01 July - Goods & Services Tax Day

1st July 2020 is being celebrated as GST (Goods & Services Tax) Day. This year marks the 4th  anniversary of implementation of historic tax reform of Goods & Services Tax.

GST was rolled out in intervening night of 30 June and July 1 2017 in a ceremony held in the Central Hall of Parliament.

Goods & Services is an Indirect Tax levied on the supply of goods and services and which has replaced many Indirect Taxes that previously existed in India. On 29th March 2017, Goods and Service Tax Act was passed in Parliament and Act came into effect on 1st July 2017.

It is one Indirect Tax for entire country and is a multi-stage, comprehensive, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.

Under GST regime, tax is levied at every point of sale (PoS). In case of Intra-state sales, Central GST (CGST) and State GST (SGST) are charged and the Inter-state sales are chargeable to Integrated GST (IGST).
GST has transformed India into ‘one nation, one Tax, and integrated country into an Economic Union and into single common market by breaking barriers to inter-state trade and commerce.

Shayani Ekadashi and Pandharpur Yatra

Shayani Ekadashi  or Maha-ekadashi or Prathama-ekadashi  or Padma Ekadashi or Devshayani Ekadashi or Devpodhi Ekadashi is the eleventh lunar day (Ekadashi) of the bright fortnight (Shukla paksha) of the Hindu month of Ashadha (June - July). Thus it is also known as Ashadhi Ekadashi or Ashadhi.It is known as Toli Ekadashi in Telugu.This holy day is of special significance to Vaishnavas, followers of the Hindu protector God, Lord Vishnu.

On this day images of Vishnu and Lakshmi are worshipped, the entire night is spent singing prayers, and devotees keep fast and take vows on this day, to be observed during the entire chaturmas, the holy four-month period of rainy season. These may include, giving up a food item or fasting on every Ekadashi day.

A fast is observed on Shayani Ekadashi. The fast demands abstainance from all grains, beans, cereals, certain vegetables like onions and certain spic

This day, a huge yatra or religious procession of pilgrims known as Pandharpur Ashadi Ekadasi Waari Yatra culminates at Pandharpur, in Solapur district in south Maharashtra, situated on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River. Pandharpur is main center of worship of the deity Vitthal, a local form of Vishnu. Lakhs (hundreds of thousands) of pilgrims come to Pandharpur on this day from different parts of Maharashtra. Some of them carry Palkhis (palanquins) with the images of the saints of Maharashtra. Dnyaneshwar's image is carried from Alandi,Namdev's image from Narsi Namdev, Tukaram's from Dehu, Eknath's from Paithan, Nivruttinath's from Trimbakeshwar, Muktabai's from Muktainagar, Sopan's from Sasvad and Saint Gajanan Maharaj from Shegaon. These pilgrims are referred to as Warkaris. They sing Abhangas (chanting hymns) of Saint Tukaram and Saint Dnyaneshwar, dedicated to Vitthal.

01 July - National Doctors' Day India

National Doctors' Day is a day celebrated to recognize the contributions of physicians to individual lives and communities. The date may vary from nation to nation depending on the event of commemoration used to mark the day. In some nations the day is marked as a holiday. Although supposed to be celebrated by patients in and benefactors of the healthcare industry it is usually celebrated by health care organizations. Staff may organize a lunch for doctors to present the physicians with tokens of recognition. Historically, a card or red carnation may be sent to physicians and their spouses, along with a flower being placed on the graves of deceased physicians.

In India, the National Doctors' Day is celebrated on July 1 all across India to honour the legendary physician and the second Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy.He was born on July 1, 1882 and died on the same date in 1962, aged 80 years.Dr Roy was honoured with the country's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna on February 4, 1961. The celebration of the Doctors' Day is an attempt to emphasise on the value of doctors in our lives and to offer them our respects by commemorating one of their greatest representatives. India has shown remarkable improvements in the medical field and July 1 pays a perfect tribute to all the doctors who have made relentless efforts towards achieving this goal irrespective of the odds.

01 July - National Chartered Accountant Day India

01 July is celebrated as National Chartered Accountant Day in India. The day is observed in order to celebrate the formation of Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) on 1st July , 1949. ICAI is the sole licensing and regulatory body for the financial audit and accounting profession in India. ICAI was formed a year before the Constitution of the country was formalized, and counts itself among the oldest professional institutions in the country.

Every year, on the day of the establishment of the ICAI, National CA Day is celebrated to honor the Chartered Accountants across the nation. A chartered accountant is a profession that gives direction to the financial condition of any country.

30 June - Sir Dadabhai Naoroji Dordi death anniversary

Sir Dadabhai Naoroji Dordi (4 September 1825 – 30 June 1917) also known as the "Grand Old Man of India" and "Unofficial Ambassador of India" was an Indian Parsi scholar, trader and politician who was a Liberal Party member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom House of Commons between 1892 and 1895, and the first Asian to be a British MP,notwithstanding the Anglo-Indian MP David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre, who was disenfranchised for corruption. Naoroji was one of the founding members of the Indian National Congress.His book Poverty and Un-British Rule in India brought attention to the draining of India's wealth into Britain. In it he explained his wealth drain theory. He was also a member of the Second International along with Kautsky and Plekhanov. Dadabhai Naoroji's works in the congress are praiseworthy. In 1886,1893 and 1906, i.e., thrice was he elected as the president of INC.

In 2014, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg inaugurated the Dadabhai Naoroji Awards for services to UK-India relations.India Post dedicated stamps to Naoroji in 1963, 1997 and 2017.

30 June - C. N. R. Rao born

Chintamani Nagesa Ramachandra Rao FRS, also known as C. N. R. Rao (born 30 June 1934), is an Indian chemist who has worked mainly in solid-state and structural chemistry. He has honorary doctorates from 60 universities from around the world, and has authored around 1,600 research publications and 51 books.He is described as a scientist who had won all possible awards in his field except the Nobel Prize.

Image courtesy : http://bharatratnasphilately.blogspot.com/

30 June - International Asteroid Day

Asteroid Day (also known as International Asteroid Day) is an annual global event which is held on the anniversary of the Siberian Tunguska event that took place on June 30, 1908, the most harmful known asteroid-related event on Earth in recent history.The United Nations has proclaimed it be observed globally on June 30 every year in its resolution. Asteroid Day aims to raise awareness about asteroids and what can be done to protect the Earth, its families, communities, and future generations from a catastrophic event. For example, 2014 HQ124, discovered April 23, 2014, went past 1,250,000 km from Earth the same year, June 8th, only 46 days after discovery, and 2015 TB145, went past at 490,000 km only 21 days after its discovery.

The International Asteroid Day is a global awareness observance that aims to educate and inspire people to know more about asteroids, their part in the formation of the universe, and how they can be useful. The observance was founded by the astrophysicist Dr. Brian May. In 2016, the asteroid day was officially observed by the United Nations. The observance occurs annually on June 30th.

30 June - NATIONAL METEOR WATCH DAY

Meteor Watch Day is observed every year on June 30th in the USA. Also known as National Meteor Day, on a cloudless night, people turn their eyes to the heavens in hopes of spotting the glow of a falling star. 

Daily there are millions of meteors that occur in the Earth’s atmosphere.

When space debris, such as pieces of rock, enter the Earth’s atmosphere the friction causes the surrounding air to become scorching hot. This “shooting star” streaking through the sky surrounded by flaming hot air is a meteor.

The majority of the meteoroids that cause meteors are only the size of a pebble.

Meteors sometimes occur in showers. It’s an excellent time to plan for a meteor-watching party. Whether we catch a few stray falling stars or witness an entire meteor shower, this day calls for an evening with friends and family under the stars. Identify the constellations while waiting to make a wish or two. Sounds like a romantic night, as well.  

29 June - Sachin Tendulkar 15,000 ODI runs in 2007

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar born 24 April 1973 is a former international cricketer from India and a former captain of the Indian national team. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket.He is the highest run scorer of all time in International cricket. Considered as the world's most prolific batsman of all time,he is the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries, the first batsman to score a double century in a One Day International (ODI), the holder of the record for the most runs in both Test and ODI cricket, and the only player to complete more than 30,000 runs in international cricket.On this day i.e 29th June 2007, Indian legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar became the first batsman to reach 15,000 ODI runs. Still, he is the only man to achieve this feat.

29 June - Rajendra Lahiri born in 1901

Rajendra Lahiri (1901–1927), full name Rajendra Nath Lahiri, was an Indian revolutionary, who was the mastermind behind Kakori conspiracy and Dakshineshwar bombing. He was active member of Hindustan Republican Association aimed at ousting the British from India.

Rajendra Lahiri was born in 1901 in the village of Lahiri Mohanpur in a Brahman family of Pabna District, Bengal Presidency (now in Bangladesh). His father, Kshitish Mohan Lahiri, owned a large estate there.

He was Mastermind behind the Kakori train robbery on 9 August 1925. He was arrested and tried in the previous bomb case of Dakshineswar in Bengal and sent to jail for 10 years rigorous imprisonment. When the legal proceedings started in Lucknow for the train robbery, he was also included in the Kakori conspiracy case and tried with several other revolutionaries.

He was found guilty after a long trial and was hanged in the Gonda district jail on 17 December 1927, two days before the scheduled date, along with Thakur Roshan Singh, Ashfaq Ullah & Ram Prasad Bismil.