GUJARAT

Gujarat seeks GST cut on Covid essentials, council says yes

The Gujarat government sought a reduction in goods and services tax (GST) rates on items used for the treatment of Covid-19. The state sought these relaxations in the national GST council meeting which was held virtually, and the council has agreed to do the needful, said deputy chief minister Nitin Patel.

The council has also promised to give Rs 13,000 crore this year as the GST income gap to Gujarat.

The state government had also sought a cap on late fee payment charges as many dealers and GST card-holders requested relaxation. Now, it has been decided to cap the late payment fees in the range of Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 instead of an unspecified amount.

INTERNATIONAL

Lithuania Withdraws From China-Central And Eastern European Cooperation

Lithuania has withdrawn from China’s 17+1 cooperation forum with countries from Central and Eastern Europe, calling it “divisive.”

This is an initiative of China.

Goal: Promote business and investment relations between China and 16 Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC).
♦ Established in: Warsaw, 2012.
♦ After Lithuania withdrew, it is now called 16+1.

World No Tobacco Day is on 31st May

Each and Every year on May 31, the World Health Organization (WHO) and global partners celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD).

The annual campaign targets to raise awareness of the harmful and deadly effects of tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure and prevent the opportunity to use tobacco in any form.

The theme of this year’s 2021 WNTD is “Commitment to Quit Smoking”. This annual celebration educates the public about the dangers of tobacco use, the business practices of tobacco companies, the work of WHO to combat the tobacco epidemic, and what measures people around the world can take to claim their right to health and healthy life protect future generations.

The WHO (World Health Organization) passed a resolution on May 15, 1987, calling for April 7, 1988, to be the first World No Tobacco Day.

NATIONAL

Drone Operations for NPNT

A total of 166 new green zone sites have been approved for NPNT (No-Permission-No-Takeoff) compliant drone operations.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted permission for “No-Permission-No-Takeoff” (NPNT) compliant drone operations at 166 additional green zones in order to facilitate, smoothen, and promote drone operations in the country.

Drones are permitted to fly up to 400 feet Above Ground Level (AGL) at the approved sites.

These areas are in addition to the 66 green area sites approved earlier.

According to the regulations of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), under NPNT or “No Permission-No Takeoff” regulations, every remotely piloted aircraft (except Nano) must obtain a valid permit through the Digital Sky platform before it can operate in India.

National AI Portal 1st Anniversary

On May 28, the National Artificial Intelligence Portal celebrated its first anniversary.

In May 2020, the portal will be launched.

It is a collaboration between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), and NASSCOM.

It acts as a central hub for AI-related news, articles, events, learning, and activities in India and beyond.

The goal of this website is to become a trusted content powerhouse in the context of India’s move towards a global leader in Artificial Intelligence.

This portal focuses on developing and sustaining a unified AI ecosystem to drive excellence and leadership in India’s AI journey, fostering economic growth and improving lives.

Launch of YUVA

YUVA (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) was launched by the government.

About YUVA:

YUVA-Prime Minister’s Young Authors Mentoring Scheme, this is a Author mentoring program to train young and up-and-coming authors (under 30), initiated by the Ministry of Education, Dept of Higher Education.

The program’s main goal is to promote reading, writing, and book culture in the country, as well as to project India and Indian writings globally.

YUVA is a part of the India@75 Project (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav), which aims to bring to the forefront the perspectives of the young generation of writers on topics such as Unsung Heroes, Freedom Fighters, Unknown and Forgotten Places and their role in the National Movement, and other related themes in an innovative and creative manner.

The Education Ministry’s National Book Trust (NBT) is the implementing agency of this scheme.

The NBT will publish books created under this scheme. They will be translated into other Indian languages as well.

The selected young authors will interact with some of the world’s best authors, attend literary festivals, and so on.

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