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Growth in India’s gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenues slowed to a 27-month low of 10.2% in September, from around 10.8% in the previous two months. However, collections improved 2.3% over August revenues to touch ₹1,62,712 crore.
Revenues from domestic transactions, including services imports, were 14% higher than the tax collected from these sources during September 2022. This is the fourth time that the gross GST kitty has crossed the ₹1.60 lakh crore mark in 2023-24.
GST inflows from goods imports had recovered from two months of contraction to grow 3% in August, but shrank again in September, albeit by a fraction.
While the Finance Ministry did not specify the extent of decline in its statement, back-of-the-envelope calculations show that GST revenues from goods imports dropped 0.11% from last September.
The last time that GST revenues grew at a slower pace was in June 2021, when collections rose a mere 2% amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The revenues in that month were based on domestic transactions between June 5 and July 5, since taxpayers were given various relief measures in the form of waivers and reduction in interest on delayed filings for firms with an aggregate turnover up to ₹5 crore.
Last month’s GST revenues, based on transactions carried out in August, included Central GST (CGST) collections of ₹29,818 crore, State GST (SGST) of ₹37,657 crore, and Integrated GST (IGST) of ₹83,623 crore, which included ₹41,145 crore collected on goods imports.
AFSPA extended in 4 districts of Assam (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Governance)
The Assam Police said the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been extended in four districts of the State for six more months.
At the Assam Police Day celebrations here, Director-General of Police Gyanendra Pratap Singh said the “disturbed area” tag, which allows enforcement of the AFSPA, has, however, been withdrawn from four other districts.
“From today, only four districts in Assam will have AFSPA. These are Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Sivasagar and Charaideo,” Mr. Singh said.
The AFSPA has been withdrawn from Jorhat, Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao with effect from October 1, the DGP added.
The Assam government had last extended the “disturbed area” notification under the AFSPA for another six months with effect from April 1 in these eight districts.
Editorial
India’s statistical performance on the global stage (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The World Bank’s compilation of Statistical Performance Indicators (SPI) ranks India 67 among 174 countries in 2019. Analysis reveals both shortcomings and a commendable performance in various aspects of SPI.
The importance of SPI evaluation to enhance international competitiveness has been highlighted in this article with recommendations for strategic improvements in critical pillars. There is also a need for more robust representation to the World Bank to refine SPI.
As India celebrates its election to the United Nations Statistical Commission, India’s own official statistical system has come under scrutiny within the country recently.
Questions have been raised about the credibility of the statistics it produces and the competence of the official statisticians.
Even acclaimed statistical methods devised to generate these statistics, which were subsequently adopted by other developing countries, now face questioning.
What is even more surprising is the assertion that the results of statistical exercises, such as censuses and surveys, are claimed to be of poorer quality when compared to data from administrative sources, most of which suffer from uncertain coverage and conceptual shortcomings. In general, the statistical system is now facing a trial. In this context, looking at the international rankings of national statistical systems compiled by the World Bank can provide valuable insights.
A time to articulate new constitutional ideas for India (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 2, Polity and Constitution)
The Government of India is on a mission to decolonise the country. Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker’s grand Parliament building has just given way to Bimal Patel’s modern reinterpretation and the name “Bharat” is being used more frequently to describe the country, challenging the monopoly of “India”.
When we think of the Constitution of India, our mind may naturally go back to 1950 when it came into force. But constitutional ideas in India predated it.
A startlingly original, indigenous account of what the Constitution would look like was presented by Mahatma Gandhi in 1908.
Gandhi was steadfast in his view that without decolonising the Constitution, we may become independent but would not have swaraj. The English would be driven away and India would get itself a new democratic government, but the nature of government itself would not change. It would be “English rule without the Englishman”, “not Hindustan but Englistan”.
But what kind of constitution would India have? For him, a swaraj constitution ought to ideally be based on ancient village republics and not a large government in Delhi.
The economy would be founded on ordinary Indians producing enough to be self-sufficient and trading the rest at local markets. India would be united not because a constitution promised rights, but because Indians themselves considered it their duty to forge a nation out of a people.
Opinion
An ageing India needs age-responsive TB care (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 2, Health)
India is moving towards a future where the elderly will make up a significant proportion of society, primarily due to advances in health care and increased life expectancy.
In 2011, about 9% of India’s population were over the age of 60. This is expected to increase to 12.5% by 2030. The elderly represent a storehouse of wisdom, and respect for their rights and freedoms benefits society.
On International Day of Older Persons (October 1), we must resolve to invest in the health of our elderly population, and pay attention to their unique needs.
This is especially true in the case of tuberculosis (TB), which affects over 25 lakh Indians every year, and kills at least 1,000 every day.
India’s National TB Prevalence Survey, 2021, revealed that the prevalence of TB in people over the age of 55 was 588 (per one lakh population), much higher than the overall national prevalence of 316.
These findings were the starting point for a first-of-its-kind rapid assessment report on TB among the elderly, which we published earlier this year in collaboration with the National TB Elimination Programme and the U.S. Agency for International Development, highlighting TB’s impact on the elderly and the need for age-specific TB guidelines.
Text & Context
Have household savings reduced? (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The release of the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Monthly Bulletin in September revealed that households’ net financial savings had fallen to 5.1% from 11.5% in 2020-21.
Financial liabilities of households rose faster than their assets, with many writers highlighting this trend as an indication of rising indebtedness and increasing distress.
The government, however, countered these claims. The Finance Ministry explained that while household financial savings may be reducing, it did not imply total savings were falling, since households took advantage of low interest rates after the pandemic to invest in assets such as vehicles, education and homes. These are two contrasting narratives, one of pessimism and distress, the other of optimism.
There is evidence to support the government’s narrative of a shift from financial to physical assets. Post-COVID, there has been an increase in household construction.
Between 2020-21 and 2021-22, the construction sector was the fastest growing sector, growing at nearly 15% (when measured in 2011-12 prices), and 10% between 2021-22 and 2022-23. Only the trade, hotels, transport and communications sector grew faster in the latter period. Housing loans from Scheduled Commercial Banks (SCBs) grew at double-digit rates in all years between 2018-19 and 2022-23, with loans from housing finance companies growing almost 17 times between 2019-20 and 2022-23.
The largest climate action lawsuit against 32 countries (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Environment)
September 27 marked the beginning of a historic legal battle in the climate action movement. Six young people from Portugal, aged 11 to 24, are suing 32 European governments (including the U.K., Russia and Turkey) at the European Court of Human Rights in France’s Strasbourg.
The plaintiffs began arguing before 17 judges that their governments have failed to take sufficient action against the climate crisis, thus violating their human rights and discriminating against young people globally.
Duarte Agostinho and Others versus Portugal and Others was filed in September 2020, in the aftermath of the wildfires that consumed Portugal’s Leiria in 2017. Over 60 people died, and 20,000 hectares of forests were lost.
The recent spate of heatwaves and fires across Greece, Canada and other parts of Europe served as reminders that every increment beyond the 1.5°C temperature threshold would be catastrophic, intensifying “multiple and concurrent hazards,” as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states in its report.
News
Defence Ministry tightens rules of entitlement for disability compensation (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
The Defence Ministry has issued new entitlement rules (ER) for grant of disability pensions to military personnel, tightening some of the provisions and introducing a new ‘impairment relief’ (IR) in lieu of the ‘disability element’ to cover lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
The development comes after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) asked the Ministry early this year to carry out an analysis of the disability among soldiers based on its report, which said that almost 40% of officers and 18% of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) who retire every year were drawing disability pensions.
The ‘Casualty Pension and Disability Compensation Awards to Armed Forces Personnel’ stipulates the conditions for the award of death/disability compensation to military personnel with effect from September 21.
The new rules drew flak from several veterans and veterans’ organisations who alleged tweaking of the terms to cut down on disability pensions.
The new IR is defined as a monthly disability compensation, calculated as a defined percentage of the last reckonable emoluments, awarded to armed forces personnel who are retired or discharged from service voluntarily or otherwise with a disability sustained under circumstances accepted as Category B or C and assessed not less than 20%.
Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi shuts down, cites lack of support (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
After months of uncertainty, the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan here has shut down.
In a message, the mission, which ran on skeleton staff and without the presence of the envoy appointed during the Presidency of Ashraf Ghani, blamed a number of factors including lack of support from the “host government” for ending operations.
The Embassy has experienced a notable absence of crucial support from the host government, which has hindered our ability to carry out our duties effectively,” a press statement stated. It cited “reduction in both personnel and resources” because of the arrival of the Taliban administration in Kabul and acknowledged that it has failed to meet “expectations in serving Afghanistan’s interests”.
Given these circumstances, it is with deep regret that we have taken the difficult decision to close all operations of the mission with the exception of emergency consular services to Afghan citizens till the transfer of the custodial authority of the mission to the host country.
Meanwhile, the consulates in Hyderabad and Mumbai have not shut down and Consul-General of Afghanistan in Mumbai Zakia Wardak had earlier announced that they remain committed to serving the Afghan citizens.
No copyright claim on public service videos: Prasar Bharati official (Page no. 14)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The Prasar Bharati does not make copyright claims on any public service content, which includes the parliamentary proceedings reproduced by it, following an allegation that it had sent copyright infringement notices to YouTube vloggers on parliamentary proceedings.
The issue was raised by Congress leader Gurdeep Singh Sappal, a former chief executive officer/editor of the Rajya Sabha TV, through his X handle.
“Prasar Bharti has sent notices to YouTubers invoking copyright on it. This is wrong. Parliamentary proceedings are national assets of historical value.
They are not a commercial product that can be used for profiteering under the garb of copyright. In fact, any attempt to limit the access to parliamentary proceedings amounts to censorship and is an infringement of the rights of citizens (to) be informed of the happenings in the Parliament.
Stating that Prasar Bharati had never issued such a notice, a senior official said its public service-related contents were copyright-free. “We always strive for maximum dissemination of public service contents.
Another official said that copyright violation notices on identical content may get generated automatically, given the platform’s algorithm.
However, as and when we receive information about such notices, which involve public service contents, we take measures to get the issue resolved at the earliest. If the affected person does not pursue the matter with YouTube, it may not even seek any clarification from us.
World
Indonesia set to launch China-funded high-speed rail, first in Southeast Asia (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Indonesia is set to launch Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway on Monday, a delayed multibillion-dollar project backed by China that will cut travel between capital Jakarta and another major city by hours.
The Chinese-made bullet train named “Whoosh” is built to take more than 600 people to and from Jakarta and the Javan city of Bandung in 45 minutes and is part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative comprising multiple countries in Asia.
President Joko Widodo has lauded the project for the fast ride it will provide between the two cities on Indonesia’s most populous island Java.
The train can reach speeds up to 350 kmph and has cost a joint Chinese-Indonesian venture more than $7 billion to build.
It was set to cost less than $5 billion and be built by 2019 but delays due to construction issues and the COVID-19 pandemic saw costs spike.
Authorities have been running public trials of the new high-speed journey of 142 km before its opening.
Science
Kármán Line: Where space begins (Page no. 20)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
Boundaries play an important role in science because they help differentiate and define things that might otherwise blend together.
One such boundary is the Kármán Line. Located at 100 km above sea level, it is an imaginary line that demarcates the earth’s atmosphere from space.
Though not all scientists and spacefarers accept it, a majority of countries and space organisations recognise this boundary between earthsky and space.
It was established in the 1960s by a record-keeping body called Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Anyone individual who crosses this line qualifies as an astronaut.
However, nature seldom adheres to human-made boundaries. Crossing the Kármán Line physically doesn’t mean much. Within a short distance on either side of the line, there is no significant difference in the pressure or the composition of air. The earth’s gravity continues to exert its pull here. Even the earth’s atmosphere doesn’t end here.
The Kármán Line was established to regulate airspace. It marks, roughly, the altitude beyond which a traditional aircraft can’t fly. Any aircraft flying beyond it needs a propulsion system to pull away from the earth’s tug.
It also acts as a legal reference that separates airspace that a country can claim to own from space itself, which is governed like international waters.