- April’s Gross GST takings power past rs 2.1 lakh crore
- Year end compliances lifted India’s gross goods and services tax revenues passed a record rs 2.1 lakh crore in April reflecting a 12.4% growth over the previous highest tally of rs 1.87 lakh crore in the same month last year.
- The Finance Minister attributed the achievement to the strong momentum in the economy and efficient tax collections and said that there were no dues pending on account of IGST settlement to the states.
- Static takeaway: IGST meaning Integrated Goods and Service Tax, is one of the three categories under Goods and Service Tax (CGST, IGST and SGST) with a concept of one tax one nation. IGST is charged on movement of goods and services from one state to another.
2. Supreme Court rejects plea for allocating spectrum without auction
- The Supreme Court has declined to receive an application by the centre to allow the administrative allocation of spectrum.
- Spectrum is a scarce natural resource and is allocated to private players only through open and transparent auction.
- The Registrar invoked order 15 rule five of the Supreme Court rules to decline the application. Under this provision of the 2013 rules the Registrar may refuse to receive a petition on the ground that it discloses no reasonable causes or is frivolous or contains scandalous matter.
- Static takeaway: The selling of airwaves as a band for a certain period is known as Spectrum Auctions. The central government through the DoT(Department of Telecom) auctions these airwaves from time to time. The government performs spectrum auctions after dividing the entire country into telecom circles. Presently India is divided into 22 telecom circles.
3. ISRO finds proof of enhanced possibility of water ice in polar craters of the moon
- A study by Indian Space Scientists has found evidence of enhanced possibility of water ice occurrence in the polar craters of the moon.
- The study suggests that the amount of subsurface ice in the first couple of metres is about 5 to 8 times larger than the one on the surface in both poles.
- Drilling on the moon to sample or excavate that ice will be primordial for future missions and long-term human presence.
- The study also suggests that the extent of water ice in the northern polar region is twice that in the southern polar region.
- The study confirms that the primary source of subsurface water ice in the lunar poles is out gassing during volcanism in the Imbrian period.
- Static takeaway: In the lunar geologic timescale, the Early Imbrian epoch occurred from 3,850 million years ago to about 3,800 million years ago. It overlaps the end of the Late Heavy Bombardment of the Inner Solar System. The impact that created the huge Mare Imbrium basin occurred at the start of the epoch.
4. IIA releases video of the moon occulting brightest star Antares
- Bengaluru based Indian Institute of astrophysics has filmed the passing of the moon in front of Antares, a bright red star.
- This event was visible only from southern India.
- Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius.
- Static takeaway: The IIA is a premier research institute in India dedicated to the study of astronomy, astrophysics, and related fields. It is Wholly financed by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India
5. India must collaborate with Indian Ocean countries for data on warming
- Several institutes have forecasted based on expected global carbon emission trends, the likely impact on the Indian Ocean.
- They report that the Indian Ocean warmed 1.2 degrees Celsius and will likely heat up 1.7 degrees Celsius to 3.8 degrees Celsius from 2020 to 2100.
- While heat waves are a lived experience the study warns of marine heat waves which are the counterparts in the sea and linked to the rapid formation of Cyclones
- Marine heatwaves are likely to increase tenfold from the current average of 20 days per year to 220-250 days per year.
- The consequences of a warming Indian Ocean extend very much into mainland India with the frequency of severe cyclones rising and the monsoon becoming more erratic and uneven with long spells of drought followed by intense rain and concomitant flooding.
- Static takeaway: A marine heatwave is defined as when seawater temperatures exceed a seasonally-varying threshold for at least 5 consecutive days. Successive heatwaves with gaps of 2 days or less are considered part of the same event.
ONE LINER
- Chhattisgarh activist – Alok Shukla to receive Goldman Prize – 2024
- The GST collections have breached the 2 lakh crore mark for the first time in April 2024
