July 14, the edge of River Ganga. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also

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1 July 14, 2017 Plans to rejuvenate Ganga National Green Tribunal (NGT) today passed a slew of directions to rejuvenate River Ganga, declaring as 'No- Development Zone' an area of 100 metres from the edge in the stretch between Haridwar in Uttarakhand and Unnao in Uttar Pradesh. The NGT in its 543-page judgment said, there shall be no dumping of waste of any kind within 500 metres from the edge of River Ganga. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also declared that an environment compensation of 50,000 rupees will be imposed on anyone who dumps waste in the river. Odisha govt to set up Haj House in Bhubaneswar The Odisha government has decided to set up a Haj House in the capital city Bhubaneswar for the welfare of Haj pilgrims. Felicitating Haj pilgrims of this year from Odisha in Bhubaneswar today, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said that his government is committed for welfare of people belonging to minority communities. He said the Odisha government has sanctioned 5 crore rupees for the development of educational institutions in the state for welfare of minority community children. Besides, the government will construct 100 multi-purpose centres for Muslim people in next three years, Patnaik added. While wishing them a safe and smooth journey of 688 Haj pilgrims including 200 women, the chief minister said Odisha 1

2 government has been trying to have an embarkation point in the Bhubaneswar airport for Haj pilgrims. He said the Odisha government is also mulling over establishing direct plane communication between Bhubaneswar and Mecca for the welfare of pilgrims. Indigenously developed S-band Doppler Weather Radar commissioned in Kochi A state-of-the-art, indigenously developed S-band doppler weather radar (DWR) of India Meteorological Department (IMD) was commissioned at Palluruthy in West Kochi, Kerala. It has been manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) based on the indigenous technology provided by ISRO. It joins the latest in a chain of 27 such advanced radars already installed in various parts of the country. The S-band DWR is capable of predicting weather events such as storms and cyclones, other severe weather conditions occurring in 500-km radius from Kochi with increased accuracy. Mallya will be sent to Arthur Road Jail, govt. tells UK If extradited, fugitive businessman Vijay Mallya will be lodged in a high-security cell in Barrack number 12 at the infamous Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, the government has conveyed to the U.K. Crown Prosecution Services. The government was responding to questions from the U.K. government on where Mr. Mallya would be held and the prison conditions he would be subjected to if India s extradition request of February 2017 is granted. 2

3 Services provided by educational institution fully exempt from GST On the 13th July 2017, the Central Government said that services provided by an educational institution to students, faculty and staff are fully exempt from GST. Finance Ministry said, there are some reports that 18 per cent GST will be levied on annual subscription and fees charged for lodging in hostels, which is not true. The Ministry said, there is no change in tax liability relating to education and related services in the GST, except reduction in tax rate on certain items of education. It clarified that no GST will be on the annual subscription or fees charged as lodging and boarding charges by educational institutions from its students for hostel accommodation. Sensex breaches 32,000 mark for first time On the 13th July 2017, the Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange breached the 32,000 mark for the first time ever in morning trade. Later, the Sensex remained strong, and had surged 236 points, or 0.7 percent, to 32,041. The Nifty at the the National Stock Exchange also touched a new intra-day peak, and had later climbed 60 points, to 9,876. Stocks rose amid expectations of an interest rate cut by the Reserve Bank of India after retail inflation in June fell to a "record low". Investors were also encouraged after the US central bank chief, Janet Yellen indicated a gradual approach to raising interest rates. And at the forex market, the rupee had strengthened 11 paise, to against the dollar in afternoon deals. 3

4 Government sets up new wing to provide intelligence inputs The Union Government has set up Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management (DGARM), a new wing to provide intelligence inputs taking action against tax evaders. It has been has been set up will be under the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC). It will also do big data analytics for taxmen for better policy formulation. DIPP to set up India s first TISC in Punjab The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) will establish India s first Technology and Innovation Support Center (TISC) at Patent Information Centre, Punjab. In this regard, DIPP has signed an Institutional agreement with the Punjab State Council of Science and Technology. The TISC will be set up under the World Intellectual Property Organization s (WIPO) TISC program. 4

5 Scientists discover smallest star known in the universe Scientists from University of Cambridge, UK have discovered the smallest star in the universe. It has been named as EBLM J Ab. The star was identified by Super WASP, a planet-finding experiment run by several universities. It was detected when it passed in front of its larger parent star, forming an eclipsing stellar binary system. EBLM J Ab is located about 600 light years away. It is slightly larger than Saturn in size and may possibly have Earth-sized planets with liquid water in its orbit. It is likely as small as stars can possibly become, as it has just enough mass to enable the fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium at its centre. China s Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo dies at 61 China s most famous political prisoner, the Nobel laureate and democracy icon Liu Xiaobo, has died at the age of 61. Liu was awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China. Officials said, the activist was being treated for terminal liver cancer in a hospital in north-eastern China. He had been transferred from prison last month, where he was serving an 11-year term for subversion since

6 China says, it is committed to upholding UN sanctions on North Korea despite data showing rise in bilateral trade China has said, it is committed to upholding United Nations sanctions on North Korea despite data showing a jump in bilateral trade. Sino-US relations have soured in recent weeks as President Donald Trump urges Beijing to put diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea over its nuclear ambitions, with tensions rising after this month's test of a missile that could reach the US mainland. Despite Washington's calls for action, trade between the Asian neighbours increased 10.5 percent in January to June, including a 29.1 percent jump in exports. 6