2017-01-27



Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 27 January 2017

:: National ::

According to new proposal provident fund for housing purposes

EPFO has mooted a group housing scheme which will enable members to form cooperative housing societies and use their entire provident fund savings towards buying land, constructing homes or paying housing loan instalments.

In its recent proposal to the Labour Ministry, EPFO has proposed addition of a “new paragraph 68BD as a group housing scheme so that Employees’ Provident Fund members forming a cooperative society of 10 or more employees may be given not only a one time Employees’ Provident Fund withdrawal.

It also has an option to pay loan instalments towards housing loan to banks from the monthly contributions received in Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme, 1952.

Employees with at least 3 years’ subscription to Employees Provident Fund scheme will be allowed to withdraw their savings for housing purposes, including repayment of loans from their monthly contributions.

There will be no cap on the amount of Employees’ Provident Fund savings that can be drawn for purchasing land, constructing a house or repaying housing loans, under the proposed scheme.

Members of an existing cooperative society formed under any present law can avail this scheme, provided at least 10 members of the housing society were subscribers to the Employees’ Provident Fund scheme.

At present, an employee who has completed five years of service is allowed to withdraw Provident Fund savings equivalent to 36 months of the member’s salary for construction of a flat or 24 months of the salary for purchasing land.

Facing serious charges Meghalaya Governor quits

Facing sexual harassment charges, Meghalaya Governor resigned after a section of Raj Bhavan employees demanded his removal for “seriously compromising” the dignity of the gubernatorial office.

Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had said earlier that he was waiting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Home Ministry to take a call.

Nearly 100 Raj Bhavan staff petitioned President, the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking their intervention to remove the Governor and restore the ‘dignity’ of the Raj Bhavan.

Poll app launched for upcoming Manipur assembly

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Havaldar Hangpan Dada gets Ashoka Chakra

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:: International ::

China open for a trilateral partnership with Russia and the U.S.

China  signalled its openness for a trilateral partnership with Russia and the U.S., following Moscow’s advocacy that the three countries should develop relations jointly.

China, Russia and the U.S. are all major countries with worldwide influence and permanent members of the UN Security Council. For world peace, stability and development, we share a great responsibility.

During his address at Russian Parliament, Mr. Lavrov said: “We would like to see Russia, the U.S. and China to develop relations together.”

Mr. Lavrov’s statements acquires importance in the wake of a debate in China on whether Beijing would be marginalised in anticipation of closer ties between Moscow and Washington under the presidency of Donald Trump.

The three countries would be beneficial for all the three sides and the peace and development in the region and the world. “So we think that the three countries should have positive interaction.

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