1) Aadhaar made mandatory for new bank accounts,transactions above Rs.50,000
•Stepping up its fight against tax evasion, the Centre has made it mandatory to quote the Aadhaar number for opening bank accounts and for transactions exceeding Rs.50,000. With the amendments to the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005 notified earlier this month, banks will have to demand both Aadhaar and the Permanent Account Number (PAN) for verification of identity, starting June 1.
•By the Finance Act, 2017, the Government had made it mandatory to seed PAN with Aadhaar and quote it in income-tax returns. However, the Supreme Court had held that only those individuals who possess an Aadhaar card need to link it with PAN. The new rules mandate existing bank account-holders to provide their Aadhaar details by December 31, while new applicants will be expected to quote either the 12-digit number or offer proof that they have applied for Aadhaar enrolment.
2) PM Modi inaugurates Kochi Metro
•Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Kochi Metro. He took a ride on the Metro from Palarivattom station to Pathadippalam station. Kerala Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu and E Sreedharan is popularly known as Metro man also travelled with Mr Modi.
•Kochi Metro is the first public transport system to reserve jobs for members of the third sex and it will be manned mainly by women a self-help group. Modi also launched the PN Panicker National Reading Day - Reading Month Celebrations. Kochi Metro Rail Limited is a 50-50 Joint Venture of Centre and the Kerala government.
3) Sushma Swaraj inaugurates KIP for young overseas Indians
•External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has inaugurated Know India Programme (KIP) for young overseas Indians at a function in New Delhi. This programme is aimed at promoting awareness on different facets of life in India and the progress made by the country in various fields such as economic and education.
•The Know India Programme is a three-week orientation programme for the Indian diaspora. It provides a unique forum for students and young professionals of Indian origin to visit India, share their views, expectations and experiences and develop closer bonds with the contemporary India.
4) Katy Perry Becomes First Person to Reach 100 Million Twitter Followers
•Katy Perry just keeps soaring in popularity. The Witness singer and pop culture lightning rod became the first person to reach 100 million followers on Twitter, making her the most-followed person on the platform, Twitter reports. Perry joined Twitter back in 2009, making her something of an early adopter as a celebrity.
•Since then, she's been an active user, sending out over 8,500 tweets in her time on the service; that's about a thousand each year. She's also been at the center of many memorable conversations and pop culture moments on the platform, from the 2015 Super Bowl's viral "Left Shark" debacle during her performance to her participation in the 2016 election.
5) China launches 1st X-ray space telescope to study black holes
•China successfully launched its first X-ray space telescope to study black holes, pulsars and gamma-ray bursts. The 2.5-tonne Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope (HXMT), named 'Insight,' was launched from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi desert.
•It was delivered into orbit, 550km (341 miles) above the Earth, by the Long March-4B rocket. Beijing aims to send a probe to the dark side of the moon by 2018 and to put astronauts on the moon by 2036.
6) Former Chief Justice PN Bhagwati Passed Away
•Former Chief Justice of India PN Bhagwati, considered a pioneer of judicial activism in the country for introducing the concept of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) was passed away in New Delhi after the brief illness. Justice Bhagwati, 95, is survived by his wife Prabhavati Bhagwati and three daughters.
•The 17th Chief Justice of India, Justice Bhagwati remained on the highest judicial post between July 1985 and December 1986. He also served as Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court and was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court in July 1973.
