New Delhi, Sep 10: As discussions continue to bring petrol and diesel within the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST), Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Sanjay Kumar Agarwal said it may not be possible to bring these items under the indirect taxation for the time being.

Asked if petrol and diesel should be brought under GST, Agarwal told IANS that petrol and diesel are presently subject to central excise duty and value-added tax (VAT), as these two petroleum items fetch a substantial revenue to the states by way of VAT and to the Central government by way of central excise duty.

“So, looking to the revenue implications, it may not be possible to bring these items under the ambit of GST for the time being,” he added. The CBIC Chairman’s comment came as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said last week that the Central government intentionally did not include petrol and diesel in the GST Council proposal.

“Legally, we are ready, but this decision must come from the states,” she said. According to her, petrol and diesel were set to figure, “even when GST was implemented, I remember my late predecessor Arun Jaitley talking about it”.

“Once the states agree, they have to decide on the rate of taxation in the council. Once that decision is taken, it will be put into the act,” FM Sitharaman noted. In the GST implemented in July 2017, products like petrol, diesel, and alcoholic beverages were kept outside its ambit since then.

These commodities are major revenue sources for both the Central and state governments through excise duty and VAT. For several states, these contribute over 25-30 per cent of their tax revenue. States fear losing control over taxation policy, pricing, and the ability to influence consumption patterns through excise duty and VAT.

IANS

Kolkata, Sep 10: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been keeping a watch on the situation in neighbouring Nepal, even from her office ‘Uttar Kanya State Secretariat’ at Siliguri, Trinamool Congress said on Wednesday.

“The unfolding situation in our neighbouring country, Nepal, is a matter of deep concern. Placing the interests of the state above all else, our compassionate Chief Minister, Smt. @MamataOfficial, remained at Uttar Kanya State Secretariat through Tuesday night, personally monitoring every detail with utmost vigilance,” said the Trinamool Congress in a statement.

She even refused to comment on the Nepal situation to the media persons on Tuesday afternoon before leaving for North Bengal. “I love my neighbouring country of Nepal. But I cannot comment on the current situation there right at this moment. I can only do so, only if the Indian government says something about it,” the Chief Minister said.

She reminded that even during the political crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh last year, she refrained from making any comment on the issue unless the Union government did so. “So far, the Union government has not issued a statement on the situation in Nepal,” the Chief Minister added on Tuesday.

Notably, India on Tuesday advised its citizens to defer their travelling plans to Nepal until the situation stabilises in the neighbouring country following the death of 19 people in widespread protests, which also resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

The Darjeeling District Police has opened a 24-hour control room for the stranded Indians. The Nepali Army has assumed responsibility for maintaining law and order, as the security institution announced a nationwide curfew, effective until Thursday morning.

The Nepali Army further warned that any acts of vandalism, looting, arson, or attacks on people and property carried out under the pretext of demonstrations would be treated as criminal offences, with strict action taken by security forces.

IANS

New Delhi, Sep 10: India is shifting its policy focus to fast-tracking approvals for large-scale infrastructure projects under the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ plan after pushing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms.

The government has asked ministries to fast-track approvals for projects of national importance, prioritising projects that touch multiple states or transform entire sectors, according to government officials. Further, the road transport ministry has set a target of 50,000 kms of access-controlled highways to be built over the next 10 to 12 years at an estimated cost of Rs 20 lakh crore, reports said.

The Union Budget for FY26 earmarked Rs 11.21 lakh crore for infrastructure spending, but officials said the public-private partnerships (PPP) will be aggressively promoted in projects with strong return potential to ease pressure on state finances.

“Bundling of projects is being done to move them quickly for approvals. PPP will be the key to financing high-return ventures,” as per the officials. The goal is to sustain India’s 7.8 per cent GDP growth in Q1 FY26 amid global tariff pressures and geopolitical risks.

The World Bank has highlighted that India should raise its real investment rate from 33.5 per cent of GDP to 40 per cent by 2035 to sustain long-term growth. India’s rising infrastructure needs underpin the nation’s urbanisation, climate commitments, and economic growth aspirations.

Capital expenditure shot up to a robust Rs 2.75 lakh crore during the April-June period, amounting to 24.5 per cent of the full-year target, reflecting the government’s investments in big-ticket infrastructure projects to push growth and create more jobs.

Meanwhile, on the back of the robust performance in Q2 2025 (7.8 per cent growth), global rating agency Fitch has revised up its forecast for the fiscal year ending March 2026 (FY26) to 6.9 per cent in its latest outlook, from 6.5 per cent in the June report.

IANS

Srinagar, Sep 10: After the weeklong blockade due to landslides, the strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway was partially reopened for traffic on Wednesday. Authorities are giving priority to trucks carrying essential supplies, and top priority is being given to those trucks carrying perishable items like vegetables, poultry, sheep, etc.

Movement of stranded vehicles was allowed on the highway from Udhampur towards Srinagar, and to start with, passenger vehicles were the first to move. Over 4,500 trucks carrying fruit had been stuck on the highway due to the blockade, and these vehicles had remained parked alongside the highway in the Valley between Qazigund in Kulgam and the Pulwama district.

Most fruit growers have been complaining that the fresh fruit stocks of apples have started rotting because of the delay in reaching the markets outside Jammu and Kashmir. Over 250 metres of the highway had been washed away at Bani Nallah in Udhampur district due to incessant rainfall.

Traffic department officials said passenger vehicles and trucks carrying essential supplies, including chicken, meat, and other perishables, were allowed to move from Udhampur towards Srinagar starting at 10 a.m.

Officials said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) completed restoration work late Tuesday night, creating a new diversion to make the road motorable. They said men and machinery worked round-the-clock for six days to create the alternate road at Bani Nallah to make vehicular movement possible.

The Jammu-Srinagar national highway is the lifeline of supplies for the landlocked Kashmir, as all essential supplies, including foodgrains, vegetables, poultry products, mutton, petroleum products, etc., are brought into the Valley through this highway.

The uncertainty that looms over the locals with regard to the arrival/departure of essential supplies would only become a thing of the past once freight trains start operations regularly on the rail link between Kashmir and the rest of the country.

IANS

Kochi, Sep 10: Malayalam rapper Hiran Das Murali, popularly known as Vedan, was arrested on Wednesday in a rape case. Since he has already secured anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court, the arrest was only a formality, and after completing the due process of law, Vedan will walk out of the police station in the evening.

He secured anticipatory bail in a case alleging rape on the false promise of marriage. On August 27, the Kerala High Court granted him conditional bail and instructed him to present himself before the probe team for two days, starting Tuesday.

He was let off on Tuesday after being questioned for five hours and was asked to appear again on Wednesday. It was during the questioning on Wednesday that his arrest was recorded.

After recording the arrest, the police will take him for the customary medical checkup, and then, after bringing him back to the police station, he will be released. The case was filed by a doctor who alleged that Vedan befriended her through Instagram in 2021, and their relationship grew over time.

She claimed that he promised to marry her and, under that assurance, engaged in physical relations on several occasions in Kozhikode, Kochi, and other places between 2021 and 2023.

The complaint also stated that the two briefly lived together and that she provided him financial support, including funds for his debut album and travel expenses. Appearing through counsel, the complainant opposed the bail plea, contending that Vedan had similarly deceived other young women.

However, the court noted that each case must be treated independently. Vedan’s counsel then argued that the relationship was consensual, initiated after the complainant approached him as a fan, and that the complaint was the result of personal differences. The police had earlier issued a lookout notice for Vedan, fearing he might attempt to leave the country, as he had been absconding since the case surfaced.

Incidentally, after this case was registered, similar allegations from other women were also made, but the Court, while granting bail, clarified that allegations of other crimes against him were not under consideration in that particular petition. Early this week, a local court here granted him anticipatory bail in a similar case filed by another woman.

IANS