9 PM Daily Current Affairs Brief – October 2, 2017

For a knowledge economy:  Context India needs to do much more than investing money into higher education institutions to create a knowledge ecosystem in the country. Creating a knowledge ecosystem in India For knowledge to translate into a wealthy society, we need to create a conducive knowledge ecosystem, which is currently missing from our national… Continue reading For a knowledge economy: 

Service For Swachhata:  Context: Started on 15th August, 2014, It has been three years of the Swachh Bharat Mission. The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi called for an accelerated, nation-wide campaign termed Swachhata Hi Seva, from September 15 to October 2. What is the progress of Swachh Bharat Mission in three years? Rural sanitation coverage has… Continue reading Service For Swachhata: 

Back to paper:  Context: The Election Commission’s decision to use the Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) What is the news all about? For the first time, VVPAT will be used on a State-wide basis in Gujarat It may silence the critics that questioned the safety and accuracy of EVMs What is the unique feature… Continue reading Back to paper: 

Large solar storm sparks global aurora on Mars: An unexpected event An unexpectedly strong solar storm hit Mars in September, sparking a global aurora and doubling radiation levels on the red planet. Strangely, it occurred in conjunction with a spate of solar activity during what is usually a quiet period in the Sun’s 11-year sunspot… Continue reading Large solar storm sparks global aurora on Mars:

What is Total Return Index?: How has equity mutual fund performance been measured so far in India? Majority of fund houses benchmark their equity mutual fund schemes against simple price indices which capture only the change in price of the stocks that are components of the said index. An index comprises a basket of securities… Continue reading What is Total Return Index?:

Coal is still the secret of our energy: Context: Demand for coal is expected to climb despite ramping up of renewable energy capacity Introduction: Despite the rapid growth in renewable energy, legacy coal plants will continue to generate thermal energy. However, most additional capacity in the country will come from renewable sources. With India’s embarking… Continue reading Coal is still the secret of our energy:

To tackle the Indian economy’s woes, create more jobs: What is the issue? The Indian economy’s health is not good. Economic growth decelerated to a three-year low of 5.7% in the June quarter of 2017-18. In the same quarter, the current account deficit hit a four-year high of 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP). Industrial… Continue reading To tackle the Indian economy’s woes, create more jobs:

GST: competitiveness to quell power costs: Context Analysis of GST impact on power sector the Central and State Governments have always given special tax treatment to the power sector in the past. But post GST, that trend may not continue. Negative impact The GST Act has kept electricity out of its ambit while keeping the… Continue reading GST: competitiveness to quell power costs:

GST: old habits spur poor compliance: Context The government had last week announced that, though the last date for filing the GSTR-3B form for August was September 20, only 55% of those ‘required to file’ had done so by September 25. What are the reasons behind half of the registered taxpayers filing their August returns?… Continue reading GST: old habits spur poor compliance:

Fewer GST slabs possible after rise in revenue: Context Bigger reforms such as lower number of slabs under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime will be considered once there is revenue neutrality. Why such reforms? To reduce compliance burden for small taxpayers. There will be space for improvement eventually, once economy becomes revenue neutral.… Continue reading Fewer GST slabs possible after rise in revenue: