The year-long celebrations marking 150 years of Abanindranath Tagore will be started soon, with a host of online workshops and talks paying tributes to the leading light of the Bengal School of Art. Important points: Abanindranath Tagore took birth in a family of Tagores of Jorasanko in Kolkata in 1871. He was a nephew …

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) expressed displeasure against the Central government by asking whether it intends to “close” tribunals across the country by not filling up vacancies that have been pending for years. Important points: Tribunal is a quasi-judicial institution that is set up to deal with problems such as resolving administrative or tax-related disputes. It …

Recently, Rajya Sabha has passed the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The bill provides for modifying Part-XVIII of the Schedule to the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950, relating to the state of Arunachal Pradesh. Important points: It seeks to amend the constitutional list of Scheduled Tribes as recommended by Arunachal Pradesh. At present, there …

Recently, the Government of India has introduced The Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in the Lok Sabha. The bill seeks to withdraw tax demands made using a 2012 retrospective legislation to tax the indirect transfer of Indian assets. Important points: The retrospective tax law was passed in 2012 following a Supreme Court verdict in favour of …

Recently in a Deputy National Security Adviser-level meeting hosted by Sri Lanka, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives have agreed to work on “four pillars” of security cooperation. The four areas covers marine security, human trafficking, counter-terrorism, and cyber security. The meeting which was held under the Colombo Security Conclave, saw Bangladesh, Seychelles and Mauritius participating in the role of observers. Important points: Soon …

In the past, the Obama and Trump administrations had supported a permanent seat for India on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). However, the recent statements by the State Department under the new US President Joe Biden, reflects an ambiguous or half-hearted view on this issue. Important points: The US supports a reformed Security Council that …