Daily Current Affairs, 09th October 2019

1) CBDT launches Faceless e-Assessment scheme

•The Central Board of Direct Taxes has launched “Faceless e-Assessment scheme” that eliminates physical interface between an assessing officer and an assessee. They also inaugurated the National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC).

•The “Faceless e-assessment scheme” is expected to bring in a “paradigm shift” in taxation by eliminating human interface in the income tax assessment system. A total of 2,686 officials of the I-T department have been deputed for implementation of the scheme. With NeAC, there would be no physical interface between the tax payers and the tax officers. Also, the above will bring transparency and efficiency and will improve the quality of assessment and monitoring.

•There would be a NeAC in Delhi to be headed by Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax. There are 8 Regional e-Assessment Centres (ReAC) set up at Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata Ahmedabad, Pune, Bengaluru and Hyderabad which would comprise Assessment unit, Review unit, Technical unit and Verification units.

2) Day Care Recreation Centre inaugurated in Leh

•The 1st Government-sponsored and operated Day-Care cum Recreation Centre for senior citizens has been inaugurated in Leh. The day care Centre, co-sponsored by Government and the District Legal Service Authority will provide a raft of medical facilities including geriatric care, health consultations and check-ups, physiotherapy to the senior citizens. It would also provide legal service, the senior citizens would require on various legal issues.

•The premise would be a one stop-shop for entertainment, medical services and legal aid for the aged people of the Ladakh region.

3) AIIMS & Health ministry launches “eDantSeva”

•The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the Union Health Ministry launched the 1st-ever website and mobile application on oral health awareness “eDantSeva“.

•The digital platform contains information about the National Oral Health Programme and a detailed list of all the dental facility and colleges, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material. It also constitutes a unique feature called the ‘Symptom Checker’. The website also provides GPRS route and satellite images of the facility for easier access to the people.

•A Braille booklet and voice-over on oral health education for visually impaired was also released on the occasion.

4) Antonio Costa re-elected as the PM of Portugal

•Antonio Costa has been re-elected as the Prime Minister of Portugal after winning the general elections. Antonio Costa, the Socialist leader and incumbent prime minister, got the most votes in Portugal’s general election, leaving it poised to continue leading the government for another four years.




5) The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019

•The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2019. The prize will be awarded jointly to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino. They have been nominated for the prize for the development of lithium-ion batteries.

•This lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery is now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles.

•The prize committees are currently working carefully and independently to select the recipients of the 2019 Nobel Prize and the laureates for other fields: Literature, Peace Prize and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The recipient for above prizes will be announced as per the schedule between 10th to 14th October, 2019.

6) “Spirit Of Kerala” wins People’s Choice Award

•Short film from Kerala “Spirit Of Kerala” has won the People’s Choice Award at the recently concluded My Rode Reel film competition. The film won the honour beating 1,680 entries. The short film is based on a boat race and directed by Arun Joseph.

•My Rode Reel film competition is touted as the ‘world’s largest short film competition’.

7) Reliance MF renamed as “Nippon India Mutual Fund”

•Reliance Mutual Fund has been renamed as “Nippon India Mutual Fund“. The organization was renamed following the purchase of 75% stake in Reliance Nippon Life Asset Management by Nippon Life Insurance. Nippon India Mutual Fund has become the largest foreign-owned Asset Management Company in India. Sundeep Sikka will continue to lead company as the CEO.

8) India ranks 68th on WEF’s Global Competitiveness Index

•World Economic Forum has released the Global Competitiveness Index report. In total, there are 103 indicators distributed across the 12 pillars on which the performance of the countries was evaluated. As per the WEF’s released report, India has moved down 10 places to rank 68th on an annual global competitiveness index which was topped by Singapore.

•India is among the worst-performing BRICS nations along with Brazil which is ranked 71st this year. WEF stated that India ranks high in terms of macroeconomic stability and market size, while its financial sector is relatively deep and stable despite the high delinquency rate, which contributes to weakening the soundness of its banking system.