Bihar Affairs
Bihar’s 15% GSDP growth in 2021-22 offsets Covid effect
Offsetting the Covid-19 pandemic effect,Biharrecorded theGross State Domestic Product(GSDP) Growth rate of 15.04 per cent in 2021-22, the highest during the past years, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India report, which was tabled in the .
“During the period of 2017-18 to 2021-22, the GSDP growth rate of Bihar was higher than the all-India Average at current prices. During 2021-22, the GSDP growth rate was recorded at 15.04 per cent, the highest during the last five years,” the CAG report states. During the pandemic period (2020-21), the GSDP growth rate was recorded at 0.80 per cent against the country’s GDP of (-) 1.36 per cent. In 2019-20, the GSDP was recorded at 10.33 per cent, followed by 12.64 per cent in 2018-19 and 11.33 per cent in 2017-18, the report states.
This, indeed, could be termed as wonderful given the fact that the economy of Bihar is primarily agrarian and it has higher POVERTY level as compared to the all-India average.
Apart from this, the density of Population in the state has increased from 881 persons per sq km (2001) to 1,327 persons per square km (2022).
The report also said the state witnessed an increase in Revenue Receipts by Rs 30,630 crore (23.90 per cent) in FY2021-22 over the previous financial year.
It further said during the past 10 financial years, transfer of funds from the central government had increased from Rs 42,178.31 crore in FY 2012-13 to Rs 1,19,958.45 crore in FY 201-22.
The report further stated that only 9,878.08 crore (13.87 per cent) out of the total Savings of Rs71,194.67 crore was surrendered during FY 2021-22. As per the report, the overall savings of Rs71,194.67 crore (26.83 per cent) resulted from savings of Rs 53,857.87 crore in 46 grants and eight appropriations under revenue section and savings of Rs 17,336.80 crore in 35 grants/appropriation under capital section, including seven grants under loans and advances and one grant under Public Debt repayments.
The CAG report further mentioned that in 34 cases (of savings amounting to Rs100 crore and above) of 27 grants, there were persistent total savings of Rs 42,260.60 crore and above during each of the last five financial years.
National and International Affairs
13.5 crore Indians move out of multidimensional poverty in 5 years: Niti Aayog report
India witnessed 13.5 crore people moving out of multidimensionalpovertybetween 2015-16 and 2019-21 with fastest reduction in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan, aNitiAayogreportsaid.
The report — ‘National <a href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/multidimensional-POVERTY-index”>Multidimensional Poverty Index: A progress of Review 2023′ — was released by Suman Bery, Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog.
“India has registered a significant decline of 9.89 Percentage points in number of India’s multidimensionally poor from 24.85 per cent in 2015-16 to 14.96 per cent in 2019-21,” it said.
The National MPI measures simultaneous deprivations across three equally weighted dimensions of Health, Education, and standard of living that are represented by 12 Sustainable Development goal (SDG) aligned indicators.
The report said rural areas witnessed the fastest decline in poverty from 32.59 per cent to 19.28 per cent, while the urban areas saw a reduction in poverty from 8.65 per cent to 5.27 per cent.
Providing multidimensional poverty estimates for the 36 states and Union Territories, and 707 administrative districts, the report said the fastest reduction in the proportion of multidimensional poor was observed in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan.
In the five years, the MPI value halved from 0.117 to 0.066 and intensity of poverty reduced from 47 per cent to 44 per cent, thereby setting India on the path of achieving the SDG target 1.2 (of reducing multidimensional poverty by at least half) much ahead of the stipulated timeline of 2030.
NitiAayogsaid the government’s dedicated focus on improving access to sanitation, Nutrition cooking fuel, Financial Inclusion, drinking water, and electricity has led to significant advancements in these areas.
India trying to find ways to resume India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway project
IndiaMyanmarThailand Trilateral Highwayhas been a “very difficult project” because of the situation in Myanmar and it is the government’s priority to find ways to resume it, External Affairs Minister SJaishankarsaid.
Jaishankar is here to participate in the 12th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Mekong Ganga Cooperation (MGC) Mechanism and attend the BIMSTEC Foreign Ministers’ Retreat.
India, Thailand and Myanmar are working on about 1,400-km-long highway that would link the country with Southeast Asia by land and give a boost to trade, business, Health, Education and tourism ties among the three countries.
Around 70 per cent of construction work on the ambitious India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway has been completed.
The highway will connect Moreh in Manipur, India with Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar.
The strategic highway project has been delayed. Earlier, the government was aiming to make the highway operational by December 2019.
Sitharaman annouces launch ofIndia Indonesia Economic and Financial Dialogue
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman alongside Indonesian counterpart Mulyani Indrawati announced the launch of the Economic and Financial Dialogue between the two nations at the ministerial level.
This dialogue aims to foster collaboration, promote trade and , and enhance economic cooperation between India and Indonesia, two of the fastest-growing economies in the world.
The platform, unveiled during the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (FMCBG) meeting, seeks to strengthen cooperation between the two nations and foster a shared understanding on global issues.
Since the adoption of Indias Look East Policy in 1991 and the subsequent Act East Policy, bilateral relations between India and Indonesia have witnessed significant Growth in both commercial and cultural domains.
Indonesia has emerged as Indias largest trading partner in the ASEAN region, with trade between the two countries increasing eightfold since 2005, reaching a remarkable USD 38 billion last year.