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1. Himachal Pradesh bags Krishi Karman Award 2015-16

The Union Ministry of Agriculture has selected Himachal Pradesh for the Krishi Karman Award 2015-16 for commendable increase in food grains production.  A communication in this regard was received by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh. Virbhadra Singh congratulated the Agriculture Department for having being selected for this award for the third time andsaid that this feat had been achieved due to dedicated efforts of the department in extending technological inputs and services to the farmers which resulted in increase in food grains production.

2. Income Tax department launches ‘Operation Clean Money-II’

• The income-tax department has identified more than 60,000 persons, some of them described as “high-risk”, under the second phase of Operation Clean Money launched to detect the generation of black money after demonetisation.
• The initial communication to the 60,000 will be via online queries. Tax officials will also undertake searches and surveys and seek physical documents from the assessee.
• It will also probe government or public sector employees who made “large cash deposits” as well as people who made high-value purchases, “layered” or laundered funds by using shell companies and who did not respond to queries under the first phase of the operation.

3. UP govt, Centre sign MoU for ‘Power for All’ scheme

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Union power minister Piyush Goyal signed the ambitious 24×7 ‘Power for All’ agreement in Lucknow. With this, Uttar Pradesh which was the only state in the country which had not signed the agreement has finally come on board the central government scheme. The chief minister chose Ambedkar Jayanti as the occasion to sign the ambitious 24×7 Power For All scheme of the Centre, as he said it was a tribute to Ambedkar, who stood for equality for all, irrespective of caste.

4. Haryana launched Operation Durga to ensure women Safety

Similar to that of Uttar Pradesh’s ‘Anti-Romeo Squad’, the Haryana government has launched ‘Operation Durga’ to ensure women safety in the state. Under this operation, the ‘Flying Squad’ is patrolling those areas where anti-social elements are committing crimes against women. The team is formed by Chief Minister of Haryana Mr. Manohar Lal Khattar.  The teams visited public places such as schools, colleges, bus stands and railway stations and nabbed persons indulging in crimes against women, including eve teasing.

5. Government to conduct GST training this summer for MPs and MLAs.

• The Narendra Modi government is going all out to spread awareness about the new indirect tax regime, and training and MPs as well as MLAs is being seen as a necessary first step.
• The objective is to convey to the masses, through every intermediary possible, that the GST is a consumer-friendly measure and that the tax incidence would not rise under the new regime
• National Academy of Customs Excise & Narcotics (NACEN), apex institute of government for capacity building in the field of indirect taxation, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with institutes such as Amity University, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), National Institute of Financial Management (NIFM), National institute of MSME, NIIT, OP Jindal Global University for imparting training.

6. Piyush Goyal inaugurates four wind power plants

Union Power and Coal Minister Piyush Goyal have dedicated to the nation 4 wind power plants built by NALCO and annuonced an expansion plan for the aluminium major to raise its capacity to 1 MTPA.  There is a major expansion programme to raise its capacity to 1 million tonne per annum. Built at a cost of Rs 1350 crore, the plants, unveiled at a function, are located in Rajasthan (two plants), Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, while the company plans more wind power plants of 120 MW besides installing solar units.

7. IRDAI launches web portal for insurers

• The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has launched a web portal for insurers that will allow them to register and sell policies online.
• The portal — isnp.irda.gov.in — is also open to intermediaries in insurance business, Irdai said in a circular.
• Last month, IRDAI had issued guidelines on e-commerce for insurance sector. IRDAI said insurance companies, brokers and corporate agents can sell and service insurance policies through this platform.
• Insurers and intermediaries can create a login credential for registration and submit ISNP application form on the portal. In its guidelines issued in March, IRDAI had said that companies may offer discounts to customers if their policies are sold through e-commerce websites.

8. Bank Boards Bureau evolves ‘GRAF’ for PSBs

To prime public sector banks (PSBs) to hold their own against nifty private sector rivals and also prepare them for possible mergers in the future, the Bank Boards Bureau (BBB) has drawn up an elaborate Governance, Reward and Accountability Framework (GRAF). The GRAF seeks to ensure that corporate governance at PSBs is in keeping with various pieces of legislation, including the Companies Act, 2013, Banking Regulation Act, 1949, and Securities and Exchange Board of India (listing obligations and disclosure requirements) Regulations, 2015.

9. RBI issues new framework for bad loans

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a new set of enabling provisions to resolve the problem of banks’ mounting non-performing assets (NPAs), or bad loans. Through the notification titled “Revised Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) framework for banks. The new set of provisions, effective from April 1, override the existing PCA framework, and are based on the financials of each bank as of March 2017. The new framework will be reviewed after three years.

10. FRBM Panel proposes “autonomous fiscal council” under Financial Ministry

The committee report on the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) law’s recommendation for a new fiscal council to monitor implementation comes after studying the examples of 40 other countries, advanced and emerging. The panel, whose report was made public, has proposed the Council as an autonomous body but under the finance ministry. The proposal is part of its draft Debt Management and Fiscal Responsibility law, meant to replace the existing FRBM Act.

11. Nepal, China hold first ever military exercise

• Nepal and China will hold the first-ever joint military exercise from April 17 with a special focus on combating terror and disaster management.
• The 10-day-long military drill that will last till April 26 is being organised by the two countries as part of their preparedness against terrorism that has posed as a serious security threat globally.
• The military exercise named ‘Sagarmatha Friendship-2017’ will also focus on common interests like disaster management. Sagarmatha is the Nepali name of Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, that is bordering between Nepal and China.

12. France, India ink pact to upgrade Railways

The French Minister of State for Transport, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Alain Vidalies signed an agreement with Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu for collaboration in areas such as high-speed and semi-high speed rail, modernisation of current operations and infrastructure, station renovation and operations, suburban trains and safety systems, operations and security. On semi-high-speed, the parties had decided in 2015 to carry out a technical and execution study for upgrading the speed of passengers trains on the current rail corridor between Delhi and Chandigarh (244 km) up to 200 kmph.

13. Shaiman Anwar becomes UAE’s first T20I centurion

United Arab Emirates (UAE) batsman Shaiman Anwar struck the first century for his country in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) to complete a series win over Papua New Guinea (PNG), in Abu Dhabi. West Indies’ Chris Gayle was the first ever T20I centurion, when he scored 57-ball 117 against South Africa in the tournament opener of the inaugural edition of ICC World T20 in 2007

14. Advani reclaims Asian billiards crown

Sixteen-time World Champion Pankaj Advani won his sixth Asian billiards title, defeating Sourav Kothari 6-3 in an entertaining final. The first session saw Kothari run away with a 3-1 lead. Advani, taking full advantage of the break, regrouped and came out all guns blazing to win the next five frames to take his seventh Asian crown overall. He had won the 6-red snooker last year.

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