National
GST collections pick up after falling for two straight months
New Delhi, Jan 25 (IANS) After falling for two consecutive months, revenue collections under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) picked up and touched Rs 86,703 crore in December compared to Rs 80,808 crore in November.
“Total revenue collections under GST for the month of December 2017 (received up to January 24) has been Rs 86,703 crore,” the Finance Ministry said.
Before picking up in December, the revenue collection fell for two consecutive months from over Rs 92,000 crore in September to Rs 83,346 crore in October and Rs 80,808 crore in November.
The GST collection for the month of July was over Rs 95,000 crore while for August, it was more than Rs 91,000 crore.
While the downward trend in GST collection started from October, the November figure may have been impacted by the major revamp of the GST tax structure brought in during the November 10 Guwahati meeting. In that meeting, the GST Council decided to slash tax slabs of 178 items from 28 per cent to 18 per cent while also reducing tax on several items in other slabs from mid-November ahead of the Gujarat elections.
At its January 18 meeting, the GST Council further slashed the GST rate on 54 services and 29 items with the new rates to come to force from Thursday. This may have some impact on the January and February collections.
However, to ensure compliance so that revenue collections pick up, the government has also made inter-state e-way bill mandatory from February 1. Fifteen states have said that they will also start intra-state e-way bills from February 1.
The government said that one crore taxpayers have been registered under GST so far till January 24, out of which 17.11 lakh are composition dealers which are required to file returns every quarter.
“56.30 lakh GSTR-3B returns have been filed for the month of December till January 24,” it said.
For the composition dealers, for the July-September quarter, the last date of filing GSTR-4 return was December 24.
“A total of 8.10 lakh returns were filed by composition dealers paying a total of Rs 335.86 crores as GST.”
For the October-December quarter, the last date for filing returns was January 18.
“A total of 9.25 lakh returns were filed by composition dealers for this quarter paying a sum of Rs 421.35 crore as GST,” it said.
–IANS
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National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.