The National Foundation for Journalism and Media (NFJM) has welcomed the announcement of the Government of India’s Next-Gen GST Reforms, describing them as a significant move aimed at reducing the financial burden on households, supporting farmers, and boosting the growth of MSMEs.

Under the new tax structure, GST has been lowered across a wide range of sectors. Essential household goods including soaps, shampoos, toothpaste, dairy products, utensils and sewing machines will now attract only five percent GST, providing relief to families. The healthcare sector has also been extended major support, with health and life insurance, thermometers, oxygen, diagnostic kits and corrective spectacles either reduced to five percent GST or exempted altogether. Farmers will benefit from the reduction of GST on tractors, tyres, irrigation systems and bio-pesticides, a measure expected to strengthen rural incomes and productivity. Educational materials including notebooks, pencils, charts and erasers have been exempted from GST, ensuring affordability for students and parents. Automobiles such as small cars, motorcycles, three-wheelers and transport vehicles will now be taxed at eighteen percent instead of twenty-eight percent, while electronic appliances such as air conditioners, larger televisions and dishwashers have also been shifted to the lower slab.

The reforms are accompanied by process changes aimed at simplifying compliance, including faster taxpayer registration and system-based refunds to ease business operations.

In his message, the Chairman of NFJM stated that the reforms are a step that will touch every Indian household, bringing affordability in essential goods, relief in healthcare, support to farmers and encouragement to entrepreneurs. He emphasized that the role of media is critical in explaining such reforms in clear and simple language so that the benefits reach the grassroots. NFJM, he added, remains committed to communicating matters of national importance in the public interest.

The BSF, which guards India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, is training special units of “drone commandos” and “drone warriors” for modern warfare involving remote-controlled aerial platforms, with plans to deploy them in missions such as Operation Sindoor.

 A ‘School of Drone Warfare’ was inaugurated by Border Security Force (BSF) director general Daljit Singh Chawdhary at the officers’ training academy of the force in Tekanpur, Madhya Pradesh, on Tuesday.

PTI had reported in July that the about 2.65 lakh personnel strong force was raising its maiden “drone squadron” following the lessons learnt after Operation Sindoor.

“The School of Drone Warfare will provide special training to the border guarding troops of the force in combating modern strategic challenges,” a force spokesperson said.

“The institute will prepare drone commandos and drone warriors through five special courses that include unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations, anti-drone warfare and surveillance and intelligence gathering,” he said.

The school has simulators and live drone flying zones, facilities for payload integration in the UAVs and night operations, tools for radio frequency (RF) jammers and kinetic interceptors, apart from linked hardware and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools.

The BSF DG, after the inauguration of the school, addressed the trainee officers and spoke about the ongoing three-year-long Russia-Ukraine war, where drones have played an important role apart from some other battles and the strategic takeaways from Operation Sindoor conducted by India against Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, a senior officer said.

Chawdhary also spoke about the role of AI and machine learning (ML) in combat, proactive and weaponised drone use for decisive outcomes, the importance of FPV (first person view related to remote piloting of Kamikaze drones) and strategic changes in national policies, the official said.

Eighteen BSF troops, during the Independence Day in August, were awarded gallantry medals for displaying “conspicuous bravery” and “unmatched valour” during Operation Sindoor. These included two personnel who were decorated with the military-issued Vir Chakra posthumously.

The force also tackles Chinese-made Pakistani drones that smuggle drugs, weapons and ammunition into India from across the international border on the country’s western side every day.

The BSF is tasked with guarding the 2,290-km India-Pakistan International Border (IB) apart from the Line of Control (LoC) under the Army’s operational command, and the 4,096-km front with Bangladesh on the eastern side. (PTI)