1. Syed Asif Ibrahim appointed as PM’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism
Syed Asif Ibrahim was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism. He is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB).
In this new capacity, he will liaise with governments in West Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South East Asia, among others, in setting up channels for the exchange of intelligence and information on terror groups.
The appointment took place in the back drop of growing concern over probable poaching of some Indian youth by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.He will report to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and work out of the National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat in New Delhi.
2. World Bank approves $ 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project in J&K
Multi-lateral lender World Bank today approved $ 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project for reconstruction of flood-affected public infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir.
It will also strengthen the capacity of state government to respond and better manage natural disasters in future, World Bank said in a release.
The project will be funded by credit from World Bank’s concessionary — International Development Association (IDA). The loan has a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.
A continuous spell of rains in September 2014 had caused Jhelum, Chenab and Tawi rivers, their tributaries and many other streams to flow above the danger mark which had severely affected livelihoods in the state.
Due to the unprecedented heavy rainfall, the catchment areas, particularly low lying ones, were flooded for more than two weeks, while Jhelum breached its banks at several places. “This region is highly vulnerable to natural disasters that can push millions into poverty. In addition to reconstruction, which includes reconstruction of roads, bridges and public infrastructure, the project will also help the region be better prepared for the future
The recovery project will focus on 20 districts — Anantnag, Baramula, Budgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Poonch, Rajauri and Udhampur.
3. Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje inaugurated Phase 1A of Jaipur Metro Rail Services
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated phase 1A of metro rail services in Jaipur. With this, the pink city became the sixth city in the country to have metro service; other five cities are Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata.
In the first phase, the metro will run on 9.6 kilometer stretch covering nine stations from residential area Mansarovar to business hub in Chandpole.
Jaipur Metro has added three unique features in its service, and they are
• Passenger will enjoy jerk free journey because of Wheel Mounted Disk Braking System.
• Each Coach is equipped with LCD which will continuously display information for the passengers.
• It also carries facilities for special challenged people and senior citizens.
The Jaipur metro work is publicized as one of the fastest-built metros in the country as it has been developed in a time period of four-and-a-half years.
One most important fact of Jaipur metro service is that six out of 24 Metro train operators, that is, 25 percent of metro drivers, are women.
Jaipur Metro Rail Project has been developed by Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (JMRCL) which was set up as a wholly owned subsidiary by the Government of Rajasthan.
4. US President Barack Obama signed USA FREEDOM Act 2015 into law
US President Barack Obama signed the USA FREEDOM Act 2015 in law. The USA FREEDOM stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015.
With this, the National Security Agency (NSA) lost its authority to collect the phone records of millions of Americans.
The Act was approved by the Senate on 1 June 2015 by 67-32 votes and was passed by the House of Representatives on 13 May 2015. The Act will remain in effect until 15 December 2019.
Main Highlights of the Act
• It reauthorizes USA PATRIOT Act 2001 that expired on 1 June 2015.
• It require the government obtain a targeted warrant to collect phone metadata from telecommunications companies
• It amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Act of 1978 to establish a new process so as to make the process of submitting of warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a FISA court more transparent. FISA Court reviews the warrant requests submitted by the FBI for an order requiring the production of business records or other tangible things for an investigation.
• It amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to require the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to audit the effectiveness and use of FISA authority to obtain production of tangible things from 2012 to 2014, so that the constitutional rights of U.S. persons is adequately protected.
5. India, US ink new 10-year defence framework
India and the US on Wednesday inked an expansive new defence framework to bolster their strategic partnership over the next 10 years, even as they discussed maritime security and the Asia-Pacific in the backdrop of China's assertive behaviour in the South China Sea.
Holding that its rebalance of forces to the Asia Pacific complimented India's Act East policy, the US remains keen that India invite Japan for the major bilateral Malabar naval combat exercise to be held in the Bay of Bengal in October.
6. Suresh Kalmadi conferred with Asian Athletics Association President’s award
Suresh Kalmadi was conferred with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) President’s award. He was awarded for his contribution towards the development of athletics in Asian continent.
Adille Sumariwala, the President of Athletics Federation of India received the award on behalf of Kalmadi at the function held in Wuhan, China ahead of the start of Asian Athletics Championships.
He is credited with the introduction of top events like Asian Grand Prix series, Asian Indoor Championships and Asian All Star Meet and others during his tenure as the president of AAA for 13 years from 2000 to 2013. He was defeated by Dahlan Al-Hamad of Qatar in the presidential election of the AAA held in 2013 at Pune.
7. Inderjeet won gold in shot put at 21st Asian Athletics Championships
Inderjeet Singh won gold medal in men's shot put event in the 21st Asian Athletics Championships . The 21st Asian Athletics Championships is being held from 3 June to 7 June 2015 at Wuhan, China.
The 27-year-old Up and coming track and field star Inderjeet heaved the iron ball to a new championship record of 20.41meter, which he achieved in his fourth attempt. With this, he became the eighth Indian shot putter to win a gold medal in the history of Asian championships.
Chang Ming-Huang of Chinese Taipei won the silver with a throw of 19.56meter, while Tian Zizhong of the home country bagged the bronze with a throw of 1925meter.
8. India joined MCAA on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI)
India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI).
The declaration to comply with the provisions of the MCAA was signed in Paris by Mohan Kumar, the Indian ambassador to France. The participation in the agreement will help India in curbing financial crimes especially instances of tax evasion.
Under the agreement, all the signatory countries, including India, are bound to collect and automatically exchange tax information as prescribed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Common Reporting Standard (CRS).
To be able to comply with the agreement, amendments have been made to section 285BA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 as incorporated in the Finance Act, 2014.
About Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA)
• It is based on Article 6 of the OECD’s Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (Multilateral Convention) which states that two or more parties can mutually agree to exchange information automatically.
• It implements the OECD’s Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Information (AEOI).
• It requires the Competent Authorities of participating jurisdictions to collect and automatically exchange tax information as prescribed by the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS). Under the agreement, bulk taxpayer information will periodically be sent by the source country of income to the country of residence of the taxpayer.
• It is very wide in scope and obliges the treaty partners to exchange a wide range of financial information, including that about the ultimate controlling persons and beneficial owners of entities. Previously, information was exchanged between countries on the basis of specific requests only.
• Even though it is signed on a multilateral basis, the actual exchange of information will occur in a bilateral manner.
• It has been developed by the OECD in cooperation with G20 and the European Union (EU).
9. HDFC Life launches cancer care plan
Private insurer, HDFC Life, has announced the launch of HDFC Life Cancer Care, to provide financial support on diagnosis of early or major stages of cancer.
“The plan is distinct from standard critical illness policies as it provides a fixed lumpsum benefit on diagnosis of early and major stages of cancer, waives future premiums, and also pays regular income on diagnosis for treatment of cancer
The plan also has an indexation option whereby the sum assured increases by 10 per cent every year. The plan is attractively priced with a Rs. 20-lakh cover for a period of 20 years being available to a 35-year-old male for less than Rs. 1,800 annual premium and is also eligible for tax benefits.
In India approximately one million new cases of cancer are reported every year. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the country and research says that the incidence of the disease will increase by 54 per cent by 2030. While early detection is important in the quest for surviving cancer, we realised that one of the biggest setbacks is adequacy of financial resources. Treatment of cancer is expensive and can range from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh. In many instances, out-of-pocket expenditure for treatment of cancer means household savings are wiped out or families go into debt for a lifetime.”
HDFC Life sold over 12,000 policies in the first week of the launch. The insurance firm has also come up with a mobile app for its distributors to manage end-to-end sales of the product.
10. Maharashtra Government invoked MCOCA against ration mafia
MCOCA: Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act
The abbreviation MCOCA was in news in first week of June 2015. It came in news after the state government of Maharashtra invoked its stringent provisions against five persons from Nashik for allegedly being part of ration mafia.
This ration mafia was involved in the pilferage (theft of part of the contents of a package) of foodgrains meant for public distribution.
This is the first time that MCOCA was applied against ration mafia and was done with an aim of weeding out the widespread corruption in public distribution system.
Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was enacted in 1999 to combat organised crime and terrorism. It is a special law with stringent and deterrent provisions including certain circumstances power to intercept wire, electronic or oral communication to control the menace of organised crimes.
11. India, Belarus ink 6 agreements to boost co-operation
i. India and Belarus signed six agreements to enhance bilateral co-operation. The agreements were signed in presence of President Pranab Mukherjee during his state visit to Belarus.
ii. President Pranab Mukherjee is on two nation’s tour viz Sweden and Belarus.
The signed agreements are
Roadmap for India-Belarus Cooperation: for strengthening bilateral relations and co-operation in the field of trade, culture and other areas.
Protocol to amendment: To amend the agreement between two countries for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Property (Capital) of September, 1997.
MoU on Cooperation in the field of Standardization and Information Support: It was signed between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus.
MoU for cooperation on Broadcasting: It was signed between Prasar Bharati (PB) and the National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (Belteleradiocompany). MoU on Bilateral Cooperation between the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Ministry of Finance of Belarus.
MoU for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods (concern Bellegprom): It was signed between the Union Ministry of Textiles of India and the Belarusian State.
Syed Asif Ibrahim was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism. He is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB).In this new capacity, he will liaise with governments in West Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South East Asia, among others, in setting up channels for the exchange of intelligence and information on terror groups.
The appointment took place in the back drop of growing concern over probable poaching of some Indian youth by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.He will report to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and work out of the National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat in New Delhi.
2. World Bank approves $ 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project in J&K
Multi-lateral lender World Bank today approved $ 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project for reconstruction of flood-affected public infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir.
It will also strengthen the capacity of state government to respond and better manage natural disasters in future, World Bank said in a release.
The project will be funded by credit from World Bank’s concessionary — International Development Association (IDA). The loan has a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.
A continuous spell of rains in September 2014 had caused Jhelum, Chenab and Tawi rivers, their tributaries and many other streams to flow above the danger mark which had severely affected livelihoods in the state.
Due to the unprecedented heavy rainfall, the catchment areas, particularly low lying ones, were flooded for more than two weeks, while Jhelum breached its banks at several places. “This region is highly vulnerable to natural disasters that can push millions into poverty. In addition to reconstruction, which includes reconstruction of roads, bridges and public infrastructure, the project will also help the region be better prepared for the future
The recovery project will focus on 20 districts — Anantnag, Baramula, Budgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Poonch, Rajauri and Udhampur.
3. Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje inaugurated Phase 1A of Jaipur Metro Rail Services
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated phase 1A of metro rail services in Jaipur. With this, the pink city became the sixth city in the country to have metro service; other five cities are Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata.
In the first phase, the metro will run on 9.6 kilometer stretch covering nine stations from residential area Mansarovar to business hub in Chandpole.
Jaipur Metro has added three unique features in its service, and they are
• Passenger will enjoy jerk free journey because of Wheel Mounted Disk Braking System.
• Each Coach is equipped with LCD which will continuously display information for the passengers.
• It also carries facilities for special challenged people and senior citizens.
The Jaipur metro work is publicized as one of the fastest-built metros in the country as it has been developed in a time period of four-and-a-half years.
One most important fact of Jaipur metro service is that six out of 24 Metro train operators, that is, 25 percent of metro drivers, are women.
Jaipur Metro Rail Project has been developed by Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (JMRCL) which was set up as a wholly owned subsidiary by the Government of Rajasthan.
4. US President Barack Obama signed USA FREEDOM Act 2015 into law
US President Barack Obama signed the USA FREEDOM Act 2015 in law. The USA FREEDOM stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015.
With this, the National Security Agency (NSA) lost its authority to collect the phone records of millions of Americans.
The Act was approved by the Senate on 1 June 2015 by 67-32 votes and was passed by the House of Representatives on 13 May 2015. The Act will remain in effect until 15 December 2019.
Main Highlights of the Act
• It reauthorizes USA PATRIOT Act 2001 that expired on 1 June 2015.
• It require the government obtain a targeted warrant to collect phone metadata from telecommunications companies
• It amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Act of 1978 to establish a new process so as to make the process of submitting of warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a FISA court more transparent. FISA Court reviews the warrant requests submitted by the FBI for an order requiring the production of business records or other tangible things for an investigation.
• It amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to require the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to audit the effectiveness and use of FISA authority to obtain production of tangible things from 2012 to 2014, so that the constitutional rights of U.S. persons is adequately protected.
5. India, US ink new 10-year defence framework
India and the US on Wednesday inked an expansive new defence framework to bolster their strategic partnership over the next 10 years, even as they discussed maritime security and the Asia-Pacific in the backdrop of China's assertive behaviour in the South China Sea.
Holding that its rebalance of forces to the Asia Pacific complimented India's Act East policy, the US remains keen that India invite Japan for the major bilateral Malabar naval combat exercise to be held in the Bay of Bengal in October.
6. Suresh Kalmadi conferred with Asian Athletics Association President’s award
Suresh Kalmadi was conferred with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) President’s award. He was awarded for his contribution towards the development of athletics in Asian continent.
Adille Sumariwala, the President of Athletics Federation of India received the award on behalf of Kalmadi at the function held in Wuhan, China ahead of the start of Asian Athletics Championships.
He is credited with the introduction of top events like Asian Grand Prix series, Asian Indoor Championships and Asian All Star Meet and others during his tenure as the president of AAA for 13 years from 2000 to 2013. He was defeated by Dahlan Al-Hamad of Qatar in the presidential election of the AAA held in 2013 at Pune.
7. Inderjeet won gold in shot put at 21st Asian Athletics Championships
Inderjeet Singh won gold medal in men's shot put event in the 21st Asian Athletics Championships . The 21st Asian Athletics Championships is being held from 3 June to 7 June 2015 at Wuhan, China.
The 27-year-old Up and coming track and field star Inderjeet heaved the iron ball to a new championship record of 20.41meter, which he achieved in his fourth attempt. With this, he became the eighth Indian shot putter to win a gold medal in the history of Asian championships.
Chang Ming-Huang of Chinese Taipei won the silver with a throw of 19.56meter, while Tian Zizhong of the home country bagged the bronze with a throw of 1925meter.
8. India joined MCAA on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI)
India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI).
The declaration to comply with the provisions of the MCAA was signed in Paris by Mohan Kumar, the Indian ambassador to France. The participation in the agreement will help India in curbing financial crimes especially instances of tax evasion.
Under the agreement, all the signatory countries, including India, are bound to collect and automatically exchange tax information as prescribed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Common Reporting Standard (CRS).
To be able to comply with the agreement, amendments have been made to section 285BA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 as incorporated in the Finance Act, 2014.
About Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA)
• It is based on Article 6 of the OECD’s Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (Multilateral Convention) which states that two or more parties can mutually agree to exchange information automatically.
• It implements the OECD’s Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Information (AEOI).
• It requires the Competent Authorities of participating jurisdictions to collect and automatically exchange tax information as prescribed by the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS). Under the agreement, bulk taxpayer information will periodically be sent by the source country of income to the country of residence of the taxpayer.
• It is very wide in scope and obliges the treaty partners to exchange a wide range of financial information, including that about the ultimate controlling persons and beneficial owners of entities. Previously, information was exchanged between countries on the basis of specific requests only.
• Even though it is signed on a multilateral basis, the actual exchange of information will occur in a bilateral manner.
• It has been developed by the OECD in cooperation with G20 and the European Union (EU).
9. HDFC Life launches cancer care plan
Private insurer, HDFC Life, has announced the launch of HDFC Life Cancer Care, to provide financial support on diagnosis of early or major stages of cancer.
“The plan is distinct from standard critical illness policies as it provides a fixed lumpsum benefit on diagnosis of early and major stages of cancer, waives future premiums, and also pays regular income on diagnosis for treatment of cancer
The plan also has an indexation option whereby the sum assured increases by 10 per cent every year. The plan is attractively priced with a Rs. 20-lakh cover for a period of 20 years being available to a 35-year-old male for less than Rs. 1,800 annual premium and is also eligible for tax benefits.
In India approximately one million new cases of cancer are reported every year. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the country and research says that the incidence of the disease will increase by 54 per cent by 2030. While early detection is important in the quest for surviving cancer, we realised that one of the biggest setbacks is adequacy of financial resources. Treatment of cancer is expensive and can range from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh. In many instances, out-of-pocket expenditure for treatment of cancer means household savings are wiped out or families go into debt for a lifetime.”
HDFC Life sold over 12,000 policies in the first week of the launch. The insurance firm has also come up with a mobile app for its distributors to manage end-to-end sales of the product.
10. Maharashtra Government invoked MCOCA against ration mafia
MCOCA: Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act
The abbreviation MCOCA was in news in first week of June 2015. It came in news after the state government of Maharashtra invoked its stringent provisions against five persons from Nashik for allegedly being part of ration mafia.
This ration mafia was involved in the pilferage (theft of part of the contents of a package) of foodgrains meant for public distribution.
This is the first time that MCOCA was applied against ration mafia and was done with an aim of weeding out the widespread corruption in public distribution system.
Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was enacted in 1999 to combat organised crime and terrorism. It is a special law with stringent and deterrent provisions including certain circumstances power to intercept wire, electronic or oral communication to control the menace of organised crimes.
11. India, Belarus ink 6 agreements to boost co-operation
i. India and Belarus signed six agreements to enhance bilateral co-operation. The agreements were signed in presence of President Pranab Mukherjee during his state visit to Belarus.
ii. President Pranab Mukherjee is on two nation’s tour viz Sweden and Belarus.
The signed agreements are
Roadmap for India-Belarus Cooperation: for strengthening bilateral relations and co-operation in the field of trade, culture and other areas.
Protocol to amendment: To amend the agreement between two countries for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Property (Capital) of September, 1997.
MoU on Cooperation in the field of Standardization and Information Support: It was signed between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus.
MoU for cooperation on Broadcasting: It was signed between Prasar Bharati (PB) and the National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (Belteleradiocompany). MoU on Bilateral Cooperation between the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Ministry of Finance of Belarus.
MoU for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods (concern Bellegprom): It was signed between the Union Ministry of Textiles of India and the Belarusian State.
1. Syed Asif Ibrahim appointed as PM’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism
Syed Asif Ibrahim was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism. He is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB).
In this new capacity, he will liaise with governments in West Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South East Asia, among others, in setting up channels for the exchange of intelligence and information on terror groups.
The appointment took place in the back drop of growing concern over probable poaching of some Indian youth by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.He will report to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and work out of the National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat in New Delhi.
2. World Bank approves $ 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project in J&K
Multi-lateral lender World Bank today approved $ 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project for reconstruction of flood-affected public infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir.
It will also strengthen the capacity of state government to respond and better manage natural disasters in future, World Bank said in a release.
The project will be funded by credit from World Bank’s concessionary — International Development Association (IDA). The loan has a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.
A continuous spell of rains in September 2014 had caused Jhelum, Chenab and Tawi rivers, their tributaries and many other streams to flow above the danger mark which had severely affected livelihoods in the state.
Due to the unprecedented heavy rainfall, the catchment areas, particularly low lying ones, were flooded for more than two weeks, while Jhelum breached its banks at several places. “This region is highly vulnerable to natural disasters that can push millions into poverty. In addition to reconstruction, which includes reconstruction of roads, bridges and public infrastructure, the project will also help the region be better prepared for the future
The recovery project will focus on 20 districts — Anantnag, Baramula, Budgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Poonch, Rajauri and Udhampur.
3. Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje inaugurated Phase 1A of Jaipur Metro Rail Services
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated phase 1A of metro rail services in Jaipur. With this, the pink city became the sixth city in the country to have metro service; other five cities are Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata.
In the first phase, the metro will run on 9.6 kilometer stretch covering nine stations from residential area Mansarovar to business hub in Chandpole.
Jaipur Metro has added three unique features in its service, and they are
• Passenger will enjoy jerk free journey because of Wheel Mounted Disk Braking System.
• Each Coach is equipped with LCD which will continuously display information for the passengers.
• It also carries facilities for special challenged people and senior citizens.
The Jaipur metro work is publicized as one of the fastest-built metros in the country as it has been developed in a time period of four-and-a-half years.
One most important fact of Jaipur metro service is that six out of 24 Metro train operators, that is, 25 percent of metro drivers, are women.
Jaipur Metro Rail Project has been developed by Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (JMRCL) which was set up as a wholly owned subsidiary by the Government of Rajasthan.
4. US President Barack Obama signed USA FREEDOM Act 2015 into law
US President Barack Obama signed the USA FREEDOM Act 2015 in law. The USA FREEDOM stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015.
With this, the National Security Agency (NSA) lost its authority to collect the phone records of millions of Americans.
The Act was approved by the Senate on 1 June 2015 by 67-32 votes and was passed by the House of Representatives on 13 May 2015. The Act will remain in effect until 15 December 2019.
Main Highlights of the Act
• It reauthorizes USA PATRIOT Act 2001 that expired on 1 June 2015.
• It require the government obtain a targeted warrant to collect phone metadata from telecommunications companies
• It amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Act of 1978 to establish a new process so as to make the process of submitting of warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a FISA court more transparent. FISA Court reviews the warrant requests submitted by the FBI for an order requiring the production of business records or other tangible things for an investigation.
• It amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to require the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to audit the effectiveness and use of FISA authority to obtain production of tangible things from 2012 to 2014, so that the constitutional rights of U.S. persons is adequately protected.
5. India, US ink new 10-year defence framework
India and the US on Wednesday inked an expansive new defence framework to bolster their strategic partnership over the next 10 years, even as they discussed maritime security and the Asia-Pacific in the backdrop of China's assertive behaviour in the South China Sea.
Holding that its rebalance of forces to the Asia Pacific complimented India's Act East policy, the US remains keen that India invite Japan for the major bilateral Malabar naval combat exercise to be held in the Bay of Bengal in October.
6. Suresh Kalmadi conferred with Asian Athletics Association President’s award
Suresh Kalmadi was conferred with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) President’s award. He was awarded for his contribution towards the development of athletics in Asian continent.
Adille Sumariwala, the President of Athletics Federation of India received the award on behalf of Kalmadi at the function held in Wuhan, China ahead of the start of Asian Athletics Championships.
He is credited with the introduction of top events like Asian Grand Prix series, Asian Indoor Championships and Asian All Star Meet and others during his tenure as the president of AAA for 13 years from 2000 to 2013. He was defeated by Dahlan Al-Hamad of Qatar in the presidential election of the AAA held in 2013 at Pune.
7. Inderjeet won gold in shot put at 21st Asian Athletics Championships
Inderjeet Singh won gold medal in men's shot put event in the 21st Asian Athletics Championships . The 21st Asian Athletics Championships is being held from 3 June to 7 June 2015 at Wuhan, China.
The 27-year-old Up and coming track and field star Inderjeet heaved the iron ball to a new championship record of 20.41meter, which he achieved in his fourth attempt. With this, he became the eighth Indian shot putter to win a gold medal in the history of Asian championships.
Chang Ming-Huang of Chinese Taipei won the silver with a throw of 19.56meter, while Tian Zizhong of the home country bagged the bronze with a throw of 1925meter.
8. India joined MCAA on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI)
India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI).
The declaration to comply with the provisions of the MCAA was signed in Paris by Mohan Kumar, the Indian ambassador to France. The participation in the agreement will help India in curbing financial crimes especially instances of tax evasion.
Under the agreement, all the signatory countries, including India, are bound to collect and automatically exchange tax information as prescribed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Common Reporting Standard (CRS).
To be able to comply with the agreement, amendments have been made to section 285BA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 as incorporated in the Finance Act, 2014.
About Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA)
• It is based on Article 6 of the OECD’s Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (Multilateral Convention) which states that two or more parties can mutually agree to exchange information automatically.
• It implements the OECD’s Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Information (AEOI).
• It requires the Competent Authorities of participating jurisdictions to collect and automatically exchange tax information as prescribed by the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS). Under the agreement, bulk taxpayer information will periodically be sent by the source country of income to the country of residence of the taxpayer.
• It is very wide in scope and obliges the treaty partners to exchange a wide range of financial information, including that about the ultimate controlling persons and beneficial owners of entities. Previously, information was exchanged between countries on the basis of specific requests only.
• Even though it is signed on a multilateral basis, the actual exchange of information will occur in a bilateral manner.
• It has been developed by the OECD in cooperation with G20 and the European Union (EU).
9. HDFC Life launches cancer care plan
Private insurer, HDFC Life, has announced the launch of HDFC Life Cancer Care, to provide financial support on diagnosis of early or major stages of cancer.
“The plan is distinct from standard critical illness policies as it provides a fixed lumpsum benefit on diagnosis of early and major stages of cancer, waives future premiums, and also pays regular income on diagnosis for treatment of cancer
The plan also has an indexation option whereby the sum assured increases by 10 per cent every year. The plan is attractively priced with a Rs. 20-lakh cover for a period of 20 years being available to a 35-year-old male for less than Rs. 1,800 annual premium and is also eligible for tax benefits.
In India approximately one million new cases of cancer are reported every year. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the country and research says that the incidence of the disease will increase by 54 per cent by 2030. While early detection is important in the quest for surviving cancer, we realised that one of the biggest setbacks is adequacy of financial resources. Treatment of cancer is expensive and can range from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh. In many instances, out-of-pocket expenditure for treatment of cancer means household savings are wiped out or families go into debt for a lifetime.”
HDFC Life sold over 12,000 policies in the first week of the launch. The insurance firm has also come up with a mobile app for its distributors to manage end-to-end sales of the product.
10. Maharashtra Government invoked MCOCA against ration mafia
MCOCA: Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act
The abbreviation MCOCA was in news in first week of June 2015. It came in news after the state government of Maharashtra invoked its stringent provisions against five persons from Nashik for allegedly being part of ration mafia.
This ration mafia was involved in the pilferage (theft of part of the contents of a package) of foodgrains meant for public distribution.
This is the first time that MCOCA was applied against ration mafia and was done with an aim of weeding out the widespread corruption in public distribution system.
Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was enacted in 1999 to combat organised crime and terrorism. It is a special law with stringent and deterrent provisions including certain circumstances power to intercept wire, electronic or oral communication to control the menace of organised crimes.
11. India, Belarus ink 6 agreements to boost co-operation
i. India and Belarus signed six agreements to enhance bilateral co-operation. The agreements were signed in presence of President Pranab Mukherjee during his state visit to Belarus.
ii. President Pranab Mukherjee is on two nation’s tour viz Sweden and Belarus.
The signed agreements are
Roadmap for India-Belarus Cooperation: for strengthening bilateral relations and co-operation in the field of trade, culture and other areas.
Protocol to amendment: To amend the agreement between two countries for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Property (Capital) of September, 1997.
MoU on Cooperation in the field of Standardization and Information Support: It was signed between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus.
MoU for cooperation on Broadcasting: It was signed between Prasar Bharati (PB) and the National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (Belteleradiocompany). MoU on Bilateral Cooperation between the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Ministry of Finance of Belarus.
MoU for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods (concern Bellegprom): It was signed between the Union Ministry of Textiles of India and the Belarusian State.
Syed Asif Ibrahim was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Countering Terrorism and Extremism. He is a former Director of Intelligence Bureau (DIB).In this new capacity, he will liaise with governments in West Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and South East Asia, among others, in setting up channels for the exchange of intelligence and information on terror groups.
The appointment took place in the back drop of growing concern over probable poaching of some Indian youth by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.and the Levant (ISIS) and other militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq.He will report to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval and work out of the National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat in New Delhi.
2. World Bank approves $ 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project in J&K
Multi-lateral lender World Bank today approved $ 250 million loan for Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project for reconstruction of flood-affected public infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir.
It will also strengthen the capacity of state government to respond and better manage natural disasters in future, World Bank said in a release.
The project will be funded by credit from World Bank’s concessionary — International Development Association (IDA). The loan has a maturity of 25 years, including a 5 year grace period.
A continuous spell of rains in September 2014 had caused Jhelum, Chenab and Tawi rivers, their tributaries and many other streams to flow above the danger mark which had severely affected livelihoods in the state.
Due to the unprecedented heavy rainfall, the catchment areas, particularly low lying ones, were flooded for more than two weeks, while Jhelum breached its banks at several places. “This region is highly vulnerable to natural disasters that can push millions into poverty. In addition to reconstruction, which includes reconstruction of roads, bridges and public infrastructure, the project will also help the region be better prepared for the future
The recovery project will focus on 20 districts — Anantnag, Baramula, Budgam, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Kupwara, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Reasi, Doda, Kishtwar, Ramban, Poonch, Rajauri and Udhampur.
3. Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje inaugurated Phase 1A of Jaipur Metro Rail Services
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje inaugurated phase 1A of metro rail services in Jaipur. With this, the pink city became the sixth city in the country to have metro service; other five cities are Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Kolkata.
In the first phase, the metro will run on 9.6 kilometer stretch covering nine stations from residential area Mansarovar to business hub in Chandpole.
Jaipur Metro has added three unique features in its service, and they are
• Passenger will enjoy jerk free journey because of Wheel Mounted Disk Braking System.
• Each Coach is equipped with LCD which will continuously display information for the passengers.
• It also carries facilities for special challenged people and senior citizens.
The Jaipur metro work is publicized as one of the fastest-built metros in the country as it has been developed in a time period of four-and-a-half years.
One most important fact of Jaipur metro service is that six out of 24 Metro train operators, that is, 25 percent of metro drivers, are women.
Jaipur Metro Rail Project has been developed by Jaipur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (JMRCL) which was set up as a wholly owned subsidiary by the Government of Rajasthan.
4. US President Barack Obama signed USA FREEDOM Act 2015 into law
US President Barack Obama signed the USA FREEDOM Act 2015 in law. The USA FREEDOM stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Fulfilling Rights and Ensuring Effective Discipline Over Monitoring Act of 2015.
With this, the National Security Agency (NSA) lost its authority to collect the phone records of millions of Americans.
The Act was approved by the Senate on 1 June 2015 by 67-32 votes and was passed by the House of Representatives on 13 May 2015. The Act will remain in effect until 15 December 2019.
Main Highlights of the Act
• It reauthorizes USA PATRIOT Act 2001 that expired on 1 June 2015.
• It require the government obtain a targeted warrant to collect phone metadata from telecommunications companies
• It amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Act of 1978 to establish a new process so as to make the process of submitting of warrant by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to a FISA court more transparent. FISA Court reviews the warrant requests submitted by the FBI for an order requiring the production of business records or other tangible things for an investigation.
• It amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 to require the Inspector General of the Department of Justice to audit the effectiveness and use of FISA authority to obtain production of tangible things from 2012 to 2014, so that the constitutional rights of U.S. persons is adequately protected.
5. India, US ink new 10-year defence framework
India and the US on Wednesday inked an expansive new defence framework to bolster their strategic partnership over the next 10 years, even as they discussed maritime security and the Asia-Pacific in the backdrop of China's assertive behaviour in the South China Sea.
Holding that its rebalance of forces to the Asia Pacific complimented India's Act East policy, the US remains keen that India invite Japan for the major bilateral Malabar naval combat exercise to be held in the Bay of Bengal in October.
6. Suresh Kalmadi conferred with Asian Athletics Association President’s award
Suresh Kalmadi was conferred with the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) President’s award. He was awarded for his contribution towards the development of athletics in Asian continent.
Adille Sumariwala, the President of Athletics Federation of India received the award on behalf of Kalmadi at the function held in Wuhan, China ahead of the start of Asian Athletics Championships.
He is credited with the introduction of top events like Asian Grand Prix series, Asian Indoor Championships and Asian All Star Meet and others during his tenure as the president of AAA for 13 years from 2000 to 2013. He was defeated by Dahlan Al-Hamad of Qatar in the presidential election of the AAA held in 2013 at Pune.
7. Inderjeet won gold in shot put at 21st Asian Athletics Championships
Inderjeet Singh won gold medal in men's shot put event in the 21st Asian Athletics Championships . The 21st Asian Athletics Championships is being held from 3 June to 7 June 2015 at Wuhan, China.
The 27-year-old Up and coming track and field star Inderjeet heaved the iron ball to a new championship record of 20.41meter, which he achieved in his fourth attempt. With this, he became the eighth Indian shot putter to win a gold medal in the history of Asian championships.
Chang Ming-Huang of Chinese Taipei won the silver with a throw of 19.56meter, while Tian Zizhong of the home country bagged the bronze with a throw of 1925meter.
8. India joined MCAA on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI)
India joined the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) on Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI).
The declaration to comply with the provisions of the MCAA was signed in Paris by Mohan Kumar, the Indian ambassador to France. The participation in the agreement will help India in curbing financial crimes especially instances of tax evasion.
Under the agreement, all the signatory countries, including India, are bound to collect and automatically exchange tax information as prescribed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Common Reporting Standard (CRS).
To be able to comply with the agreement, amendments have been made to section 285BA of the Income Tax Act, 1961 as incorporated in the Finance Act, 2014.
About Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA)
• It is based on Article 6 of the OECD’s Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters (Multilateral Convention) which states that two or more parties can mutually agree to exchange information automatically.
• It implements the OECD’s Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Information (AEOI).
• It requires the Competent Authorities of participating jurisdictions to collect and automatically exchange tax information as prescribed by the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard (CRS). Under the agreement, bulk taxpayer information will periodically be sent by the source country of income to the country of residence of the taxpayer.
• It is very wide in scope and obliges the treaty partners to exchange a wide range of financial information, including that about the ultimate controlling persons and beneficial owners of entities. Previously, information was exchanged between countries on the basis of specific requests only.
• Even though it is signed on a multilateral basis, the actual exchange of information will occur in a bilateral manner.
• It has been developed by the OECD in cooperation with G20 and the European Union (EU).
9. HDFC Life launches cancer care plan
Private insurer, HDFC Life, has announced the launch of HDFC Life Cancer Care, to provide financial support on diagnosis of early or major stages of cancer.
“The plan is distinct from standard critical illness policies as it provides a fixed lumpsum benefit on diagnosis of early and major stages of cancer, waives future premiums, and also pays regular income on diagnosis for treatment of cancer
The plan also has an indexation option whereby the sum assured increases by 10 per cent every year. The plan is attractively priced with a Rs. 20-lakh cover for a period of 20 years being available to a 35-year-old male for less than Rs. 1,800 annual premium and is also eligible for tax benefits.
In India approximately one million new cases of cancer are reported every year. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the country and research says that the incidence of the disease will increase by 54 per cent by 2030. While early detection is important in the quest for surviving cancer, we realised that one of the biggest setbacks is adequacy of financial resources. Treatment of cancer is expensive and can range from Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh. In many instances, out-of-pocket expenditure for treatment of cancer means household savings are wiped out or families go into debt for a lifetime.”
HDFC Life sold over 12,000 policies in the first week of the launch. The insurance firm has also come up with a mobile app for its distributors to manage end-to-end sales of the product.
10. Maharashtra Government invoked MCOCA against ration mafia
MCOCA: Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act
The abbreviation MCOCA was in news in first week of June 2015. It came in news after the state government of Maharashtra invoked its stringent provisions against five persons from Nashik for allegedly being part of ration mafia.
This ration mafia was involved in the pilferage (theft of part of the contents of a package) of foodgrains meant for public distribution.
This is the first time that MCOCA was applied against ration mafia and was done with an aim of weeding out the widespread corruption in public distribution system.
Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was enacted in 1999 to combat organised crime and terrorism. It is a special law with stringent and deterrent provisions including certain circumstances power to intercept wire, electronic or oral communication to control the menace of organised crimes.
11. India, Belarus ink 6 agreements to boost co-operation
i. India and Belarus signed six agreements to enhance bilateral co-operation. The agreements were signed in presence of President Pranab Mukherjee during his state visit to Belarus.
ii. President Pranab Mukherjee is on two nation’s tour viz Sweden and Belarus.
The signed agreements are
Roadmap for India-Belarus Cooperation: for strengthening bilateral relations and co-operation in the field of trade, culture and other areas.
Protocol to amendment: To amend the agreement between two countries for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Property (Capital) of September, 1997.
MoU on Cooperation in the field of Standardization and Information Support: It was signed between Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the State Committee for Standardization of the Republic of Belarus.
MoU for cooperation on Broadcasting: It was signed between Prasar Bharati (PB) and the National State Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus (Belteleradiocompany). MoU on Bilateral Cooperation between the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and the Ministry of Finance of Belarus.
MoU for Manufacturing and Marketing of Light Industry Goods (concern Bellegprom): It was signed between the Union Ministry of Textiles of India and the Belarusian State.
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