31.03.18 Himachal Pradesh (HPPCS) Current Affairs

by

HIMACHAL PRADESH

 

  • NHAI extension awaited for Parwanoo-Solan NH project

 

  • The four-laning of the 39-km Parwanoo-Solan stretch of National Highway-22 is likely to be delayed as the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is yet to grant extension to the project despite the lapse of the period on March 31.

 

  • Barely 42 per cent work has been completed in the designated 30-month period after the initiation of the work in September 2015. GR Infraprojects, which is executing the project, had moved a plea to seek extension to the project by 15 months in October last.

 

  • As the NHAI has failed to complete the process of granting extension even after six months, officials said that the process could be delayed further.

 

  • Another key issue GR Infraprojects facing is raising the height of the breast walls from the present 3 m to a higher level which is caught in arbitration with the NHAI. An area of nearly 7.5 km to 8 km is supposed to be provided for higher breast walls.

 

  • Since the height specified earlier had failed to contain the damage of landslides, the need to raise higher walls was felt. This requires an additional budget and the issue has also become a bone of contention between the NHAI and GR Infraprojects.

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

·        China launches twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space

 

  • China successfully sent pair of twin Beidou-3MEO satellites – Beidou-30 and Beidou-31 –into space as part of its third and final stage of launching its domestic Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system.
  • They were launched on board Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in south-west China’s Sichuan Province.
  • It was a 269th mission for the Long March rocket family.

 

·        NASA to Send First Mission to Study ‘Heart’ Of Mars

 

  • TheNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is all set to send the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars. Scheduled to launch on 5 May, InSight—a stationary lander—will also be the first Nasa mission since the Apollo moon landings to place a seismometer, a device that measures quakes, on the soil of another planet.
  • InSight or the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport mission, carries a suite of sensitive instruments to gather data.

 

 

·        Union Cabinet approves MoU Between India And United Kingdom And Northern Ireland

 

  • The Union Cabinet approved the signing of MoU between India and the United Kingdomand Northern Ireland regarding cooperation and Exchange of Information for the Purposes of Combating International Criminality and Tackling Serious Organised Crime.
  • India and U.K. already have an agreement concerning the investigation and prosecution of crime and the tracing, restraint, and confiscation of the proceeds and instruments of crime (including crimes involving currency transfers) and terrorist funds, which was signed in 1995.

 

  • India is now the world’s No 1 almond importer

 

  • India has toppled China and Spain to emerge as the world’s largest consumer of Almond in recent times.
  • Almond imports into India rose 7 per cent to worth about Rs 3,900 crore last year against Rs 3,640 crore in 2016.

 

·        US Diplomat DiCarlo Becomes 1st Female UN Political Chief

 

  • Long-serving American diplomat Rosemary DiCarloappointed to become the first woman to head UN political affairs, one of the most high-profile positions at the world body.
  • DiCarlo will replace Jeffrey Feltman, another American who held the post of under-secretary-general for political affairs since 2012.
  • DiCarlo also served as deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and director for United Nations affairs at the national security council in Washington.

 

 

NATIONAL

 

 

  • MP to raise retirement age for govt employees to 62 years

 

  • Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced raising the retirement age of state government employees to 62 years from the current 60 years.

 

  • He however did not disclose details of this decision. There are about five lakh regular government employees in the state.

 

  • The state government had made a provision for reservation for SC/ST employees in promotion, which was set aside by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

 

 

  • Madhya Pradesh’s Kadaknath chicken gets Geographical Indication tag

  • Kadaknath, a chicken breed whose black meat is in demand in Madhya Pradesh has got the coveted Geographical Indications (GI) tag label.

 

  • The protein-rich meat of Kadaknath, chicks and eggs are sold at a much higher rate than other varieties of chicken.

 

  • Chennai-based GI Registry accepted the application of Gramik Vikas Trust, Jhabua, which was filed in 2012.

 

·        Long Term Capital Gains Tax To Come Into Effect From 01st April

 

  • Several Budget proposals, including the reintroduction of the tax onlong-term capital gains (LTCG) exceeding Rs 1 lakh from the sale of shares, will kick in from 01st April 2018, the beginning of the 2018-19 financial year.
  • Besides, other tax proposals like the reduced corporate tax of 25 percent on businesses on a turnover of up to Rs 250 crore and a standard deduction of Rs 40,000 in lieu of transport allowance and medical reimbursement, will come into effect from 01st April 2018.

 

  • Mangaluru Airport Adjudged India’s Cleanest

 

  • The Mangalore International Airport has been adjudged the cleanest airport in the country.
  • Airport director VV Rao received the award during the 23rd annual day celebrations of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in New Delhi.
  • In the survey conducted across 53 airports in the country by AAI, Mangaluru airport was adjudged the cleanest.

 

Exit mobile version