The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi approved the proposal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for the continuation of ‘Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) – Housing for All’ up to December 31st 2024.
- Upto March 31st, 2022, Central Assistance of Rs 1,18,020.46 crore has already been released, and now under the extension, Rs 85,406 crore will be released as Central Assistance till 31st December 2024 for the completion of already sanctioned 122.69 lakh houses.
Reason behind this extension:
In 2017, the original project demand was 100 lakh houses. Against this, 102 lakh houses have been grounded/under construction. Further, out of these 62 lakh houses have been completed. Out of the total sanctioned 123 lakh houses, the proposals of 40 lakh houses were received late (from the States/UTs (Union Territories) which require another two years to complete them.
- Therefore, based on the requests from the States/UTs, the Union Cabinet decided to extend the implementation period of PMAY-U till December 2024.
- It will help in the completion of already sanctioned houses under Beneficiary Led Construction/ Enhancement (BLC), Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP), In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR) verticals.
About PMAY-U:
PMAY-U, a flagship program of the Government of India implemented by MoHUA, was launched in 2015 to provide all-weather pucca houses to all eligible beneficiaries in the urban areas of the country through States/UTs/Central Nodal Agencies. It was launched with the aim to achieve housing for all by 2022.
- According to data on the PMAY site, a total of 12.26 million houses have been sanctioned so far, out of which 61.77 lakh houses have been completed.
- Click Here to read about PMAY-U
Union Cabinet approves Audio Visual Co-Production Treaty b/w India & Australia
The Union Cabinet also approved the signing of ‘Audio Visual Co-Production Treaty’ between India and Australia to promote co-production of films.
- As per the treaty, the respective contributions of the producers of India and Australia may vary from 20% to 80% of the final total cost of co-production work.
Benefits:
It will boost ties with Australia, lead to exchange of art and culture, showcase the soft power of India, lead to generation of employment among artistic, technical as well as non-technical personnel engaged in audio-visual co-production, including production and post-production work.
Key Points:
i.Such agreements are Umbrella Agreements under which private, quasi-government or governmental agencies enter into contracts to produce films together.
ii.India has, so far, signed 15 Audio Visual Co-production Treaties with foreign countries.
iii.Australia has emerged as a preferred destination for shooting Indian films.
iv.The use of Indian locations would increase the prospects of the country becoming a preferred film-shooting destination and also lead to inflow of foreign exchange.
About Australia:
Capital– Canberra
Currency– Australian Dollar
Cabinet approves ratification of 11th Additional protocol to the Constitution of UPU
The Union Cabinet approved the ratification of amendments to the Constitution of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) as contained in the 11th Additional Protocol to the Constitution signed during the 27th Congress of the Universal Postal Union held at Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire from 9 to 27 August 2021.
The approval enables the Department of Posts, Government of India, to have the Instrument of Ratification signed by the President of India and have the same deposited with the Director General of the International Bureau of the UPU.
Key Points:
i.This approval will fulfil the obligations arising from Article 25 and 30 of the UPU Constitution which provides for ratification of the amendments to the Constitution adopted by a Congress as soon as possible by the member countries.
ii.This also ensures further legal clarity and stability to the Acts of the UPU, bring terminological consistencies, resolve several long-standing discrepancies in the text, and accommodate provisions for acceptance or approval of the Acts consistent with Vienna Conventions on Law of Treaties, 1969.
Recent Related News:
i.The Union Cabinet has approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Indian Ministry of Science & Technology; and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) of the Government of the Republic of Singapore on Cooperation in the fields of Science, Technology and Innovation.
ii.The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved the Signing of Guarantees for hosting the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Under-17 (U-17) Women’s World Cup 2022, which will be held in India between October 11th and 30th, 2022.
