Worlds largest solar power project to be installed in Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Asia's largest single location solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant with a generation capacity of 55 MW was commissioned on Wednesday. The project was part of the first phase of the National Solar Mission.Solar Park would be established in 10 thousand hectare land and Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide 3000 crore rupees loan for development of transmission lines of this solar park.The technical assistance for the solar park will be provided by Clinton Foundation as per the agreement between State government of Rajasthan and Clinton foundation in 2010. Three more solar parks will come in Jaisalemer, Barmer and Bikner Districts with the help of Clinton Foundation.

India's first All Women Bank- Bhartiya Mahila Bank

Government plans to set up about 25 branches of the proposed public sector Bharatiya Mahila Bank, India's first all women bank, by the end of this fiscal. The government has already approved Rs 1,000 crore seed capital for the women focused public sector bank, announced by Finance Minister P Chidambaram in his budget speech. The bank will be headquartered at New Delhi.

International Development Association

The International Development Association (IDA) is an international financial institution which offers concessional loans and grants to the world's poorest developing countries. The IDA is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1960 to complement the existing International Bank for Reconstruction and Development by lending to developing countries which suffer from the lowest gross national income, from troubled creditworthiness, or from the lowest per capita income. Together, the International Development Association and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development are collectively known as the World Bank, as they follow the same executive leadership and operate with the same staff.

India's tax-to-GDP ratio one of the lowest

At 15.5 per cent, India has one of the lowest tax-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratios. India has around 35 million taxpayers. Among G20 countries, India had the third-lowest tax base, before Mexico and Indonesia. The property tax-to-GDP ratio in India is only 0.48 per cent. France and the UK, it is 4.3 per cent and 4.21 per cent, respectively. For China, it is 1.7 per cent. Wealth tax in India is only 0.007 per cent of GDP, while it is 0.89 per cent in France.

In 2011-12, the tax-GDP ratio stood at 5.5 per cent for direct taxes and 4.4 per cent for indirect taxes.

Definition Tax-to-GDP ratio: 

This ratio is the total government tax collections divided by the country's GDP. Some countries, like Sweden, have a high tax-to-GDP ratio (as high as 54%). Other countries, like India, have a low ratio. When tax revenues grow at a slower rate than the GDP of a country, the tax-to-GDP ratio drops. Taxes paid by individuals and corporations often account for the majority of tax receipts, especially in developed countries.

Customs and duties paid by users of goods and services also make up a portion of tax receipts. (Investopedia)

SEZ land norms relaxed

**Minimum land requirement for SEZs**

For Single Product Industry:
Before:    100 hectares
Now:       50 hectares

For Multi Product Industry:
Before:     1000 hectares
Now:        500 hectares

Benefit of this change:        Easy for investors

Benefit of SEZ in general:
A- 100% income tax exemption on export income for SEZ units for the first five years.
B- SEZs allow duty-free imports or domestic procurement of goods

China launches worlds highest wind farm

What:         China strengthened its position as a leader in renewable energy by installing the world’s highest wind farm.
Where:       Tibet
Height:       4,900 m above sea level
How many: 5
Capacity:   15MW (enough to power 13,500 homes)

"Durga" - Largest Blast furnace of the country starts operating

Where:           Rourkela
Organization: SAIL
What:             Blast Furnace (named Durga)
Why:              To increase hot metal Capacity of SAIL
Whats new:   Closed-loop cooling system => zero water dischage

Zafar Futehally (Indian Naturalist) passes away

Who:   Zafar Futehally

What: Ornithology and Conservation

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards- 2013

Who:   Ronjan Sodhi (Trap shooter)
What:  Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
Why:   Indian to win two back-to-back World Cup gold medals
Other Facts: Interestingly, it is for the third consecutive year that a Khel Ratna award has gone to a shooter.

Who:   Virat Kohli
Why:   Arjuna award for Cricket

Who:   PV Sindhu
What:  Arjuna Award
Why:   first Indian woman shuttler to clinch a bronze medal at the recent World Championships

Note:  14 sportspersons picked for the Arjuna award

Tripura High Court Launches India's first Cyber Forensic Lab

Why:            1- Need of Decentralized System

                      2- Difficult to control everything from Delhi

What:            SMS facility to inform both litigant and the Lawyer (e governance)

Objective:     Modernization of Legal Service