26th March Daily Current Affairs – English

Boiler Bill Passed in Lok Sabha:

• The new Boiler Bill, 2024, which replaces a 100-year-old law, was passed in the Lok Sabha.
• The new bill was brought to replace the century-old Boiler Act of 1923 to regulate boilers, protect people from the risk of explosion of steam boilers, and bring uniformity in the boiler registration process.
• The bill, which aims to relax certain regulations and ease the process of doing business, provides measures to ensure the safety of workers working inside boilers.
• It also recommends that boiler repairs should be carried out only by qualified and competent workers.

Finance Bill 2025:

• The Finance Bill 2025 was passed in the Lok Sabha with 35 amendments by the Central Government, including an amendment to abolish 6 percent tax on online advertisements.
• Personal income tax collection is estimated to grow by 13.14 percent in the financial year, based on solid data.
• An amendment to abolish 6 percent tax on online advertisements has been brought in the bill.

Disaster Management Amendment Bill passed in Parliament:

• The Disaster Management Amendment Bill-2024, which ensures the effective functioning of the National and State Disaster Management Commissions, has been passed in Parliament.
• The bill has already been approved by the Lok Sabha and has been passed in the Rajya Sabha.
• It leads to amendments in the Disaster Management Act of 2005.
• Amendments have been made based on the difficulties faced by the state governments in the implementation of this act and the recommendations of the state governments.
• The responsibilities and functions of the relevant organizations have been defined to ensure coordination and uniform procedures in disaster relief.

Music Academy 99^th Annual Awards:

• The Music Academy’s 99^th Annual Awards have been announced.
• Violinist R.K. Shriramkumar will be conferred with the ‘Sangeetha Kala Acharya’ award.
• Musician Shyamala, Venkataswaran, and Tavil musician R. Govindarajan have been selected for the ‘Sangeetha Kala Acharya’ award.
• Kathakali musician Madambi Subramanian Namboothiri and Veena musicians J.T. Jayaraj Krishnan and Jayasree Jayaraj Krishnan have been selected for the TTK Award.
• A. Sridhara has been selected for the ‘Music Scholar’ award.
• Bharatanatyam artist Urmila Satyanarayana has been selected for the Nritya Kalanidhi award.

March 25: International Day of the Unborn Child.

• International Day of the Unborn Child is observed on March 25.
• It is observed as a day against abortion.
• It is observed by the United Nations on March 25 every year to commemorate the anniversary of the kidnapping of journalist Alec Collett, who died while working for the UN.

Important Facts:

1. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced a comprehensive Rs 1,500 crore project to clean the Yamuna River and improve Delhi’s sewage drainage infrastructure.
2. Tamil Nadu has been allocated more funds than Uttar Pradesh under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (100-day work programme) in the financial year.
3. The tenure of the Joint Parliamentary Committee headed by P.P. Chowdhury to examine the bills related to ‘One Nation, One Election’ has been extended.
4. Ajay Seth has been appointed as the Finance Secretary.
5. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 [MGNREGA] aims to improve the livelihood security of people in rural areas.
6. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin released the Tamil-Indo-European comparative dictionary of root words.
7. IIT Madras has announced that it has launched a zero-carbon emission project to promote the development of electric vehicles in the country.
8. The Nepal government is planning to reduce the minimum age of marriage to 18.