Daily Current Affairs and GK | 13 June 2020

1. Two decisions related to not filing GST taken in the 40^th meeting of GST Council

• In the 40^th meeting of the GST Council, two decisions related to fines were not taken for not filing GST.
• It added that between July 2017 and January 2020, penalties would not be imposed for the delay on registered companies filing zero GST returns.
• While a maximum fine of Rs 500 has been imposed for not filing GST sales returns between July 2017 to January 2020.
• Also, for small taxpayers doing business up to Rs 5 crore, the interest rate for GST returns of February, March and April 2020 has been reduced to 9%.
• In addition, small taxpayers have been given time to file returns by 30 September 2020.
• Goods and Services Tax Council:
  • It is described under Article 279A of the Indian Constitution.
  • It is a constitutional body.
  • This body makes recommendations to the Central and State governments on issues related to Goods and Services Tax.
  • This council is headed by the Union Finance Minister.

(Source: News on AIR)

2. Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched Sahakar Mitra Internship Program

• Recently, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the Sahakar Mitra Internship Program.
• The objective of this program is to provide paid internship to the youth.
• This will provide project loan to young cooperative entrepreneurs.
• Under this scheme, youth will be able to undertake paid internships in various fields including agriculture and allied sectors, agribusiness, cooperation, finance, international trade, forestry, rural development and project management.
• In addition, each intern will also receive financial support for a period of more than four months.
• The National Cooperative Development Corporation will create an environment of entrepreneurship development in the cooperative sector through capacity development.

(Source: News on AIR)

3. National Highways Authority of India goes fully Digital

• Recently the National Highways Authority of India has gone completely digital.
• It now has a unique cloud-based and artificial intelligence-driven Big Data Analytics platform.
• All project documentation, contractual decisions and approvals are now being made only through the portal.
• The Highway Construction Organization is first to integrate data lake and project management software for transparency, speed and quick decision making in the process.
• National Highway Authority of India (NHAI):
  • National Highways Authority of India is an autonomous agency of the Government of India.
  • It is a nodal agency of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
  • It was founded in 1988.
  • Its headquarters is located in New Delhi.

(Source: News on AIR)

4. Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, new Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam

• Recently Vice-Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta assumed the charge of Chief of Staff of the Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam.
• Biswajit Dasgupta is an alumnus of the National Defense Academy.
• He was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1985.
• Biswajit Dasgupta is an expert in navigation and direction.

(Source: News on AIR)

5. Veteran Urdu poet Gulzar Dehlvi passed away

• Veteran Urdu poet Anand Mohan Zutshi or Gulzar Dehlvi died at his residence in Noida.
• He was a freedom fighter and a prominent revolutionary poet.
• He was born in 1926 in Old Delhi.
• He was also the editor of Science World, the first Urdu science magazine published by the Government of India in 1975.

(Source: News on AIR)

6. Darshan in Guruvayur temple closed again from Saturday

• Recently a decision has been taken to stop Darshan again at Guruvayur Temple.
• Also, the Guruvayur Devaswom Board has decided to stop marriages in Sri Krishna temple.
• The temple was opened on 5 June after 80 days of lockdown.
• Guruvayur Temple:
  • It is one of the oldest temples in India.
  • It is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Guruvayurappan, a four-armed form of the Hindu god Vishnu.
  • It is located in the city of Guruvayur in Kerala.

(Source: The Hindu)

7. Lonar lake of Maharashtra has changed colour of water to pink

• Lonar lake water of Maharashtra has changed colour to pink in recent times.
• The lake water turns red every year during the rainy season. However, it turned pink this year.
• A sample of water from the Lonar lake has been collected and given to the National Environmental Research Institute, Nagpur for scientific testing.
• Possible reasons behind the change in water colour may be low water levels, with an increase in salinity and a change in algae behavior due to the atmosphere.
• Lonar Lake:
  • It is a notified national geo heritage monument, saline, soda Lake that is located in Maharashtra.
  • It is also known as Lonar Crater.
  • It formed about 50,000 years ago after a meteorite fell on Earth.

8. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated Mumbai's new Integrated Flood Warning System (IFLOWS)

• Recently, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray inaugurated the new integrated flood warning system (IFLOWS) developed for Mumbai.
• It would be possible to estimate the flood three days before with it’s use.
• This system saved the city from heavy losses by warning against the recently arrived Nisarga cyclone.
• The Ministry of Earth Sciences has developed this system with in house expertise and coordination with the Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
• Mumbai is the second city in the country to launch such a system after Chennai. Such systems will also be introduced in Kolkata and Bengaluru in 2021.

(Source: News on AIR)

9. First estimation practice of Indian gaur in Nilgiris

• In recent years the first population estimation exercise of Indian Gaur was practiced in Nilgiris. It was held in February this year.
• This estimate found that more than 2,000 Indian Gaurs reside in the region.
• It also revealed that most animals live close to human habitat due to rapidly decreasing habitat, increasing their chances of conflict with humans.
• Indian Gaur:
  • It is also called Bison.
  • It is a large type of wild cattle.
  • Its scientific name is Bos Gaurus.
  • Its IUCN status is Vulnerable.

(Source: The Hindu)

10. Textile major Arvind Limited will adopt anti-viral textile technology for apparel products

• Textiles major Arvind Limited has announced the adoption of an anti-viral textile technology for apparel products.
• This technique is helpful in reducing the ability of re-transmission of pathogens through clothing.
• The anti-viral textile technique uses HeiQ Viroblock, which actively inhibits the virus on the garment and kills the virus upon contact.
• HeiQ Viroblock:
  • It is an intelligent Swiss textile technique that is added to the fabric during the last stage of the textile manufacturing process. It is a special combination of advanced silver and vesicle technology.

(Source: The Hindu)