By: D.K Chaudhary
1. 28th Meeting of GST Council Held in New Delhi
i. The 28th meeting of the GST Council chaired by interim finance minister Piyush Goyal was held in New Delhi. The Council was deliberated upon a number of key issues on its agenda which includes rate revision on a number of items, amendments to the GST law, simplification of return, and the setting up of a National Appellate Tribunal in Delhi.
ii. The GST Council has exempted sanitary napkins from Goods and Services Tax. Earlier, there was a 12% levy of tax on sanitary napkins. It has also recommended reduction in the GST slab for lithium-ion batteries used in electronic items from the current 28% to 18% along with a slew of reductions in other items like bamboo flooring, ice making machines, vending machines, water coolers etc.
2. Andhra Pradesh Launches e-Pragati Core Platform
i. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N. Chandrababu Naidu launched ‘e-Pragati core platform’ at Undavalli. e-Pragati, a forward-looking digital initiative, is aimed at connecting the citizen to 34 departments, 336 autonomous organisations and 745-plus services.
ii. Through this project, the State government intends to realise the vision of ‘Sunrise AP 2022’. The e-Pragati authority will achieve the goals of the project by supporting the seven development missions launched in the areas of e-Governance, Social Empowerment, Skill Development, Urban Development, Infrastructure, Industrial Development and the Services sector.
- Banwarilal Purohit is the present Governor of Tamil Nadu.
- ESL Narasimhan is the present Governor of Andhra Pradesh.
3. Government Launched MicroDot Technology To Check Vehicle Thefts
i. The Indian Government has announced the launch of a new MicroDot Technology that would help check on vehicle thefts. Under this, thousands of small dots laser etched will be sprayed with a vehicle identification number on all over the vehicle’s body including its engine.
ii. This technology is yet to be finalized by the highest automobile technical standard making body Central Motor Vehicles Rules -Technical Standing Committee (CMVR-TSC).
4. 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting Held At Durban
i. The 8th BRICS Health Ministers’ Meeting was held at Durban, South Africa. Indian deligation was led by Mr J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare. He stated that India is committed to eliminating TB by 2025.
ii. Highlighting the accomplishments of India in the health sector, he stated India’s achievement in reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 77%, from 556 per 1,00,000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 1,00,000 live births in 2016, was commended by the Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO).
ii. Highlighting the accomplishments of India in the health sector, he stated India’s achievement in reducing the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 77%, from 556 per 1,00,000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 1,00,000 live births in 2016, was commended by the Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO).
- BRICS is made up of China, Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa.
- In December 2010, China, as the Chair, invited South Africa to join BRIC and attend the Summit in Sanya, China.
- The 1st BRIC Summit was held in June 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
5. 4th BIMSTEC Summit To Be Held In Kathmandu
i. The 4th BIMSTEC Summit will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal. The announcement in this regard was made by Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali.
ii. The main focus of the summit will be to increase connectivity between the BIMSTEC nations including roads, airways and transmission lines.
- BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiatives for Multi-Sectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation.
- The group was formed in 1997 and it brings together Bangladesh, Bhutan India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.
- Nepal is the current chair of BIMSTEC.
