GS-III

The government has decided to set up an expert committee to look into all the taxation issues being faced by start-ups and angel investors, the CBDT said on Thursday. It added that “no coercive action or measures to recover the demands of completed assessment under income tax would be taken” …

As its trade war with the U.S. intensifies, China has started looking at India as a major market to sell its products and machinery. However, Indian companies want China to share its technology and even partner with them in its growth story rather than treating India purely as a market …

Blockchain technology may pose challenge to exchanges, depositories: SEBI The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to come up with a ‘sandbox’ policy to support development of financial technologies for the capital market, Chairman Ajay Tyagi said here on Thursday. Mr. Tyagi said he also felt that …

Drop in crude oil prices, U.S. Fed stance help currency to strengthen Softening crude oil prices helped the rupee to continue strengthening its momentum for the fourth straight session, appreciating 1% against the dollar. The rupee’s gain is also due to the dollar weakening against all major currencies, as there …

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena named a 30-member Cabinet on Thursday to end a crippling seven-week power struggle with his Prime Minister, but only after a final tussle over who should control the police. Mr. Sirisena reinstated Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister on Sunday after the Supreme Court threw out …

The government had announced a Rs. 2.11 lakh crore capitalisation plan in October 2017, of which Rs. 1.35 lakh was to be raised through recapitalisation bonds and the remaining was to be raised by the banks either through the market or the sale of non-core assets. So far, the banks …

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has issued safety guidelines for Isotretinoin, an oral drug, which is used in the treatment of severe acne. Drug Controller General Dr. S. Eswara Reddy has directed Drug Controllers of all the States and the Union Territories to monitor the sale, manufacture and …

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday issued an order authorising 10 Central agencies to intercept, monitor, and decrypt “any information generated, transmitted, received or stored in any computer.” The agencies are the Intelligence Bureau, Narcotics Control Bureau, Enforcement Directorate, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, …

The development of the indigenously-designed heavy artillery gun, the Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), has advanced to a stage where user-assisted trials of the gun are likely to start by June and the Army has begun finalising the Preliminary Specifications Qualitative Requirements (PSQR), a defence official said. “Two guns …

The Rajya Sabha did not function for the eight consecutive day on Thursday. Opposition members say the government has failed to make any effort to run the House, and many point the finger at Chairman Venkaiah Naidu. The BJP is not ready to resolve the issues, the Congress has alleged. …

Upset over repeated disruptions and washout of proceedings, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday met leaders of all parties including Congress leader in the House Mallikarjun Kharge and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar. The Speaker has learnt to have conveyed to the leaders that the image of the …

Political parties joining any opposition alliance must commit to a one-time comprehensive farm loan waiver and agree to implement the M.S. Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations on minimum support prices, said Maharashtra farmer leader Raju Shetti. “That must be on the election manifesto. That is our main condition for joining the gathbandhan …

How easy is it to access a bottle of monocrotophos pesticide, which was allegedly used to poison the ‘prasada’ served to devotees at the Sulwadi temple in Chamarajanagar district that claimed 15 lives? A farmer can simply knock on the door of the local pesticide dealer, who is not too …

The government on Thursday moved a proposal in Parliament for an additional Rs. 41,000 crore to recapitalise public sector banks, over and above the already budgeted Rs. 65,000 crore, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told a press conference. If approved by the House, this would take the total recapitalisation package for …

A newly-discovered blind amphibian from Panama will be named after Donald Trump in recognition of the U.S. President’s stance on climate change, according to a media report. EnviroBuild, a U.K.-based sustainable building materials company, announced on Tuesday that it would be using Dermophis donaldtrumpi as the name for the amphibian …

Japanese scientists have detected evidence of water in 17 asteroids for the first time using data from the infrared satellite AKARI. Researchers from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and University of Tokyo found that water is retained in asteroids as hydrated mine- rals, which were produced by chemical reactions of …

Elon Musk on Tuesday took a break from futuristic electric cars and private space travel to unveil a low-cost tunnel he sees as a godsend for city traffic. The billionaire behind Tesla and SpaceX late on Tuesday put the spotlight on a 1.8 km tunnel created by his Boring Company …

The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI), which houses one of South Asia’s largest and most invaluable agglomeration of rare manuscripts, opened its treasure vault digitally by launching an e-library of ancient religious and historical works on Wednesday. Nearly 1,000 rare books and manuscripts in Sanskrit and its related languages are …

A silent revolution has transformed driving in Norway. Eerily quiet vehicles are ubiquitous on the fjord-side roads and mountain passes of this wealthy European nation of 5.3 million. Some 30% of all new cars sport plug-in cables rather than gasoline tanks, compared with 2% across Europe overall and 1-2% in …

There was not a single country out of 149 assessed by the World Economic Forum where women on an average made more or as much as men It could take 202 years for women to earn as much as men because the global pay gap is so vast and the …