UTTAR PRADESH

The state government crackdown on illicit liquor manufacturers and smugglers as per the new Excise Policy resulted in quantum jump in excise revenue collection in the first quarter of 2018-19 fiscal ending June 30.

During the Apr-June quarter, the excise revenue jumped by almost 60 % to Rs 2,329 crore in UP. In June, 2018, the Excise department clocked Rs 1,678 crore as excise collections against Rs 1,324 crore in June 2017, thus reporting a 25 % hike in the monthly earnings.

The government has directed Excise department officials for a total clamp down against illicit liquor manufacturing and smuggling, since Excise revenue formed a major part of the state’s resources.

The new policy had reduced Excise Duty to bring about a parity in tax structure between UP and other neighbouring states to curb rampant liquor smuggling.

So far, Excise Vigilance team rounded up 8,851 persons engaged in the nefarious business this year. Besides, 3, 27,000 litres of illicit liquor and 116 vehicles were seized and 480 accused were sent to jail.

Meanwhile, owing to robust sugarcane and sugar production this year, molasses production also witnessed growth. Till June, 2018, 54 lakh metric tons (MT) of molasses was produced, 37% higher than last year. Besides, 35,000 MT of molasses was also exported to other states. Similarly, alcohol production recorded an upsurge at 60 crore ML till June 2018, rising by 20% as compared to last year. About 51 Lakh litres of alcohol was also exported to foreign countries.

INTERNATIONAL

The Indian Coast Guard is conducting a bilateral table-top exercise on maritime pollution response with Bangladesh Coast Guard at the regional headquarters (North East) of the ICG.

ICG (NE) commander Inspector General said the two-day exercise is being conducted in the backdrop of the MoU signed between India and South Asian Cooperation for Environment Protection (SACEP).

The Bangladesh Coast Guard delegation was led by Captain M Ehsanullah Khan, Commanding officer, BCGS.

World Hepatitis Day, observed on July 28 every year, aims to raise global awareness of hepatitis — a group of infectious diseases known as Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E.

World Hepatitis Day is one of eight official global public health campaigns marked by the World Health Organization (WHO).

WHO (World Health Organisation) has declared theme for World Hepatitis Day 2018 as: “Test. Treat. Hepatitis”.

· World’s Oldest Person, Chiyo Miyako, died at age 117 in Japan

Miyako, born on May 2, 1901, became the world’s oldest person in April after Nabi Tajima, a fellow Japanese national from the southern Kikai island, died at age 117.
Guinness World Records has confirmed that she was the world’s oldest person. Her replacement is yet to be announced by Guinness, but according to media reports, the new oldest person is Kane Tanaka, a 115-year-old woman who lives in a nursing home in Fukuoka, a city in southern Japan.
The world’s oldest man, Masazo Nonaka, 113-year-old lives in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido.
Jeanne Louise Calment from France holds the Guinness World Record for the oldest person ever. Born in 1875, she was 122 when she died in 1997.

· BAN2401, a new drug for Alzheimer disease

BAN2401, a new drug that reduces plaques in the brain and slows down the cognition for Alzheimer disease has been introduced by Eisai, a Japan-based company and Biogen, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
It is hoped that this drug may be the first to successfully attack both the brain changes and the symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia.

NATIONAL

“With this initiative, Government is strongly committed to work towards elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030.”

This was stated by Shri J P Nadda, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare as he launched the National Viral Hepatitis Control Program to mark the World Hepatitis Day, 2018.

At the function, Shri J P Nadda also released the Operational Guidelines for National Viral Hepatitis Control Program, National Laboratory Guidelines for Viral Hepatitis Testing and National Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of Viral Hepatitis.

The Indian Railways organized a programme on Ethics in Public Governance and Launched “Mission Satyanishtha” at a daylong event held at National Rail Museum, New Delhi on 27.07.2018.

Piyush Goyal, Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs, Railways & Coal, administered the oath to the officers and supervisors at the programme.

“Mission Satyanishtha” launched on 27th July 2018 aims at sensitizing all railway employees about the need to adhere to good ethics and to maintain high standards of integrity at work.

The Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee on data protection in India has suggested amendments to various laws including the Aadhaar Act to provide for imposition of penalties on data fiduciaries and compensations to data principals for violations of the data protection law.

The 213-page report, prepared by a 10-member committee set up last year under the chairmanship of the retired Supreme Court judge, was submitted to Law and Electronics Minister Ravishankar Prasad who said that the government will go through the draft bill and take stakeholder comments before taking Cabinet approval for finalising the legislation.

The United Nations has honoured the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) with ‘Champion of Earth’ award for being the first airport in the world to be completely powered by solar energy.

CIAL is the first airport in the world to receive the highest environmental award issued by the United Nations.

The award will be presented at a gala ceremony on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York on 26 September 2018.