# Tiger Census

• The latest census data released by PM Narendra Modi showing the country’s big cat count shooting up by 200 in four years to hit 3167, constituting 75% of the global tiger population.
• The data till 2022 was cited as a minimum count, only denoting tigers with photographic proof.
• The growth rate of tiger count has slowed from the 25% in the previous survey to less than 10%.
• The highest rise in tiger count is recorded from shivalik hills and gangetic plains.
• The 2022 tiger census conducted by the National Tiger conservation authority, which began in 2018, had deployed camera traps at over 32500 locations across 20 states.
• A total of 4.7 crore photographs were captured.

# Maharashtra

• Maharashtra continues to report the highest GST collection in the country, accounting for almost 15% of the national figure in 2022-23.
• The GST kitty of Maharashtra is also growing fastest, with its compound annual growth rate between 2018-19 and 2022-23, outstripping all other states.
• The latest data shows that Maharashtra’s GST collection for the financial year 2022-23 was ₹2.7 lakh crore.
• This is more than twice the collection of Karnataka which reported ₹1.2 lakh crore.

# 16th Finance commission

• The government is likely to set up the 16th Finance commission this year.
• The members of the commission and its terms of reference are being worked out.
• Finance commission is a constitutional body that gives suggestions on centre state financial relations.
• The 15th finance commission under NK Singh had kept the tax devolution ratio at 42% – at the Same level suggested by 15th finance commission.

# Telangana

• The Telangana government has decided to foray into neighbouring Andhra pradesh and bid for ViZag steel plant through its coal mining PSU, where it owns a majority stake.
• This would be the first time, a state run company will place bids to secure a public sector company in another state.