NEW DELHI, Dec 12: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said GST claims of state governments will be cleared once she gets relevant papers along with a certificate from their respective accountant generals.
She also said in Lok Sabha that the Central Government is committed to pay all Goods and Services Tax (GST) compensation to states and has been doing so continuously for the last five years.
The respective accountant general (AG) has to provide a certificate that the particular state has to get this much of compensation, the finance minister said.
“If there is a delay in the AG certified claim from states, obviously that (GST compensation) is pending. So, when the AG certificate along with the state’s claim comes, at that moment the money will also get released,” she said during the Question Hour.
From the Central Government’s side, it is up to date, and whatever money it gets as cess, is distributed among states, Sitharaman said.
“We are up to date on all claims that came from states, which were approved by the respective AG. We have paid all,” she said.
Sitharaman said if the AG has not cleared the claims of states, the state governments should expedite that.”The moment I get it, I will clear that,” she said.
Many State Governments believe that their GST compensation is pending, and these are pending as the Central Government needs the necessary papers as the money belongs to the taxpayers, Sitharaman said.
“The moment I receive the papers, the AG certification, even if there is a contention between the Centre and a state, it has to be sorted out. I cannot be sitting on somebody’s money,” she said.
Sitharaman said differences with states can be sorted out when officials of the central and state governments sit together.
The minister said half of the GST compensation for June has already been cleared while the rest would be given once adequate cess is collected. (Agencies)
GST claims of states to be cleared moment AG certificate is received: Sitharaman
Shah Rukh Khan pays obeisance at Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in J&K
JAMMU, Dec 12: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan offered prayers at the revered shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi atop Trikuta hills in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, an official said on Monday.
Khan, dressed in complete black with hooded jacket, reached the shrine late Sunday night to pay his obeisance, the official said.
“The superstar was at the shrine around 11.30 pm and offered his prayers before returning back,” the official said.
A brief video, purportedly showing the 57-year-old actor moving towards the Bhawan along with his personal staff and some policemen, is making rounds on the social media.
Earlier this month, Khan was photographed performing Umrah in Mecca after the schedule wrap of his film “Dunki” in Saudi Arabia.
The actor will next be seen in Yash Raj Films’ actioner “Pathaan” alongside Deepika Padukone and John Abraham. The Siddharth Anand-directed movie is scheduled to be released on January 25. (Agencies)
JIAR Jammu participates in 9th World Ayurveda Congress at Goa
JIAR Jammu participates in 9th World Ayurveda Congress at Panjim,Goa-
Vijnana Bharati, World Ayurveda Foundation in association with Ministry of AYUSH,Govt.Of India,Govt.of Goa organised 9th WORLD AYURVEDA CONGRESS and AROGYA Expo in Panjim,Goa from 8th-11th December 2022.It was biggest event of Ayurveda where more than 5000 delegates participated.More than 30 country’s representations was seen in the congress.Around 3 lakh visitors visited Expo.All the dignitaries from AYUSH including Vd Rajesh Kotecha,Secretary ,Vd Jayant Deopujari,Chairman NCISM,Presidents of Boards Dr BS Prasad,Dr Raghuram Bhat,Dr Rakesh Sharma were present.Hundreds of Ayush Industry exhibited their products in Expo.B2B came out with many MoU’s.
There were scientific papers,Poster presentations.Associated events like NCISM Principals Conclave,Guru Shishya,Ethno Pharmacy,International Delegates Assembly,Ayurveda Short Film Festival,Medicinal Plant Board,etc took place in these 4 days.
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the valedictory function and says that Ayurveda goes beyond treatment and promotes wellness’’
“International Yoga day is celebrated as global festival of health and wellness by the whole world”
“We are now moving forward in the direction of forming a ‘National Ayush Research Consortium”
“Ayush Industry which was about 20 thousand crore rupees 8 years ago has reached about 1.5 lakh crore rupees today”
“Sector of traditional medicine is expanding continuously and we have to take full advantage of its every possibility”
“’One Earth, One Health’ means a universal vision of health.He also inaugurated three National Ayush Institutes. The three institutes – All India Institute of Ayurveda (AIIA), Goa, National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM), Ghaziabad and National Institute of Homoeopathy (NIH), Delhi Prime Minister said “Ayurveda goes beyond treatment and promotes wellness”, as he pointed out that the world is shifting towards this ancient way of life after going through various changes in trends.
Dr Sharada,Principal,Jammu Institute of Ayurveda and Research,Jammu along with 88 students and teachers Dr Rachin Shivgotra,Dr Gurusimran,Dr Namartha Raina ,Dr Akshat Magluria of Jammu Institute of Ayurveda and Research,Jammu actively participated in Congress.Dr Sharada was Co chair in Public Outreach Programme in Arogya Expo along with Coordinator Dr Shrey B Shah.Dr Akshat presented Scientific Paper.Students of JIAR performed Nukkad Natak to create awareness and information about Health through Ayurveda and Yoga for more than 1000 schools students of Goa and were well appreciated by all. JIAR Pharmacy GMP Certified Ayurveda Pharmacy exhibited their products in Arogya Expo.A grand representation of Jammu & Kashmir was made by JIAR under the leadership of Smt SumanSharma,Chairperson,Shri Sain Charitable Trust for Higher Education and Research,Jammu.
Police arrests four, busts fake licence racket in J&K’s Reasi
Jammu, Dec 12: Police on Monday have busted a fake licence racket and arrested four persons in Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Reasi, Amit Gupta said that acting on a specific complaint fake driving licences racket has been busted and four fraudsters involved in cheating are arrested.
He said that one Haq Nawaz of Sarh, Tehsil Mahore reported at police station Reasi with a written complaint that he applied for driving license and for this he came in contact with a group of agents who took Rs 35000 from him for providing the same.
On getting the complaint, a case was registered and investigation initiated, said the SSP.
He added that police team swung into action and on the identification of the complainant, arrested one Rajesh Kumar alias Happy of Panassa Tehsil Thakrakote.
During further course on investigations Police arrested Sham Lal alias Shamu of Vijaypur, Reasi who cheated him and dishonesty took off Rs 35000/- for making Driving license and provided him a license issued by Transport Officer Aalo, Arunanchal Pradesh.
During further investigations it was found that Rajesh Kumar and Sham Lal alongwith Jarnail of Panasa and one Deepak Sharma of Purkhoo Camp cheated the complainant by providing him a fake license and took money in lieu of it dishonesty.
Police team raided and arrested Deepak Kumar from Akhnoor Jammu and all other accused involved in the fraud from Reasi and further correspondence was made with transport authorities in Arunachal Pradesh, he added.
The arrests were made by Team led Inspector Vijay Sharma under the supervision of Iftkhar Ahmed Dysp Headquarters Reasi and Surjeet Bhagat ASP Reasi.
The SSP said that further investigations in the case is in progress and more arrests in the case cannot be ruled out. (Agencies)
You are the greatest of all time for me: Kohli pens emotional note for Ronaldo
Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli penned an emotional note for Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal forward’s World Cup dream ended.
Portugal crashed out of the 2022 World Cup following a 0-1 defeat against Morocco in the quarter-final.
“No trophy or any title can take anything away from what you have done in this sport and for sports fans around the world. No title can explain the impact you have had on people and what I and so many around the world feel when we watch you play,” Kohli wrote in an Instagram post.
“That is a gift from god. A real blessing to a man who plays his heart out every single time and is the epitome of hard work and dedication and a true inspiration for any sportsperson. You are for me the greatest of all time.”
The defeat to Morocco was almost certainly the 37-year-old’s last appearance in football’s showpiece tournament. The former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star cut a distraught figure as he walked off the pitch in tears immediately after the final whistle.
Ronaldo, who has been capped 195 times and scored a record 118 goals for his country, will be 41 when the next World Cup begins in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
India reports 159 new Covid cases
New Delhi, Dec 12: India saw a single-day rise of 159 coronavirus infections, while the active case count declined marginally to 3,906, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday.
The total tally of Covid cases stands at 4.46 crore (4,46,74,981), while the death toll was 5,30,658 with no fresh fatalities being reported, the data updated at 8 am stated.
The active cases constitute 0.01 per cent of the total infections, while the country’s COVID-19 recovery rate has increased to 98.80 per cent, according to the health ministry website.
A decrease of seven cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours and they now stand at 3,906.
The number of people who have recuperated from the disease rose to 4,41,40,417, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per cent.
According to the ministry’s website, 219.97 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive.
India crossed the grim milestone of two crore Covid cases on May 4 last year, three crore on June 23 last year and four crore on January 25 this year. (Agencies)
Mercury dips at most places in Kashmir, Gulmarg coldest at minus 4.4°C
Srinagar, Dec 12: Night temperatures recorded a fall at most places of Kashmir Valley with Gulmarg being the coldest place at minus 4.4°C on Monday.
Quoting a meteorological department official, news agency GNS reported that Srinagar saw a fall of nearly two degree Celsius in minimum temperature, recording a low of 1.6°C against 3.5°C on the previous night. The temperature was 2.2°C above the normal for this time of the year in Srinagar, he said.
Qazigund recorded a low of minus 0.2°C against 2.6°C on the previous night. The temperature was 0.6°C above normal for the gateway town of Kashmir, he said.
He said that Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 2.6°C against minus 5.0°C on previous night and it was 0.6°C above normal for the famous tourist resort in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, he said.
Jammu recorded a low of 9.1°C against 8.9°C on the previous night. It was 0.9°C below normal for J&K’s winter capital, he said. Banihal recorded a low of 0.6°C (below normal by 1.5°C), Batote 3.6°C (0.4°C below normal), Katra 9.1°C (0.5°C above normal) and Bhadarwah 2.7°C (1.4°C above normal).
In Ladakh, Leh recorded minus 9.0°C and Kargil minus 9.8°C, the official said.
Mainly dry weather has been predicted till December 20 in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. However, brief spell of light rain or snow may occur at isolated places over higher reaches, the MeT official added.
Seven deadlines later, Tawi lake project back on track
Jammu, December 11
The work on the construction of the Tawi artificial lake here, which is aimed at giving a boost to tourism in Jammu province, has finally taken off after encountering scores of delays in the past 13 years.
The artificial lake and river front beautification work at the Tawi river will be completed at a cost of Rs 280 crore by April next year. “If all goes as planned, the gated Tawi barrage project (artificial lake) would be completed by April 2023 along with the ongoing work on other components of artificial lake, including river bank protection, development of Tawi river front on the pattern of Sabarmati,” Jammu Mayor Rajinder Sharma said.
“We should be happy that at least the work has now started again (after many delays). It is a difficult task. But we hope it will be completed by the deadline,” he said. The Mayor said the lake would totally change the tourism landscape of Jammu.
Indiresh Prajapati, expert on lake projects, said the work was going on in full swing. “The bed work, channelisation of water, embankment constructions and diversions are being done,” he said.
The project, which was launched in 2009 by the then Congress-National Conference government, has been marred by delays, missing seven deadlines, before the work came to a standstill in 2018.
The state government has spent more than Rs 58 crore on the project in the past decade, after its foundation stone was laid by the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on December 5, 2009. After missing the first target date, the contractor further missed deadlines in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 when the work stopped.
In 1986, then Governor Jagmohan gave his approval to the lake project. The state government began the construction project in 2008-09 after much delay.“The work will be completed in 18 months. Now, the work has been going on at the left bank, right bank and the island of the river,” said Rahul Yadav, Chief Executive Officer, Smart City Jammu Ltd.
First G20 meeting of Finance, Central Bank deputies on Dec 13
New Delhi: The first meeting of the Finance and Central Bank Deputies under the G20 presidency of India will be held between December 13 and 15 in Bengaluru.
This meeting, which will mark the start of discussions on the Finance Track agenda under the Indian G20 presidency, will be hosted jointly by the Finances Ministry and the RBI.
The meeting will be co-chaired by economic affairs secretary Ajay Seth and RBI deputy governor Michael Patra.
Their counterparts from G20 member countries and from several other countries and international organizations invited by India, will participate in the two-day meeting.
The G20 Finance Track discusses key issues of relevance for the global economy, encompassing the global economic outlook, the international financial architecture, infrastructure development and financing, sustainable finance, global health, international taxation and financial sector issues, including financial inclusion.
In the Bengaluru meeting, issues related to reorienting international financial institutions to meet the shared global challenges of the 21st century.
It will also discuss managing global debt vulnerabilities, advancing financial inclusion and productivity gains, financing for climate action and SDGs, a globally coordinated approach to unbacked crypto assets and advancing the international taxation agenda.
Meanwhile, sources informed that the first Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting will be held during February 23 and 25, 2023 in Bengaluru.
Through a series of nearly 40 meetings, India will champion the cause of the “Global South”, promoting “oneness”, and lead in pushing for a collaborative action, official sources said. (Agencies)
Centre to move Constitution (SC and ST) Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 in RS today
Tribal Affairs Minister Arjun Munda is to move ‘The Constitution (Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes) Orders (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022’ in the Rajya Sabha to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) (Uttar Pradesh) Order, 1967.
The Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill. The Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on March 28, 2022. It was passed in the Lok Sabha in April. The Bill seeks to amend the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) (Uttar Pradesh) Order, 1967 (ST Order) and the Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order, 1950 (SC Order) with respect to its application to Uttar Pradesh.
The Bill amends the Scheduled Castes order to exclude Gond community as a Scheduled Caste in four districts of Uttar Pradesh: Chandauli, Kushinagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, and Sant Ravidas Nagar. It amends the ST order to recognise Gond community as a Scheduled Tribe in these four districts.The Winter Session of Parliament that began on December 7 will have a total of 17 working days. The government plans to introduce a total of 16 new Bills during the session according to the notified schedules.