-Hindustan Times Indian democracy is robust. The balance is good for the polity The Jharkhand election, in which a coalition of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-Congress-Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has succeeded in dislodging the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, is a reflection of a broader pattern in national politics. For one, it shows, yet again, that the BJP is vulnerable at the state level — and Narendra Modi’s popularity at the...
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Finance panel suggests new structure to rationalise GST slabs -Rajeev Jayaswal
-Hindustan Times The suggestion is to come up with a standard rate of 17%, a lower merit rate for items of common consumption and a higher rate on luxury and sin goods, according to these officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC) has suggested the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council to simplify tax rates by creating just three slabs, two officials with direct knowledge of...
More »NRC buzz triggers advisories, videos: Get IDs ready -Mohamed Thaver, Amrita Dutta & Rahul Pisharody
-The Indian Express “The name Mohammad can be spelt in many ways. Then there are elderly people, whose dates of birth vary from document to document, simply because they were born at home, and no one kept exact records,” said Maqsood. The unusual advisory is issued just before Friday prayers begin: gather your ID papers, keep them ready. Then, there are tutorial videos on WhatsApp groups, and seminars and workshops, to...
More »A potential seedbed for private profits -R Ramakumar
-The Hindu The new Seeds Bill is tilted against farmers’ interests and loaded in favour of seed companies. After passing through at least two versions, Seeds Bill 2019 is now under Parliament’s consideration. The earlier versions of the Bill, in 2004 and 2010, had generated heated debates. The present version promises to be no different. In 1994, India signed the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). In 2002, India also...
More »ESIC may cover gig economy workers as part of new Social Security Code Bill -Somesh Jha
-Business Standard The government has made an enabling provision in the code to provide insurance cover, under the ESI schemes, to gig, platform and plantation workers Workers employed in the gig economy may soon be eligible for insurance benefits provided by the state-run Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). The move is a part of the Social Security Code Bill, 2019 approved by the Union Cabinet on Wednesday. The Code has also proposed...
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