Hindu Notes from General Studies-01

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Delhi’s pollution levels rise again

News:

• Pollution levels in the national capital rose again on Sunday after a slight dip on Saturday, with visibility falling to below 100 meters at several places in the morning.

Beyond News:

• Figures released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) show the average of 15 monitoring stations over the past 24 hours had a score of 460 on the Air Quality Index (AQI), which falls in the ‘severe’ category.
• The same figure yesterday was 403. The CPCB’s AQI scores for Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon were at 492, 498 and 460 respectively, which is also in the ‘severe’ zone.

Add On Notes:

The PM2.5 and PM10 reading of SAFAR (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research) was also in the severe category.

The Meteorological Department has forecast winds from the north and north-west, which are expected to blow away the fog and rain forecast for November 14 and November 15, and provide temporary relief from the smog.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-02

Navigation rights figure in first Quadrilateral talks

News:

• Beginning a new diplomatic initiative, India on Sunday participated in the first formal official-level discussions conducted here under the recently mooted regional coalition known as the ‘Quad’, the quadrilateral formation that includes Japan, India, the United States and Australia.

Beyond News:

• The quadrilateral talks were held even as our Prime Minister interacted with Prime Minister of Japan and U.S. President, who participated in the 31st ASEAN and the 12th East Asia summits.
• Indicating the simmering regional tension with China and Beijing’s assertiveness over the South China Sea issue, a statement from the Australian Foreign Ministry informed that freedom of navigation figured at the ‘Quad.’
• Official sources emphasised that the quadrilateral was not aimed at any other country, and said India was also involved in other similar groupings in the region to deal with security and political issues.

SC issues notice to Centre, 3 States on plea to curb pollution in Delhi-NCR

News:

• The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Union government and the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab on a plea seeking to curb rising pollution in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).

Beyond News:

• The plea has claimed that rise in dust particles on roads and stubble burning in Haryana and Punjab have led to an alarming rise in pollution levels in the NCR and adjoining areas.
• The plea sought directions to the Centre and these States to take steps to curb road dust and stubble burning. It also sought effective implementation of the odd-even car rationing scheme.

South China Sea, Rohingya on ASEAN map

News:

• The maritime dispute over the South China Sea, exodus of the Rohingya citizens of Myanmar into Bangladesh and India, North Korean nuclear posturing and Islamic State-linked terrorism are likely to be the key talking points at the 31st ASEAN summit .

Beyond News:

• • The South China Sea has been at the centre of discussions on multilateral problems at the ASEAN-China level, which has been further complicated by China’s land reclamation projects aimed at building air surveillance and domination projects in the region.
  • ASEAN has been battling with the task of framing a Code of Conduct (CoC) for the common maritime future, which officials of the Philippines say is likely to get the green light during the ASEAN summit.

Hindu Notes from General Studies-03

GST: changes in the returns filing process

News:

• The Goods and Services Tax Council took a slew of decisions during its 23rd meeting in Guwahati on Friday to benefit consumers and businesses alike.

Process till now:

Up to November 15, when the decisions take effect, the GST system requires businesses to submit at least three forms to file their returns. The GSTR-1 dealt with the invoice-wise details of supply, GSTR-2 dealt with the receipts of goods, and GSTR-3 was an overall summary derived from the two previous forms.

What is the change?

• In order to ease the compliance burden on businesses, companies would be allowed to only file the GSTR-1 form, up to March 31, 2018.
• The Council has set up a committee to look into how to make the GSTR-2 form easier, following which it will be brought back into the system.

The Council also decided to extend the usage of the summary GSTR-3B form, meant to make life easier for those unfamiliar with the filing process, till March 31 from the earlier December 31 deadline.

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