THE HEADLINES:
- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hails new GST regime; Says, it will boost consumption and not impact capital expenditure.
- Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assures full support from Centre to flood hit Punjab; Says detailed report of losses to be submitted to Prime Minister.
- Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam to visit India from 9th to 16th of this month.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin says any Western troops deployed to Ukraine will be legitimate targets for Moscow to attack.
- In the US Open Tennis, Amanda Anisimova sets up Women’s Singles final with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said that the new GST regime will improve consumption by citizens and it will not impact capital expenditure. In an interview to a private news channel, Mrs Sitharaman said, 99 per cent of all the goods and services are now either in the zero, five or 18 per cent bracket.
Ms. Sitharaman said, it was the first time that both the issue of Compensation Cess and a comprehensive proposal on GST have been taken up by the Centre. The Minister said, Petroleum and alcohol products will be outside of GST.
The Minister informed the government is working on measures to support exporters who are impacted by the 50 per cent US tariffs.
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On this Independence Day at the ramparts of Red Fort, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the Next Generation of GST reforms, by Diwali. The Prime Minister’s vision of creating a more efficient and citizen friendly economy was realised as the GST Council on 3rd September approved rates rationalisation with a focus on the common man. The Council has simplified the indirect tax system into a two-tier structure of 5 per cent and 18 per cent from a four-tier structure of 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent. The new tax regime will come into effect from the 22nd of this month. We take a look at the reforms undertaken for the daily essentials sector.
“The GST Reforms will bring direct savings to households by reducing taxes on everyday essentials and packaged foods. GST on hygiene products like hair oil, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, tooth brush and shaving cream have been reduced from 18 percent to just five percent. Items like Ultra-high temperature milk, paneer, chena, and all varieties of Indian breads, including roti and parantha, will be exempted from GST. Popular food items such as namkeen, bhujia, sauces, pasta, noodles, chocolates, coffee, cornflakes, butter, and ghee have also been brought down to the 5 percent category. Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi said that a big relief has been provided for the poor and middle class by simplifying GST.
Consumers from different walks of life have also welcomed the reforms, and told Akashvani News that they are eagerly anticipating its implementation.
With Aman Yadav, Adarsh for Akashvani News, Delhi.”
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The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) Chairperson Sanjay Kumar Agarwal has termed the Next Generation GST reforms as bold and comprehensive. In an interview with Akashvani News, he said that the interest of the common man was the foremost priority of the government. He added that the GST rate on essential commodities have been kept at a merit rate of 5 per cent.
Tune into 100.1 Akashvani FM Gold at 9.30 PM tonight to listen to this exclusive interview.
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Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today said that he will submit a detailed report of the losses due to floods in Punjab to the Prime Minister. In asocial media post, he said the crisis is immense, but the Central Government will leave no stone unturned to take Punjab out of it. Mr Chouhan who was on a day long visit to flood ravaged Punjab, yesterday, stressed on short, medium and long-term plans for the reconstruction of the flood-affected areas. He assured full support from the Centre to the state. Mr Chouhan visited many villages of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Kapurthala to take stock of the flood situation. Punjab Governor, Gulab Chand Kataria has flagged off 9 trucks of relief material for flood-affected districts. We have a report:-
“Over 1900 villages and more than 3.80 lakh population in Punjab has been affected due to floods ands 43 persons have lost their life. Loss of standing crops have also been reported in 1.71 lakh hectares of submerged land. The Joint Check Post of the BSF at Hussainiwala at Ferozepur has also been inundated. The Beating the Retreat ceremony has been cancelled till further orders. Rescue and relief operations are on war footing. 28 Army, Navy and Air Force units are active in Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Rupnagar, Tarn Taran, SBS Nagar, Fazilka, Patiala and Kapurthala. Around 35 helicopters of Indian Air Force and Army are providing air support for evacuation and relief supply. Besides, the BSF and NDRF are also assisting in relief operations. 134 boats and one state helicopter have also been pressed into service to intensify relief measures. The cooperation of general public and NGOs is also praiseworthy. Rajesh Bali, Akashvani News, Jalandhar”
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All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi has deployed a team of doctors and nurses to extend medical relief and humanitarian support to the flood-affected areas of Punjab and Northern India. The team will comprise 11 doctors and 11 nurses, specializing in medicine, psychiatry, pediatrics, surgery, gynecology and radiodiagnosis, and various other departments. Talking exclusively with Akashvani News, Dr. Amarinder Singh, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radio diagnosis at AIIMS Delhi, said that the team will provide immediate assistance to the affected people.
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In Himachal Pradesh, the weather remained generally clear today, bringing some relief to the people after several days of heavy rainfall. The improvement in weather has also accelerated disaster relief operations in the state.
“Relief and rescue operations are continuing on a war footing in the disaster-affected areas of the state. 524 pilgrims of the Manimahesh Yatra, who were stranded, were airlifted today to Chamba by two Chinook helicopters of the Indian Air Force and they were sent to their destinations by state transport corporation buses. Additionally, three dead bodies were also brought to Chamba. According to information received from the district administration, nearly 8,000 pilgrims stranded during the Manimahesh Yatra were provided free transport facilities by the government. Meanwhile, due to the natural calamity, 4 national highways and more than one thousand other roads still remain blocked for traffic. Prabha Sharma, Akashvani News, Shimla.”
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Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam will undertake a state visit to India from 9th to 16th of this month. Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal said, this will be the first overseas bilateral visit of Mr Ramgoolam to India in his current term. Responding to a media query on US President Donald Trump’s latest post on Truth Social, Mr Jaiswal said, MEA has no comments to offer on it. On a query on Quad summit, he said, Quad is a valuable forum for discussion on shared interests in a number of areas and the Leaders’ Summit is scheduled through diplomatic consultations among the four partners.
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External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar today called on Prime Minister of Bhutan, Tshering Tobgay in New Delhi this evening. In a social media post, Dr Jaishankar said, the unique and time-tested partnership between India and Bhutan continues to move from strength to strength. He thanked Prime Minister of Bhutan for his leadership and guidance.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin today said that any Western troops deployed to Ukraine will be legitimate targets for Moscow to attack. Mr. Putin was speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok a day after French President Emmanuel Macron said 26 countries had pledged to provide postwar security guarantees to Ukraine, including an international force on land, sea and in the air.
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Eid Milad-un-Nabi,the birthday of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad was celebrated with religious fervour and due reverence in various parts of the country today.”Milad Mehfils”and “Seerat Conferences” were held where Ulemas or religious scholars highlighted the life and teachings of Hazrat Muhammad.
This year, the day holds immense historical significance as it marks the 1500th birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad, according to the Islamic Hijri calendar.
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In the US Open Tennis, Amanda Anisimova has set up Women’s Singles final with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka by beating Naomi Osaka. America’s Anisimova defeated Naomi 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 in the second semi-final clash this morning. Sabalenka of Belarus defeated Jessica Pegula of US in the first semi-final. In the Men’s singles semi-finals, Italian world number one and defending champion Jannik Sinner will face Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime while Novak Djokovic will clash with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.
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In the Men’s Asia Cup Hockey championship the Indian team will face China tomorrow in the Super Four stage match. This match will be played at 7:30 PM tomorrow at the Rajgir International Stadium.
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THE HEADLINES ONCE AGAIN:-
- Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hails new GST regime; Says, it will boost consumption and not impact capital expenditure.
- Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan assures full support from Centre to flood hit Punjab; Says detailed report of losses to be submitted to Prime Minister.
- Prime Minister of Mauritius Navinchandra Ramgoolam to visit India from 9th to 16th of this month.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin says any Western troops deployed to Ukraine will be legitimate targets for Moscow to attack.
- In the US Open Tennis, Amanda Anisimova sets up Women’s Singles final with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.
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