New Delhi , July 12,2021: Despite the worse condition due to COVID-19 which impacted economic growth, the net direct tax collection has doubled to over Rs 2.49 lakh crore so far this fiscal, mainly driven by personal income tax and advance tax mop up, Income Tax department sources told ANI.
The net direct tax collections between April 1 and July 3 stood at Rs 2.49 lakh crore, compared to Rs 1.29 lakh crore over the corresponding period of the preceding year, representing an increase of 91 per cent over the collections of the preceding year. Net Direct Tax collections for the financial year (FY) 2021-22 have grown at a robust pace despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy.
The gross collection of Direct Taxes (before adjusting for refunds) for the FY 2021-22 stands at Rs 2.86 lakh crore compared to Rs 1.94 lakh crore in the corresponding period of the preceding year. This includes Corporation Income Tax (CIT), Personal Income Tax (PIT), Security Transaction Tax (STT) and advanced tax. This amount is expected to increase as further information is received from banks.
Commenting on the direct tax collection trends Income Tax department sources said collection figures are encouraging and the department is cautiously optimistic to achieve the Budget target set by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. He added that transparent and fair taxation system gives us the confidence, apart from revival of the economic activity, despite the difficult times, that we will be able to achieve the current target. The target for current fiscal has been set at Rs 11.08 lakh crore.
Commenting on the direct tax collection, Neeru Ahuja, Partner, Deloitte India said, “These are clearly positive outcomes of an economy getting back on track. Business optimism and the many compliance tracking initiatives taken by the tax authorities.”
Earlier Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in a statement said Income Tax department has issued refunds of over Rs 37,050 crore to more than 17.92 lakh taxpayers between April 1, 2021 to July 5, 2021. Income tax refunds of Rs 10,408 crore have been issued in 16,89,063 cases and corporate tax refunds of Rs 26,642 crore have been issued in 1,03,088 cases.
New Delhi , July 12,2021: In view of the prevailing COVID-19 situation, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday informed that more than 38.86 crores of vaccine doses have been provided to States and Union Territories (UTs).
“More than 38.86 crore (38,86,09,790) vaccine doses have been provided to States and UTs so far, through all sources and a further 63,84,230 doses are in the pipeline. Of this, the total consumption including wastages is 37,31,88,834 doses (as per data available at 8 AM today)”, read an official release by the ministry.
Also, more than 1.54 crore (1,54,20,956) balance and unutilised COVID vaccine doses are still available with the States and UTs and private hospitals to be administered.
The Union Government is committed to accelerating the pace and expanding the scope of COVID-19 vaccination throughout the country. The new phase of universalization of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from June 21, 2021.
The vaccination drive has been ramped up through the availability of more vaccines, advanced visibility of vaccine availability to States and UTs for enabling better planning by them and streamlining the vaccine supply chain.
As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has been supporting the States and UTs by providing them COVID Vaccines free of cost.
In the new phase of the universalisation of the COVID-19 vaccination drive, the Union Government will procure and supply (free of cost) 75 percent of the vaccines being produced by the vaccine manufacturers in the country to States and UTs.
Meanwhile, India reported 37,154 new COVID-19 cases, 39,649 recoveries, and 724 deaths in the last 24 hours, as per Health Ministry today.
Moscow, Jul 12,2021: Bulgaria’s ruling GERB party has surpassed the anti-establishment There is Such A People (ITN) party in the snap parliamentary elections, according to voting results from the Central Election Commission released after nearly 70 percent of the ballots had been counted.
With 67.2 percent of the votes processed, GERB is in the lead with 23.98 percent, while There is Such A People is second with 23.85 per cent, the commission said.
The Bulgarian Socialist Party is third with 13.71 percent. It is followed by Democratic Bulgaria with 12.68 percent of the votes, Movement for Rights and Freedoms with 9.95 percent, and Stand Up! Mafia Out! with 5.13 percent.
Earlier results from the Central Election Commission, released after 20 percent of the ballots had been counted, showed that There is Such A People was leading with 25.99 percent, while the ruling GERB party was second with 24.14 percent.
Snap parliamentary elections were held in Bulgaria on Sunday, with 15 parties and eight coalitions having taken part. The previous legislative elections in Bulgaria were held in April, when Former Prime Minister Boyko Borisov’s GERB party won with more than 26 percent, but failed to form a government.
Moscow, Jul 11,2021: Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar says Pakistan has been working on strengthening security at the border with Afghanistan amid foreign troops withdrawal.
“Right now, 90 per cent of the Pak-Afghan border has been fenced,” Iftikhar said in an interview with ARY News on Saturday, as quoted by the Dawn newspaper. He added that Pakistan is “very well prepared” and the current border security mechanism is “much better.”
According to Iftikhar, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry is prepared for a possible influx of refugees from Afghanistan.
The foreign troops withdrawal from Afghanistan, almost complete on the American side ahead of the September 11 deadline, is widely feared to bring about a humanitarian crisis in the country and cause waves of refugees to flee to the neighboring states.
Tasnim Aslam, a former Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, told Sputnik on Wednesday that Pakistan is concerned that extremists may hide among refugees coming from Afghanistan and spread uncontrollably across the region with migrant flows. She also said that the instability in the country will allow drug trafficking to flourish, as various groups inside Afghanistan will increasingly rely on the drug trade to fund their operations.
In view of this, Aslam urged regional partners to strengthen border protection, as, she added, under US “occupation,” Afghanistan’s drug production only increased.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was in contact with the leaders of Central Asian countries on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan.
Moscow, Jul 10,2021: Haiti’s Senate has issued a resolution declaring President of the Haitian Senate Joseph Lambert interim president following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, local media report.
The resolution was adopted on Friday and was supported by several Haitian opposition parties and organizations, Rezo Nodwes said.
According to Haiti’s police, a group of 26 Colombians and two Americans shot President Moise in his home on Wednesday. The National Police said earlier on Friday that 17 Colombians and two Americans of Haitian descent suspected of participating in the assassination had been detained. In a later update, police said that another suspect, identified as Mendivelso Jaimes Gersain, a Colombian national, was also detained.
Hyderabad, Jul 10,2021:General Insurance Employees All India Association (GIEAIA) General Secretary K Govindan said the ‘Central government should merge the public insurance companies under one entity instead of privatizing them’.
Delivering his lecture on the ninth day of the month-long AIBEA National Webinars to commemorate the 52nd anniversary of Bank Nationalisation on theme ‘Vibrant Banking for Vibrant India’ and focus ‘people’s money for people’s Welfare’, on Friday night, he took the attendees through the entire journey of banking system in India and the significant events on bank’s nationalization that have eventually resulted in ripe fruit for the nation.
On the contrary, in the current scenario public sector units including banks and insurance companies are being pushed towards privatization, Mr Govindan said and narrated as to how before Nationalisation of general insurance companies in 1971, there had been a mushroom of private general insurance companies and due to their mismanagement and failures, general insurance companies were nationalised under four Public Sector General Insurance Companies — National Insurance Company, Oriental Insurance Company, United India Insurance Company and New India Assurance.
Since the nationalisation of general insurance companies, the business of the general insurance got improved manifold. At the lowest rate of premium, the public sector insurance companies are able to provide general insurance coverage to the people of the country especially to the common man, he said.
Suggesting the alternative, the GIEAIA General Secretary said, “the government should merge public insurance companies under one entity instead of privatizing them.”
Pointing towards the wrongful approach of the government, the speaker shared that the insurance sector is dealing with other challenges like working with the hospitals that do not follow standardized charges. Instead of acting enablers for this public institution, the government is just dismantling or privatizing them, he remarked.
On his recent meeting with the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam, Mr Govindan said, “When we met her last week we did ask when there are already 21 private insurance companies then why add one more.”
He said the Finance Minister assured to protect all the benefits, however, there would be some benefits that might not be available post the anticipated privatization of the sector like job security, social security and reservation.
The speaker said that while AIBEA is fighting to safeguard the public sector banking, the GIEAIA too wants the Insurance sector to remain a public institution.
United Nations, Jul 10,2021: The United Nations has received Haiti’s request for military assistance following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise and is now examining the letter, the office of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Sputnik.
Earlier media reports said that Haiti had sent a letter to the UN asking it to send troops to help protect key infrastructure and ensure security and public order In Haiti after the assassination. Haiti has also asked the US for similar military assistance.
“What we can tell you is that our special political mission in Haiti, BINUH, received the letter, which is being examined. The dispatch of troops under any circumstances would be a matter for the Security Council to decide,” Guterres’ office told Sputnik in a statement.
Kabul [Afghanistan], July 9,2021: Taliban would not engage in a dialogue with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government as long as the Pakistani military and intelligence continue to give sanctuary to terrorists, said a prominent Afghan expert.
In an interview with German’s DW, Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and best-selling foreign policy author of several books about Afghanistan, said that the chaotic situation in Afghanistan “can suck in the neighbouring countries.”
“If that happens, that will be the end of Afghanistan,” he said.
“Why should they when their leaders and their families are safe? If Pakistan wants to show its sincerity, it needs to immediately force the Taliban leaders to either compromise or leave their sanctuaries in Quetta or in Peshawar,” Rashid said.
The violence has escalated in Afghanistan as foreign forces are withdrawing from the war-torn country.
There is a fear of full-blown civil war as the Taliban stepped forward and took control of several districts in the country’s north, while Afghan forces are retaliating and launching a counter-offensive against the Taliban.
Hundreds of Afghan security personnel recently retreated across the Tajik-Afghan border in response to Taliban advances in northern Afghanistan.
Islamabad has been accused of aiding the Taliban and using them as proxies for its own benefit. However, it continues to deny its connection to the terrorist group despite mounting evidence.
Recently, Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has admitted that families of Afghan Taliban reside in his country, including in the capital city of Islamabad.
Ahmed also said the Taliban receive medical treatment in Pakistani hospitals.
This was in contrast to what Pakistan claims. Last month, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had denied the presence of Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan.
He had said that the terrorist group’s leaders “are in Afghanistan.” Moreover, he denied the existence of such institutions in Pakistan and said he “has been hearing of these terms for now decades.”
Afghan officials have long maintained that Pakistan provides shelter and military support to the Taliban.
But as the US is ending its two-decade war in Afghanistan, Pakistan’s alleged interference in Afghanistan has become a major topic of discussion in the Afghan media, According to DW.
“You must be aware that we are under attack from Pakistan. It is not the Taliban that we are fighting: We are dealing with Pakistan’s proxy war,” Abdul Sattar Hussaini, an Afghan lawmaker, said on a recent TV talk show.
“The Taliban do not have any plan for Afghanistan, and we are not ready to accept Pakistan’s plan,” he said.