Uttar Pradesh

• 06 Feb 2024

Pakistani Mole in India's Embassy in Russia Arrested

Why in News?

The Anti-Terrorism Squad of the Uttar Pradesh Police has arrested Satendra Siwal, a security assistant at New Delhi’s diplomatic mission in Moscow.

• It is revealed that Pakistan’s military spy agency had planted a mole at the Embassy of India in Moscow to obtain classified information about the country’s relations with Russia, including defence cooperation between the two nations.

Key Points

• He was a resident of Hapur and one of the multitasking staff at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) who was posted at the Embassy of India in Moscow as a security assistant from 2021.
  • His exposure as an agent of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) came almost 14 years after the arrest of Madhuri Gupta, a Grade B officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), who was posted at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad and was used by the neighboring country’s intelligence agency for espionage.
• New Delhi’s ties with Moscow have also been under the scanner of the United States and the rest of the West, after India refused to lend its voice to the clamour against Russia’s “special military operations” in Ukraine and defied American and European sanctions to continue procuring crude oil and military hardware with the former Soviet Union nation.
• The last public exposure of an ISI mole in a diplomatic mission of New Delhi had taken place after 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists had carried out the 26/11 carnage in Mumbai from November 26 to 28 in 2008, killing 166 persons and injuring many others.
  • Madhuri Gupta was posted at the High Commission of India in Islamabad when she was lured by the ISI agents, who used her to secure classified information from New Delhi’s diplomatic mission in the Pakistani capital.
  • India’s intelligence agencies put her under the scanner, and it was confirmed that she was working for the ISI. She was summoned to New Delhi for some official work and was arrested. She was later convicted and imprisoned. She passed away in 2021.

UP Budget 2024-25 Highlights and Key Announcements

Why in News?

On 5^th February, 2024 Uttar Pradesh finance minister Suresh Kumar Khanna presented the budget for the financial year 2024-2025 in the state assembly.

Key Points

• The total expenditure is estimated at Rs 7,36,437.71 crore.
• Out of the total expenditure, Rs 5,32,655.33 crore has been allocated for the revenue account and Rs 2,03,782.38 crore for capital account.
• After deducting the total expenditure from the receipts of the consolidated fund, a deficit of Rs 15,103.89 crore is estimated in the budget.
• Three schemes to push the agriculture sector:
  • State Agricultural Development Scheme, will have a provision of Rs 200 crore.
  • Rs 200 crore has been allocated for the World Bank-assisted UP Agris Scheme.
  • For the installation of automatic weather station-automatic rain gauge in blocks and panchayats has been allocated Rs 60 crore.
• An increase in the amount payable to eligible beneficiaries under the Destitute Women Pension Scheme from Rs 500 per month to Rs 1,000 per month was announced.
  • A total of 31,28,000 destitute women have benefited from the scheme until the third quarter of 2023-2024.
• The Women Farmer Empowerment Project aims to provide technical support by forming 200 producer groups in the financial year 2024-2025.
• The state's budget for 2023-2024 was Rs 6.90 lakh crore, which included the allocation of Rs 32,721 crore for new schemes.

Article 112

• According to Article 112 of the Indian Constitution, the Union Budget of a year is referred to as the Annual Financial Statement (AFS).
• It is a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the Government in a Financial Year (which begins on 1st April of the current year and ends on 31st March of the following year).

The Destitute Women Pension Scheme

• It is a State scheme under which destitute or deserted women and widows of 18 years of age or above are given pension as per eligibility criteria laid down in the rules of the scheme.
• The aim of the scheme is to provide social security to women who are unable to sustain themselves with their own resources and are in need of financial assistance.

Uttar Pradesh Budget: Rs. 1,150 crore Allocated for Noida International Airport

Why in News?

The Uttar Pradesh government has allocated Rs. 1,150 crore for the upcoming Noida International Airport at GautamBuddha Nagar in the budget for 2024-25.

Key Points

• The announcement was made by UP's Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna as he tabled the budget for the fiscal year in the state assembly.
• Development is underway for phase one of Noida International Airport, which is scheduled to open for commercial operations by the end of 2024.
• To enhance air connectivity in the state, initiatives are being carried out under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN) of the Centre and Civil Aviation Promotion Policy of the state government.
• For air connectivity, selected airports like Aligarh, Azamgarh, Moradabad, Shravasti and Chitrakoot have been developed. Development work of the airports of Mayorpur (Sonbhadra) and Sarsawa (Saharanpur) is in progress.
  • A proposal of Rs. 150 crore has been made for expansion of Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya.
  • Rs. 1,100 crore has been proposed for construction, expansion, and strengthening of airstrips as well as land acquisition.

Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN)

• It was launched as a Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016.
• It was formulated based on the review of The National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP)-2016 and it was planned to remain in force for a period of 10 years.
• Under this Scheme, Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF) was created, which funds the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) requirements of the scheme through a levy on certain domestic flights.
  • VGF means a grant one-time or deferred, provided to support infrastructure projects that are economically justified but fall short of financial viability.