Important Current Affairs 26th September 2018 English

(National News)
5 northern states to fix the uniform tax rate on fuel amid rising petrol prices
Northern states Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and UT Chandigarh Tuesday agreed to fix uniform tax rates on petroleum products, amid rising fuel prices.
Besides, the states also agreed to bring uniformity in taxes on liquor and registration of vehicles and transport permit.

The finance ministers of five states and officials of UT Chandigarh held a meeting here to deliberate on fixing the uniform rate of taxes on petrol and diesel.

Home Minister chairs meeting of central Zonal Council in Lucknow
Home Minister Rajnath Singh today chaired the meeting of 21st Central Zonal Council in Lucknow in which Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand while representative ministers of Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh participated. 

The Council discussed various issues including road transport, Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna, measures to tackle Naxal violence, modernization of Police, infrastructure development of airports, minimum support price, National health mission and issues related to primary schools. 
After the meeting, Home Minister said that total 22 issues were discussed today in meeting out of which 17 were resolved and on three issue directions were given, rest 2 issues between the states will also be resolved very soon. 

UN Announces Global Media Compact to raise awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals

The United Nations announced today the launch of the SDG Media Compact, an initiative marking a new drive to advance awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were unanimously adopted by all world leaders at the United Nations in 2015.

 The Compact seeks to inspire media and entertainment companies around the world to leverage their resources and creative talent to advance the Goals.

Finance Ministry Launches Mobile Application “ Jan Dhan Darshak” as A Part of Financial Inclusion
 
Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance and National Informatics Centre  (NIC) has jointly developed a mobile app called Jan Dhan Darshak as a part of financial inclusion (FI) initiative . As the name suggests, this app will act as a guide for the common people in locating a financial service touch point at a given location in the country.
 
Some of the salient features of this App are as follows:
 
Find nearby Financial touch points,  based on current location (Branches/ATM/Post offices)
 Search by place name
 Search by place name also available with Voice Interface
 Phone number of bank branches available in app , with the facility of call button for integrated dialing
 Users’ feedback will go directly to the concerned bank for carrying out the necessary updation in data on financial touch points.

(International News)

Nepal to become world's first country to double its tiger population 
Nepal is set to become the first country in the world to double its tiger population as part of the World Wildlife Foundation's (WWF) 'Tx2' programme which aims to double the number of tigers all over the world.
The government of Nepal announced on September 23, 2018, on the occasion of National Conservation Day, that there are now an estimated 235 wild tigers in the nation, nearly double the number from around 121 in 2009.

(Defence News)

DAC approves procurement of Rs 2300cr-worth engines for T-72 tanks

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded approval for the procurement of 1000 engines for fitment in T-72 tanks of the Army under 'Buy and Make' category at an approximate cost of Rs 2300 crore.
Post the transfer of technology, most of these engines will be manufactured by the Ordnance Factories Board (OFB). The engines will enhance mobility, agility, and acceleration of T-72 tanks making them more versatile and effective in the battlefield.