1) I-T dept notifies form for linking Aadhaar-PAN manual
•The Income Tax Department has introduced a one-page form for taxpayers to manually apply for linking their Aadhaar with Permanent Account Number (PAN), apart from the available online and SMS facilities.
•An individual will have to mention both PAN and Aadhaar numbers and have to undertake a declaration stating they have not been allotted any other PAN than the one mentioned on the form. An official said, the form is just another procedure, via the paper medium. He said, the SMS and online modes are also available.
•The I-T department has made it clear that taxpayers without Aadhaar number or its enrolment ID will not be able to e-file their income tax return. Aadhaar has been made mandatory for applying for PAN with effect from yesterday. The department has linked over two crore 62 lakh Aadhaar numbers with its PAN database.
2) Massive plantation campaign launched in Madhya Pradesh
•In Madhya Pradesh, a massive plantation campaign was undertaken today to save the environment and conservation of the Narmada river. According to official sources over six crore saplings were planted in twenty four districts of Narmada basin in just 12 hours.
•Arrangements were made to record the whole event for the Guinness World Record. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched the plantation drive at Amarkantak of Anooppur district this morning.
•Later he also took part in plantation drives in Jabalpur and Omkareshwar. On this occasion, he said that now all the government programmes will begin with plantation in the state. He also called upon people to plant saplings on the occasions like wedding, birthday and anniversaries. He said that the Paudrakshaks will be deployed to look after these plants.
•Mr. Chouhan said the world talks of global warming and climate change, But Madhya Pradesh has taken a concrete step to deal with it. He said we cannot imagine a life in Madhya Pradesh without the existence of Maa Narmada. So, we decided to plant trees on her banks.
3) China to launch second heavy-lift carrier rocket
•China is scheduled to launch its second heavy-lift carrier rocket today. The Long March-5 Y2 will take off from the Wenchang launch center in the tropical island province of Hainan.
•The heavy-lift rocket, which will send the Shijian-18 communication satellite into orbit, is able to carry up to 25 tonnes weight. The launch will be the last drill for the Long March-5 series before it carries the Chang'e-5 lunar probe into space in the latter half of this year.
4) 2 Indian-Americans to be honoured with Great Immigrants award
•Two Indian-Americans, Adobe Chief Shantanu Narayen and former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy are among 38 immigrants to be honoured this year for their role in helping advance the country's society, culture and economy.
•Narayen and Murthy will be honoured with the prestigious 'Great Immigrants' annual award on US's Independence day on 04th July 2017. Murthy, born in the UK and a Harvard and Yale alumnus, was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014, becoming the first-ever Indian-American to occupy the post and also the youngest ever surgeon general of the country. Narayen, a native of Hyderabad has an undergraduate degree in electronics engineering, a master's degree in computer science, and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
5) Union Bank of India and Syndicate Bank get new Chiefs
•Rajkiran Rai G has been assumed charge as Managing Director & CEO of Union Bank of India. Prior to his elevation as MD & CEO of Union Bank of India, Rai was Executive Director of Oriental Bank of Commerce. He started his career in 1986 as an Agricultural Finance Officer in Central Bank of India. Rai has been appointed by the government to head Union Bank of India for a period of three years from the date of his taking over charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier, according to a finance ministry notification.
•Melwyn Rego has been assumed charge as Managing Director & CEO of Syndicate Bank. Prior to joiningSyndicate Bank, Rego was MD & CEO of Bank of India. He started his career with IDBI Bank Ltd in 1984 and rose to the position of Deputy Managing Director. Rego will be at the helm of the bank till the remainder of the term up to August 13, 2018, according to a finance ministry notification.
6) RBI report sees India's economic growth rate at 7.3% in 2017-18
•The Reserve Bank stated the ongoing accelerated reform initiatives like Goods and Sevice Tax and continuing political stability will push the economic growth scale to 7.3 per cent in terms of Gross Value Added -GVA in the current fiscal year (2017-18).
•The Financial Stability Report 2017 released, going forward, reforms in FDI and real estate sector, implementation of GST, and revival in external demand are likely to contribute to a better growth outlook. According to the RBI report, GVA growth is expected to be higher at 7.3 per cent in 2017-18.
