Government offices asked to ensure TDS every month

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

AUGUST 14, 2018 00:00 IST



On tax deduction:K. Raviramachandran, Commissioner of Income Tax (TDS), speaking at an awareness programme in Madurai on Monday.G. MoorthyG_Moorthy 

‘Penalty will be recovered from salary of Drawing and Disbursal Officer’


Tax deductors in government offices have been reminded of penalty provision in Income Tax Act, if they fail to deduct tax from their employees and make the payment on time or to file the returns on time.

Addressing an awareness programme for tax deductors organised by the Income Tax Department here on Monday, Commissioner of Income Tax (TDS) K. Ravi Ramachandran said the department was soft-pedalling against defaulting tax deductors of government departments.

“However, a day will come when we’ll be compelled to slap Rs. 200 fine a day on deductors for not complying with provisions of Income Tax Act,” he said.

He said that the penalty would be recovered from the salary of Drawing and Disbursal Officer (DDO) and not from the government departments.

Mr. Ramachandran also asked the tax deductors to directly file their returns to the Income Tax Department using TDS Reconciliation Analysis and Correction Enabling System.

Speaking on the occasion, Additional Commissioner of Income Tax D. Albert Manohar said that the DDOs should understand that tax deduction at source should be done from employees every month from April to March and not during the last few months of the financial year.

Tax deduction should be done in 12 equal instalments through the financial year based on the annual salary projection of each government employee, he said. Failure to deduct correct amount of tax and not making prompt payment to Income Tax Department would make the DDOs liable to pay penalty, he cautioned.

The DDOs should understand that a major portion of the income tax collected from individuals was ploughed back through the State government for developmental works. Hence, it was imperative for them to collect the dues on time, he said.

Joint Commissioner of Income Tax Ben Mathew Varkey said that 40% of the total tax collected or Rs. 4 lakh crore across the nation was through TDS. He assured that the Income Tax Department was ready to help the DDOs in solving various issues in processing TDS on time.

CUTN Tiruvarur closes admissions for 2018-19

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

TIRUVARUR, AUGUST 14, 2018 00:00 IST

The Central University of Tamil Nadu (CUTN), Tiruvarur, has closed admissions for this academic year for UG Integrated and PG programmes. The admissions were closed on August 10.

Students were admitted for the various programs offered through 22 departments based on the Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET).

The applications were received online from February 19 to March 26, and the admit cards were issued on April 13, for the entrance exams conducted on April 28 and 29.

The CUTN had introduced 13 new programmes for this academic year.

There was a significant rise in the number of applicants.

This year, there were 40,816 applicants compared to 27,299 last year, according to information provided to the media.

There are 22 departments offering UG, PG, M.Phil and doctorate programs under schools of Basic and Applied Sciences, Mathematics and Computer Science, Social Sciences and Humanities, Behavioural Sciences, Commerce and Business Management, Communication, Education and Training, Technology, Performing Arts and Fine Arts, and Earth Sciences.

In all, the Central University of Tamil Nadu offers 46 courses for 1,689 students with 100 regular teachers on rolls, the CUTN website states.

Besides students from all over the country, the CUTN has also been admitting those from other countries under Direct Admission of Students Abroad scheme.

Students with adequate knowledge of English are admitted.

In case English is not the first language or language of medium of instruction during secondary and tertiary education, a pass in the Test of English as a foreign language administered by the Educational Testing Service in the US, or the International English Language Testing Service test administered by the British Council, is required.

Kiran Bedi returns CM’s ‘rude’ letter

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

PUDUCHERRY, AUGUST 14, 2018 00:00 IST




Kiran Bedi

Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi has returned a letter from Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy charging her with violating “the spirit of the oath of secrecy” as it was “impolite” in tone.

Mr. Narayanasamy had, while addressing the media the other day, shared copies of his letter in which he took exception to the fact that although as an administrator Ms. Bedi had taken oath of office and secrecy, she had been issuing, on a daily basis, official “secret communications violating the oath of secrecy which was unbecoming of a constitutional authority.”

A miffed Lt. Governor conveyed to the media that she was returning the letter in original as it was found to be “highly impolite”, especially considering that it was addressed to a Constitutional office.

“If it (referred by the CM at the press meet) is the same one written to the Lt. Governor, I wish to inform that it was returned in original as it was considered highly impolite written to a Constitutional office,” Ms. Bedi said.

She charged the Chief Minister with being “rude even earlier in several of his letters.” “However, it has now become a pattern,” she added.

Power shut down on Aug. 16

COIMBATORE, AUGUST 14, 2018 00:00 IST

UPDATED: AUGUST 14, 2018 04:01 IST

Due to monthly maintenance work to be taken at Kavundampalayam sub-station on August 16 between 9 a.m and 4 p.m. there will be no power supply in the following areas: Nallampalayam: Housing Board, AR Nagar, Thamami Nagar, Driver Colony, Samundeswari Nagar, Suguna Nagar, Union Road, Ashok Nagar, Murugan Nagar, Bharathi Nagar, Dhayal Street, Fireservice Area, Nallampalayam Road, TVS Nagar Road, Gen Nagar, Ohm Nagar, Amirtha Nagar, Ganesh Layout, Ganesh Layout, Sabari Garden, Ranga Layuout and Part of Maniakarampalayam area.

Pump House: 24-hour water supply Athikadavu scheme, Kavundampalayam.

Lenin Nagar: Subbhathal Lay out, Sastri Street, Maruthakutty Layout, Sampath Street, Periyar Street, VOC Street, CG Lay out, Nedunchezhian Street and Dheivanagi Nagar.

Sanganoor: Pudhu Thottam, Kannappa Nagar, Periyar Nagar, Karupparayan Koil Street, Thair Etteri Road and Balusamy Nagar.

Saibaba Colony: Indira Nagar, Kaveri Nagar, Jeeva Nagar, Kamaraj Street, K.K. Pudur 6-th Street, State Bank Colony, Krishna Nagar, Ganapathy Lay-out, KG Lay out, Giri Nagar, Sri Nagar and Thatehanthottam.

Cheran Nagar: Cheran Nagar, ITI Nagar, Thendral Nagar, Lakshmi Nagar, Balan Nagar, Saravana Nagar, Railway Mens Colony and Ranga Majestic.

Award for ophthalmologist

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

CHENNAI, AUGUST 14, 2018 00:00 IST

Vice-chairman and Director of Paediatric Ophthalmology Sankara Netralaya T.S. Surendran recently received the Life Time Achievement award at the annual conference of the Tamil Nadu Ophthalmic Association.

The award was presented by Puducherry Lt. Governor Kiran Bedi for his 40-year-long contribution to paediatric ophthalmology.

Linking Aadhaar with e-mail is dangerous: HC

Legal Correspondent

CHENNAI, AUGUST 14, 2018 00:00 IST

Says it will make private details public

Two judges of the Madras High Court on Monday termed as “a very dangerous relief” a plea by a public interest litigant to link either Aadhaar card details or any other government identity proof with the e-mail as well as social media accounts of individuals to keep a tab on fake accounts used to abuse others and indulge in cyber crimes.

Justices S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad doubted whether such a relief could be granted since it would amount to making public personal details such as Aadhaar number. They said crimes committed using fake accounts could be detected by the cyber crime cell. Therefore, it could not be a reason to order mandatory linking of Aadhaar with social media accounts.

However, they adjourned the hearing on the PIL petition filed by Antony Clement Rubin, an activist-based in Chennai, to August 20 in order to enable the cyber crime officials to throw light on procedures followed by them to track down individuals using fake accounts to indulge in criminal activities. The judges wanted the officials to be present during the next hearing.

During the course of hearing on Monday, a police officer informed the court that Facebook had an employee in Hyderabad to assist the police in tracking down criminals.

However, he provides immediate assistance only in serious cases related to child pornography and so on and does not cooperate in solving complaints of abuse through fake accounts.

The prime reason cited by Facebook for not disclosing certain details to the police was its obligation to maintain the privacy of its users, the judges were told. Finding some justification in the stand taken by Facebook too, the judges said that they would examine the issue in detail during the next hearing and find out how best the court could help in such issues.

They added that, ex-facie, the PIL petitioner had no constitutional or statutory right to seek a direction to the Centre as well as State government to make linking of Aadhaar with e-mail and social media accounts mandatory and that the petition could be dismissed straight away on this ground alone.

Anna varsity admission process raises suspicion

R. Sujatha

CHENNAI, AUGUST 14, 2018 00:00 IST




The Anna University conducts counselling for engineering courses after the Directorate of Medical Education completes the admission process. 

But university officials say procedure is fair and deny allegations of malpractice

Information sought under the RTI has raised doubts on the admission process in the Anna University.

An University employee sought information on students admitted to its various departments in the academic year 2017-2018. He later compared the list with the attendance details of students who had gone to the third semester in July 2018.

“I found that the students’ names in the third semester attendance register did not tally with the list of students admitted in 2017-18,” said the employee who had filed the RTI.

“In the ECE department, of the 180 seats in three batches in College of Engineering, Guindy, there are 39 candidates who did not figure in the 2017-18 admission list given under the RTI. The number is in excess of the permitted NRI quota of 20% of the total seats,” he added.

Usually, the Anna University conducts counselling for engineering courses after the Directorate of Medical Education completes the admission process. Last year, MBBS admission was delayed owing to prolonged court cases and Anna University completed the counselling ahead of the DME.

As a result, when counselling for medical seats was held as many as 500 students vacated their seats in Anna University and its top-rung affiliated colleges in favour of MBBS.

“Anna University’s counselling pattern does not allow for filling up of vacated seats. The university departments do not permit lateral entry in to second year BE. But I found that all seats were filled in the third semester and the attendance register included names of candidates that did not exist in the 2017-18 admission list in some of the most-sought departments like ECE, EEE, Manufacturing and Mining,” the professor said.

An official in-charge of admissions, however, said the new names on the list could be students who opted for ‘break year’.

“Students who join the Anna University generally are toppers and aim for medicine too. In 2016-17, many students took a break to write NEET. It is possible that many of them who did not get a medical seat have come back in the third semester,” he explained.

A professor in industrial engineering in CEG explained that the University is permitted to admit 20% students (12 seats) in addition to the 60 allotted seats in each branch.

“For 60 seats reservations for various communities and sports quota is followed. Students from other States are admitted under Open Category. Within the 20% additional seats 5% seats each are allocated for industrial consortium; wards of NRI parents; wards of those employed in Gulf countries; and foreign nationals. In certain branches like ECE all seats are filled but in some others filling even the permitted intake of 60 is difficult,” he said.