DAILY NEWS DIARY 29.05.2021

DAILY NEWS DIARY

Of

29.05.2021

FOR PRELIMS AND MAINS

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Warm Greetings.

 DnD aims to provide every day news analysis in sync with the UPSC pattern.  It is targeted at UPSC – Prelims & Mains.  Daily articles are provided in the form of Question and Answers  To have a bank of mains questions.  And interesting to read.

 Providing precise information that can be carried straight to the exam, rather than over dumping.

Enjoy reading.

THE HINDU - TH INDIAN EXPRESS - IE BUSINESS LINE - BL ECONOMIC TIMES - ET TIMES OF INDIA - TOI

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INDEX

Essay Paper 1. GST Council meeting………………………………………………………………………………………………….……04

GS 2  International News 1. coup stricken Mali…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..05

GS 3  Science & Technology 1. ’s space station plans………………………………………………………………………………………...... 07

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ESSAY PAPER Editorial Q- Discuss the outcomes of the recent GST Council meeting and why it left weightier issues hanging fire; setting stage for more acrimony? INTRODUCTION = The GST Council could not live up to the expectations of some meaningful relief from the disastrous second wave of the pandemic. The measures unveiled were insipid, be it for the common man hoping to survive while keeping fingers crossed for a vaccination slot or a hospital bed, or businesses hurting from lockdowns, and States grappling with a cash crunch amid a scramble to purchase vaccines. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced – 1. An elaborate amnesty scheme for small firms pending GST returns, 2. Lowered the interest levied on late payments for recent months, 3. And extended several compliance timelines.

With the unaddressed areas being - 1. Little respite for businesses with turnover of over ₹5 crore, and industry is underwhelmed. 2. No discussion occurred on bringing fuels under GST, despite the Centre’s noises to that effect amid runaway petrol prices. 3. Taxes on COVID essentials remain unchanged, despite States and industry pressing for waivers. The GoM has to report back by June 8, but the Council, constitutionally empowered to recommend special rates during a disaster, would still have to concur. Thus, no immediate relief can be expected. a. Opposition States allege that NDA-ruled States’ representatives in the Council vociferously opposed waiving the GST on COVID vaccines and drugs. b. Tax mavens have mooted ways to implement such cuts, so it is unfortunate that the Centre, usually so conscious of optics, came to the table with little to offer. c. GST breaks offered on free COVID-related imports from abroad for donation to State-approved entities, were extended to material imported on a payment basis as well. It is not clear why this had to wait for the Council — BJP-ruled Gujarat and Haryana have already offered GST refunds on such imports. 4. A ₹1.58-lakh crore borrowing plan may quell States’ concerns about immediate compensation dues, but larger schisms are apparent that could fray the Council’s functioning further after recent acrimonious parleys. Ex - Sikkim, for instance, has demanded that it be allowed to levy its own cess to cope with falling revenues, a demand that has been backed by others, including Tamil Nadu and Arunachal Pradesh. This could virtually derail the very edifice of GST subsuming all local levies, even as States now want to be

recompensed beyond next year.

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The Centre, facing flak for its handling of the second wave, could do with a more responsive approach. Winning an intellectual or ideological battle over taxes on COVID essentials is meaningless at this precarious time, when each day’s delay in providing relief hurts thousands. Small gestures with limited revenue implications would give the Centre more room to strike common ground with States on the challenges that loom over the GST regime.

For Prelims – GST Council

GS 2  International News Q- Write a note on the new problems arising in the coup stricken Mali? BACKGROUND = West African leaders were due to meet in Ghana on Sunday to discuss a response to Mali’s second coup in nine months, which has sparked warnings of fresh sanctions and deep concerns over stability in the volatile Sahel region.

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Mali’s new President Colonel Assimi Goita arrived in Accra on Saturday for preliminary talks ahead of the extraordinary summit of regional bloc ECOWAS. Col. Goita led the young Army officers who overthrew Mali’s elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita last August over perceived corruption and his failure to quell a bloody jihadist insurgency. After the takeover, the military agreed to appoint civilians as interim President and Prime Minister under pressure from ECOWAS, which has served as a mediator. Broken promises But recently soldiers detained transitional President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, releasing them on Thursday while saying that they had resigned. The twin arrests triggered a diplomatic uproar and marked Mali’s second apparent coup within a year.

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Mali’s constitutional court completed Col. Goita’s rise to full power on Friday by naming him transitional president. With the junta going back on its previous commitment to civilian political leaders, doubts have been raised about its other pledges, including holding elections in early 2022.

GS 3  Science & Technology Q- China’s space station plans gather pace with back to back launches. Comment? BACKGROUND = China took another step towards completing the construction of its first space station by the end of next year following the launch and docking of a cargo spacecraft. The -2 cargo spacecraft, described by China’s state media as “the delivery guy for China’s space station”, was launched on a Long March-7 rocket from the island of Hainan, and docked eight hours later with the space station’s first core module called Tianhe, or “heavenly harmony”.

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. Tianzhou-2, with a maximum takeoff weight of 13.5 tons and 6.9 ton-payload capacity, is the largest cargo spacecraft in service. . The spacecraft is carrying cargo and propellant that will replenish the supplies of the Tianhe module. . Supplies include food for the crew that will follow in the -12 and Shenzhou-13 missions, including “famous stir-fried Chinese dishes like shredded pork with garlic sauce and Kung Pao chicken.”

Other recent launches - 1. China landed a spacecraft in Mars on May 15 carrying its first Mars rover, . 2. The Tianhe module, which the cargo spacecraft docked with on Sunday, was launched on April 29. 3. The Tianzhou-2 spacecraft carried a range of supplies, and will be followed by the launch of another cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-3, and two manned missions, Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-13, this year, each carrying three who will spend several months in orbit. The Shenzhou-12 launch is slated for mid-June. 4. The six missions to follow this year, including for the space station’s second and third modules, Wentian and Mengtian, will close to complete the construction of China’s first space station, expected to be finished in 2022.

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Which of the following statements are true about Election Commission? A. The constitution has not prescribed the qualifications of the members of the Election Commission. B. The term of the members of the Election Commission is given in the constitution. C. The tenure of the Chief Election Commissioner is same as a judge of the Supreme Court. Choose the correct option: a. Only A b. B and C c. Only B d. A, b and C

Which of the following statements apply for Government putting off decision on tax relief for COVID-19 supplies? 1. The question of whether GST relief on such items will benefit the common man. 2. Revenue Implications 3. “collateral impact” of rate cuts on other items a. 1 and 3 b. 2 alone c. 2 and 3 d. All of the above Answer – A

revenue implications were not driving the rate cut reluctance, rather the question of whether GST relief on such items will benefit the common man. Technical panels reviewing the rates have found that there will be a “collateral impact” of rate cuts on other items.

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From: 22/02/2021

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