Passage 1
A high powered committee will be constituted to consider the challenges arising from “fast population growth and demographic changes”, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her Interim Budget speech on Friday. She added that the committee would be mandated to make recommendations to comprehensively address these challenges in relation to the goal of Viksit Bharat, or a developed India.
Her announcement comes against the backdrop of an indefinitely postponed Census, which means that there is little reliable data to back up her assertion of “fast” population growth in the country; the little data that exists suggests that the country’s fertility rate is, in fact, falling below replacement levels. Despite the absence of sound statistics, security concerns in border areas are also being highlighted on the basis of purported demographic changes.
In response to a question from The Hindu on whether the committee announced by Ms. Sitharaman was aimed at population stabilisation and if it would be set in motion after the next Census, Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth said: “India’s demographics are an opportunity as well as a challenge. The committee will look at those aspects and the final terms of reference will reflect the focus.”
Source – https://www.thehindu.com/business/budget/
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Passage 2
All 27 European Union countries have agreed on an additional 50-billion-euro ($54bn) aid package for Ukraine. The money will help Kyiv keep its economy running in 2024 and sustain essential services such as health care, social protection and pensions.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the EU’s approval of the aid package would strengthen long-term economic and financial stability as the war with Russia approaches its third year.
Ukraine has become increasingly desperate to secure funding from Western countries in recent months, with political delays to both US and EU aid bolstering Russian confidence amid the bogged-down war.
Source- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/1/
