NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM
Modi Launches Extension of ‘SVAMITVA scheme’ Across India: Prime Minister
Shri Narendra Modi launched the distribution of e-property cards under the
SVAMITVA scheme on National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24, 2021, through video
conferencing. SVAMITVA stands for Survey of Villages and Mapping with
Improvised Technology in Village Areas. The launch marked the rollout of the
implementation of the SVAMITVA scheme across the entire country. About 4.09
lakh property owners were given their e-property cards during the event, in
more than 5 thousand villages. Swamitva Scheme:
(1) The Svamitva Scheme was launched by
Prime Minister on 24 April 2020 as a Central Sector Scheme to promote a
socio-economically empowered and self-reliant rural India.
(2) It was launched on pilot basis in the 6
states, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya
Pradesh.
(3) The Scheme will ensure the demarcation
of inhabited land in rural areas.
(4) It will use drones in surveying and
mapping of properties in villages.
(5) This will help in reducing disputes
over property.
(6) The Scheme will cover around 6.62 Lakh
villages of the entire country during 2021-2025.
2.
Justice NuthalapatiVenkataRamana takes oath as 48th CJI: Justice
NuthalapatiVenkataRamana was sworn in as the 48th Chief Justice of India (CJI)
on April 24, 2021. Justice Ramana was administered the oath of office by
President Ram NathKovind at a brief ceremony held at the RashtrapatiBhavan. He
succeeds Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde who demitted office on April 23, 2021.
Justice Ramana will serve as the Chief Justice till 26 August 2022.
3.
Government Extends ‘Vivad se Vishwas’ scheme Deadline till 30 June 2021: The government has
once again extended the deadline for making payment under the direct tax
dispute settlement scheme ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ by two months till June 30, 2021
to provide relief to the taxpayers facing hardships amid the pandemic. This is
the fourth time that the deadline is being extended by the Ministry of Finance,
since the launch of the scheme. The deadline was extended for the first time from
March 31, 2020, to June 30, 2020, followed by December 31, 2020, and then again
till March 31, 2021.
What is Vivad Se Vishwas scheme?
(1) The ‘Vivad Se Vishwas’ scheme was
announced in the Union Budget 2020, as per which a taxpayer would be required
to pay only the amount of the disputed taxes and will get a complete waiver of
interest and penalty provided he pays by 31st March 2020.
(2) Those who avail of this scheme after
31st March 2020 will have to pay a 10% additional penalty and interest amount.
(3) The scheme provides for settlement of
disputed tax, interest, penalty or fees in relation to an assessment or
reassessment order on payment of 100 per cent of the disputed tax and 25 per
cent of the disputed penalty or interest or fee.
(4) The taxpayer is granted immunity from
levy of interest, penalty and institution of any proceeding for prosecution for
any offence under the Income-tax Act in respect of matters covered in the
declaration.
INTERNATIONALUPDATES:
1.
India Ranks 87th in WEF Global Energy Transition Index 2021: India is placed at
the 87th position among 115 countries in the 2021 Energy Transition Index
(ETI). The report is published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), prepared in
collaboration with Accenture to track nations on the current performance of
their energy systems across various aspects.
Index: (1) Sweden; (2)
Norway; (3) Denmark; (4) Switzerland; (5) Austria;
Zimbabwe (115) is the last ranked country
in the index.
About the index: The index
benchmarks 115 countries on the current performance of their energy systems
across three dimensions — economic development and growth, environmental
sustainability, and energy security and access indicators — and their readiness
to transition to secure, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive energy systems.
2.
USCIRF Recommends India, Russia for ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ Tag: A US
Congress-constituted quasi-judicial body asked the Biden Administration to
designate four nations, including India, as “countries of particular concern”,
alleging that religious freedom conditions there in 2020 continued their
negative trajectory.
The annual report of the US Commission for
International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) also recommended the State Department
to redesignate 10 nations as “countries of particular concern” (CPC). These are
Burma (Myanmar), China, Eritrea, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi
Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. In addition to India, USCIRF in its
non-binding report recommended the State Department to add three more countries
to the list: Russia, Syria and Vietnam
3.
International Delegate’s Day: 25th April: International Delegate’s Day
observed globally on 25 April every year. This day is observed to raise
awareness of the role of the representatives and delegates of the Member States
to the United Nations. International Delegate’s Day marks the anniversary of
the first day of the San Francisco Conference which is also known as the United
Nations Conference on International Organization.
History of International Delegate’s
Day:
On 25 April 1945, delegates from 50 countries came together for the first time
in San Francisco. The conference happened after the devastation of the second
world war. The delegates aimed to set up an organization that would restore
world peace and imposes rules on the post-war world order. On 2 April 2019, the
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 25 April as International
Delegate’s Day.
4.
World Malaria Day: 25th April: The World Malaria Day (WMD) is observed
globally on 25 April each year to recognize the efforts of the people worldwide
to control malaria. The Day was established in May 2007 at the 60th session of
the World Health Assembly, WHO’s the decision-making body. The theme of World
Malaria Day 2021 is ‘Reaching the zero malaria target’.
World Malaria Day History: World Malaria Day
was developed from Africa Malaria Day which was first held in 2008. It is
basically an occasion that had been observed since 2001 by African governments.
They worked towards the progress goal which aimed toward controlling malaria
and reduces its mortality in African countries.
OTHER UPDATES:
BANKING AND FINANCE
1.
RBI approves Atanu Chakraborty as HDFC Bank’s part-time chairman: The Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) has approved the appointment of former Economic Affairs
Secretary, Atanu Chakraborty, as the part-time chairman and additional
independent director of the private sector lender HDFC Bank. He retired as
Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs in April 2020. Prior to that,
he served as Secretary of the Department of Investment and Public Asset
Management (DIPAM). Chakraborty, a 1985 batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, has
been appointed for a period of three years with effect from May 5, 2021 or the
date of his taking charge, whichever is later.
Note: Headquarters of HDFC Bank: Mumbai,
Maharashtra; MD and CEO of HDFC Bank: SashidharJagdishan (Succeeds Aditya
Puri); The tagline of HDFC Bank: We understand your world.
2.
HSBC India partners with Google Pay for tokenisation on its credit card
portfolio: HSBC
India announced that it has collaborated with Google Pay (GPay) and VISA to
enable secured tokenisation on its credit cards. This new feature will enable
HSBC Credit Card customers to link their card to GPay and use it as a payment
option to securely and digitally transact using their mobile phones – online
and at merchant stores. The move is in line with the bank’s ongoing endeavour
towards enhanced security and convenience for its card holders.
BUSINESS AND ECONOMY
1.
SBI Research Projects India’s GDP Growth Rate at 10.4% for FY22: The State Bank of
India (SBI) Research has revised India’s GDP growth rate for FY22 (2021-22) to
10.4%. Earlier it estimated this at 11%. The downward projection has been taken
in view of the increasing COVID-19 related curbs across states.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1.
National Panchayat Awards 2021: The National Panchayat Awards 2021 was
conferred by PM Modi. Prime Minister will transfer the award money (as
Grants-in-Aid) through the click of a button, ranging from Rs.5 lakh to Rs.50
lakh. The amount will be directly transferred to the bank account of the
Panchayats concerned in real-time. This is being done for the first time.
The National Panchayat Awards 2021 are
being conferred under the following categories:
(1) DeenDayalUpadhyay Panchayat
SashaktikaranPuraskar to 224 panchayats,
(2) NanajiDeshmukhRashtriya Gaurav Gram
Sabha Puraskar to 30-gram panchayats, Gram
(3) Panchayat Development Plan Award to
29-gram panchayats, Child-friendly Gram
(4) Panchayat Award to 30 Gram Panchayats
and e-Panchayat Puraskar to 12 states.
OBITUARIES
1.
Veteran Gujarati and Hindi Film Actor Amit Mistry Passes Away: Popular Gujarati
and Hindi film actor Amit Mistry, who was last seen in the Amazon Prime Video
series “Bandish Bandits”, has passed away. The actor was a prominent face in
the Gujarati theatre circuit. He was also known for his memorable performances
in Bollywood films like Kya Kehna, EkChalis Ki Last Local, 99, Shor In The
City, YamlaPaglaDeewana and A Gentleman as well as TV-like Tenali Rama,
Ssshhh…Koi Hai, Maddam Sir and ShubhMangalSavadhan, besides OTT shows.
2. M Narasimham “The Father of Banking Reforms” Passes Away: The former Governor of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), M Narasimham, who was considered as the “father of banking reforms in India” has passed away due to Covid-19 related illness. He was 94. He served as the 13th Governor of RBI for a short period of seven months between May and November 1977. He was the first and only governor to be appointed from the Reserve Bank cadre.'
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