PM Modi pays tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

I bow to respected Bapu on Gandhi Jayanti: PM Modi pays tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

Globally, Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Several events were held in India and across the world to mark the occasion

New Delhi: Paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said Bapu’s principles are globally relevant and give strength to millions. “Tributes to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his birth anniversary. I bow to respected Bapu on Gandhi Jayanti. The life and ideals of Pujya Bapu will continue to inspire every generation of the country to walk on the path of duty. His noble principles are globally relevant and give strength to millions, ” tweeted Prime Minister Modi.

Mahatma Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869, in the Porbandar town of Gujarat. Fondly known as Bapu, his unwavering belief in ‘Swaraj’ (self-governance) and ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence) won him accolades across the world.

Globally, Gandhi’s birth anniversary is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence. Several events were held in India and across the world to mark the occasion.

 GST collections hit five-month high, Govt says shows economy recovering.

GST revenue had grown 29.6 per cent YoY in August — it came in at Rs 86,449 crore in August 2020, after which it rose to Rs 95,480 crore in September 2020.

Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue collections in September — for sales in August — rose to a five-month high of Rs 1,17,010 crore, up 22.5 per cent year-on-year, according to latest data.

Although the pace of revenue growth slowed from the previous month due to a waning low base effect from last year, average monthly GST collections in the second quarter this year (Rs 1.15 lakh crore) improved by 5 per cent from the first quarter (Rs 1.10 lakh crore).

Also, monthly collections have continued to improve due to a pickup in economic activity, alongside increased compliance by vendors of bigger companies. This is expected to improve going ahead due to the festive season.

Significantly, a majority of key manufacturing states, including Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, reported a growth of over 20 per cent compared to last year.

“This clearly indicates that the economy is recovering at a fast pace. Coupled with economic growth, anti-evasion activities, especially action against fake billers, have also been contributing to the enhanced GST collections. It is expected that the positive trend in the revenues will continue and the second half of the year will post higher revenues,” the Finance Ministry said in a statement.

GST revenue had grown 29.6 per cent YoY in August — it came in at Rs 86,449 crore in August 2020, after which it rose to Rs 95,480 crore in September 2020. In September 2020, GST revenues had grown 4 per cent over the revenue of Rs 91,916 crore in September 2019.

Yet, overall revenue buoyancy under GST is seen as a concern, especially after the legally mandated compensation to states for revenue shortfall from GST implementation comes to an end in June 2022.

The Finance Ministry had recently constituted two ministerial panels as the first step towards the first structural overhaul after its July 2017 rollout. A “review” of the current slab structure has been incorporated in the Terms of Reference (ToR) of the panels, according to an order dated September 24.

The panel’s brief incorporates an overarching mandate: an evaluation of “special rates” within the tax structure, rationalization measures that include “a merger of tax rate slabs aimed at simplifying the rate structure”, a review of instances of inverted duty structure and an identification of potential sources of evasion.

The GST has five key tax slabs: zero, 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent along with 0.25 per cent and 3 per cent rate for precious/ semi-precious stones and gold/ silver, respectively. A compensation cess, ranging between 1 per cent to 290 per cent, is levied on demerit and luxury goods over and above the topmost rate of 28 per cent.

A merger of 5 per cent and 12 per cent slabs or 12 per cent and 18 per cent slabs has been deliberated upon earlier as well but has not been taken up formally for a decision.

Out of the total Rs 1.17 lakh crore collection in September, CGST is Rs 20,578 crore, SGST is Rs 26,767 crore, IGST is Rs 60,911 crore (including Rs 29,555 crore collected on import of goods) and cess is Rs 8,754 crore (including Rs 623 crore collected on import of goods).

The Centre has also released compensation of Rs 22,000 crore to states.

M S Mani, Senior Director, Deloitte India said: “The GST collection figures indicate that growth of the economy is leading to stable collections, which would help in achieving the fiscal deficit target of 6.8% of GDP. Most of the key manufacturing states reporting a growth of 20% plus compared to last year does indicate that an economic revival is clearly in progress across key states.”

Andhra Pradesh cites quality, starts taking over aided schools and colleges

The process of attaching grant-in-aid institutions and their staff was started on Monday by the Commissioner of Collegiate Education and Director of School Education.

It is the end of the road for government-aided private educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh. More than 90 per cent of aided degree colleges have been taken over by the state, and will now be run as government institutions.

The process of attaching grant-in-aid institutions and their staff was started on Monday by the Commissioner of Collegiate Education and Director of School Education.

Education Minister Adimulapu Suresh said employees hired on contract by the grant-in-aid institutions would be redeployed and absorbed in colleges and schools where they were required.

Suresh told The Indian Express that the government had given three options to these institutions: voluntarily withdraw from grant-in-aid benefits; hand over their assets to the government; or run the institutions as private bodies.

A good number of institutions have given up their grant-in-aid status and handed over their staff, while a few have agreed to give up their assets as well, the minister said. Institutions that do not accept any of these options will lose their recognition.

 “The government’s intention is to provide quality education to students without their families being burdened. Although welfare schemes such as Amma Vodi, Vidya Deevena, and Vasati Deevena are being provided even to those studying in grant-in-aid institutions, enrollment has not increased. Many are taking government benefits but are not maintaining good standards of teaching,’’ Suresh said.

The committee set up by the government had recommended taking over all grant-in-aid educational institutions. Of the 133 degree colleges, 125 — almost 93 per cent — have so far surrendered their grant-in-aid status, and assigned staff to the government, officials said. At least seven institutions have agreed to hand over their assets to the government as well.

Similarly, 103 out of 122 junior colleges — 84 per cent — have given up their grant-in-aid status; five have voluntarily given their assets to the government along with their staff.

And 1,276 grant-in-aid schools have agreed to give up their status; 100 will give their assets to the government. The education department will run them as government schools, and none of them will be shut, the minister assured.

Suresh said the problems of teachers hired on contract were being considered as well, and the government would take steps to secure their jobs. A committee had been set up to study the possibilities, and contracted teachers need not worry because the government was committed to strengthening these institutions, he said.

Several academics and teachers, however, feel that the government is taking away their option to choose between government and private schools and colleges.

“Government-aided private educational institutions have a good name and recognition; many of them are quite reputed. Parents and teachers are disappointed that this option is being taken away. Government can stop grants to institutions that are purely for profiteering, but allow the reputed ones that maintain good standards,’’ Member of Legislative Council from the teachers’ constituency K Narasimha Reddy said.

High Court sets aside Group-1 Mains results.

Court directs APPSC to revert to manual evaluation of answer sheets

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has set aside the results of Group-1 Mains examinations held in December 2018 and directed the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission to do manual evaluation of answer sheets in “conventional mode”, within three months.

Justice D.V.S.S. Somayajulu gave his ruling after hearing a bunch of petitions against the digital evaluation of the answer sheets.

EU inflation is highest since 2008

Inflation in the euro area.

The European Union statistics agency Eurostat said Friday that inflation came in at 3.4%, up from 3.0% in August and the highest since 2008. The overall inflation level was boosted by a jolting 17.4% increase in energy prices.

Spraying seeds from the sky to raise forests.

Drones Spray Tree Seeds From the Sky to Fight Deforestation.These innovators are combating climate change and restoring forests with the latest technology.

Every year, about 15 billion trees are cut down to make way for agriculture, mining, logging, and urban sprawl. Such mass deforestation has accelerated global warming and imperiled the survival of millions of species. Though many nations, organizations, and even individuals have tried, no one has been able to plant enough trees to make up for that loss—but some innovative entrepreneurs are working on a high-tech solution.

BioCarbon Engineering (BCE), a U.K.-based start-up, has developed a technique that they say could potentially plant one billion trees per year. The method? Drones.

Current tree-planting programs “are just not fast enough,” said Irina Fedorenko, a co-founder of the company. “But our technology is automated, so we can scale up quite realistically and quite quickly.” (Learn about the teenager who is on track to plant a trillion trees.)