,387 cases, taking its test positivity rate (TPR) to 40.2 per cent — the highest ever figure since the onslaught of the pandemic. The worst-hit capital district of Thiruvananthapuram has 9720 new cases with a test positivity rate of 46.68 per cent. In the districts of Ernakulam and Kozhikode also TPR has gone up to 45.6 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively. Data from the state shows that as of now, there are 1,99,041 active cases. Among these, only 3 per cent are hospitalised. A total of

With less than one month before the start of the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) 2022, several candidates are demanding the postponement of the exam due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country. According to PTI , over 23,000 candidates, who are set to appear for GATE 2022, have signed a petition demanding that the exam be deferred in view of the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic in the country. The hashtag #PostponeGATE2022 was also trending recently on Twitter, according to NDTV . According to an NDTV report, several studies on the third COVID-19 wave, including one done by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, state that the third wave of the pandemic is expected to peak in February and end by April. Many GATE candidates took to social media to raise the topic of deferring the exam due to the surge in cases and the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. COVID cases are increasing day by day. In this difficult time we urge @EduMinOfIndia @

A measly Rs 1.50 lakh is what one gets by way of deduction from taxable income towards savings and investments. And this has been caught in a time warp — no upward revision in the last decade or so whereas ideally it should be revised upwards every year in recognition of the erosion in the value of money. Its one-size-fits-all character is even more questionable. If under progressive system of taxation, the rates should go up with one’s income, then equally the avenue for tax-oriented savings should also be resilient to accommodate their greater savings urges and capacity. It is not as if such loosening of purse strings would make a dent in the revenue of the exchequer given the fact that most saving/investment schemes under Section 80C are either flowing into governmental coffers or for capital formation like tuition fee for children and roof under one’s head. It is duplicitous to allow Rs 2 lakh towards set off of losses from self-occupied houses emanating from the interest componen

After 50 long years, at 3.54 pm this afternoon, Air Marshal Balabadra Radha Krishna, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff will merge the flames of Amar Jawan Jyoti with the eternal flame at the National War Memorial in a ceremonial function. The moment will mark a transition in the history of the iconic India Gate memorial, where the eternal Amar Jawan Jyoti flame has been burning since 1971. Here's a look at why this is being done, how people have reacted and the history of the Amar Jawan Jyoti. History of Amar Jawan Jyoti The Amar Jawan Jyoti was constructed as a memorial for Indian soldiers who were killed in action in the 1971 Indo-Pak war, which India won, leading to the creation of Bangladesh. It was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on 26 January 1972. It is a memorial symbolised by an inverted bayonet and soldier's helmet over it with an eternal flame burning beside it. The flame that burns at the Amar Jawan Jyoti is kept alive all year. There ar

With the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections around the corner, each political party is ensuring they leave no stone unturned to turn the tide in their favour. And in that vein, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav may contest the polls from Karhal constituency in Mainpuri district. Earlier, there were speculations about Akhilesh Yadav may contest from the Gopalpur assembly seat of Azamgarh. समाजवादी पार्टी प्रमुख अखिलेश यादव मैनपुरी के करहल विधानसभा क्षेत्र से चुनाव लड़ेंगे: सूत्र #UPAssemblyElections2022 — ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) January 20, 2022 One must note that Akhilesh Yadav, the Lok Sabha MP from Azamgarh constituency, has never contested a state election. When he became the Uttar Pradesh chief minister in 2012, he took the Legislative Council route. Take a look at the Karhal constituency, which will go to the polls on 20 February. Karhal is one of the five Assembly segments in Mainpuri, the constituency that Akhilesh Yadav's father and Samajwadi patriarch

  Uncertainty looms over two of the biggest Indian projects in Myanmar regarded as vital components of the Act East Policy aimed at forging closer ties with the Asia-Pacific. Work on the multi-crore Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project has been halted in Myanmar owing to many factors. In reply to an RTI application, the Ministry of External Affairs said that progress on the crucial greenfield road of 109 kilometres in Myanmar has been “impacted due to COVID-19, security reason and due to bankruptcy of existing (sic) contractor.” The reply added that “restriction” on the movement of resources has affected the pace of the project and the government is coordinating with concerned ministries of Myanmar for its “smooth execution”. The project, which has a road and waterway component, aims at providing an outlet to the landlocked North East. The road also covers a distance of 87 kilometres from the border at Zorinpui to the district headquarters of Lawngtlai in Mizoram which has