New Delhi, July 31 (IANS) Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to withdraw the 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on life and medical insurance premiums.

The minister took up the matter after receiving a memorandum on the issue from the ‘Life Insurance Union’ of Nagpur – the Parliamentary constituency he represents in the Lok Sabha.

Nitin Gadkari, in a letter to the Finance Minister stated that the “main issue raised by the union is related to withdrawal of GST on Life and Medical Insurance Premium”.

His letter mentions that the 18 per cent GST currently levied on life and medical insurance premiums tends to penalise individuals seeking to protect themselves and their families against life’s uncertainties.

He contended that taxing life insurance premiums essentially taxes the very act of preparing for unforeseen circumstances, which is counter-productive to the objective of providing financial security.

The memorandum also expressed concerns that the 18 per cent GST on medical insurance premiums acts as a significant barrier to the growth of this crucial segment.

The high tax rate discourages individuals from investing in medical insurance, despite its crucial role in ensuring public health and financial stability during medical emergencies, Nitin Gadkari’s letter states.

In addition to the GST issue, “the insurance union has also raised points related to differential treatment to savings by way of life insurance, the re-introduction of IT deductions for health insurance premiums, and the consolidation of public general insurance companies”, the letter added.

–IANS

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Panaji, July 31 (IANS) Though the annual 61-day fishing ban in the coastal state is being lifted from midnight, fishermen have decided not to venture into the sea following a warning from the IMD as the sea is rough.

The Fisheries Department had announced the ban from June 1 to July 31.

The ban is imposed annually in the coastal state to allow sufficient time for fish breeding.

During this period mechanized fishing is prohibited along the sea coast and territorial waters of Goa. There are around 897 fishing trawlers in the state.

Workers from the trawlers leave for their hometowns during the ban season and come back at the end of July to begin fishing operations from August.

Francis Dsouza, chairman of the Mandovi Fishermen Society from North Goa, said that as the sea is rough they don’t want to take any risk.

“Due to incessant rain we couldn’t make our trawlers ready for the new season and also the sea is rough. Hence we will not venture into the sea. We will go when it is safe,” Dsouza said.

According to him, the trawler workers have not returned from their hometowns as yet.

“We will need at least ten days. We will check the weather conditions and only then venture into the sea,” he added.

Vinay Tari, chairman of the Cutbona-based Fisheries Cooperative Society from South Goa, said that as the sea is rough only 10 to 15 percent trawlers may venture out.

“Our workers are yet to come. All of them have not reached Goa,” he stated.

Savio Dsilva, another fisherman from the South district, said that as the sea is rough, it will be difficult to venture out. “There is an orange alert and also our workers have not returned. It will be dangerous to venture into the sea during the rough weather,” he said.

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into the sea till August 3.

Recently, a fishing boat carrying 13 fishermen capsized 70 metres away from the Colva coastline, resulting in the fishermen being thrown into the rough sea. All of them hailed from Andhra Pradesh and they were rescued by Drishti Marine lifesavers.

Last year fish production in Goa was 1,26,990 tonnes, which was comparatively less than the previous year (2022-23), when the fish production was 1,33,970 tonnes.

–IANS

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Bhopal, July 31 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday issued notice on former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh’s petition alleging irregularities in the Lok Sabha election in the Rajgarh constituency.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha said that the court has issued notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the returning officer for the Rajgarh Lok Sabha constituency.

The court has sought their reply on the petition. “We have made the ECI and the returning officer (Rajgarh LS seat) as party in the case. It’s a case about the authenticity of the EVMs, which is why, we have made the ECI a party,” Tankha, who represented Digvijaya Singh in the court told IANS.

Notably, on July 16, Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh filed a petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court alleging irregularities in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections in Rajgarh, where he lost to BJP’s Rodmal Nagar by a margin of 1,46,089 votes.

In his petition, Singh alleged irregularities and highlighted the sequences of how the irregularities occurred. He had also alleged that election norms were not followed in the constituency.

Singh had earlier accused the Returning Officer of not complying with the directives of the ECI. However, it’s not the first time he has questioned EVMs or irregularities in the elections.

Two-time former MP CM lost against BJP’s Rodmal Nagar from his home turf Rajgarh, even after he tried to win sympathy for the last election. It was his second consecutive loss in the Lok Sabha after Bhopal in 2019 against BJP’s Pragya Singh Thakur.

The Congress was expecting to win at least three to five Lok Sabha seats in Madhya Pradesh, including Rajgarh and Chhindwara, which used to be the bastion of former Chief Minister Kamal Nath. However, the grand old party drew a blank as the BJP swept all the 29 seats in the state.

–IANS

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Ahmedabad, July 31 (IANS) The Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee claimed on Wednesday that a massive cyber attack has paralysed digital operations in the state’s cooperative banking sector, affecting transactions worth over Rs 5,000 crore.

Party spokesperson Hemang Raval claimed that the digital services in the Gujarat State Cooperative Bank, 13 district banks, and approximately 150 urban banks have been disrupted for the past three days.

Raval highlighted that all digital transactions, including NEFT, RTGS, UPI, PhonePe, Google Pay, and Paytm, have been “non-functional for the last 72 hours due to the cyber attack”. He criticized the bank authorities for not explaining and leaving customers in the dark about the extent of the breach and the measures being taken.

Despite the substantial investment in cyber security systems and servers, which was reported to be three times the usual cost, the Congress spokesperson raised concerns about the “subcontracted software company’s ties to relatives of influential figures associated with the banks”. Raval urged the “authorities to investigate this connection and hold the responsible parties accountable to restore customer trust”.

He called on the “Gujarat government to assure account holders that their funds are secure and to take swift action to restore normalcy.” Given the severity of the situation, Raval also emphasized the need for immediate intervention by the Ministry of Finance and the Reserve Bank of India.

Customers have reportedly lodged numerous complaints but have not received satisfactory responses from the banks. Raval stressed that the “government and relevant financial authorities must resolve the crisis and ensure the safety and security of the affected account holders’ funds”.

–IANS

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Jaipur, July 31 (IANS) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Wednesday directed officials to take strict action against coaching institutes operating in the state without safety equipment.

Chief Minister Sharma on his official X account said, “The news of the death of candidates preparing for Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in the basement of a coaching institute in Delhi in an unfortunate accident is extremely distressing.”

“With the aim of preventing recurrence of such incidents, our government has instructed the authorities, trusts, municipal corporations, councils and municipalities to take strict action to ensure public safety in urban areas.”

“If violation of rules is found, strict action will be ensured against the concerned persons and institutions,” the Chief Minister added.

Jaipur Municipal Corporation Greater Mayor, Somya Gurjar, on Tuesday directed to seal two coaching centres due to non-receipt of a fire no-objection certificate.

There were 800 children sitting in the hall of Kalam Coaching in Jaipur with just one gate to enter and exit the hall.

Action has also been taken against coaching institute in Kota as more than 22 libraries have been sealed as they were operating in the basement without due permission from the government.

Kota’s chief fire officer Rakesh Vyas said: “Intensive checking drive started on Tuesday in Jawahar Nagar, Dadabari, Landmark Area and Coral Park of the city. Library was being operated in the basement without permission. No guidelines were being followed here. As many as 22 such libraries running in the basement have been sealed.”

Gautam Lal, chief fire officer of Kota Municipal Corporation, said: “Kota Municipal Corporation has also formed a special committee regarding safety norms in the coaching institutes. This committee will inspect the coaching centres and take action.”

–IANS

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