DAILY G.A UPDATE : 28-07-2016
1. KJ Ramesh to be the new IMD chief
KJ Ramesh will be the new Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). He will replace Laxman Singh Rathore.
Ramesh, who is currently serving as an advisor in the Ministry of Earth Science, is product of IIT Delhi and has served in various capacities in the Department of Science and Technology.
After the 1999 super-cyclone, that hit eastern coast of the country, he was on deputation in Andhra Pradesh, where he set up the Disaster Mitigation for floods and cyclone.
Rathore, an officer from the Indian Meteorological Service (IMS), will retire this month end. During his tenure, the IMD saw very precise prediction of cyclones HudHud and Phailin, forecasting of heatwave and nowcasts. He is also credited to initiate the special agro-meteorological service for the farmers.
2. Cabinet drops 1% additional tax from GST Bill
The Cabinet cleared changes in the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, dropping 1 per cent manufacturing tax and providing guarantee to compensate states for any revenue loss in the first five years of rollout of the proposed indirect tax regime.
The Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to include in the Constitutional Amendment Bill that any dispute between states and the Centre will be adjudicated by the GST Council, which will have representation from both the Centre and states.
With states on board and the Cabinet approving the amendments, the government is hopeful of passage of the long-pending Goods and Services Tax Bill (GST) in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, which ends on August 12.
The GST Bill, with the changes approved by the Cabinet, could come up in the Rajya Sabha as early as this week, but certainly by next week.
The changes approved by the Cabinet are to the Constitutional Amendment Bill that was approved by the Lok Sabha in May (rpt) May last year. Once the Rajya Sabha approves the legislation, the amended Bill will have to go back to the Lok Sabha again for approval.
The amendments were taken up by the Cabinet after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's assurance to state finance ministers to include in the Bill the mechanism of compensating states for all the loss of revenue for five years.
3. India inks $1-bn deal with Boeing to buy 4 more P-8I aircraft for Navy
Adding more teeth to the Navy’s surveillance capabilities, India signed a deal worth over $1 billion with American defence and aerospace major Boeing for procuring four additional Poseidon-8I long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
The US has emerged as the biggest supplier of military hardware to India and with agreement, the total value of defence deals signed with the US in the last decade comes to around $15 billion.
According to defence sources, the contract is a follow-on order to the eight P-81 planes worth $2.1 billion bought by India in a direct deal with Boeing in 2009.
The contract was inked during the ongoing visit of US under Secretary for Defence on Acquisition Frank Kendall and is seen as a sign of growing Indo-US defence ties, defence officials said.
India had last year signed a $3 billion contract with the US through Foreign Military Sales route for 22 Apache and 15 Chinook helicopters. India is also working on a deal to get 145 pieces of M777 light-weight howitzers from the US, the sources said.
The acquisition of additional 'P-8I' will be a shot in the arm for the Indian Navy as the country has been building up its naval surveillance capabilities in recent times.
Armed with deadly Harpoon missiles, light-weight torpedoes and rockets among others, the Navy is extensively using the P-8I to keep a strict vigil on the Indian Ocean, which has seen numerous Chinese submarine forays, including the docking of a nuclear submarine in Sri Lanka.
The Navy will also be able to drop and monitor sonobuoys being used in the search for the missing AN32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, they said.
Incidentally, India is P-8I's first international customer. It was also Boeing's first military sale to India. The P-8I fleet is based at the Naval Air Station at Rajali in Tamil Nadu. The long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft has an operational speed of 450 miles per hour and a range of 4,500 nautical miles.
The planes will provide strategic blue water and littoral undersea warfare capabilities as well as armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to the Navy, the defence sources said.
Based on Boeing's Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane, P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that the American defence firm has developed for the US Navy. “The deal has been signed. The delivery dates are being worked out,” a defence ministry source said. India has already deployed its original eight P-8I aircraft to track submarine movements in the Indian Ocean. “India has a vast maritime border and these planes are meant for long-range surveillance,” a Boeing official said. The Navy will likely deploy them in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal to counter Chinese influence in the seas," the official said.
4. LeEco acquires US-based VIZIO for USD 2 bn
Chinese handset maker LeEco acquired US-based consumer electronics firm VIZIO for USD 2 billion.
5. Indonesia president puts ex-general, popular World Bank leader in cabinet
Indonesian President Joko Widodo pleased market reform advocates by bringing home the World Bank’s managing director to be finance minister and upset human rights activists by naming a controversial ex-general as security chief.
6. Father of Hybrid Sorghum Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao passes away
Distinguished agricultural scientist Neelamraju Ganga Prasada (NGP) Rao, fondly referred to as the Father of Hybrid Sorghum, passed away. He was 89.
NGP Rao is well-known for basic and applied research in breeding and agronomy of several dryland crops.
About Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao
• Born in Korisapadu, Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, Rao had his early education in the Agricultural College, Bapatla.
• Due to his efforts, sorghum hybrids CSH1 CSH5 and CSH9 became popular and were cultivated in over 8 to 10 million hectares.
• His contributions in dryland crops, particularly long staple desi cotton, pigeonpea, castor and novel cropping systems, were well recognised.
• Rao also held various positions such as Consultant to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Project Coordinator (Sorghum), All-India Coordinated Sorghum Improvement Project, many more.
• He has around 200 research publications in national and international journals.
• He was awarded with the SS Bhatnagar Prize for Biological Sciences for his efforts.
7. RBI slaps Rs 27-cr penalty on 13 banks for FEMA
In a major crackdown for FEMA violations and KYC lapses, the RBI has imposed Rs 27-crore penalty on 13 public and private sector banks, including PNB and HDFC Bank, while asking eight others including SBI and ICICI Bank to ensure strict compliance with guidelines.
On the basis of inputs received from a public sector bank, the Reserve Bank had undertaken a scrutiny on advance import remittances in 21 banks in October and November 2015.
In a statement issued, the RBI said it has imposed monetary penalty on 13 banks for "violation of regulatory directions/instructions/guidelines, among other things, on KYC norms".
These banks are: Bank of Baroda (Rs 5 crore), Punjab National Bank (Rs 3 crore), Syndicate Bank (Rs 3 crore), UCO Bank (Rs 2 crore), HDFC Bank (Rs 2 crore), Allahabad Bank (Rs 2 crore), Canara Bank (Rs 2 crore), IndusInd Bank (Rs 2crore), SBBJ (Rs 2 crore), Bank of India (Rs 1 crore), Corporation Bank (Rs 1 crore), RBL Bank (Rs 1 crore) and SBM (Rs 1 crore).
The RBI further said that eight other banks -- Axis Bank, Federal Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, OBC, Standard Chartered Bank, SBI and Union Bank of India -- have been "advised to put in place appropriate measures and review them from time to time to ensure strict compliance with KYC requirements and FEMA provisions on an ongoing basis".
It, however, added that "this action" is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and "is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank and its customers".
The scrutiny in the 21 banks examined the alleged irregularities in opening and monitoring of accounts including violations under FEMA provisions.
8. Australia announces $250,000 grant for Confluence Festival of India
Aiming to deepen its cultural ties with India, Australia has announced a grant of 250,000 Australian dollars for supporting the 'Confluence Festival of India', the first of its kind and the biggest such event ever to be held in the country.
The 10-week-long festival will be held across seven cities - MELBOURNE, Sydney, Perth, Canberra, Alice Springs, Adelaide and Brisbane from August this year.
According to an official statement, the Turnbull Coalition Government announced 250,000 Australian dollars to support the festival which would showcase diverse range of India's arts and culture from classical to contemporary and visual arts.
It also includes a number of community activities and collaborations with local artists.
"The Festival of India in Australia initiative was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and is a key deliverable of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Arts and Culture between the two sides," the statement said.
9. East Bengal to honour Milkha Singh with Bharat Gaurav Award
Kolkata’s football club East Bengal announced that the 2016 Bharat Gaurav Award, also known as Pride of India Award, will be conferred on legendary athlete Milkha Singh.
Singh will be honoured with the prestigious award on the East Bengal Foundation Day (1 August 2016). Along with the award, a cheque of 2 lakh rupees will also be presented to him.
Besides, special awards along with a cash prize of 1 lakh rupees each will be given to East Bengal players Shyam Thapa and Shyamal Ghosh.
The trophy for the Best Footballer of the Year will be given to South Korean midfielder Do Dong Hyun, who will also receive 50000 rupees.
Veteran sports reporter Debashish Dutta and photo journalist Rony Roy will also be receiving awards for their contribution over the years.
About Milkha Singh
• Milkha Singh is a former Indian track and field sprinter.
• He is also known as The Flying Sikh.
• He was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army.
• He was the only Indian athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at a Commonwealth Games until Krishna Poonia won the discus gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
• He is best remembered for achieving fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games.
• He also won gold medals in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games.
• He represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1958.
About East Bengal Football Club
• East Bengal Football Club is a professional football club.
• It is based in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• It was founded on 1 August 1920.
• It is the most consistent football club of India.
• It currently competes in the I-League, the top-tier of Indian football pyramid.
• The club is the current holder of the Calcutta Football League.
• The club has represented India the most number of times in the Asian competitions.
• The club has a long-standing rivalry with giant club Mohun Bagan, with whom it contests the Kolkata derby.
Eminent author and social activist Mahasweta Devi, whose writings focused on the marginalised communities in the country and served as the voice of the oppressed, died. She was 91.
1. KJ Ramesh to be the new IMD chief
KJ Ramesh will be the new Director General of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). He will replace Laxman Singh Rathore.
Ramesh, who is currently serving as an advisor in the Ministry of Earth Science, is product of IIT Delhi and has served in various capacities in the Department of Science and Technology.
After the 1999 super-cyclone, that hit eastern coast of the country, he was on deputation in Andhra Pradesh, where he set up the Disaster Mitigation for floods and cyclone.
Rathore, an officer from the Indian Meteorological Service (IMS), will retire this month end. During his tenure, the IMD saw very precise prediction of cyclones HudHud and Phailin, forecasting of heatwave and nowcasts. He is also credited to initiate the special agro-meteorological service for the farmers.
2. Cabinet drops 1% additional tax from GST Bill
The Cabinet cleared changes in the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill, dropping 1 per cent manufacturing tax and providing guarantee to compensate states for any revenue loss in the first five years of rollout of the proposed indirect tax regime.
The Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided to include in the Constitutional Amendment Bill that any dispute between states and the Centre will be adjudicated by the GST Council, which will have representation from both the Centre and states.
With states on board and the Cabinet approving the amendments, the government is hopeful of passage of the long-pending Goods and Services Tax Bill (GST) in the ongoing monsoon session of Parliament, which ends on August 12.
The GST Bill, with the changes approved by the Cabinet, could come up in the Rajya Sabha as early as this week, but certainly by next week.
The changes approved by the Cabinet are to the Constitutional Amendment Bill that was approved by the Lok Sabha in May (rpt) May last year. Once the Rajya Sabha approves the legislation, the amended Bill will have to go back to the Lok Sabha again for approval.
The amendments were taken up by the Cabinet after Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's assurance to state finance ministers to include in the Bill the mechanism of compensating states for all the loss of revenue for five years.
3. India inks $1-bn deal with Boeing to buy 4 more P-8I aircraft for Navy
Adding more teeth to the Navy’s surveillance capabilities, India signed a deal worth over $1 billion with American defence and aerospace major Boeing for procuring four additional Poseidon-8I long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
The US has emerged as the biggest supplier of military hardware to India and with agreement, the total value of defence deals signed with the US in the last decade comes to around $15 billion.
According to defence sources, the contract is a follow-on order to the eight P-81 planes worth $2.1 billion bought by India in a direct deal with Boeing in 2009.
The contract was inked during the ongoing visit of US under Secretary for Defence on Acquisition Frank Kendall and is seen as a sign of growing Indo-US defence ties, defence officials said.
India had last year signed a $3 billion contract with the US through Foreign Military Sales route for 22 Apache and 15 Chinook helicopters. India is also working on a deal to get 145 pieces of M777 light-weight howitzers from the US, the sources said.
The acquisition of additional 'P-8I' will be a shot in the arm for the Indian Navy as the country has been building up its naval surveillance capabilities in recent times.
Armed with deadly Harpoon missiles, light-weight torpedoes and rockets among others, the Navy is extensively using the P-8I to keep a strict vigil on the Indian Ocean, which has seen numerous Chinese submarine forays, including the docking of a nuclear submarine in Sri Lanka.
The Navy will also be able to drop and monitor sonobuoys being used in the search for the missing AN32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force, they said.
Incidentally, India is P-8I's first international customer. It was also Boeing's first military sale to India. The P-8I fleet is based at the Naval Air Station at Rajali in Tamil Nadu. The long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft has an operational speed of 450 miles per hour and a range of 4,500 nautical miles.
The planes will provide strategic blue water and littoral undersea warfare capabilities as well as armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to the Navy, the defence sources said.
Based on Boeing's Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane, P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that the American defence firm has developed for the US Navy. “The deal has been signed. The delivery dates are being worked out,” a defence ministry source said. India has already deployed its original eight P-8I aircraft to track submarine movements in the Indian Ocean. “India has a vast maritime border and these planes are meant for long-range surveillance,” a Boeing official said. The Navy will likely deploy them in the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal to counter Chinese influence in the seas," the official said.
4. LeEco acquires US-based VIZIO for USD 2 bn
Chinese handset maker LeEco acquired US-based consumer electronics firm VIZIO for USD 2 billion.
5. Indonesia president puts ex-general, popular World Bank leader in cabinet
Indonesian President Joko Widodo pleased market reform advocates by bringing home the World Bank’s managing director to be finance minister and upset human rights activists by naming a controversial ex-general as security chief.
6. Father of Hybrid Sorghum Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao passes away
Distinguished agricultural scientist Neelamraju Ganga Prasada (NGP) Rao, fondly referred to as the Father of Hybrid Sorghum, passed away. He was 89.
NGP Rao is well-known for basic and applied research in breeding and agronomy of several dryland crops.
About Neelamraju Ganga Prasada Rao
• Born in Korisapadu, Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, Rao had his early education in the Agricultural College, Bapatla.
• Due to his efforts, sorghum hybrids CSH1 CSH5 and CSH9 became popular and were cultivated in over 8 to 10 million hectares.
• His contributions in dryland crops, particularly long staple desi cotton, pigeonpea, castor and novel cropping systems, were well recognised.
• Rao also held various positions such as Consultant to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Project Coordinator (Sorghum), All-India Coordinated Sorghum Improvement Project, many more.
• He has around 200 research publications in national and international journals.
• He was awarded with the SS Bhatnagar Prize for Biological Sciences for his efforts.
7. RBI slaps Rs 27-cr penalty on 13 banks for FEMA
In a major crackdown for FEMA violations and KYC lapses, the RBI has imposed Rs 27-crore penalty on 13 public and private sector banks, including PNB and HDFC Bank, while asking eight others including SBI and ICICI Bank to ensure strict compliance with guidelines.
On the basis of inputs received from a public sector bank, the Reserve Bank had undertaken a scrutiny on advance import remittances in 21 banks in October and November 2015.
In a statement issued, the RBI said it has imposed monetary penalty on 13 banks for "violation of regulatory directions/instructions/guidelines, among other things, on KYC norms".
These banks are: Bank of Baroda (Rs 5 crore), Punjab National Bank (Rs 3 crore), Syndicate Bank (Rs 3 crore), UCO Bank (Rs 2 crore), HDFC Bank (Rs 2 crore), Allahabad Bank (Rs 2 crore), Canara Bank (Rs 2 crore), IndusInd Bank (Rs 2crore), SBBJ (Rs 2 crore), Bank of India (Rs 1 crore), Corporation Bank (Rs 1 crore), RBL Bank (Rs 1 crore) and SBM (Rs 1 crore).
The RBI further said that eight other banks -- Axis Bank, Federal Bank, ICICI Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, OBC, Standard Chartered Bank, SBI and Union Bank of India -- have been "advised to put in place appropriate measures and review them from time to time to ensure strict compliance with KYC requirements and FEMA provisions on an ongoing basis".
It, however, added that "this action" is based on deficiencies in regulatory compliance and "is not intended to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or agreement entered into by the bank and its customers".
The scrutiny in the 21 banks examined the alleged irregularities in opening and monitoring of accounts including violations under FEMA provisions.
8. Australia announces $250,000 grant for Confluence Festival of India
Aiming to deepen its cultural ties with India, Australia has announced a grant of 250,000 Australian dollars for supporting the 'Confluence Festival of India', the first of its kind and the biggest such event ever to be held in the country.
The 10-week-long festival will be held across seven cities - MELBOURNE, Sydney, Perth, Canberra, Alice Springs, Adelaide and Brisbane from August this year.
According to an official statement, the Turnbull Coalition Government announced 250,000 Australian dollars to support the festival which would showcase diverse range of India's arts and culture from classical to contemporary and visual arts.
It also includes a number of community activities and collaborations with local artists.
"The Festival of India in Australia initiative was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2014 and is a key deliverable of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Field of Arts and Culture between the two sides," the statement said.
9. East Bengal to honour Milkha Singh with Bharat Gaurav Award
Kolkata’s football club East Bengal announced that the 2016 Bharat Gaurav Award, also known as Pride of India Award, will be conferred on legendary athlete Milkha Singh.
Singh will be honoured with the prestigious award on the East Bengal Foundation Day (1 August 2016). Along with the award, a cheque of 2 lakh rupees will also be presented to him.
Besides, special awards along with a cash prize of 1 lakh rupees each will be given to East Bengal players Shyam Thapa and Shyamal Ghosh.
The trophy for the Best Footballer of the Year will be given to South Korean midfielder Do Dong Hyun, who will also receive 50000 rupees.
Veteran sports reporter Debashish Dutta and photo journalist Rony Roy will also be receiving awards for their contribution over the years.
About Milkha Singh
• Milkha Singh is a former Indian track and field sprinter.
• He is also known as The Flying Sikh.
• He was introduced to the sport while serving in the Indian Army.
• He was the only Indian athlete to win an individual athletics gold medal at a Commonwealth Games until Krishna Poonia won the discus gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
• He is best remembered for achieving fourth-place finish in the 400 metres final at the 1960 Olympic Games.
• He also won gold medals in the 1958 and 1962 Asian Games.
• He represented India in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
• He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1958.
About East Bengal Football Club
• East Bengal Football Club is a professional football club.
• It is based in Kolkata, West Bengal.
• It was founded on 1 August 1920.
• It is the most consistent football club of India.
• It currently competes in the I-League, the top-tier of Indian football pyramid.
• The club is the current holder of the Calcutta Football League.
• The club has represented India the most number of times in the Asian competitions.
• The club has a long-standing rivalry with giant club Mohun Bagan, with whom it contests the Kolkata derby.
10. Eminent writer Mahasweta Devi passes away
Eminent author and social activist Mahasweta Devi, whose writings focused on the marginalised communities in the country and served as the voice of the oppressed, died. She was 91.
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