Modi seeks UK's help in return of economic offenders

Hamburg, Jul 8 (PTI) As India works hard to ensure return of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today pressed upon his British counterpart Theresa May to ensure UK's cooperation to bring back economic offenders.

Mallya has been in the UK for months, escaping arrest warrants against him, while a court in London is also hearing a case regarding his return to India.

Modi today met May during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit here and sought UK's help in this regard.

Both leaders also talked about the complete range of India-UK ties.

In a tweet after the meeting, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said the Prime Minister asked for UK's "cooperation for return of escaped Indian economic offenders".

Mallya, who is wanted in India for Kingfisher Airlines' default on loans worth nearly Rs 9,000 crore, has been in the UK since March 2016.

In April, he had attended a central London police station for his arrest and was released on conditional bail a few hours later after providing a bail bond worth 650,000 pounds, assuring the court of abiding by all conditions associated with extradition proceedings, such as the surrender of his passport and a ban on him possessing any travel documents.

India and the UK have an Extradition Treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement - Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel, who was sent back to India last October to face trial in connection with his involvement in the post-Godhra riots of 2002.

"Prime Ministers @narendramodi and @theresa_may met and held talks on the complete range of India-UK ties," India's PMO said in a tweet.

7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) on Allowances published in Gazette of India yesterday i.e. 6th July, 2017

The Central Government’s decision on recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) on Allowances published in Gazette of India yesterday i.e. 6th July, 2017; All allowances are given effect from 1st July 2017;
Concerned Ministries advised to issue their Orders on Allowances governed by them immediately so that the revised rates of allowances get reflected in the current month's Salary Bills of the Government employees

                                                           

Resolution conveying the Central Government’s decision on recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) on Allowances has been published in Gazette of India yesterday i.e.6^th July, 2017.

Based on the Report of Committee on Allowances (CoA) and the recommendation of E-CoS, the Cabinet had earlier approved the modifications in 34 Allowances in its Meeting held on 28th June 2017. 

All allowances are given effect from 1st July 2017. 

Concerned Ministries have now been advised to issue their Orders on Allowances governed by them immediately so that the revised rates of allowances get reflected in the current month's Salary Bills of the Government employees.

Major Highlights of the Allowances approved by the Union Cabinet are as follows:

• Cabinet approved recommendations of 7^th CPC on allowances with 34 modifications - revised rates effective from 01.07.2017
• It will benefit 34 lakh Civilian employees and 14 lakh Defence Forces personnel
• 7^th CPC examined 197 allowances, recommending abolition of 53 allowances and subsuming 37 in others.
• 7^th CPC recommended revised rates commensurate with Dearness Allowance
• Fully DA-indexed allowances - no raise, not DA indexed raised by 2.25, partially indexed raised by 1.5, % based rationalised by 0.8
• Risk & Hardship Matrix evolved for allowances linked to risk and hardship
• 7^th CPC projected additional financial implication at Rs.29,300 cr per annum, modifications to have additional implication of Rs.1448.23 cr
• Combined additional financial implication estimated at Rs.30748.23 crore per annum.

1.        Number of allowances recommended to be abolished and subsumed:

·          Government decided not to abolish 12 allowances in view of specific functional requirements

·         3 of 37 subsumed allowances will continue as separate identities due to unique nature of these allowances.

2.        House Rent Allowance (HRA)

·         HRA will be paid @24%, 16% & 8% for X, Y & Z cities respectively

·         HRA not to be less than Rs.5400, 3600 & 1800 for X,Y&Z cities, calculated @30,20,&10% of min pay of Rs.18000 - to benefit >7.5 lakh employee

·         7^th CPC recommended revision of HRA when DA reaches 50% & 100%, Govt decided to revise rates when DA crosses 25% and 50% respectively.

3.        Siachen Allowance:

• Rates of Siachen Allowance increased from Rs.14000 pm (Soldiers) to Rs.30000 & Rs.21000 pm (Officers) to Rs.42500 for extreme risk & hardship.

4.        Dress Allowance:

·         Government decided to pay Dress Allowance to Nurses on monthly basis due to high maintenance and hygiene requirements.

·         Higher rate of Dress Allowance for Special Protection Group accepted by Govt.

5.        Tough Location Allowance:

·          7^th CPC recommended-TLA not to be granted with SDA-Govt decided to give option of SCLRA at pre-revised rates with SDA at revised rates

6.                     Recommendations in respect of some important allowances paid to all categories:

·           Children Education Allowance increased from Rs.1500 pm/child (max.2) to Rs.2250/child and Hostel Subsidy increased from Rs.4500 pm to Rs.6750 pm.

·           Special Allowance for Child Care for Women with Disabilities doubled from Rs.1500 pm to Rs.3000 pm

·            Higher Qualification Incentive for Civilians increased from Rs.2000 - Rs.10000 (Grant) to Rs.10000 – Rs.30000 (Grant)

7.        Recommendations in respect of some important allowances paid to Uniformed Services: Defence, CAPFs, Police, Indian Coast Guard and Security Agencies

·       Abolition of Ration Money Allowance and free ration to Defence officers in peace areas not accepted, RMA to be credited in bank account

·       Technical Allowance (Tier-II) not to be merged, Govt. decided to continue Technical Allowance (Tier-II) @Rs.4500 pm-courses to be reviewed

·       Aeronautical Allowance increased Rs.300 pm to Rs.450 pm and extended to Indian Coast Guard also

·       Counter Insurgency Ops (CI Ops) Allowance for counter – insurgency ops increased from Rs.3000 - Rs.11700 pm to Rs.6000 – Rs.16900 pm

·       MARCOS and Chariot Allowance paid to marine commandos increased from Rs.10500 - Rs.15750 pm to Rs.17300 – Rs.25000 pm

·       Conditionality of 12 hrs reduced to 4 hrs for Sea Going Allowance and rates increased from Rs.3000 - Rs.7800 pm to Rs.6000 – Rs.10500 pm

·       COBRA Allowance granted to CRPF personnel in Naxal hit areas increased from Rs.8400 - Rs.16800 pm to Rs.17300 – Rs.25000 pm

·       Modified Field, Field & Highly Active Field Area Allowances increased from Rs.1200 - Rs.12600 pm to Rs.6000 – Rs.16900 pm.

·       Flying Allowance increased from Rs.10500 - Rs.15750 pm to Rs.17300 – Rs.25000 pm and extended to BSF Air Wing also

·       High Altitude Allowance increased from Rs.810 - Rs.16800 pm to Rs.2700 – Rs.25000 pm

·       Higher Qualification Incentive for Defence Personnel increased from Rs.9000 – Rs.30000 (Grant) to Rs.10000 – Rs.30000 (Grant).

·       Test Pilot and Flight Test Engineer Allowance increased from Rs.1500 / 3000 pm to Rs.4100 / 5300 pm

·       Additional Free Railway Warrant (Leave Travel Concession) extended to CAPFs.

·       Territorial Army Allowance increased from Rs.175 - Rs.450 pm to Rs.1000 –Rs. 2000 pm

·       Ceilings of Deputation (Duty) Allowance for Defence Personnel increased from Rs.2000 - Rs.4500 pm to Rs.4500 - Rs.9000 pm

·       Detachment Allowance increased Rs.165 - Rs.780 per day to Rs.405 – Rs.1170 per day

·       Para Jump Instructor Allowance increased from Rs.2700/3600 pm to Rs.6000/10500 pm

·       Govt. increased Special Security Allowance for Special Protection Group to 55% and 27.5% of BP for ops and non – ops duties

·       Housing provisions for PBORs and their families residing at other stations significantly improved and linked to HRA, process simplified

8. Allowances paid to Indian Railways

·       Additional Allowance increased from Rs.500 / 1000 pm to Rs.1125 / 2250 pm and extended to Loco Pilot Goods and Senior Passenger Guards @Rs.750 pm

·      Special Train Controller’s Allowance @5000 pm introduced for Train Controllers of Railways

9. Allowances paid to Nurses & Ministerial Staffs of Hospital

·       Governmentt increased rate of Nursing Allowance from Rs.4800 pm to Rs.7200 pm

·       Operation Theatre Allowance not abolished and rates increased from Rs.360 pm to Rs.540 pm

·       Hospital Patient Care Allowance/Patient Care Allowance increased from Rs.2070 - Rs.2100 pm to Rs.4100 – Rs.5300 pm

·       7th CPC recommendations modified and HPCA / PCA to continue for Ministerial staff

10. Allowances to Pensioners

·       Fixed Medical Allowance for Pensioners increased from Rs.500 pm to Rs.1000 pm

·       Constant Attendance Allowance on 100% disablement increased from Rs.4500 pm to Rs.6750 pm

11. Allowances to Scientific Departments

·         7th CPC recommendations to abolish Launch Campaign Allowance and Space Technology Allowance not accepted – rates revised from Rs.7500 pa to Rs.11250 pa

·         Professional Update Allowance for non-gazetted staff of DAE will continue at enhanced rate of Rs.11250 pa

·         Antarctica Allowance – Summer rates revised from Rs.1125 per day to Rs.1500 per day, Winter rates from Rs.1688 per day to Rs.2000 per day

12. Allowance paid to D/o Posts & Railways

·              Cycle Allowance not abolished - rates doubled from Rs.90 to Rs.180 pm for functional requirements of Postmen in Posts and Trackmen in Railways.

Modi, Netanyahu make waves with barefoot stroll on beach

Tel Aviv, Jul 6 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu today made waves online with their camaraderie as a barefoot stroll on the beach, a discussion in ankle deep water and a toast to life with desalinated water reflected the warmth in their relationship.

The bonhomie between the two leaders was on ample display as they witnessed the demonstration of sea water purification technology pioneered by Israel at a water desalination unit on the Olga Beach in north Israel.

The two leaders spent some time on the beach and had a long chat standing ankle deep in the waters with waves hitting their feet.

Modi had his trousers folded up as he entered the waters while Netanyahu came smartly dressed in casuals with a polo shirt.

The two leaders later drove together in the mobile water desalination unit, which looked like a dune buggy, and sipped desalinated water from wine glasses, raising a toast saying -- lehaim (to life) -- with desalinated water.

They took a barefoot stroll along the Mediterranean shore with Netanyahu later tweeting, "There's nothing like going to the beach with friends!" 

Later, Netanyahu also gifted Modi a signed picture of them strolling barefoot at the Olga beach in northern Israel with a message hailing their friendship.

"To Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with deepest friendship on your historic visit to Israel," Modi tweeted the picture gifted to him by his Israeli counterpart.

Modi and Netanyahu's camaraderie created waves online with many discussing their "budding bromance".

The Israeli premier accompanied Modi almost like a shadow since Modi landed here on the first visit by an Indian premier to the Jewish state, with both of them hugging each other at every possible opportunity.

The two leaders also constantly referred to each other as "my friend" and used superlatives while appreciating each other.

Moving Beyond Defence, India-Israel Say 'History In Making': 10 Points

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu have hailed the visit as historic.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu at the Israeli Museum for Exhibition on India-Jewish Heritage, in Jerusalem, Israel on July 05, 2017

JERUSALEM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu talked of "shared priorities" and a partnership that "can help global peace and stability," after holding back-to-back meetings over four hours and signing seven deals, including pacts on agriculture and water management. PM Modi thanked Mr Netanyahu for his warm welcome and hospitality and invited the Israeli Prime Minister and his wife to India. Mr Netanyahu immediately accepted the offer to a round of applause. This is the first visit to Israel by an Indian Prime Minister.

Here are your 10-point guide to PM Narendra Modi's Israel visit:

1. After their meetings the two leaders met Moshe Holtzberg - an Israeli child who as a toddler survived the 2008 terror attack at a Jewish centre in Mumbai. Moshe, now 11, read out a welcome note for PM Modi, saying "Dear Mr Modi, I Love you". 

2.Mr Netanyahu said both countries are "challenged by forces of terror" and that their meeting with Moshe Holtzberg is an "expression of our commitment to fight the bad and defend the good."

3."Ours is a partnership to seek good, defend good and achieve good. This is indeed a good day," said Mr Netyanhu, adding, "We spoke about so many fields where we can make a big difference - agriculture, water, health...today, India and Israel are changing our world and parts of the world." "We are making history together," Mr Netanyahu said.

4. PM Modi said Mr Netanyahu  and he "agreed to do much more together to protect our strategic interests." He said they discussed "the situation in West Asia and the wider region", adding that "it is India's hope that peace, dialogue and restraint will prevail."

5.PM Modi also said that thriving two-way trade and investment flows were the bed-rock of a strong partnership. The two leaders will meet top CEOs from both countries tomorrow.

6.Earlier today, PM Modi, who is on a three-day visit, met Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in his first formal engagement and tweeted a photo, saying, "The President of Israel welcomed me so warmly, he broke protocol. This is a mark of respect for the people of India." Mr Rivlin recalled his visit to India last year and said PM Modi is "one of the greatest democratic leaders."

7."I for I, India for Israel and Israel for India," said PM Modi, who was greeted with a warm hug by President Rivlin. PM Modi has said it is a "singular honour" to be the first Indian PM to undertake "this groundbreaking visit. "

8."We've been waiting for you a long time. We've been waiting almost 70 years in fact...The connection between us is natural, so natural that we might ask, what took so long?" said Mr Netanyahu on Tuesday. PM Modi had said hello in Hebrew and Mr Netanyahu spoke in Hindi after a grand welcome at the airport that Israel reserves for US Presidents.

9.Mr Netanyahu, who usually meets visiting heads of government for a meeting and over dinner or lunch meeting, is accompanying PM Modi, who he has fondly and frequently referred to as "my friend", to most engagements. This gesture, he said, "befits the leader of the largest democracy in the world".

10.The Israeli Prime Minister will also accompany PM Modi this evening when he addresses the Indian community in Jerusalem where a crowd of over 5,000 is expected. Singers from Bollywood are also expected to perform at the event.

PM Narendra Modi becomes first Indian PM to visit Israel : 3 day historic visit begins

Narendra Modi has arrived in Tel Aviv, becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel.

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi being received by the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, on his arrival, at Ben Gurion Airport, in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 04, 2017.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Israel today for his three-day visit. He is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel, making it a historic trip. PM Modi met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will meet with President Reuven Rivlin. The leaders are seeking to strengthen India-Israel relationship on a range of areas including defence and technology. Wide-ranging delegation-level talks have been planned between the two countries to enhance India-Israel ties in security, agriculture, water, energy and defence, among others. PM Modi and Prime Minister Netanyahu will also discuss measures to counter terrorism and increase cooperation in sharing of intelligence in this regard. Economic, cultural and people-to-people ties are also scheduled to be discussed and a number of agreements are expected to be signed between India and Israel. During his visit, Prime Minister Modi will address around 4,000 Indians settled in Israel and pay homage to Indian soldiers at the memorial in Haifa. The two prime ministers will also visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history.


Mr Modi, who recently said India and the Jewish state share a "deep and centuries-old" connection, is expected to agree military and cyber security deals.

Observers note he will not travel to Ramallah or meet Palestinian leaders, as visiting dignitaries often do.

The visit is seen by some as a turning point on India's position on Israel.

Mr Modi called the visit "ground-breaking" as he was met at the airport by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They will have dinner this evening ahead of formal talks on Wednesday.

Here is what the focus will be on over the next three days:
Defence deals will be top of the agenda

For years, Israel and India have been working closely together on counter-terrorism and defence issues and India has been a regular customer of arms from the Jewish state.

Working to modernise its military to counter China and Pakistan, India is now Israel's biggest arms market, thought to be worth about $1bn (£770m) per year, according to Reuters news agency.

The co-operation ranges from a jointly built air defence system to India buying drones, radar, cyber security and communication systems.

Aside from defence deals, the two countries also want to expand co-operation in other areas, notably Israel helping India to improve agricultural productivity and food security.

Markets cheer GST rollout; Sensex vaults 300 points

Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) Indian markets rejoiced at the far- reaching tax reform GST, sending the benchmark Sensex higher by over 300 points -- its biggest single-day surge in a month -- on emergence of a big rally in FMCG and auto counters.

The across-the-board buying helped the BSE flagship index close at a fresh one-week high of 31,221.62 and took the broader Nifty to finish 94 points higher at 9,615.

Overall business sentiment was buoyed by expectations that the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) will provide the much needed stimulant to the country's economic growth by transforming the earlier multi-pronged indirect taxation into a 'one nation one tax' system.

"Market welcomed the new tax regime with a positive note while shrugging off the initial hiccups of investors during the last couple of weeks where market witnessed consolidation.

Spending is likely to increase due to the impact of lower tax and increased sales volume will continue to benefit the earnings potential in the future," Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services Ltd, said.

The biggest tax reform since independence, the GST, was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and catapults India into a select league of nations that have a single national sales tax.

Instilling optimism among investors, Moody's said the GST implementation will be positive for India's rating as it will lead to higher GDP growth and increased tax revenue.

Robust capital inflows from foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and positive global cues further supported the momentum.

Shares of the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms led the rally, followed by telecom, metal, realty and auto counters.

Cigarette maker ITC was the top gainer in Sensex, rising 5.70 per cent to end at a 52-week high. This is mostly because taxation for cigarettes under the GST is around 5-6 per cent lower than the previous tax structure.

The 30-share Sensex resumed with a gap-up at 31,156.04 and touched a high of 31,258.33 and a low of 31,017.11 before concluding at 31,221.62, showing a smart rise of 300.01 points or 0.97 per cent.

Similarly, the NSE 50-share Nifty also finished with a solid gain of 94.10 points at 9,615 after briefly reclaiming a high of 9,624.00.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) sold shares worth a net Rs 160.48 crore last Friday, as per provisional data.

Domestic institutional investors (DIIs) bought shares worth a net Rs 1,195.71 crore last Friday.

In the Asian region, financial markets in Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore rose in the range of 0.02 per cent to 0.17 per cent.

European indices were also trading higher in their opening trade.

Among the other gainers at BSE, besides cigarette maker ITC, were Hero Motoco 2.17 per cent, Maruti 1.96 per cent, Coal India 1.95 per cent, Infy 1.68 per cent, Adani Ports 1.55 per cent, HUL 1.29 per cent, Asian Paints 1.27 per cent, M&M 1.21 per cent, ONGC 1.11 per cent, Tata Motor DVR 1.01 per cent and Tata Steel 0.93 per cent.

Among the laggards, NTPC fell by 1.17 per cent, Kotak Bank 0.72 per cent, Cipla 0.60 per cent, Sun Pharma 0.54 per cent and Lupin 0.50 per cent.

Sector-wise, MCG jumped 3.40 per cent, followed by telecom 1.86 per cent, metal 1.85 per cent, realty 1.48 per cent, auto 1.33 per cent, industrials 0.87 per cent and teck 0.86 per cent.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 1.13 per cent and Small- Cap index gained 1.05 per cent. Both these indices outperformed the Sensex.

The market breadth remained positive as 1,788 stocks ended higher, 871 closed lower while 175 ruled steady.

The total turnover on BSE amounted to Rs 3,189.86 crore, higher than turnover of Rs 3,079.94 crore registered during the previous trading session.

PM’s upcoming visit to Israel and Germany

New Delhi :The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will be visiting Israel on 4-6 July, 2017. Prime Minister will also be visiting Hamburg in Germany on 6-8 July, 2017 to attend 12th G-20 Summit.

In a series of Facebook posts from his account, the Prime Minister said:

“I will be visiting Israel on 4-6 July, 2017 upon invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As the first Indian Prime Minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer. This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of our diplomatic relations.

I will have in-depth talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism.

I will meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin - who I had the pleasure of receiving in New Delhi in November last year, as well as other senior leaders.

My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples.

On the economic side, I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground. In addition, I hope to get insights into Israel’s accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits.

During my stay, I will visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history. Later, I will also pay my respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.

On the evening of 6 July, I will commence my visit to Hamburg for the 12th G-20 Summit hosted by Germany. Over two days on 7th and 8th July, I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability.

We will review progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, women’s empowerment, and partnership with Africa. The theme chosen for this year is “Shaping an Inter-connected World”.

As in the past, I look forward to the opportunity to meet leaders on the side lines of the Summit to exchange views on bilateral matters of mutual interest.” 

President of India receives first copy of book “PRESIDENT Pranab Mukherjee – A Statesman”

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee addressing at the ceremony to release a photo book titled “President Pranab Mukherjee - A Statesman”, at Rashtrapati Bhawan, in New Delhi on July 02, 2017. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi is also seen.

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee received the first copy of a book “President Pranab Mukherjee – A Statesman” today (July 2, 2017) from Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi who formally released it at a function held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

Speaking on the occasion, the President expressed his gratitude to The Statesman for bringing out a photo essay on the 13th Presidency. He confessed that he was initially unwilling when the idea of the photo essay was first suggested by The Statesman. He wondered about the benefit the photo essay would have since the engagements of the President are all in public domain. However, he was convinced by Shri Ravindra Kumar and Shri R. P. Gupta from The Statesman in this regard who stressed that it was necessary to archive important events for posterity. This was so because the day -to- day news coverage of the Presidency has currency only till the next headline comes along. He was also persuaded to agree by the fact that a request had come from The Statesman, a newspaper that he literally grew up with as a Bengali. He said that he has had a long association with The Statesman and most of the time they had agreed to disagree. 

The President said that art and creative abilities transcend the boundaries of time and geographical borders. Their appeal is universal. He appreciated the wonderful photos taken by Shri Varun Joshi from The Statesman that feature in the photo essay. He also expressed his gratitude and deep appreciation to Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi who was present on the occasion to release the book. 

Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi said that the photo essay was important from the historical prospective. The photographs in the book immortalize history and also show the humane side of the President of India who is an inspiration for all of us. 

The book “President Pranab Mukherjee – A Statesman” has been published by The Statesman, one of India’s oldest English-language newspapers. This book, a comprehensive photographic record of India’s 13th President, covers Shri Mukherjee’s Presidency and documents his various roles including those as a humane first citizen, as a thought-leader , as a patron of educational institutions & the arts and as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces etc. 

GSTN unveils excel template

GSTN unveils excel template for to help taxpayers perform easy data entry offline before uploading on the GST portal; Excel template together with an offline tool will make uploading large numbers of invoices much easier and quick; Offline Tool to be unveiled on July 17, 2017.

Goods and Services Network (GSTN) has unveiled a simple excel based template that will facilitate the taxpayers in preparing and filing their monthly returns with maximum ease and minimal cost.

The excel template is a part of GST Council’s approach to make tax compliance highly easy and convenient for taxpayers and also reduce the time of compliance to improve ease of doing business. This excel workbook template can be freely downloaded from the GST Common portal (www.gst.gov.in), and can be used by taxpayers to collate all invoice related data on a regular basis.

The Excel format can be used by businesses to start maintaining their data. The taxpayer can prepare the details of his outward supply on weekly or any other suitable regular interval which can then be uploaded on GST portal on or before the 10th of subsequent month. The GSTR1 excel template workbook can be used to prepare the data for GSTR 1 return without connecting to internet in offline mode. This also benefits taxpayers in remote areas where Internet connectivity might not be good.

The template comprises of eight worksheets. Summary of key values in each worksheet has been provided at the top to help taxpayers easily reconcile the data entered in the worksheets with that recorded in his accounting system/books to accurately prepare the return. Based on data entered in the Excel sheet, offline tool will prepare a file which will have to be uploaded by the taxpayer on GST Portal to create GSTR-1. Only while uploading the file on the GST portal, Internet connectivity will be required. 

India launches new economic era with GST roll out : Sweeping Tax Reform

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi pressing the buzzer to launch the Goods & Service Tax (GST), in Central Hall of Parliament, in New Delhi, in the midnight of June 30- July 01, 2017.

New Delhi: The much-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) was rolled out from midnight tonight from the historic Central Hall of Parliament in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, finance minister Arun Jaitley and other Cabinet ministers, many chief ministers and senior government officials. The Congress and the Left parties have decided to skipped the launch though some opposition parties attended the event.

The GST has replaced more than a dozen central and state taxes or Value Added Tax (VAT) with an aim to create a seamless unified market for the $2 trillion Indian economy.

Here are the live updates to the GST launch:

■ President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi press button to officially launch GST. (PTI)

■ President Pranab Mukherjee said the ambitious central tax is a “tribute” to the maturity and wisdom of India’s democracy.

“The new era in taxation, which we are about to initiate in a few minutes, is the result of a broad consensus arrived at between the Centre and states,” Mukherjee said minutes before the GST roll-out in his speech at a special function in the central hall of Parliament.

“This consensus took not only time but also effort to build. The effort came from persons across the political spectrum who set aside narrow partisan considerations and put the nation’s interests first. It is a tribute to the maturity and wisdom of India’s democracy,” he said.

The President termed the GST a disruptive change.

“It is also a moment of some satisfaction for me because, as the Finance Minister, I had introduced the Constitution Amendment Bill on 22 March 2011,” he said.

“It is similar to the introduction of VAT when there was initial resistance. When a change of this magnitude is undertaken, however positive it may be, there are bound to be some teething troubles and difficulties in the initial stages,” he said.

Mukherjee said these issues have to be solved with understanding and speed to ensure that they do not impact the growth momentum of the economy.

“Success of such major changes always depends on their effective implementation. In the months to come, based on the experience of actual implementation, the GST Council and the Central and state governments should continuously review the design and make improvements, in the same constructive spirit as has been displayed till now,” he said. (PTI)

■ Prime Minister Narendra Modi today termed the GST as a ‘good and simple tax’ which will end harassment of traders and small businesses while integrating India into one market with one tax rate.

In the historic Central Hall of Parliament, Modi said the indirect tax reform is a result of combined efforts of various political parties at different points of time.

GST, he said, is an example of cooperative federalism as the centre and states together thrashed out the new law with consensus.

Besides being a transparent and fair system that will end generation of black money and corruption, GST will promote new governance culture that will end harassment at the hand of tax officials.

Touching upon initial teething troubles that may be witnessed because of unification of more than a dozen central and state levies into one and switching over to a new online return filing system, Prime Minister said even eyes have to adjust for a couple of days when a sight corrective spectacles are worn.

Modi said GST will eliminate the compounding effects of multi-layered tax system. (PTI)

■ Finance minister Arun Jaitley today said rollout of the GST will ease inflation, make tax avoidance difficult and boost GDP growth.

Addressing the midnight launch event of the GST in the Central Hall of Parliament, Jaitley said the implementation of the landmark unified tax should be seen as the beginning of a new journey that will expand the country’s economic horizon.

He further said that 17 transaction taxes in states and centre and 23 cesses would be subsumed in GST. An assessee will have to file only one return.

“Inflation will come down, tax avoidance will be difficult, India’s GDP will be benefited and extra resources will be used for welfare of poor and weaker section,” Jaitley said.

India is making history with the launch of GST, which is the biggest and most ambitious tax and economic reform in its history, the finance minister said.

“The old India was economically fragmented. New India will create one tax, one market, one nation. It will be in India where Centre and states work together towards the common goal of shared prosperity,” Jaitley said.

Terming GST as an important achievement for the country, he said not only will India write a new destiny, the new tax regime would also strengthen federalism.

“The Constitution says India is a union of states. The union is strong if both Centre and states are strong. That is the real meaning of cooperative federalism.While enacting the GST, neither the states nor Centre gave up their sovereignty. They have pooled their sovereignty to make joint decisions in indirect taxation,” the finance minister said.

In a large and complex federal system of multi-party democracy with Centre and 29 states and 2 UTs, Jaitley said India has implemented a constitutional amendment and brought in a large tax reform.

“We have done this at a time when world is facing a slow growth, isolationism and lack of structural reforms. With the GST, India has showed that these forces can be overcome through display of inclusion, openness and boldness,” he said.

He appreciated the efforts of all members of parliament, state finance ministers and officials in making GST a reality when many had expressed doubts whether it could be implemented from 1 July.

Jaitley also recalled the initiatives taken by his predecessors, including the then finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. He recalled the contribution of former finance Yashwant Sinha and former economic affairs secretary Vijay Kelkar.

“All decisions of GST Council were taken uninamously...We did not want to burden common man and weaker section,” Jaitley said.