The Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to amend the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017…reports Asian Lite News
A bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha that provides for giving immediate effect for a limited period to provisions in bills relating to the imposition or increase of duties of customs or excise, with or without change in tariff classification.
The Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023, was introduced in Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
The Bill also provides for the repeal of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1931.
Sitharaman also introduced a bill to align provisions of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act with the Tribunal Reforms Act to initiate the administrative process for operationalisation of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunals.
The Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 seeks to amend the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017.
According to the statement of objects and reasons of the Bill, Section 109 of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (12 of 2017) provides for Constitution of Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal, which is the second appellate authority within the Goods and Services Tax framework for hearing appeals against the orders passed by the Appellate Authority under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 and the State Goods and Services Tax Acts. (ANI)
Author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy was conferred with the Padma Bhushan for social work…reports Asian Lite News
Indian government officials displayed some quick thinking on Wednesday when they spotted Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy’s family sitting in the middle row during the Padma awards ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday.
Among the family members, who had gathered to witness Sudha Murthy receiving a Padma award, was Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s wife and First Lady Akshata Murthy. Sensing protocol, she was moved to the front row and seated next to foreign minister S Jaishankar before the function began.
Seated on her other side was the family of vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar while ministers like Anurag Thakur were also in the same row. Akshata stood next to Jaishankar as the national anthem was played at the beginning and end of the ceremony.
There was no British security with Akshata at the event, who was accompanied by father Narayana Murthy, brother Rohan Murthy and Sudha Murthy’s sister. The other family members, however, continued to sit alongside other families in the middle row. The family has always chosen to be low-key.
Sudha Murty was conferred with the Padma Bhushan this evening. An interesting back story from the awards ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Her daughter Akshata Murty, wife of UK PM Rishi Sunak, was initially seated with her family. Govt officials later moved her to the front row pic.twitter.com/tBckn4Qoz6
— Chandra R. Srikanth (@chandrarsrikant) April 5, 2023
Author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy was conferred with the Padma Bhushan for social work.
After receiving the Padma Bhushan, Sudha Murty said, “I owe this award to the people of India. I hope my recognition today inspires the younger generation to take up social welfare as a vocation. It is needed for the continuous development of our great nation. I always feel that generosity of a few is hope for a million.”
Murty was the chairperson of Infosys Foundation until December 2021.
India and France have a longstanding strategic partnership, strengthened by regular high-level consultations and growing convergences in various areas…reports Asian Lite News
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna who is set to embark on an official trip to India will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 75th anniversary of Indo-French diplomatic relations and will hold in-depth bilateral consultations with the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar to cover the gamut of bilateral strategic partnership between the two nations.
The French foreign Minister will be visiting India from September 14-15 on her first official trip to India and her first bilateral visit to Asia and it marks her first visit to India as well as her first bilateral visit to Asia since assuming office, read the Ministry of External Affairs release.
The aim of Minister Colonna’s visit is to move forward with an ambitious agenda to deepen and expand the Indo-French strategic partnership ahead of its 25th anniversary next year. The visit also demonstrates France’s unwavering commitment to the Indo-Pacific and determination to work with India to find common solutions to global disorders.
As per the official statement, Minister Colonna will pay a call on PM Modi on September 14, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and will convey France’s full support to India’s upcoming G20 presidency following which she will exchange dialogue with EAM Jaishankar on regional and global subjects of common interest, and coordination on issues under consideration at the United Nations Security Council, which France is currently chairing.
Moreover, the French Foreign Affairs Minister will also meet National Security Advisor Ajit Doval for discussions on regional and global security issues, strengthened defence cooperation, as well as the implementation of France’s counter-terrorism cooperation with India, which is hosting the “No Money for Terror” conference this year.
Underscoring the importance of people-to-people ties in the Indo-French relationship, Minister Colonna will interact with students of Lady Shri Ram College for Women. The Minister will present the avenues for India-France student mobility, particularly as facilitated by the bilateral agreement on mobility, and lay out France’s actions to improve gender equality and promote women’s empowerment in line with its feminist foreign policy, according to the release.
As part of the visit, Colonna will travel to Mumbai for engagements with industry leaders and site visits on September 15.
India and France have a longstanding strategic partnership, strengthened by regular high-level consultations and growing convergences in various areas.
The French Foreign Minister’s visit will pave the way for further strengthening the partnership across trade, defence, climate, migration and mobility, education and health sectors, added the release.
India and France have traditionally had close and friendly relations. In 1998, the two countries entered into a Strategic Partnership which is emblematic of their convergence of views on a range of international issues apart from a close and growing bilateral relationship. The two countries have a burgeoning economic relationship. French businesses and industry have forged linkages with the Indian economy and contribute significantly to our goal to become an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Although India has a trade surplus, India-France bilateral trade remains far below potential. In the period April 2018-March 2019, India-France bilateral trade stood at 11.59 billion Euro, India’s exports to France were valued at 6.23 billion Euro meanwhile, French exports to India stood at 5.35 billion Euro.
The 18th Joint Economic Committee meeting, held virtually between the two countries on 27 November 2020, led to the signing of a bilateral ‘Fast Track Mechanism’ for investors. The first meetings were held on 16 February 2022 between E/I, Paris and the French Treasury and on 25 February 2022 between Secretary, DPIIT and the French Ambassador, in Paris and Delhi, respectively. (ANI)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, marking the first visit by a top Russian official to India since the war began on February24…reports Asian Lite News
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held bilateral talks here on Friday, which comes amid Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Lavrov arrived in New Delhi on Thursday, marking the first visit by a top Russian official to India since the war began on February 24.
Ahead of the meeting, Jaishankar said their talks are taking place in a “difficult international environment quite apart from the pandemic”.
“India, as you are aware, has always been in favour of resolving differences and disputes through dialogue and diplomacy.
“In our meeting today, we will have an opportunity to discuss contemporary issues and concerns in some detail. I look forward to our discussions,” the External Affairs Minister said.
Jaishankar also noted that 2022 is an “important year in our bilateral relations as we mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of our diplomatic relations”.
“Despite the Covid related difficulties, last year turned out to be one of intense bilateral activity that included holding the inaugural 2+2 meeting and, of course, the 21st Annual Summit.”
He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin have been in “regular touch and have spoken to each other on multiple occasions this year”.
“Our bilateral relations has continued to grow in many areas and we have diversified our cooperation by expanding our agenda.”
Since the start of war, India has been facing pressure from the West and its allies to take a stronger stand against Russia.
As the war between Russia and Ukraine cost India’s military capabilities dearly with delivery of many platforms like nuclear powered submarines, Grigorovich class frigates, Fighter jets, Triumf S-400, AK 203 assault rifle and others were expected to delay.
India’s Russian Link
The US is not seeking to change India’s relationship with Russia, but wants it to use its leverage with Moscow to get the message against the invasion of Ukraine “loud and clear” through to President Vladimir Putin, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.
“Different countries are going to have their own relationship with the Russian Federation. It’s a fact of history; it’s a fact of geography. That is not something that we are seeking to change,” he said on Thursday at his news briefing in Washington.
“What we are seeking to do, whether it is in the context of India or other partners and allies around the world, is to do all we can to see to it that the international community is speaking in unison, speaking loudly against this unjustified, unprovoked, premeditated aggression, calling for an end to the violence, using the leverage that countries, including India, have to those ends.”
Answering a reporter’s question if the US had concerns about Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to New Delhi, Price said that some countries “by dint of their longstanding relationships with the Russian Federation, are going to have in some ways even more leverage than countries closer to us will”.
“And that is all well and good. We understand that. What we are asking for, what we are calling for is that all countries use the leverage that they have to make sure that that message is coming across to Vladimir Putin loud and clear.”
Price side-stepped a question if the reported rupee-ruble trading arrangement between India and Russia would undermine sanctions.
“I would refer to our Indian partners when it comes to any such rupee-ruble conversion that may have been discussed,” he said.
The response of the State Department, which has to deal with the strategic concerns of the US, especially with China, has been at variance with the more narrow outlook of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo who said that she was “deeply disappointed” with the reported rupee-ruble arrangement.
She said on Wednesday: “Now is the time to stand on the right side of history, and to stand with the US and dozens of other countries standing up for freedom, democracy and sovereignty with the Ukrainian people, and not funding and fuelling and aiding President Putin’s war.”
Western allies of the US that buying energy on a far larger scale than India have not been criticised for “funding and fuelling” the invasion of Ukraine.
Moreover, India’s Minister of State for Petroelum Rameswar Teli informed the Rajya Sabha that the government did not have a “contract or proposal under consideration” for buying Russian oil in rupees.
In what is seen as a dig at fellow Quad member India, Australia’s Trade Minister Dan Tehan, who was with Raimondo, said that democracies should work together “to keep the rules-based approach that we have had since the Second World War”.
Price was asked if India did not use its leverage, would that have a negative consequence for the Quad, the four-member Indo-Pacific group of India, the US, Japan and Australia.
He said that the Quad’s core principles behind the idea of “a free and open Indo-Pacific” transcend any geographic region and “we have a global interest in a world order that is free, that is open, in which countries large and small play by the rules”.
“So it is not in our interest, it is not in Japan’s interest, it is not in Australia’s interest, or it is not in India’s interest to see flagrant examples of countries whether in Europe, whether in the Indo-Pacific, whether anywhere in between flagrant examples of countries flouting, violating that rules-based international order.”
This does not mean recognition, Borrell stressed. “This requires cooperation with the Taliban.”…reports Asian Lite News
In a debate on Afghanistan on Thursday, foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) discussed how to engage with the Taliban, in particular humanitarian aid and a possible tide of Afghan refugees.
“The purpose of the meeting is to try to reach an agreement on coordinated engagement with the Taliban on the basis of certain conditions, and on the possibilities of cooperation with regional players,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told journalists before the start of the informal meeting in Slovenia.
This does not mean recognition, Borrell stressed. “This requires cooperation with the Taliban.”
It is important for Germany to set certain conditions, such as the formation of an inclusive government, the protection of human rights and women’s rights, and that Afghanistan does not again become a haven for terrorists, said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas during the meeting.
Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn stressed that the Taliban must be aware that without international assistance, the country will collapse.
Jean Asselborn (Wikipedia)
“Europe cannot be a positive Europe if it limits the number of refugees,” he said. The need to allow Afghans at risk to come to Europe was underlined by several other EU foreign ministers.
However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto disagreed, saying that Afghans should not be encouraged to leave the country without restrictions. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau agreed with him.
On Friday, the ministers will discuss EU-China relations, the EU’s approach towards the Gulf countries and EU cooperation with the Indo-Pacific region. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will present his views at the meeting. (ANI/Xinhua)
