Gujarat

Surat to get Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.

In a major relief to tax-payers of Surat, who had to travel to Ahmedabad for their tax dispute appeals, the diamond city will now have a full-fledged Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT). The ITAT will be the second tribunal after Ahmedabad in Gujaratwhich may start functioning by end of August.

Indian Coast Guard seizes 1,500 kg heroin worth Rs 3,500 crore off Gujarat coast.

The Indian Coast Guard intercepted and apprehended a merchant vessel carrying approximately 1,500 kg of heroin valued at about Rs 3,500 crore off the coast of Gujarat.
Based on intelligence inputs, the vessel was intercepted by Indian Coast Guardships Samudra Pavak and Ankit around noon on Saturday.

The movements of all ships in the area including the suspect vessel were minutely observed throughout till its apprehension along with eight crew members by Indian Coast Guard ships on July 29,” it said.

A joint investigation by the Coast Guard, Intelligence Bureau, police, customs, Navy and other agencies is currently underway

INTERNATIONAL

· Caeleb Dressel becomes first ever Swimmer to win three gold medals in one night at worlds Championship.

The 20-year-old Caeleb Dresselas America’s newest star of the pool recently became the first swimmer to win three gold medals on a single night at either the worlds or the Olympics.

Caeleb Dressel accomplished this feat at 2017 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

· Shahid Khaqan Abbasi declared as interim Pakistan Prime Minister

Pakistan Muslim League selected Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to be the interim Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Nawaz Sharif recently resigned as Pakistan Prime Minister after the Supreme Court disqualified him from holding public office.

· Sri Lanka and China sign $1.1 billion Hambantota Port Deal.

Sri Lanka signed $1.1 billion deal to the United States of America to sell a 70% stake in the strategic Hambantota deep-sea port to China.
It is a deep-water port in the southern tip of Sri Lanka.
The deal was signed between Sri Lanka Ports Authority(SLPA) and China Merchants Port Holding Company (CMPort)
These sea lines run through several major maritime choke points such as the Strait of Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca and the Lombok Strait as well as other strategic maritime centres in Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Somalia.

· July 30 – United Nation’s World Day against Trafficking in Persons.

TheUnited Nations World Day against Trafficking in Personsis observed on 30 July across the world.
This year, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selected ‘Act to Protect and Assist Trafficked Persons’ as the focus of the Day.
The theme aims at one of the most pressing issues of the largest mixed migration movements of refugees and migrants.

National

Indian Scientists develop Gelator to remove oil from spills.
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram have developed gelator that can suck up oil and congeal it. The gelator is hydrophobic material that has property of oleilophilic (oil-loving) and takes up oil when it comes in contact with it. It can be used to recover marine oil spills with a simple, efficient and cost-effective method.
It is developed using a cheap raw material mannitol and cellulose pulp through a one-step process.
‘Muntra’ – India’s first unmanned tank

Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)has developed India’s first unmanned tank, which has three variants namely surveillance, mine detection and reconnaissance in areas with nuclear and bio threats.
It is calledMuntra (Mission UNmanned TRAcked)and has been rolled out of the Chennai lab.
The tanks will facilitate Indian Armed forces in conducting unmanned surveillance missions. Muntra-S developed for unmanned surveillance missions, whereas Muntra-M is built for detecting mines.

Eight national waterways will be unveiled soon

As many as 32 new national waterways in the country have been considered technically feasible for development of shipping and navigation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon inaugurate eight national waterways (NW).

Out of 106 newly—declared national waterways (NWs), 32 NWs are considered technically feasible so far. Out of these 32 NWs, the development of seven NWs has been approved.

Centre plans to remote-map canals

The Centre plans to link all canals via a geographical information system that would allow them to be remotely mapped.

The Central government has earmarked Rs. 77,595 crore to states to complete a range of irrigation projects that have been stuck for decades owing to lack of funds, with the water ministry committed to ensuring that 99 such projects would be completed by 2020. Twenty-three would be completed by 2016-17 and 31 by 2017-18. One of the major reasons for the projects to remain incomplete was inadequate provision of funds by the concerned State governments.

Some of these canals could be hundreds of kilometres long and some much smaller.

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