I&B Ministry
Rajya Sabha panel approves GST with minor changes, several parties attach dissent notes
NEW DELHI: Even though the Rajya Sabha Select Committee on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) gave its green signal today, the going will not be easy in view of the fact that the opposition – which is in a majority in the house – may ultimately have its way.
The Committee endorsed almost all the provisions and also agreed to demands of parties like the Trinamool Congress for a five-year compensation to states.
Chaired by the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Bhupender Yadav, changes were suggested in some clauses pertaining to compensation, and levy of one per cent additional tax by the states on inter-state supply of goods.
The government plans to implement GST from April next year, which has been pending for several years with every Finance Minister making promises. The GST is expected to provide great relief as it will subsume within itself many other taxes being levied at present like excise, service tax, and local levies.
The report placed in the House today contains dissent notes from Congress, AIADMK and Left parties, which have expressed their opposition to the GST Constitution Amendment Bill in the existing form.
The GST Bill, which has already been approved by the Lok Sabha where the ruling party is in majority, will now be taken up by the Rajya Sabha for discussion. Being a Constitution Amendment Bill, it has to be approved by two-thirds of the members present and voting.
The Committee has suggested that the provision in the bill that provided Centre “may” compensate states for a period up to five years for any revenue loss be substituted by a commitment for compensation for five years.
In a clause relating to levy of one per cent additional tax by states, the committee suggested that the levy should only be on “all forms of supply made for a consideration.”
It, however, retained the representation of the Centre and States at the proposed level at one-third and two-third despite demand to reduce Centre’s representation to one-fourth.
I&B Ministry
MIB halts news TRPs for four weeks over sensational US-Iran conflict coverage
Government flags panic-mongering in television war coverage
NEW DELHI: India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC) to suspend television ratings for news channels for four weeks amid concerns over sensational coverage of the ongoing conflict involving the United States and Iran.
According to media reports, the move intends to curb excessive dramatisation in television reporting that could trigger unnecessary public anxiety.
Officials have observed that several news broadcasters are amplifying developments in the conflict in ways that may fuel panic among viewers. By temporarily halting the publication of viewership data, the ministry hopes to ease the competitive pressure on channels to chase ratings through sensational content.
The suspension will remain in effect for one month for now. During this period, television news channels will continue to broadcast as usual, but their audience measurement figures will neither be counted nor released.
Authorities will monitor both the evolving geopolitical situation and the tone of television coverage during the pause. The four-week suspension could be extended if the government believes the risk of panic-mongering or sensational reporting persists.
