- John Joseph to take charge as chief of GST intelligence agency
A key intelligence agency tasked with checking evasion of Goods and Services Tax (GST) has got its new chief. Senior bureaucrat John Joseph has been appointed Director General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DG GSTI), as per an official order. He is at present posted in Mumbai and expected to take the new charge soon.
Joseph, a 1983 batch officer of Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), has worked in the Finance Ministry’s important departments, including the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).
- Saima Wazed Hossain appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Autism in South Asia
A globally renowned champion for the cause of autism spectrum disorder has been appointed as the WHO’s goodwill ambassador for autism in the world body’s south-east Asia region. Saima Wazed Hossain’s appointment is for a period of two years, the WHO-SEARO has announced.
As WHO Goodwill Ambassador, Hossain will be promoting the Thimphu declaration which also emphasises on integrating the needs of autism affected people, into national health and socioeconomic development plans.
- Raninder Singh re-elected as NRAI President
Incumbent Raninder Singh was re-elected president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) for a four-year term with an overwhelming mandate in Mohali. In the elections conducted at the PCA Stadium premises, Raninder recorded a 89-1 margin over Shyam Singh Yadav, president of Uttar Pradesh Rifle Association, in a lop-sided affair.
Raninder is the son of Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh. The 48-year-old Singh, who represents Punjab in NRAI’s governing body, is an active trap shooter and has also participated in ISSF World Cups and National Championships.
- Bengal Government to celebrate Kanyashree Utsav on July 25
July 25 will mark the celebration of Kanyashree Utsav the day will witness representatives from all corners of the state coming together to congratulate accomplished Kanyashrees, who will be felicitated by the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself.
Students who have benefited from the Kanyashree Scheme from every district will participate in the celebratory event of this flagship scheme.
This includes the top prize at the United Nations Public Service Award 2017 and the Digital Empowerment Foundation-bestowed Manthan Award for Digital Inclusion and Development, and recognition at the UNICEF and DFID-organised Girl Summit in 2014.
The scheme proved to be the best in the Public Service category at the UN forum from among 552 schemes across 63 countries.
- Chhattisgarh tops list of states in issuance of soil health cards
Chhattisgarh has topped the list among all the states in the country for having issued over 43 lakh soil health cards (SHCs) to farmers in the past two years. In the second phase of the scheme, which has started from the current financial year, the target is to provide 23,46,890 SHCs to farmers, of which, so far 74,211 have been given. The examination of soil samples is being done at 33 permanent laboratories and 174 mini laboratories
- Chhattisgarh to become country’s logistic hub post GST: Jaitley
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there is strong possibility Chhattisgarh will become the country’s logistic hub following the implementation of the goods and services tax (GST). Chhattisgarh is centrally located and companies manufacturing consumer goods may opt to set up godowns in the state,” Jaitley said while speaking at a day-long seminar on GST organised in Raipur. The goods can be transported to any part of the country from Chhattisgarh within hours.
- India’s first university only for Dalit students to come up in Hyderabad by 2018
A proposal to establish an exclusive university for Dalit students in Hyderabad is under active consideration of the state government, official sources said. T
he university is said to be part of the government’s policy of providing education free of cost to students from weaker sections from kindergarten to post-graduation (KG to PG) level.
The proposal was mooted by a government arm – Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TSWREIS) which runs nearly 268 residential institutions for Dalit students from Class V to under-graduate level, besides the recently sanctioned 39 non-residential play schools with pre-primary education.
- Ahmedabad becomes India’s first World Heritage City
Ahmedabad has been declared a World Heritage City by UNESCO, historians, urban planners and others hope that policy-makers will stop looking at heritage as a “burden”.
The historic city of Gujarat, said to be founded by Sultan Ahmad Shah in the 15th century, was accorded the UNESCO honour, the first Indian city to get the status.
The 600-year-old city has now joined the ranks of Paris, Vienna, Cairo, Brussels, Rome and Edinburgh and put India on the world heritage city map.
- Punjab unveils new transport policy to ‘overhaul system
Punjab cabinet has approved the new transport policy to streamline the issuance of permits and licences across commercial and private transport vehicles.
It also abolished the system of district transport officers (DTO) and restructuring the transport department.
The cabinet decided to set up a special task force of the vigilance department and the state police to crack down on all illegally plying buses. The task force will have to weed out all such buses in a phased manner in over two months.
- JIGYASA” – Student-Scientist connect programme launched
Jigyasa, a student- scientist connect programme was officially launched in the national capital. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has joined hands with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) to implement this programme.
The focus is on connecting school students and scientists so as to extend student’s classroom learning with that of a very well planned research laboratory based learning.
The Jigyasa programme was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a new India and “Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR)” of scientific community and institutions. It is a historic day when two ministries are collaborating on the Youth who are the future of the nation.
- External Affairs Ministry to launch website in Arabic
The external affairs ministry’s website will soon be available in Arabic too — after French and Spanish — in a bid to reach out to the Arab world following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s celebrated visit to Israel.
The ministry has started the hunt for an agency to run its portal in Arabic. Apart the usual content of the ministry — speeches, briefings and other documents — the site will also have articles written in Arabic on India and its foreign relations.
- Government To Set Up Skill Development Centres For Minorities In 100 Districts
The government will set up ‘Garib Nawaz’ skill development centres in 100 districts of the country to offer employment-oriented training to the youth from minority communities.
Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the government will also proffer marriage assistance to the tune of Rs. 51,000 (per head) to families of girl students who complete their graduation availing the Centre’s Begum Hazrat Mahal scholarship.
The decisions were taken during a meeting of the governing body of the Maulana Azad Education Foundation (MAEF), a non-political and non-profit social services organisation funded by the ministry.
- Govt launches IPR awareness scheme for MSMEs, Startups
The Cell for IPR Promotion and Management (CIPAM), under the aegis of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India, has launched a the National Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Policy 2016, a ‘Scheme for IPR Awareness – Creative India; Innovative India’.
The Scheme aims at raising IPR awareness amongst students, youth, authors, artists, budding inventors and professionals to inspire them to create, innovate and protect their creations and inventions across India including Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 cities as well as rural areas in the next 3 years.
- President Launches 3 Digital Initiatives Over E-Education
President Pranab Mukherjee has launched digital initiatives – Swayam, Swayam Prabha and National Academic Depository – in New Delhi to push e-education in the country. The aim of the initiatives is to raise the Gross Enrollment Ratio in the higher education from 24.5 to 30 by 2020.
Massive Open Online Courses, Swayam will host courses taught in classrooms from Class 9th to post-graduation, which can be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time. It will target those students who could not complete their studies and professionals who wish to upgrade their knowledge.
Swayam Prabha is the platform of 32 DTH channels devoted to telecasting high-quality educational programmes 24X7 using GSAT-15 satellite. National Academic Depository will facilitate online verification of certificates. All the courses are interactive and available free of cost.
- Nepal SBI launches first paperless Banking services sbiINTOUCH
Nepal SBI Bank, a subsidiary of the State Bank of India, has launched its fully automatic digital banking services in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu. This is for the first time the State Bank of India has expanded the paperless banking system outside India.
Digital banking provides various services including cash deposit, opening of new accounts, distribution of debit card, ATM and online banking information on touch of the screen. Customers can avail the services from SBI Intouch Bank.
- India, Bangladesh To Construct Bridge Along Mizoram Border
India and Bangladesh have decided to construct a bridge over Mizoram’s Khawthlangtuipui river to facilitate trade and improve communication between the two neighbours. It has been proposed that the location of the bridge be made as closer as possible to the nearest land custom station in the Bangladesh side.
After the meeting, officials of the two countries inspected possible locations to construct the bridge. Mizoram shares a 318 km unfenced border with Bangladesh.
- 12th G20 Summit held in Hamburg, Germany
The G20 forum is being held from 7-8 July in Hamburg, Germany. This will be the 12th G20 summit and the first time it has been hosted by Germany. It is being hosted at the Hamburg Messe and Congress, a large convention centre which regularly hosts trade fairs.
G20 member Countries
| Argentina | Australia |
| Brazil | Canada |
| China | France |
| Germany | India |
| Indonesia | Italy |
| Japan | Mexico |
| Russia | South Africa |
| Saudi Arabia | South Korea |
| Turkey | United Kingdom |
| United States of America | The European Union, represented by the European Council |
Founded in 1999 to give developing countries a more powerful voice in the global economy, the summit brings together industrialised and emerging economies. The group makes up 85 per cent of the world’s GDP and two-thirds of its population.
- Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas wins Austrian Grand Prix
Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas made a great start from pole position to win the Austrian Grand Prix, while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished just behind in second to extend his championship lead over main rival Lewis Hamilton to 20 points.
Bottas clinched the second victory of his career — both have come since he joined Mercedes from Williams this season. His first career podium was on the same Spielberg track, when he finished third for Williams in 2014.
- Harinder wins South Australian Open title
India’s Harinder Pal Sandhu beat Rhys Dowling of Australia 11-8 12-10 11-4 in the final to win the South Australian Open squash title. After winning the first game comfortably, Sandhu was down 1-7 as the Australian fought back strongly. However, Sandhu mounted a comeback to win the game.
- 14-yr-old youngest ever winner of a professional golf event
Fourteen-year-old amateur Atthaya Thitikul has become the youngest known winner of a professional golf tour event with victory at the Ladies European Thailand Championship. The Thai player finished five under after a level-par 72, two shots clear of Ana Menendez who carded a 75.
Canada’s Brooke Henderson had held the previous record, winning an event on the Canadian Women’s Tour in June 2012 aged 14 years, nine months and three days.
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