Current Affairs Assam – November 2017 e-Magazine
November 10
GST Council removes 178 items from 28% slab
The GST Council, which had a long deliberation here today, has decided to prune the list of 28 per cent-rated goods to 18 per cent on goods falling in 178 headings.
The goods on which the council has recommended reduction in GST rate from 28 per cent to 18 per cent include among others wire, cables, insulated conductors, electrical insulators, electrical plugs, switches, furniture, mattress, bedding and similar furnishing, fibre boards and plywood, wooden goods, liquid or cream for washing skin, detergents, washing and cleaning preparations, shampoos, hair cream, hair dyes, goods of marble and granite such as tiles, ceramic tiles of all kinds, razor and razor blades, sanitary wares and parts thereof of all kinds, multi-functional printers and cartridges, among others.
FACTFILE – GST COUNCIL
- As per Article 279A (1) of the amended Constitution, the GST Council has to be constituted by the President within 60 days of the commencement of Article 279A.
- As per Article 279A of the amended Constitution, the GST Council which will be a joint forum of the Centre and the States, shall consist of the following members: -Union Finance Minister – Chairperson b) The Union Minister of State, in-charge of Revenue of finance – Member c) The Minister In-charge of finance or taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State Government – Members.
- As per Article 279A (4), the Council will make recommendations to the Union and the States on important issues related to GST, like the goods and services that may be subjected or exempted from GST, model GST Laws, principles that govern Place of Supply, threshold limits, GST rates including the floor rates with bands, special rates for raising additional resources during natural calamities/disasters, special provisions for certain States, etc.
First Ever Nordic-Baltic Youth Film Festival in India
The Nordic-Baltic embassies will host the first ever youth film festival of the European nations in Delhi showcasing movies from the region.The 6-Day long festival will run in collaboration with the India Habitat Centre. The Nordic-Baltic countries Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden, or NB8 are tied together geographically and historically through trade, culture and many common value systems.
Urdu as second official Language declared by Telangana Govt.
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao declared Urdu as the state’s second official language. Every office in the state will now have an Urdu speaking officer. According to the CM, the demand to make Urdu a second language had been there for a long time.
November 11
NIT Agartala to set up rubber, bamboo research centres
The National Institute of Technology, Agartala, (NITA) has initiated to set up rubber and bamboo research centres to boost industries and employment in the north-eastern region.
Tripura is the second-largest rubber producer in India, after Kerala, a viable rubber research centre can be set up in the NITA to boost the rubber cultivation, industries and employment.
With over 75,000 hectares of land under plantation, Tripura produces over 60,000 tonne of rubber annually.
The market value of the rubber produced in the state is over Rs 650 crore, of which 90 per cent is sent outside the state earning about Rs 620 crore.
Bamboo is also known as “green gold” in the north-eastern region.
Haryana – 1st State in India to Treat Hepatitis-C Patients with Oral Medicine
Haryana has emerged as the first state in the country to treat Hepatitis-C patients through oral medicine, according to the health minister Anil Vij of the state. This medicine would be provided free of cost to permanent residents of all categories at district level. The medicine and treatment costs about Rs 28,000 to Rs 30,000 in the market, but the state government would provide this facility free of cost.
FACTFILE – Hepatitis C
- It is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus: the virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness.
- A significant number of those who are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis or liver cancer.
- The hepatitis C virus is a bloodborne virus and the most common modes of infection are through exposure to small quantities of blood.
- Globally, an estimated 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C infection.
- Approximately 399 000 people die each year from hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.
- Antiviral medicines can cure more than 95% of persons with hepatitis C infection, thereby reducing the risk of death from liver cancer and cirrhosis, but access to diagnosis and treatment is low.
Adani Power Inks Power Purchase Agreement with Bangladesh
Adani Power (Jharkhand) inked long-term pact with Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) to supply electricity from its upcoming 1,600 MW plant at Godda in Jharkhand. It has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for the net capacity of 1,496 MW with BPDB for 25 years.
The power supply under the PPA will be made from a new 1,600 MW (2×800 MW) ultra-supercritical, coal-based power plant to be set up by Adani Power (Jharkhand).
November 12
Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit Held in Vietnam
The theme of this meeting was ‘Creating New Dynamism, Fostering a Shared Future’.
Leaders of 21 Pacific Rim countries attended this meeting. This was the first APEC meeting for several leaders including United States President Donald Trump, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The APEC summit for 2018 will be held in Papua New Guinea.
WCD Ministry to Host ‘Hausala 2017’ to Celebrate ‘Child Rights Week’
The Ministry of Women and Child Development would be celebrating the Child Rights Week by hosting ‘Hausala 2017’ festival from 16-20 November 2017. The festival will be hosted by the Ministry as an Inter CCI Festival for the children who reside in Child Care Institutions (CCIs).
The week was chosen as the nation celebrates the Children’s Day on 14 November and the International Child Rights Day is celebrated annually on 20 November.
Cabinet approves creation of National Testing Agency to conduct entrance exams
The Union Cabinet approved the creation of the National Testing Agency (NTA) as an autonomous and self-sustaining testing organisation to conduct entrance examinations for higher educational institutions, including NEET, JEE-Main. The NTA will initially conduct entrance examinations which are currently being conducted by the CBSE. It will eventually take up other examinations once it is fully functional.
UNHCR to get Mother Teresa Award 2017 for social justice
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been named as the recipient of the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice, 2017 as an acknowledgement of its exceptional work worldwide. The Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice, which is instituted in 2005, will be presented to the UNHCR on December 10, 2017.
