9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – August 21, 2017

Ghantasala to get 70-ft Buddha statue Context Decks have been cleared for the construction of a Rs. 1.5-crore project to develop Ghantasala village in Krishna district as one of the prime Buddhist tourist spots in the State. The new tourist spot The new facility will be themed on the Mahaparinirvana of the Buddha. The major… Continue reading Ghantasala to get 70-ft Buddha statue

India to raise visa issue in trade policy meet Context The Centre will be raising Indian industry’s concerns over the U.S. visa ‘curbs’ and the ‘delay’ in inking a bilateral social security pact (or totalization agreement) during the India-U.S. Trade Policy Forum (TPF) meeting likely in October. Expectations from the TPF meeting In the TPF… Continue reading India to raise visa issue in trade policy meet

Patriot games at Attari-Wagah Context Over the past 70 years, the display of respective nationalisms at the border has become far more aggressive, dramatic, and hateful. The well-choreographed hurling of the slogans “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and “Jio jio Pakistan” at each other not only reduces the India-Pakistan relationship to a juvenile shouting match but,… Continue reading Patriot games at Attari-Wagah

SC bats for personal liberty Context The Supreme Court (SC) while granting bail to former Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul in a case of alleged corruption said that Personal liberty cannot be bargained at the altar of what the state may perceive as justice. The default bail A three-judge Bench headed… Continue reading SC bats for personal liberty

Artificial intelligence imperils India Inc. jobs Context The software, ‘driving’ the cart, had been developed by Infosys together with IIT-Delhi. The vehicle can be used on a pre-determined route. Information about the vehicle This is an example of building the autonomous systems in the cart to teach our employees to build autonomous driving technology. Technology… Continue reading Artificial intelligence imperils India Inc. jobs

Goa’s Ganpati festival: ecological concerns linger Context: Goa tops the chat in banning plaster of Paris idols. Explanation: ]Unlike in olden times when idols were made of clay, today’s Ganeshas are usually gypsum plaster, calcinated hemihydrated calcium sulphate, more commonly known as plaster of Paris (PoP). Aside from the base material, the bright paints and… Continue reading Goa’s Ganpati festival: ecological concerns linger

Railway Board member sent on leave Context The Railway Ministry sent three top officials on leave, suspended four local level officials and transferred another official after prima facie finding lapses in the maintenance work that led to the derailment of the Puri-Haridwar Utkal Express in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday and claimed at least 24 lives.… Continue reading Railway Board member sent on leave

Data shows new tax regime widely adopted Context The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is one of the biggest tax reforms in India. Though only a few weeks old, the latest tax is now firmly embedded in the millions of transactions happening all over the country every day, since the historic first of July, 2017,… Continue reading Data shows new tax regime widely adopted

BRO gets more financial powers Context The Defence Ministry has deputized administrative and financial powers right up to the level of Chief Engineer and task force commander to improve the efficacy of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and speed up works. Bringing in the transformational change The aim is to bring in transformational changes in… Continue reading BRO gets more financial powers