TELANGANA
- ₹5 breakfast, lunch coming soon in all urban centres
- Breakfast and lunch at just ₹ 5 will be available to citizens in towns across Telangana once the government clears proposals put forth by the Department of Municipal Administration and Urban Development for starting such feeding centres.
- The Hare Krishna Charitable Foundation, a non-profit organisation of the Hare Krishna Movement-Hyderabad, has come forward to provide sumptuous food at a cost of ₹5 for breakfast and lunch at designated centres identified across the towns.
- Similar 150 centres are being run by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the twin cities for the past four years, at makeshift kiosks, with food supplied by the Foundation.
- While the citizens will be paying just ₹5, the subsidy amount to be borne by the local body will be between ₹13 and ₹19.25 for breakfast and lunch which will otherwise cost ₹18 and ₹24.25, respectively.
- How the precise subsidy amount is to be shared has not yet been decided, but it is estimated that the total cost will be ₹16.12 crore for 40,000 breakfasts for 310 days and ₹25.80 crore for an equal number for lunches.
INTERNATIONAL
· Rashida Tlaib set to become 1st Muslim woman in US Congress
- She (42-year-old) is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants and won a Democratic primary election to represent Michigan’s 13thdistrict, securing 33.6 percent of the vote.
- Tlaib is set to replace John Conyers.
- She served in the Michigan state house from 2009 to 2014, and was also the first Muslim womanever elected to the state’s legislature.
· Oscar Academy is adding a New Category for Popular Films
- The new Oscar will be awarded for “Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film” and will be introduced this coming year, at the 91st
- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars, has added a new category after 17 years to recognise popular films.
- The last category to be added was ‘Best AnimatedFeature Film’.
NATIONAL
· Largest museum of US to return 2 ancient sculptures to India
- An eighth-century stone sculpture of Goddess Durgaand a third century limestonesculpture ‘Head of a Male Deity‘ will be returned to India by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum in the US.
- The stone sculpture of Durga Mahishasuramardini was donated to the museum in 2015.
- The limestone sculpture, donated in 1986, was part of Nagarjunakonda Site Museum’s excavated inventory
· Government introduced four GST amendment Bills
- The government introduced four Billsto amend the Goods and Services Tax (GST) laws in order to make the return forms simpler and raise the turnover threshold for availing composition scheme to 1.5 crore.
- The four amendment Bills are the Central GST (Amendment) Bill, the Integrated GST (Amendment) Bill, the GST (Compensation to States) Amendment Bill and the Union Territory GST (Amendment) Bill. Initially, the Bill was aimed to help the MSME sector and small traders.
· NSE unveiled new logo at its silver jubilee celebration
- The National Stock Exchange(NSE), India’s largest equity bourse, has celebrated its silver jubilee by unveiling its new logo, which is a modern representation of a blooming marigold with red, yellow, orange, and blue hues.
- The celebrations were attended by former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Union minister Nitin Gadkari, NITI Aayog deputy chairman Rajiv Kumar, and Delhi lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal.
- The NSE was inaugurated by Singh in 1994 when he was finance minister.
· Project ‘SWAYAM’ launched By HRD Ministry
- ‘Study Webs of Active Learning for Young Aspiring Minds’ (SWAYAM), aims to provide one integrated platform and portal for online courses.
- This course covers all higher education subjects and skill sector courses.
- The main objective is to ensure that every student in the country has access to the best quality higher education at the affordable cost.
- Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill, 2017
- The Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Property (Amendment) Bill, 2017 which was moved by Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, was adopted by a voice vote.
- The Lok Sabha had passed the bill in December last year.
It aimed to amend the regulations governing the compensation payable for acquisition of immovable property by the Centre for defence and security purposes.
· Govt to provide discount of Rs. 15 per kg on pulses for poor
- Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) decided to provide a discount of ₹15/kg on pulses, over the wholesale market price, to States for distribution under welfare schemes like mid-day meal, Public Distribution System (PDS), and Integrated Child Development Programmes (ICDP).
- States and Union Territories will be offered to lift 34.88 lakh tonnes of Tur, Chana, Masoor, Moong and Uradat the discount of ₹15/kg over the prevailing wholesale market price on a first-come-first-serve basis.
- The Government will spend ₹5,237 crorefor implementing this scheme.