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The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
85,000 students provided with uniforms, says Minister Muthusamy in Erode
Minister for Housing, Prohibition, and Excise, S. Muthusamy, said that 85,000 students studying in Classes VI to VIII were given uniforms as schools reopened in the district on Monday. In the presence of Collector Raja Gopal Sunkara, Erode MP K.E. Prakash, MLA V.C. Chandhirakumar, and Mayor S. Nagarathinam, the Minister inaugurated a new building block and laboratories worth ₹2.50 crore at the Government Higher Secondary School in Nanjappa Goundan Valasu, Surampatti. The project was funded under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by Bengaluru-based Alice Blue Financial Services Private Limited, as part of the State government's 'Namma School – Namma Ooru Palli' scheme. Addressing the media, the Minister said that special initiatives by the Education Department helped government schools, which were previously ranked among the bottom 30 positions in the previous public examination results, and that this had significantly improved their pass percentages, with some achieving centum results. He noted that boys tend to score lower marks than girls in examinations and that this gap would be addressed. However, he acknowledged that girls' academic performance has been consistently improving year after year. He also assured that the distribution of uniforms to all students in the district would be completed in the coming days. On the issue of POCSO cases, the Minister revealed that over 250 school-related incidents were reported last year and that immediate action was taken. 'This academic year, preventive measures will be implemented to ensure such issues do not recur,' he said. Responding to AIADMK general secretary and Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami's criticism that the DMK government failed to bring education under the State List, Mr. Muthusamy asserted that the government has been consistently advocating for shifting education from the Concurrent List to the State List. He questioned why, during the AIADMK's 10-year rule, no concrete steps were taken on the matter by the then Chief Minister. Deputy Mayor V. Selvaraj, Chief Education Officer K. Subbarao, Headmaster N. Rajesh, and M. Sidhavelayutham, Founder and CEO of Alice Blue, along with several others, were present at the event.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Panel on Centre-State relations to have a camp office in Delhi
The committee to review Centre-State relations, constituted by the Tamil Nadu government, will have a camp office in Delhi at the residence its chairperson, retired Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph. The State government has already issued orders and sanctioned staff and amenities for the high-level committee. According to a Government Order (G.O.) issued by the Public Department, its Secretary has been designated as the nodal officer in the government and single point of contact for the Committee. Last month, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced that a three-member high-level committee would be constituted to review Centre-State relations. K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty, retired IAS officer and former Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University, and M. Naganathan, former Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Commission, are the other members. The committee is expected to submit its interim report by January 2026, and the final report within two years. The mandate of the high-level committee includes reviewing the Constitutional provisions, laws, rules, and policies with respect to Centre-State relations; recommending ways to restore subjects moved from the State List to the Concurrent List; proposing measures for States to overcome administrative challenges; and suggesting reforms to ensure maximum autonomy to States without compromising the unity and integrity of the nation. The committee will also consider the recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee and subsequent commissions formed by the Union government on Centre-State relations in light of current political, social, and economic developments.
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Dual taxation on broadcasting services permissible in law: Supreme Court judgment
The Supreme Court has held in a judgment that broadcasting through television for the purpose of the entertainment of the subscribers can be separately taxed by the Centre and the State concerned A Bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and N. Kotiswar Singh said The Centre can impose service tax on the broadcasting service while the State concerned can, on the other hand, make cable operators and entertainment providers liable to pay entertainment tax. 'Broadcasting service being a taxable service under the provisions of the Finance Act, 1994, read along with the amendments made from time to time would enable both the Parliament to impose service tax on broadcasting service and the State Legislatures having the legislative competence to levy entertainment tax on those who provide entertainment to the recipients [television viewers],' the top court interpreted the law. Justice Nagarathna, who authored the judgment dated May 22, said imposition of two different taxes on two separate aspects of the same activity - broadcasting service - was permissible in law. There was no danger of overlapping taxation. 'There is no overlapping in fact or in law, inasmuch as different aspects of the same activity are being taxed under two different legislations by two different legislatures. This is because the activity of broadcasting is a service and liable to service tax imposed by the Parliament (Entry 97 – Union List) and the activity of entertainment is a subject falling under (Entry 62 - State List),' Justice Nagarathna held. The court said the expression 'entertainment' came within the ambit of 'luxury' defined in Entry 62 of the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. 'Advances in technology have resulted in varied forms of entertainment through various media and in a variety of ways, not only in a public place but also in the confines of private space such as a home, through mobile or a cell phone or smartwatch and other personal devices, etc. The expression 'entertainments' must be given a broad, liberal and expansive meaning,' the court said.
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Business Standard
23-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
SC upholds states' power to levy entertainment tax on DTH, cable services
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutional validity of entertainment tax imposed by state governments on cable and Direct-to-Home (DTH) television services. A Bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh ruled that states have the legislative authority to tax the entertainment component of such services, even if the broadcasting function is already subject to service tax by the Union government, Bar and Bench reported. DTH operators' appeals dismissed The top court dismissed appeals filed by major DTH providers, including Tata Sky (now Tata Play), Dish TV, and Sun Direct. These companies had challenged various state entertainment tax laws, arguing that the tax was unconstitutional since the Centre already levied a service tax on broadcasting. 'The state legislatures as well as the Parliament, both have the legislative competence to levy entertainment tax as well as service tax respectively on the activity carried out by the assessees herein,' the court stated in its 321-page judgment. The appeals arose from decisions of several high courts that had upheld the validity of state entertainment tax laws enacted under Entry 62 of the State List in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution. The states involved included Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Assam, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Odisha, and Uttarakhand. Broadcasting taxed on dual aspects Central to the Court's decision was the 'aspect theory', which permits different levels of government to tax separate components of the same transaction. 'The activity of broadcasting is for the purpose of entertainment of the subscriber... There are two aspects in this activity; the first is the act of transmission of signals... The second aspect concerns... the decryption of the signals by the set-top boxes,' the judgment noted. While the Centre can tax the service of broadcasting under Entry 97 of List I, the states are constitutionally permitted to tax the entertainment aspect under Entry 62 of List II. This distinction allows both forms of taxation to co-exist without conflict, the news report said. Court rejects industry argument DTH operators contended they were merely intermediaries in the broadcasting chain and that only service tax should apply. They argued that no separate 'entertainment' aspect existed in their services. The court, however, disagreed. 'No entertainment can be presented to the viewers unless the broadcaster transmits the signals for instantaneous presentation of any performance, film or any programme on their television,' it said. The SC Bench concluded that DTH service providers play a direct and essential role in delivering entertainment by providing set-top boxes and viewing cards that decrypt signals, the news report said. Kerala's appeal allowed; HC ruling overturned The judgment also reversed a 2012 Kerala High Court ruling that struck down a provision of the Kerala Tax on Luxuries Act, 1976. That provision had imposed a luxury tax on cable operators with more than 7,500 connections, while exempting smaller operators. The high court had held this classification violated Article 14 of the Constitution. 'The High Court erred in holding that the classification was unreasonable and lacked any rational nexus with the objects of the Kerala Act of 1976,' the Supreme Court ruled, allowing Kerala's appeal. Retrospective taxation addressed The apex court partially allowed appeals concerning retrospective taxation in Uttar Pradesh. It ruled that states cannot impose entertainment tax on DTH services for periods before legislative amendments specifically included such services. 'There needs to be a specific inclusion of DTH services within the ambit of entertainment in the charging provision... In the absence of specificity, the lacuna of a missing taxable event persists,' the court said. Clarification on taxing powers The judgment offered significant insights into constitutional interpretation, highlighting that taxation powers are distinct and cannot be implied under regulatory entries, the news report stated. "Under the Constitution of India, the power to tax is not an incidental or ancillary power," the court said, emphasising that Entry 31 of List I (covering broadcasting) does not empower taxation, whereas Entry 62 of List II specifically does. The top court reaffirmed that valid tax legislation must identify the taxable event, the measure and rate of tax, and who bears the incidence. It concluded that most state laws imposing entertainment tax on DTH services meet these constitutional criteria.
Borneo Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Fazzrudin: Wakaf provision in Land Code Amendment purely administrative, applies to all faiths
Fazzrudin speaking during today's State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting. – Ukas photo KUCHING (May 20): Tupong assemblyman Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman has defended the Land Code (Amendment) Bill, 2025 against claims that it introduces religious doctrine into Sarawak's secular laws, stressing that the wakaf-related provisions are purely administrative and apply across all faiths. Speaking during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today, Fazzrudin, who is also the Chief Political Secretary to the Premier of Sarawak, responded to concerns raised by Padungan assemblyman Chong Chieng Jen, who had earlier questioned the inclusion of Islamic endowment (wakaf) provisions in the Bill. Fazzrudin clarified that the amendment does not aim to introduce religious ideology into the Land Code, but to address practical issues in the administration and registration of land designated for religious and charitable purposes. 'If YB for Padungan had read the Bill carefully, it is clear that the amendment strictly pertains to land matters under the State List in the Federal Constitution. 'The wakaf clause is to facilitate land administration by the Land and Survey Department, and it applies not only to Islamic wakaf, but also to other religions with similar endowment practices,' he said. He also explained that land designated as wakaf is traditionally used for public benefit, such as houses of worship, educational institutions, welfare centres, and other community-building initiatives. However, the lack of a proper legal framework had led to administrative delays and confusion. 'We fully support and welcome the noble intentions of donors, both individuals and organisations, who wish to dedicate land for the public good. 'But until now, administrative hurdles have made it difficult for these intentions to materialise,' he said. Fazzrudin said the amendment would help streamline the registration of wakaf and endowment land, reduce legal disputes, and give authorities better clarity to plan developments surrounding such land without compromising its original purpose. 'The amendment gives legal clarity to land dedicated for building mosques, churches, temples, schools, or health clinics, ensuring that the donor's original intent is honoured and protected,' he said. He added that the amendment reflects the Sarawak government's ongoing commitment to inclusive social development, in line with the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030), particularly its strategic pillar on social inclusivity. 'Many of us in this august House have witnessed how wakaf land can become vibrant centres for community empowerment. But we must also ensure its sustainability, so future generations can continue to benefit. 'This reform ensures that land contributed in the spirit of public service is not left in legal or operational limbo, but instead given proper space and dignity within our physical development plans,' he said. Concluding his speech, Fazzrudin said the amendment reflects Sarawak's values of mutual respect, legacy, and social responsibility. 'Land is not merely a commodity as it is a legacy. With this amendment, we can ensure that wakaf and endowment lands become lasting beacons of community upliftment. Their essence lies in paying it forward,' he said. DUN sitting fazzrudin abdul rahman Land Code (Amendment) Bill lead wakaf
