What is the period of 15th Finance Commission?

• Formation: 27 November 2017.
• Chairman of 15^th Finance Commission: Nand Kishore Singh.
• Duration: 5 years (2021 -2026),
• Annual Report – 2020-21.
• 15th Finance Commission – The Finance Commission is constituted by the President under Article 280 of the Constitution, mainly to give its recommendations on distribution of tax revenues between the Union and the States and amongst the States themselves.
• 15th Finance Commission was required to submit two reports.
• The first report has the recommendations for the financial year 2020-21.
• Second report with recommendations for the 2021-26 period will be submitted by October 30, 2020.
• Key Recommendations:
• The Commission has reduced the vertical devolution (i.e. the share of tax revenues that the Centre shares with the states) from 42% to 41%.
• The Commission has said that it intends to set up an expert group to initiate a non-lapsable fund for defence expenditure.

eVIN ensures essential immunization services during COVID pandemic

• The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed that an innovative modern technology called the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) has ensured the essential immunization services amid the Coronavirus pandemic.
• This is being implemented under National Health Mission by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• eVIN is an indigenously developed technology system in India that digitizes vaccine stocks and monitors the temperature of the cold chain through a smartphone application.
• This system has been used during the COVID pandemic for ensuring continuation of the essential immunization services and protecting the children and pregnant mothers against vaccine preventable diseases.
• As per the Health Ministry, at present, 23,507 cold-chains points across 585 districts of 2 UTs and 22 states have routinely been using eVIN technology for the effective vaccine logistics management.

Space X Capsule Returns Safely to Earth

• The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley onboard splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.
• It was the first splashdown by the USA astronauts in 45 years, with the First commercially built and operated spacecraft to carry people to and from orbit.
• Space X Crew Dragon:
• Reusable Spacecraft
• Developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX (private company founded in 2002 by Elon Musk).
• Name of the rocket is Falcon 9, which carried the spaceship into the orbit.
• The whole mission was carried out under the Demo-2 Mission of NASA and SpaceX.

Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel launched

• Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shri Narendra Singh Tomar launched the Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel, a new initiative by National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC).
• He also launched guidance videos produced by NCDC on ‘Formation and Registration of a Cooperative’ for 18 different states in Hindi and regional languages.
• National Cooperative Development Corporation
• It is a statutory Corporation set up under an Act of Indian Parliament on 13 March 1963.
• Objectives:  Planning and promoting programmes for production, marketing, storage, export and import of agricultural produce, industrial goods, livestock, etc. and services on cooperative principles.

1st Anniversary of abrogation of Article 370

• The central govt. on 5th August 2019 abrogated Article 370 that gave Jammu and Kashmir a special status and bifurcated the State into 2 Union Territories.
• Ladakh became a Union Territory without a legislature and Jammu and Kashmir with a legislature.
• Article 370: It gave J&K its own constitution and decision-making rights for all matters barring defence, communications and foreign affairs. Its removal ended special status for Kashmir.
• Lieutenant-Governors:
• Jammu & Kashmir – Girish Chandra Murmu.
• Ladakh – Radha Krishna Mathur.

Current COVID19 Situation in India

QUIZ TIME

What is the name of Space X Crew Dragon rocket?

1. Falcon 9
2. Falcon 10
3. Falcon 8
4. Falcon 7

Answer – A

Sahakar Cooptube NCDC Channel is the initiative of:

1. NDMC
2. NCDC
3. NITI Ayog
4. None of the Above

Answer – B

Who is the current Lieutenant-Governor of Jammu and Kashmir?

1. Radha Krishna Mathur
2. Girish Chandra Murmu
3. Kiran Bedi
4. Anil Baijal

Answer – B

Question of the Day

What is a Time Capsule?

Answer in next session…