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Important points: It includes Corporation Tax collections of Rs. 74,356 crore and Personal Income Tax inflows, which include the Security Transaction Tax of Rs. 1.11 lakh crore. The jump in the direct tax collections reflects healthy exports and a continuation of various industrial and construction activities. It is expected that …

Recently, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that it will install seven new doppler radars in Maharashtra, including Mumbai in 2021. In January 2021, the Union Minister for Earth Sciences commissioned two of the ten indigenously built X-Band Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) to closely monitor the weather changes over the …

Recently, two Supreme Court (SC) judges have recused themselves from hearing cases relating to West Bengal. Important points: It is the act of abstaining from participation in an official action such as a legal proceeding due to a conflict of interest of the presiding court official or administrative officer. When …

Recently, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has recommended that the Australia’s Great Barrier Reef should be added to a list of “in danger” World Heritage Sites Placement on the ‘‘in-danger list’’ is not considered a sanction. Some nations have their sites added to gain international attention and help to save …

Recently, Shyam Sundar Jyani, a Rajasthan-based climate activist, has won the prestigious United Nations’ Land for Life Award for his environment conservation concept, Familial Forestry. The winner was announced on 17th June 2021 which is the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought Familial Forestry means transferring the care of …

A recent survey has found the presence of antibodies against the Nipah virus (NiV) in some bat species from a cave in Mahabaleshwar, a popular hill station in Maharashtra. The survey was conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) – National Institute of Virology (NIV). Important points: The …

Recently, the Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff has inaugurated the construction of the second frigate of the Krivak or Talwar class. The construction of the first ship was laid in January, 2021. It would be delivered in 2026 and the second ship after six months. Important points: The Krivak class …

A 50 kWp Solar rooftop in Solan, Himachal Pradesh was inaugurated under Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) of the MInistry of Power. The project further reinforces the ‘Go Green’ Initiative of the government envisaged in the Urban Distribution scheme. Important points: December 2014. Power Finance Corporation Ltd. (PFC), a Navratna …

The government proposed changes to the Consumer Protection (e-commerce) Rules 2020, banning all “flash sales” in order to monitor the deep discounts offered on e-commerce websites. Important points: Conventional flash sales by third party sellers are not banned on e-commerce platforms but only the predatory ones. Small businesses complain of …

The Central Government has asked the States Governments to buy electronic weighing machines for ration shops from electronic Point of Sale devices (ePoS) savings. For this, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs has amended the Food Security (Assistance To State Government Rules) 2015 to encourage the states to generate savings through …

Recently, the Tripura High Court has discovered that an oversight in drafting the 2014 amendments to the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 had unintentionally rendered a key provision (Section 27A) of the Act inoperable. Important points: India is a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Single Convention …

Recently, the delimitation exercise has started in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). The completion of the delimitation exercise will mark the political process in the Union Territory (UT) that has been under Centre’s rule since June 2018. Important points: Delimitation is the act of fixing or redrawing the limits or boundaries …

Recently, a report titled Suicide worldwide in 2019 was published by the World Health Organization (WHO). Suicide is defined as death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior. Important points: Reducing the global suicide mortality rate by a third is both, an …

The recently held North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit for the first time has explicitly described China as a security risk. The other two threats identified by the NATO ‘declaration’ are Russia and terrorism. Important points: NATO was established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of …

Seventh International Day of Yoga (21st June 2021) is being celebrated by the Ministry of Culture at 75 cultural heritage locations across the country. Important points: The idea of International Day of Yoga (IDY) was proposed by India during the opening of the 69th session of the United Nations General …

Recently, the Assam forest department has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and adopted a Vision Document to raise at least 1,000 black softshell turtles by 2030. Important points: They look almost the same as the Indian peacock softshell turtle (Nilssonia hurum), which is classified …

To commemorate the World Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) Day on 19th June, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MOTA) flagged off mobile vans under the Unmukt project for strengthening screening and timely management of SCD in tribal districts of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution …

The Ministry of Tourism has formulated three draft strategies with roadmaps for promoting Medical and Wellness Tourism, for development of Rural Tourism and for promotion of MICE Industry in India. India has been ranked 34th out of 140 countries on the World Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index 2019, released by …

The Wuhan Institute of Virology was said to have conducted gain-of-function research on coronaviruses which may possibly have caused the lab-leak origin of the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19 pandemic). Important points: In virology, gain-of-function research involves deliberately altering an organism in the lab, altering a gene, or introducing a mutation in a …

The Ministry of Science and Technology has issued a Special Call for the NorthEast Region as a part of its Mission Programme “Biotech-Krishi Innovation Science Application Network (Biotech-KISAN)”. Important points: It is a scientist-farmer partnership scheme launched in 2017. It is a pan-India program, following a hub-and-spoke model and stimulates …