Daily Current Affairs and GK | 9 September 2021

Topic: Indian Economy

1. CBDT amended IT Rules to ease authentication of electronic records.

• The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has amended Income Tax Rules, 1962 to ease the authentication of electronic records in faceless assessment.
• According to new amended rules, electronic records submitted through the registered account of taxpayers in the portal of Income Tax Department can be self-authenticated by the taxpayer through Electronic Verification Code (EVC).
• Earlier, companies and tax audit cases were mandatorily required to authenticate the electronic records by digital signature.
• Now, this simplified process will be also available to companies and tax audit cases.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

2. Government launched portal for National Livestock Mission.

• Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala launched the portal for National Livestock Mission (NLM).
• The portal has been launched to increase the effectiveness and transparency in the implementation of the scheme.
• This National Livestock Mission Portal has been developed by the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) in collaboration with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
• It aims to customize the workflow between State Implementing Agency (SIA), lenders, and the Ministry.
• The livestock sector in India has grown at the rate of 8.15% from 2014-15 to 2019-20.

Topic: Appointments

3. Harsha Bhupendra Bangari appointed as EXIM Bank MD.

• Harsha Bhupendra Bangari has been appointed as MD of Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM Bank).
• She has taken charge on 08 September. She will remain on the post for a period of three years or until further orders of the government.
• She was presently serving as Deputy Managing Director at EXIM Bank. She joined EXIM Bank in 1995.
• The post of EXIM Bank MD was vacant ever since David Rasquniha completed his three-year tenure as MD in May 2021.
• Total 10 candidates were interviewed by Banks Board Bureau (BBB) for the post of MD at EXIM Bank. In May 2021, BBB recommended Bangari’s name for the post of MD.

Topic: Government Schemes and Initiatives

4. Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2021 launched today.

• Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2021 has been launched today under Swachh Bharat Mission Phase- 2.
• Swachh Survekshan Grameen aims to support the acceleration of ODF plus interventions and results in the country.
• As part of the Survekshan, Villages, Districts and States would be given a ranking on the basis of key parameters.
• The Survekshan will cover 17,475 villages in 698 districts across the country. 87,250 public places namely schools, anganwadis, public health centres, haat/bazaars/religious places in these villages will be visited for the survey.
• Around 1,74,750 Households will be interviewed for their feedback on Swachh Bharat Mission related issues.
• Swachh Survekshan Gramin (SSG) had been commissioned earlier by Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) in 2018 and 2019.
• Swachh Survekshan Gramin (SSG) 2021 has three different elements. Three different elements of SSG 2021 and their weightages are given next.
  • Direct Observation of sanitation at public places -30%
  • Citizen’s Feedback, including feedback from common citizens, key influencers at the village level and from citizens online using a mobile App -35%
  • Service Level Progress on sanitation related parameters -35%

(Source: PIB)

Topic: Agriculture

5. Cabinet approves hike in MSP for Rabi crops.

• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the hike in the Minimum Support Prices for Rabi crops for Rabi Marketing Season 2022-23.
• The MSP of lentils, rapeseeds, and mustard has been increased by 400 rupees per quintal. The MSP for gram and safflower have been increased by 130 rupees per quintal and 114 rupees per quintal respectively.
• The MSP for wheat has been increased by Rs 40 to Rs 2,015 per quintal. However, the MSP hike for wheat is the lowest in the decade.
• The increase in MSP has been in accordance with the Union Budget 2018-19 Budget announcement of fixing the MSPs at a level of at least 1.5 times of the all-India weighted average cost of production.
• MSP is the rate at which the government buys grain from farmers. It is available for 23 crops based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs & Prices (CACP).

Topic: MoUs/ Agreements

6. Indian government and ADB signed a 300 billion dollar loan agreement for improving rural connectivity in Maharashtra.

• The Indian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a 300 billion dollar loan agreement for improving rural connectivity to boost the rural economy in Maharashtra.
• ADB will provide financial assistance for the Maharashtra Rural Connectivity Improvement Project. Under this project, additional 1,100 rural roads and 230 bridges will be constructed in 34 districts.
• With the additional financing, the condition and safety of five thousand kilometer of rural roads and 200 bridges will be improved.
• The new project will generate about 3.1 million person-days of employment for local people.
• Under this project, a gender action plan has been also prepared for the capacity development of women workers.

Topic: Government Scheme and Initiatives

7. Cabinet approved Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Textiles Industry.

• Union Cabinet has approved the Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Textiles. The government will provide incentive worth 10,683 crore rupees over five years to textile Industries.
• It will create additional direct employment opportunities for more than 7.5 lakh people. It is estimated that the PLI Scheme for Textiles will attract investment of more than Rs. 19,000 crores.
• The PLI Scheme for Textiles has been approved for MMF Apparel, MMF Fabrics, and 10 segments/ products of Technical Textiles.
• The government has also launched a National Technical Textiles Mission for promoting research and development in the sector.
• It will encourage investment in the textile sector and give push to the man-made fiber segment.
• It will create a positive impact in states like Gujarat, UP, Maharashtra, Tamilnadu, Punjab, AP, Telangana, Odisha, etc.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: State News/ Uttarakhand

8. Baby Rani Maurya resigns as Uttarakhand Governor.

• Uttarakhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya has submitted her resignation to President Ram Nath Kovind.
• Baby Rani Maurya was appointed as the governor of Uttarakhand in August 2018. Earlier, She had served as the mayor of Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
• Baby Rani Maurya is the second woman governor of Uttarakhand. In 1997, She was awarded Samaj Ratna and Uttar Pradesh Ratna.

(Source: News on AIR)

Topic: MoUs/Agreements

9. Cabinet approved pact between Russia and India for cooperation in the field of geosciences.

• The Cabinet has approved the signing of an MoU between Russia and India for cooperation in the field of geosciences.
• The MoU has been signed between the Joint Stock Company Rosgeologia of Russian federation and the Geological Survey of India (GSI).
• The main objective of this pact is to extend the mutual cooperation for technological collaboration on exploration for deep-seated and / or concealed mineral deposit and analysis and interpretation of the aero-geophysical data.
• The MoU will also cover the exchange of technology and knowledge in the field of drilling, sampling and laboratory analysis to achieve data accuracy.
• This MoU will act as an umbrella framework for cooperation between GSI and ROSGEO in the field of Geosciences.
• Joint Stock Company Rosgeologia (ROSGEO) is the largest geological State holding company in the Russian Federation. It is involved in all types of geological prospecting and exploration activities.

Topic: Appointment

10. Satish Parekh appointed as International Road Federation India president.

• Satish Parekh has been appointed as International Road Federation(IRF) India president.
• He will succeed Subhmay Gangopadhyay, former director of Central Road Research Institute.
• International Road Federation works for better and safer roads around the world.
• The International Road Federation (IRF) India Chapter has been active in India since February 2009.

Topic: Awards and Prizes

11. Author Namita Gokhale conferred with Yamin Hazarika Woman of Substance Award.

• Writer Namita Gokhale has been conferred with the seventh Yamin Hazarika Woman of Substance Award.
• She has written more than 20 books, including 11 books of fiction.
• She is also the co-founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival. She was also the mentor of Himalayan Echoes and the Kumaon Festival of Literature and the Arts.
• Jaipur Journals, The Blind Matriarch, Betrayed By Hope are some famous books written by her.