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Wednesday, September 4, 2024

NEWS TODAY 4.9.2024

150 passengers board train sans ticket as booking clerk sleeps

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 4.9.24

Dehradun : In a bizarre incident, around 150 passengers were forced to board the weekly Ramnagar-Chandigarh superfast express train (12527) at the Ramnagar railway station in Nainital district, located adjacent to the Corbett National Park, without purchasing tickets as the ticket window clerk allegedly failed to wake up from his sleep.

According to station superintendent Rajkumar, the incident occurred on Monday at 5 am, even as the train arrived at the station amidst the commotion. “The passengers began arriving at the railway station at 4am and queued up at the ticket window. When the window didn’t open even 30 minutes before the train’s departure, they started repeatedly knocking on the door, but the clerk, Ashvini Kumar, remained unresponsive.

The other railway staff on duty also reached there upon hearing the commotion and knocked on the door, but it was locked from the inside,” Rajkumar said. He added, “It wasn’t until around 6 am, after the train had already left, that the clerk finally woke up. By then, the passengers had already left on the train without a ticket.” The station superintendent then informed the Izzatnagar division office of North Eastern Railways (NER) about the incident, requesting appropriate disciplinary action against the “negligent” clerk.

Public relations officer (PRO) of North Eastern Railway’s (NER) Izzatnagar division, Rajendra Singh, said, “The accused booking clerk has been directed to report to the divisional officer and tender his explanation in the matter.” Chief PRO of NER, Sanjeev Sharma, told TOI, “The booking clerk, in his clarification, said that he was unwell, therefore, he couldn’t respond when the door was knocked.”

APPOINTMENT OF VICE CHANCELLOR

Screenings intensified at airports: Ma Su

TIMES NEWS NETWORK 4.9.24

Trichy : With the threat of monkeypox (Mpox) virus looming, state govts have begun measures to prevent any spread of the disease. State minister for medical and family welfare Ma Subramanian on Tuesday inspected the screening mechanism at the Trichy International Airport to identify passengers with Mpox symptoms. Speaking to reporters, the minister informed that the state has not recorded any Mpox cases so far. The minister said that all international passengers on their arrival are being screened for Mpox symptoms, the minister added. He added that the King Institute of Preventive Medicine in Guindy has a facility to identify Mpox cases. Municipal administration minister K N Nehru and school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi were present during the inspection.

Vijay’s team awaits police nod for Vikravandi meet

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai : Actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) is anxiously awaiting police nod to conduct the party’s first state-level conference in Vikravandi on Sept 23, and exploring legal avenues to ensure the grand event is held as scheduled. The Villupuram police rejected suggestions of any delay on its part, asserting that it was adhering to the “routine procedure” of granting permission for public meetings by seeking responses from TVK.

Election Commission of India is yet to register TVK. Vijay submitted the application in Feb. “The response to police queries is being prepared by the legal team. It will be submitted soon. We will see the response and follow up with legal recourse,” said a party source. A set of 21 questions had been raised by the Villupuram deputy superintendent of police, S Suresh, to the party general secretary, N Anand, on Sunday. They have been given time until Friday to respond on a range of arrangements.

TVK functionaries see the questions as quite unusual given that only weeks are left for the conduct of the grand event, which is expected to attract more than three lakh participants. The police sought to know, among other things, the schedule of the event, list of dignitaries, number of banners and welcome arches, chairs, details of participants and contractors, power supply, arrangements for parking vehicles, and security for women, children and elders. The organisers are also required to respond about arrangements for parking and sanction from landowners.

“We follow the routine procedure of granting permission for public meetings. At the same time, all public meetings are not the same. We have sought details on some aspects. We have given them five days to reply to our queries. We will review their replies and take a call,” Villupuram superintendent of police Deepak Siwach told TOI

GST ON GRANTS: TAXING BLOW TO RESEARCH?

It’s Tax Terrorism Say Academicians And Could Derail Projects And Curtail Innovation

Pushpa.Narayan@timesofindia.com 4.9.2024

There’s a storm brewing in India’s academic circles, and it’s not about a new discovery or theory, but an unexpected tax on research grants. Seven Indian institutions – including the govt-run IIT Delhi, and Anna University in Chennai – recently got showcause notices from the directorate general of GST intelligence (DGGI) for unpaid taxes on research grants they received since 2017.

While IIT Delhi faces a demand for ₹120 crore, including penalties over the past seven years, other universities have been asked to pay between ₹5 crore and ₹60 crore. “Tax terrorism” is what entrepreneur and Infosys co-founder T V Mohandas Pai called it on social media handle X, tagging GST India and PM Modi. While the DGGI says research and develop ment grants received by educational institutions are not exempt from tax, many academicians, scientists, and funding agencies disagree. They say grants, especially for educational institutions, are difficult to secure, and tax relief on these funds is a common practice in several countries.

“GST on research grants will reduce money allocated for research. So, the govt must remove GST,” says Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan, a strong advocate for education, who funds research projects in institutions such as IIT and Indian Institute of Science (IISc). Experts say research is inherently a risky endeavour. Without the burden of taxes, institutions are more likely to invest in innovative and potentially high-risk projects that could lead to significant breakthroughs. “Some large and reputable research studies go on for several years.

The Framingham Heart Study, for instance, is a long-term, ongoing cardiovascular co hort study of residents of Massachusetts that began in 1948,” says orthopaedic surgeon Dr George Thomas, former editor of the Journal of Indian Medical Ethics. “The National Institutes of Health invested USD 14 million in the Lower Extremities Assessment Project (LEAP), a comprehensive research initiative designed to evaluate and improve outcomes in patients with severe injuries of the legs. Without large investments, breakthrough research is difficult. Taxing research grants reduces the already low investments.” Researchers also say funds for research have remained the same for years, though the scope of research has expanded. “It has not kept pace with inflation,” says scientist Ashok Jhunjhunwala, who has chaired govt committees and boards of institutions such as IIT. He says GST on research could be covered by the grantee.

“When researchers receive grant money from the ministry, the govt should pay the GST. Researchers would welcome it because they currently pay GST on equipment or components bought with grant funds. If grants were given with GST already paid, they could offset the GST costs they currently bear,” he says. Research grants are fully itemised with amounts allocated for equipment, components, travel, salaries and overheads. “Where is the GST money supposed to come from within this? Placing a GST demand on research institutions is just harassment.” While several universities are gearing up for litigation against the demand, legal experts say Centre should reconsider this issue before it reaches the courts.

“GST is levied on the supply of goods and services,” says advocate K Vaitheeswaran, an expert on taxes and head of the taxation committee of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “For example, at a shop there is a tax on sold goods. GST is on the supply of goods or services for consideration. When a university receives a research grant, there is no quid pro quo to provide any goods or services. A grant is not a consideration; it is akin to a donation.” Legal experts say there is no certainty in research outcomes, which may or may not result in saleable goods or services, and so, research grants and donations received from govt or private agencies should not be taxed based on anticipated outcomes but on monetised results. “When income tax provides an accelerated tax shield for research institutions notified under section 35(1)(ii), GST too should extend the same reasoning and logic for research grants,” they say.

Academicians hope this issue will be discussed at the GST council meeting on Sept 9, chaired by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman. “Research grants to universities must be considered a subsidy as funds are used solely for delivering public good without any profit motive, making it a quasi-government endeavour by the university,” says an academician. Pai recommends setting up an expert committee within GST India like the one at the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. “Questions should be referred to this committee, position paper prepared, put out for public comments and after that issued as the official view,” says the public policy advocate. “This will ensure uniform policy throughout the industry and eliminate arbitrary action by GST officers which harm the country and business as well as reduce tax terrorism. Officials must raise contestable questions and debate it out before they issue such notices. Tax on research grants given to universities can have a chilling effect on research outputs. I hope it’s axed.”

Docs sought for Saudi ministry 04.09.2024

Chennai : The Tamil Nadu govt has announced job opportunities for allopathy doctors to work for the Saudi Arabian govt. Doctors with postgraduate qualifications under 55 years of age and with at least 3 years experience can apply for medical positions. Interviews for these positions will be conducted in Hyderabad. Selected candidates will be provided with food, ac commodation and air tickets by the employer in Saudi Arabia.

Candidates can visit the official website of Overseas Manpower Corporation Ltd. (OMCL) at www.omcmanpower.tn.gov.in, a release said. For further details on salary and job descriptions, contact 9566239685 or 044-22505886. The govt has said there are no intermediaries or agents associated with the employment agency.