News: 15 April 2017 15-04-2017. News for 18-April 1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones of several development projects including a multi-modal terminal and a four-lane bridge over River Ganga at Sahebganj in Jharkhandon 6 April 2017. He mentioned that these projects will provide employment to the people of Jharkhand and skill development will also be boosted. He also said development is the only key to improve lives of the people of the state. The government is committed to serve the tribal communities through development. 2. The Indian navy has deployed its warship Indian Naval Ship (INS) Shardul for two months in the South Indian Ocean to provide surveillance support in the region.This move has been made keeping in mind India’s national objective of ensuring a safe and secure regional environment to allow unobstructed social and economic development in India as well as in the Indian Ocean Region. 3. The Rajya Sabha has passed four supplementary legislations which will enable the government to rollout the landmark Goods and Services Tax Bill on July 1.The four bills are the Central Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017, the Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017, the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Bill, 2017 and the Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017.The Lok Sabha last month had approved the Central GST (CGST), Integrated GST (IGST), Union Territory GST (UTGST) and the Compensation to states law. This is considered as the biggest indirect tax reform since independence. GST would incorporate central excise, service tax and other local levies.Now, the state assemblies would consider and pass their respective State GST (SGST) law. 4. Navies of India and China on Sunday rescued a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden after it was hijacked by Somali pirates on 8th April with 19 Filipino crew members. The Indian Navy sent its two frontline warships, INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash, while the Chinese Navy also moved in its missile frigate Yulin. The merchant ship was travelling from Kelang in Malaysia to port city of Aden in Yemen. While the Indian Navy deployed a helicopter that provided air cover, the Chinese side sent in a team of 18 personnel to sanitise the 178-metre-long merchant ship registered in Pacific island of Tuvalu.This was a well-coordinated operation conducted in the midst of strain in ties between the two countries over a range of sticky issues. 5. P V Sindhu defeated reigning Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain to lift her maiden India Open Super Series title on 2 April 2017.Third seeded Sindhu defeated Marin 21-19, 21-16 at the Siri fort Sports Complex. The Indian badminton player had last defeated Marin in the BWF Super Series in Dubai in the year 2016. The India Open is officially titled as the Yonex-Sunrise India Open.6. India achieved a remarkable victory over Australia in the fourth Test by chasing down the 106-run target inside the first session on 28 March 2017. With the fourth test win, India won the series 2-1 and reclaimed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy from Australia. India’s KL Rahul scored an unbeaten half-century, while Ajinkya Rahane made an aggressive 37 runs. Ravindra Jadeja was declared the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series. < < Back