current affairs 5

Rail fares revised from April 1

The Union Railway Ministry has revised passenger fares from April 1 in air-conditioned first class, air-conditioned-2 tier, executive class and first class. There is no revision in other classes of travel. The revised fares in these classes would be applicable to all types of trains .Rail fare is revised for  first time in last 10 years.

New rate of service tax came into effect on 1st April

New rate of service tax came into effect from 1st April 2012. The Union budget’s proposal to raise service tax to 12 per cent from current rate of 10 per cent. It will raise Rs.18,660 crore  during 2012-13.

No tax liability on P-notes holders

A clarification from Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that the government will not tax holders of participatory notes provided a fillip to Indian stock markets. Indian tax authority would not go beyond financial investor (FIIs) to check the details about the P-Note holders. Under the P-Note mechanism, even those foreign institutional investors who are not registered with the market regulator — Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) — are permitted to invest in the Indian equitymarket.

Fertility rate in India drops by 19% in 10 yrs

India’s total fertility rate (TFR) – the average number of children expected to be born per woman during her reproductive years – has fallen by19% over the past decade. Among bigger states, the percentage decline in TFR during this period the last decade varied from as high as 28% in Punjab to 5.6%in Kerala. Maharashtra saw the second highest dip in TFR between 2000-2010 at 26.9%, followed by Haryana and Andhra Pradesh (25%), Uttar Pradesh (23%), Rajasthan (22%), Himachal Pradesh and West Bengal (21%).

Suu Kyi won Myanmar election

Myanmar’s pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi won a seat in parliament. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party claimed victories in at least 19 of the 45 available seats and announced to loud cheers that the Nobel Peace Prize laureate had won in Kawhmu, southwest of the commercial capital Yangon.

Djokovic won Miami Masters

Novak Djokovic on the Miami Masters after beating Andy Murray in straight sets. He won his second straight ATP Miami Masters title and third overall. He became just the third man to win the title three or more times, along with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

ADB to provide $ 43.84 m loan for tourism infrastructure in TN, Uttarakhand

The Government of India, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and States of Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand today signed a $ 43.84 million loan agreement for the second tranche of Infrastructure Development Investment Programme for Tourism. The agreement aims to enhance tourism environment in the two States with a view to draw increased volume of national and international tourists.

Sher-E-Punjab wins World Series Hockey (WSH)

Sher-E-Punjab beats Pune Strykers to win World Series Hockey (WSH). The first season champion earned Rs. 4 crore and second-placed team Rs. 2 crore. The losing semifinalists — Chandigarh Comets and Karnataka Lions — got Rs. 1 crore each.

Centre rewards 8 States for executing drinking water schemes

The Centre has rewarded eight States for performing well in executing rural drinking water schemes during 2011-12. Union Minister of Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has decided to provide bonus funds to Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Assam, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for successfully expending 60 per cent of their annual allocation under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) by December 2011. A sum of Rs. 502.54 crore was released to the eight States as additional funds over and above their annual allocation. Assam and Gujarat have been given the highest bonus of Rs. 100 crore each, followed by Tamil Nadu with Rs. 98.20 crore, Arunachal Pradesh (61.01 crore), Punjab (46.82 crore), Haryana (Rs. 35 crore), Meghalaya (Rs. 31.50 crore) and Tripura (Rs. 30.01 crore).

SEBI allows listing of stock markets, PE firms, VC firms

Market regulator Sebi allowed stock exchanges and some specified alternate investment funds (AIFs) such as private equity funds and venture capital funds to list on the bourses with some riders. In a wide ranging reform, Sebi also brought all Indian AIFs, including PEs and VCs, under its ambit of inspection and investigation, and said all these funds have to register with the regulator now. At present, PE and VC funds have the option not to register with Sebi. However, considerable confusion existed about the rules of AIFs, since Sebi did not specifically say if these rules applied only to India domiciled funds or also those based outside India.

Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi Award

Kota-based Hindi poet Ambika Dutta received the prestigious Meera Award instituted by the Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi for 2011-12 for his collection of poems, “Aawon Mein Baarahon Maas” , relating travails and challenges of life in lyrics. The award carries a cash component of Rs.31,000.

Navy inducts N-powered INS Chakra

The first operational nuclear attack submarine Russian-origin ‘Nerpa’ into the INS Chakra has been inducted into the Indian Navy. Defence minister A K Antony commissioned the Akula II class Nerpa rechristened INS Chakra into the Navy. The navy has acquired the submarine on a 10-year lease from Russia for almost $1 bn (Rs 5,000 crore). Chakra is more than 100 metres long and can attain a maximum speed of 30 knots. It will be manned by a crew of 80. Powered by a 190MW nuclear reactor, the submarine has a dived displacement of 12,000 tonnes.

US announced $10 million award for Hafiz Saeed

The US has put Hafiz Saeed on its list of most-wanted terrorists and has announced a reward of $10 million. Hafiz Saeed, the founder of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba and believed to be the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Miss India World 2012

Vanya Mishra was crowned as the Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2012 in 49th edition of the beauty pageant. The winners are Vanya Mishra (Pantaloons Femina Miss India World 2012), Prachi Mishra (Pantaloons Femina Miss India Earth 2012), Rochelle Maria Rao (Pantaloons Femina Miss India International 2012).