WEST BENGAL

· Panchayat boards in two phases

ð Mamata Banerjee government will constitute gram panchayat boards in two phases instead of one because of clashes over the formation of such bodies, delaying plans to resume development projects before Puja. Ten persons have died in the violence so far.

ð The government had earlier decided that boards in all 3,300-odd gram panchayats would be formed by September 15. Its effort to ensure the deadline was evident when it sent the list of winners in uncontested seats for printing of the gazette notification soon after the Supreme Court rejected Opposition’s plea to repeal the 20,000-odd results.

ð But the government has now decided that the boards will be formed by September 15 in panchayats where elections were held and there was no bar on formation of boards.

ð In case of 1,608 gram panchayats, where the board formation process started last week after the Supreme Court verdict, the boards will be set up by September 26.

ð The formation of boards in gram panchayats will be completed by September 26. The process in panchayat samitis and zilla parishads will be over by September 28.

INTERNATIONAL

· India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline Project inaugurated

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina jointly inaugurated the construction of the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline Project through video conferencing.
The 130-kilometre-long pipeline will connect Siliguriin West Bengal and Parbatipur in Bangladesh’s Dinajpur district, and will be used for importing oil.
The third and fourth Dual Gauge line of Dhaka-Tongisection and Dual Gauge Double line of Tongi-Joydevpur section of Bangladesh Railway were also inaugurated.

NATIONAL

Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurates ‘All India Pension Adalat’

The Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the ‘Pension Adalat’.

It was organised by the Department of Pension & Pensioners’ Welfare, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India.

He also presented the ‘Anubhav’ awards 2018 to six pensioners for their contribution towards creating institutional memory for the departments.

· DAC approved for the enhancement of Akash missiles

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) gave its approval for the upgradation of the indigenously developed Akash short-range surface-to-air missile (SRSAM) system. Akash missile was to be inducted by the Army. This approval will let Akash missile to be upgraded
The upgraded version will have theseeker technology and the coverage will be of 360-degree. It will have a compact configuration. To provide protection to vital assets, the operation of the missile has been made critical.

Akash missile was developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme initiated in 1984

It was manufactured by Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)

The range of the missile is 25 km and can engage multiple targets at a time in all-weather conditions.

· NaMo app introduces micro donation platform

In NaMo app, the BJP has launched three new features, a volunteer platform, merchandise and micro-donations for the persistent demand from active users of the platform. The volunteer can donate starting from a minimum of Rs.5 with amounts of Rs.50, Rs.500 and Rs.1,000. The fund will be used for the Clean Ganga project. This new volunteer platform has been introduced for the general 2019 elections.
It also has other sections that have multiple items like T-shirts, mugs, caps, notebooks, etc. This app will act as a central avenue for all volunteering activities and give multiple options for online and on-ground volunteering activities.

· No Withholding Tax On Interest Payment Of Masala Bonds

TheCentral Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) announced that no withholding tax will apply on interest payments made by an Indian company or a business trust to a non-resident in respect of offshore rupee-denominated bonds issued between September 17, 2018 and March 31, 2019.
The move is expected to incentivise foreign exchange inflows into India through low-cost offshore rupee-denominated bonds, popularly referred to as masala bonds.

Gk bit – Withholding Tax

Withholding tax is an amount that is directly deducted from the employee’s earnings by the employer and paid to the government as a part of individual’s tax liability. These taxes are paid to the central government of India.

Cabinet nod likely for new mechanism for MSP, focus to be on all 23 crops under MSP
The Union cabinet is likely to approve on Wednesday a new mechanism to procure farmers’ produce on minimum support price (MSP). States will get additional financial support from the Centre for procurement under a new system which may also allow private agencies to pitch in for the task

The proposals expected to come up for approval include market assurance scheme (MAS) which involves decentralised procurement and disposal by state agencies. The procurement under the new mechanism will be effective from the upcoming Kharif marketing season, beginning October.

The focus of the new mechanism is likely to be on all 23 crops which come within the ambit of the MSP, unlike the existing practice where two major foodgrains – wheat and paddy.

Under the MAS, the state agencies will procure farmers’ produce and the governments will be required to ensure direct payment of MSP into Aadhaar-linked farmers’ accounts. The Centre will bear the cost of expenditure to an extent and there will be some sharing between the Centre and states beyond that point.

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