Bihar Affairs
Bihar to levy 2% TDS on supplies of raw materials by MGNREGS vendors
Payments to suppliers of raw material for works under the rural job guarantee scheme MGNREGS in Bihar will henceforth be made only after two per cent TDS (tax deducted at source), in line with recent directions of the ministry of rural development (MoRD) following detection of evasion of goods and service tax (GST) by vendors in Bihar, officials familiar with the matter said.
MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural EMPLOYMENT Guarantee Scheme) is a central scheme that seeks to provide at least 100 days of employment in a year to the unskilled workers in rural areas. All payments against materials supplied and wages go directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries.
A TDS @2% (1% each of state GST and central GST) is mandatory on payments to suppliers against bills of2.50 lakh and above as per GST rules, but an audit team from the AG office, during a random check in Banka district a few months back, detected that programme officers had not cut any TDS during payments made to suppliers, who provided various materials like , stone chips, bricks and TMT bars for MGNREGS works.
National and International Affairs
GRSE YUVA PRATIBHA Culinary Talent Hunt promoting millets and Indian heritage
MyGovandIHM, Pusaare launchingYUVA PRATIBHA Culinary Talent HuntonMay 12, 2023. The competition aims to promote Indias rich culinary heritage and showcase its value and significance to the world. It also aims to bring outlost recipes and promote the culinary talentsof young chefs and Home cooks.
In 2023, theUnited Nationsdeclared it as theInternational Year of the Milletsfollowing Indias proposal to position itself as a global hub for millet. have been an integral part of the Indian diet for centuries. The competition aims to increase the production and consumption of millets and promote awareness about their versatility and Health benefits.
The competition provides a unique opportunity for participants to showcasetheir creativity and innovationin cooking with healthy and sustainable ingredients, particularly millet. It aims to create awareness about the importance of millet in our diet and promote their consumption. The fusion of millets in this competition is expected to inspire young chefs and home cooks to explore and experiment with millets in their cooking.
Cyclone Mocha
Cyclone Mochawas a very severe cyclonic storm that formed in the Bay of Bengal. The storm intensified rapidly, reaching peak winds of 160 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) before making landfall in Bangladesh on May 14. The storm caused widespread damage in Bangladesh and Myanmar, killing at least 100 people and displacing millions more. Cyclone Mocha was named on the basis of a suggestion made byYemen.
Cyclone Mocha, which formed in the Bay of Bengal on May 13, 2023, is now the second-most intense cyclone to develop in the month of May since 1982. According to the United States Department of Defense agency Joint Typhoon Warning Center, Mochas windspeed is currently 130 knots or 250 kilometers per hour. Mocha is a reminder of the power of nature and the importance of disaster preparedness. People in the affected areas are urged to take precautions and to follow the instructions of local authorities.
are mostly named after regions and areas where they are formed, mostly the region of the sea or river where it is formed. Similarly, Cyclone Mocha was named after a part of the Red Sea port which introduced coffee into the world 500 years ago. Hence, on a suggestion made by Yemen, the upcoming cyclone was named Cyclone Mocha (Mokha).