Read Current Affairs
- Why in News?
- The GST Council’s sweeping reforms, approved on September 3, 2025, promise a timely boost to public sentiment and economic activity.
- Key Provisions:-
- Tax cuts remain among the most effective tools to spur demand, and the Centre’s push for quick consensus is commendable. While some may argue the changes are overdue, the Council’s federal nature means States could have proposed them earlier. The rate cuts, largely across sectors, spare most essentials from higher levies, with only a few luxury items seeing hikes. The decision to avoid expanding the 40% slab and to scrap the compensation cess—despite opposition from some States—preserves simplification efforts. Estimated revenue losses of ₹48,000 crore annually may prove conservative. States must now explore alternative revenue sources and rely on the 16th Finance Commission for support. GST 2.0 still has gaps, but reduced duty inversions, simpler compliance, and potential consumer benefits—if monitored by a revived anti-profiteering body—mark a significant step forward.
- Why in News?
- The Environment Audit Rules, 2025, establish a nationwide framework for environmental auditing to strengthen compliance monitoring and promote ease of doing business.
- Key Provisions:-
- An Environment Audit Designate Agency (EADA) will oversee certification, registration, training, and supervision of Registered Environment Auditors (REAs). Only REAs, certified through qualification review or examination, can conduct audits, and they will be allocated via a random assignment system to ensure impartiality. REAs will handle tasks such as sampling, analysis, compensation assessment, verification under Green Credit Rules, and audits under waste management and forest-related laws. The framework adopts a two-tier system: Tier-1 retains compliance reviews by CPCB, SPCBs, and ministry regional offices; Tier-2 introduces independent audits by REAs. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) will issue guidelines and oversee implementation, supported by CPCB/SPCB/ROs. Progress will be monitored by a Steering Committee chaired by an Additional Secretary in MoEFCC, with powers to recommend reforms.
- Why in News?
- Researchers have discovered that interstellar dust grains tend to align with magnetic fields within the Milky Way, offering new insights into galactic structure and star formation processes.
- About Interstellar Dust Grains
- These tiny particles originate in the cool outer atmospheres of aging stars, particularly red giants. They are expelled into the interstellar medium through mechanisms such as radiation pressure, stellar winds, and powerful stellar explosions. Typically composed of amorphous silicates and carbon-rich materials, these grains play a vital role in the cosmic life cycle.
- Role in Star Formation
- Interstellar dust helps cool and shield molecular clouds from radiation, enabling them to become cold and dense enough for gravitational collapse—the first step in birthing new stars. By tracing how dust aligns with magnetic fields, astronomers can better understand the interplay between magnetism, gas dynamics, and star formation, deepening our knowledge of how galaxies evolve over cosmic time.