APPOINTMENTS

Ravi Agrawal has been appointed as the new CBDT chief.

 Ravi Agrawal has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).

 He succeeds Nitin Gupta, whose tenure ended on June 30.

 Previously, Ravi Agrawal served as a member (administration) on the CBDT board.

 Ravi Agrawal's appointment was approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

 He will serve as the CBDT chief until June 2025.

 Other members of the CBDT board include Pragya Sahay Saksena, HBS Gill, Pravin Kumar, Sanjay Kumar, and Sanjay Kumar Verma.

 The CBDT, headed by a chairman, comprises up to six members in total.

 The CBDT is responsible for administering and enforcing direct tax laws in India, ensuring compliance and efficient tax administration nationwide.

STATE NEWS

Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal launched 'Chief Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana'.

 Rajasthan CM Bhajan Lal launched the 'Chief Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana' in Tonk.

 The scheme is modeled after the Prime Minister's Kisan Samman Nidhi.

 It aims to provide financial support to farmers through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

 Beneficiary Support: Under this scheme, Rs 2,000 will be transferred annually to each beneficiary farmer's account.

 The amount will be given in three instalments of Rs 1000, Rs 500 and Rs 500. The Chief Minister transferred the first instalment directly on June 30, 2024.

 Farmers are already getting 6 thousand rupees per year under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi.

 It will farmers in buying fertilizers and seeds and to do other agriculture related works.

SUMMIT AND CONFERENCES

Global IndiaAI Summit 2024

 The Global IndiaAI Summit 2024 will take place on July 3-4 in New Delhi.

 The summit is organized by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

 It will be attended by leading AI experts, industry representatives, international organizations, and academia members.

 The summit will focus on advancing AI development in seven key areas outlined by the India AI Mission: compute capabilities, foundational models, datasets, application development, future skills, startup financing, and safe AI.

 The IndiaAI Mission aim is to build a comprehensive ecosystem that fosters AI innovation and ensures responsible and inclusive growth of AI in the country.

 As the lead chair of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI), India will also host member countries and experts to advance GPAI's mission of promoting safe, secure and trustworthy AI.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Denmark's Tax on Livestock Farmers

 Denmark has introduced a ground breaking tax on livestock farmers for the greenhouse gases emitted by their cows, sheep, and pigs.

 The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels by 2030.

 According to a UN report, livestock contribute approximately 32% of human-caused methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.

 A normal cow can generate up to 200kg of methane annually while a Danish cow produce 6.6 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

 Danish livestock farmers will be taxed 300 kroner ($43) per ton of CO2, which will be increased to 750 kroner ($108) by 2035.

 The tax is part of Denmark’s strategy to meet climate goals.

 The collected tax amount will be invested in environmental restoration projects.