News Broadcasting
Ad campaign urges cable trade to pay service tax
MUMBAI: The directorate general of service tax and the local central excise office has issued an advertisement in all publications today, urging cable operators to pay the five per cent service tax in the interest of the nation and “for their own good”.
Meanwhile, business daily reports indicate that there is a strong probability that the Centre may increase service taxes from five to eight per cent in Budget 2003-4.
The department, in its ad, says that those who provide taxable services have to be mandatorily registered with the jurisdictional central excise department and pay the service tax on the amount realised for the services rendered.
The ad says that service tax is recoverable from the customers of the service providers – the TV viewers in this case. It claims that the tax procedure has been simplified to ensure that there is no harrassment to the service provider.
Cable operators can register by filing the simple ST-1 form which can be downloaded from the website www.cbec.gov.in. The tax has to be paid in authorised banks by the 25th day of the following month. Individual service providers, partnership firms, proprietorship firms can pay tax on quarterly basis by 25 January, April, July and October.
Half yearly returns can be filed by 25 April for the half year ending March and 25 October for the half year ending September.
It is important to note that the service tax is payable only on the amount received by the service provider for the services rendered.
BJP MP Kirit Somaiya had earlier demanded that the MSOs and the cable operators must disclose the details of the previous three years’ entertainment tax, service tax, income tax collected and paid by them. Somaiya has alleged that cable operators and MSOs don’t give receipts to consumers. He says less than 400 cable operators in Mumbai were registered with the service tax department which falls under the preview of the Excise department.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
