1) India becomes 1st country to give to UN Tax Fund with $100000 contribution
•India has contributed $100,000 to a UN fund to help developing countries actively participate in the discussion of tax issues, becoming the first country to make the contribution. The UN Tax Trust Fund aims to support the work of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters.
•The UN Tax Committee, a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ESOSOC), has provided guidance on current issues such as double taxation treaties, transfer pricing (profit shifting) taxation of the extractive industries and taxation of services.
2) Govt. unveils new hydrocarbon policy
•Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan introduced a new oil and gas block licensing policy that is expected to open up 2.8 million square kilometers of sedimentary basins to exploration and production activities.
•The Minister was at the inauguration of the government’s Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) and the National Data Repository. The OALP, a part of the government’s Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), gives exploration companies the option to select the exploration blocks on their own, without having to wait for the formal bid round from the Government.
3) Dr. Jitendra Singh launches new training programme ‘COMMIT’ for State Government officials
•The Minister of State for Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh launched a new training program 'Comprehensive Online Modified Modules on Induction Training' (COMMIT) for State Government officials.
•The objective of this training program is to improve the public service delivery mechanism and provide citizen-centric administration through capacity building of officials who interact with the citizens on day-to-day basis. COMMIT will be launched in 6 States of Assam, Haryana, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and West Bengal initially on the pilot basis during the current financial year 2017-18 and within next year it is expected to cover all India level.
4) Uttarakhand gets award of excellence at international meet
•Uttarakhand was conferred with the award of excellence at the 2nd Global Skill Development Summit held in Paris recently for innovations and extensive use of IT for skilling the state's youth.
•Project Director of Uttarakhand Skill Development Committee Pankaj Kumar Pandey received the honor on behalf of the state on the concluding day of the event.
5) Vijay Keshav Gokhale appointed economic relations secretary in MEA
•Senior diplomat Vijay Keshav Gokhale was appointed as the economic relations secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved his appointment.
•Mr. Gokhale, a 1981-batch officer of Indian Foreign Service (IFS), is at present India's envoy to China. He was the High Commissioner of India to Malaysia from 2010 to 2013.
6) Adi Godrej, Andrew Liveris bag USIBC Global Leadership Awards
•Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej and Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveries have been awarded the Global Leadership Awards of the US-India Business Council for their role in integrating India in the global supply chain.
•Liveris and Godrej were presented with the prestigious annual award at the USIBC's annual gala. Both were honored for creating inclusive business environments, integrating India in the global supply chain and advancing core values such as manufacturing, innovation and scale in tough market conditions.
