Daily Current affairs - May 20th, 2017 for all competitive exams
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council finalised tax rates for
all services, except lottery, under the new indirect tax regime to be rolled
out from July 1. Those services already exempted from tax, such as healthcare
and education, will continue to enjoy the concession.
- A
tax of 18% will be levied for financial services and mobile services.
- The tax rate on non-AC restaurants will be 12%. It will be 18% on AC restaurants and those with a liquor licence. Restaurants in 5-star hotels will attract a 28% tax, the same as that applicable to these hotels itself.
Chitale
committee on Desiltation of Ganga submitted its report to the government
recently. The committee was constituted in July 2016 by the Ministry of Water
Resources River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation to prepare guidelines for
desiltation of river Ganga from Bhimgauda (Uttarakhand) to Farakka (West
Bengal).
Important
recommendations made:
- Studies
reach wise sediment transport processes.
- Establish
annual sediment budgets to guide de-silting activities.
- Prepare
annual reports (Sand registry) describing the previous de-silting/
dredging activity and a technical institute may be entrusted to conduct
the sediment budget.
The Odisha Assembly passed the Odisha Goods and
Services Tax Bill, 2017, and the Odisha Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2017,
by a voice vote on May 19,2017.
- Odisha
Goods and Service Tax Bill will ensure simplification of tax
administration, while the Odisha Value Added Tax (Amendment) Bill would
allow the State to impose VAT on only on six items.
- The
GST will merge at least 17 Central and State taxes and products
manufactured in different States could compete with products in the
international market.
The Supreme Court refrained to order an interim
stay on a series of government notifications requiring citizens to have Aadhaar
by June 30, 2017, to equally access benefits and entitlements, even as the
Centre denied imposing any such ‘deadline” to force people to get Aadhaar.
- The
government was responding to a petition challenging 17 notifications
issued by various government departments over the past few months, making
Aadhaar compulsory after June 30, 2017, to equally access benefits,
entitlements, services and welfare schemes.
Argentina,
Burkina-Faso, Chad, France, India, Ivory Coast, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria,
Sénégal, Uganda and Yemen have jointly supported commissioning of a study to
define and structure a Common Risk Mitigation Mechanism (CRMM) for solar power
generation projects in solar rich countries.
- This
is a major step in the implementation of the Paris Declaration of the
International Solar Alliance (ISA) adopted on 30 November 2015 and of the
ISA Programme aimed at mobilising “Affordable finance at scale”.
Trade
ministers of 16 countries, including India and China, are all set to meet in
Vietnam to discuss progress in the ongoing negotiations of proposed trade deal,
RCEP. So far, negotiators of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
(RCEP) have held 18 rounds of negotiations.
- The
RCEP is among the proposed three mega FTAs in the world so far – the other
two being the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership, led by the US) and the TTIP
(Trans -atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the US and the
EU).
- RCEP
negotiations were formally launched in November 2012 at the ASEAN Summit
in Cambodia.
- RCEP
is viewed as an alternative to the TPP trade agreement, which includes the
United States but excludes China.
The Japanese government on Friday approved a
one-off Bill allowing ageing Emperor Akihito to step down from the
Chrysanthemum Throne, in the first such abdication in two centuries.
- In
August Akihito publicly
cited age and declining health, which was interpreted as his wish to hand
the crown to his eldest son. But current Japanese law has no provision for
abdication, thus requiring politicians to craft legislation to make it
possible.
- Abdication
must take place within three years of the Bill becoming law.
The Pakistan government has urged lawmakers
cutting across party lines to declare the loss-making national carrier PIA
“bankrupt” and eventually “shut it down”, saying it lacks top-quality
management and professional officers.
- Nawaz
Sharif’s adviser on aviation made the proposal.
State-owned telecom operator BSNL has inked a
clutch of agreements with Facebook and MobiKwik as its looks to popularize the
internet and its value added services among customers.
- The
pacts were signed to commemorate the World Telecommunication and
Information Society Day (17 May).
- Under
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Facebook, Bharat Sanchar Nigam
Ltd (BSNL) will provide connectivity for the social network’s 'Express
Wi-Fi Program’.
- The
third MoU of BSNL with Disney India will provide premium online gaming
services to mobile customers of the telecom operator.
Healthcare
access and quality index (HAQ), part of the Global burden of diseases has been
released. The HAQ Index is based on death rates from 32 ailments that could be
avoided by timely medical intervention.
- India
is at 154th among 195 countries.
- India’s
healthcare access and quality (HAQ) index has increased by 14.1, up from
30.7 in 1990 to 44.8 in 2015.
- India
lags behind Sri Lanka (72.8), Bangladesh (51.7), Bhutan (52.7) and Nepal
(50.8) and ranks above Pakistan (43.1) and Afghanistan (32.5).
- The
top five performers were Andorra (94.6), Iceland (93.6), Switzerland
(91.8), Sweden (90.5), and Norway (90.5).
Sanjay Gubbi of Karnataka and Purnima Barman of
Assam have won the prestigious Whitley Award, popularly known as Green Oscars,
for their efforts in wildlife conservation.
- The
awards are instituted by the U.K.-registered charity Whitley Fund for
Nature Conservation. While Mr. Gubbi has been awarded for his work to
protect tiger corridors in Karnataka.
- Ms.
Barman has won the award for her work in conservation of Assam’s Greater
Adjutant Stork and its habitat.
Special screening
of Sachin’s film
The Virat
Kohli-led Indian team for the ICC Champions Trophy will see the biographical
film, ‘Sachin: A Billion Dreams’ a few hours before leaving for London on May
24.
- The special screening has been arranged at a theatre close to the international airport.
- The movie made in Hindi and dubbed in English, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu is set for a global release on May 26.
