Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called the Budget people friendly, progressive and is giving a detailed statement about it at a program organized by the Bharat Jana ta Party.

Union Budget 2022 on Tuesday proposed stepping up spending to Rs 39.45 trillion in the coming fiscal year to build public infrastructure and drive economic growth, but it involves a wider fiscal deficit than targeted and record borrowing.

Finance Minister Nirvana Sitharaman, presenting the annual Budget to parliament, said total government spending in the 2022/23 fiscal year beginning in April will be 4.6 per cent more than the current year.

India recorded 161,386 new cases of Covid-19 and 1,733 deaths from the disease in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry on Wednesday.

The country’s coronavirus infection count increased to 41.6 million and total deaths to 497,975. The daily positivity rate dropped to 9.26 per cent from 11.6 per cent, while the weekly positive rate is 14.15 per cent.

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Budget’s focus is on poor, middle class, youth:

Budget’s focus is on poor, middle class and the youth—it gives them opportunities.

India’s economy has grown due to reforms:

Budget has important steps to take India towards modernity. New steps and reforms in past plans have expanded India’s economy: PM

Worldview about India has changed: PM

The way the world views India in a new manner. The world wants to see a stronger India, says

PM speaks to BJP workers about Budget

Finance Minister Nirvana Sitharaman gave a commendable budget. I will try, and explain the budget to BJP workers in a short time, though it's a lengthy and detailed document: PM

WHO warns against health risk from Covid hospital waste.

Discarded syringes, used test kits and old vaccine bottles from the Covid-19 pandemic have piled up to create tens of thousands of tonnes of medical waste, threatening human health and the environment, a World Health Organization report said on Tuesday. The material potentially exposes health workers to burns, needle-stick injuries and disease-causing germs, the report said, according to Reuters.

India logs 161,386 new cases of Covid-19

India recorded 161,386 new cases of Covid-19 and 1,733 deaths from the disease in the last 24 hours, said the health ministry on Wednesday.

Global Covid caseload tops 381.2 Mn

Amid an ongoing resurgence across the world, the global coronavirus caseload has topped 381.2 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.68 million and vaccinations to over 9.95 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Wednesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSE) revealed that the current global caseload and the death toll stood at 381,223,883 and 5,685,472, respectively, while the total number of vaccine doses administered has increased to 9,955,996,883.

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 75,316,209 and 890,528, according to the CSE.

China's Winter Olympics organizers report 32 new Covid cases

A total of 32 new Covid-19 infections were found among Olympic Games-related personnel on February 1, the organizing committee of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics said on Wednesday. Fifteen were among new airport arrivals, it said on the Games' official website, while 17 were among those in the "closed loop" bubble that separates all event personnel from the public, said Reuters.

Rahul Gandhi to be first speaker in debate on motion of thanks to President's address

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will be the first speaker in the debate on motion of thanks to the President's address on Wednesday in Lock Sakha, said sources.

According to sources, 12 hours have been allotted to opposition parties to express their reply to the Presidential address during the motion of thanks in Lock Sakha. Congress has been allotted one hour out of the total 12 hours of opposition parties.

"Rahul Gandhi will open the debate from the side of opposition parties as Congress being the largest opposition party will get the first chance to speak," said sources.

Budget 2022-23 balanced, fiscally prudent & growth oriented: U SAIC

Finance Minister Nirvana has been able to once again come up with an impactful and visionary budget which is balanced, fiscally prudent and growth oriented in the midst of third wave of COVID-19, the USA India Chamber of Commerce said.

Opting to keep the fiscal deficit at 6.9 per cent and increase capital expenditure by 35 per cent is a masterstroke. The annual budget estimates the effective capital expenditure of Rs 10.68 lakh crore in 2022-23, making up about 4.1 per cent of the GDP

US's Catherine Russell takes office as head of UNICEF

Catherine Russell of the US has taken office as the new executive director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), becoming the fourth woman to lead the organization.

"It is an honor and a privilege to join UNICEF and help lead its remarkable work for children at such a crucial moment," Russell was quoted as saying by Xingu news agency.

"At a time when millions of children globally are still reeling from the impact of the Covid pandemic and other crises, UNICEF is leading the call to protect their rights and their futures. I look forward to the work ahead."

Fuel prices reach all-time high in Nepal

The price of petroleum products has reached an all-time high in Nepal as the state-owned petroleum supplier increased the price from midnight owing to the losses incurring from the sales.

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) issued a press release that announced an increase in prices of Petrol, Diesel and Kerosene by 3 Nepali rupees per liter which went into effect from midnight. With the new adjustments, a liter of petrol in Nepal would now cost 142 rupees, Diesel and Kerosene would cost 125 rupees a liter.

Earlier on March 14, 2014, the NOC had hiked the fuel price to 140 rupees per liter and had remained low since then.

WFP needs $2.6 billion to address humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan

World Food Program (WFP) on Tuesday announced that it needs urgent funding of $2.6 billion to boost operations for 8.7 million starving Afghans as the freezing winter is worsening the situation.

Communication chief of WFP in Afghanistan Shelley chakra said that this was a race against time and that she was worried about not being able to keep up, reported The Kama Press.

"We do not have enough funds, and we are asking for $2.6 billion to scale up as we must in 2022 - that's about 30 cents of a US dollar per person we need to reach per day. We're currently nowhere close to this," said chakra in a video call to Heart.

Budget growth oriented: US India business chamber

Finance Minister Nirvana has presented a budget that is “balanced, fiscally prudent and growth oriented” during the third wave of Covid-19, the USA India Chamber of Commerce said. “A phenomenal increase in the government's capital expenditure is likely to facilitate the expenditures on infrastructure and create jobs. It also paves the way for post-pandemic longer-term restructuring of the India economy,” Karin Rishi, president of the Boston-based group, was quoted by PTI as saying.

US considers authorization of first Covid vaccine for children under 5

US regulators are considering the first COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 5, the only age group not yet eligible for the shots, after Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE began the regulatory approval process on Tuesday. A decision is expected as soon as this month, Reuters reported.

Headphones, loudspeakers to be costlier after Budget

The Budget proposed to increase the basic customs duty (BCD) on import of commonly used items, including headphones and earphones, loudspeakers, smart meters, imitation jewelry, solar cells, solar modules to promote domestic manufacturing.

How Reforms have expanded economy, says PM Modi about Budget