Author: ForumIAS

18 Advance Pricing Agreements signed in March: CBDT The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has entered into 18 Advance Pricing Agreement(APAs) in the month of March 2019 which includes 3 Bilateral APAs(BAPAs).With this, the total number of APAs entered into by the CBDT as of now stands at 271,which also includes 31 BAPAs. APA… Continue reading 18 Advance Pricing Agreements signed in March: CBDT

Health Ministry forms a Solidarity Human Chain; reaffirms commitment towards Universal Health Care Recently, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, GoI along with the World Health Organization (WHO) had formed a Solidarity Human Chain as part of the World Health Day celebrations. The theme of World Health Day 2019 is Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere.… Continue reading Health Ministry forms a Solidarity Human Chain; reaffirms commitment towards Universal Health Care

SC agrees to hear plea challenging release of Modi biopic The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea seeking a stay on the release of the biopic “PM Narendra Modi”. The opposition parties have alleged that the release of the film ahead of elections would violate the Model Code of Conduct. The film has… Continue reading SC agrees to hear plea challenging release of Modi biopic

EC inquiry against Meghalaya Minister The Election Commission has initiated an inquiry into alleged violation of model code of conduct by a Meghalaya Minister. He had used an official vehicle for election campaigning. According to the Model Code of Conduct, no government transport including official air-crafts, vehicles etc. should be used for electioneering work. Model… Continue reading EC inquiry against Meghalaya Minister

RBI cuts repo rate to 6%, lowers GDP forecast to 7.2% The six-member Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India has cut its benchmark policy rate, repo rate by 0.25% to 6%. Repo stands for ‘Repurchasing Option’. It refers to the rate at which commercial banks borrow money from the RBI. The rate… Continue reading RBI cuts repo rate to 6%, lowers GDP forecast to 7.2%

UAE confers prestigious Zayed Medal on Narendra Modi The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has awarded Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the Zayed Medal, the highest civilian award granted by its government. PM Modi has received the award in appreciation of his efforts in maintaining strategic ties with UAE. UAE-India relations got momentum after Prime… Continue reading UAE confers prestigious Zayed Medal on Narendra Modi

SC rejects Christian body’s plea to defer elections The Supreme Court has refused to hear an urgent plea by a Christian body seeking rescheduling of the Lok Sabha polling date in Tamil Nadu. The petition had said that the scheduled date of polling for the Lok Sabha election in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry falls during… Continue reading SC rejects Christian body’s plea to defer elections

Brunei’s LGBT community lives in fear Brunei has introduced a new sharia law that makes adultery and homosexuality punishable by stoning to death. It makes Brunei the first country in Southeast Asia to have a sharia penal code at the national level. The new law mostly applies to Muslims though some aspects will also apply… Continue reading Brunei’s LGBT community lives in fear

In SC, govt. defends electoral bonds The Government has opposed in the Supreme Court on the concerns raised by the Election Commission on issuing electoral bonds. Earlier, the Election Commission of India had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court. It said that the introduction of electoral bonds and the removal of the cap on… Continue reading In SC, govt. defends electoral bonds

Linking small loans to external benchmark after further talks The Reserve Bank has said that it will hold further discussions with banks on linking interest rates on personal, home, auto and MSME loans with the external benchmark rates. In December 2018, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had proposed a major change in the way banks… Continue reading Linking small loans to external benchmark after further talks