The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved PAN 2.0 Project of the Income Tax (IT) Department. 

About PAN 2.0 Project

• An e-Governance initiative for re-engineering the business processes of taxpayer registration services through technology driven transformation. 
• It will be an upgrade of the current PAN/TAN 1.0 eco-system
  • PAN is a ten-digit unique alphanumeric number issued by the IT Department to identify/ link transactions (tax payments, etc.) of the holder with the department. 
• Benefits: Serve as common Identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies, Data consistency, Single Source of Truth, etc. 

Members of Reang community (a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) requested for recognition to their language, Kaubru.

• There are 75 PVTGs in India identified based on the Dhebar Commission recommendation. 

Reang Tribe

• About: Second largest tribal community of Tripura from Indo-Mongoloid race. 
• Agriculture: Nomadic, practice Jhum Cultivation and other food gathering activities. 
• Religion/Faith: Hindus (majority being followers of Vaishnavism); believe in spirits and existence of soul. 
• Social: Endogamous (marry within their community). 
• Culture: Hojagiri Dance (performed by only women in a team of 4-6, with male members involved in singing the lyrics, playing drum, etc.)

Narasapur Crochet Lace from West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag.

About Narasapur crochet lace

• Crochets crafted with cotton thread in different colors. 
• Lace work is done using thin threads woven with thin crochet needles of varying sizes.

About GI Tag

• Name or a sign given to certain products that relate to a specific geographical location valid for 10 years. 
• Administered under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act of 1999.
• Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry is the Nodal ministry

75th Samvidhan Diwas is being celebrated on the day of adoption of the Indian Constitution.

• Adopted: 26th November, 1949.
• Came into effect: 26th January, 1950.

Samvidhan Diwas:

• Samvidhan Diwas was instituted in 2015, the 125th birth anniversary year of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
  • Dr. Ambedkar, known as the ‘Father of the Indian Constitution’ was the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution.

India’s Constitution:

• Longest written Constitution.
• Not printed or typed: Its handwritten by Prem Behari Narain Raizada (English) & by Vasant Krishan Vaidya (Hindi).
• Pages, artistically decorated by artists from Shantiniketan under Nandalal Bose.

Recently, researchers highlighted the untapped tourism potential of the ancient Buddhist sites of Kanaganahalli and Sannati, located in Kalaburgi, Karnataka along the banks of Bhima river.

Findings of Kanaganahalli and Sannati

• 2000-year-old Ashokan edict.
• Adholoka Maha Chaitya (the Great Stupa of the Netherworlds)
  • Built: From 3rd Century B.C. to 3rd Century A.D. 
  • Features: Elaborate ornamentation, Ayaka platforms, circumambulatory path, etc.
• Sculptures: Of Buddha, Yakshas, Jataka stories, Ashoka, Shatavahana monarchs etc.
  • Sculpture of Asoka etched with ‘Raya Asoka’ in Brahmi script, the only surviving image of the Mauryan emperor.
  • Resembles Amaravati School of Art.

New HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infections have fallen 22% and HIV-related deaths 40% globally: The Lancet HIV journal.

About HIV Virus

• It’s a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection.
• If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

Initiatives taken by India:

• National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) Phase-V: Aims to reduce annual new HIV infections and AIDS-related mortalities by 80% by 2025-26 from the baseline value of 2010. 
• India's HIV and AIDS (Prevention & Control) Act, 2017.

Black thrips infestation has surfaced in the chilli crop around Ballari (Karnataka) & parts of Rayalaseema (Andhra Pradesh).

• The pest has become endemic in the region.

About Black thrips

• It’s an invasive sucking pest that feeds on tender flowers, shedding of flowers and also causes fruit drop in chillies leading to yield loss.
• Both adults and larvae damage plants by rasping and sucking of the plant sap.

Preventive Measures 

• Practicing intercrop with agathi/maize/sorghum.
• Spraying of neem oil.

Delhi High Court calls for masking the couple's names on search engines.

About right to be forgotten

• The right to be forgotten is described as the right to remove one’s digital footprint (from Internet searches, etc.) where it violates the right to privacy.
• It’s considered as a part of the right to privacy, which is a fundamental right under article 21.

• However, there is no statutory framework that prescribes the right to be forgotten.