National
PM inaugurates Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in Ayodhya
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the newly built Ayodhya Airport on 30 December 2023.
Prime Minister said Maharishi Valmiki’s Ramayana is the path of knowledge which connects us to Shri Ram. Maharishi Valmiki International Airport in modern India will connect us to Ayodhya Dham and the divine-grand-new Ram temple. In the first phase the airport can handle 10 lakh passengers annually and after the second phase, Maharishi Valmiki International Airport will cater to 60 lakh commuters annually.
About Airport:
- The airport has been named Maharishi Valmiki International Airport.
- Phase 1 of the state-of-the-art airport is developed at a cost of more than Rs 1450 crore.
- The airport’s terminal building will have an area of 6500 sqm, equipped to serve about 10 lakh passengers annually.
- The facade of the Terminal Building depicts the temple architecture of the upcoming Shri Ram Mandir of Ayodhya. The interiors of the terminal Building are decorated with local art, paintings & murals depicting the life of Bhagwan Shri Ram.
- The terminal building of Ayodhya airport is also equipped with various sustainability features like insulated roofing system, LED lighting, rain water harvesting, landscaping with fountains, water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, solar power plant and many other such features have been provided to meet GRIHA – 5-star ratings.
- The airport will improve connectivity in the region, leading to a boost in tourism, business activities and employment opportunities.
PM inaugurates Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station and flags off first two Amrit Bharat trains and six Vande Bharat Trains
⇒ The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Ayodhya Railway Station and flagged off new Amrit Bharat trains and Vande Bharat trains on 30 December 2023.
Prime Minister said Ayodhya Dham Railway Station handles 10 thousand people now this will reach 60 thousand after revamping will be complete. The Prime Minister expressed delight that the first Amrit Bharat train is going through Ayodhya.
Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station:
Phase I of redeveloped Ayodhya Railway Station – known as Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station – is developed at a cost of more than Rs 240 crore.
- The three-storey modern railway station building is equipped with all modern features like lifts, escalators, food plazas, shops for puja needs, cloak rooms, child care rooms, waiting halls.
- The station building will be ‘accessible for all’ and ‘IGBC certified green station building’.
Amrit Bharat Express:
The programme at Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station witnessed the Prime Minister flagging off a new category of superfast passenger trains in the country – the Amrit Bharat Express.
- The Amrit Bharat train is an LHB push pull train with non-air-conditioned coaches. This train has locos at both ends for better acceleration.
- It provides improved facilities for rail passengers like beautiful and attractive designed seats, better luggage rack, mobile charging point with suitable mobile holder, LED lights, CCTV, public information system, among others.
- The Prime Minister flagged off two new Amrit Bharat trains viz Darbhanga-Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express and Malda Town-Sir M Visvesvaraya Terminus (Bengaluru) Amrit Bharat Express.
- Darbhanga – Anand Vihar Terminal Amrit Bharat Express is India’s 1st Non-AC Superfast Amrit Bharat Express train.
Six new Vande Bharat Trains:
The Prime Minister also flagged off six new Vande Bharat Trains.
- These include Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express; Amritsar-Delhi Vande Bharat Express; Coimbatore-Bangalore Cantt Vande Bharat Express; Mangalore-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express; Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express and Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal Vande Bharat Express.
Several other railway projects:
The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation three railway projects worth Rs 2300 crore to strengthen rail infrastructure in the region.
- The projects include the Rooma Chakeri-Chanderi third line project; Jaunpur-Tulsi Nagar, Akbarpur-Ayodhya, Sohawal-Patranga and Safdarganj-Rasauli sections of the Jaunpur-Ayodhya-Barabanki doubling project; and doubling and electrification project of the Malhaur-Daliganj railway section.
Ministry of Home Affairs declares ‘Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Jammu and Kashmir (TeH)’ as an 'Unlawful Association'
⇒ Government of India has declared ‘Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Jammu and Kashmir (TeH)’ as an ‘Unlawful Association’ under Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967 in December 2023.
Key Points:
- The objective of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, Jammu and Kashmir (TeH) is to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India and establish Islamic rule in Jammu and Kashmir.
- This organization has been involved in fomenting terrorism and anti-India propaganda for fueling secessionism in Jammu and Kashmir, which is prejudicial to the sovereignty, security and integrity of India.
- Many criminal cases have been registered against this organization under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act, RPC and IPC etc.
16th Finance Commission
⇒ The Government of India, with the approval of the President of India, has constituted the Sixteenth Finance Commission, in pursuance to Article 280(1) of the Constitution. The Commission’s tenure is up to 31 October 2025.
Chairman:
- Dr Arvind Panagariya, former Vice-Chairman, NITI Aayog, and Professor, Columbia University, is the Chairman of the Commission.
Secretary:
- Shri Ritvik Ranjanam Pandey has been appointed as Secretary to the Commission.
The Sixteenth Finance Commission shall make recommendations as to the following matters, namely:
- The distribution between the Union and the States of the net proceeds of taxes which are to be, or may be, divided between them under Chapter I, Part XII of the Constitution and the allocation between the States of the respective shares of such proceeds;
- The principles which should govern the grants-in-aid of the revenues of the States out of the Consolidated Fund of India and the sums to be paid to the States by way of grants-in-aid of their revenues under article 275 of the Constitution for the purposes other than those specified in the provisos to clause (1) of that article; and
- The measures needed to augment the Consolidated Fund of a State to supplement the resources of the Panchayats and Municipalities in the State on the basis of the recommendations made by the Finance Commission of the State.
Key Points:
- The Sixteenth Finance Commission may review the present arrangements on financing Disaster Management initiatives, with reference to the funds constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (53 of 2005), and make appropriate recommendations thereon.
- The Sixteenth Finance Commission has been requested to make its report available by 31st day of October, 2025 covering a period of five years commencing on the 1st day of April, 2026.