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‘Covid Virus Is Very Deceptive And We Have To Remain Vigilant Against This,’ Says PM Modi

On the occasion of Ram Navami, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the 14th Foundation Day celebration at Umiya Mata Temple at Gathila, Junagadh in Gujarat on Sunday via video conferencing.

Umiya Maa is considered as the Clan-deity or Kuldevi of the KadavaPatidars.

PM Modi greeted the gathering on the auspicious occasion of the foundation day of the temple and Ram Navami. Modi told the gathering that Ram Navami is being celebrated at a grand scale in Ayodhya and in the entire country. He also expressed gratitude for getting an opportunity of dedicating the temple in 2008 and to pay obeisance to Maa Umiya for last many years.

PM noted that as a devotee of Maa Umiya, it is not possible for people to cause any damage to the mother earth. As we do not feed unnecessary medicines to our mother, we should not use unnecessary chemicals on our land too, he said. He talked about measures to preserve land area like water preservation schemes like per drop more crop. He said we cannot afford to  relax on the movement of water preservation. He reiterated the need to promote natural farming.

He emphasized the need to be active against malnutrition among children and girls. He also emphasized the need to take special care of nutrition of the expecting mothers. Pain of malnutrition needs to be completely eradicated, he stressed.

Referring to the efforts during the pandemic, Modi said that the virus is very deceptive and we have to remain vigilant against this. He said that India has performed an amazing feat of administering 185 crore doses of vaccines.

He credited social awareness for this and other movements like Swachhta and  Single Use Plastic reduction. He said that along with spiritual dimension centres of faith play a major role in spreading social consciousness.

Vice President calls for greater participation of private sector in strengthening health infrastructure

Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday emphasised the need for greater private sector participation in strengthening healthcare infrastructure in India. Noting that catering to India’s healthcare needs is a stupendous task, he called upon the private sector to complement the government efforts and take “medical profession and allied activities as a mission”.

He made the remarks while inaugurating the new Mahajan Imaging facility in Safdarjung Development Area in New Delhi.

Naidu said that making world-class health infrastructure and diagnostics accessible to people is the need of the hour and that high-standard diagnostics will enable doctors to diagnose more accurately and make safer interventions.

Highlighting the worrying trend of increasing non-communicable diseases in India, Naidu urged the medical fraternity in the private sector to create awareness among people, particularly the youth, on the dangers posed by a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy dietary habits. Naidu appealed to the people to shun a sedentary lifestyle and adopt a healthy way of living.

Mamata Banerjee Condemns “Attack” On Sharad Pawar’s Residence

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday condemned an “attack” on the residence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar.

MSRTC (Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation) workers staged a protest outside Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar’s Mumbai residence on Friday, alleging he has not done anything to resolve their issues.

“I condemn the attack on the residence of one of India’s senior most public figures, Sharad Pawar @PawarSpeaks and welcome the statement of @CMOMaharashtra for stern action against the offenders,” she tweeted.

Earlier, Pawar’s daughter and Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule tried to pacify the protesters, but failed.

Centre creates matrix for 50 agricultural products to help boost agri exports

As India’s agricultural exports crossed USD 50 billion for the year 2021-22, the central government has created matrix for 50 farm products to further boost shipments.

“We have also created products matrix for 50 agricultural products which have good scope for expanding our exports portfolios,” said M Angamuthu, Chairman, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).

APEDA which works under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has scripted a new history by exporting agricultural and processed food products to the tune of USD 25.6 billion, which is 51 per cent of the India’s total agriculture exports of USD 50 billion.

Besides, the APEDA has also surpassed its own export target of USD 23.7 billion for the financial year 2021-22 by registering shipment of USD 25.6 billion.

According to the DGCI&S data, export of rice was the top forex earner at USD 9654 million during 2021-22, growing 9.35 per cent from previous year when it touched USD 8829 million.

The export of wheat touched an all-time high at USD 2118 million in 2021-22, growing 273 per cent from 2020-21 when it touched USD 567 million, while other cereals registered a growth of 53 per cent in 2021-22 in compare to the previous financial year.

Export of pulses reported a growth of 34 per cent touching USD 358 million in 2021-22 from USD 265 million in 2020-21.

Dairy products grew over by 96 per cent standing at USD 634 million in 2021-22 from USD 323 million in 2020-21, while buffalo meat registered a growth of just 4 per cent as export of bovine meat increased from USD 3171 million in 2020-21 to USD 3303 million in 2021-22.

Export of poultry products rose to USD 71 million in 2021-22 from USD 58 million in the previous year and sheep/goat meat export is up by 34 per cent at USD 60 million in 2021-22 from USD 44 million in the previous year.

Fruits and vegetables exports were up by 12 per cent to touch USD 1676 million in 2021-22 against USD 1492 million in 2020-21, while processed fruits and vegetables exports were up by 7 per cent to reach USD 1202 million in 2021-22 against USD 1120 million in the previous year.

Exports of other processed food items grew by 34 per cent during 2021-22 to touch USD 1164 million against USD 866 million in 2020-21.

Floriculture products reported a rise of 33 per cent when it touched USD 103 million in 2021-22 from USD 77 million in 2020-21.

APEDA’s major exporting destination as per 2021-22 data are Bangladesh, UAE, Vietnam, USA, Nepal, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Iran and Egypt.

President Kovind, PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi, other political leaders extends greetings on Ram Navami

President Ram Nath Kovind greeted the people on Twitter on the occasion of Ram Navami on Sunday.

“Happy Ram Navami to all the countrymen. Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram’s life, his conscientiousness and high ideals are the source of guidance and inspiration for the entire humanity. Let us all take a pledge to contribute to nation building by imbibing the ideals of Lord Ram in our lives,” President tweeted in Hindi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his greeting and tweeted, “Happy Ram Navami to the countrymen. May everyone get happiness, peace and prosperity in life by the grace of Lord Shri Ram. Jai Shree Ram!.”

Home Minister Amit Shah extended his greetings in Twitter and said, “Hearty greetings to all the countrymen on the occasion of Ram Navami. The life of Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram teaches us to follow the limits and walk on the path of truth and righteousness. May Lord Shri Ram shower his grace and blessings on everyone. Jai Shree Ram!.”

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also greeted the people on Twitter and wrote, “Wishing you all a very Happy Ram Navami. Hope this holy festival brings happiness in everyone’s life.”

Tax Revenues In 2021-22 Exceed The Union Budget Estimates By Rs 5 Lakh Crore: Ministry of Finance

The tax revenue in the Union Budget for 2021-22 was estimated at ₹22.17 lakh crore against the revised estimates of ₹19 lakh crore, with a growth of 17%. The Union Budget was presented on 1st February 2021 when the 1st COVID wave had tapered off in India but the world was facing successive waves.

Against the Union Budget estimates of ₹22.17 lakh crore, the revenue collections as per the pre-actual figures is ₹27.07 lakh crore, almost ₹5 lakh crore above the budget estimates. This is a growth of 34% over last years revenue collection of ₹ 20.27 lakh crore, led by growth of 49% in direct taxes and supported by 20% growth in indirect taxes.

According to statement by the Ministry of Finance, this revenue growth has been propelled by rapid economic recovery after successive waves of COVID, supported by one of the largest immunization programme of the world run by the Government. It also signifies a robust recovery in the economy.

2021-22 marks the highest tax-GDP ratio of 11.7%, with direct tax to GDP ratio at 6.1% and indirect tax to GDP ratio at 5.6%. The tax buoyancy (which is a measure of growth in tax revenues as compared to GDP growth) is at a very healthy figure of 1.9, with 2.8 for direct taxes and 1.1 for indirect taxes. The ratio of direct to indirect taxes recovered from 0.9 in 2020-21 back to 1.1 in 2021-22.

The gross corporate taxes during 2021-22 was ₹8.6 lakh crore against ₹6.5 lakh crore last year, which shows that the new simplified tax regime with low rates and no exemptions has lived upto its promise. During the year, Income tax department gave refunds of ₹2.24 lakh core. During last two years, the effort has been to clear backlog of refunds to infuse liquidity into the hands of businesses. During the year, 2.4 crore refunds were issued that included 2.01 crore related to the year 2021-22, for which the returns were filed till 31st March 2021.

This has been possible due to faster processing of returns. During 2021-22, 22.4% returns were processed on the same day and around 75% returns were processed in less than a month time. The average processing time for returns during 2021-22 was 26 days. During the year, 7.14 crore returns were filed as compared to 6.97 crore last year.

On the indirect taxes, GST has seen an exemplary growth during 2021-22 despite two waves of COVID-19 pandemic. CGST revenues increased from ₹4.6 lakh crore last year to ₹5.9 lakh crore in 2021-22. The average monthly gross GST revenue in 2021-22 was ₹1.23 lakh crore as compared to ₹94,734 in 2020-21 and ₹1.01 lakh crore in 2019-20.

The level of economic recovery can also be seen from the value of e-way bills generated every month, which has improved from ₹16.9 lakh crore in January 2021 to ₹25.7 lakh crore in March 2022.

During 2021-22, Customs duty has witnessed a growth rate of 48%.

It is expected that the trend of recovery in the economy and tax revenues of the Government will continue to grow.

 

Covid booster dose for all adults from Sunday at private vaccine centres: Health Ministry

On Friday the government announced that precaution doses of COVID vaccines will be made available to all adults at private vaccination centres from 10th April (Sunday).

A statement from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said, “The administration of Precaution Dose to 18+ population through Private Vaccination Centres would start from 10th April (Sunday), 2022.”

According to the statement people all those who are more than 18 years of age and have completed 9 months after the administration of second dose, would be eligible for Precaution Dose. This facility would be available in all Private Vaccination Centres.

India’s COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 185.38 Cr (1,85,38,88,663) as per provisional reports till 7 am on Friday.

Precaution dose have been given to 2,40,48,124 people so far. Of these, 45,15,341were given to healthcare workers, 69,77,654 to frontline workers and 1,25,55,129 to people above the age of 60 years.

COVID-19 vaccination for the age group 12-14 years was started on 16 March, 2022. So far, more than 2.11 Cr (2,11,28,977) adolescents have been administered with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

United Nations Suspends Russia From Human Rights Council; India Abstains From Voting

Continuing its emergency special session on Thursday, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that suspended the Russian Federation’s membership in the Human Rights Council.

The Assembly adopted the draft resolution by a recorded vote of 93 in favour to 24 against, with 58 abstentions.

India abstained in the vote for reasons of “both substance and process.”

Permanent Representative of India to United Nations TS Tirumurti reiterated India’s stand for peace, dialogue and diplomacy. He further said that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood.

“Since the inception of the Ukrainian conflict, India has stood for peace, dialogue and diplomacy. We believe that no solution can be arrived at by shedding blood and at the cost of innocent lives. If India has chosen any side, it is the side of peace and it is for an immediate end to violence,” said Tirumurti.

Tirumurti then condemned the recent civilian killings in Buchaa and called for an independent investigation.

“Recent reports of civilian killings in Bucha are deeply disturbing. We have unequivocally condemned these killings and support the call for an independent investigation,” said Tirumurti

He added that it is in the global community’s collective interest to work constructively both inside the United Nations and outside towards an early resolution to the conflict.

“The impact of the crisis has also been felt beyond the region with increasing food and energy costs, especially for many developing countries. It is in our collective interest to work constructively, both inside the United Nations and outside, towards seeking an early resolution to the conflict,” Tirumurti said.

He stressed that all decisions should be taken with full respect for due process, adding that this principle also applies to international organizations such as the United Nations.

“India has been at the forefront of protecting human rights, right from the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We firmly believe that all decisions should be taken fully respecting due process, as all our democratic polity and structures enjoin us to do. This applies to international organisations as well, particularly the United Nations,” Tirumurti added.

Mamata Banerjee Meets Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar Over Birbhum Violence

 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday met with Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar over the law and order situation in the state. They traversed issues of governance for over an hour in the Raj Bhawan.

Governor Dhankhar who was blocked by the Chief Minister on Twitter, posted a letter inviting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for interaction during the week at Raj Bhawan on the same social media platform on 29 March.

“Recent alarmingly worrisome developments, reflecting increased lawlessness and violence, make it imperative that you spare time earliest for an interaction at Raj Bhavan,” Governor wrote in the letter.

The meeting comes amidst the ongoing investigation by CBI over the Birbhum violence that took place last month. A total of eight people were burnt to death in the Rampurhat area of West Bengal’s Birbhum, following the killing of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Bhadu Sheikh.

Cardless Cash Withdrawal To Be Made Available At All Bank Branches And ATMs Via UPI

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday announced that card-less cash withdrawal facility will be available across all banks and ATM networks using the UPI. The step is taken to enhance the ease of the transaction process and would also help to stop and prevent frauds like card skimming, card cloning, etc.

“At present, the facility of card-less cash withdrawal through ATMs is limited only to a few banks. It is now proposed to make card-less cash withdrawal facility available across all banks and ATM networks using the UPI. In addition to enhancing ease of transactions, the absence of the need for physical card for such transactions would help prevent frauds such as card skimming, card cloning, etc,” said RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das.

Governor also talked about the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) and said that over the years the platform has seen an increase in the volume of bill payments and billers.

“Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS), an interoperable platform for bill payments, has seen an increase in the volume of bill payments and billers over the years,” said Governor.

“To further facilitate greater penetration of bill payments through the BBPS and to encourage participation of a greater number of non-bank Bharat Bill Payment Operating Units in the BBPS, it is proposed to reduce the net worth requirement of such entities from ₹100 crore to ₹25 crore,” Governor added.