GS-III

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to raise Rs. 10,000 crore through Bharatmala Taxable Bonds in the current fiscal, Parliament was informed on Thursday. Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said as per the internal and extra budgetary resources approved for 2018-19 by the government, Rs. 62,000 crore is to …

The printing of Rs. 2,000 banknotes, introduced post-demonetisation in November 2016, has been reduced to “minimum” by the Reserve Bank, a top finance ministry official said on Thursday.Soon after the sudden decision to ban old Rs. 500/1000 currency notes by the government, the Reserve Bank of India had come out …

Global headwinds continued to hit Indian equities for the second consecutive session on Thursday as the benchmark Sensex and Nifty lost more than 1% each with investors reeling under concerns of an economic slowdown.The 30-share Sensex lost 377.81 points or 1.05% to close at 35,513.71. The broader Nifty ended the …

The government’s decision to make some changes to the e-way bill system effective November 16, 2018, has not gone down well with transporters, who claim that it has not been communicated properly and has led to ‘complete confusion’.“When A sells a material to B, he raises an invoice and subsequently …

The Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has observed that rejection of a resolution plan on technicalities, without going into its merits, goes against the spirit of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.Hearing the case of the applicant Omkara Assets Reconstruction Private Limited, the applicant, against the Interim …

Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday hinted that the government may opt for a vote on account instead of a full-fledged Budget in February. “As we are all aware that before the election the government normally just goes for vote on account — only for few days. That will …

The Supreme Court verdict has settled all questions on the Rafale deal, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Rajya Sabha, leading to a walkout by Congress members on Thursday.Ms. Swaraj was answering a question from Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut who asked her about the recent visit of French …

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed all District Magistrates to ensure stray cattle and destitute cows are sent to shelters homes “under any condition” by January 10. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/send-stray-cattle-to-shelters-within-a-week-adityanath/article25904784.ece

The Narendra Modi government’s move to form a high-level committee for the effective implementation of Clause 6 of the 1985 Assam Accord has been labelled a “poll gimmick” by political parties and organisations in Assam.Clause 6 of the Assam Accord seeks to provide “constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards” to “protect, …

The Indian cricket team does not have to adopt a vegan diet to avoid fat and cholesterol if it eats the meat of the famous Kadaknath chickens of Madhya Pradesh.In a letter to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and the Board of Control for Cricket in India written on the …

The Supreme Court spelt trouble for the Indian branch of the Swiss food giant Nestle on Thursday by resuscitating a Rs. 640-crore class-action suit filed by the government on behalf of thousands of consumers of the iconic Maggi noodles.The suit was filed by the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of …

The Law Ministry on Thursday said there was no proposal to introduce reservation for women in the appointment of judges in the higher judiciary. The Ministry’s response came on an observation of a Parliamentary Standing Committee that only six women judges have been appointed in the Supreme Court till date.In …

A lawyer made a sensational claim before Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi that computers and telephones of judges and “very senior” officials are under surveillance following the December 20 order allowing 10 Central agencies to snoop on people.Advocate M.L. Sharma sought an early hearing of his PIL petition challenging …

A pan-India survey of childcare institutions (CCI) conducted by the Centre has highlighted poor safety and security measures, inadequate monitoring of these facilities, and a lack of effort to trace parents of missing children sent to these homes.The full report of the survey titled ‘Mapping and Review Exercise of Child …

On December 31, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas quietly progressed towards manufacture in an enhanced, battle standard format.A new ‘limited’ clearance from Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC), a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation, for the fighter aircraft green-lights its production in a superior lethal version, …

The Supreme Court on Thursday summoned Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta after getting to know that patients in a mental asylum in Badayun district of Uttar Pradesh are kept in chains.A Bench of Justices A.K. Sikri and S. Abdul Nazeer asked Mr. Mehta to take immediate action, saying, “A mentally-ill person is …

Many toilets constructed under the Swachh Bharat Mission have already become defunct and unusable, according to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development. It slammed the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation for not bothering to find out the scope of the problem, despite an earlier recommendation to conduct a …

Though the drop in temperature levels to a single digit pushes up the tourist footfall in the Agency of Visakhapatnam district, it proves to be a bane for the tribal people and they prefer to stay indoors due to the biting cold.Eight of 10 mandals in the Agency area have …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that it was time for research to expand beyond the Central institutes of national importance — such as the IITs and the IISERs — and branch out into the numerous State universities.Observing that “95% of our students go to State universities and colleges,” …

NASA’s solar-powered Juno spacecraft has beamed back new images of volcanic plumes on Jupiter’s moon Io, captured during the mission’s 17th flyby of the gas giant. On December 21, four of Juno’s cameras captured images of the Jovian moon Io, the most volcanic body in the solar system. Source : …