Today in History (Apr 04^th, 1944)

The Battle of Kohima on 4 April 1944, is perhaps one of the most important day in the history of Indian independence.

Let’s revise

A) Which, recently, country has made cannabis legally available for recreational uses?

1. Japan
2. India
3. Germany
4. China

Ans. (c)

B) What is the capital city of Germany?

1. Berlin
2. Paris
3. Madrid
4. None of the above

Ans. (a)

C) Malta is a country in which continent?

1. Africa
2. Asia
3. Europe
4. North America

Ans. (c)

D) Which general election in India was known as Facebook election or social media election?

1. 2016
2. 2024
3. 2014
4. 2018

Ans. (c)

E) Nowadays Deepfakes are in news, it is associated with______

1. Artificial intelligence
2. The deepest point in Pacific ocean
3. The deepest point in Atlantic ocean
4. A software virus developed by Israeli company

Ans. (a)

F) What is GST?

1. Gross Service Tax
2. Goods and Services Tax
3. Goods and Services Transaction
4. Gold Standard Tracking

Ans. (b)

G) GST Council is Chaired by____

1. Prime Minister of India
2. Union Home Minister of India
3. Union Finance Minister
4. Finance Ministers of States on rotational basis

Ans. (c)

H) What is correct about GST Council?

1. It is a non constitutional and non statutory body
2. It is a non constitutional but statutory body
3. It is a department under the ministry of Finance
4. It is a constitutional body

Ans. (d)

I) Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced by which constitutional amendment act?

1. (101st) Amendment Act, 2016
2. 115 Amendment Act 2018
3. 116th Amendment Act 2019
4. It was not done by Constitutional amendment Act

Ans. (a)

J) GST is a ____

1. Direct Tax
2. Indirect Tax
3. It is a tax on tax
4. None of the above

Ans. (b)

Summary of Today’s News

SC to list before polls pleas to verify count in all EVMs

The Supreme Court has agreed to expedite a series of petitions before the Lok Sabha election, which seek a directive for the Election Commission to mandatorily cross-verify all electronic voting machines (EVMs) by counting all voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) slips. Currently, only five polling stations per Assembly constituency undergo this verification process.
Justice Sanjiv Khanna assured petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms, that the case would be listed for hearing the week after next, considering the limited availability due to scheduled court sessions and holidays. The petitions reference a 2013 Supreme Court judgment in Subramanian Swamy v Election Commission of India emphasizing the need for transparency in the electoral process to restore voter confidence.

BJP sends defamation notice to Atishi over MLA poaching claim

The BJP issued a defamation notice to Finance Minister of Government of NCT of Delhi Atishi after she accused them of attempting to induce defections in the ruling AAP. Atishi claimed she was offered to join the BJP and threatened with arrest if she refused. She also alleged that the BJP was offering money to AAP leaders to leave the party. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva dismissed Atishi’s statements as baseless and lacking evidence, stating that she did not disclose who made the offer to her.

Systems science for a better future

The Pew Research Center surveyed the citizens of many countries in 2023 to gauge how many prefer authoritarian rulers to multi-party democracy. The numbers choosing dictators will dismay democrats. In the Global South: India (85%), Indonesia (77%), South Africa (66%) and Brazil (57%). In the West: the United Kingdom (37%) and the United States (32%), which are signicant numbers too. China and Russia were not surveyed.
The rapid growth of the global economy and human population has brought humanity to a critical juncture. Scientists warn that overreliance on fossil fuels for modern lifestyles could render life on earth unsustainable beyond this century. Additionally, water scarcity poses a significant challenge, particularly in India, one of the most water-stressed large countries globally. Despite having a significant population, India occupies a small fraction of the world’s land. Its environmental performance has worsened over the years, with India ranking at the bottom in 2022. Moreover, India faces the pressing issue of accelerating citizen incomes amid rising inequality and environmental degradation caused by unsustainable practices.
There is need to emphasize the cooperation with the nature instead of competition between nature and human beings and it will be in favour of the humanity as a whole.