Top 5 Current Affairs: 8 December 2017

CBDT extends deadline for linking of Aadhaar with PAN to 31 March 2018

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on 8 December 2017 extended the date for linking Aadhaar with Permanent Account Number (PAN) to 31 March 2018.

The deadline was extended considering that some of the taxpayers have not yet completed the linking of PAN with Aadhaar.

All taxpayers having Aadhaar Number or Enrolment Number are required to link Aadhaar with Permanent Account Number as per the provisions of recently introduced section 139AA of the Income-tax Act, 1961.

Initially, the date for linking of Aadhaar with PAN was extended till 31 August 2017. This was further extended up to 31 December 2017.

UNESCO recognises India's Kumbh Mela as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO on 7 December 2017 inscribed ´Kumbh Mela´ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 12th session at South Korea from 4-9 December 2017.

The inscription of ´Kumbh Mela´ was recommended by the expert committee that examines the nominations submitted by Member States. The Committee observed that ´Kumbh Mela´ is the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth.

This inscription of India's culture is the third in two years following the inscriptions of ´Yoga´ and ´Nouroz´ by UNESCO on 1 December 2016.

Wassenaar Arrangement to admit India as its new Member

Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), key export control regime, on 7 December 2017 decided to admit India as its new member. The decision was taken during the two-day plenary meeting of the Wassenaar Arrangement grouping in Vienna.

The participating states of Wassenaar Arrangement reviewed the progress of the membership applications and agreed to admit India. Countries like Russia, France, Germany and the United States supported India’s bid to the group.

India will become the Arrangement's 42nd participating state as soon as the necessary procedural arrangements for joining the WA are completed. The WA membership is expected to build up a strong case for India's entry into the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

NASA's SuperTIGER Balloon to Study Heavy Cosmic Particles

NASA scientists in Antarctica are set to launch SuperTIGER Balloon, a balloon-borne instrument, to study heavy cosmic particles, collect information on cosmic rays that enter Earth’s atmosphere every day. The announcement was made by NASA on 6 December 2017.

SuperTIGER Balloon is designed to study rare heavy nuclei, which hold clues about where and how cosmic rays attain speeds up to nearly the speed of light.

The previous flight of SuperTIGER lasted 55 days, setting a record for the longest flight of any heavy-lift scientific balloon.

NGT forms panel to inspect hotels in Kullu Manali

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) formed a panel to look over over 1700 hotels, lodges and home stay accommodations in the pleasing Kullu and Manali towns of Himachal Pradesh.

The NGT directed the panel to conduct joint inspection and give in a comprehensive report relating to management of solid waste, source of water, source of power, sewage treatment plant, and production of effluents.

A bench chaired by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar formed the panel involving Himachal state pollution control board, senior officers from state tourism department, scientists from the Shimla-based Institute of Himalayan Studies, the SDM of Kullu and Manali and a representative from excise department.