1. Lok Sabha passes Juvenile Justice Bill
The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill that provides for trying juveniles aged between 16 and 18 years for heinous crimes under laws for adults, with the government insisting that it had tried to strike a “fine balance” to ensure that no injustice was done to innocent children.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill was passed after the government agreed to delete Clause7 which said that “any person, who is apprehended after completing the age of 21 years, for committing any serious or heinous offence when such person was between the age of 16 and 18 years, then he shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, be tried as an adult.”
2. India, Iran signed inter-Governmental MoU for development of Chabahar Port
India and Iran signed an inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the strategically important Chabahar Port in Iran.
The MoU was signed in Tehran by Minister for Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Iranian Minister for Transport and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi.
Features of this inter-Governmental MoU
• The MOU facilitates Indian and Iranian commercial entities to commence negotiations for finalization of a commercial contract.
• Under the contract, Indian firms will lease two existing berths at the Port and operationalize them as container and multi-purpose cargo terminals.
3. Union Cabinet gave nod for revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea.The bilateral DTAA was signed in 1985 for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income for the citizens of both the countries.
Features of revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)
• Its primary purpose is to provide for tax stability to the residents of India and South Korea and facilitate mutual economic cooperation as well as stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between the two countries.
• It provides for source based taxation of capital gains, making adjustments to profits of associated enterprises on the basis of arm's length principle and residence based taxation of shipping income.
• It rationalizes tax rates in the Articles on Dividends, Interest and Royalties and Fees for Technical Services.
• It enables effective exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes between tax authorities
• It incorporates limitation of benefits provisions under the agreement to ensure that the benefits are availed of only by genuine residents of both countries.
4. Union Government launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes
The Union Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment launched the Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes. The scheme is being implemented by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd.
A sum of 200 crore rupees was allocated towards Credit Enhancement Guarantee scheme for young and start-up entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) to avail financial assistance. This allocation was made under Social Sector Initiatives to promote entrepreneurship among SCs.
The main objective of this scheme is to encourage entrepreneurship in the lower strata of the Society resulting in job creation besides creating confidence in Scheduled Castes.
Other Programmes
Moreover, the Ministry also inaugurated the Commercial Motor Driving Training Programme with Self Defense Skills for 250 women organized by National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
This training was launched with an objective to ensure women social & economic empowerment by creating job or self employment opportunities for these women, belonging to the families of Safai Karamcharis.
5. Canadian House of Commons approved Anti-Terror Act, 2015
The Canadian House of Commons approved the Bill C-51, Anti-Terror Act, 2015 that empowers the country’s spy agency. It was adopted in a 183 to 96 vote.
The act would give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) the ability to operate overseas and make preventative arrests. It also makes it easier for police to arrest and detain individuals without charge. Now, the bill will be sent to Senate for being approved before becoming a law.
Main Features of the Anti-terror Act
• It allows anyone suspected of being involved in a terror plot to be detained without charge for up to seven days from the present three days.
• It empowers Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS), the spy agency of Canada, to thwart attacks directly in a significant expansion of their powers.
• Further, it allows CSIS to directly approach terror suspects in order to disrupt their plans as against the current practice of only collecting intelligence and passing the information on to police.
• CSIS will also be able to cancel plane or other travel reservations made by Canadians suspected of being involved in terrorism. However, the new activities by CSIS will require approval by a judge.
• It makes it a crime for a person to call for terror attacks on Canada generally or to promote or advocate others to carry out terrorism elsewhere. At present, it is a crime to make a specific threat.
• The penalty for giving public threat will be a maximum of five years in prison.
• Authorities will be able to remove terror-related material from any Canadian website.
6. Union Cabinet Approved Building and Launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 Communication Satellites
The Union Cabinet gave its nod for building and launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 communication satellites.
These two satellites with the structure similar to the GSAT-10 are aimed at providing replacement capacity and in-orbit backup that is they will provide for continuance of the services of existing users and augmenting in-orbit spare capacity to meet emergencies.
GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 satellites will weigh about 3425 Kg each and will be built and launched within 30 months at a cost of 1013.20 crore rupees and 1022 crore rupees respectively. The satellites will augment and support existing telecommunication, television and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services in the entire mainland of the country.
About GSAT System
• The GSAT or Geosynchronous satellite is a constellation of communication satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with an objective to make India self-reliant in broadcasting services.
• Satellites are called GSAT because they function in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth.
• Till date, 12 satellites were launched under the system and among them only six are operational.
• The first satellite in the series GSAT-1 was launched in April 2001 and the most recent GSAT-16 satellite was launched in December 2014.
7. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme in state
Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched the state level ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme’ in Panaji.
After launching the campaign, the Chief Minister also urged the society to invest more on girl child basically in the field of education as the girls gives more fruits to the society and family also.
North Goa is among 100 districts selected from across the country to implement the central government scheme on pilot basis. The objective of the scheme is to empower the girl child and enable her education.
8. Indian Army emerged champions in 19th Federation Cup National Athletic Championships
The Indian Army team emerged as champions in the 19th Federation Cup National Senior Athletic Championships. The team scored 123.5 points at the end of the four-day event at the Mangala Stadium in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
The Tamil Nadu team notched the second position by securing 114 points.
The overall men's championships went to the Army when they totalled 123.5 points, while Tamil Nadu came second with 48 points.
Kerala claimed the overall championship in the women's category with 86 points. They were followed by Karnataka with 68 points.
The best athlete award in the men's category went to Inderjeet Singh of team Haryana. He was awarded for his stupendous toss in the shot put event, which helped him qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Best athlete in the women's category went to Srabani Nanda from Odisha for the agility she displayed in the 100 metre event.
9. Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014
Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, 2014. The bill also called Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill seeks to introduce GST regime in India.
The bill will transform India into a common market, harmonising myriads of state and central levies into a national goods and services tax which is expected to boost manufacturing and reduce corruption.
Main Highlights of the Bill
• It provides for constitution of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council by inserting Article 279A in the Constitution. The Council will recommend to the Union and States on the inclusion and exclusion of goods and services.
• It proposes an additional tax on supply of goods, not exceeding one percent, in the course of inter-State trade will be levied and collected by the Union for a period of two years and apportioned to the States.
• The net proceeds of additional tax on supply of goods, except the proceeds from Union Territories, will not form the part of Consolidated Fund of India.
• It provides for the compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of GST for a period of five years.
• It subsumes all the Central indirect taxes, levies and Central Sales Tax and State Value Added Tax and Sales Tax.
• It covers all goods and services except alcoholic liquor for human consumption for the levy of GST.
10. Save the Children released 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report
Save the Children’s 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report titled The Urban Disadvantage was on 5 May 2015 released by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla in New Delhi.
The report's special focus is on the struggle of poorest mothers and children in rapidly urbanizing world. It presents the Mothers’ Index for 179 countries and show where mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest hardships.
Important findings of the report
• While great progress has been made in reducing urban under-5 mortality around the world, inequality is worsening in too many cities. In almost half of the countries, the urban survival gaps have grown.
• The poorest children in almost every city face alarmingly high risks of death. In all but one of the 36 developing countries surveyed, there are significant gaps between rich and poor urban children.
• The 10 countries showing the greatest survival divide between wealthy and poor urban children are: Rwanda, Cambodia, Kenya, Vietnam, Peru, India, Madagascar, Ghana, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
• The poorest urban mothers and children are often deprived of life saving health care like access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendance. The largest coverage gaps between rich and poor were found in Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Port au Prince (Haiti) and Dili (Timor-Leste).
• High child death rates in slums are rooted in disadvantage, deprivation and discrimination.
• Among capital cities in high-income countries, Washington, DC has the highest infant death risk and great inequality. Washington, DC had the highest infant mortality rate at 6.6 deaths per 1000 live births in 2013 which is 3 times the rates found in Tokyo and Stockholm.
• In cities around the world, the poorest urban children are at least twice as likely to die as the richest urban children.
• The top five countries showing lower U5MR are: Prague (Czech Republic), Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Tokyo (Japan) and Lisbon (Portugal).
The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill that provides for trying juveniles aged between 16 and 18 years for heinous crimes under laws for adults, with the government insisting that it had tried to strike a “fine balance” to ensure that no injustice was done to innocent children.The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill was passed after the government agreed to delete Clause7 which said that “any person, who is apprehended after completing the age of 21 years, for committing any serious or heinous offence when such person was between the age of 16 and 18 years, then he shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, be tried as an adult.”
2. India, Iran signed inter-Governmental MoU for development of Chabahar Port
India and Iran signed an inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the strategically important Chabahar Port in Iran.
The MoU was signed in Tehran by Minister for Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Iranian Minister for Transport and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi.
Features of this inter-Governmental MoU
• The MOU facilitates Indian and Iranian commercial entities to commence negotiations for finalization of a commercial contract.
• Under the contract, Indian firms will lease two existing berths at the Port and operationalize them as container and multi-purpose cargo terminals.
3. Union Cabinet gave nod for revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea.The bilateral DTAA was signed in 1985 for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income for the citizens of both the countries.
Features of revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)
• Its primary purpose is to provide for tax stability to the residents of India and South Korea and facilitate mutual economic cooperation as well as stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between the two countries.
• It provides for source based taxation of capital gains, making adjustments to profits of associated enterprises on the basis of arm's length principle and residence based taxation of shipping income.
• It rationalizes tax rates in the Articles on Dividends, Interest and Royalties and Fees for Technical Services.
• It enables effective exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes between tax authorities
• It incorporates limitation of benefits provisions under the agreement to ensure that the benefits are availed of only by genuine residents of both countries.
4. Union Government launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes
The Union Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment launched the Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes. The scheme is being implemented by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd.
A sum of 200 crore rupees was allocated towards Credit Enhancement Guarantee scheme for young and start-up entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) to avail financial assistance. This allocation was made under Social Sector Initiatives to promote entrepreneurship among SCs.
The main objective of this scheme is to encourage entrepreneurship in the lower strata of the Society resulting in job creation besides creating confidence in Scheduled Castes.
Other Programmes
Moreover, the Ministry also inaugurated the Commercial Motor Driving Training Programme with Self Defense Skills for 250 women organized by National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
This training was launched with an objective to ensure women social & economic empowerment by creating job or self employment opportunities for these women, belonging to the families of Safai Karamcharis.
5. Canadian House of Commons approved Anti-Terror Act, 2015
The Canadian House of Commons approved the Bill C-51, Anti-Terror Act, 2015 that empowers the country’s spy agency. It was adopted in a 183 to 96 vote.
The act would give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) the ability to operate overseas and make preventative arrests. It also makes it easier for police to arrest and detain individuals without charge. Now, the bill will be sent to Senate for being approved before becoming a law.
Main Features of the Anti-terror Act
• It allows anyone suspected of being involved in a terror plot to be detained without charge for up to seven days from the present three days.
• It empowers Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS), the spy agency of Canada, to thwart attacks directly in a significant expansion of their powers.
• Further, it allows CSIS to directly approach terror suspects in order to disrupt their plans as against the current practice of only collecting intelligence and passing the information on to police.
• CSIS will also be able to cancel plane or other travel reservations made by Canadians suspected of being involved in terrorism. However, the new activities by CSIS will require approval by a judge.
• It makes it a crime for a person to call for terror attacks on Canada generally or to promote or advocate others to carry out terrorism elsewhere. At present, it is a crime to make a specific threat.
• The penalty for giving public threat will be a maximum of five years in prison.
• Authorities will be able to remove terror-related material from any Canadian website.
6. Union Cabinet Approved Building and Launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 Communication Satellites
The Union Cabinet gave its nod for building and launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 communication satellites.
These two satellites with the structure similar to the GSAT-10 are aimed at providing replacement capacity and in-orbit backup that is they will provide for continuance of the services of existing users and augmenting in-orbit spare capacity to meet emergencies.
GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 satellites will weigh about 3425 Kg each and will be built and launched within 30 months at a cost of 1013.20 crore rupees and 1022 crore rupees respectively. The satellites will augment and support existing telecommunication, television and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services in the entire mainland of the country.
About GSAT System
• The GSAT or Geosynchronous satellite is a constellation of communication satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with an objective to make India self-reliant in broadcasting services.
• Satellites are called GSAT because they function in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth.
• Till date, 12 satellites were launched under the system and among them only six are operational.
• The first satellite in the series GSAT-1 was launched in April 2001 and the most recent GSAT-16 satellite was launched in December 2014.
7. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme in state
Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched the state level ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme’ in Panaji.
After launching the campaign, the Chief Minister also urged the society to invest more on girl child basically in the field of education as the girls gives more fruits to the society and family also.
North Goa is among 100 districts selected from across the country to implement the central government scheme on pilot basis. The objective of the scheme is to empower the girl child and enable her education.
8. Indian Army emerged champions in 19th Federation Cup National Athletic Championships
The Indian Army team emerged as champions in the 19th Federation Cup National Senior Athletic Championships. The team scored 123.5 points at the end of the four-day event at the Mangala Stadium in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
The Tamil Nadu team notched the second position by securing 114 points.
The overall men's championships went to the Army when they totalled 123.5 points, while Tamil Nadu came second with 48 points.
Kerala claimed the overall championship in the women's category with 86 points. They were followed by Karnataka with 68 points.
The best athlete award in the men's category went to Inderjeet Singh of team Haryana. He was awarded for his stupendous toss in the shot put event, which helped him qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Best athlete in the women's category went to Srabani Nanda from Odisha for the agility she displayed in the 100 metre event.
9. Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014
Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, 2014. The bill also called Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill seeks to introduce GST regime in India.
The bill will transform India into a common market, harmonising myriads of state and central levies into a national goods and services tax which is expected to boost manufacturing and reduce corruption.
Main Highlights of the Bill
• It provides for constitution of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council by inserting Article 279A in the Constitution. The Council will recommend to the Union and States on the inclusion and exclusion of goods and services.
• It proposes an additional tax on supply of goods, not exceeding one percent, in the course of inter-State trade will be levied and collected by the Union for a period of two years and apportioned to the States.
• The net proceeds of additional tax on supply of goods, except the proceeds from Union Territories, will not form the part of Consolidated Fund of India.
• It provides for the compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of GST for a period of five years.
• It subsumes all the Central indirect taxes, levies and Central Sales Tax and State Value Added Tax and Sales Tax.
• It covers all goods and services except alcoholic liquor for human consumption for the levy of GST.
10. Save the Children released 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report
Save the Children’s 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report titled The Urban Disadvantage was on 5 May 2015 released by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla in New Delhi.
The report's special focus is on the struggle of poorest mothers and children in rapidly urbanizing world. It presents the Mothers’ Index for 179 countries and show where mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest hardships.
Important findings of the report
• While great progress has been made in reducing urban under-5 mortality around the world, inequality is worsening in too many cities. In almost half of the countries, the urban survival gaps have grown.
• The poorest children in almost every city face alarmingly high risks of death. In all but one of the 36 developing countries surveyed, there are significant gaps between rich and poor urban children.
• The 10 countries showing the greatest survival divide between wealthy and poor urban children are: Rwanda, Cambodia, Kenya, Vietnam, Peru, India, Madagascar, Ghana, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
• The poorest urban mothers and children are often deprived of life saving health care like access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendance. The largest coverage gaps between rich and poor were found in Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Port au Prince (Haiti) and Dili (Timor-Leste).
• High child death rates in slums are rooted in disadvantage, deprivation and discrimination.
• Among capital cities in high-income countries, Washington, DC has the highest infant death risk and great inequality. Washington, DC had the highest infant mortality rate at 6.6 deaths per 1000 live births in 2013 which is 3 times the rates found in Tokyo and Stockholm.
• In cities around the world, the poorest urban children are at least twice as likely to die as the richest urban children.
• The top five countries showing lower U5MR are: Prague (Czech Republic), Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Tokyo (Japan) and Lisbon (Portugal).
1. Lok Sabha passes Juvenile Justice Bill
The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill that provides for trying juveniles aged between 16 and 18 years for heinous crimes under laws for adults, with the government insisting that it had tried to strike a “fine balance” to ensure that no injustice was done to innocent children.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill was passed after the government agreed to delete Clause7 which said that “any person, who is apprehended after completing the age of 21 years, for committing any serious or heinous offence when such person was between the age of 16 and 18 years, then he shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, be tried as an adult.”
2. India, Iran signed inter-Governmental MoU for development of Chabahar Port
India and Iran signed an inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the strategically important Chabahar Port in Iran.
The MoU was signed in Tehran by Minister for Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Iranian Minister for Transport and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi.
Features of this inter-Governmental MoU
• The MOU facilitates Indian and Iranian commercial entities to commence negotiations for finalization of a commercial contract.
• Under the contract, Indian firms will lease two existing berths at the Port and operationalize them as container and multi-purpose cargo terminals.
3. Union Cabinet gave nod for revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea.The bilateral DTAA was signed in 1985 for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income for the citizens of both the countries.
Features of revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)
• Its primary purpose is to provide for tax stability to the residents of India and South Korea and facilitate mutual economic cooperation as well as stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between the two countries.
• It provides for source based taxation of capital gains, making adjustments to profits of associated enterprises on the basis of arm's length principle and residence based taxation of shipping income.
• It rationalizes tax rates in the Articles on Dividends, Interest and Royalties and Fees for Technical Services.
• It enables effective exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes between tax authorities
• It incorporates limitation of benefits provisions under the agreement to ensure that the benefits are availed of only by genuine residents of both countries.
4. Union Government launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes
The Union Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment launched the Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes. The scheme is being implemented by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd.
A sum of 200 crore rupees was allocated towards Credit Enhancement Guarantee scheme for young and start-up entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) to avail financial assistance. This allocation was made under Social Sector Initiatives to promote entrepreneurship among SCs.
The main objective of this scheme is to encourage entrepreneurship in the lower strata of the Society resulting in job creation besides creating confidence in Scheduled Castes.
Other Programmes
Moreover, the Ministry also inaugurated the Commercial Motor Driving Training Programme with Self Defense Skills for 250 women organized by National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
This training was launched with an objective to ensure women social & economic empowerment by creating job or self employment opportunities for these women, belonging to the families of Safai Karamcharis.
5. Canadian House of Commons approved Anti-Terror Act, 2015
The Canadian House of Commons approved the Bill C-51, Anti-Terror Act, 2015 that empowers the country’s spy agency. It was adopted in a 183 to 96 vote.
The act would give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) the ability to operate overseas and make preventative arrests. It also makes it easier for police to arrest and detain individuals without charge. Now, the bill will be sent to Senate for being approved before becoming a law.
Main Features of the Anti-terror Act
• It allows anyone suspected of being involved in a terror plot to be detained without charge for up to seven days from the present three days.
• It empowers Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS), the spy agency of Canada, to thwart attacks directly in a significant expansion of their powers.
• Further, it allows CSIS to directly approach terror suspects in order to disrupt their plans as against the current practice of only collecting intelligence and passing the information on to police.
• CSIS will also be able to cancel plane or other travel reservations made by Canadians suspected of being involved in terrorism. However, the new activities by CSIS will require approval by a judge.
• It makes it a crime for a person to call for terror attacks on Canada generally or to promote or advocate others to carry out terrorism elsewhere. At present, it is a crime to make a specific threat.
• The penalty for giving public threat will be a maximum of five years in prison.
• Authorities will be able to remove terror-related material from any Canadian website.
6. Union Cabinet Approved Building and Launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 Communication Satellites
The Union Cabinet gave its nod for building and launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 communication satellites.
These two satellites with the structure similar to the GSAT-10 are aimed at providing replacement capacity and in-orbit backup that is they will provide for continuance of the services of existing users and augmenting in-orbit spare capacity to meet emergencies.
GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 satellites will weigh about 3425 Kg each and will be built and launched within 30 months at a cost of 1013.20 crore rupees and 1022 crore rupees respectively. The satellites will augment and support existing telecommunication, television and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services in the entire mainland of the country.
About GSAT System
• The GSAT or Geosynchronous satellite is a constellation of communication satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with an objective to make India self-reliant in broadcasting services.
• Satellites are called GSAT because they function in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth.
• Till date, 12 satellites were launched under the system and among them only six are operational.
• The first satellite in the series GSAT-1 was launched in April 2001 and the most recent GSAT-16 satellite was launched in December 2014.
7. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme in state
Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched the state level ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme’ in Panaji.
After launching the campaign, the Chief Minister also urged the society to invest more on girl child basically in the field of education as the girls gives more fruits to the society and family also.
North Goa is among 100 districts selected from across the country to implement the central government scheme on pilot basis. The objective of the scheme is to empower the girl child and enable her education.
8. Indian Army emerged champions in 19th Federation Cup National Athletic Championships
The Indian Army team emerged as champions in the 19th Federation Cup National Senior Athletic Championships. The team scored 123.5 points at the end of the four-day event at the Mangala Stadium in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
The Tamil Nadu team notched the second position by securing 114 points.
The overall men's championships went to the Army when they totalled 123.5 points, while Tamil Nadu came second with 48 points.
Kerala claimed the overall championship in the women's category with 86 points. They were followed by Karnataka with 68 points.
The best athlete award in the men's category went to Inderjeet Singh of team Haryana. He was awarded for his stupendous toss in the shot put event, which helped him qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Best athlete in the women's category went to Srabani Nanda from Odisha for the agility she displayed in the 100 metre event.
9. Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014
Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, 2014. The bill also called Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill seeks to introduce GST regime in India.
The bill will transform India into a common market, harmonising myriads of state and central levies into a national goods and services tax which is expected to boost manufacturing and reduce corruption.
Main Highlights of the Bill
• It provides for constitution of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council by inserting Article 279A in the Constitution. The Council will recommend to the Union and States on the inclusion and exclusion of goods and services.
• It proposes an additional tax on supply of goods, not exceeding one percent, in the course of inter-State trade will be levied and collected by the Union for a period of two years and apportioned to the States.
• The net proceeds of additional tax on supply of goods, except the proceeds from Union Territories, will not form the part of Consolidated Fund of India.
• It provides for the compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of GST for a period of five years.
• It subsumes all the Central indirect taxes, levies and Central Sales Tax and State Value Added Tax and Sales Tax.
• It covers all goods and services except alcoholic liquor for human consumption for the levy of GST.
10. Save the Children released 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report
Save the Children’s 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report titled The Urban Disadvantage was on 5 May 2015 released by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla in New Delhi.
The report's special focus is on the struggle of poorest mothers and children in rapidly urbanizing world. It presents the Mothers’ Index for 179 countries and show where mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest hardships.
Important findings of the report
• While great progress has been made in reducing urban under-5 mortality around the world, inequality is worsening in too many cities. In almost half of the countries, the urban survival gaps have grown.
• The poorest children in almost every city face alarmingly high risks of death. In all but one of the 36 developing countries surveyed, there are significant gaps between rich and poor urban children.
• The 10 countries showing the greatest survival divide between wealthy and poor urban children are: Rwanda, Cambodia, Kenya, Vietnam, Peru, India, Madagascar, Ghana, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
• The poorest urban mothers and children are often deprived of life saving health care like access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendance. The largest coverage gaps between rich and poor were found in Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Port au Prince (Haiti) and Dili (Timor-Leste).
• High child death rates in slums are rooted in disadvantage, deprivation and discrimination.
• Among capital cities in high-income countries, Washington, DC has the highest infant death risk and great inequality. Washington, DC had the highest infant mortality rate at 6.6 deaths per 1000 live births in 2013 which is 3 times the rates found in Tokyo and Stockholm.
• In cities around the world, the poorest urban children are at least twice as likely to die as the richest urban children.
• The top five countries showing lower U5MR are: Prague (Czech Republic), Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Tokyo (Japan) and Lisbon (Portugal).
The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed a Bill that provides for trying juveniles aged between 16 and 18 years for heinous crimes under laws for adults, with the government insisting that it had tried to strike a “fine balance” to ensure that no injustice was done to innocent children.The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill was passed after the government agreed to delete Clause7 which said that “any person, who is apprehended after completing the age of 21 years, for committing any serious or heinous offence when such person was between the age of 16 and 18 years, then he shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, be tried as an adult.”
2. India, Iran signed inter-Governmental MoU for development of Chabahar Port
India and Iran signed an inter-Governmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the strategically important Chabahar Port in Iran.
The MoU was signed in Tehran by Minister for Shipping and Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Iranian Minister for Transport and Urban Development Abbas Ahmad Akhoundi.
Features of this inter-Governmental MoU
• The MOU facilitates Indian and Iranian commercial entities to commence negotiations for finalization of a commercial contract.
• Under the contract, Indian firms will lease two existing berths at the Port and operationalize them as container and multi-purpose cargo terminals.
3. Union Cabinet gave nod for revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea
The Union Cabinet gave its approval for the revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA) with South Korea.The bilateral DTAA was signed in 1985 for the avoidance of double taxation and for the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income for the citizens of both the countries.
Features of revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA)
• Its primary purpose is to provide for tax stability to the residents of India and South Korea and facilitate mutual economic cooperation as well as stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between the two countries.
• It provides for source based taxation of capital gains, making adjustments to profits of associated enterprises on the basis of arm's length principle and residence based taxation of shipping income.
• It rationalizes tax rates in the Articles on Dividends, Interest and Royalties and Fees for Technical Services.
• It enables effective exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes between tax authorities
• It incorporates limitation of benefits provisions under the agreement to ensure that the benefits are availed of only by genuine residents of both countries.
4. Union Government launched Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes
The Union Ministry for Social Justice & Empowerment launched the Credit Enhancement Guarantee Scheme for Scheduled Castes. The scheme is being implemented by Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI) Ltd.
A sum of 200 crore rupees was allocated towards Credit Enhancement Guarantee scheme for young and start-up entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) to avail financial assistance. This allocation was made under Social Sector Initiatives to promote entrepreneurship among SCs.
The main objective of this scheme is to encourage entrepreneurship in the lower strata of the Society resulting in job creation besides creating confidence in Scheduled Castes.
Other Programmes
Moreover, the Ministry also inaugurated the Commercial Motor Driving Training Programme with Self Defense Skills for 250 women organized by National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
This training was launched with an objective to ensure women social & economic empowerment by creating job or self employment opportunities for these women, belonging to the families of Safai Karamcharis.
5. Canadian House of Commons approved Anti-Terror Act, 2015
The Canadian House of Commons approved the Bill C-51, Anti-Terror Act, 2015 that empowers the country’s spy agency. It was adopted in a 183 to 96 vote.
The act would give the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) the ability to operate overseas and make preventative arrests. It also makes it easier for police to arrest and detain individuals without charge. Now, the bill will be sent to Senate for being approved before becoming a law.
Main Features of the Anti-terror Act
• It allows anyone suspected of being involved in a terror plot to be detained without charge for up to seven days from the present three days.
• It empowers Canadian Security Intelligence Services (CSIS), the spy agency of Canada, to thwart attacks directly in a significant expansion of their powers.
• Further, it allows CSIS to directly approach terror suspects in order to disrupt their plans as against the current practice of only collecting intelligence and passing the information on to police.
• CSIS will also be able to cancel plane or other travel reservations made by Canadians suspected of being involved in terrorism. However, the new activities by CSIS will require approval by a judge.
• It makes it a crime for a person to call for terror attacks on Canada generally or to promote or advocate others to carry out terrorism elsewhere. At present, it is a crime to make a specific threat.
• The penalty for giving public threat will be a maximum of five years in prison.
• Authorities will be able to remove terror-related material from any Canadian website.
6. Union Cabinet Approved Building and Launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 Communication Satellites
The Union Cabinet gave its nod for building and launching of GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 communication satellites.
These two satellites with the structure similar to the GSAT-10 are aimed at providing replacement capacity and in-orbit backup that is they will provide for continuance of the services of existing users and augmenting in-orbit spare capacity to meet emergencies.
GSAT-17 and GSAT-18 satellites will weigh about 3425 Kg each and will be built and launched within 30 months at a cost of 1013.20 crore rupees and 1022 crore rupees respectively. The satellites will augment and support existing telecommunication, television and Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) services in the entire mainland of the country.
About GSAT System
• The GSAT or Geosynchronous satellite is a constellation of communication satellites developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) with an objective to make India self-reliant in broadcasting services.
• Satellites are called GSAT because they function in a geosynchronous orbit around the Earth.
• Till date, 12 satellites were launched under the system and among them only six are operational.
• The first satellite in the series GSAT-1 was launched in April 2001 and the most recent GSAT-16 satellite was launched in December 2014.
7. Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme in state
Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar launched the state level ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme’ in Panaji.
After launching the campaign, the Chief Minister also urged the society to invest more on girl child basically in the field of education as the girls gives more fruits to the society and family also.
North Goa is among 100 districts selected from across the country to implement the central government scheme on pilot basis. The objective of the scheme is to empower the girl child and enable her education.
8. Indian Army emerged champions in 19th Federation Cup National Athletic Championships
The Indian Army team emerged as champions in the 19th Federation Cup National Senior Athletic Championships. The team scored 123.5 points at the end of the four-day event at the Mangala Stadium in Mangaluru, Karnataka.
The Tamil Nadu team notched the second position by securing 114 points.
The overall men's championships went to the Army when they totalled 123.5 points, while Tamil Nadu came second with 48 points.
Kerala claimed the overall championship in the women's category with 86 points. They were followed by Karnataka with 68 points.
The best athlete award in the men's category went to Inderjeet Singh of team Haryana. He was awarded for his stupendous toss in the shot put event, which helped him qualify for the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Best athlete in the women's category went to Srabani Nanda from Odisha for the agility she displayed in the 100 metre event.
9. Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2014
Lok Sabha passed the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, 2014. The bill also called Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill seeks to introduce GST regime in India.
The bill will transform India into a common market, harmonising myriads of state and central levies into a national goods and services tax which is expected to boost manufacturing and reduce corruption.
Main Highlights of the Bill
• It provides for constitution of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council by inserting Article 279A in the Constitution. The Council will recommend to the Union and States on the inclusion and exclusion of goods and services.
• It proposes an additional tax on supply of goods, not exceeding one percent, in the course of inter-State trade will be levied and collected by the Union for a period of two years and apportioned to the States.
• The net proceeds of additional tax on supply of goods, except the proceeds from Union Territories, will not form the part of Consolidated Fund of India.
• It provides for the compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of GST for a period of five years.
• It subsumes all the Central indirect taxes, levies and Central Sales Tax and State Value Added Tax and Sales Tax.
• It covers all goods and services except alcoholic liquor for human consumption for the levy of GST.
10. Save the Children released 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report
Save the Children’s 16th annual State of the World’s Mothers (SOWM) report titled The Urban Disadvantage was on 5 May 2015 released by the Union Minister for Minority Affairs Najma Heptulla in New Delhi.
The report's special focus is on the struggle of poorest mothers and children in rapidly urbanizing world. It presents the Mothers’ Index for 179 countries and show where mothers and children fare best and where they face the greatest hardships.
Important findings of the report
• While great progress has been made in reducing urban under-5 mortality around the world, inequality is worsening in too many cities. In almost half of the countries, the urban survival gaps have grown.
• The poorest children in almost every city face alarmingly high risks of death. In all but one of the 36 developing countries surveyed, there are significant gaps between rich and poor urban children.
• The 10 countries showing the greatest survival divide between wealthy and poor urban children are: Rwanda, Cambodia, Kenya, Vietnam, Peru, India, Madagascar, Ghana, Bangladesh and Nigeria.
• The poorest urban mothers and children are often deprived of life saving health care like access to prenatal care and skilled birth attendance. The largest coverage gaps between rich and poor were found in Delhi (India), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Port au Prince (Haiti) and Dili (Timor-Leste).
• High child death rates in slums are rooted in disadvantage, deprivation and discrimination.
• Among capital cities in high-income countries, Washington, DC has the highest infant death risk and great inequality. Washington, DC had the highest infant mortality rate at 6.6 deaths per 1000 live births in 2013 which is 3 times the rates found in Tokyo and Stockholm.
• In cities around the world, the poorest urban children are at least twice as likely to die as the richest urban children.
• The top five countries showing lower U5MR are: Prague (Czech Republic), Stockholm (Sweden), Oslo (Norway), Tokyo (Japan) and Lisbon (Portugal).
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