Daily Current Affairs and GK | 25 July 2024

Topic: Important Days

1. Income Tax Day 2024 (Aaykar Diwas): 24 July

• Every year on 24 July, Income Tax Day is celebrated.
• It is celebrated to spread awareness around the importance of taxes and encourage more and more people to pay taxes for the development of the nation.
• This year, the 165th Income Tax Day was celebrated.
• On 24 July 1860, Sir James Wilson introduced income tax in India to compensate the British government for the losses incurred at the time of the First War of Independence in 1857.
• In 2010, Income Tax Department decided to mark 24 July as Income Tax Day.
• Income Tax Department works under Department of Revenue of the Ministry of Finance. It is headed by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Income tax is a direct tax.
• Personal income tax collections including STT had risen to an impressive ₹12.01 lakh crore by 2023-24 (provisional till April 21, 2024).
• Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT):
  • It is a statutory body under the Central Revenue Act, 1963. It is the administrative body of the Income Tax department.
  • It deals with matters related to levy and collection of direct taxes like personal income tax, corporate tax, etc.
  • Its headquarters are in New Delhi.
  • Current Chairman: Ravi Agrawal

(Source: PIB)

Topic: India and Its Neighbor

2. On July 24, a Saurya Airlines plane crashed while taking off from Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport, killing 18 people.

• Saurya Airlines flight number 9N AME carrying 19 people was heading to Pokhara with staff and technicians for repair work.
• The pilot of the plane survived the accident and was taken to Kathmandu Medical College Hospital for treatment.
• The crash was Nepal's deadliest accident since 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines plane crashed near Kathmandu airport, killing all 167 people on board.
• Saurya Airlines Pvt. Ltd., headquartered in Kathmandu, launched its first operation on 17 November 2014.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Bihar

3. Bihar government passed a bill to curb paper leaks and malpractices in government recruitment exams.

• The Bihar Public Examinations (PE) (Prevention of Unfair Means) Bill, 2024 has been passed in the assembly.
• It was presented by the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.
• Its main aim is to curb malpractices in competitive examinations, including the leak of question papers.
• The Bill proposed severe punishment for those involved in such malpractices, including a prison term of three to five years and a fine of Rs 10 lakh.
• If any service provider is found involved in malpractice, it will face a fine of Rs 1 crore and a four-year termination of its services.
• A portion of the total cost of conducting the examination will also be recovered from the offending service provider.

Topic: Personality in News

4. A renowned economist, C.T. Kurien, passed away.

• C.T. Kurien is a distinguished economist and former professor at Madras Christian College.
• He died at the age of 93 due to age-related ailments.
• He pursued a Master’s degree in Economics from Madras Christian College in 1953.
• He served as a professor at the Madras Institute of Development Studies from 1978–1991 and as its Director from 1978–1988.
• He served as president of the Indian Economic Association in 2000.
• He has written 15 books on various aspects of economics and approaches economics from the viewpoint of fighting poverty.