Daily Current affairs - May 30th, 2017 for all competitive exams
With little more than a month left for the
proposed rollout of the Goods and Services Tax regime, businesses in Karnataka,
Gujarat and Chandigarh are likely to be the most-prepared to shift to the new
indirect tax system.
- According
to data accessed by The Hindu , a maximum number of 93.27% of the more than 5.50 lakh taxpayers
in Karnataka have enrolled for GST.
- Karnataka
is followed by Gujarat, where 90.18% of the almost 5 lakh taxpayers have
enrolled for the new system.
- Manipur
has recorded 45.41% of 3,940 taxpayers, Meghalaya (19.39% of 24,296
taxpayers), Mizoram (37.53% of 2,313) and Nagaland (58.22% of 4,847).
- Poor
Internet connectivity in these States in one of the major hurdles in lower
preparedness for the rollout of Goods and Services Tax.
IWAI
holds Road Show in Guwahati
The Inland
Waterways Authority of India recently organized a road show in association with
the Ministry Of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) in Guwahati to
brainstorm on the major issues linked with developing the rivers of the North
East as viable and sustainable means for cargo and passenger transportation.
- Inland
Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is the statutory authority in charge
of the waterways in India. Its headquarters is located in Noida, UP.
Govt to launch new campaign called Darwaza Band
The government launched new campaign called Darwaza Band for promotion
of toilet usage in the rural areas across the country.
- Bollywood star Amitabh
Bachchan, who leads the campaign, is proposed
to be joined by Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar and
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra
Fadnavis at the formal launch event to be held in Mumbai.
- The campaign also features actor, Anushka Sharma, who
will be seen encouraging women to stand up for this issue in their
villages and assume a leadership role.
Prakash Javadekar launches UGC App to fight ragging
Union Human Resource Development Minister Shri Prakash Javadekar launched
an Anti-Ragging Mobile App introduced by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in New Delhi.
- This mobile app will help students register complaints
to counter the menace of ragging.
- This app will work on android system on which students
can log in and register their complaints immediately. Accordingly all
concerned will be informed immediately and action will start immediately.
SC stays order on mobile towers
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Rajasthan
government order directing mobile operators to remove cell towers within 500
metres of jail premises by June 8, 2017.
- The
stay came on a plea by the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).
The COAI, represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, submitted that the
order, if implemented, would mean the removal of 500 towers. The
dislocation of the towers would affect the services of 80 lakh customers.
India is second most complex tax jurisdiction:
Deloitte
Indian tax laws are perceived to be second most
complex in the Asia-Pacific region, becoming even less predictable over the
last three years, according to Deloitte survey.
- India
ranks only after China in having most complex jurisdiction for taxation
and most complicated requirements of tax, the Asia Pacific Tax Complexity
Survey conducted by Deloitte.Japan, Australia, Indonesia and South Korea
trail India in the complexity index.
More
Akash systems for Army
The Defence
Ministry has decided to cancel the Army’s global contest for Short Range
Surface to Air Missile (SR-SAM) systems and instead procure two additional
regiments of the indigenously developed Akash missile systems.
- The
decision was taken at a recently held meeting of the Defence Acquisition
Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.
- The
Akash missile is India’s first indigenously designed, developed and
produced air defence surface-to-air missile system.
ATR
of DRDO inaugurated by Defence Minister:
The Defence
Minister Shri Arun Jaitley recently inaugurated the newly built Aeronautical
Test Range (ATR) of the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO)
at Chitradurga in Karnataka.
- It
is aimed at creating conditions for research, which will in turn develop
the type of human resource in the country required in the field of
aeronautical testing. The range will cater to the needs of DRDO for
testing of indigenously developed aeronautical systems.
- The
ATR is the first of its kind range in the country exclusively meant to
conduct flight-tests of indigenous unmanned and manned aircrafts,
developed by the DRDO.
Goa looks to shore up fall in catch as fishing ban looms
As Goa gears up for its annual 61-day monsoon
fishing ban, authorities are trying to shore up the fall in catch witnessed
last year. Fishing by mechanised trawlers will be banned from June 1 to July 31
in the State.
- According
to the State Fisheries Department, fish production in 2015-16 was 96,189
tonnes, a 15% drop from the 1.14 lakh tonnes in 2014-15. In contrast, the
catch across the counry rose by 6.6% in 2016, with Gujarat claiming the
top spot for the fourth consecutive year.
- The
reasons for the decline in marine fish catch is attributed to rampant
fishing by big vessels.
Every person has 13
secrets, says study
A person keeps an average of 13 secrets at a time
— five of which they have never told another living soul, according to a study
in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
N. Korea fires Scud missile
into sea
North
Korea fired at least one short-range ballistic missile on Monday that landed in
the sea off its east coast, the latest in a fast-paced series of missile tests
defying world pressure and threats of more sanctions.
- The
missile was believed to be a Scud-class ballistic missile and flew about
450 km, South Korean officials said. North Korea has a large stockpile of
the short-range missiles, originally developed by the Soviet Union.
- Monday's
launch followed two successful tests of medium-to-long-range missiles in
as many weeks by the North, which has been conducting such tests at an
unprecedented pace in an effort to develop an intercontinental ballistic
missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the mainland United States.
Cyclone
Mora formed in Bay of Bengal:
Cyclone Mora
has formed in the east-central part of Bay of Bengal and it is expected to move
towards the north-east part of India.
- According
to the Indian Meteorological Department, it is expected to intensify into
a ‘severe cyclonic storm’ over the next 24 hours. According to the IMD,
wind speeds will be in the range of 100-150 kilometres per hour.
Amul inks MoU with ISRO for fodder acreage
estimation
Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation
(GCMMF) has signed an agreement with ISRO for fodder acreage assessment
using satellite observation and space technology.
- Under
the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), ISRO will help in identification
between food crops and fodder crops at village level and also locate
suitable areas of current fallows and cultivable wastelands at village
level for green fodder cultivation.
SEBI
targets participatory note norms
The Securities
and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) plans to further tighten norms for issuance
of offshore derivative instruments (ODIs) and participatory notes (PNs) as part
of its overall effort to reduce the exposure investors take via such
instruments in the Indian equity market.
- SEBI
has proposed levying a regulatory fee of $1,000 on every foreign portfolio
investor (FPI) that issues ODIs or PNs. SEBI-registered FPIs will have to
pay this fee once every three years for each of their ODI subscribers.
- The
regulator has also proposed to prohibit ODIs from being issued against
derivatives for speculative purposes. Currently, ODIs are issued against
derivatives along with equity and debt.
EPFO gives nod to hike in stock investment to 15
per cent
The Employees Provident
Fund Organisation has approved hike in investment limit in exchange traded funds (ETFs) to 15%, from the existing 10%, Union Labour Minister
Bandaru Dattatreya stated it.
- The decision was taken during the meeting of the Central
Board of Trustees (CBT). In 2016, the investment was raised to 10%.
Banks Board Bureau gets 2 more members
The government has expanded the Banks Board Bureau (BBB) headed
by former comptroller and auditor general Vinod Rai by adding two more members.
- Former Allahabad Bank chairperson and managing director Shubhalaxmi Panse and
private equity player Pradip
Shah have been inducted into the board as independent members.
Prasar Bharati signs MoU with Morocco's SNRT
Government-run Prasar Bharati has got into an agreement with
Morocco's Societe Nationale de
Radiodiffusion et de Television (SNRT) to step up cooperation in
the broadcasting sector.
- The MoU was signed during the fifth India Morocco Joint
Commission Meeting (JCM) in Rabat, Morocco's capital.
Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla appointed Jamia
Millia Islamia Chancellor
Manipur Governor and former Minority Affairs
Minister Najma Heptulla has
been appointed as the Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
- 77-year old Heptulla succeeds Lt. Gen. (Retd.) M.A.
Zaki, who completes his five-year term this month. Ms. Heptulla will also
serve for the term of five-years.
Former Greek Prime Minister Constantine Mitsotakis
dies
Constantine Mitsotakis, a former prime minister of Greece
remembered for fierce confrontations with Greece's liberal and socialist
parties has died.
- He served in several Cabinet posts, including finance
minister, in liberal governments in 1951-52 and 1963-65.
Fencer Bhavani Devi, First Indian to win gold in
International Event
Indian fencer C A Bhavani Devi struck gold in the Turnoi Satellite Fencing Championship at Reykjavik
(Iceland).
- Bhavani
Devi, who hails from Chennai, defeated Great Britain’s Sarah Jane Hampson
15-13.
- With
this win, Bhavani Devi has also become the first Indian to win a
gold medal in an international fencing event. She had previously won a
silver medal.
Sebastian Vettel wins Monaco Grand Prix
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won the 2017 Monaco
Grand Prix at the Circuit de Monaco, La Condamine and Monte Carlo,
Monaco.
- The second place in the race was secured by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen, while the third place was secured by Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo.
