ASSAM

Digital divide: 30% tea workers in Assam yet to have bank accounts

A year after the note ban and the planned shift to complete digitalization of monetary transactions initiated by the Centre, about 30% of the state’s 10 lakh tea garden workers are still waiting for their bank accounts to be created. In the absence of digital means of payment, they still rely on the 200-year-old method of getting their wages — in cash.

Even those who have bank accounts have to travel miles before reaching the nearest ATM or bank to withdraw the wages they draw, as more than half of the 850 tea gardens of the state do not have any money dispensing setup. In addition, poor internet connectivity in the remote corners where most of the gardens are located makes digitalization a non-starter here.

Of the 10 lakh tea garden workers in the state, around 4 lakh are engaged in temporary work while the rest are on permanent rolls.

INTERNATIONAL

· India at 7th Position in Business Optimism Ranking

India slipped in ‘business optimism’index to the 7th position in the September quarter, from the 2nd slot in the previous three months, showing clear signs of lag in the economy, as per Grant Thornton’s International Business Report (IBR).
Indonesia is at the top, followed by Finland (2nd), the Netherlands (3rd), Philippines (4th), and Austria (5th). According to the quarterly global survey on business optimism.
Indian businesses have expressed low confidence over revenue expectations in the next 12 months.

NATIONAL

· Central Government approves National Highway project to connect two sacred places of Sahibzadas in Punjab

Prime Minister Modi led central government given an approval of the national highway to link the Sri Fatehgarh Sahib and Sri Chamkaur Sahib.
The national highway would be constructed at the cost of Rs500 croresfor connecting both the religious places.
The approval 31 kilometerstretch of this national highway would be connected from National Highway-5 near Prem Nagar – Morinda – Chamkaur Sahib – Bela – Panyali with National Highway-344A.

· Reserve Bank of India to launch public awareness campaign through SMSes

Reserve Bank of India– RBI launch a public awareness campaign through SMSes to educate public about various banking regulations and facilities available.
It is the first time it uses the media SMS and emails as those used by the fraudsters.
The public can give a missed call to 86919-60000 to get more information through Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) on fake calls and emails as well as invest wisely and cautiously in chit funds.

· Kerala government launched She Pad scheme for school girls in Kerala

Kerala government launched a new scheme for school students named ‘She Pad’in Kerala.
It will benefit the girls of classes 6 to 12 in Kerala and will be implemented in 300 schools in 114 panchayats this year.
Women’s Development Corporation in collaboration with the local governments will be implementing it, this year in 300 schools.
This will be expanded to all schools in Kerala in the coming years.

· Maharashtra Government to set up village climate resilient committees

The Maharashtra state government decided to set up a committee for the implementation of a Rs.4,000-crore project on climate resilience agriculture in 5,000 villages of 15 districts in the state.

The seven-member panel, headed by the Principal Secretary (Agriculture), has been set up with a target of selecting 4,000 drought-prone villages for the implementation of the project.

The programme aims to reduce farmers’ dependence on unpredictable weather cycles and enhance the resilience of agriculture to climate change and vulnerability through research and use of technology.

· Government Notifies Tax Avoidance Protocol Between India and New Zealand

The Union Government notified the third protocol between India and New Zealandfor the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income.
The protocol updates the existing framework of the exchange of tax-related information to a latest international standard which will help curb tax evasion and tax avoidance between the two countries and will also enable mutual assistance in collection of taxes.

Saina Beats Sindhu to Clinch Badminton National Championship

Saina Nehwal defeated PV Sindhu 21-17, 27-25 in the final of the National Badminton Championships.

With this win, the Olympic bronze medailist has clinched her third nationals title in as many appearances.

Saina took the first game quite comfortably, winning it 21-17. However, Sindhu, too, fought back brilliantly in the second game, but her efforts went in vain.

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