Current affairs 04 August 2023

India is fifth amongst spacefaring countries in the world.

• According to Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh, India is the fifth among spacefaring countries in the world having end-to-end capabilities in space research and development.
• India has the capability to launch from its own land and operate programmes of earth observation, satellite communication, meteorology, space science and navigation, and ground infrastructure.
• After space sector reforms, the NewSpace industries are also emerging at a fast pace.

President of India inaugurated "UNMESHA" and "UTKARSH" festivals in Bhopal.

• President Draupadi Murmu will inaugurate the national festival of India's folk and tribal expressions Utkarsh and the international literature festival Unmesh in Bhopal.
• Culture Department Madhya Pradesh along with Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sahitya Akademi of the Ministry of Culture is organizing this event from 3rd to 5th August.
• The international literature festival Unmesh is Asia's largest literary convention.
• 15 countries will participate in the Unmesh festival.

28 % GST on online gaming & casinos to be effective from Oct 1 2023.

• According to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, 28 percent GST on casinos and online gaming is expected to be implemented from the 1st of October.
• 28% GST would be applicable on the amount being paid at the entry level for online gaming.
• GST Council recommended certain amendments in the CGST Act 2017 and IGST Act 2017, including amendment in Schedule III of CGST Act, 2017, to provide clarity on the taxation of supplies in casinos, horse racing and online gaming.

Manoj Bajpayee’s "Joram" wins awards at Durban International Film Festival.

• Manoj Bajpayee headliner Joram has won two awards at the Durban International Film Festival.
• Manoj bagged the Best Actor trophy, the film’s cinematographer Piyush Puty won the award for Best Cinematography.
• The film is a psychological thriller about a hunted displaced man who is on the run to protect his daughter directed by Devashish Makhija.
• The film also deals with issues such as social inequalities, injustice with the tribal communities and deforestation.

UAS to open first-of-its-kind agriculture science museum in Bengaluru.

• The University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS) will be opening a first-of-its-kind museum on its campus in Bengaluru.
• Minister of Agriculture N. Cheluvarayaswamy would inaugurate the museum.
• Aim: To introduce the evolution of agricultural practices into the lives of students and the general public increasingly cut-off from the experience by the urban buzz.
• The museum will serve as a one-stop solution where they can get information about agriculture.