Mira-Bhayandar Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey transferred days after MNS slapgate over Marathi row
Published 9 Jul 2025, 05:54 PM IST Mint Image
Mira-Bhayandar Police Commissioner Madhukar Pandey transferred. Niket Kaushik to be the Police Commissioner. Last week, a shopkeeper was assaulted by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers for not speaking Marathi.
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Mint
9 hours ago
- Mint
GST relief to boost consumer spending, lift FMCG sector's growth
Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day announcement of long-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms has raised hopes of consumer goods becoming cheaper, giving relief to households and packaged goods makers. There is a proposal to retain two major GST rates going ahead, eliminating the 12% and 28% slabs. Most of the products and services that currently attract a tax rate of 12% and 28% will be shifted to the 5% and 18% slabs, respectively. A few remaining items in the 28% bracket, currently the highest, will be moved to a new 40% slab, Mint reported earlier. This new slab will cover only a few 'sin goods' such as tobacco products, pan masala, and luxury cars. 'We expect the demand outlook for the FMCG sector to improve, supported by the Central government's focus on accelerating consumption in the economy," analysts at Emkay Securities said in a note dated 17 August. 'The government is now aiming to reduce the indirect tax burden by simplifying the Goods and Services Tax (GST) structure." The move will aid both consumers and producers, said Jayen Mehta, managing director at the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, which markets dairy products under the AMul brand. 'This will benefit farmers. While products such as curd are already taxed at 5%, products like ghee, butter, ice cream, and cheese will move down to the 5% slab," he said. Both ghee and butter currently attract a 12% tax. 'Ghee, in particular, is a very important product after milk. However, high tax rates have kept consumption restricted to the unorganized sector. The lower GST will help change that and give consumers access to better quality and branded ghee," he said. Overall, Mehta said the move would boost consumption and benefit local producers. Analysts at Emkay Securities said the move is likely to have limited price benefits for categories such as home and personal care due to their predominant classification under the 5% and 18% slabs. In contrast, food and beverage companies may see direct benefits from a decrease in rates. Food and beverages have varied products across the 5%, 12%, and 18% slabs. Many products currently in the 12% slab—ghee, savouries, bottled water, butter, cheese, paneer, juice, instant noodles, pasta, Chyawanprash, soya chunks, and wafers—are likely to see a reduction to the 5% slab, in our view, analysts said. "If the tax rate reduces to 5%, Bikaji (approx. 80% of revenue) and Gopal Snacks (approx. 85% of revenue) are likely to benefit; Nestlé will see a tax reduction in approximately 30% of its portfolio (instant noodles, pasta, and ketchup)," per the report. 'Further, Dabur will see a partial benefit in beverages and Chyawanprash, which make up approximately 23% of its India revenue. ITC's 11% revenue in the 'other FMCG' segment (noodles, juice, and dairy) may benefit. Britannia's dairy and wafers portfolio would benefit, which is less than 5% of its India revenue. Marico and HUL are likely to benefit, although their share of revenue is limited." Home and personal care In the home and personal care segment, most products are currently taxed at 18% GST. Exceptions include hand wash and toothbrushes (5%, likely to remain), sanitary pads (nil), baby care (12%, potentially moving to 5%), and mouthwash (12%, possibly moving to 18%). As such, direct benefits for for the category are expected to be minimal. Modi, in his speech, said the central government is working with states to reform GST and bring significant relief to people. 'In this Deepavali, you will be getting a double Deepavali," he said. 'Any step towards a more simplified and rational GST structure will provide much-needed relief to the FMCG sector, particularly for companies like ours in the packaged foods and snacks space where margins are under pressure," Manish Aggarwal, Director, Bikano, Bikanervala Foods Pvt Ltd. said. A predictable and streamlined tax regime not only eases compliance but also helps us pass on benefits to consumers, ensuring better affordability and growth of the category, Aggarwal added. However, the industry is awaiting further clarity on the revised rates. India's FMCG sector reported 13.9% growth in the June quarter, up from 3.3% in Q1FY25 driven primarily by price growth in food products. Volume growth remained steady at 6% year-on-year. 'The rationalization of GST rates could provide a strong tailwind to the FMCG sector. A large share of items currently in the 12% slab—milk-based products, dry fruits, processed and frozen foods, and daily-use essentials—are expected to shift into the 5% bracket. This reduction will improve affordability, lift consumption, and help an industry that has been struggling with a prolonged demand slowdown," said said Manoj Mishra, partner and tax controversy management leader, Grant Thornton Bharat. Mishra said the move, coming ahead of the festive season, is crucial and may translate into stronger volumes, better consumer sentiment, and a measurable push to overall economic growth.
Mint
13 hours ago
- Mint
Mint Explainer: Will fewer slabs in GST 2.0 finally fix India's tax maze?
While delivering his Independence Day address on 15 August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the long-overdue goods and service tax (GST) reforms. He promised a "double Diwali' this year, indicating that a reformed GST system with lower rates for consumers would be in place before the festival of lights. Mint looks at the proposal, its implications and whether GST 2.0 will correct all the shortcomings of the earlier version. Why is GST India's biggest indirect tax reform? The idea of GST was first proposed in the year 2000 by the Kelkar Task Force on Indirect taxes. It took 17 long years for it to become a reality and was rolled out on 1 July 2017. By subsuming a wide variety of taxes such as excise duty, value-added tax and service tax, it created a uniform tax rate across the country. The simplified taxation system eliminated the cascading effect of taxes, reduced compliance and logistics costs, while improving the ease of doing business. GST collections have risen sharply in the last eight years. In July 2025, it was ₹1.96 trillion as against ₹0.92 trillion mopped up in July 2017. What were its shortcomings? There were many. To address the concerns of all the states and to bring them on board, after all, they were giving up their right to levy taxes, many compromises were made. This resulted in multiple tax rates. There were four major tax slabs (5%, 12%, 18% and 28%), two carve-out rates (0.25% for diamonds and 3% for precious metals like gold and silver) and a compensation cess. Also, multiple rates created inverted duty structure and the indirect tax was an implementation nightmare. The simplicity that GST promised was lost in the process. What is a compensation cess? While negotiating GST, many states were worried about losing revenue. To give them the confidence and get them to agree, the Centre committed to make good any loss in revenue on account of GST and to fund this, it levied a compensation cess on select items. If the GST collections fell short, the states were paid out of the funds collected through the cess. The commitment to compensate the states ended after five years on 30 June 2022 but was extended to repay loans that the Centre had borrowed during covid to compensate the states for revenue shortfall. Compensation Cess will come to an end by March 2026. What has the government proposed now? The government has said that there will be just two major GST rates. It will eliminate the 12% and 28% slabs. Most of the items in the 12% and 28% slab will move to 5% and 18% respectively. A 40% slab will be introduced for sin goods such as tobacco, and pan masala and luxury cars. Compensation cess will be phased out, and a health cess may be imposed for sin goods. The carve-out rates of 0.25% and 3% will continue. Will these measures simplify GST? Experts are divided. Purists among indirect tax experts say anything more than a single slab makes GST complex and less efficient. They suggest a 12% or 13% rate, which is slightly higher than the revenue- neutral rate. Three slabs (5%, 18% and 40%) plus two carve-out rates won't bring about much change. They also argue that a large chunk of the consumption basket, such as electricity, petroleum products, alcohol and stamp duty, is outside the GST. For an efficient taxation system, most of them should be brought within GST. They want the government to place the proposal in the public domain for discussion before undertaking the reforms. What do officials say? Government officials and other experts argue that the proposed reform is a 'gigantic' move. The government had originally talked about removing just the 18% slab. They say that most developed nations have two major slabs (merit and standard) with carveout rates for diamonds and precious metals. In India's case, the 40% slab will be another carveout rate. With lesser slabs, the inverted duty structure—the bane of GST 1.0—will be eliminated. Lower rates, they add, will trigger a consumption boom. Increased consumption will trigger private investment and accelerate economic growth at a time when Indian exports are facing headwinds from steep US tariffs. They expect only a temporary fiscal impact as higher consumption will compensate for lower rates.
News18
19 hours ago
- News18
2 dead, 117 injured in Dahi Handi festivities in Mumbai and Thane
Mumbai/Thane, Aug 17 (PTI) Two persons have died and 117 others suffered injuries during the 'Dahi Handi' festival in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane city which drew large crowds of people, including celebrities, officials said. In Thane, Bollywood actors Govinda, Chunky Pandey and Sunil Shetty attended the festivities held on Saturday. Some leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) also came together to join the celebration, amid speculation of a possible alliance between the two parties for the upcoming local body polls in Maharashtra. Amid the scramble to woo Marathi voters, Dahi Handi celebrations organised by leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT), rival Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, and Raj Thackeray-headed MNS in Mumbai and neighbouring areas remained steeped in political symbolism. The festival, celebrated to mark the birth of Lord Krishna, saw troupes of young men and women forming human pyramids to break dahi handis (pots of curd) suspended in the air with ropes. Rohan Mohan Malvi, part of the Gaondevi Govinda Pathak, fell unconscious while sitting in a tempo at Adarsh Nagar in Mumbai's Andheri area on Saturday, an official said, adding he did not take part in the pyramid formation since he recently suffered a bout of jaundice. 'He was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar where doctors declared him dead on arrival," the official said. Earlier, on Saturday afternoon, a 32-year-old man, identified as Jagmohan Shivkiran Chaudhari, fell to death while tying 'Dahi Handi' in Mankhurd in the north eastern part of the metropolis, officials said. 'He was tying the handi to a rope from the first-floor window grille of his house in Maharashtra Nagar when he fell. He was taken to the civic-run Shatabdi Govandi Hospital where he was declared brought dead," an official said. Till 9 pm on Saturday, 95 persons were reported to be injured during the festivities in Mumbai, with the condition of two being serious, the official said. 'Of the 95 govindas, 76 were discharged after treatment, while 19 are hospitalised. The 95 injured comprise 30 in the island city, 31 in the eastern suburbs and 34 in the western part of the city," he informed. In Thane city, 22 participants were injured while attempting human pyramids, local civic body's disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said. Of them, 17 were admitted to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Hospital in Kalwa, including some who suffered head injuries, shoulder dislocations, waist and chest injuries, he said. An 18-year-old participant, who suffered a head injury, was referred to the state-run J J Hospital in Mumbai for advanced care. Some of the others injured included children in the age group of 5 to 10 years, the official said. Another five persons were admitted to the District Government Hospital in Thane, with injuries ranging from hand fractures to back pain and abrasions, Tadvi said. The festivities drew large crowds at multiple mandals in Thane where actors Govinda, Chunky Pandey and Sunil Shetty joined the celebrations. Actor Govinda danced to some of his popular songs at a Dahi Handi festival gathering in Tembi Naka area of Thane, where Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was also present. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and former MP Rajan Vichare and MNS leader Avinash Jadhav came together at festivities organised by the Raj Thackeray's party at Naupada in Thane, and announced their partnership was like 'Fevicol ki jodi which cannot be separated by anyone." PTI KK KRK BNM COR GK (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 17, 2025, 08:45 IST News agency-feeds 2 dead, 117 injured in Dahi Handi festivities in Mumbai and Thane Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
