Current affairs : March 6th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The Goods and
Services Tax (GST) Council has approved the draft CGST Bill and the draft IGST
Bill as vetted by the Union Law Ministry. This clears the deck for the Central
Government to take these two Bills to the Parliament for their passage in the
ongoing Budget Session.
- A
taxpayer has to file one single return state-wise to report all his
supplies, whether made within or outside the State or exported out of the
country and pay the applicable taxes on them.
- Such
taxes can be Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST), State Goods and
Services Tax (SGST), Union Territory Goods and Services Tax (UTGST) and
Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST).
Centre
to contest tribunal order on military pay
The Defence
Ministry has decided as a matter of principle to challenge in the Supreme Court
the ruling of the Armed Forces Tribunal to grant non-functional upgrade (NFU)
for the armed forces. While the government is not against the upgrade for the
services, its challenge is on principle as a tribunal has no authority to take
such a decision.
- Last
December, the tribunal granted the upgrade to the armed forces personnel
in pay and allowances in response to a petition filed by over 160
officers. The upgrade has been one of the core anomalies raised by the
services in the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, which are yet to
be implemented for them.
Tezu
is now a vantage point
The newly
constructed Tezu airport will be the first civilian airport of Arunachal
Pradesh. Tezu will smoothen transport to several high-altitude districts near
the India-China border. Tezu is the nearest town to Walong, where a legendary
battle between Indian and Chinese soldiers took place in October 1962.
- The
route to Tezu is critical from a strategic point of view as the Himalayan
range, which became famous as ‘the hump’ during World War II, can be
accessed only through the mountain roads that begin at Tezu.
Indus
basin: Punjab and J&K to resume work on Shahpur Kandi dam project
Punjab and
Jammu & Kashmir have reached out an agreement to resolve issues relating to
the Shahpur Kandi Dam project, proposed to be built downstream Ranjit Sagar Dam (Thein
Dam) on the Ravi in Gurdaspur district.
- The
project comes under the Indus Water Treaty, thus helping India utilise its
rights on eastern rivers of the basin.
- The
agreement was facilitated by the Union ministry of water resources, also a
cosignatory in the pact.
- Punjab
will bear the balance cost on account of compensation for land acquisition
in respect of Thein Dam, located nearly 10km upstream the Shahpur Kandi
Dam.
Centre launches survey on Gangetic dolphins
Centre has launched the first ever
across-the-river survey in Ganga to determine the population of aquatic life,
including that of the endangered Gangetic dolphin.
- The
study is crucial as the animal population in a river indicates the quality
of its water.
- National
Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) committee has stated that the survey will
create a baseline scientific data for the government to take suitable
measures.
India’s tallest Tricolor hoisted at Attari border
in Punjab
The tallest national flag in the country
measuring 360 feet was hoisted at the Attari-Wagah joint check post in Punjab.
Earlier, the record was held by the one in Ranchi which is 293 feet high.
- The
flag is 120 feet in length, 80 feet in breadth and is hosted on a pole
which is 360 feet high. The concrete base is 30 feet in length and another
30 feet in breadth.
Chandigarh to host Destination North East 2017
Chandigarh will host a three-day long 'Destination
North East' 2017 event showcasing North East as a potential destination for
investment.
- Union
Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, Jitendra Singh
inaugurated the event
- It
will see round table discussions and exhibition stalls showcasing various
features of the North East Region in order to attract investments in
tourism, food processing, handlooms and handicrafts, horticulture and
floriculture, medicinal & aromatic plants, organic farming and bamboo
development.
Assam Cabinet Declares Sanskrit as Compulsory
Subject up to Class 8
In a cabinet meeting, the Assam government led by
the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal decided to make Sanskrit a compulsory
language for students up to class 8th in the state.
- The
government also decided to promote computer education in the state. The government
would appoint teachers for the two subject.
Andhra Pradesh Renames Tirupati Airport and
Vijayawada Airport
The Andhra Pradesh State Cabinet during a meeting
chaired by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu approved proposals to rename the
Vijayawada Airport and the Tirupati Airport.
- The
cabinet renamed the Vijayawada Airport in Gannavaram as ‘Nandamuri
Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) Amaravati Airport’
after the legendary actor and founder of the ruling Telugu Desam Party and
the new capital of Andhra Pradesh.
- The Tirupati Airport at Renigunta has been renamed as ‘Sri
Venkateswara Airport’ after Lord
Venkateswara of the temple town.
Haryana announces Tirtha Darshan scheme
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced that
the state government had prepared a Tirtha Darshan scheme under which senior
citizens above 60 years of age and of Haryana domicile would be able to go on a
pilgrimage within the country at government expense.
- Under
the scheme, the government would bear the entire cost of the tour of
senior citizens belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. The senior
citizens would be selected for the pilgrimage on the basis of draw of
lots. Over 400 destinations can be visited under the scheme.
World’s oldest serving aircraft carrier INS Viraat
retires
INS Viraat, the world’s oldest aircraft carrier
in active service will be decommissioned on 6 March 2017 with a ceremonial
send-off in Mumbai.
- A
glorious chapter in the Indian Navy’s history will come to an end when INS
Viraat, the longest serving aircraft carrier will retire after serving the
country for nearly three decades.
- INS
Viraat was commissioned in Indian Navy in 1987, before that the historic
ship served Royal British Navy for 27 long years. It was built in 1943,
during the Second World War.
Sri Lanka Wins 'Most Popular Tourism Destination
Award'
Sri Lanka won the 'Most Popular Tourism
Destination Award' at the Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF) in
China.
- The
island nation won the prestigious award for the second consecutive
year which is a testament to its growing popularity among Chinese travel
enthusiasts. China has been Sri Lanka's second largest source market for
tourism since 2014.
Law
enforcement in the digital era
One
consequence of the recent demonetisation was a push towards the digitisation of
the economy — a move that will create transparency in the financial system.
- But
this digital push must be accompanied by greater security of digital
transactions to deal with the tsunami of cybercrimes that is bound to
follow.
Rs 10,000 penalty for bank branches refusing to
exchange soiled notes: RBI
The Reserve Bank of India has clarified that
currency notes, which have messages scribbled on it are legal tender. Bank
branches that refuse to exchange soiled notes from people will have to pay a
penalty of Rs 10,000.
- The
RBI, stated that notes cease to be legal tender if message scribbled on it
is political in nature. According to RBI’s Clean Note Policy 1999,
no banks can deny to exchange soiled or mutilated
currency notes.
Sam Querrey wins ATP Mexico Open
Unseeded American Sam Querrey has won the ATP
Mexico Open hard court tennis tournament.In the final at Acapulco in Mexico,
Querrey stunned second-seeded Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-3, 7-6.
- Nadal,
the 2005 and 2013 champion, had never even lost a set in Acapulco.
Querrey, ranked 40th in the world, fired 19 aces, backed up by powerful,
precise groundstrokes, en route to his first career victory over Nadal in
five meetings. For Querrey, it is his ninth ATP title.
ISSF 2017: India finish fifth with five medals at
shooting World Cup
India ended their campaign in the International
Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) with five
medals, including one Gold, two Silver and two Bronze medals at the Dr. Karni Singh
Shooting Range, New Delhi.
Andy Murray wins Dubai Duty Free Tennis
Championships for first title of 2017
The Dubai Tennis Championships were held at the
Aviation Club Tennis Centre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- Britain’s
Andy Murray claimed his first title of the year with a straight-sets
victory over Fernando Verdasco despite a soggy start in the high-octane
game.
‘Number Do Lie’ authored by former cricketer Aakash
Chopra
Former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra released
book titled Numbers Do Lie, 61 Hidden Cricket Stories which takes a
different look at stats.
- It is based on the Impact Index analytics by Jaideep Verma, Soham Sarkhel and Nikhil Narain.
