A four-tier structure for Goods and Services Tax (GST) comprising a lower rate of 6 percent, two standard rates of 12 percent and 18 percent, and a higher rate of 26 percent with an additional cess for luxury and demerit goods were proposed in the third meeting of the GST Council Tuesday.
The higher rate for services under the indirect tax regime is proposed to be 18 percent, while essential services such as transportation are proposed to be taxed at 6 percent or 12 percent.
Source: The Indian Express
Call it patriotism or fear of veiled threats, but big names in Bollywood have been forced to do a double take.
A day after the MNS issued an oblique threat to multiplexes if they went ahead with the release of Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (ADHM) that features Pakistani actor Fawad Khan, an industry team sought, and was promised, police protection.
Source: The Times of India
Union Minister Mahesh Sharma on Tuesday put on fast track a proposed Ramayana museum in Ayodhya, in what appeared to be a growing move by political parties to reopen the debate over the divisive Ram temple issue ahead of assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.
Though no party would say it officially yet, statements by leaders of different ideologies, including Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, indicated that the contentious issue was set to gather traction ahead of the vote early next year.
Source: Hindustan Times
Prime Minister Narendra Modi proudly put on display the surgical strikes in Pakistan last month during his public rally in Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.
He also attacked Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on alleged corruption and said former BJP chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal was known for laying roads in the state especially in the rural areas, while Virbhadra was known for altogether different reasons.
Source: The Times of India
The army carried out “limited-calibre, target-specific, counter-terrorist operations” across the Line of Control in the past too but this was the first time the government went public with the 29 September surgical strikes as part of a strategy, a parliamentary panel on external affairs was told Tuesday.
The panel, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was briefed by Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, Defence Secretary G Mohan Kumar, Vice Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Bipin Rawat and Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Ministry of Home Affairs MK Singla. BSF DG KK Sharma was also present.
Source: The Indian Express
A day after a fire in the ICU and dialysis ward of the SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar left 20 patients dead and another 105 injured, police arrested the hospital superintendent and three others, including its fire safety officer, on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Source: The Indian Express
The US supports cross-LoC strikes by India, US Ambassador Richard Verma said, adding that Washington has drastically cut assistance to Pakistan in the past five years over concerns on terror.
In a rare admission that the US had spoken to the Pakistani leadership about the use of “proxies” as terror groups, Mr Verma also said it was important to “stand in solidarity with India on that front.”
Source: The Hindu
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked authorities in the national capital on Tuesday to find a solution to growing air pollution in the city, considering a report that the odd-even road rationing formula tested this April had little impact.
The city of about 20 million, which ranks among the world’s top cities with foul air on a WHO list, has been struggling to clean up its air that contains a toxic cocktail of dust, smoke and gases from vehicle and factory exhausts.
Source: Hindustan Times
One of the worst terror attacks in Myanmar’s recent history was blamed on a group led by a man trained in Pakistan but tackling terrorism cannot be only about isolating organisations or nations, the country’s de-facto ruler Aung San Suu Kyi said on Tuesday.
Her remarks came against the backdrop of India’s campaign to isolate Pakistan over using cross-border terrorism as a policy, an issue which figured prominently at the BRICS Summit and meeting of BIMSTEC leaders in Goa that was attended by Suu Kyi.
Source: Hindustan Times
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