News:Union Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways will be attending the 8th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP) Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok.Thailand. Facts: What is RCEP? RCEP is a proposed regional free trade agreement (FTA) comprising of ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos and Vietnam) and their 6 FTA partners… Continue reading RCEP: Opportunity, fears in regional trade deal
Author: ForumIAS
Parliamentary committees
News:Parliamentary Committee on Finance has agreed to deliberate on the state of economy as the first subject to be taken up at its next meeting on October 17,2019. Facts: What are Parliamentary committees? The Parliamentary committees are established to study and deal with various matters that cannot be directly handled by the legislature due to… Continue reading Parliamentary committees
GST Council forms 12-member panel
News:The Goods and Services Tax(GST) Council has constituted a 12-member committee of officials from states and Centre to suggest steps to augment revenue and improve compliance under the GST regime. Facts: Why was the committee formed? The committee was formed after the gross monthly collection has fallen to a 19 month low of ₹91,916 crore… Continue reading GST Council forms 12-member panel
Malware Smominru
News:Malware Smominru whose incidence was first reported in 2017, continues to infect computers in a big way. Facts: The malware attacks infrastructure in a widely distributed and complex way making it unlikely to be taken down easily. The botnet relies on more than 20 dedicated servers mostly located in the US, Malaysia and Bulgaria. It… Continue reading Malware Smominru
Daily Quiz #8 UPSC Prelims Marathon – October 11, 2019
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Task force to improve India’s rights record
News:Government is forming a task force to prepare a National Action Plan on Human Rights(NAPHR) as mandated under the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Universal Periodic Review(UPR). Facts: About Universal Periodic Review(UPR): UPR is a state-driven process under UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC). It provides opportunities to member states to declare what actions they have… Continue reading Task force to improve India’s rights record
Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare
News:The 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare. Facts: About the conference: The purpose of the conference is to build a consensus on Universal Health coverage(UHC) through various flagship programs like Ayushman Bharat, National Control of Tuberculosis Program, National Nutrition Mission… Continue reading Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare
Moody’s cuts India GDP growth forecast to 5.8%
News:International rating agency Moody has announced the lowering of India’s Gross Domestic Products(GDP) growth to 5.8% from 6.2%. Facts: The reasons for lowering the growth rate are (a)investment-led slowdown (b)weak consumption (c)financial stress among rural households and (d)weak job creation. Further, credit crunch among Non-Bank Financial Institutions(NBFIs) who have been major providers of retail loans… Continue reading Moody’s cuts India GDP growth forecast to 5.8%
Input tax Credit
News:Government has decided to restrict input tax credit under the goods and services tax to 20% of the eligible amount for an entity if its supplier has not uploaded relevant invoices detailing the payments made. Facts: There was no such restriction until now as input tax credit was claimed by taxpayers on the basis of… Continue reading Input tax Credit
J&K: 5,300 displaced families to get rehabilitation package
News:Cabinet has approved inclusion of 5,300 Displaced Persons(DP) families of Jammu & Kashmir in the Rehabilitation Package announced in 2016 for Displaced Families of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir(PoJK) and Chhamb. Facts: Background: In the aftermath of partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, thousands of families from Pakistan occupied areas of Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK)… Continue reading J&K: 5,300 displaced families to get rehabilitation package

