PUNJAB

House panel for review of policy for pvt varsities

As the Cabinet sub-committee on setting up a regulatory authority for private and government educational institutions is yet to submit its report, the Vidhan Sabha’s Committee on Subordinate Legislation has advocated review of the policy under which approval is granted to private universities.

The legislation ‘Punjab Private Universities Policy 2010’ was brought by the previous Akali-BJP government. With the Congress government withdrawing approval to Khalsa University, Amritsar, there are now 16 private universities in the state.

Seeking standard parameters on the lines of the University Grants Commission Act, the committee has sought that a regulatory authority should handle all aspects of private universities like pay fixation, minimum land requirement, parameters for open spaces and collaboration with foreign institutions.

INTERNATIONAL

· China launches twin BeiDou-3 navigation satellites into space

China successfully sent pair of twin Beidou-3MEO satellites – Beidou-30 and Beidou-31 –into space as part of its third and final stage of launching its domestic Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system.
They were launched on board Long March-3B carrier rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in south-west China’s Sichuan Province.
It was a 269th mission for the Long March rocket family.

· NASA to Send First Mission to Study ‘Heart’ Of Mars

TheNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is all set to send the first-ever mission dedicated to exploring the deep interior of Mars. Scheduled to launch on 5 May, InSight—a stationary lander—will also be the first Nasa mission since the Apollo moon landings to place a seismometer, a device that measures quakes, on the soil of another planet.
InSight or the Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport mission, carries a suite of sensitive instruments to gather data.

· Union Cabinet approves MoU Between India And United Kingdom And Northern Ireland

The Union Cabinet approved the signing of MoU between India and the United Kingdomand Northern Ireland regarding cooperation and Exchange of Information for the Purposes of Combating International Criminality and Tackling Serious Organised Crime.
India and U.K. already have an agreement concerning the investigation and prosecution of crime and the tracing, restraint, and confiscation of the proceeds and instruments of crime (including crimes involving currency transfers) and terrorist funds, which was signed in 1995.

India is now the world’s No 1 almond importer

India has toppled China and Spain to emerge as the world’s largest consumer of Almond in recent times.
Almond imports into India rose 7 per cent to worth about Rs 3,900 crore last year against Rs 3,640 crore in 2016.

· US Diplomat DiCarlo Becomes 1st Female UN Political Chief

Long-serving American diplomat Rosemary DiCarloappointed to become the first woman to head UN political affairs, one of the most high-profile positions at the world body.
DiCarlo will replace Jeffrey Feltman, another American who held the post of under-secretary-general for political affairs since 2012.
DiCarlo also served as deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and director for United Nations affairs at the national security council in Washington.

NATIONAL

MP to raise retirement age for govt employees to 62 years

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced raising the retirement age of state government employees to 62 years from the current 60 years.

He however did not disclose details of this decision. There are about five lakh regular government employees in the state.

The state government had made a provision for reservation for SC/ST employees in promotion, which was set aside by the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

Madhya Pradesh’s Kadaknath chicken gets Geographical Indication tag

Kadaknath, a chicken breed whose black meat is in demand in Madhya Pradesh has got the coveted Geographical Indications (GI) tag label.

The protein-rich meat of Kadaknath, chicks and eggs are sold at a much higher rate than other varieties of chicken.

Chennai-based GI Registry accepted the application of Gramik Vikas Trust, Jhabua, which was filed in 2012.

· Long Term Capital Gains Tax To Come Into Effect From 01st April

Several Budget proposals, including the reintroduction of the tax onlong-term capital gains (LTCG) exceeding Rs 1 lakh from the sale of shares, will kick in from 01st April 2018, the beginning of the 2018-19 financial year.
Besides, other tax proposals like the reduced corporate tax of 25 percent on businesses on a turnover of up to Rs 250 crore and a standard deduction of Rs 40,000 in lieu of transport allowance and medical reimbursement, will come into effect from 01st April 2018.

Mangaluru Airport Adjudged India’s Cleanest

The Mangalore International Airport has been adjudged the cleanest airport in the country.
Airport director VV Rao received the award during the 23rd annual day celebrations of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in New Delhi.
In the survey conducted across 53 airports in the country by AAI, Mangaluru airport was adjudged the cleanest.

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