India & UK sign three Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements

These three APAs cover international transactions in the nature of payment of intra-group service charges and pertain to the telecom industry. They also have a roll-back provision.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) signed three Bilateral Advance Pricing Agreements (APAs) with the Competent Authority of United Kingdom (UK) to reduce tax litigation. Earlier both countries had exchanged mutual agreements amongst them under the Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) Article of the India-UK Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC). With this, CBDT so far has entered into 111 APAs.

What is Advance Pricing Agreement (APA) Programme?

The APA Programme was introduced by Finance Act, 2012 with a view to provide a predictable and non-adversarial tax regime and to reduce litigation in Indian transfer pricing arena. Rollback of APAs was announced in the Budget in July 2014. An APA is usually signed between taxpayer and central tax authority on an appropriating transfer pricing methodology for determining the value of assets and taxes on intra-group overseas transactions. An APA can be entered into for a maximum of 5 years at a time.

It seeks to introduce certainty in tax law by reducing compliance costs and make tax regime investment friendly. It provides certainty to taxpayers regarding transfer pricing that aim to avoid disputes between taxpayer and tax regulator.

What are benefits of APAs?

Boost to economy and ease of doing business. Provide alternative path to the investors with rollback provision to reduce litigation Strengthen Government’s mission of fostering a non-adversarial tax regime.

NALSA: Jagdish Singh Khehar appointed new Executive chairman

 

The Union government has appointed Jagdish Singh Khehar, a judge of the Supreme Court, as the new Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). He succeeds Anil R. Dave who retired as Judge of Supreme Court after completing tenure of over six years.

National Legal Services Authority (NALSA)

NALSA provides for free legal aid to the poor and weaker sections of the society. It has been constituted under the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. Its aim is to ensure that opportunities for securing justice are not denied to any citizen by reasons of economic or other disabilities. NALSA also identifies specific categories of marginalized and excluded groups and formulates various schemes for implementation of legal service programmes.

        It provides services of free legal aid in civil and criminal matters for the poor and marginalized people who cannot afford the services of a lawyer in any court or tribunal. It also organizes Lok Adalats for amicable settlement of disputes. It works in close coordination with various State Legal Services Authorities, District Legal Services Authorities and other agencies.

world’s first salt-tolerant plant garden got in Tamil Nadu

 

The world’s first Genetic Garden of Halophytes (naturally occurring salt-tolerant plants) was inaugurated at the coastal town of Vedaranyam in Tamil Nadu. The first of its kind garden in the world was inaugurated by Mauritius President Ameenah Gurib Fakim through video-conferencing.

Key Facts

The garden has been set up by M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) founded by eminent agriculture scientist Prof M S Swaminathan, father of Indian Green Revolution. It will have over 1,600 species belonging to 550 genera and 117 families of Halophytes plants.

Initially it will comprise halophytes occurring along the coasts of India including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

What are Halophytes?

Halophytes are salt-tolerant or salt-resistant plants. They can thrive and complete their life cycles in soils or waters containing high salt concentrations. They constitute two per cent of terrestrial plant species.

Significance

Halophytes plants are important in the context of increasing salinisation of land especially due sea level rise because of climate change and global warming. In recent times, alarming rise in the sea level has prompted agriculture scientists to call for the cultivation of saline-tolerant crops in light danger of sea intrusion. In future, anticipatory research of these plants could reap rich rewards to mitigate impact of climate change as they can provide food for people, fodder for livestock, bio fuel and also can be used for ornamental purposes.

Fears of 'fake' new notes: Some quick ways to identify authenticity

With several complaints and rumours about "fake new notes" of Rs 2,000 denomination, there is some wariness among the people as the notes come into wider circulation.

With several complaints and rumours about "fake new notes" of Rs 2,000 denomination, there is some wariness among the people as the notes come into wider circulation. Notes of Rs 500 denomination would be circulated soon by banks.

However, the new notes not only have several security features difficult to counterfeit, there are many ways the users can verify if the notes are genuine.

he touch and feel of the notes can be used for this. The seven "bleed lines" on the side of the Rs 2,000 notes, and five lines on Rs 500 notes are in raised printing or intaglio. The security thread in both the notes changes colour from green to blue at different angles.

Also, the numeral 500 and 2,000 on the right side also change colour when seen at different angles.

These can be easily identified by any user and are very hard to counterfeit, according to experts.

The new notes have changed colours. While the Rs 2,000 note's paper is in magenta, the Rs 500 note is in stone gray.

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Apply Now {Group 1 Exam 2016} TNPSC Notification Published 85 vacancy Posts

TamilNadu Public Service Commission

TNPSC Recruitment 2016

Group I Examination Notification Published on 09.11.2016

Total vacancies: 85 Posts

1. Deputy Collector - 29

2. DSP - 34

3. Assistant Commissioner of Commercial Tax -8

4. District Registrar - 1

5. District Employment Officer - 5

6. District Officer (Fire and Rescue Service) – 8

Apply for TNPSC Group 1 Exam 2016 

Applications can be made through online mode only through www.tnpscexams.net website.
Direct link for apply online:http://182.18.164.63:8080/tngrpi/tfrmlogin.aspx

Tips and Tricks for Correctly Fill Online Application Form – Steps by Step Guidance

TNPSC Group 1 2016 Official Notification Website:http://www.tnpsc.gov.in/latest-notification.html

Final Year Students Apply for TNPSC Group 1 Exam 2016?
          Yes, according to TNPSC Group One 2016 notification, the candidates, who have written the final year under graduation degree examination, may also apply for the TNPSC Group One Preliminary Examination 2016. But they should produce proof of having passed the degree examination when they are admitted to write Main Examination. 

          Candidates who passed the final year MBBS or any other Medical Examination but have not completed the internship also can apply for the TNPSC Group 1 Preliminary Exam. But, whe they are admitted into the main written exam, they should submit a copy of certificate of passing the final examination. 

TNPSC Study Materials - video tutorials for all subjects Group-I Mains, Group-II,Group-IV and all Examinations

TNPSC Group 1 Exam Pattern:

Preliminary Exam (Objective Type)
Total 200 Questions (300 Marks) -

General Studies – 150; Aptitude - 50 

Tricks and Tips for written Examination preparation

TNPSC Group 1 Selection Procedure:

The Group-I Examination selection in three stages 

Stage-1: Preliminary examination - It is a screening test only. The marks of preliminary examination will not be counted for final selection list. The candidates will be allowed to write the main examination in the 1:50 ratio (50 times of the total number of vacancies).

How to prepare for TNPSC General English Questions?

Stage-2: Main Examination (Three Descriptive type papers)

State-3: Interview 

TNPSC Group 1 Main Exam Pattern:
Three Papers in General Studies -

Descriptive Types Degree Standard.
Each Paper will have questions for 300 Marks. (3 hours each)

Tricks and Tips for Last minute Exam study Preparation & Revision - Techniques advice

TNPSC Group 1 Preliminary Examination Centres are,

      Ariyalur, Madurai, Theni,Chennai, Nagapattinam, Thiruvallur,Chidambaram, Nagercoil, Thiruvannamalai, Coimbatore, Namakkal, Thiruvarur,Dharmapuri, Perambalur, Thoothukudi, Dindigul, Pudukkottai, Tiruchirappalli, Tirunelveli,Erode, Ramanathapuram, Tiruppur, Kancheepuram, Salem, Vellore, Karaikudi, Sivaganga, Villupuram, Karur, Thanjavur, Virudhunagar,Krishnagiri, The Nilgiris (Udhagamandalam)

Examination fee for TNPSC Group 1 Exam 2016: 

Preliminary exam fee Rs.75/- + Application cost Rs.50/-
Main exam - Rs.125/-

Candidates already have the One Time Registration (OTR) need not to pay application cost for 5 years.

Tips and Tricks for Recover TNPSC One Time Registration Password & Registration ID in step by step

Important Dates

Last date for apply online method: 08-12-2016
Last date for payment of fee in bank / post office: 10-12-2016
Group 1 Preliminary Exam Date: 19-02-2017 (10am to 1pm)

TNPSC Group – 1 Syllabus English: Download

Right-wing outfit celebrates Trump's win

A right-wing outfit today celebrated the victory of Republican Donald Trump in the US polls, saying his Presidency would "further boost" the Indo-American ties. "We are very happy on the election results and we have been cheering him (Trump) during the campaign period too. 
Today, we gathered in the streets and played drums and distributed sweets," said Vishnu Gupta, chief of Hindu Sena group. Gupta said, his group was confident of the Republican's win in the US polls. "The victory also means that now, India has one of the biggest friend in the White House. And, now, India and the US would together work for banishing terrorism," he said. 

The right-wing outfit had in May conducted a special prayer meeting ('havan') for the victory of Trump and in June celebrated Trump's birthday with cake, posters and balloons. In a stunning result, the billionaire businessman today beat seasoned politician Hillary Clinton in the knife-edge polls, defying the odds to become the 45th US President after starting off as a rank political outsider.

Rs 500 and 1,000 notes invalid: All your questions answered here

Narendra Modi announced that new notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 will be made available soon.

New Delhi, Nov 9: In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing that the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes will not be valid from midnight on Tuesday, here are the steps one needs to take. Modi announced that new notes of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 will be made available soon. The announcement to do away with the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were made to curb the menace of fake currency that has been emanating from Pakistan for several years now.

Notes will cease to be legal tender. Notes of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 can be submitted to post offices and banks between November 10 and December 30th, 2016. RBI to issue new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes. Those who fail to meet deadline can submit the notes at the RBI by providing a declaration. For the next 72 hours special arrangements have been made to accept Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes at hospitals, airports, railways stations, petrol bunks. On November 9 all banks will remain closed for public work. RBI's proposal to circulate new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes accepted.

TNPSC Group 4 Answer Key 2016

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India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-2016 begins

The seventh edition of India-Bangladesh joint military exercise SAMPRITI-2016 has commenced to practise counter-terrorism and disaster-management operations.

The 14-day (from 05 to 18 November 2016) joint military exercise will be held at Shaheed Salauddin Cantonment in Tangail, Dhaka (Bangladesh’s Capital).

Key Facts

(i)      The SAMPRITI 2016 will simulate a scenario where both nations are working together in a Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism environment under the UN Charter.

(ii)      The exercise curriculum is progressively planned in which the participants will initially get familiar with each other’s organizational structure and tactical drills.

(iii)     Subsequently, the training will advance to joint tactical exercises wherein the battle drills of both the armies will be practiced.

It will culminate with a final validation exercise in which troops of both armies will jointly practice a Counter Terrorist Operation in a controlled and simulated environment.

Background

SAMPRITI Exercise is important bilateral defence cooperation between India and Bangladesh. Earlier six editions of the exercise were hosted alternately by both countries. The first edition of the exercise in this series was held at Jorhat in Assam in 2010.

World Tsunami Awareness Day: November 5

The First World Tsunami Awareness Day was observed across the world on 5 November 2016 to spread awareness among people across the world about Tsunami.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had constituted the day by adopting a resolution in December 2015. The proposal was first mooted by Japan after the 3rd UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai (Japan) in March 2015.

2016: “Effective Education and Evacuation Drills”.

Significance of the Day

(i) Spread awareness among people across the world in matters related to the dangers of tsunami.

(ii) Stress on the importance of early warning systems in order to mitigate damage from the devastating natural calamity.

Background

         November 5 was designated as World Tsunami Awareness Day by UNGA to coincide with the annual anniversary of the 1854 Inamura-no-hi (Fire of Inamura) event. On this day in 1854, a villager in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan through his quick action had saved countless lives after he had set fire to sheaves of rice on the top of a hill, thus warning people of the imminent danger of a tsunami. This was the first documented instance of a tsunami early warning.

Union Government launches Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan

The Union Government launched Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) to provide free health check-ups to pregnant women at government health centres and hospitals.

The Scheme was launched by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda in New Delhi. It was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat in June 2016.

Key Features

The national programme aims to provide pregnant ladies free ante-natal services (ANC) and required treatment for free on 9th of every month.

Objectives of the scheme are

(i) Provide healthy life to the pregnant women.

(ii) Lowering the maternity mortality rate.

(iii) Making pregnant women aware of their health issues and diseases.

(iv)  Making sure safe delivery and healthy life of the baby.

The scheme is applicable only for the pregnant women in their pregnancy period of 3 to 6 months. It will provide all kinds of medical checkups completely free to pregnant women.

These checkups will take place at the medical centres, government and private hospitals and private clinics across the country.

These free of cost tests will include blood pressure, sugar level, weight, haemoglobin test, blood test and screening.

Women will be marked differently using different colour stickers based on their health problems so that doctors can easily detect the problem.

Different colour stickers will be Red Sticker for Serious patients, Blue Sticker for High blood pressure and Yellow Sticker for Other diseases.

Latvia becomes first Baltic Sea country to link with China’s OBOR

Latvia has become the first country in the Baltic Sea area to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to link up with China’s One Belt and One Road (OBOR) Initiative.

The MoU was signed after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s meeting with his Latvian counterpart Maris Kucinskis in Riga (capital of Latvia). It was Chinese Premier’s first visit to the European Union country.

Besides, Latvia and China also singed five agreements on cooperation in such areas as small and medium-sized enterprises, transportation and logistics.

What is China’s One Belt and One Road (OBOR) Initiative?

1. OBOR initiative is China’s ambitious development strategy and framework that aims to boost its connectivity and trade across Asia, Africa and Europe.

2. It comprises two components viz. the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013.

3. OBOR initiative is part of China’s revived 21st century Silk Road diplomacy that seeks to push it to take a bigger role in global affairs as a major global power.

Andhra Pradesh tops World Bank’s energy-saving rankings

The sunrise state Andhra Pradesh has been ranked number one in the World Bank’s ‘Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness’.

The ranking of the states were released in the World Bank’s study report titled: ‘India’s State Level Energy Efficiency Implementation Readiness’.

Key Facts

1. Andhra Pradesh topped with overall score of 42.01 followed by Rajasthan (41.89), Karnataka (39.34) and Maharashtra (39.29).

2. Kerala, Gujarat, Delhi (UT), Punjab, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh are the other states in the top ten ranking in that order.

3. Andhra Pradesh topped the list by achieving an energy saving of 1,500 million units (MU) i.e. around 650 MW in two years through use of LED lighting.

4. The World Bank study suggests adoption of achievable energy savings targets against the identified energy efficiency interventions.

5. It also calls upon the states to Endeavour to bring sector-specific energy efficiency policies with definite goals and time-bound action plans.

Google ties up with ASI for virtual tour of monuments

 Technology giant Google has tied up with Archaelogical Survey of India (ASI) for 360 degree virtual tour of 280-odd monuments across the country.

ASI has given its permission to Google for creating the virtual tour of the monuments which would be available in the Google maps.

Some of the major monuments are Taj Mahal, Victoria Memorial and the ruins of Hampi. Of the total 280 monuments 30 are in West Bengal and eight are from Kolkata.

 

About Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)

1. The ASI is the premier organization for the archaeological researches and protection of the cultural heritage of the country.

2. The prime objection of ASI is to maintain the archaeological sites, ancient monuments and remains of national importance.

3. Headquarters: New Delhi.

4. Established: 1861 by Alexander Cunningham.

5. It regulates all archaeological activities as per the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.

          6. It functions under the aegis of the Union Ministry of Culture. It also regulates Antiquities and Art Treasure Act, 1972.

India, Venezuela sign deals to increase oil production

India and Venezuela have signed an oil production deals worth about 1.45 billion US dollar to increase oil production.

The agreement was signed between Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Venezeulas Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), and Venezuela’s consortium Delta Finance BVin Caracas.

The Indo-Venezuelan partnership created in 2009 is expected to double the daily oil production of San Cristobal field from 20,000 to 40,000 barrels of oil.

Comment

The agreement comes amid a severe economic crisis in Venezuela. It is seen as a way to boost oil production, pay off debts, obtain funds from other foreign partners, and increase the country’s oil income.

Venezuelan crisis

Venezuela’s economy relies on oil exports and it accounts for half of the Venezuelan government’s revenues. Recently, it has been severely hit by a drastic fall in oil prices and resulted in the Venezuela’s economic crisis. The inflation rate in Venezuela is out of control leading to hyperinflation like condition resulting in shortages of goods and essential commodities. The inflation rate of Venezuela is highest in the world which is expected to reach 475% by the end of 2016.

Food Security Act implemented throughout country

CURRENT AFFAIRS – NOVEMBER 2016

Current Affairs 2016 with Latest Current Affairs for preparation of IAS, UPSC, Banking, IBPS, Railways, TNPSC and other exams. Current Events November 2016 news summary on current events of national and international importance.

Food Security Act implemented throughout country

The Union Government has announced that the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 which envisages supply of subsidized food grains has been implemented across the country. Announcement in this regard was made by Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan after last two remaining states Kerala and Tamil Nadu rolled out the NFSA from November 2016.

Key Facts

With this, now NFSA has been implemented in all States and Union Territories. As a result, 81.34 crore persons will get subsidized wheat at Rs. 2 per kg and rice at Rs. 3 per kg.

At the current coverage, the monthly allocation of food grains to States and UTs under the Act is about 45.5 lakh tones.

The subsidy implication of about Rs. 11,726 crore per month and it is overall about Rs. 1,40,700 crore per year.

Now Union Government will focus on further reforms in the public distribution system (PDS) including end to end computerization in order to check leakages and diversion of food grains.

About National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013

The NFSA aims to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds of the population (75% in rural areas and 50% in urban areas).

It converts into legal entitlements for existing food security programmes of the Central Government. It includes the Midday Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Services scheme and the Public Distribution System.

Grains like wheat, rice and coarse grain will be distributed at the subsidized price of 3 Rs. 3, Rs. 2 and Rs. 1.

Pregnant women and lactating mothers and children are entitled to get meals under the prescribed nutrition by MDM and ICDS.

         NFSA 2013 will provide high nutrition food to the children from age group of 6 months to 14 years. Pregnant women and lactating mothers will be entitled to get maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000