ASSAM
- Assam History : Decline and fall of the Ahom Kingdom – I
- The Moamoria Rebellion started during the reign of Swargadeo Lakshmi Singha and
ended during the reign of Swargadeo Kamaleswar Singha. It continued up to 36 years, from 1769 to 1805.It was a conflict between Ahom Kings and the Moran people of upper Assam, who were disciple of the Moamara Sattra. Rise of vaishnavism, Ahom Paik System and internal clash among Ahom royals were the key reasons of the rebellion.
- In 1769, the rebels occupied Ahom capital. Though Ahoms recaptured the capital, the rebellion continued till 1806.
- Srimanta Sankardeva established the Mahapuruxiya Dharma in the 16th century, a
proselytizing religion that opened itself to all including the Muslims and tribesmen. The religion provided opportunities for social and economic improvements to common tribesmen, and the sattras provided a safe haven from mandatory labor under the Paik system.
- The Ahom rulers saw a threat and Sankardeva himself had to escape to the Koch
kingdom during the reign of Suklenmung to avoid persecution. A later king, Prataap
Singha, demolished the Kalabari and Kuruabahi sattras and his successors followed a similar policy of oppression.
- The Dundiya rebellion was a late 18th-century uprising against the Ahom kingdom in
the Borphukan’s domain. The rebellion was headed by Haradutta Bujarbarua who, with mercenary troops, managed to occupy most of northern Kamrup before being beaten back.
- The Ahom kingdom emerged from these rebellions much weakened. About one half of the population of the kingdom perished and the economy was totally destroyed.
Gaurinath Singha’s successors Kamaleswar Singha and Chandrakanta Singhawere
reduced to nominal rulers due to their own incompetencies. The real power was in the hands of the Prime Minister, Purnananda Buragohain. This fuelled tensions among other chiefs and one such chief, Badan Chandra Barphukan, Viceroy of Lower
Assam was particularly opposed to the Buragohain.
- The Barphukan plotted the murder of Purnananda Buragohain, but the latter came to know about it. The Buragohain sent Maheswar Parbatiya Phukan to arrest Badan
Chandra Barphukan. Coincidentally, Barphukan’s daughter was Purnananda
Buragohain’s daughter in law, who warned her father about the developments. The
Barphukan fearing execution rushed to Calcutta to seek help from the Bristish, but was unable to do so. Thereafter he was able to escape to Burma and sought the help of the Burmese King. The Burmese agreed and attacked Assam with a strong army in 1817.
- There were three Burmese invasions of Assam between 1817 and 1826, during which time the Kingdom of Assam (Ahom) came under the control of Burma from 1821 to 1825. Locally, this period, called the manor din by the Assamese and Chahi-Taret Khuntakpa (seven years of devastation) in Manipuri, is remembered with horror.The period ended with the defeat of the Burmese in the First Anglo-Burmese War and the subsequent annexation of the kingdom to British territory. The Moamoria Rebellion started during the reign of Swargadeo Lakshmi Singha and ended during the reign of Swargadeo Kamaleswar Singha. It continued up to 36 years, from 1769 to 1805.It was a conflict between Ahom Kings and the Moran people of upper Assam, who were disciple of the Moamara Sattra. Rise of vaishnavism, Ahom Paik System and internal clash among Ahom royals were the key reasons of the rebellion.
INTERNATIONAL
- World Heritage Day 2019: 18 April
- World Heritage Day is celebrated every year on April 18.
- The day is also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites.
- The day is celebrated to raise awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage, monuments and their relevance.
- The theme for 2019 is ‘Rural Landscapes’.
- Sri Lanka’s 1st satellite ‘Raavana-1’ launched into space
- Sri Lanka’s first satellite ‘Raavana-1’ was launched into space from NASA’s Flight Facility on Virginia’s east shore.
- ‘Raavana 1’ weights around 1.05 kg and the lifespan of the satellite is around one and a half years.
- The launch marks Sri Lanka’s entry into the global space age.
- The satellite was designed and built at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan by two Sri Lankan research engineers.
- Nepal launched its first satellite NepaliSat-1 from US
- Developed by the Nepalese scientists, NepaliSat-1satellite was launched from Virginia in United States.
- NepaliSat-1 is a low orbit satellite which will be in the 400-km distance from the Earth’s surface.
- It will be stationed at the International Space Station (ISS) for a month and then it will be sent to orbit the earth.
- The satellite will take photographs on a regular basis to gather geographical informationof the country.
- Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) has invested nearly Rs 20 million for the satellite that weighs 1.3 kilograms, a small satellite with limited capability.
NATIONAL
- Indian Navy launches Guided-missile destroyer ‘Imphal’
- The Indian Navy launched guided missile destroyer ‘Imphal’ at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in Mumbai.
- Imphal is the third ship to be launched under a project in which ships are built to carry and operate two multiple role helicopters.
- Enhanced stealth features have been achieved through the shaping of hull and use of radar transparent deck fittings which make the ships difficult to detect.
- Income Tax Department Proposes New Rules To Tax MNCs And Digital Firms In India
- The income tax department altered the method for taxing multinational companies (MNCs) and digital firms with a permanent establishment in India by taking into account various factors like domestic sales, employee (manpower and wages) strength, assets and user base.
- In ‘Profit Attribution to Permanent Establishment (PE) in India’ report, theCBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) Committee stated that MNCs that are suffering global losses or a global profit margin of less than 2% and have their operations in India will be considered to have made a profit of 2% of Indian revenue and will be taxed accordingly.
- The committee has altered the system to protect India’s revenue interests.
The CBDT invited comments from stakeholders on the report within 30 days.
An MNC that has a fixed place of business in India is considered to have a Permanent Establishment (PE) in India and is taxed as per the domestic laws.
- RBI became the first Asia-Pacific central bank to begin interest rate easing cycle
- According to Fitch Ratings – APAC (Asia-Pacific) sovereign credit overview report, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is the first central bank in the Asia Pacific regionto begin an explicit interest rate easing cycle buoyed by benign food inflation and easier global financial condition.
- The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), headed by RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das, cut rates in February and April citing prospects of benign inflation. In the four months of 2019, the RBI has cut policy interest ratestwice by25 per cent each to one-year low of 6 per cent.
- This is the first back-to-back rate cut since the MPC was formed in late 2016.
Fitch has a ‘BBB-‘, the lowest investment grade, rating on India, with a stable outlook. - Fitch estimates India to grow at 8 per centin current fiscal 2019 and 7.1 per cent in 2020.
- Abhishek Verma won gold in 10m Air Pistol at ISSF World Cup
- Abhishek Vermawon the 10m air pistol gold medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup at Beijing, China. He clinched the top spot with a total score of 242.7. Russia’s Artem Chernousov took silver. His brilliant performance in the Shooting World Cup Final also secured a fifth Olympic quota for India.