INTERNATIONAL

· India cuts tax on palm oil imports from ASEAN countries

The duty on crude palm oil from Malaysia, Indonesia and other members of the Association of South East Asian Nations(ASEAN) was cut to 40% from 44%, while the tax on refined palm oil was cut to 45% from 54% if imported from Malaysia and to 50%, if purchased from Indonesia or other member-nations of Asean.
In March 2018, India had raised import tax on crude palm oil to 44 percent from 30 percent and lifted the tax on refined palm oil to 54 percent from 40 percent.

NATIONAL

One District, One Product scheme of Uttar Pradesh

The government of Uttar Pradesh has initiated One District, One Product scheme to encourage indigenous and specialized products and crafts of the state.

The scheme aims to capitalize the rich heritage of the Uttar Pradesh by reviving them through modernization to enhance the reach of these products.

Uttar Pradesh is a vast state with vast diversity in all facets of life. The diversity of products and crafts in UP is breathtaking.

The One District, One Product aims to revive these traditional heritages by reviving them through modernization and publicisation.

· India to grow by 7.5% in 2019; Settled GST, credit flows had a positive effect : CII

Growth Outlook for 2019’,Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) stated that India will remain the fastest growing major economy with GDP growth estimated to be 7.5% in FY19.
The reasons cited for the growth are:
Better demand conditions, settled GST implementation, capacity expansion resulting from growing investments in infrastructure and better credit inflow especially in the service sector (that is of 24%).
Additionally, CII had suggested the following:
only three slabs for GST – a standard rate, a higher rate for demerit goods and a lower rate for some mass consumption items – and the inclusion of fuels, real estate, electricity and alcohol in the ambit of the levy.
RBI to have lending restrictions on banks under thePCA (prompt and corrective
action) and create a limited special liquidity window to meet emergencies of financial institutions.
The digitization of land records,The online single window systems in states and enforcing contracts among measures to enhance ease of doing business.

· Centre brings booklet on cyber safety for school children titled a Handbook for Students on cyber Safety

ð The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India has released a booklet titled “A Handbook for Students on cyber Safety” to inform the school children about the different aspects of cyber safety.

ð The booklet aims to create awareness among citizens especially students about cyber threats and provides details about the various safeguards that can be adopted by the children in order to protect themselves from cyber grooming.

· National Nritya Shiromani Award 2019 for Anindita

Anindita Neogy Anaam will be honored with the National Nritya Shiromani awardfor promoting the dance from across the world. This award of national repute has been given in the past to the outstanding Indian classical dance performers and musicians of India and abroad.
The award would be conferred on her in Cuttack on the opening day of the 10th Cuttack Mahotsav: International Dance and Music festivalin Cuttack on 2nd January 2019.

UGC push for autonomy for better quality of education

The University Grants Commission (UGC) , the regulator of the higher education sector, has pushed ahead with the strategy of providing autonomous status to the country’s better performing colleges, in an attempt to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the country’s higher education institutions.

Thus far this year, it has given the autonomous status to 37 colleges, taking the total number to 672 colleges across 106 universities.

An autonomous college can review existing courses, programmes and restructure, redesign and prescribe its own courses or programmes of study and syllabi.

· Every rural family could have a toilet before LS poll

Barely 1.5% Indian households in rural India don’t have individual toilets and going by the pace of progress government may achieve the record of every rural family having access to individual toilets before the general election.

According to updated data evening, the toilet coverage in villages has jumped from only 38.7% in October 2014, when the Swachh Bharat Mission was launched, to now at 98.5%. Top officials in the drinking water and sanitation said they have not set any particular month as target to achieve full toilet coverage, but would bear the October 2019 deadline.

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