RAJASTHAN

 

• Industrial policy gives incentives to companies for recruiting locals

 

• Rajasthan’s new industrial policy will offer “incentives” to companies providing jobs to natives, official sources said, in a move aimed at addressing state’s growing unemployment problem ahead of the assembly elections slated later this year.

 

• The new policy is likely to come into effect from May 1.

 

• The present policy has the provision of providing employment generation subsidies of up to 20% on value-added tax (VAT) and central sales tax (Cst)—the two indirect taxes that have been replaced by the GST.

 

• Moreover, the state government now wants an increase in the number of local people in employment generation.

 

• The incentives could be in the form of additional subsidies in taxes or in the form of concessions in utility services such as electricity and water bills.

 

• Industrialists, however, say the process of availing incentives under employment generation is cumbersome and so there should be simple criteria of direct subsidy based on number of locals employed.

 

• For employment generation, the Bjp-government in the state also provides loans with interest subsidy to new entrepreneurs under Bhamashah Rozgar Srijan Yojana (BRSY).

 

• People aspiring to start their own enterprise in the manufacturing sector can get a loan of up to Rs 25 lakh while the limit is Rs 10 lakhs for a venture in the services sector.

 

• The subsidy for a venture set up by people from SC, ST, OBC communities and women in rural areas is 35% of the loan and 25% in urban areas. For the general category, the subsidy is 25% and 15% for rural and urban areas respectively.

 

• With a 75 million population, Rajasthan ranks 11 in unemployment rate as per the fifth annual employment survey conducted by ministry of labour and employment.

 

• The state’s industrial and tourism sectors contribute nearly 4.5% to India’s GDP.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·        Swaziland King Changes Country’s Name To ‘Kingdom Of ESwatini’

 

• Swaziland’s KingMswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch, officially changed the name of his country to the ‘Kingdom of eSwatini’.
• Accordingly, the country, a member of the Commonwealth, will now be known by its historic name of eSwatini.
• The announcement was made during the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the King’s 50th birthday as well as the 50th anniversary of Swazi’s independence from British colonial rule.

 

• World’s oldest person Nabi Tajima passes away at 117

 

• The world’s oldest person, a 117-year-old Japanese woman, has died. Nabi Tajima died of old age in a hospital in southern Japan.

 

ð  Tajima, born on 4 August, 1900, was the last known person born in the 19th century.

• She became the world’s oldest person seven months ago after the death of Violet Brown in Jamaica, also at the age of 117

 

 

NATIONAL

 

• Civil Service Day: 21 April

 

• The Civil Service Day is celebrated on 21 April every year.

 

• The purpose for this day is to rededicate and recommit themselves to the cause of the people.

 

• It is observed by all Civil Services. This day gives civil servants the opportunity for introspection and thinking about future strategies.

 

 

·        India Forms Committee to Reform Higher Defence Planning

 

• The Union Government formed a new integrated institutional mechanism, Defence Planning Committee (DPC)to reform the process of higher defense planning.
• The permanent body would be chaired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
• The committee is aimed at driving the country’s military and national security strategy, draft capability development plans, and guide and accelerate defense equipment acquisitions.
• The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chief of the Staff Committee (CISC)will be the member secretary of the committee.

 

·        SJVN Signs MoU With Ministry Of Power

 

• SJVN Limited signed a MoU with Ministry of Power for the year 2018-19.

  

• As per the targets set in the MOU, SJVN shall strive to achieve 9200 Million Units generation during the year under ‘Excellent’ category. 
• Further, SJVN will have Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) target of Rs. 900 crore and Turnover target of Rs. 2175 crore under the Excellent category.

 

 

• TCS first Indian company with $100 billion market cap

 

• Tata Consultancy Services has touched $100 billion mark in market capitalisation as its share price surged nearly 7%.

 

• The IT major is the first listed Indian company to achieve this milestone.

 

• TCS is the leading the chart as the most valued firm followed by Reliance Industries Ltd, HDFC Bank, ITC and HUL in the top-five list.

 

·        Union Minister Vijay Goel Launches Central Project Monitoring Unit for E-Vidhan Project

 

• Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goelinaugurated the new office of Central Project Monitoring Unit for the e-Vidhan project of the Government at the Parliament House Annexe.
• This was done as a part of Swachhata Pakhwada being observed by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
• e-Vidhan is a part of the broader Digital India Programme of the Government and is likely to contribute to the cleanliness and environment by reducing the use of papers to a great extent.

 

·        E-SANAD Portal and National Academic Depository Integrated

 

• The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD)launched integration of e-SANAD portal and NAD – National Academic Depository in a bid to make education system in India more transparent.
• e-Sanad is a project aimed at online submission and verification of documents with the ultimate object to extend contactless, cashless, faceless and paperless document attestation service.
• NAD is a 24X7 online storehouse of all academic awards viz. diplomas certificates, degrees, mark-sheets etc.