Uttarakhand Affairs
Uttarakhand police kickstarts ‘Mission Housala’
Uttarakhand Police launched ‘Mission Housala’, which is a humanitarian initiative to help people in distress during the Covid second wave.
Under the initiative,policeare going beyond their call of duty and will conduct Home delivery of Oxygen cylinders, medicines as well as food for those who are infected with Covid-19 and unable to get any help.
Each police station will act as a nodal centre and action would be taken on each distress call received at the district control room or state level ‘112’ emergency number.
National and International Affairs
Panel of state ministers to examine valuation of services by casinos, online gaming for GST
The government has set up a panel of state ministers for better valuation of Services ofcasinos,online gamingportal and race courses for levying goods and services tax (GST).
The seven-member panel, convened by Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitin Patel, will also examine whether any change is required in the legal provision for better means of valuation of these services.
It will also examine the administration of such valuation provisions and if an alternative means of valuation is recommended.
The panel would also look into the impact of such valuation on other similarly placed services like lottery.
The Ministry of Power has decided to establish a National Mission to promote the use of in coal-fired thermal power Plants.
Increase the level of co-firing from the current 5% to higher levels in order to have a greater share of carbon neutral power generation from thermal power plants.
Conduct R&D in boiler design to handle the higher levels of silica and alkalis in biomass pellets.
To make it easier to overcome constraints in the supply chain of bio mass pellets and agro- residue, as well as their transport to power plants.
Subodh Kumar Jaiswal takes charge as CBI director
Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, a 1985 batchIPSofficer serving as CISF DG, on Wednesday took charge as theCBIdirector.
TheCentral Bureau of Investigationwas working without a regular chief for over three months afterRishi Kumar Shuklacompleted his two-year tenure on February 3.
Jaiswal, ex-Maharashtra DGP and former Mumbai top cop, was the seniormost officer in the panel.