Highlights of Union Budget 2016

UNION BUDGET AT A GLANCE

Affirming that the economy is right on track, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the Union Budget for 2016-17. Citing that the CPI inflation has come down to 5.4% from 9 plus, he said it is huge relief for the public.

Tax

• Infrastructure and agriculture cess to be levied.
• Excise duty raised from 10 to 15 per cent on tobacco products other than beedis
• 1 per cent service charge on purchase of luxury cars over Rs. 10 lakh and in-cash purchase of goods and services over Rs. 2 lakh.
• SUVs, Luxury cars to be more expensive. 4% high capacity tax for SUVs.
• Companies with revenue less than Rs 5 crore to be taxed at 29% plus surcharge

Important Current Affairs of February 29, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 29, 2016

• February 28, 2016 was the National Science Day.
• On this day, the nation pays tributes to the legacy of the great scientist, Dr C V Raman, who brought Nobel Prize in Science to Asia and India for the first time for his ground-breaking achievement of the Raman effect.
• Professor Raman disclosed this discovery to the world on 28th of February, 1928 and he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1930.
• In 1986, The National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) had urged the Indian government to declare February 28 as National Science Day.

Important Current Affairs of February 26, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 26, 2016

• Australia is going to increase its defense spending by nearly $21.6 billion as announced by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
• India has the Third Highest under-five child mortality rate among SAARC countries, as announced by Union Women and Child Development Minister Menaka Gandhi.
• India recorded 48 deaths per 1000 live births
• Afghanistan is at the top with 91 deaths per 1000 live births.
• Pakistan is at the second spot with 81 deaths per 1000 live births.
• A housing Scheme for over 600 transgenders facing social boycott in Bengaluru was launched by Karnataka Government.
• To carry out vacuum cleaning of the city Delhi Cabinet has approved a proposal to authorise the Public Works Department eliminating manual sweeping.

Important Current Affairs of February 25, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 25, 2016

• The fifth edition of IBSAMAR 2016 trilateral naval exercise between Brazil, India and South Africa kicked off in Goa. 
• This is the for the first time the exercise is held in India as all the previous editions were held in South Africa since it began in 2006.  
• IBSAMAR - India BrazilSouth Africa Maritime.
• Amitava Bhattacharyya, retired Chairman, Staff Selection Commission,Bimal Julka, retired Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting andDivya Prakash Sinha, retired Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat, appointed as Information Commissioners in the Central Information Commission, New Delhi.

Important Current Affairs of February 24, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 24, 2016

• World Rotary Day was observed on February 23, 2016 .
• Pakistan's parliament On February23, 2016 became the first in the world to fully operate on solar electricity. 
• Note : The $55 million venture, which can generate 80 MW power, was funded by the Chinese government as an act of friendship. 
• Nepal has officially stopped rationing fuel in the country, which was owing to supply being blocked for months due to the protests against the newly adopted Constitution. 
• Indian supplies to Nepal resumed after the Madhesi protestors lifted the unofficial blockade.

Important Current affairs of February 23, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 23, 2016

• Colombia's Constitutional Court has banned Oil, Gas and Mining operations in the country's high altitude ecosystems called the 'paramos'. 
• Mahamaham festival concluded On February 22, 2016 at Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu) with religious fervor.
• The nine-day festival, known as the 'Kumbh Mela of the south', concluded On February 22, 2016, with conduct of the most important event 'theerthavari', witnessed by lakhs of people.
• This  is a Hindu festival celebrated every 12 yearsin the Mahamaham tank located in the South Indian town of Kumbakonam.

Important Current Affairs Of February 22, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 22, 2016

• February 21, 2016 has been observed as International Mother Language Day.
• This day is observed to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
• First announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999, it was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution establishing 2008 as the International Year of Languages.
• February 21 was specifically chosen to mark the day in 1952 when students demonstrated for recognition of their language, Bangla as a national language in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Important Current Affairs of February 20, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 20, 2016

• U.S. President Barack Obama is going to make a historic visit to Cuba next month.
• He will be the first sitting American president to go to the island nation in 80 years.
• Indo-Nepal Combined Battalion level Military Training Exercise SURYA KIRAN is being conducted at Pithoragarh.
• During the exercise, an Infantry battalion each from Indian Army and the Nepalese Army would be training together and sharing their experiences of Counter Terrorism operations and Jungle Warfare in mountain terrain.

Important Current Affairs of February 19, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 19,2016

• A 12-member team of the Indian Army is participating in the “Cobra Gold” multilateral exercises, which is being hosted by Thailand, along with its counterparts from China andPakistan. 
• India has been invited to the exercises as an “observer plus” country. 
• This is in keeping with the recent trend of India’s increasing regional interoperability with a series of multi-lateral exercises on land and sea.

Important Current Affairs of February 17, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 17, 2016

• On February 16, 2016 President's Day of United States was observed.
• This day is celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States.
• Union Ministry of Railways andMinistry of Enterprise and Innovation of Sweden have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Technical Cooperation in Rail Sector. 
• Objective of this MOU : To develop cooperation activities in the Railway sector to promote efficiency and sustainability and to achieve concrete results with regard to bilateral trade, research, investment and technology transfer.

Important Current Affairs Of February 16, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 16, 2016

• The Seventh Joint Military Training Exercise between theIndian Army and the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) - LAMITYE 2016,started On February 15, 2016 at Seychelles Defence Academy (SDA), Victoria, Seychelles.
• This exercise will be held from On February 15, 2016 (15th February) to 28 February 2016. 
• The SPDF will be represented by 20 personnel from Tazar (Special Forces Unit) and 32 from Seychelles Infantry. 
• The Indian contingent will comprise of an Infantry platoon and representatives from the Special Forces. 

Important Current Affairs of February 15, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2016

• The first day of the 'Make in India' week, which was launched yesterday, saw the signing of three MoUs betweenMaharashtra government bodies and various companies for total investment worth ₹21,000 crore. 
• Twinstar Display Technologies, Raymond Industries and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages were among the companies that signed the MoUs for setting up manufacturing plants in India.

Important Current Affairs of February 13, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 13, 2016

• On 12th February Darwin Day was observed.
• This day is a celebration to commemorate the 207th birth anniversary of Charles Darwin (12 February 1809).
• Note : Charles Darwin is best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory.
• The International Syria Support Group On February 12, 2016 agreed to implement a nationwide “cessation of hostilities” in Syria by the end of next week. 
• The ceasefire would not apply to the fight against groups designated as terrorist organisations by the UNSC.

Important Current Affairs of February 11, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 11, 2016

• A 34-year-old Chinese man has contracted the Zika virus after travelling to South America, marking the first case of the virus in China.
• Meanwhile, China's National Health and Family Planning Commission has announced that the chances of the virus spreading across China were "low" due to the cold temperature and lack of mosquito activity.
• UAE's PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum On February 10, 2016 announced that the country now has appointed Ministers for 'happiness' and 'tolerance' in a major cabinet reshuffle.

Important Current Affairs of February 9, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 9, 2016

• Britain is set to get the world's biggest wind farm after the proposal for the1.2-gigawatt Hornsea Project One in northern England was accepted. 
• Scheduled to be completed by 2020, the farm would span up to 407 square kilometres and would use 174 wind turbines, each 190 metres tall. 
• The construction of the project will create an estimated 2,000 jobs.

Important Current Affairs of February 8, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 8, 2016

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi On February 7, 2016 announced that India will host the first ever Global Maritime Summit in April this year. 
• The first joint tactical exercise between border troops of India and China was conducted On February 7, 2016 in the Chushul-Moldo area.
• This is a part of the ongoing initiatives being taken by both the countries to ensure greater interaction between troops stationed along the Line of Actual Control, and thereby ensure peace and tranquility on the border.

Important Current Affairs of February 5, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 5, 2016

• On February 4, 2016 Independence Day of Sri Lanka was observed.
• Important Points to Note
• Official languages : Sinhalese / Tamil
• Currency : Sri Lankan rupee
• Anthem: Sri Lanka Matha
• Capitals :   
• Administrative Capital : Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
• Commercial Capital : Colombo
• President : Maithripala Sirisena
• Prime Minister : Ranil Wickremesinghe

Important Current Affairs of February 4, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 4, 2016

• The Japanese government On February 3, 2016 announced that it has deployed ground and sea-based antimissile interceptors to prepare itself for a possible missile test by North Korea. 
• Japan's Defense Ministry said surface-to-air missile systems as a part of a two-tier defense were deployed at 34 locations. 
• The first ever electric train in India ran on 3rd February in the year 1925 between Bombay VT and Kurla Harbour. 
• The train was electrified on 1500 Volt DC (direct current). 
• Later, the electric line was extended to Nashik's Igatpuri district and then to Pune. 

Important Current Affairs of February 3, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF FEBRUARY 3, 2016

• On February 2, 2016 World Wetlands Day was observed.
• This Day is celebrated to raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands.
• An association called 'Fliederlich' on February 2, 2016 opened Germany's first shelter for gay refugees in the city of Nuremberg. 
• The shelter, a two-storey house, can accommodate 8 people and has already received four requests. 
• The initiative was taken after around 20 refugees alleged that they felt threatened in the shelters they were put up in.

Important Current Affairs of January 30 to February 1, 2016

IMPORTANT CURRENT AFFAIRS OF JANUARY 30 TO FEBRUARY 1, 2016

• On January 31, 2016 World Leprosy Day was observed.
• This day is observed internationally on January 30 or its nearest Sunday to increase the public awareness of the Leprosy or Hansen's Disease. 
• Note : Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases in the world. 
• Theme of World Leprosy Day 2016 : To live is to help to live
• On January 30, 2016 National Martyrs' Day was observed.