Nico Rosberg wins 2016 Belgian Grand Prix
It was Rosberg’s overall tenth championship title of F1 in his career and the sixth win in the 2016 season. Earlier, he had won Australian Grand Prix, Bahrain Grand Prix, Chinese Grand Prix and Russian Grand Prix.
2016 Belgian Grand Prix was the thirteenth race of the 2016 season of Formula One in which total 11 teams had participated. The race was run on Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Result of 2016 Belgian Grand Prix
- First Position: Nico Rosberg (Germany) of Mercedes team.
- Second Position: Daniel Ricciardo (Australia) of Red Bull.
- Third Position: Lewis Hamilton (United Kingdom) of Mercedes Team.
- Fourth Position: Nico Hulkenberg (Germany) of Force India.
- Fifth Position: Sergio Perez (Italy) of Force India.
Top 3 teams are: Mercedes, Red Bull and Force India.
Union Government constitutes Committee to suggest steps to promote card payments
The 11-member committee will be headed by Principle Adviser for social sector in NITI Aayog and former Finance Secretary Ratan P Watal.
The terms of reference of committee
- Recommend various measures to incentivise transactions through cards and digital means, e.g., through tax incentives/rebates, introduction of cash back/lottery.
- Review the payments system in the country and recommend measures for encouraging digital payments.
- Study and recommend need for changes, if any, in the regulatory mechanism under various laws, relevant for the purpose of promotion of payments by digital modes.
- Study feasibility of creating a payments history of all card and digital payments and ensure that merchants and consumers can leverage the data to access.
- Study and recommend ways for leveraging Unique Identification Number (UID) or any other proof of identity for authentication of card and digital transactions.
- Study introduction of single window system of payment gateway to accept all types of cards and digital payments of government receipts.
- Look into the scope of integration of all government systems like Public Finance Management System, Bharatkosh, PayGov and eKuber.
- Identify regulatory bottlenecks and suggest changes. Study global best practices in payments and identify possible market failures along with suitable interventions.
The Committee will submit its report in one year. Its member will include former RBI Deputy Governor H R Khan, Chairman of Indian Banks Association, President of Nasscom and CBDT Chairperson.
Background
- The high-level committee has been set up following a decision taken by the Union Cabinet in February 2016 for introduction of steps for promotion of cashless payments (transactions) through cards and digital means.
- The Cabinet had approved withdrawal of surcharge, service charge and convenience fee on card and digital payments.
- It also approved mandating payments beyond a prescribed threshold only through a card or digital mode.
- This decision was taken in pursuance of Union Government’s promise for measures that were announced in the 2015 Budget as one way to curb the flow of black money is to discourage cash transactions.
Maharashtra Government unveils Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway project
Key Facts
- Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway project will be implemented by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
- The project aims to create state-of-the art road connectivity within a period of three years and give a fillip to investment in the state.
- It will be a six-lane super communication highway covering a distance of 750 km through 10 districts. It will connect entire breadth of Maharashtra
- It will require 9000 hectares of land and will be carried out in the Land Pooling model with farmers being made partners and some percentage of developed land given back to them.
- It will have facilities like trauma centres, electronic toll points, CCTV cameras, two lanes of service roads, utility shifting, bypass.
- Besides, it will also have other structures will be installed to enhance operational and safety standards.
