Leader of Opposition
Recently constituted 18th Lok Sabha will have a Leader of Opposition (LoP), which remained vacant for the past 10 years.
- Leader of the largest opposition party with not less than 1/10th seats of the total strength of the Lok Sabha is recognised as the LoP.
- Not mentioned in the Constitution.
- Accorded Statutory recognition under Salaries and Allowances of Leader of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977
- Position – Entitled to the salary, allowances and other facilities equivalent to that of a cabinet minister
Exercise HOPEX
Exercise HOPEX conducted
- A joint military exercise between Indian Air Force (IAF) and Egyptian Air Force.
- Aim – To promote bilateral and regional cooperation.
ULLAS-NILP
Ladakh has achieved full functional literacy under the ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram or New India Literacy Programme (NILP).
- Launched by – Ministry of Education
- Aim – Education for All.
- Centrally sponsored scheme
- Beneficiaries – Cover non-literates of age group of 15 years and above
- Implemented through volunteerism through online mode.
Biomass Briquettes
Biomass briquettes emerge as a fuel alternative for the power and electricity generation sector.
- Composition – Compact blocks of organic materials like agricultural residues, forestry wastes, or waste biomass.
- Briquetting Process – Densification of biomass to improve its characteristics as a renewable energy resource.
- Advantages –
- Carbon-Neutral and help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
- Enhances Supply Chain Resilience as it uses locally available feedstock
India’s External Debt
RBI has released the data for India’s External Debt as at the end of March 2024.
- India’s external debt was placed at US$ 663.8 billion, an increase of US$ 39.7 billion over last year.
- External debt to GDP ratio declined to 18.7% from 19%.
- Share of long-term debt increased while that of short-term debt declined.
- US Dollar denominated debt at 53.8% share remained the largest component of India’s external debt followed by Indian rupee, yen, SDR, and euro – denominated debt.