Current affairs : January 9, 2017 for all competitive exams
The tax department has clarified that tax anti-avoidance rule GAAR will
kick in from April 1 in India. GAAR, which was originally to be implemented
from April 1, 2014, will now come into effect from April 1, 2017 (Assessment
Year 2018-19).
- General Anti-Avoidance Rule (GAAR) was part of
the 2012-13 Budget speech of the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to
check tax evasion and avoidance.
- However, its implementation was repeatedly
postponed because of the apprehensions expressed by foreign investors. It
contains provision allowing the government to prospectively tax overseas
deals involving local assets.
SC wants paper trail in EVMs for fair poll
The Supreme Court has reiterated the necessity to implement
the Vote Verifier Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in electronic voting
machines (EVMs) to ensure 100% transparency in elections.
- In the VVPAT system, when a voter presses the
button for a candidate of his choice in the EVM, a paper ballot containing
the serial number, name of the candidate and poll symbol would be printed
for the voter.
Piyush Goyal unveiled
world's largest street light replacement programme in SDMC
Power Minister Piyush
Goyal unveiled world's largest street light replacement programme in South
Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) area .
- Mr Goyal will also launch a mobile app called
Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) Complaint App for SDMC, wherein
users can now lodge complaints about faulty street lights.
Aadhaar
must for MGNREGS work
From April 1, workers in
rural areas enrolled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), which mandates 100 days of work for a household a
year, must have an Aadhaar card.
- Those who have registered under the scheme will be
required to furnish proof of possession of Aadhaar or undergo the
enrolment process till March 31
- The expenditure for the MGNREGS is met from the
Consolidated Fund of India.
- A sum of Rs. 38,500 crore has been allocated for
the MGNREGS in the current fiscal.
Army enthused
by new indigenous artillery gun
The Army has given the
thumbs-up to a heavy artillery gun, Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System
(ATAGS), being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation, in
collaboration with the private sector.
- This is significant step in indigenisation as the
Army and the DRDO had considerable differences on projects in the past.
- ATAGS is a 155-mm, 52-calibre towed artillery gun
being developed in mission mode for the Army’s artillery modernisation
programme.
Delhi Government unveils ‘Good Samaritan Policy’
Delhi government has approved ‘Good Samaritan Policy’ under which
monetary incentive of Rs 2,000 and appreciation certificate will be given to
people who help road accident victims in the national capital.
- The scheme is intended to encourage people to
take accident victims in emergency situation to hospitals so that
someone’s life could be saved.
Amar Singh
gets ‘Z’ category cover
Rajya Sabha member Amar
Singh has been accorded ‘Z’ category security cover of Central paramilitary
commandos by the Union government owing to threat perception following “recent
activities”.
- The development comes in the backdrop of
infighting in the Samajwadi Party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly
polls.
Astronomers discover ‘powerful cosmic double whammy’ with help of
India’s GMRT
By combining data from several telescopes around the world including India’s Giant
Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune, astronomers have discovered a
cosmic double whammy unlike any ever seen before.
- By combining data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray
Observatory, the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in Pune and other
telescopes, researchers found what happens when matter ejected by a giant
black hole is swept up in the merger of two enormous galaxy clusters.
- The two phenomenon have combined to create a stupendous cosmic particle accelerator. This cosmic double whammy is found in a pair of colliding galaxy clusters called Abell 3411 and Abell 3412 located about two billion light years from Earth.
New Ginger species with medicinal properties found in Andamans
Scientists of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) have found a new
species of Zingiber (commonly referred as Ginger) from the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
- The species Zingiber pseudosquarrosum belonging
to genus Zingiber, was already used by the local Particularly Vulnerable
Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of the Andamans for its medicinal values.
Former Iranian President
Rafsanjani dies
Former Iranian president
Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a pugnacious political survivor despite his support
for moderates, died on Sunday after suffering a heart attack
- Mr. Rafsanjani, who was 82, was a pivotal figure
in the foundation of the Islamic Republic in 1979, and served as President
from 1989 to 1997.
- Mr. Rafsanjani was always a member of Iran’s top
clerical body, the Assembly of Experts, charged with appointing — and if
required dismissing — the country’s supreme leader.
Roberto Bautista Agut beats
Daniil Medvedev, wins Chennai Open 2017
Spaniard Roberto Bautista
Agut won the men’s singles title of the Chennai Open 2017.
- Agut beat Russian 20-year-old Daniil Medvedev 6-3
and 6-4 to claim the first ATP tournament of the season.
- It was a competition between the next-gen player in Daniil Medvedev taking on the veteran Roberto Bautista Agut.
Olympic champion David
Rudisha to be Mumbai Marathon event ambassador
Reigning Olympic and
world 800m champion and world record holder, David Rudisha is the International
Event Ambassador for the 14th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon to be held on
January 15, 2017.
