Indian Diaspora Celebrates Historic Independence Day With Tricolour Over Seattle Space Needle
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The Hindu
27 minutes ago
- The Hindu
No foreign voters in Bihar SIR list; Modi brings divisive agenda: CPI(ML)
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has welcomed the interim order of the Supreme Court on the special intensive revision (SIR) of the voters list in Bihar. He said the Election Commission of India (ECI) is forced to back off from its stand on the matter and hoped that the poll body will ensure transparency in preparing voters' lists and provide details for the reasons of the omission of voters published in the draft list. Countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement on Independence Day that illegal immigration is threatening the country's demography, Mr. Bhattacharya said the SIR exercise in Bihar did not bring out a single case of illegal immigrants in the State. 'PM Modi gave his longest Independence Day speech, but the important point is that the theme of Independence Day is now being reduced to partition. It is as if the government is trying to finish the incomplete agenda of partition,' he said. He maintained that out of the 65 lakh voters who have been disenfranchised, no one was a foreign national. 'But once again, Modi ji has brought back that agenda, completely unsubstantiated, the bogey of illegal immigration, infiltration. And the things that they are doing to change our demography, taking away all jobs, occupying land, getting married to women and forcing conversion. This is a total anti-immigrant agenda of the RSS and BJP. This is what led to partition, perhaps they want another partition...' he said. He asked how the Centre concluded on the number of foreign nationals entering India illegally, when there has been no Census since 2011. 'It has created a tone of terror in the country, it has created major insecurity, and when you sort of view it together with the ongoing SIR, the backdoor NRC, the ongoing so-called police verification drive, the MHA circular, so it creates before us the danger of a huge social division and the creation of a permanent category of disenfranchised people,' he said.
Mint
27 minutes ago
- Mint
India's ‘Next Gen GST' may pave way for single tax slab System: Report
Senior government officials have described the proposed GST tax reforms as 'Next Gen GST', a significant overhaul that could eventually pave the way for a single sales/services tax rate by 2047. The proposal, if approved by the GST council, aims to replace the current four-slab structure in the goods and services tax (GST) regime with a two-slab regime, featuring rates of 5 per cent and 18 per cent, while also retaining a 40 per cent tax on 'sin goods.' This new system would eliminate the 12 per cent and 28 per cent tax brackets, PTI reported. The primary goal of this reform is to boost the economy and also serve to mitigate tariff threats. Calling it the "next Gen GST', one government official said "it is a game changer reform. In the pantheon of economic reforms seen in India, it's right up there." said officials who spoke to PTI. They also said the new structure would mean that almost all of the common use items will move to the lower tax bracket, leading to price cuts, which in turn would boost consumption. The changes are a result of nearly six months of extensive deliberations and meetings, with an aim of creating a stable tax environment and preventing the accumulation of input tax credit (ITC). The new structure is designed to cater to the needs of the middle class, poor, farmers, and MSMEs in mind. Daily use items, such as packaged food, beverages and apparel would be moved to the lower 5 per cent from 12 per cent bracket to boost consumption of these products. "Once the system is put in place and India becomes a developed nation, we can think about a single rate GST," said the official, adding that a single rate structure is suitable for developed countries where income and spending capacities are uniform. "We have looked at every item, item by item and in some cases we have gone back and forth 3-4 times. Whether it is pesticide for use by farmers or pencils for students or some raw material or intermediaries for MSMEs, every item has been discussed threadbare and categorized in the merit or standard slab,' the official said. According to the proposal, a significant number of items would be re-categorized: 12 to 5 per cent: As many as 99 per cent of the items in the 12 per cent category such as butter, fruit juices and dry fruits would move to 5 per cent tax rate. 28 to 18 per cent: About 90 per cent of the items currently taxed at 28 per cent, including electronic items like ACs, TVs, fridges, and washing machines as well as other goods like cement will be moved to the 18 per cent slab. The Council is expected to meet next month to deliberate on the tax reform proposal. The move comes after US President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on all goods India exports to the US, bringing the total to 50 per cent from August 27 to punish New Delhi for its crude oil purchases from Russia. The tariffs are likely to impact $40-billion of non-exempt Indian exports such as that of gems and jewelry, textiles and footwear. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day address to the nation on Friday emphasized that India should become self-reliant and consume what is made in India, PTI reported.
India Today
39 minutes ago
- India Today
Trump's tariffs put Tamil Nadu's 20,000 factories, 30 lakh jobs at risk
India's knitwear capital has raised an SOS after US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on Indian exports, putting 20,000 factories and nearly 30 lakh jobs at Duraisamy, Joint Secretary of the Thiruppur Exporters Association, said the district, with 2,500 exporters and 20,000 standalone units, contributes 68 percent of India's knitwear exports.'Last year we made a turnover of Rs 44,744 crore, which is a phenomenal growth amidst the COVID lockdown, the slowing down of the Western economy and the Russia-Ukraine crisis. After this, we got 20 percent growth. Thiruppur caters to the USA, the UK, European Nations, Australia, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and African countries, of which American business is 40 percent and Europe makes another 40 percent, the UK 10 percent and the rest is 10 percent,' he dependent solely on US buyers face the brunt of the crisis. Factories manufacturing core items such as undergarments, baby suits, and sleepwear are in 'deep trouble' as razor-thin margins make it impossible to absorb tariffs.'Buyers have instructed the factories to shipout whatever goods which are ready by 27th August while also asking to absorb a certain portion of the tariff which many have agreed to. But when the second 25 percent is announced for India, it is a huge blow as no one can absorb such a blow. This has put a hold on orders with buyer instructing no more shipment of orders after 27th August,' Duraisamy Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking urgent intervention. 'In the last financial year, while 20% of India's total goods exports of $433.6 billion were to the United States, 31% of Tamil Nadu's $52.1 billion goods exports went there. This higher dependency on the US market clearly implies that tariff impact on Tamil Nadu will be disproportionately greater than for most other Indian states,' Stalin that Tamil Nadu accounts for 28 percent of India's textile exports, Stalin warned that a tariff hike could endanger millions of livelihoods. 'Especially, our textile sector employs nearly 75 lakh people and with a 25 percent tariff and a proposed 50 percent tariff, an estimated 30 lakh jobs are at immediate risk. To mitigate this crisis, it is essential to address structural issues that have long hindered our export competitiveness,' he said.- EndsMust Watch advertisementIN THIS STORY#Tamil Nadu
