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Government is all set to walk away with the highest level of excise duty collection from the petroleum sector this year, even as fuel consumers continue to face persistent increase in petrol and diesel prices that has taken the retail prices to historic high levels across the country. In the nine month period of current fiscal ending December 31, 2020, Centre's excise duty collections from the petroleum sector has already touched Rs 2,35,811 crore-mark, much more than what it got in the full financial year 2019-20. At this pace, collections may well cross Rs 3 lakh crore for the very first time in FY21. Last fiscal, the Centre received Rs 2,23,057 crore as excise revenue from the petroleum sector. The numbers were even lower at Rs 2,14,369 crore in FY19. Only in FY17, excise collections remained firm at Rs 2,42,691 crore when the government raised excise duty taking advantage of low crude prices. Higher collections as taxes have come at a time when consumers are facing the ... » Learn More about Government gets tax-rich from oil sector, consumers bear brunt

For Quick Alerts Subscribe Now Vaccine FAQ: How much does a COVID-19 shot cost? When, how, where to get it in Phase-2 View Sample For Quick Alerts ALLOW NOTIFICATIONS For Daily Alerts #Coronavirus Co-WIN app: Here's how to download COVID-19 vaccination certificate #Coronavirus As six states account for 86% new cases, high-level COVID-19 meet held #Coronavirus Flying to UP from Maharashtra, Kerala? You will need to take a COVID-19 test #Coronavirus Maharashtra Class 10, 12 exam 2021 will be held #Coronavirus Coronavirus cases: India extends ban on flight services till March 1; Check details #Coronavirus UP govt orders rapid antigen tests for Air Passengers from Maharashtra, Kerala Just In 3 min ago West Bengal opinion polls give TMC the clear edge, BJP not far behind 38 min ago No bigger irony than questioning valour of country's Army: ... » Learn More about Coronavirus cases: India reports 16,488 new COVID-19 cases, 113 deaths in past 24 hours

June 18, 2020 13:53 North Korea announced Wednesday that it will re-deploy troops in the shuttered Kaesong Industrial Complex, the Mt. Kumgang resort and guard posts along the demilitarized zone. It also threatened to resume coastal artillery drills along the Northern Limit Line, the de facto maritime border off the North Korean coast. That puts an effective end to a de-escalation pact aimed signed by the two Korean leaders in 2018. In fact, all key agreements that the current government signed with the North have become useless, and North Korea is once again threatening to turn Seoul into a "sea of fire." North Korea's claims that its recent histrionics were caused by South Korea's failure to stop activists from flying propaganda leaflets across the border are eyewash. The North is merely trying to pressure the South to get the U.S. to lift sanctions. That is why it said South Korea must "calculate the price for this crisis to end" and "compensate by showing proper action." ... » Learn More about Is Seoul Ready to Deal with N.Korean Military Provocations

Wanted diamond merchant Nirav Modi, who remains behind bars in a London prison as he contests his extradition to India on charges of fraud and money laundering in the estimated $2-billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam case, will find out the UK court's ruling in the nearly two-year-long legal battle on Thursday. Illustration: Dominic Xavier/ Rediff.com The 49-year-old is expected to appear via videolink from Wandsworth Prison in south-west London at Westminster Magistrates' Court, where District Judge Samuel Goozee is set to hand down his judgment on whether the jeweller has a case to answer before the Indian courts. The magistrates' court ruling will then be sent back to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel for a sign off, with the possibility of appeals in the High Court on either side depending on the outcome. Modi was arrested on an extradition warrant on March 19, 2019, and has appeared via videolink from Wandsworth Prison for a series of court hearings in the ... » Learn More about PNB scam: Nirav Modi to know his fate on Thu

New Delhi: In the third phase of the coronavirus vaccination drive which begins from March 1, the government is aiming to expand the vaccination drive to the general public of the nation, which include people with co-morbidities in the 45-59 years age group and senior citizens. Adding to this, on Saturday (February 27) the Union Ministry of health and family welfare, in a press release, revealed that the people with co-morbid conditions will need to carry a medical certificate to receive the vaccination. The release also disclosed the list of the 20 co-morbid conditions that would be prioritised for receiving the Covid-19 vaccine. “The simplified system of certifying people with 20 co-morbidities within the 45-59 years age group was also explained to the States. The simplified one page certificate to be signed by any registered medical practitioner is at annexure-1,” the ministry’s statement said. Here is the list of the 20 co-morbidities whose presence will prioritize the ... » Learn More about People with THESE health conditions will get COVID-19 vaccine jabs on priority, check full list

The Union Health Ministry on Friday announced options for advance self registration, on-site registration and facilitated cohort registration for potential beneficiaries of the second round of COVID vaccinations, starting on March 1. The second round of vaccination will cover those over 60 years of age and 45+ with comorbidities. Choice of centres Giving details of the simplified process of registration through three routes, the Ministry said the beneficiaries will be able to self register in advance by downloading the Co-Win 2.0 portal and through other IT applications including Arogya Setu. This will show the government and private hospitals serving as COVID Vaccination Centres (CVCs) with date and time of the available schedules. The beneficiary would be able to choose the CVC of his/her choice and book an appointment for vaccination. On-site registration will allow those who cannot self register in advance to walk into the identified CVCs and get themselves ... » Learn More about Coronavirus | Select a COVID-19 vaccination centre, book appointment

The Uttarakhand floods this week have brought us face to face with an inescapable reality — climate change. The signs are showing globally, Earth’s atmosphere warmed by greenhouse gas emissions, causing Arctic sea ice to melt rapidly, oceans warming (surface water temperatures have been higher over the last three decades than at any time since 1880) and sea levels rising. Air temperature over land is rising even faster, hastening glacial melting — the probable cause of the Uttarakhand tragedy. India is highly vulnerable to climate change, 75% of our districts susceptible to extreme weather events, including increasingly severe cyclonic storms, intense downpours and parching heat waves. ‘A colonial mindset thought technology could control nature — that caused climate change’ This situation urgently needs new mitigations — and a new vision. Once, a ‘Promethean’ approach was used towards nature. This entailed human arrogance vis-à-vis the environment, with a belief ... » Learn More about To nature, with respect

One97 Communications , Paytm ’s parent entity, along with a board seat and recognition as a co-founder, while accusing the company’s founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma of going back on his promise and allegedly misappropriating his investments. Ashok Kumar Saxena (aged around 70 years), who claims to be a founder-director of One97 Communications, lists initial investments of $27,500 between January 2001 and April 2002 towards his promised stake of 55% in the company through an agreement allegedly signed in September 2001. In a legal notice to Sharma, he has also alleged that he was “wrongfully removed” as a director in February 2004. Saxena, who claims to be a serial entrepreneur and an aerospace & telecommunications technologist, said due to personal events in his life, he was unable to take up the issue earlier. In the notice, sent by law firm AugustLegal on February 1, Saxena has claimed to have first met Sharma around 1999, when he was “relatively fresh out ... » Learn More about US-based Indian entrepreneur claims big stake in Paytm parent

October 16, 2020 13:29 The U.S.-South Korea Security Consultative Meeting that took place in Washington has exposed the dire state of the bilateral alliance. The two defense chiefs could not agree on anything, from defense-cost sharing to the handover of wartime operational control of South Korean troops to Seoul, not to mention Korea's participation in the anti-China-alliance or "Quad" that also includes Australia, India and Japan. The two sides remain miles apart when it comes to the issue of sharing the cost of maintaining 28,500 American soldiers in South Korea. Esper said, "We must find a more equitable means of sharing the costs of our common defense, so it doesn't fall unequally on the American taxpayers." He added that South Korea must contribute more to joint efforts to maintain security on the Korean Peninsula. A troubling sign was the fact that for the first time in 12 years, their joint statement did not include the phrase "maintain the current level of the U.S. ... » Learn More about U.S.-Korea Security Meeting Epitomizes Malaise of Alliance