Daily Current Affairs and GK | 30 May 2020

1. Ministry of Labour and Employment started free Online Career Skills Training for registered job-seekers

• Under the National Career Service (NCS) project, the Labour Ministry has initiated free online ‘Career Skills Training’ in partnership with TCS ION for the registered job-seekers.
• This course aims to develop the necessary soft skills of the learners demanded by the industry in the present context.
• In this course, the training modules include corporate etiquette, improving interpersonal skills, making an impressive presentation, etc.
• The module is available in both Hindi and English on the NCS portal.
• NCS has also organized around 76 Online Job Fairs to bridge the gap between job seekers and employers.
• Work from Home Jobs and Online Trainings can be accessed directly by the job aspirants through a special link created on the homepage of the NCS portal.
• NCS, in partnership with HIREMEE, is offering creation of video profiles for job-seekers for free.
• HIREMEE is a platform that provides online assessment and hiring services
• National Career Services Project:
  • NCS is a mission mode project of the Government of India, which was launched on 20 July 2015.
  • Ministry of Labour and Employment is the implementing agency of this project.
  • The project aims to transform the National Employment Services by bringing together all the stakeholders like employers, counsellors, trainers, job-seekers, etc. on a single online platform.

(Source: Labour Ministry)

2. Foundation stone for Missile Park ‘Agneeprastha’ laid at INS Kalinga

• Cmde Rajesh Debnath, Commanding Officer, has laid the foundation stone for a missile park “Agneeprastha” at INS Kalinga.
•  The ceremony was held in the presence of Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
• The park is dedicated to all officers, sailors and support staff of INS Kalinga and also commemorates the award of the prestigious Unit Citation to INS Kalinga for the year 2018-19.
• This missile park will showcase the Missile History of INS Kalinga from the 1981-till date.
• The replica of missiles and Ground Support Equipment handled by the unit will also be part of this park.
• P-70’ Ametist’, an underwater launched anti-ship missile from the arsenal of the old ‘Chakra’ (Charlie-1 submarine), which was in service with the Indian Navy during 1988-91, is the main attraction of this park.
• ‘Agneeprastha’ is will provide motivation to everyone, including school children, navy personnel and their families.
• INS Kalinga is an IN establishment reporting to Eastern Naval Command. It was commissioned in 1985.  

(Source: PIB)

3. 56 CNG stations spread over 11 States/UTs dedicated to the nation

• Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan has dedicated 56 CNG stations to the country.
• These stations belong to public as well as private entities and are spread over 11 states/UTs, including Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, New Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh.
• The minister said that soon 72% of the country’s population would be covered through the City Gas Distribution (CGD) network.
• The government is working on energy efficiency, security, affordability and accessibility. Soon, customers will have to go to a single place where all types of fuels will be available, be it Petrol, Diesel, LNG, PNG or CNG.
• India is the 3^rd largest energy consumer in the world after China and US.

4. 23 more Minor Forest Produce items included in MSP List

• 23 additional Minor Forest Produce (MFP) items have been included under the “Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce (MFP) through Minimum Support Price (MSP) and development of value chain of MFP” scheme.
• “Mechanism for Marketing of Minor Forest Produce through Minimum Support price and development of Value Chain of MFP” Scheme is a centrally sponsored scheme under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs that was launched in 2011 to provide a social safety net to forest dwellers and to empower them.
• The move aims at protecting forest dwellers from exploitation by local traders and ensuring fair returns to them.
• Now, a total of 73 items have been covered under this scheme.  
• Some of these 23 newly added items are Van Tulsi seeds, Van Jeera, Mushroom Dry, Black Rice, Johar Rice, Mustard, Cashew Nut, Tamarind seed, Bamboo brooms, Seed Lac, etc.
• States can fix MSP up to 10% above or below MSP declared by the Central government.

(Source: PIB)

5. INS Kesari enters Port Antsiranana, Madagascar under Mission Sagar

• Indian Naval Ship (INS) Kesari has entered Port Antsiranana, Madagascar, as part of Mission Sagar.
• The ship carried a consignment of COVID related essential medicines for the people of Madagascar.
• Indian Ambassador to Madagascar, Mr Abhay Kumar handed over the medicines to the government of Madagascar in an official ceremony.
• Mission Sagar is the initiative of the Government of India to provide assistance to the countries located in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• It is inspired by the PM’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region ‘SAGAR’.

6. US announces termination of its relationship with WHO

• US President Donald Trump has announced that US will be terminating its relationship with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
• Mr. Trump has blamed WHO and China for the destruction caused by COVID-19.
• He also announced that the US will end special treatment of Hong Kong in response to Chinese imposition of new controls.
• Recently, China’s Parliament has passed a new law for Hong Kong that will empower China to draft national security laws for the Special Administrative Region (SAR).
• World Health Organisation (WHO):
  • It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that directs and coordinates international health.
  • It was formed in 1948.
  • Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
  • Members: 194 countries
  • Current President: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

(Source: News on AIR)

7. 25^th webinar organized by Tourism Ministry under Dekho Apna Desh Series

• Under Dekho Apna Desh series, 25^th webinar series has been organized by the Ministry of Tourism.
• The series is titled ‘Northeast India for the immersive traveller’ and provides an attractive virtual tour of four northeastern states- Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Sikkim.
• Dzukou valley, a crater base of an extinct volcano located between Manipur and Nagaland, was also shown.
• Dekho Apna Desh promotes the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’.
• Dekho Apna Desh is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism that aims to encourage Indian citizens to travel across the country and explore the wonders of India.
• Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat was launched on 31 October 2015 on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The initiative aims to celebrate the unity in diversity and showcase the rich cultural heritage, traditions and customs of either State.

(Source: mygov.in)

8. BRICS Heads of Tax Authorities meeting held through videoconferencing

• The meeting of the BRICS Heads of Tax Authorities, scheduled to be held in Moscow, was held on May 29 through video conferencing due to coronavirus pandemic.
• Finance Secretary of India, Ajay Bhushan Pandey, attended the meeting. He asked other countries to share COVID-19 related tax measures taken by them to increase their understanding of the fiscal and economic impact of the pandemic.
• The Federal Tax Service of Russia hosted the meeting as Russia currently holds the presidency of BRICS.
• BRICS:
  • BRICS is a group of five nations, viz. Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
  • It was founded in 2006.
  • Headquarters: Shanghai, China

(Source: News on AIR)

9. Finance Minister launches facility for instant allotment of e-PAN

• Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has officially launched the facility for instant allotment of PAN.
• The applicants having valid Aadhaar number and mobile number registered with Aadhaar can access this facility.
• The process is paperless and an e-PAN will be issued free of cost to the applicant.
• The beta version of the facility was started on 12 February 2020 on a trial basis, and now it has been launched formally. 
• The facility can be accessed on the e-filing website of the IT Department.
• Permanent Account Number (PAN):
  • It is a ten-digit alphanumeric number issued by the Income Tax Department.
  • As per provisions of Section 272B of the Income Tax Act 1961, a penalty of ₹10,000 can be levied on possession of more than one PAN.
  • PAN was introduced to link various documents like payment of taxes, tax demand, tax assessment, etc.
  • As per section 139AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961, it is mandatory for every person to link his Aadhaar number while applying for PAN or furnishing return of income with effect from July 1, 2017.

(Source: News on AIR)

10. First CM of Chhattisgarh Ajit Jogi passed away

• Ajit Jogi, first Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, passed away at the age of 74.
• Chhattisgarh:
  • The state of Chhattisgarh was formed on 1 November 2000 after being separated from Madhya Pradesh.
  • Capital: Raipur
  • Current Governor: Anusuiya Uike
  • Current Chief Minister: Bhupesh Baghel

(Source: News on AIR)