Current affairs : September 3, 2016
The Puducherry Odisha and Rajasthan Legislative
Assembly have unanimously ratified the Constitution Amendment Bill for Goods and Services Tax (GST).
- GST is a tax levied when a consumer buys a good or service. It is meant to be a single, comprehensive tax that will subsume all the other smaller indirect taxes on consumption like service tax, excise duty etc.
More than 4 lakh train passengers opt
for insurance cover
The railways has launched a scheme allowing a person to get an insurance cover of upto Rs
10 lakh on booking a train ticket
online by paying less than one rupee.
The facility is reserved
for passengers of Indian Railways who book e-ticket, excluding suburban
trains, through its official website, irrespective of the class of the ticket.
- A person booking a train ticket through the IRCTC website will be able to opt for travel insurance cover for a premium of 92 paise only.
Majuli named world’s largest river
island
Majuli Island on the Brahmaputra in Assam was recently declared
the largest river island in the
world, toppling Marajo in Brazil, by Guinness World Records.
- According to Guinness World Records, the island lost around one-third of its area in the last 30-40 years due to frequent flooding of the river.
IUCN World Conservation Congress
25th World Conservation Congress of the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has begun in Hawaii. Since IUCN’s foundation in 1948, member
countries have gathered 24 times in all corners of the world. The last Congress
was held in Jeju, Korea in 2012. This is the first time the US is hosting the event.
Theme: The theme for this year’s IUCN Congress is ‘Planet at the crossroads’.
China ratifies Paris agreement ahead of
G20
China has ratified the emissions-cutting agreement reached last
year in Paris.
- So far, 23 countries have ratified or otherwise joined the agreement, representing just 1% of global emissions, according to the World Resources Institute.
Delhi government invokes ESMA, declares
nurses’ strike illegal
Declaring nurses’ strike as illegal, the Delhi government has
invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).
- The Lieutenant-Governor has approved the government’s proposal to invoke ESMA against the agitating nurses.
Green tribunal nod for Vizhinjam seaport
project
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has cleared way for the Kerala
government’s Vizhinjam International Seaport project being undertaken by Gujarat-based
Adani Group.
- The order was passed on a petition filed before the Tribunal, seeking cancellation of green clearance to the port.
Central government approves Sabarimala
spiritual circuit
The centre has approved the Sabarimala spiritual circuit. The
approval was given by the Union Ministry of Tourism.
- Enhanced facilities for Ayyappa devotees, setting up of solid waste management and sewage treatment systems, and CCTV surveillance are the thrust areas in the Rs. 99.98-crore Sabarimala-Erumeli- Pampa-Sannidhanam Spiritual Circuit.
Throughput communication soon for India
India is on the cusp of a satellite-driven digital or broadband
revolution, similar to DTH or direct-to-home broadcasting of the 2000s, with a
plan to deploy five high-throughput communication spacecraft starting this year
- Two of the Gen-5 spacecraft are approved and getting ready; the others are said to be at various stages of consideration.
- The first of them, GSAT-19, is slated for launch from India in December. It will showcase the country’s technology capability in the new area of spectrum efficiency that is trending across the globe.
SpaceX Falcon 9
rocket, satellite destroyed in explosion
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on its Cape Canaveral launch pad
during a test, destroying a commercial satellite that Facebook had planned to
use to extend Internet access in Africa.
- It was the second time in just over a year that SpaceX has lost a Falcon 9 rocket.
DCB Bank has launched ‘mVisa’, a mobile-based payment solution
that will make payments at retail outlets much easier.
- DCB Bank Ltd. is a private sector scheduled commercial bank in India.
Sports
for AII:
It is a special programme aimed
at immediate engagement of youth in J&K in sporting activities.
- It is being implemented through J&K State Sports Council which provides for village level competitions and development of popular sports, such as, football etc.
- An amount of Rs.5.00 crore has already been provided to J&K State Sports Council for organizing these village level sporting activities.
International
Conference on LPG cooking gas:
First International Conference
on LPG cooking gas was recently held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The conference was
organized by Research & Development Initiative along with leading Public
Sector oil companies – Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan
Petroleum Corporation.
- The conference was attended by more than 300 delegates from more than 10 countries.
- The conference focused on the need for an LPG enabled household. Problems arising due to absence of cooking gas, the usage of traditional bio mass cooking fuels and their impact on both health and environment were also discussed.
- The conference also had a session on the hugely successful “Give it Up’ scheme, largest Direct Bank Transfer Scheme PAHAL and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
Siruvani
River:
A special resolution moved by
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, opposing Kerala’s Attappady Valley
irrigation project on the Siruvani River, was passed by the Kerala State
Assembly recently.
- The resolution has urged the Centre not to accept the recommendations of the committee formed by the Environment Ministry, allowing Kerala to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project.
- Siruvani is an inter-State river and a sub-tributary of the Cauvery.
Appointments:
Kiran M Shaw
appointed 'Knight of Legion of Honour' by France
Biocon chairperson and managing director (M) Kiran Mazumdar Shaw
has been appointed 'Chevalier de l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur'
(Knight of the National Order of the French Legion of Honour) for her
outstanding contribution and dedication to Biosciences and Research field
globally.
- The award will be conferred on behalf of the President of the French Republic at a special ceremony later this year.
Deep Kumar Upadhyay was re-appointed as Nepal's ambassador to
India.
Upadhyay, who was serving as Nepal's ambassador to India since
April 2015, was suddenly recalled by the erstwhile K.P. Sharma Oli-led
government in May.
Person in News:
1. Australia's Oldest
Surviving Test Player Dies
Australia's oldest surviving Test cricketer, Len Maddocks, has
passed away aged 90.
- Maddocks, a batsman and wicket-keeper, played seven Tests for Australia between 1954 and 1956, and managed the Australian cricket team on its 1977 tour of England.
2. Jackie Chan to receive lifetime achievement Oscar
Martial arts expert and actor Jackie Chan will receive a lifetime
achievement Oscar.
- The announcement was made by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Chan made his movie debut at the age of 8.
3.Noted Assamese poet Nalini Dhar Bhattacharyya dies at 95
Noted Assamese poet, literary critic and author and winner of the
Sahitya Akademi award Nalinidhar Bhattacharyya passed away in Guwahati early
Friday morning.
- Bhattacharyya, aged 95, was suffering from age-old ailments.
