October 11 ,2023
by staff-login | Oct 11, 2023 | Uncategorized
NEW SCHEME TO SETTLE COMMERCIAL TAX DUES
- With commercial tax dues to the State government touching ₹25,000 crore, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister announced a Samadhan Scheme to help traders settle their dues, penalty and interest.
- The scheme will be in force between October 16, 2023 and February 15, 2024.
- The government has come out with different payment options for five categories of traders, depending on the size of their dues.
- As per the scheme, traders whose dues are below ₹50,000, including taxes, interest and penalty, are eligible for a complete waiver.
- This is the first time in Tamil Nadu that the taxes to be paid by small traders are fully waived.
- Other traders are divided into four categories.
- Traders whose dues are between ₹50,000 and ₹10 lakh need to pay a flat 20% of their dues in a single instalment.
- This payment option is also applicable to the category of traders whose dues are in the ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore range.
- But they are not eligible for the flat rate of payment.
- There is a different payment option for traders whose dues are between ₹1 crore and ₹10 crore.
- In the case of traders whose dues are more than ₹10 crore, they have to pay 90% of their dues, 15% penalty and 30% interest.
FIRST TEST FLIGHT OF GAGANYAAN MISSION
- The First test flight of Gaganyaan mission is scheduled on Oct. 21
- The test will be conducted at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
- It is intended to test the ‘crew module ’ or the part of vehicle where the Indian astronauts will be housed.
- The test involves launching the module to outer space and bringing it back to earth and recovering it after touchdown in the Bay of Bengal.
- Test Vehicle Abort Mission (TV-D1) module will be identical to the one deployed to space.
- The payloads consist of the Crew Module [CM] and Crew Escape Systems [CES].
- The success of this test will set the stage for the first unmanned “Gaganyaan” mission and ultimately manned mission to outer space in low earth orbit.
- There will be a test flight next year.
- It will carry “Vyommitra”, the female robot astronaut to space.
TELE-MANAS
- The government has taken several steps to address mental health issues of children and women.
- The Centre’s Tele-Mental Health Assistance and Networking Across States (Tele-MANAS) has provided counseling services for more than 350,000 people.
- It receives over 1,000 calls on the helpline every day.
- The Tele Manas Seva was launched in 2022 on the occasion of World Mental Health Day.
- Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres have facilitated the integration of mental health services with primary health services.
AUSTRALIA – PARTNER COUNTRY IN GIM 2024
- Australia would be a partner country for Tamil Nadu’s Global Investors Meet (GIM) in January 2024.
- It announced that the Australian Consulate-General in Chennai would participate in the IIT-Madras-led Hydrogen Valley Innovation Cluster in Tamil Nadu (HVIC-TN).
NEW ENSIGN OF IAF
- Every year, October 8 is observed as Indian Air Force (IAF) Day.
- Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief unveils new Ensign on the 91st anniversary.
- The new lAF ensign has witnessed inclusion of the Air Force Crest in the top right corner towards the fly side.
- The IAF Crest has the national symbol, the Ashoka lion on the top with the words “Satyamev Jayate” in Devanagari below it.
- Below the Ashoka lion is a Himalayan eagle with its wings spread, denoting the fighting qualities of the IAF.
- A ring in light blue colour encircles the Himalayan eagle with the words “Bhartiya Vayu Sena”.
- The motto of the IAF is Nabhaḥ Spṛśaṃ Deeptam.
- It is inscribed below the Himalayan Eagle in golden Devanagari.
- The IAF motto has been taken from verse 24, Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita and means “Radiant Thou Touchest Heaven” or in other words “Touching the sky with glory”.
- This is the first Air Force Day Parade to be commanded by a woman officer, GP Capt. Shaliza Dhami.
ASIATIC WILD DOG – DHOLES
- A New study has found that Overlapping prey availability or habitat suitability could have a positive association between dholes and tigers.
- It may facilitate coexistence or even cooperative behaviours between the two species of carnivores.
- The dhole or Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus) is the only endangered wild pack-living canid in the tropical Indian forests.
- It is considered at high risk of extinction.
- Sympatric refers to animals, plant species, and populations within the same or overlapping geographical areas.
- Factors such as habitat loss, declining prey availability, persecution, disease, and interspecific competition have contributed to the fragmentation of its populations.
- The global population of adult dholes are classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.
23RD IORA MEETING
- Sri Lanka is hosting the 23rdIndian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) meeting.
- It was established in 1997 as an intergovernmental organisation of States on the rim of the Indian Ocean.
- The IORA has members from Africa, West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Oceania.
- The Association’s membership has expanded to 23 member states and 11 dialogue partners.
INTERNATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY
- International Girl Child Day is observed every year on 11 October.
- The day is dedicated to create awareness about the rights and empowerment of girls.
- The United Nations General Assembly officially declared 11 October as International Girl Child Day.
- The main motive behind recognising this day is to educate people about the rights of girls and promote a culture of gender equality.
- The theme of International Day of Girl Child 2023 is “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being”.
PLACES IN NEWS
Gaza Strip
- The Gaza Strip is a Palestinian enclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.