Daily Current Affairs – 13-01-2025
Tamil Nadu
CBIC launches taxpayer
initiatives
® The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) launched four
initiatives to improve taxpayer experience and enhance transparency.
® These initiatives are: A revised Citizen’s Charter with updated timelines and service standards for key taxpayer services, incorporating suggestions for Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), was introduced.
® A new platform ‘Ease of Doing Business tab for giving suggestions’ was launched to enable taxpayers to directly contribute to EoDB, allowing individuals and businesses to share suggestions for improving tax procedures and policies.
® The ‘revamped Citizen’s Corner: Knowledge at Your Fingertips’ online portal was revamped to serve as a one-stop hub for tax-related information, simplifying self-compliance.
® The ‘CBIC Archives: A Digital Window to India’s Tax History’ a digital archive showcasing the historical evolution of indirect taxes in India, was also launched.
Jalvahak policy launched
® The central government launched the ‘Jalvahak’ scheme to enhance long-haul cargo movement through inland waterways.
® Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off cargo ships MV AAI , MV Homi Bhaba , and MV Trishul (with barges Ajay and Dikhu) from Kolkata .
® This scheme was implemented by the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) and Inland & Coastal Shipping Limited (ICSL), a subsidiary of the Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCIL).
® The scheme offers a 35%
reimbursement of operating expenses for cargo transported via:
® National Waterways (NW) 1- Ganga river
® NW 2- Brahmaputra river
® NW 16- Barak River using the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route (IBPR).
® The scheme’s validity is 3 years . The government aims to achieve a cargo movement of 200 million MT by 2030 and 500 million MT by 2047.
® The cargo promotion scheme incentivizes the transport of goods over 300 km through inland waterways.
® It aims to reduce logistics costs and decongest roads and railways.
® This scheme is projected to facilitate a modal shift of 800 MT-kilometres (km ) with an estimated investment of ₹ 95.4 crore by 2027.
ONOE amendment bills passed
® The Union Cabinet has approved two constitution amendment bills related to ‘One Nation, One Election (ONOE)’ .
® The first bill, the Constitution (129th Amendment) Bill, 2024 , aims to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
® Proposed amendments include:
® Insertion of Article 82(A)
to enable simultaneous elections
® Amendments to Articles 83, 172, and 327
® Adding “conduct of simultaneous elections” to Article 327
® The second bill, the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 , aims to conduct elections in Puducherry, Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) along with the Lok Sabha elections.
® Proposed amendments include:
® Amendments to the Government of Union Territories Act, 1963
® Amendments to the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991
® Amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019
® The High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections , headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind , was constituted by the Government of India on 2nd September 2023.
® Its primary objective was to explore the feasibility of conducting simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
Domestic solar cells from 2026
® The Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE) has made it mandatory for solar companies to use India-made solar photovoltaic cells in their panels to participate in government procurement programmes, starting June 2026 .
® Adani group has launched a 2 GW
wafer-manufacturing facility in Gujarat
and aims to become India’s first ‘integrated manufacturer’ by 2027 , producing all components for photovoltaic panels.
® This move aligns with India’s broader goal of achieving 500 GW of non-fossil fuel -based power capacity by 2030 and making substantial strides in its commitment to clean energy.