UP Defense and Aerospace Unit and Employment Promotion Policy by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet
Why
is it in news?
• On August 16, 2022,
the Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved the "UP Defense and Aerospace Unit and
Employment Promotion Policy-2022" (Uttar Pradesh Defense and Aerospace
Unit and Employment Promotion Policy-2022).
• This policy will make
the existing policy more flexible and attractive. It will attract more
investment in defense and aerospace manufacturing sectors in the state.
Highlights
• UP Defense and
Aerospace Unit and Employment Promotion Policy-2022
• Under this policy,
high incentive will be provided to those investors who want to set up their
units in the defense and aerospace manufacturing sector in the state.
• This new policy
amends the 2018 policy to provide incentives up to a maximum of Rs 500 crore,
as against the existing incentive of Rs 15 crore. This will attract large
investments.
• This policy provides
capital subsidy of 7% in non-Bundelkhand region while 10% subsidy in
Bundelkhand region of UP. There is a maximum incentive of Rs 500 crore in both
the sectors.
• A maximum of Rs 50
crore will be provided as capital subsidy in a financial year. If the amount of
subsidy is more, it will be given in installments in the coming years.
• This policy also
provides facilities like electricity, road, water etc. in new industrial areas.
• This new policy has
been prepared in line with the policies of other states. It is more attractive
and futuristic.
• The Uttar Pradesh
government has so far received an investment of Rs 2,800 crore to Rs 3,000
crore in the defense and aerospace manufacturing sector. However, it has set a
target of getting an investment of Rs 10,000 crore.
After wheat, now India is heading towards rice crisis, increase in prices increases difficulties
Why
is it in news?
After wheat, the crisis
of rice is rising. This is the reason that along with wheat, now the prices of
rice have started increasing. During the last one month, the wholesale price of
rice has increased by 4 percent and compared to last year, the price of rice
has increased by 7.3 percent.
Highlights
• According to the
Price Monitoring Cell of the Department of Consumer Affairs, the retail price
of rice as on August 17, 2022 was Rs 37.94 per kg, while the wholesale price of
rice was Rs 3295.24 per quintal. Whereas a month before that on July 17, 2022,
the retail price of rice was Rs 36.6 per kg and the wholesale price was Rs
3167.18 per kg. That is, the retail price has increased by 3.09 percent and the
wholesale price by 4.04 percent in a month.
• If today's price is
compared with last year, according to the Price Monitoring Cell, the retail
price of rice on August 17 last year was Rs 35.61 per kg, which has increased
to Rs 37.73 (5.95 per cent higher) this year. Whereas the wholesale price has
increased from Rs 3068.95 per quintal last year to Rs 3295.26 per quintal (7.37
per cent higher).
• The interesting thing
is that rice is being sold very expensive in those areas where rice is eaten.
For example, rice is being sold at Rs 58 per kg in Chennai, Rs 41 per kg in
Kolkata.
• In fact, the abnormal
distribution of rains in the current monsoon season has caused significant
damage to the paddy crop. Data for the second week ended August 12, 2022 of the
Union Agriculture Ministry shows that 309.79 lakh hectares of area has been
sown under paddy in Kharif season, as against 353.62 lakh hectares till the
second week of August last year. .
• Paddy has not been
sown in 43.83 lakh hectares (12.40 per cent less) this year as compared to last
year. The total area under paddy in the country is about 397 lakh hectares.
That is, by the second week of August last year, usually 90 percent of the
paddy was sown. But this year only about 70 percent sowing has been done.
• The most affected
state is Jharkhand. Here last year paddy was sown in 15.25 lakh hectare area,
but this year only 3.885 lakh hectare has been sown. Similarly, last year in
Bihar, paddy was sown in 30.27 lakh hectare, but this year it has been sown in
26.27 lakh hectare.
• The most affected
state is Jharkhand. Here last year paddy was sown in 15.25 lakh hectare area,
but this year only 3.885 lakh hectare has been sown. Similarly, last year in
Bihar, paddy was sown in 30.27 lakh hectare, but this year it has been sown in
26.27 lakh hectare.
• West Bengal has 24.3
lakh hectares this year against 35.53 lakh hectares, Odisha 20.368 lakh
hectares against 24.68 lakh hectares, Uttar Pradesh 56.930 lakh hectares
against 58.92 lakh hectares, Madhya Pradesh 25.480 lakh hectares against 29.94
lakh hectares. hectare, paddy has been sown in 32.25 lakh hectare as against
33.68 lakh in Chhattisgarh, 9.68 lakh hectare as against 13.07 lakh hectare in
Telangana.
• Of course, no
estimate has been issued by the Government of India about rice production so
far, but on August 16, 2022 by the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA), the forecasts released about India in Rice Outlet August 2022 are very
shocking. .
• USDA has said that
rice production in India may decline by 0.9 percent in 2022-23. Which will
reduce production for the first time after 2015-16. According to USDA, India is
expected to produce 128.5 million tonnes of rice in the year 2022-23. It is
worth mentioning here that in 2021-22, a record production of 130.29 lakh
tonnes of rice was done.
• The USDA attributed
the decline in rice production to the uneven distribution of the southeast
monsoon. However, despite this, the USDA has said that since the production of
rice in other countries will also be less, in such a situation, India can
export a record of rice. USDA has estimated the total consumption of rice in
India at 108.4 million tonnes.
However, if we analyze
production vis--vis consumption, India's rice stock can be decent. But this is
possible only when the government keeps a close watch on the export of rice.
Because this year it happened in the case of wheat also. While wheat production
was decreasing, India was exporting wheat heavily to take advantage of the
situation created by the Russo-Ukraine war.
• Later the government
had to ban the export of wheat.
• Talking about the
food stock so far, the situation is that the total stock of rice and wheat with
the government as on 31 July 2022 was 545.97 lakh tonnes, including wheat
266.45 lakh tonnes and rice 279.52 lakh tonnes. . If we talk about last year,
as on 31 July 2022, there was 855.88 lakh tonnes of wheat and rice in the
central pool. It is being told that the position of the food stock is at its
lowest during the last five years.