GS-III

Only 10 States have revenue deficit of over 20%, says Jaitley The average revenue shortfall of States due to the Goods and Services Tax has fallen to 13% in the ongoing financial year up to August 2018, from 16% in 2017-18, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday after the …

There is a dire need to develop and deepen the debt market, says the MD of Sundaram Finance Rates may have eased in the shorter-end with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) relaxing the SLR (statutory liquidity ratio) norms but liquidity, especially in the longer-end, is a challenge, according to …

Bank had to cut promoters’ stake to 40% by August 22 which was not done The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has cracked the whip on Bandhan Bank freezing the remuneration of its MD and CEO Chandra Shekhar Ghosh for not bringing down promoters’ shareholding in the bank to 40% …

Garden Reach extends IPO closure date, lowers price band to get fully subscribed The underlying weakness of the secondary markets and increased volatility have taken a toll on the primary market with two issues, including a government-backed offering, facing difficulties in getting fully subscribed. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers — …

Assam has witnessed a 10-fold rise in child marriages since 2015-16 with 317 instances recorded during 2017-18, said Social Welfare Minister Pramila Rani Brahma in the Assembly on Friday. Kamrup district with 59 such instances this year topped the list.PTI Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/317-child-marriages-in-assam-during-2017-18-minister/article25076623.ece

Swedish Air chief on tech transfer If India chooses the Gripen fighter jet, then the choice of the private Indian company to partner with Sweden’s SAAB to build the aircraft should be the Indian Government’s and “nobody else’s”, Swedish Air Force chief Major General Mats Eric Helgesson said on Thursday. …

  Global Language Park in Pune to promote linguistic diversity In what is certainly the first such experiment in the country, and perhaps the world, the eminent linguist Ganesh Devy plans to set up a Global Language Park ( bhasha van in Hindi) in Pune. It will be located on …

Kerala government will have to scale up security and provide more facilities Crowd management and scaling up of security infrastructure in Sabarimala and its precincts to host thousands of women pilgrims following the Supreme Court verdict will throw new challenges for the Kerala government and the Travancore Devaswom Board. Board …

The district has now become the grain basket of the State, says Chief Minister Patnaik In the 1980s, Kalahandi was a synonym for poverty. Today, Odisha’s western district is ready to shed its image of being a land of perpetual poverty. The progress made by the district in different fields …

Orders preparation of action plans within two months Taking suo motu cognisance of a report in The Hindu on the increase in polluted river stretches in the country, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed all States and Union Territories to prepare action plans within two months. Stating that the …

IHCL bid for 32.5% of gross turnover wins in NDMC auction The Taj Mahal Hotel on Mansingh Road in Lutyens’ Delhi will remain with the Tata Group’s Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL), which won the auction for a 33-year lease on Friday, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said. The …

The Kerala government, which has been changing its stand on the contentious issue of women of the menstrual age group entering the Sabarimala temple, had on July 18 told the Supreme Court that it now favoured their entry. The apex court had on October 13 last year referred the issue …

Marriage does not mean ceding autonomy, say Justice Chandrachud Justice Rohinton Nariman, in his separate opinion but concurring judgment holding that adultery is not a crime, said Section 497 made a husband the “licensor” of his wife’s sexual choices. Justice Nariman listed out countries which had repealed adultery as a …

The statement that “praying in a mosque is not an essential part of Islam andnamaz by Muslims can be offered even in the open” by a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in a 1994 judgment played a role in the Allahabad High Court decision to partition the disputed Ram …

The Indian Railways are set to launch their ‘Make in India’ smart coaches with new features like black box and artificial intelligence (AI)-powered CCTVs, matching international standards. Named ‘Smart Trains’, the coaches have been equipped with sensors that can detect defects on bearings, wheels, and the railway track, giving constant …

Essentiality of offering prayers in a mosque not in question: Justice Bhushan Speaking for the majority judgement of himself and the Chief Justice on the issue of referring the question “if a “mosque as a place of prayer is an essential part of Islam”, in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid appeals, to …

How couples deal with itis a private matter, says CJISection 497 treats a woman as her husband’s commodity A five-judge Constitution Bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, in four separate but concurring opinions on Thursday held that adultery is not a crime and struck it off the …

The Union Cabinet approved increasing the government’s ownership in the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) to 100% from the existing 49% and also change the existing structure in line with a transition plan. “The Union Cabinet approved acquisition of the entire 51% equity held by the non-government institutions in …

Proposes to attract $100 bn investment in digital communications sector The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the new telecom policy that aims to provide broadband access to every citizen at 50 Mbps speed by the year 2022. The National Digital Communications Policy 2018, which envisions attracting $100 billion investments into …

Direct shipments of almonds from California to India grew by 68% from 53,965 tonnes to 90,500 tonnes between 2011-12 and 2017-18, according to the Almond Board of California (ABC). ABC president and CEO Richard Waycott told The Hindu that the board was now targeting to sustain 20% year-on-year growth rate …