Public Awareness & General Administration
Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Amendment Bill, 2024.
- Objective: It aims to resolve grievances of global firms interested in investing by ensuring stability in operation in oil and gas exploration and production.
- Key Change: Delinks petroleum operations from mining operations.
- Status: Passed by Rajya Sabha in December 2024 and Lok Sabha in March 2025.
- Decriminalization:It Replaces criminal penalties of the original Oilfields (Regulation and Development) Act, 1948 with fines, adjudication, and appeal mechanisms.
- Ensures Stability: It Provides stable tenure for leases, making investment conditions predictable.
- No Change in State Rights: States will continue issuing petroleum leases and receiving royalties.
- India is the only country where petrol and diesel prices have dropped in the last three years. (because the government reduced central excise duty twice.)
Govt – Welfare oriented Govt schemes, their utility
Mission Amrit Sarovar
- The Indian Railways will dig ponds as part of the Union government’s Mission Amrit Sarovar.
- It aims to address the critical issue of water scarcity in the country.
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- Nodal ministry : Ministry of Rural Development
- It was launched in April 2022 with the ambitious goal of constructing or rejuvenating 75 ponds in each district of the country.
- Phase 2 of the mission was launched with a renewed focus on ensuring water availability, with community participation (Jan Bhagidaari) at its core.
- It aims to strengthen climate resilience, foster ecological balance, and deliver lasting benefits for future generations.
